C'thelli's Demonic Orphanage (Completed and Editing)

2

"Absolutely not, he should be rotting in Hell, not clogging the air with his stink!" C'thelli spat the words like venom. Had it not have been for Auster rushing in between the two under-worlders, then Feimo's head would be rolling down the hill in a trail of blood.

"Oh, come on, C'thelli, please put down the sword." Auster's cloak sported a long gash in the fabric from where the weapon had bitten into the intruder. The devil considered lunging past the Intern's outstretched arms, but there was something in the Ghoul's eye's, a candid sheen which disarmed her. "Could you give a family friend the time of day?" He added in a softer tone.

Holding his gaze, she felt the memories of the past gradually melt her stolid exterior, "Fine, on the porch. You, don't move." She barked the last part at the demon as the reaper stepped past her. Intimidated by the devil's hostile tone, he stood at attention while she slowly backed up towards the steps. Her glare never left the ex-con until her feet replaced the dirt with the old floor boards that dipped beneath her weight.

Auster whispered as he leant on the post of the house, "I've got to say, when the report said I'd be working with C'thelli, I didn't think it would be my Pa's friend -"

"No," she cut him off with gritted teeth, "You don't get to pull this on me after bringing the enemy onto my doorstep." Rounding on the Intern, she jabbed her finger into his chest. 

The look of hurt was plain on his face, "Come on, sure he was on the wrong side of the war, but he's done his time. He's changed." A directed gesture towards the wretch caused both of them to glance in his direction. To her surprise, the demon hadn't tried to run, instead he had obeyed and was waving at them with a bright smile. It was a trick, it must have been. He was still loyal to Satan and he was just buying his time, awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike. Was Auster really so deceived by this peon? She demanded as much to him.

"Well, maybe he is at risk of falling into bad habits again. So why not be the one to keep him on the straight and narrow?" He suggested, the pitch of his voice rose with a growing conviction.

"Or I could give him this straight edge and not worry about it at all." C'thelli muttered, raising her blade up. The panic in Auster's twitching face spread through his body like a virus, his skeletal hands shot out and gripped the cross-guard of her sword with a shakiness that was foreign to her.

"Can we please not kill my charge? Look here," Auster presented his clipboard to her as he continued, "Lord Grim, himself, signed this off. He was the one who chose him, and it was he who decided to send him to you."

"Yeah, without my say," Even as she said it, the thought swirled in her head. Why on earth would that dusty skeleton choose to drag her into a rehabilitative programme that was bound to end in shambles?

"I can't claim to be in his head, but given your shared history, maybe there's something more to this?" C'thelli wasn't convinced, her red face was like stone; tight-lipped and burning with fury. "Please, C'thelli? Just give him a chance, if he causes any trouble then use this to contact me and I'll get rid of him." Auster pressed, a pink crystal hovered in his hand. It glowed in the shade and if the devil squinted, her reflection would have stared back. It was the face of a soldier, hardened by experience and intolerable to the whims of vapid visionaries. But Auster was indeed familiar to her, and it was likely that such a scenario was going to be temporary.

She relented. Snatching Auster's crystal and brief, she snapped the words, "Fine, but you owe me for this. Now get off my property." Even though the irritation in her voice was razor sharp, the words sent the intern into a jubilant frenzy. As if coming to life, the young ghoul was suddenly animated, bouncing on his feet and nodding his head like it were connected to his body by a spring.