𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓?

She knows what she is!

༒

Mage woke up beside the human girl, groggily rubbing her eyes as she took in her surroundings. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a soft glow on Vi's sleeping face, her chest rising and falling with each steady breath. For a moment, Mage watched her, contemplating the task at hand. It had to be now, she thought. With a deep breath, she lifted her hand, only to halt abruptly when Vi stirred and turned on her side, now facing Mage. Vi’s eyes fluttered open, meeting Mage’s gaze before she abruptly sat up. An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“Erm,” Vi muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she slowly got out of bed. She cast a quick glance out the window, then back at Mage. Mage cleared her throat, trying to dispel the awkward tension, and shrugged off her jacket. "Well, take your chance. It's night. You have all the time to leave," Mage said bluntly, leaning back against the bed frame. Vi nodded hesitantly, moving towards the door and twisting the doorknob. As she stepped into the hallway, Mage subtly raised her hands, summoning a dark energy that began to creep up behind Vi.

The human took a deep breath, oblivious to the dark tendrils behind her, and shut the door behind her. Mage's brows furrowed in confusion as her spell dissipated ineffectively. Why didn’t it work? Mage jumped to her feet and hurried to the door, peeking out to see Vi already making her way down the hallway towards the stairs. Mage followed silently, her eyes fixed on Vi, hoping she might turn back.

"Fuck," Mage mumbled under her breath, her frustration growing. She watched as Vi began her descent, stepping cautiously to avoid making noise in the old, creaky apartment building. Mage noticed an imp, Ren, lurking near the stairs. She quickly cast a spell to grab Ren’s attention. The imp turned and spotted Vi, immediately blocking her path.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing here?" Ren demanded, glaring at Vi. Mage hurried over and grabbed Vi’s wrist from behind. "Ren, it's fine. I invited her in," she said, trying to sound authoritative.

"You invited a human into a place filled with demons? Are you joking right now, Mage? Do you even know what they said about her—"

"I don’t give a shit about that right now. So if you wanna go call your officer buddies, then call them. Vi, let's just stay in my apartment. It isn’t safe out here," Mage interrupted, her voice firm.

"I can defend myself!" Vi snapped, yanking her wrist free. "Why the hell do you even care? I’m just a human. You’re a demon. You picked a fight with me at the bar because you felt like it, now I don’t know why you brought me here with you." She glared at Mage before attempting to walk past her.

"You aren’t going anywhere," Mage said sternly, grabbing Vi’s wrist again and locking eyes with her. Ren backed up, sensing the tension. "Whatever, I was never here by the way," he muttered, applying his lipstick with a flourish. "Whatever happens, I’m never getting myself involved with you." He shot Mage one last look before walking away.

Vi turned to Mage, her eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and desperation. "Give me a reason to stay. You promised me that you’d let me go by night." She looked down at Mage’s hand gripping hers before yanking her wrist free. "You don’t tell me where to go or where I shouldn’t. If you don’t want me to leave, then I’ll accept your offer to be your partner. I have nobody, and I admit it. I’m the only human in hell right now, I’m not losing any chances in surviving. If I ever find out that you want to kill me, I’ll do it first." Vi’s voice trembled slightly, but her resolve was clear. She brushed past Mage, heading back upstairs to the bedroom.