A Rock And A Hard Place

Part 2 Douma

(Warnings: Douma IS his own warning. Possibly some innuendos.)

"My answer is a big fat NO."

Footsteps followed you down the hallway. If you weren't weighed down by the giant cart of cleaning products and objects you used to clean up, you would've been booking it down the halls for your life as fast as this ridiculous rubber suit would let you. Unfortunately there was little you could do to escape the bluntly smiling woman following behind your squeaky cart.  You partially wished her long clean white lab coat got caught in one of the doorways and slowing her down enough for you to get away.

"Oh, I understand that you may have concerns about it! You'd be a part of an amazing break through in demonology history! There's still so much we don't know about them! You'd be a part of something extraordinary!"

"Oh! Well if that's the case let me change my answer." You shot her a scowl. "HELL NO!!"

Her expression didn't change but her eyelid twitched slightly. "But won't you reconsider? It'll mean so much to us."

"If you're so desperate for volunteers why don't YOU go play matchmaker with those things!? I'm not about to throw myself to the wolves hoping I won't get eaten!"

"That's a stereotype of demons! They don't actually eat human meat like popular belief." She sped up until she got in front of you and grabbed onto your cart forcing you to stop. "And I don't any any qualifications for the task that we're asking volunteers for."

"'Qualifications'?" You gave her a look of disbelief. "Do I look like I have any 'qualifications'? I'm not a scientist and I'm not a researcher!" You gestured to the rubber hazmat suit you wore. "I'm a dam janitor. If the floors dirty I go sweep it. If a toilets clogged I used a stupid plunger. If someone spills coffee again for the hundredth time, I always go clean it up! The only 'qualifications' I have is taking THIS-" You grabbed the mop hooked up to the side of your cart. "-and using bleach on the floor. I don't involve myself in things I don't have any business with!"

Shinobu inhaled slowly like she was holding back anger before she let go of the cart in defeat. "Fine. I can't force you and I can't change your mind." Glad she finally got that through her thick head. "If you don't want to volunteer for the program then I'll respect your choice on the matter, but I'd like to still give you an offer." You rose a deadpanned brow. "It's not a part of the program! If you could swing by the holding wing later tomorrow so we could see how the ice demon reacts to your presence, it'd be a good experiment."

"So you still want to use me as an experiment? Or is it bait? I can't decide which one I am at this point."

"Neither! You wouldn't even have to interact with the demon! All we want to do is see what happens when he senses you're around! Maybe we could figure out why he's acting like this and put a stop to it. You'd even be paid."

"....How much?"

"Three hundred to your next check!"

"...Forget it. I'm not going to be involved in this. Go find another woman to con."