Broken Contracts (Hana ✗ Sen)

[Hana]

The question made Selene stop short; her hand stilled from stirring at the curry as she stared at Jasper. All those warm feelings and anticipation couldn't go so easily, but hearing it so plainly stated made her mind come to a halt. I still love you, she had heard Phynex say, and she still cared. If there was anything she could do to unwind the past three years of grief and the sudden gap that had opened between the two of them, she would do it... Anything. But she couldn't erase those three years. It had already happened. "I..." She glanced to the side. "Don't know." I want to but I'm afraid. Her voice had become passive, toneless, by the end as she tried to regather her thoughts. She didn't want to lose contact with Phynex ever again; he was important to her, she knew that much. Those three years with him were the happiest in recent memory; the most infuriating, challenging, but beautiful three years.

Phynex was her only attachment in that way. She had never been interested in finding someone; she had always been used to her mornings being quiet, peaceful and lonely. Even with her father; he had always been a bit too lost in his own remembrances in that old, forgotten house. She couldn't always be with Jasper although she tried to be there for him as much as she could - he had his own family, small as it was. Then when she made that contract with Phynex, everything became unpredictable. She was used to already guessing what would happen next in her day - it had been practice, kill, practice, kill day in and day out - but when she had actually become a hunter with a contract... Phynex challenged her and confused her. Their ideals clashed a lot at first; but she had to admit he taught her a lot. He had been the one to open her eyes from her own calm and wary regard of the world; made her push herself to be better than she already was. Fighting had become a pleasure when it was with him instead of just the passionless, clean and uninvolved kills she had committed to. She had grown so much from the young, quiet, talented but still surprisingly inexperienced hunter she had been at fifteen. And Phynex was the one to thank for that. He taught her to reconsider her more black and white opinions on the demons. There was no question - she still loved him. But getting back together...

There was another thing that had made her pause. She set the bowl down on an end table and moved over to Jasper, her brow furrowing in concern. There was that pained note in his voice again and the feeling that he was trying to keep down any upset feeling he had. "Jasper," she spoke softly, touching his hand and taking it down from his face. Her eyes were a dark and glimmering purple in the slightly dim lighting cast on her face, question and determination both in them. "I won't be hurt again," she smiled faintly at that. She would try; but in the long road it would still happen. "But is there something..." Her voice became quieter at this; careful, and entirely serious. He was her closest friend for the longest time. If he was feeling anything... "You want to tell me?"

 

[Mu]

Jasper swallowed. Should he tell her his feelings? It would be risky, and plus, she looked much happier with Phynex - even when he was against their relationship. Though he was a demon, his heart seemed capable of human emotions. And sometimes Jasper would be glad that Phynex wasn't abusive or anything of the sort or the type of person who would humiliate her but was from what it seemed; gentle and kind. Out of combat, of course. When Selene was busy trekking the city and hunting down demons of all sizes and abilities, Jasper was already one of the high ranking businessmen, but not yet a CEO. He had heard plenty of rumors about them. A huntress with flowing white hair with the ferocity of a tiger. Never failed to kill her targets, no matter how big they were - even if they towered over her like skyscrapers. And she wasn't afraid of the dangerous kinds, the ones where one single touch of their acidic skin was enough to kill any mortal. Rumors had spread of her partner, a contract demon, most people were not surprised, as powerful demon hunters made contracts to gain more power to face even more powerful demons. A shell of a mortal man housing a demon of fire, they said. Jasper didn't believe the last rumor, he didn't think Selene would have gone that far. But he was wrong. At first, he hated the fact that she was taking yet another step into the dangers of her occupation, but over the years he accepted her choice. After all, they were best friends

He had always liked her though. Jasper was naive as a young child - and still is sometimes - a good target for hungry demons. Child eating demons were extremely common, and many had jumped on him to try and have a bite of young human flesh, but every time it was Selene who saved his hide. Fended them off with such ferocity it was beautiful in its own unique way. The way she jumped about and attacked, her counters and kicks...it was like a hypnotising dance. Jasper was sure she didn't like him getting into trouble, was she annoyed that she always had to save him? He hoped not. He had fallen hopelessly in love with her, but he was always too shy to confess his feelings. And he didn't know how she felt either, and by the time she met Phynex, Jasper knew it was too late.

Forcing a grin, he looked up at her. "I just want you to reconsider about unfreezing the contract, that's all," he said in a firm tone. "Demons are not to be trusted, you know? And plus, what if Phynex changed and stuff?" Demons were manipulative, terrifying creatures. Now that the contract was frozen, it was probably much weaker. Meaning Phynex isn't as strongly linked to Selene than before. He could change, everything changed. Jasper clenched his fist, if that was the case, he would protect her with all he had.

 

[Hana]

Selene glanced down at Jasper's clenched hand and covered it with hers. She was quiet for a few moments, "Maybe, but not all demons are deceitful." She knew he hadn't seen it much for himself yet outside of those like Millia and her coworkers, so she didn't say anything more than that. "I know... Phynex will have changed. It has been three years, after all." It was impossible not to change and she wouldn't have wanted either of them to remain frozen; everyone had to grow up and learn as time passed. It was just hard to swallow that they had gone on and changed by themselves and away from each other, and she had gone on thinking he was dead. "... But I can't forget or let this chance go." She stared into Jasper's eyes, catching her own determined expression reflected from those green depths. "I will be careful about this, Jasper. Don't worry..." Even if she wanted with all of her heart to go back to that warm feeling she shared with Phynex, and she wanted to believe they could, she couldn't be so trusting with him yet. Not about the frozen contract - the link may be weakened, but the way she felt was still the same as it had been all this time. The time she would spend with Phynex would be just as much reconnecting as it was learning how both of them had changed; this evening wasn't enough to show much yet. Except how he had shown so much about those feelings to her... Selene wanted to keep that to herself for now.

She looked at Jasper's forced smile and shook her head. "Don't force yourself to smile if you don't mean it. I don't mind if you say you're mad." While she wasn't used to Jasper trying to be so toneless and avoiding her eyes, she understood why. "You know you could tell me anything, right? I trust you the most." She gave him a small smile.

 

[Mu]

Jasper was lost for words, he didn't need any in this situation anymore. If she still cared for Phynex, he couldn't do anything about that. He bit down on his bottom lip, as a friend he should support her the best he could. Jasper trusted that the demon could look after her, being her contract partner, but if he turned around and betrayed her, Jasper would never forgive him. He leaned in and hugged her gently, careful not to slam the bowl into her chest or his. He stood there, unmoving, arms wrapped around Selene in a tight embrace. Jasper sighed softly before pulling back. "If he ever does anything to hurt you, call me, okay?" he said with a hint of concern. He may not be physically as powerful as Phynex - who probably had years of training - but he had plenty of power, especially when one looked at the success of his business and the amount of human supporters he had. "I trust you the most, too. I'm lucky to have a friend like you," he laughed, his smile now genuine and reaching his green eyes. Jasper looked down at the curry, the steam no longer curling upward visibly. He chuckled, "You should eat," he said gently. Grabbing her shoulders, he veered her slowly to the sofa, planting her down. "I'll be in my room," Jasper muttered loud enough for her to hear, walking into the room across the hall and disappearing behind the frame.

 

[Hana]

The day was still young when Selene left Jasper's place, having woken up just as the sun started peeking out golden threads through the dim sky. She had taken the time to just look out the window with a mug of green tea and be left to her thoughts, and they invariably wandered back to Phynex. Even if she didn't show it, she wasn't raised to be openly anxious, she was almost... Nervous about seeing him again. The memory of last evening was still clear in her mind, bringing back a pleasant feeling whenever she thought of it and being so close to him. Maybe these fluttering feeling was anticipation? Nervousness because this was something she hadn't thought she would ever get again, and she might screw something up? Happiness? Or a mixture of all those things. The hunter frowned at her faint reflection in the window before turning to prepare herself for the day. She finished what remained of the tea before setting the mug down on the bedside table. They hadn't even agreed on a place to meet, now that she thought about it.

Taking a brisk shower to wash herself down and clean her hair, Selene quickly stepped out, wrapped in a blue towel. She absently watched herself in the mirror as she towel-dried her hair, before stripping the towel. There was a pause as she traced a hand over the faint white line that started from just below her shoulder on her back, diagonally crossing her side and ending to just above her hip. Didn't think it would fade so easily. It had been only a year, after all. Giving a mental shrug, she put on her black bra and boyshorts before stepping out into the guest bedroom. After putting on a long-sleeved dark blue shirt and white shorts cutting off at mid-thigh, she slipped on the black trench coat and boots from last night. Her hair was tied up, leaving her bangs over her forehead and framing her face. With a customary checking if all her weapons were with her she left with a note to Jasper, knowing he was probably going to work early this morning as well.

Well, where to? She decided to just walk to the nearby town square. When she arrived there, there were only few people, but more were coming as the work hours for the day started.

 

[Mu]

Phynex had eagerly rolled out of his bed in the early hours to get ready. He was extremely elated about seeing Selene again. There was just something about seeing her well and alive that just made his heart feel like it was on the top of the world, even if his nature was demonic and corrupted. The demon pulled on his usual casual attire, loose navy blue jeans with a simple grey t-shirt with a comfortable hooded black jacket that he fancied. And from his box of his belts in the corner of his wardrobe he pulled out four silver and black ones and clasped them on, his face brighting up. It was quite a weird obsession for someone like him. Phynex smiled as he admired himself in the mirror, he liked his mortal form very much. He made it very clear that he disliked his monstrous original form. His body was adapted to live well in Phantisiamine, the hottest place of the underworld, rumor says. Phynex had seen plenty of beautiful demons, but instead he was born with hideous rock like skin and fiery lava. Being able to look like most humans was a relief to him, something he was grateful for after signing his contract.

As he stepped out of the Phoenix Industries main building and stopped short. He had realised he hadn't told Selene where they could meet. The demon felt slightly embarrassed, not knowing where she could be and at his own stupidity. He bit his lip, scratching his head. It would definitely not be one of the alleyways, especially after that incident with Cornelia's minion. Nor could it be the cafe and restaurant streets, since they wouldn't be open this early. Shrugging, he walked with his head down, heading towards the large town square, which was where he assumed most people would be in the morning - making it safer from attacks and ambushes. Cornelia and other demons were powerful, but they weren't stupid enough to lose face in public if the Huntress could slice their minions into ribbons.

 

[Hana]

As she waited for Phynex, Selene looked around at the people walking by. Some of them stared at her before looking away, minding their own lives as they talked and laughed with each other. The sunlight was just pouring onto the streets, the green foliage of the ornamental trees being dappled with light yellow and gold as well as the pavements. There were humans - well, they appeared human and some weren't if you knew how to look and could feel their presence - walking side by side with each other, looking for all the world as just mere people trying to make it in everyday life. There were the ones who looked troubled, but most knew to keep their troubles to themselves. It was like this in Nora, where the demons could be out to get you come the cover of night and evening, and some even out to get you in broad daylight. Like what happened in the alleyway.

So everyone tried to keep up a semblance of normality in how they greeted and walked past each other, keeping up the facade of a happy life or that they weren't frightened. It only added to the demons' glee if they were to be terrified. Every human knew that by now, that they loved the taste and smell of fear.

But if she looked closely, there were the genuinely happy moments. Close and almost carefree moments. Even the taint of the demons could not truly snuff out the light of the youth and the hope of the people, and in a way, Selene felt accomplished at having helped them at least get some of that. Even if the demons couldn't all be wiped out, the hunters' efforts at least helped to make the land a little bit safer, and for a ray of hope for everyone that these demons couldn't completely crumple them under their actions. Three young women, clearly some office workers, were laughing and talking about things that were normal to them - Selene wondered what were the concerns of girls her age, as she had often in the past. Did they worry about how they could sleep in the night? If someone would come into their room? Did they worry about how to take care of their parent? How to hide or find a good place to run? Maybe not... The huntress shook her head.

Standing just underneath the shade of a tree, the young hunter just watched the world go by around her. She wondered what Phynex was thinking of at this moment, if he even knew where to find her. Maybe she should have gotten something, like coffee or bread before she just immediately left earlier. It seemed like it would be some time before he came here, but she lingered just a bit more, sitting on a bench and crossing her legs.

 

[Mu]

Both demon and humans alike didn't even cast him second glances as Phynex walked towards the center of the city. He had spotted several high-tier demons walking down the street with a breakfast sandwich in hand and whispering business plans to other demons. Hiding one's aura was an extremely difficult task for normal demons, thus their demonic presence could be easily made clear with a trained eye. Phynex was still technically a contract demon - even with his frozen contract - therefore his presence was masked so he could fit in easily with regular humans. Phynex didn't really know what to feel about the conflict in Nora. He was a demon, wouldn't that mean he should side with the demons? But ever since he made a contract with Selene...it felt more right to side with humans - no, side with her. It was his duty to protect her, not humans. Muttering under his breath, he turned the corner to the town square and blinked at the bright sunlight peeping through the building tops. Phynex focused on the businessmen walking around the shops, lights not yet bright and chairs still being set up.

The town square was a semi-neutral area. Nora had a special small area where demons and humans could be together side by side and both treated without discrimination, but surprisingly that was the only place with such morals in the entire city. The town square was similar, though the rules were often broken, especially when powerful demons see their chance to get rid of human competition, and generally both species stay away from each other, but full-fledged attacks were not very common compared to other parts of the city.

He spotted the familiar black carriage of Cornelia, the door marked with a spider web design in gold. Apart from the horses of demonic nature - their auras were extremely visible - there was no sign of life inside it. Unable to see her usual posse anywhere near the outer ring of stores, Phynex relaxed just a little. At least Cornelia wasn't nearby, she was probably somewhere in the depths of the square. A glimpse of white hair caused his heart to beat erratically, and his eyes instantly landed on Selene, who was sitting on a wooden bench under one of the trees. Gulping and looking down at himself self consciously, he strolled over to her with a growing grin. "Hello," he greeted her, almost sheepishly.

 

[Hana]

Selene had recognized a bit of Phynex's aura before he even spoke to her; she didn't look to him until a moment had passed. Her heart picked up a bit at hearing his voice, but she glanced at the sky for now. "It's a nice morning," she didn't greet him directly, her voice calm and even, the low tones smooth and without the rasp that it had yesterday. Her eyes, shifting between a shade of hyacinth to the clear violet hues of amethyst in the lighting, glanced sideways at him. Her lips twitched slightly upon seeing his belts again, before she looked around the square again. There was that demoness' familiar insiginia that told her to keep watch despite not seeing any signs of the rather cunning pest that had been giving the hunters worry and loss of sleep for months.

She stood up and faced Phynex, staring at him with her face smooth and void of anything to give away her thoughts. Taking in his sheepish grin, she tamped down the urge to lean closer, but took his hand without warning. "Let's find a place to talk," without eavesdropping ears, was left unsaid, as she tugged on his arm. Pulling him along the square and maneuvering her way through the growing mass of people, she let out a breath as she rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. It was difficult not to break out into a smile at seeing him, but after seeing just who might be watching and the possibility that they might identify who the two of them were, she couldn't be too careful. She stopped before a carved wooden door, a small hanging sign saying, Obsidian Bookshoppe. The windows at the sides of the door were veiled by thick dark curtains, and without hesitation the hunter opened the door. She wasn't surprised, but she frowned a little as the door gave way to her as she pushed it open, hearing the sound that heavy and old doors make.

The musty and distinctive scent of old parchment and books greeted her along with the staleness of old furniture, specks of dust visible in the light of the flickering lamp, and in her sharply enhanced senses she could easily count the dust particles without much effort. She pulled Phynex inside with her and shut the door with a dull thump, using a chain to lock the shop from within. This place was one of the few properties left that belonged to her family, or more precisely her father. Except he didn't keep up the shop here and instead had one of his friends maintain the place.

Books were pushed to the brim at the dusty old bookshelves, most old and leatherbound, with clearly aged and yellowing pages sometimes peeking them. There were a few parchments mixed with pristine white documents scattered on a heavy wooden table, and there was a desk by the corner close to the entrance with an old-fashioned typewriter and an ivory figurine of an angel. What looked like a registry book was left open by the edge of the desk, what few names written there and the books either bought or checked out also put down along with the dates, in neat, spidery black handwriting.

"He forgot to lock the place again," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment with an almost wry smile quirking her lips. Then she turned to Phynex and leaned back against the table, crossing her arms. "I don't know where we should start, but the books here seem like a good place to go from." Especially since she had learned to summon a demon for contracting from one of the grimoires hidden here in plain sight. Her family, or what was left of it, her father, did have unique ways of hiding their lifetsyle. Not that it helped them much in the end, since there were only two of them left. Her, and her father.

 

[Mu]

"Yes, a fine morning," he happily replied. After a few seconds, his shoulder drooped a little, she didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence, was everything okay? Phynex looked down at his body and his clothing, was it the amount of belts he was wearing? He knew his habit urked her, but she never really said anything about it. The demon felt awkward, standing there with a embarassed grin next to a girl whom he loved. It felt like a first time confession. His heart fluttered when his sharp eyes picked up movement in hers, the strange coloured - he just called it violet - eyes moving to study him. His grin widened as she looked at his belts, and his nervousness dropped down. The demon saw that she had spotted Cornelia's carriage, his own dark eyes following hers. "I must say, Cornelia is quite bent on getting rid of you. Even sent one of her favourite minions at you," he growled, pupils shrinking into slits at memory of the disgusting mish-mash of a woman's body and an octopus.

Selene had moved her face to look at him, and he did the same. His dark pupils went back to their original state, the anger and distate turning into obvious confusion. Selene was sometimes a hard book to read. It was possibly a training one must go through to become a demon hunter, hiding emotions. Especially for those who go undercover. Needless to say, it annoyed him more times than he would admit, but it was who Selene was. Phynex almost flinched at her sudden touch, the hand she took twitching uncontrollably. "Of course?" he said, allowing the girl to drag him away. Selene stepped in between the crowds that were now scattered around the town square as if she was experienced. Phynex, on the other hand, tried his best not to step on toes. He looked behind, just in time to see a shock of fair hair and the burly guards of Cornelia appear from an alleyway. He pulled up his hood, hunching his shoulders and hoping the crowds would hide him. Selene was rubbing his hand, which provided some sort of support for his increasing nervousness and panic caused by Cornelia.

They entered the bookstore that her father owned. Which he found strange, an old hunter owning something so...calm, like a bookshop. He was thankful for the curtains that covered the windows, giving them some privacy. Inside was dark apart from the lamps in the corner, prinpricks of lights in the darkness.

Bookshelves stacked with books from top to bottom, lining all the walls. All of them were gathering dust, as if they had been sitting there for months without a good cleaning. Old, browning pages stuck out here and there, fragile and easily crumpled. Ancient books containing all sorts of information were all over place, with occasional modern, bright white papers mixed up with old books and scrolls.

"Is that not a normal thing? For your father not to lock his shop up," Phynex whispered. The demon felt like if he spoke too loudly, the whole place could come crumbling down on them. He could see cobwebs in the tight, tall corners, black spiders wriggling their long legs as they sat in their own homes. He shuddered, webs, another reminder of Cornelia. What were the chances of her suddenly bursting in and slaying the both of them? Slim, but still possible. He set his jaw, why was he suddenly so afraid of her? He was Phynex. Head of Phoenix Industries, three times more powerful than puny little Cornelia. He nodded to himself, that's right. He didn't need to fear her, she should fear him.

"Where should we start?" he asked, crinkling his nose as he neared a bookshelf. The dust was like a blanket covering the entire bookshelf, if he disturbed it, his nose wouldn't like it. From the dim light, he could see pentagram symbols and runes for summoning and conjuring. Phynex's eyes lit up at the sight of summoning book spellbook. He turned to look at Selene, her white hair still clearly seen even in the darkness. "I always wanted to ask you, did you know my true name as you called me, or did you just say something completely random in hopes of getting a demon?"

 

[Hana]

"The place is warded against unwanted entry, I thought you knew that before." Selene looked at him quizzically, feeling concern rise up in her at his nervousness. It wasn't like him to be so nervous, was it because of the bookshop, or that Cornelia was outside in the square? It was true, the bookshop had its own defenses, to be owned by what was once a well-known line of hunters, it had to be. If she focused hard enough she could call upon the defensive spells laid down upon the very walls and foundations by her now-dead elders, spells to cause slow and painful burning, and even something to trap a demon on the spot. She glanced at the window. "Of course, humans could still come in and get the books, but you know these," her hand raised to just a touch from disturbing a book, "Aren't what people like nowadays." The Obsidian Bookshoppe was more like an old, family-owned business in the opinion of the general public. The books were old and first-edition, but the rare book collectors would find themselves at a loss at the titles of most.

She had to raise a brow at his next question. "... Not completely random, but it was still mostly by chance." And what a chance it was that they ended up like this. In the dim and flickering light she could see the shadows play on Phynex's features. A slight darkness passed through the huntress' face, her eyes looking to the side in remembrance. "My father's former partner; he knew a lot about the demons in the underworld." That demon... He was a lingering figure in her childhood, something she had seen as dark and frightening, cryptic in his words and his intentions towards her father and her. That demon never quite forgave her father for something in the past, but why did he still come around and help Selene in her training?

He never spoke of how to act like a demon, but he was the one who also taught her a lot to keep her emotions masked. If Phynex was the one to emphasize how to act like a demon, Kasimir was the one who thought her to distance herself from others. It was pointless in the long run, in his eyes, if she wanted to be a strong hunter. And her father kept quiet about that kind of training, only teaching her how to fight and use weapons. If there was anything that Selene was frightened off it would be Kasimir. She couldn't quite form a clear picture of what happened during her times with him, but she did remember hating to be touched by the smiling demon. She didn't really like being touched in general; it had taken Jasper a bit of coaxing and his childhood with her to touch her so freely, and she had initially tried to push Phynex away at first.

... Never mind that, it was long past and unrelated to this. She turned to look at Phynex again, clearing her expression. "He was the one that suggested some names and some description of those he listed. You caught my eye first." She smiled a little. "And did you make the impression when you first came into the circle." Really, she'd never thought she'd see such an affronted expression on a dragon's face. It made her wonder if Kasimir was trying to kill her, at first.

 

[Mu]

He raised an eyebrow, "A former partner?" he shook his head. He didn't know a lot of former contract demons. Phynex's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to rake his brain for someone who would know his true name. "Strange that he picked me," he muttered. He took ahold of a book and tugged, the book sliding out easily but followed by a cloud of dust. He coughed, though he used a hand to muffle the sound. Opening the book, he flipped the pages until it reached the chapter of locations in hell. He eagerly looked for Phantisiamine, smiling as he touched the old yellowing drawings of the place in the book. "Even stranger you picked me, I'm sure there were much prettier demons. And from a more...prettier place." There were plenty of demons that had the face of an angel and better skills, wielding swords and beautiful staffs and could cast spells to protect their human partner to the best of their abilities. But instead she picked a glaive wielding monster. "Phantisiamine is the hottest place in hell. Volcanoes and pillars of fire everywhere. Red crystals scattered all over the earthen floor and the heat is unbearable to any foreigner. Doesn't sound like a fairy tale," he chuckled, the images appearing in his mind as he described his home.

"I was lounging in my own pool when your circle wrenched me up to the surface world," he smiled at the memory. "Who wouldn't be angry?" Phynex shrugged, "At first I wasn't too keen on protecting a human girl," he looked at her with twinkling dark eyes and a growing smile, "But I don't regret that decision." He took a giant step towards her and hugged her tightly, pressing her body against his. His eyes were closed, smile still visible. Planting a kiss on her head, he loosened his grip. "Best three years of my life, I would say." The demon pulled back, his face glowing red and grin now sheepish. "And I am very old, compared to humans, anyway."

 

[Hana]

Selene stared at his features in the dim light, remembering his demon form. "I wasn't looking for pretty demons," she said softly, eyes glancing down at the opened book, taking in the pictures of his home. She had known what she should be expecting when she summoned him for the first time. A demon of fire and stone, wielding a large glaive. "And I couldn't have asked for better," her voice was quiet, but still loud in the seeming hush that covered the bookshop. In the early days she had wondered if she should have summoned someone else, but Phynex wasn't a bad fighter even then. He had the power and skill with his glaive; it also taught her how to work with someone who was so... Unpredictable. She had learned to consider the wellbeing of a partner, which was what she had stated in the contract, and not just someone working for her. That made her learn to care about his wellbeing and try to be patient - even if they ended up squabbling most of the time back then.

She had been startled when he had first come to access his human form. She knew that demons, once they were powerful enough, could achieve something like that. Turn into the human equivalent of their demonic self, she had never expected such a ferociously beautiful creature to turn into something closer. She could admit feeling a bit of amusement at their similar heights, they saw eye to eye even more when he had taken to staying in his humanlike form more than his demonic one. It had also given her a close friend that understood her work, shared her enjoyment of a good fight - but never the war - and someone who could go toe to toe with her line of thinking and her admittedly aloof bearing. When it turned to attraction between the two of them, it was difficult to say. She could remember pressing close behind him and holding his hand as she taught him how to use a gun, her voice and breath by his ear as she tried not to get too close. That had been admittedly interesting, since she couldn't really remember how she even taught him how to shoot, only the feeling of closeness and being pressed against his back, his scent uncomfortably close. She had never really felt any attraction before that she wasn't sure how to act then. The flustering when he moved in too close in her space. Phynex's human form was attractive; sharply attractive in that dark way that she had tried to overlook. Gleaming dark eyes and a wicked smile to match. But she had never seen his demonic - draconic - form as anything but as it was. It wasn't ugly. It was her partner, and he was all fire and sharp claws, and he was hers.

A smirk blossomed upon her features at hearing his remembrance. "So you were taking a lava bath? I can't say I'm sorry for interrupting." She felt her cheeks burn at his giant step and embrace towards her, but reached up and patted his back. Kissing her forehead made the flush darker before it passed in a few seconds. She stared at his sheepish smile and red face. "I don't regret it either." Now she hoped neither of them would regret what they were about to try.

 

[Mu]

"You weren't?" he said, blinking. His arms felt empty without holding her. The demon gulped, his eyes moving down to her lips. How long would it take for them to get back to what they once were? The intimacy, the closeness and the times where they longer felt awkward with each other's presence? Phynex remembered in the beginning they had many issues, as expected for a demon and human relationship. Their first few weeks were extremely difficult, he needed time to adjust to the surface world and her personality. He slept in his true form in the closest alleyway, hidden in the shadows so nobody could see his glowing body. Over the going days he trusted her more, liked her more and somewhere in the back of his mind...a spark. Watching her battle and watching her socialise was very interesting for him indeed. After two moons, like all demons, his body started to change to adapt to the human world. Transformation was painful and a long process, and Phynex needed a lot of water to sooth his throbbing skin and the numerous cracks. He could not breathe, and his vision faded in and out. He recalled Selene appearing as he went in and out of consciousness. When he woke up to find himself looking very human, the first person he went to see was Selene. He remembered he had spent the day trying out his new body, asking her how to do this and that with a brightness to his eyes. When their relationship started, it was bumpy and came with many problems. Unable to touch each other without flinching or shrinking back, kisses were clumsy and often not very passionate, and Phynex had trouble grasping what humans called 'romantic'. But to his surprise, they got closer and closer. How many times had they stripped naked in a drunk state without feeling any sort of awkwardness, and laughed about it the next day? There was something godly about Selene, strange white hair and violet eyes, but Phynex couldn't care less. Demon women in Phantisiamine liked love fast and quick. Being with Selene, Phynex had never taken anything so slow, it was such a divine experience for a demon like him.

He tried his best to pull his thoughts back down to earth. Turning his head and trying to hide his blushing face, he pushed the book he was holding back into its rightful place gently. He raised his head to look around the entire bookstore, the light reflected in his eyes. "Is there a certain section we can look in?" he murmured. "Otherwise we'll be here for a week." He walked over to the other side of the room, raising a finger to help him keep track of where he was looking. Phynex scowled, these books were all about plants. Demonic plants, alien plants. Any plants that did not naturally grow on earth. The demon's mind instantly jumped back to Cornelia's minion. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Selene. No visible bandages. "Are your injuries better?"

 

[Hana]

"For the most part, yes." She stared at him for a few quiet moments, noting the light reflecting in his eyes, then back at the shelves pushed with books upon books. "There's a section here, but it's hidden." Among the more 'normal' books, and she stepped forward next to him. She ran her hands down the spines of the books, looking at the embossed or engraved titles. "The book that I used to summon you... It's a grimoire," an old book, more precisely tome, that dealt with the greyer or darker parts of magic. Hers was owned by her family, a grimoire for fighting against the 'dark' forces, listing the types of magic to bind and to hurt, and the most striking of all the contracts. Each of the spells and techniques had a price, be it training, or being very draining to perform. But the contracts, that which offered the most power - those took the most. Not a lot of hunters formed contracts these days, fearing the price would be too high to pay. And in most cases, it was. Some demons took your sight, and some took your innocence and your body, some took away other senses, and some even asked for the blood of your firstborn. Most hunters weren't guaranteed a safe and sane life; that was why the hunters' organization took cases like contracts seriously. Only those who were determined enough and powerful enough to subdue - or at least go on equal footing - with the demon of their choice were allowed.

She remembered her fight with that minion in the alley and cursed herself for not thinking of at least trying a binding or paralyzing attack. And from which family am I again? If it wasn't for the enhanced healing she'd still be bandaged, good enough that eating and not straining herself was enough to recover quickly. As it was she still felt a bit sore and bruised in some parts. Selene sorted through the books, eyes skimming over the titles and the signs on the spines and covers. After some time of ghosting her hands over the sides she stopped at one of the shelves at the farthest corner innermost in the shop, glancing up at the high shelf with a slight sigh. "We'll be needing a ladder." The keeper of the place was fiercely protective of the books - and, well, everything - in this shop. These books are pieces of history, your family's history, young lady! Treat them like the treasures that they are. Don't think I won't rap your hands even now that you're all grown up. They couldn't just be brash with handling the books. She pulled up a ladder for the bookcases, taking off her coat and hanging it over the back of one chair, leaving her in her dark blue long-sleeved shirt and white mid-thigh shorts. Oh, now that was already enough to annoy the shop keeper, but it couldn't be helped. The old man would certainly squawk if he even saw the knives she was hiding in the coat and strapped to her legs, but he saw it a lot of times already.

"And oh, careful with that book in your hands. I won't be able to do anything if you hurt that," her voice was dry as she said this. "Now come over here and help me get these books down." She took one of the lamps and quickly climbed the ladder, leaning over and hovering the lamp near the titles.

 

[Mu]

"A summoning book? I suppose it would contain a some information about contracts," he murmured. A hidden section, she said. This place would be perfect to hide something. Phynex imagined secret contraptions and rotating bookshelves. It was a humourous thought, but his bubble was bursted when she took off her coat. For some reason, the demon could do nothing but stare at her, his eyes shamelessly running up and down her figure. He fought the urge to run up and hug her or something like that behaviour. At her words, the demon instantly placed the book he was holding in its rightful place, looking up at her on the ladder. He flexed his back, muttering words under his breath. Wings sprouted right under his shoulders, muscle made of dark flesh and bright red orange highlights. Transformation was second nature to him now, and the pain was more bearable. Unlike a true dragon, his wings were ripped but still allowed him to be stable in flight. His eyes began to glow red, a translucent flame bursting to life in his pupils, accompanying his partial transformation. Phynex wasn't sure if the guardian of the bookstore would approve of a demon's presence but there were other things at hand. Effortlessly, he flew upwards until he was level with Selene on the ladder, eyeing her cooling with his flaming eyes.

(( Rather short, my apologies. ))

 

[Hana]

There was a sudden languid heat that she felt when she had turned and gone to the ladder, making her cheeks flush, and she was glad that her face was turned away. She hadn't missed the feeling of eyes on her, which were definitely quite appreciative and familiar. The surprise and shock of it was quite heady, making her grip on the edge of the ladder tighten for a moment. She wasn't a stranger to lecherous stares or leers, demons had a tendency for that, and humans who had nothing better to do... But she only responded to his stare. She could almost feel a curling heat touch where his eyes had roved over expanses of smooth, white skin, from her boot clad feet, behind her knees and up her legs. From the waist up she was snugly covered by a fit blue shirt, her arms also covered, but that didn't stop the feeling. Maybe because it wasn't only mere lust that drove the stare, but a certain passion and warmth - she had always loved warmth despite her appearance, which came out of a fairy tale that brought thoughts of ice and snow, with her unusual pristine white hair and violet eyes, her pale skin not helping matters. She remembered Jasper reading her a tale about a kingdom in ice, of delicate white snowflakes and untainted white snow and how he thought she belonged in it. She liked fantasy and fairy tales, they were a frivolous thing to indulge in with her friend.

But she didn't agree. She loved being out and feeling the golden sunlight on her skin, or the warmth of sitting by a fireside. Maybe it was because the home of her childhood was cold, beautiful but forgotten, with a father who couldn't help her much but teach her how to fend for herself, and she had spent her childhood, when she wasn't allowed to go out, staring out of windows decorated with frost and tracing patterns in them. Unable to feel warm despite the roaring heat of the fireplace. Her childhood was spent learning from grimoires and books and measuring the cold steel of the weapons in their home.

Maybe that was another reason that had attracted her to Phynex. In a way he was like the sun, even with his dark hair and eyes, the warmth of his smile and the passionate way with how he had coaxed her. It was a bit whimsical of her to compare him and try to be poetic, like in the books she rarely read in their libraries. And it was oddly humorous that his demonic form resembled a dragon that could be from those fantastical tales.

Selene shook her head at the silly musings and continued looking through the corner of the bookcase, pursing her lips. Brow furrowed slightly, she pulled out a book and inspected it, before adding it to her list of what to look through. She heard the muttered words of transformation easily, and wondered if she should worry about the shopkeeper's reaction. She heard and felt the heat of the transformation, skin prickling at the sudden warmth and glow that flared out in the bookshop. Thankfully, the curtains were thick enough to hide that. She heard the rush of wind from Phynex's wings as he flew up towards her and turned her head, staring at the glowing red eyes. "... Here," she handed him the book she was inspecting, her mouth suddenly feeling dry.

 

[Mu]

The corner of the demon's mouth twitched upwards as he reached out to take the book, lowering his flaming eyes for just a second to look at the cover. Another book about summoning that contained a little about the history of demonic contracts. He cocked his head, opening the book and flipping to the middle of the book. Drawings of pentagrams and certain binding spells were listed, with several pictures of demons being summoned and basic techniques on how to calm demons. Reading the first tip, which was telling the summoner to calmly speak to the demon, made Phynex snort. Any demon who gets pulled from the underworld to a strange, human infested one isn't simply going to calm down with some mere human's talk. He closed the book, a puff of dust escaping and floating away. Phynex looked at Selene, blinking. Feeling a little awkward, he decided to continue conversation. "How did you sleep last night? Well?" he asked softly, mentally stopping his eyes from roaming again.

Outside, Cornelia was winding through the less crowded alleyways with two guards following swiftly behind. The blonde demoness twirled her parasol in her hands, she had seen someone who look disturbingly like Phynex in the crowd earlier. She could have been mistakened, but Phynex's appearance quite...'one of a kind'. Just to make sure it was him, she decided to follow him, but it was hard to follow the man in the crowd, only seeing glimpses of him turning into this corner and that corner. Cornelia liked doing business with the demon. He was smart and handsome and extremely powerful. If he lived in the demon world, she wouldn't be surprised to see him become a Greater Demon. Shame that her advances on him never worked, she got the vibe that he disliked demon women. But Cornelia didn't mind, as long as he was around to financially support her, she was content. The demoness turned another corner, eyeing the dingy and shady bookstore with sharp eyes.

 

[Hana]

Selene watched as Phynex took the book and flipped through the pages, suspended in the air. She watched the myriad of expressions cross through his face at something that he read, and when he snorted, she looked down and felt the same amusement. Talking calmly to most summoned demons did nothing at all to soothe them or anything of the sort, if anything they were even more outraged that a human would talk to them like it was some sort of everyday thing, and of little effect to them. Except for maybe her father's former partner, who if she believed the stories actually had a chuckle at what was deemed her father's 'audacity'. Her father seemed annoyed when he was recounting that.

She turned back to sorting through the books - maybe there was one that was solely about the contracts between hunter and demon, it was a relatively complex subject after all. It didn't end at just summoning and making a deal. She knew that now. There was more to the contract than just that binding magic that bound demon to human and human to demon, and the many practices that gave both strength. Blood was also a medium of exchange that seemingly gave demons more power, drawing on the human contractor's own strength, and was even used by some to summon instead of the demon's true name. Not too long into the sorting, she could still feel Phynex's stare on her and felt the silence grow thicker. "I slept fine," she glanced at him with a small quirk of her lips, enough to catch the way his eyes flicked up and down and felt her cheeks burn slightly.

"... You?" She prompted, asking him how his own sleep had gone, just to cut through the sudden silence between them. She tried not to look away and meet his stare. As she then handed him another book, a shadow's movement caught her sharp eyes, just behind the thick curtains that veiled the windows of the shop. A trickle of unease went down her back, warm and creeping and reeking of some demon. A powerful demon at that, feeling some alarm as she set her hand against the wall by her side and let the wards do their work of scouting out the nearby area. A flash of blond hair and narrow, pale eyes that gleamed with suspicion and aggression both, pale skin. A beautiful demoness flashed in her minds eye, a vision of a woman with a parasol, clad in elaborate old-fashioned clothes and flanked by two demon guards. "Your friend is here," she said in a hushed, but hurried voice, blinking away the disorientation that came with using a ward to spy on the outside. She never did like having images and ideas suddenly crammed into her mind without warning... "Phynex," she made her way down the ladder in the blink of an eye, "We have to hide." The shadows and the numerous rows and columns of bookcases would serve them here, she just had to bring him even deeper into the library.

 

[Mu]

"My sleeping patterns are rather strange, but I got a few hours of sleep," Phynex mumbled. Ever since he returned to the human world, sleep was hard. He found himself dependent on Selene for a full night's worth of sleep and the comfort of their shared apartment. Although the problem might have been because of the many luxurious parties he threw regularly or the amount of alcohol he would drink to release his worries. His own room was much fancier and more furnished than the simple bedroom he had with Selene, but this one had no memories to hold on to and no warmth. He thought about that night out in the mountains with her, the blizzard howling around them. It was by far the most uncomfortable 'bed' in his five hundred years of living, but just being able to curl up with his blazing form exposed to allow Selene to nestle in for warmth was something he could never forget. There were not a lot of humans or demons who accepted him for who he was in all his monstrousity.


Phynex's expression changed. "Friend?" he echoed, what friend of his could possibly be here? Looking out the window, he saw a figure through the curtains, but they obscured the person from plain view. He gently flapped down after her, thinking about who could be outside. Cornelia. His lips twisted upwards into a snarl. "Foolish Cornelia can't stop nosing around," he growled. He looked into the dark inner area of the library, not seeing much except little dots of light. The demon ducked behind a bookshelf, "Cornelia is out for your skin. Where can we hide?" he asked, hints of desperation in his tone.

Outside, the demoness slammed the door open, the wind blowing her blonde hair around her. She peered into the darkness, the library not illuminated by the open door. Waiting for her guards to follow, Cornelia closed the entrance, ignoring the creaking noise that annoyed her so. Nothing in here was stirring, but she could sense life. Her eyes narrowed, she knew Phynex didn't hace much of a demonic aura - she never knew why, nor did he ever explain - which could give him an advantage in hiding away from other demons. The demoness walked around, her heels clacking loudly against the floor as she admired the dusty old books.