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"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it."
- Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
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<(Atem POV)>
"At last, you have finally remembered about us, master. And here I thought that you had completely forgotten about our existence. Oh, the joy I am feeling right now to be able to serve you again!" Shiklah spoke up with absolute devotion in her voice as she kept kneeling on the floor while looking at me with stars in her eyes as if she was looking at a living god... although now that I think about it, since I am actually a god, this might even be considered normal behavior in a way.
After I freed Shiklah from the coffin where she had been sealed for the last millennium, she became intensely devoted to me. I surmise that her mind, already fragile after thousands of years of confinement, may have become even further distorted upon realizing that her savior was not only a god but also the individual who had slain Dracula, the person she hated the most in the world, since he was the prime reason for her imprisonment. Also, the fact that the first thing she had witnessed after being freed was me utilizing my Golden Rule ability at its full power might also have pushed her affections beyond what should have been.
"*Sigh* You don't have to kneel every time you see me, Shiklah," I said, trying to hide the embarrassment I was feeling upon noticing the barely suppressed smiles on Blade's and Lilith's faces, although, for some reason, Hela looked rather pleased, much like a proud mother. "Also, how the hell did you arrive here so quickly? I assumed it would be the last to arrive since, according to Zoya, you were initially really skeptical of Natalia's words, weren't you?" I asked the kneeling succubus.
"... Yes, unfortunately, I was indeed quite taken aback when I learned about your grace summoning me from the mouth of that human woman. I always believed that all of your followers were special and had abilities beyond that of mundane mortals. However, when I learned that you are summoning me after such a long period, from the lips of such an... ordinary and unremarkable woman, I could not help but doubt it," She answered before looking in Natasha's direction and adding, "No offense."
"None taken." Natasha/Natalia replied with a small smile, inwardly glad that the succubus queen found her unremarkable. After all, being an undercover spy on a top-secret mission, there couldn't be greater praise for her.
"Honestly, I am not surprised at Shiklah. She and her kin had proven time and time again that monsters aren't the smartest of the bunch. I mean, the fact that they have to live in an underground, secluded city away from any kind of human civilization is enough proof of it." Lilith Drake, Dracula's one and only daughter, didn't miss a chance to throw a jibe at the monster queen.
Although she didn't possess the same hatred that her father held for the other monster races, which had once led to the great war between the vampires and other monsters a thousand years ago, she was still more than prejudiced against them, probably because of the tiny amount of influence her father's ideals had on her. After I slew her father and made her the new vampire queen, she did her absolute best to control her subjects and hide away her prejudices and biases against other species. However, it was certain moments like this, when she just could not help but sneak a few snide remarks into her words in an attempt to prove her species' apparent superiority over others.
