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Hana

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BROKEN CONTRACTS

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PLOT
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[warning=purple]As of 24/12/2015, this is no longer a Liberteen Roleplay. Past sexual content before this date would be placed under spoiler tags in accordance with site rules.[/warning]​


In the land of Nora, Humans can no longer stand up to the fierce and numberless hordes of demons emerging from the Northern Lands. The demons roamed everywhere in the land, avoiding towns and killing off travelling humans. Cunning demons disguised themselves as Humans and hid in cities and towns, managing shady businesses and walking among the people.

There are a few people in Nora who kill off demons by making contracts with others. A 'guardian', they are called. By selling something to them - your voice, your soul, your sight, family, sometimes even bodies - the demons are willing to fight with you against their own kind.

A demon hunter is assigned to kill a famous businessman who is actually a demon in disguise. This demon is notorious for being a nuisance, making weapons for the demon army and allowing them access to the city. The demon also happened to be the business rival of the hunter's best friend, who owned one of the remaining powerful Human companies. But when the hunter breaks in, they find out that the demon they are meant to kill is actually a demon whom the hunter had a contract with a few years ago. The demon is happy to see its old partner and tries to get back together in order to save their life. The hunter, on the other hand... isn't so pleased...

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CAST
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Main Characters:
  • Phynex the Fire Demon - Sen
  • Selene the Huntress and Heiress - Hana
  • Jasper the Weapons Creator and Genius - Sen
  • Millia the Cafe Waitress - Hana

Supporting Characters:
  • Aidan (Redeemed Hunter and Father) - Hana
  • Asher Averill (Legendary Hunter) - Hana
  • Alita (Tattooist and Contract Sealer) - Hana
  • Belinda (Healer) - Sen
  • Golem (One Man Defence) - Sen
  • Orion (Shadow Demon, Researcher and Historian) - Hana
  • Jared (Fallen Heir of His Family) - Hana
  • Aimee (Recovered Huntress) - Sen
  • Ra (Hunter of the Sands) - Sen
  • Delilah (Siren) - Sen
  • Namah (Sexy Incubus) - Sen
  • Kit (Seductress Hunter and Recon Specialist)
  • Rina (Naga Snake Waitress) - Hana
  • Yuras (Hunter from the Northern Lands) - Hana
  • Huli (Hopeless Admirer) - Sen
  • Crane (Old One and Seals Founder/Mistress) - Hana
  • Kimyotake (Old One) - Sen
  • ??? (Fire Nymph Mapmaker)
  • Merith (Lumist Priestess) - Sen
  • Aisha (Councilwoman) - Hana
  • Calder (Ancient God/Being) - Hana
  • Kieran (Infiltration Specialist and Saboteur) - Hana
  • Azalea (Infiltration and Explosives Specialist, and Saboteur) - Hana
  • Jeanne (Healer)
  • Liam (Berserker and Protector) - Hana

Antagonists:
  • Cornelia the Spider Queen - Sen
  • Jet (Wolfish CEO)
  • Franco (Wolfish CEO)

???
  • Kasimir (Mysterious Old One and the Mad Dog of the Demons) - Hana


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EXTRAS
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Original Coding: Hana.







 
Phoenix Industries. A well known demon company that produced thousands of weapons for the war. It should have been taken down ages ago, but no one ever went in the building solo and ever came out alive. The CEO of Phoenix Industries was a terrifying demon, they say, with a powerful aura and weapon at his disposal. Atop the Phoenix Industries was the large penthouse, the location for a beautiful party for the demons that night. Proudly hosted by the CEO of the company, Phynex.

There are many rumors surrounded Phynex, but none dare to say anything in his face. Phynex may seem like a typical flirty, powerful demon but inside he can be sadistic and controlling. He wanted to throw a party to celebrate a recent raid and discovery of a rebellion hideout, a bunch of foolish humans were caught in a rather large but previously unknown warehouse with plans to rebel against the demonic race. Unfortunately, all were slain without hesitation, their heads put on pikes to show that demons were not to be messed around with. Humans were nothing compared to demons, their only threat was their own kind - Contract Demons. Contract Demons made pacts with the dirty humans and work with them to kill off their own race. Why they even do such a sinful thing is beyond any demon's comprehension.

Thousands of demons dressed in tuxedos and dresses appeared in the lobby of the Phoenix Industries main building. Some of them looked like typical humans, their disguises realistic and permanent whilst others simply let go of any sort of human outfit and presented themselves as they should be, monstrous beings were scattered throughout the lobby. Some looked like dragons, others extremely cat like, giant ogres with disgusting skin to little imps dressed in cute suits. All demon kind were allowed inside. Group by group they took the lifts to the penthouse, where drinks were laid out and food aplenty. Phynex himself was sitting on a plush sofa drinking a glass of wine in his human disguise, welcoming any demon that approached him.

Phynex was wearing a sharp suit, a tuxedo of black materials and a shining white dress shirt with a fancy black tie. His brownish-black hair was mussed, as if he didn't even bother to comb it. His black eyes gleamed like diamonds as he talking with his fellow demons, laughing and joking with the men, flirting with the women. "Ah, lady Cornelia!" he exclaimed, walking towards one of the powerful female demons on the human surface, he kissed her hand and smiled. "How are you this fine night?"

Cornelia rolled her eyes, "I am doing very well. How is your business? That pesky human company keeps messing with mine, foolish human. Why can't we get rid of him?" Phynex nodded. In this developing city there were many demon run companies and a few human ones. But the most powerful - possibly on par with the Phoenix Industries - was a human-run company by a very powerful and protected young man. He'd never seen the man before, because he was always with ten thousand armed guards whenever he stepped out of his mansion or his company building.

"If we could get rid of him, I would have done it ages ago, my dear." He looked at his watch, "I must take my leave. Have a good night, Cornelia." He turned around and headed upstairs into one of his private rooms, his office. Phynex had scheduled a meeting with a fellow business partner that he had invited, and had promised to meet him around this time. He sat in his expensive leather chair and drained the rest of his wine, leaning back and relaxing.
 
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If there was one thing you have to remember when mingling amongst demons, it was that you should never show uncertainty. While they, of course, supported each other in their endeavors to eradicate and oppress the humans lingering in the land, crushing the defiance out of them, they also loved to slip lies in between their teeth about each other. To find ways to exceed another. Demons were competitive.

One wrong word, one wrong action, one wrong assumption could make them turn on you and stab you. And you will be crushed yourself.

These thoughts passed lingeringly in Selene's mind as she stood in the lobby of the Phoenix Industries main building earlier, words she remembered from the days before when she had worked with a demon. She had stood with back straight, chin tilted up with her face set in the cold apathy and indifference that showed the other people - demons - that she was not to be trifled with. She was glad for her unusual coloring in these instances, it allowed her to pass for a demon when she had to.

Selene was wearing a deep blue dress ending up in mid-thigh, a fitting silk piece that she had borrowed from a friend. It was strapless and bared her creamy pale shoulders and neck, which was clad with a velvet choker with a small blue sapphire. Her hair, a shade caught between silver and white, fell down past her waist in straight, glossy locks, some short ones framing her face. Deep violet eyes had stared down other demons about to approach her in the room, before shifting away in apparent disinterest and inflaming some of their egos, wounding their pride - but she didn't care. She never really did.

There were some humans that had protested her coming to do such an important assignment this way - slipping in like this instead of just doing her usual shadowy methods of striking down her targets. They had protested that it couldn't do for someone like her to risk herself like this - but she had another opinion on this. Within the land she was already a wraithlike phantom in the rumors passing from human to human, or demon to demon, an avenging one that had been good enough to kill, to put down rising demons and threats. She was the most skilled hunter in the remaining organization that still opposed the demons with enough backup to be threatening, but even within the innermost circles she was a mystery.

No one had really seen her face as The Huntress, only knowing enough to tell she was female. None of the demons she struck down lived or lingered long enough to see it - they either died or ran away barely hanging on to life.

Which brought her to her most recent opinion - this was a good plan. For such a party like this that would incite the rage and grief of humans, the one who threw this most likely knew he would be targeted, tightening his security or at least looking out for a human in clothes worn for stealth. If she slipped in, as a 'demoness', none would be the wiser.

After all, didn't he tell her how to act convincingly as one, years ago? Never reveal anything.

And that was how she had ended up here, standing in waiting in the CEO's office. Apparently, this CEO was a mystery to the humans, seeing as none of them would even have a chance of seeing him up close - this demon was the one who provided weapons for the demon's side in the war. A powerful demon, they said. It didn't matter. He had to go down one way or another with such a display of putting the raided humans' heads on pikes. The humans wouldn't accept anything else.

When the demon slipped in, she breathed in, having hidden in one of the more shadowed places in his office, just behind one large bookcase that hid her completely from view. His aura was immense, and oddly familiar - but no, she could never have met him, he was the CEO of this company. She readied her knives in hands, feeling the cold steel press reassuringly against her skin as she waited -

There. The man seemed relaxed from what she could see of his back, leaning into his chair. If he was any bit slowed down by that alcohol in his system, demons were still somewhat susceptible to it in the right amounts -

She moved.

She had always been fast. Blindingly fast among humans and enough to do the job with demons.

Bringing her knife up for a moment, she swung the weapon towards his neck, readying her other in case this first didn't work.​
 
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He had turned around to look out the window, the window sparkling clean and without dust. It was all so beautiful, the skyline of the human world. That was the one thing the demon race wanted to preserve - all the hard work of the humans - though of course, no demon would admit that human architecture was beautiful in any way. He found it so fascinating, the shining lights and bustling humans and demons down the street. You would think it was just a beautiful utopia of both races. He sipped his red wine, swirling the contents with his cup. A combination of human and demon...it reminded him painfully of her. How long had it been since he last saw her? Three years? He remembered her so well, as he if he had only made that contract with her yesterday. She was very pretty for a human, in his own opinion - much to his superior's dismay. What was she doing now? Phynex knew she was passionate about her job, hunting demons was a thrill for her, she was probably out there in the city spilling demon blood, or perhaps moved somewhere. He could almost feel her, soft creamy skin with long, strange white hair. The fact that she was just an inch shorter than him made the demon laugh. Phynex asked for something that most demons didn't, he just wanted her companionship to ease his loneliness. He didn't really care much about the immense power that being a contract demon could provide, He closed his eyes, now wasn't a good time to think about her. Though it was rare, she'd probably made a contract with someone else now. A frozen contract was no use to her.

He took another sip of the delicious wine, savouring the taste. Phynex looked down at his silver watch, frowning at the time. His business partner should have been here by now, sitting right in front of him and talking about the latest imports and exports of demonic weapons. But he wasn't. What was taking him so long? He had no time to tense up or worry, it would affect him for the rest of the night - the stress of being a CEO was excruciating. Sighing, he turned around, only to see some sort of blur lunging at him. His black eyes widened, though his system had alcohol in it, his reaction times were well trained - thanks to her constantly using him as target practice whenever she got drunk - and quickly lifted his hand to grab the thing's wrist. The thing was wielding a weapon, a sharp gleaming knife aimed at the neck - a death blow. Phynex's vision was slightly blurry, but he shook his head to focus, peering at the face.

Something about the facial features were extremely familiar. He could tell she was a female, but who the hell was she? He wrenched the wrist holding the knife back, not noticing the other hand. He blinked and bared his sharp teeth, "Who the fuck are you?" The aura of this person was extremely weak, and not corrupt enough to be a demon. His mind went blank, a human? What was a human doing in his building? How did the guards managed to let this girl get by? And why was a lady even holding a weapon in the first place?
 
Despite herself she couldn't help but let out a startled intake of breath, followed by a small, barely audible sound of pain slipping past her lips as the demon grabbed her wrist, wrenching it back. The way he grabbed her made her almost drop the knife as her grip loosened reflexively. His reaction time was fast, as if he wasn't even affected by the wine. She would have to move even faster or things could get messy. The thing that gave her a slight feeling of wariness was how he received the attack from her like he knew the way she fought, the action seemed instinctual for him. There was something off about this...

She didn't really plan on talking, and would have just continued on without pause with her other knife when she heard him speak.

That voice... Slightly husky, probably from the drink, and bewildered. Low and masculine, someone who was used to having things under his control. Also a voice she was sure she she could remember laughing, chuckling and simply speaking without any pretenses if she dared to dredge up whatever memories she had long since tried to bury either by fighting or by drink. The voice of a dead man.

No, a dead demon.

She could feel the color drain from her face as she leaned slightly to get a better look, her own features coming more into the light, still keeping a cautious stance despite the numbness that was starting to take over her. Not the usual numbness she had when it came to fighting, either, when she just shut off whatever distraction or feelings in favor of finishing her targets. It was the numbness that came from great shock, she felt as if this wasn't real. It shouldn't be real.

Images of him flooded her mind's eye, dark brownish-black hair and light skin, then the deep black eyes staring back at her with that unreadable look in them. Then his face, the cheeks she had cupped once, the lips that curved up into a smile and touched upon her wrist and neck enough times that she knew how it felt, even now -

Her face was blank as the face of the demon came into her view, every familiar feature digging a wrench deep within her that she tried not to feel. "Dead," she murmured as if in a daze. "You're supposed to be... dead," the last word came out in a hollow whisper, lacking any inflection to it as her lashes drew down to hide any emotion in her violet eyes.

Selene needed to get away from this. Was her mind that twisted or had she finally gone mad, seeing Phynex's face staring up at her? She couldn't muster up any of her clinical detachment, her indifference when it came to her targets like this. Her hands tightened upon the knives as she tried not to think - and just push forward with the other knife, targeting a tender area in the demon's - not his - side this time.
 
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She was completely still, his hand wrapped tightly around the girl's wrist. She wasn't moving, her face was still in the shadows of the room but he could tell she was looking at him, which was excusable, since he was looking at her. Phynex could barely see anything in the shadows until she leaned forward just a tiny inch to study him. It wasn't much help, he could only see the basic outline of her face. Something tickled his mind, had he seen her before? Perhaps as he was walking down the street, or one of his business partner's human playthings during parties?

Her voice, although almost inaudible, hit him like a tsunami wave. All sorts of things went off in his mind, alarms of concern and surprise, as well as a flood of memories of his old partner. There was no way it could have been her, but her voice proved otherwise. It was still that sweet voice that sounded like music to him, though the gentle and kindness wasn't as prominent. It was the voice that summoned him, the voice that knew his true name, the voice that scolded him whenever he did something stupid and the voice that was ever so kind and soothed all his worries and pain. A voice who whispered goodnight to him every night and was something he looked forward to every day.

"S-selene?" he whispered almost hopefully. He was drunk, there was no way it was her. It was probably some random female demoness messing with him and he was thinking about her too much and started hallucinating. But he had to make sure. Why would it matter? He was dead in her eyes and probably in her heart as well. He had disappeared off the face of this world without a proper explaination, and she probably hated him or worse - forgotten about him.

He could sense movement from her other arm, if he let go of the wrist he was holding she would plunge that weapon right into his throat. And Phynex couldn't risk transformation right now. The girl's moved towards the side of his stomach, knife gleaming against the moonlight as it honed in its target. He had to react fast, if this was Selene - which he had no idea what to feel about this situation - he knew he could not attack. Phynex didn't want to take any chances. He kicked his desk and pushed himself backwards, releasing her wrist and slamming the chair against the glass window. The window shuddered but held, much to his relief. Quickly, he stood up and darted across to the other side of the room, hands snaking towards the light switch so he could get a better look of his assilant.
 
"S-Selene?"

The voice reached her ears. Repeated. And repeated still, even as he pushed away and darted towards the other side of the room. She stared as he reached a hand up to the light switch.

After what felt like a few minutes, but were actually moments, she flinched back slightly, a subtle, almost unnoticeable moment to others but a large loss of composure to her. Selene wanted to shut her eyes tightly as she heard that voice say her name - after so, so long - reopen old wounds she thought had already scarred over. It had been so long since she heard him say her name. Even if it was in that oddly hopeful, oddly cynical tone as if he couldn't quite believe it, the sudden crashing, tumbling down his voice caused inside of her made her shudder slightly.

She thought she was long past such feelings now.

"Don't..." She started lowly, keeping her voice calm and even even as she felt like sinking to her knees on the inside. "Don't call me that, demon," she let her tone go arctic at the end of her sentence as she loosened then tightened her grip on the knives.

Phynex was dead. He died, didn't he? She couldn't call him even no matter how many times she yelled, yes yelled despite her usual silence, his true name over and over. He wasn't there no matter how many times she searched the usual places they went together - the favorite place on the rooftop where they lay back and just talked quietly, the secret room he had for her ducked in an isolated alley, the part of forest where they often fought - and laughed, how beautiful his laugh was to her - under the tree where he first kissed her, tangling her hair in his fingers as he leaned close and she stood stunned. The secret passages they found throughout the city, the hideouts where they often hid away from the world when either of them needed it.

He was dead. Or was he? The feeling of blank shock turning into painful remembrance, then hope then a sinking suspicion, the feelings all made her somewhat dizzied. She was used to everything being crystal clear - clinical and distant, separate from her - for a while now. Since he was gone.

"Phynex is dead," she tried saying it out loud again, something she had forced herself to do when the wounds were still fresh, growing used to the feeling of suddenly losing something she had started to consider a part of herself. "Phynex is dead..." Her head lowered slightly, a shadow crossing her face and her hair veiling her eyes. Her voice was soft, mild even. "Don't you dare fool around with me."
 
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He flicked on the light switch, a bright whiteness filled the room, illuminating the entire office and revealing the woman who had attacked him - as well revealing himself. His skin went cold, eyes opening and what felt like immense sadness wash over him. It was Selene. No doubt about that fact anymore. Her hair was a bit longer and her eyes weren't as bright and happy as he remembered but it was still her in all of her beauty. He could feel tears prickling his eyes, welling up and threatening to spill. Quickly, Phynex wiped them away with his sleeve, determined not to break where he was standing. He was leaping with joy at the sight of her, yet also sad, though he could also sense sadness inside him, but he didn't know why. He had lived as a being for at least five hundred years now. Phynex had seen his fair share of beautiful women, both human and demonic - but none were on the same level as Selene. There was just some sort undescribable aura to her that attracted him to her, and he even found her somewhat violent tendencies extremely adorable. He could remember her face when he had built up the courage to kiss her for the first time - full of shock. He hadn't expected their relationship to turn out...so intimate. But he never complained. Falling in love with a human was looked down upon, but he couldn't help himself.

Her harsh words stung him and cracked his heart. Ever since his return he hadn't bothered to open himself to another female, since she was always still on his mind. For a long while he had hoped she had moved on and found someone else, but he had succumbed to unexplainable jealousy for this imaginary new man of hers. Phynex cursed his territorial and possessive traits, forcing himself to drink it all away.

Selene seemed to have recognised him, but refused to accept his 'revival'. Perhaps she was thinking he was another demon, her enemy. Phynex swallowed his pain, "S-Selene? It's me..." he whispered, taking a cautious step forward. Now she was repeating something to herself. His heart sunk, of course, she believed him to be dead. He blamed himself for that, it was all his fault. He was a coward, valuing his superior's judgement over her. He could have just stayed with her and be happy, instead of trying to run out of his predicament. "I'm not dead," he said calmly, forcing himself to look into her eyes. "I'm not dead, Selene," he repeated, his voice wavering just a little. Without thinking about the consequences, he jumped at her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She was probably going to stab him, lash out, but Phynex was going to take her attacks. He deserved it, anyway, for abandoning her.
 
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Selene's eyes widened slightly as the room was lit up, seeing the demon before her in stark detail making her take in a sharp breath. No matter how many times she could try to repeat what she just said, his face, his hair, his eyes - everything. Phynex's face staring back at her in what looked like sadness and concern made her raise her head slightly as she realized she was almost looking down. No weakness. Even if the one standing before her was actually - she tried not to let the slowly growing feeling she dared not call hope grow - the demon who she had contracted with, she couldn't. Especially if it really was him after leaving her alone all this time...

She tried not to notice the changes she saw in him. He loved to wear casual clothes, not dressy shirts and pants like what he was wearing now. Shirts that were thin and breathable, jackets, and that annoying but endearing habit of wearing too many damn belts, that was what the Phynex she remembered loved to wear. His face was as youthful and at the same time ancient as the one she had always seen, but now he looked... Tired, then suddenly reinvigorated. Selene watched as his eyes welled up with tears, pursing her lips as she saw him quickly wipe them. She wanted to look away but she couldn't. Not now. Not when seeing him and his face again was like finally getting out of the water.

Life was like drowning; after all. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get out of the water, so now she just resigned herself to staying in it and not letting herself breathe. He used to be there to keep her head up out of the depths and when he was suddenly gone, no matter how much her best friend tried to keep her afloat, she just wanted to sink.

She flinched again when she heard him speak her name, almost opening her mouth to grit out another reply not to call her that, but the pain in his voice - Phynex was unreadable at times, but there were also times when she could see through him, did he really think he could hide? - made her pause. And swallow slightly.

"I'm not dead."

Then where were you, Phynex? Where were you when I looked outside the window in the sweltering heat of summer, and suddenly thought to get you your favorite cold drink, and I suddenly remembered there was no Phynex to get something for. Where were you, hm?

As was always when he did something so sudden to startle her, she could only freeze as she felt his arms wrap around her, moving around her waist in a way that just fit, his other arm around her shoulders as he pressed her tightly to him. As impulsive as always, knowing she had knives and still jumping at her like this...

No.

"Then where were you, hm?" She whispered with an ironic, cynical tone, finally slipping out of the toneless soft voice, a terrible voice, she spoke in. "Don't... Just don't..." She could smell him - that familiar scent of something smoky, then musky and a scent that was purely his, mixed with the scent of wine. More than anything her body was telling her to just melt and bury her face against his neck, and breathe in. She couldn't deal with this. "Let me go," she finally said. "Before I do something I might regret." She had far too many regrets in this young life already.
 
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Phynex tightened his arms around her, tensing his body up, ready to accept any sort of attack from her. Punches, kicks and stabbings, perhaps even a gun wound - he would take it all. He had no right to attack her and he didn't plan to. More than anything in the world, he just wanted to stand her with the woman he loved in his arms. No demons. No war. Just them, wrapped in a loving embrace. She was skinnier in his arms, had she lost weight? More and more concern and questions clouded his mind, but the demon knew it wasn't the best idea to ask these many questions in this kind of situation. If only he could just sit down with her and list these questions. How have you been? How is your job? Do you have a new contract? Where do you live now? What has changed? Who supports you now? Phynex gritted his teeth, trying his best to contain his curiousity.

The soft skin he could see and touch that reminded him of the intimate moments that he always treasured were extremely painful. He had asked her multiple times if it really was okay to take her innocence, giving it to a demon like himself. He was honoured, indeed, yet he also felt shameful. It felt wrong and right at the same time, a blissful moment in his long life. He could remember the night in full detail, which embarrased him whenever the demon thought about it.

He wanted to stroke her hair, lean down to kiss her lips and neck like he always did. Breath in that unique scent of hers, cuddle with her on a sofa and watch sappy movies and laugh about how unrealistic they were with her or in bed. Phynex wanted to go back to the past. It was never going to be possible for him, but it never hurt to hope.

"I'm sorry," Phynex said in the voice of a defeated and broken man. "Please forgive me, Selene. It's my fault, I should have stayed with you." He smiled sadly at her, "These words probably don't ,ean much to you now, do they?" He choked on his words, finding them stuck in his throat as they came out. How could he explain? It was too hard.

He obliged, letting his arms fall to his sides. The phone on the table rang, the noise crisp and loud in this almost silent room. It was probably the demon he was meant to meet, the number displayed on the large screen belonged to his assistant back in the lobby. The demon was on his way up. Phynex looked at his old partner with despearation in his eyes, "You don't have to forgive me, I understand. But please, get out of here. If anyone catches you, I-" his voice trailed off. How would he feel? A sadness and pain that would never be able to described with words. "Don't let anyone see you," was all he managed to say before he just stood there, silent with wet, sad eyes.
 
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Selene had never heard him sound so defeated. He was always, strangely enough, the optimistic one of the two of them - he, the demon, always looking forward to new and happier things while she was the more rational, critical one. In her view he was the one who probably shared enough of that optimism with her back then. Except that optimism didn't do anything now for them, did it? Logic was easy, clean and free of the strings - the chains that bound people like passion did.

"Please forgive me, Selene. It's my fault, I should have stayed with you."

That just further dropped a stone in her gut and she felt as if she had been punched at the implications. Should have stayed with her? Did that mean he left, he 'died', by choice? Please don't mean it like that, she felt like the grief she would have, while not as great as the one she had at the idea of his death, would make her unable to pick herself back up again. She had already gathered the pieces he scattered and put them back together painstakingly, there were still cracks, lots of them but if they scattered again she wouldn't be able to fix it anymore. She needed to hold herself together for the sake of this war and for her best friend.

"Did you... leave?" She felt her voice come out a bit breathless as he let her go, feeling the immediate loss of warmth as if being dipped back into the cold, freezing temperatures she had told herself she was used to. She stared at him with stricken eyes for a split-second before she blinked and let a steely expression cover them again. Even if he sounded that choked up...

She didn't need to be told; she almost jumped, but only tensed as the sudden ringing filled the vast gap of silence between them. Listening to his words just made her lean her head back and close her eyes before she opened them again.

And they were blank. She needed even what was left of her mask if she was to keep herself together enough to leave this damned place. She smirked, a faint upturning of her lips that was joyless as her eyes as she murmured, "It would be like I was never even here." She selfishly allowed herself to take in one more sight of him standing there, whole and alive, staring at her with eyes lost and sad and why was he looking at her like that when he was the one who left?

No more words were needed. She averted her eyes as she quickly slipped up the two knives at the sheathes tied at the sides of her thighs, lifting the hem of the dress just enough before letting it fall back down again to conceal them. Selene didn't look at him again even as she felt how close he was, and if she tried she could even touch him and smell him again - but no.

With a grace that was more feline than human, a predatory grace as she slipped back into the Huntress' comforting cool detachment, she stalked out of the room, every bit the cold, regal demoness she had portrayed earlier. Her face was as composed as a doll's as she closed the door after her with a final click, passing by who was probably his business partner and ignoring the way his eyes raked down the length of her body.

She needed to get away from this for now. And think.

She needed to go to him, he who had been with her before Phynex, the one who had tried his best to support her, despite his too kind, gentle heart, since childhood. He would let her have her space.
 
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Phynex watched her leave the office, he didn't answer her question - he didn't know how to. He wished he could go back and choose a different option. He should've stayed with Selene and fought whatever his superiors threw at him. She would have understood and been by his side. If the elders wanted to harm her he would have torn their throats out, none of them would understand. But instead of choosing that option, he tried to make a third path, that he thought would benefit all three parties - Selene, the elders and himself. It may have got rid of the problem between him and the elders, but he had hurt the love of his life in the process, and it made a larger impact on her. He wanted to sit in his chair, order a whole bottle of wine and get himself drunk silly, to forget everything, sleep it off, cry by himself. He was back where he was before he met her, all alone.

His business partner allowed himself in, squinting his eyes and blocking the light with his hand. "Hey, sorry I was late," he muttered, closing the door behind him. This demon had very angelic wings, albeit black. He hadn't bothered to keep his disguise once he entered the room, so his monstrous form was exposed for Phynex to see. Large and bulky, his body reminded him of a giant living rock. His face was twisted and grotesque, with what looked like giant bulbs on his head. Red light glowed from the cracks of his rock skin, giving him an appearance of a true demon. His horns curled delicately over his ears and looked extremely out of place, given how small they were. "Who was that chick that just left? She looked mighty fine," he chuckled, sitting on one of the sofas in the corner of the office.

Phynex felt a sudden pang of anger, his eyes flared up. How dare he refer to her like that. His sudden need to have a partnership with this demon's company died off. Was he just jealous? Angry? Still sad at her arrival and her return to his life? He felt turned off at their initial agreement now. He sat in his leather chair and wheeled it back to the desk, folding his arms on the table. As the other demon discussed plans for their partnership and what he could offer, Phynex wasn't even focusing. He was thinking about Selene. He wanted to see her again, explain himself. Ask for forgiveness again. Who was he kidding? He had left her alone for three long years, did he just expect her to forgive him that easily? An hour later, he dismissed the demon, asking him to come again. He wasn't in the mood for business anymore. He headed back downstairs, ignoring the dancing party-goers and grabbing a bottle of ice cold red wine. He made small talk on his way back up to his office, forcing on a smile as he weaved in and out of the party. That night, he sat in his room, downing glass after glass of wine. He was going to get drunk, be happy for the night, forget about Selene for just a few hours. But even though he tried, memories of what they once were kept coming back to him.
 
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Selene, despite having a destination in mind, felt rather lost. She slipped past the tight defenses of her best friend's estate, past unsuspecting guards. Her steps were quick and soundless, an instinctive habit to her already given how much she tended to sneak up on him and try to fool his demon senses.

Along with that, her exasperated and worried friend had already told her the layout of his home so as for her to find prime places to slip in by. He was always so worried that she might get caught by his guards and get beaten and hurt in the process, no matter how many times she found breaches in his security and pointed it out to him - to his embarrassment. She saw it as looking out for him too, he couldn't let himself have any weak spots in his defense in the position he was... Especially as head of the rival company against his...

Dangerous train of thought. Besides, she knew some of the higher up guards he had knew about her slipping in, the most senior members even knew she was his closest friend. His childhood friend, they had witnessed the both of them grow up, their young master growing into a kind, but firm young man who led the Bailey's Industries.

She was now balanced on his balcony, looking past the floor length windows and the soft curtains as she stepped down gracefully. Her face looked hollow despite her composure, fine and delicate features looking as if set in a statue or in stone for all the expression she showed. Easily unlocking the door and cracking it open with barely a whisper of sound, she stepped in and took in the familiar surroundings of his room. Comforting. Usual.

Despite the almost soothing familiarity this room held for her, she couldn't keep herself from seeing the aggrieved look in his - Phynex's eyes... And she felt the cold vise wrapping around her insides tighten as she crossed her arms, as if to keep away the cold. He left.

His words earlier made that clear enough.

He was asking for her forgiveness, but he left - and she never even knew why. What did she do? A feeling of doubt washed over her again and she uncrossed her arms, clenching her hands into fists. Damn it, seeing him again was causing her carefully structured - bleak and lonely by her own choice, yes - life to suddenly fall apart around her. She didn't want to be how she was like when he vanished, heart laid bare and bleeding and also dragging down her best friend with her due to her grief.

She heard the sounds of the shower coming from his ensuite bathroom, and decided to stand there and wait for him. It turned out he was about to finish, the sounds of the water shutting off after a minute.
 
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Jasper dried himself, thinking about his day today. He'd secured a few more partnerships with foreign companies, companies that were sick of the presence of demons. And on another good note, he had managed to screw up the timetable of that lady demon - Cornelia, was it? Jasper grinned, thinking about his success. Cornelia was one of his main competitors, although she was slightly weaker than the Phoenix Industries, she was still a powerful figure. Pulling on his clothes but leaving his shirt off, Jasper slung a dry towel over his shoulders and walked out of the bathroom, flicking off the switch. Grabbing a packet of cigarettes - which helped calm him down in these grim times - and almost staggered back at the sight of Selene. "Oh, hey! I wasn't expecting you," he blushed. He'd always had a little bit of crush from her. How many times had she saved him from the hands of those terrifying demons? Countless. He had watched her grow up, her interests change, and her job. He really disapproved of her job, it was far too dangerous - even though he knew she had the potential - and when she decided to make a contract with one of the vermin, he didn't know what to feel.

He walked up to her and smiled, rubbing his face to get rid of the obvious blush. "How are you?" he asked politely, then he peered into her face, something seemed very off. She looked angry and sad, an odd combination for someone like her. "A-are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost..." he murmured, touching her arm. When was the last time he saw her like this? The closest thing would have been the disappearance of her contract demon, what was his name? Phynex. It was three years ago, Jasper didn't think it would impact her that much, but he was wrong. He never trusted him in the first place, and now he had done this to her. So many times he had to drive to some shady bar to pick up her drunk body, so many times he had found her in rather odd places, crying her eyes out. Jasper knew a little about what happened to him, from a few rumors that were being whispered on the streets. For the sake of Selene's recovery, he decided not to tell her. It was best that she forget about him, anyway. He was bad luck. In fact, Jasper had a hard time grasping the fact that she was attracted to him, which he didn't understand at all.
 
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Selene blinked slowly upon feeling Jasper come up to her, as if coming from a long and waking dream and focused upon him. She had seen him come out of the bathroom but her mind was far off despite trying not to, looking like she was staring at him and through him at the same time. She looked at his worried features, trying to get rid of the distant stare she was sure was in her eyes. She always made him worry, didn't she?

"You look like you've seen a ghost." ... He was essentially that to her, lingering in her mind even during these three years when she let the dark corners of her mind leak even just a bit. Even when she didn't want to remember, he was always there in the corner of her mind, a still and silent wraith, a picture of what she didn't want to remember.

She smiled faintly at his words. "I may have," she said softly, meeting his green eyes before her lashes drew down to veil her stare. Giving a small, drawn out breath she raised her hand to touch upon his hand on her other arm, feeling his warmth. Jasper did somewhat bring her back to earth when she felt like she couldn't, he was the one who tolerated her silence and was content with it, not trying to fill the comfortable space in between with inane chatter. They took care of each other since they were children, after all, so she wasn't surprised that he immediately noticed how she was feeling.

"That assignment I got..." She murmured, leaning in a little closer to her closest friend. He was always so warm and solid, and she was a selfish girl to try and have that warmth when most of the time she was still and silent towards him. He never complained, they were too close for that and knew each other's faults. It just seemed like recently all she could do for him was drag him down with her. All she could do was... Protect him. That was all she could do for now. And wasn't he one of the biggest reasons she wanted to be a demon hunter in the first place? Seeing his frightened eyes as he saw what would lie ahead for him once he took up the mantle of leading his company against the demons' companies... Chuckling humorlessly, she raised her gaze up to meet his straight again. "Did you know who was the CEO of the Phoenix Industries?"
 
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He watched silently as Selene looked up at him, his eyes full of worry. What had happened? Normally she would be pretty happy and would just want to talk about normal things, escape the life of a demon hunter for once. But tonight was different, her eyes were different. Her face had a completely different picture. "You may have? You may have what?" he asked, if he hadn't taken a shower a few minutes ago, he knew he would be sweating by now. "Selene, you're scaring me, what is it?" he asked, laughing softly so he could calm himself down. He was always overreacting and protective of her. If Selene hadn't been there for him, even when they were kids, he wouldn't be standing here today. He wouldn't have this company and he wouldn't have gotten what he had. Jasper was always glad to give anything for Selene, a big comfortable room, a car, anything - she deserved it. She was the reason why he got all of these things in the first place. He wanted to cheer her up, but how? Maybe after they had a chat, they could sit down and watch something together.

"Assignment...? Oh." His eyes narrowed. This is why he didn't want her to be a demon hunter. Demon hunting had such an impact on both the body and soul, and the mind as well. He wrapped his arms around her, placing both arms on her shoulder and pulling her close, not caring that he wasn't even wearing a shirt. "What is it this time? You always get the horrible assignments. Take a holiday, would you?" he said in a friendly tone, trying his best to get rid of the worry in his eyes and replace it with happiness - he should be happy for seeing her tonight, anyway. Their meetings were not rare, but definitely rather short. She was always rushing off to this place and that place, hunting those dangerous creatures. He was confused at her sudden question. "Phoenix Industries? No, I've never met the CEO. All I know is that he's really powerful and a male," he thought about it, it would be a good idea to know who it was, so he knew his competition.
 
Selene couldn't help but give out a weary little laugh at the somewhat mothering tone, in her opinion, that Jasper had taken when he hugged her then berated her. He was always implying in any way he could that she could stop her hunting and stay with him, maybe even get a normal job - but what was the use of a normal job when the world was like this? And she had grown up knowing that the demons needed to be stopped. He was always telling her that she deserved better, no one should live life like this but she, and all the hunters still defiantly moving against the demon's designs knew they couldn't afford to lose any more resistance. That, and she had the uneasy feeling that Jasper was placing her on some pedestal she couldn't measure up to and didn't deserve, all for saving him, when in reality he had saved her far more than she could ever thank him for.

The warmth of his arms on her shoulders and back made her slump slightly, leaning her cheek against his shoulder for a moment before taking a deep breath. Her arms felt like lead weights at her sides but she lifted a hand up to press against his back lightly. She leaned her head back and stared at him. Her face formed an almost happy smile, except happy was the farthest thing one could call it if they saw her eyes. In a small, almost singsong tone she whispered, "Phoenix Industries was headed by a demon with strong fire abilities. His name..." She laughed again, shoulders shaking slightly before the small chuckles faded off into silence. She didn't think she should or could laugh at a time like this. "It makes sense now," she said quietly. She knew Jasper would understand her ramblings, she wasn't usually one to ramble, but at a time like this she couldn't assemble her thoughts properly.

She really needed to come to grips with this before she ended up messing her abilities. P... Phynex was the head of their most hated enemy company. He was now with the demons who killed humans and put their heads on pikes, her mind whispered traitorously. "Well, this is one of those rare failed missions..." She couldn't kill him no matter how much she wanted to strike him for leaving.
 
He almost panicked at her body when she relaxed a little, chuckling nervously. He eyed her with happiness in his eyes. He was glad to see her, glad that she would come to him whenever she needed a shoulder to lean on. For the past few years, he was her partner in almost everything. Her drinking partner whenever she wanted to drown all her worries in alcohol, her partner in crying, laughing together or going out. Jasper was willing to do anything with her as long as it didn't involve going out to kill demons. Carefully, he dragged her towards a sofa, they should at least sit down. Standing up was tiring and if she needed to break down, it would be easier if they were sitting down on something comfortable. He held her tightly, listening to her breathing and relaxing his own body so he didn't seem too tensed up to Selene. "Hm? What makes sense now?" he asked. He knew Selene went to the Phoenix Industries for her assignment, he was one of the humans who didn't want her to go alone. A bunch of demon in one area having a blast, a human girl would be very vulnerable in this kind of situation. "Did you find out who it was? Who is it?" he asked slowly, he could use this information to his advantage, somehow. Jasper didn't know how, but he knew he could think of something eventually.

But right now he needed to focus on Selene. Selene was more important than this ongoing war between companies. "You failed your assignment?" Jasper felt happy that she had managed to get out alive, at least. But he was also a little upset, if she had managed to kill off that pesky CEO, his life would be much easier. But it would be rude to expect that much, in this world, nobody can get what they wished for. As long as Selene was still in one piece, Jasper was a happy man. "Do you want to stay here for the night? You look tired," he suggested. He had plenty of guest rooms, all of them well furnished and comfortable for anything. And he would gladly open any of those rooms for Selene.
 
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Selene leaned her head comfortably against his shoulder, staring out at the room quietly for a moment before glancing at him again. He was so happy to see her; she felt a pang of guilt, amongst the other negative feelings, at being so short with him recently. She knew both of them were rather busy where they are now, him being a young and targeted human CEO and her the one hunting those who came after him and the humans. Thinking about this somewhat helped her clear her mind - never fully, no when it came to him - enough, his wellbeing was always important to her. She didn't answer his questions for a long few minutes, just leaning against him and his warm and solid body and taking a even, deep breaths. Then she spoke, trying not to let out anything more of what she thought - not because she wanted to push him away, but because he would worry even more if she let her voice falter or slip up even a little. "Phynex. CEO of the Phoenix Industries," the best she could muster was a hushed monotone as she avoided his eyes.

"I'll stay," she murmured then sighed, this time she wanted anything to fill up the silence or at least mellow out her mind enough that she could think. Maybe not the sharp clarity she usually had, but in a dulled way that would let her maybe make a headway with how she felt.

She knew Jasper was always ready to let her stay at his home, and she... Considered it as something of a home for her too. Throughout their childhood and growing up she had regularly sneaked into his house, even before the thousands of guards came, and they usually just talked about normal things. Things that, had she not chosen this life, would have been all she would have needed to worry about. He and his home was a place where she was just a girl with her best friend, not the Huntress or even the elusive person she normally was.

And while she thought, she waited for what she could feel could be a backlash from him. He never trusted or liked Phynex and she never really let the two of them meet each other, keeping her life as a huntress and her life as Jasper's protector and closest friend related, but separate. Telling him this would only...
 
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The smile on his face fell, had he heard wrong? There was no way he was back. Jasper had hoped the demon had moved elsewhere after his apparent 'death'. So his enemy was Phynex...the past lover of the woman in his arms? Jasper wasn't sure about what to do, but he knew he wasn't just going to give her up to him again. He understood what she was trying to say before, when he had pointed out that she looked like she had seen a ghost. Her answer of 'I may have' didn't make much sense to him, thinking it was just some tireless blabbering, but now it made sense. Selene thought he was dead, but to suddenly appear during one of her assignments. Jasper couldn't even comprehend what she could be feeling right now. "You're joking, right? There's no way..." he muttered. What was the point of forcing himself to believe it wasn't him? "It's okay, Selene. I'll be here for you," he said with a tone of fierce protectiveness. He would do all he could in his power to protect her from this demon that had broken her heart.

He gulped, swallowing his complaints, if he wanted to complain about Phynex, it would be best to do it when he was by himself. "Which room do you want to sleep in, your usual one?" He was talking about that cosy, bright lit one surrounded by ancient weapons stored inside their glass cases. Whenever she decided to spend the night in his house, she would always pick that room - unless she was drunk - and Jasper would gladly open the room for her. Perhaps it was because these weapons once shed demon blood as well. She was always happy to do any job, Jasper didn't understand why, but he wasn't going to judge her for doing a job she loved.
 
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