"It's beautiful, isn't it? The sight of love." Vhen sighed in relief as he and Mammon observed the couple walk back to the mansion.
"Hmm." Mammon murmured as his eyes seemed to be scrutinizing them. "One is love, the other is desperation, as I believe it. One could say that Lilith would be the one who is really in love, however, the rakooran is a different story. He didn't bind with Lilith because of love, maybe it's because he's afraid to be lonely again. The rakoorans know no warmth or togetherness, hence, all of these feelings could have been mistaken by that rakooran as love, when in reality, it isn't." the prince said in a melancholic tone as he looked at Vhen. "There's a fine line between love and need-- as much as I want to believe that what those two have is real, I can't shake the feeling that sooner or later, one will get tired of the other because he wasn't able to differentiate his need for companionship, and his need for love."
"That's rich coming from a demon who knows no emotion." Vhen replied, rolling his eyes.
"Oh no... Demons know emotions. We fall in love as well, we experience anger, envy, and every blasted human emotion. However, we choose not to because it clouds our judgement. An eye with emotion sees through the lens of bias and favoritism, you see." Mammon answered without skipping a beat.
"The ability to feel is what brings humans together, you know? All of us come from different walks of life, from different worlds. However, through a single emotion, we can be connected with one another. This is what separates us from animals... the ability to love unconditionally, and the ability to love for the sake of loving is the mark of true humanity." Vhen nodded, his eyes turning once more to the couple.
"But do you think rakoorans have that mark?" Mammon nonchalantly retorted.
"I hope so." the master replied, doubt in his weary tone.
"Oh yeah, I've always wondered. What's behind that gas mask? Why are you wearing a gas mask anyway?" the prince suddenly interjected with an imbued curiosity.
"It's a long story, but I'd never tell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The denizens of the lonely mansion took to a feast-- once again depleting Vhen's resources without compensation. The master of the house was beginning to wonder whether he would go bankrupt after this. His wine casks were beginning to get dry, and his pantry was being raided faster than a town with bandits.
"They really bear the mark of a demon, don't they?" Mammon inquired as he took a sip of the wine.
"Well... in that sense, they have a tasteless disregard for other's resources, and they think they own the house." Vhen replied.
"Do I detect a hint of annoyance?"
"Of course not. Rather, I'm amused. While I maybe bankrupt after this, having others around ain't so bad. I can always work harder to earn back my losses, but when you lose a friend, a family-- then they're gone forever. Except when they resurrect... people."
"You're not the greediest person out there, are you?"
"Maybe. What do you plan to do now?"
"Make sure no one does anything stupid until I regain my powers. However, I think I know what YOU should do." Mammon smiled.
"What?"
"Prevent those two from going freaky. Things tend to happen fast when one is drunk."
"Meh... let them. As long as they don't use my bed though-- that would be an insult."
"I'm surprised you haven't felt insulted yet. Not once have I heard the rakooran thank you for using your house, your food, your wine, your strength, your ability... None. How can you live with such disrespect?"
"True. He's weird, rude, obnoxious, annoying, arrogant, and idiotic. However, if Lilith loves him then I have no choice but to accept his bullshit. Family always supports one another-- no one gets left behind."
Mammon smiled as he turned around, and met the two as they exited the kitchen. He looked at the rakooran with examining eyes, trying to find anything good with him. Mammon smirked as he found none, and so he rolled his eyes at him. "Well, whatever... Do what you will. Just don't anything that you will regret in the near future. By the way, I'm going somewhere for a while to regain my powers. Lilith still has my summoning token, use it when needed." Mammon informed them as he vanished in a pile of coins.