A Demon in the Modern World [ Errorink / Errink ]

Chapter 8 - Dual Dynamics

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The next day came and... honestly? It was shit. Not only did I get punched in the face by a newly hired actor, on accident, but I also got screamed for it by Jasmine. And now ..I have a fucking purple bruise on my left cheek. Just great...

And it seemed like Error found it quite hilarious.. because he hadn't stopped laughing at all.

"Pffhhahahaha!" Error laughed historically while I was holding an ice pack up to the bruised spot. "Y-You were so confused-- I CAN'T!" He continued laughing even harder.

I grumbled and lowered the ice pack to see the bruise. It was purple alright... "Yeah yeah, so funny." I rolled my eyes and continued applying the pack.

...........
That's pretty much how the day went - me continuing my acting with a slight, uh, quote that-"slight" pain on my cheek while hearing an annoying set of laughter every five seconds. Thankfully, I somehow managed to mute his voice until it was time to leave work. With Cross, we (me and Error) went to his apartment. It took us maybe half an hour (I'm not sure) to get there and right as I walked inside their apartment, a strong smell hit my nostrils, making me grimace and pinch my nose.

"What... the fuck is that smell?!" I asked Cross, who didn't seem bothered whatsoever.

He looked at me with confusion written on his face. "What smell?"

I stared at him for a whole second before making my way further inside. I didn't even bother taking my shoes off. Cross led me directly toward Reaper's room. I guessed Reaper must have been swinging on his chair because as soon as we opened the door, he stopped swinging and straightened up. "Welcome! Please, take a seat."

The smell was even stronger in here, almost overpowering. I reluctantly sat down, trying to breathe through my mouth to avoid the stench. Error, meanwhile, floated beside me, looking completely unfazed. "So, what's with the smell?" I asked, my voice muffled by my hand covering my nose.

Reaper gave a casual shrug. "Just some incense. Helps with the spirits."

I shot him a skeptical look. "Incense? It smells like something died in here."

Reaper chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "You'll get used to it. Chris has." He glanced at his friend who was absorbed in whatever he was doing on the computer. Getting back on topic - "Soo~ how has our newbie been?" he asked me with a teasing tone.

I knew what he meant by 'newbie', so I answered straight off the bat, "I regret everything."

Reaper chuckled, clearly amused. "Somehow, I knew you'd say that." He sighed and leaned forward, his chin resting on his hand, propped up on the table. "Would it be alright if I ask a couple of questions regarding your new 'hobby'?" he inquired, his curiosity evident as he awaited my response.

I looked up at Error, curious about his reaction. He noticed my gaze and shrugged. "You can tell him, I don't care. Just don't mention my name," he replied nonchalantly.

Turning back to Reaper, I nodded. "Alright, where should I start?"

We talked for an hour about where we went and what we did. Reaper seemed surprised but at the same time, not. He nodded attentively while I vented about that terrifying night and how I helped Lizzy. Each time he got an answer, he'd ask another question, keeping the conversation flowing.

He made several attempts to learn Error's name, but of course, he was left disappointed. As I watched Reaper's frustration grow, I couldn't help but wonder if Error's secrecy was for a specific reason or if he just valued his privacy.