The Demon Is In The Details | PJM

Sweet, Sweet Soul

You're not sure what you expected—but, a lavish bedroom complete with a four-poster bed and sitting area with plush upholstered furniture wasn't it. It all feels so...human. You can almost pretend like you are just on an extended vacation, staying at some ritzy hotel.

"So, this is where demons live, huh?" You try not to let too much sarcasm thread into your words. "Was expecting more fire and brimstone and less velvet and lace," you say, plucking at the lacy fringe of the canopy drapes that are pulled back on the bed.

The demon sniffs, his chin turning up in mild indignation. "Fire and brimstone? What utter nonsense," he mutters, but you can tell he's just sure to be loud enough for you to hear.

That prickles a bit. It's not like you're precisely well-versed on the whole demon thing. Are you supposed to know that demons enjoy the lap of luxury instead of broiling in sulfuric pits of steaming sludge? Everything you've ever read, heard, or been taught hinges on the idea that demons are hellish monsters that dwell in Hell. And considering Hell is supposed to be a place of fire and brimstone, well, put two and two together, and you don't think your assumption is a stretch.

"Is this even Hell?" you ask.

Red eyes cut your way, and the demon's top lip curls in disgust. "This is a hell, yes."

"A hell?"

"Mm," he hums lightly in acknowledgement. "One of many."

Many? Interesting. "Like the different circles?"

The demon sighs, his red eyes rolling in annoyance. "Whatever it is you think you may know, forget it. There are no 'circles', no pits—unless you count the sanguine pits, but you probably don't want to go there," his top teeth sink into his bottom lip for a moment, his eyes turning mischievous, "or maybe you do. Another day, perhaps. Anyway, this is the...Inferna is the best human word to use to describe it. But, you may call it home, considering that is exactly what it is now; your home." He chuckles, but you think it's a poor joke.

"Home. Okay, sure, very funny." The sarcasm helps to bolster your mood a bit, knowing that you can still spit words with at least a little venom.

That's all you've been able to think about since the understanding of what was happening dawned on you. The fear of not being able to think for yourself, that your free will and ability to think would be stripped from you, and you'd become nothing more than some mindless demon slut.

The fact you're able to hold this conversation is promising. But you are curious. With the deal settled between this demon and Dominique, you feel like you've been put in an ambiguous limbo of sorts. Dominique's deal included you, but as she said, it wasn't your own deal.

So, do you even have a deal with this demon? But, before you can express your curiosity further, a loud knock echoes from the double doors on the other side of the sitting area that you hadn't noticed before.

"This should be fun," the demon says, and it almost seems like he's...pouting? "Come in."

The doors swing open on a blast of hot air. Clouds of grey-blue smoke curl through the space before dissipating and revealing what you can only describe as evil incarnate. At least, that's the feeling you get, like happiness and joy can not exist in the presence of this being. Your energy immediately wanes, so much so that it makes your knees weak.

Pitch-colored eyes set in an angular face framed by thick, inky hair give way to taught lips drawn in a severe line. His body is hidden by the billowing folds of a robe that seems made of gossamer and iron, with its constant shifting in the room's ambient lighting.

A voice as deep as the darkest chasm in the ocean and just as cold hisses through the room. "What have we here? A pet?"

"Dark Lord," the demon at your side says, bending at the waist and bowing deeply. He straightens, casting a quick glance in your direction. "A pleasant mistake is all, My Lord. A soul come to me by the blundering of a supposed friend."