The Struggles of Dating a Demon [Completed]

Persuasion

When Zephyrine said "worst luck," she apparently meant that, out of every single person in the city, Mabel had somehow, in some way, managed to stumble into an apparent heir of Death.

The man she had run into was named Colby, and he worked at a rundown bar but had his own personal business in what he referred to as "nighttime accompaniment," as well. He was also an incessant flirt and, while Zephyrine didn't seem to mind, his many come-ons and charming smiles made Mabel uncomfortable.

"So," Colby began as he let them into his apartment, a stupidly attractive smile on his lips, "what could two gorgeous women want with me? You know, besides the obvious, since you already said you weren't interested in that." He threw a wink at Mabel, causing her to take a step backwards.

"We're really not," Zephyrine confirmed, striding past Mabel and into Colby's dimly lit kitchen area. She yanked open the fridge and pulled out a beer. "A real shame, I'm sure, but what can you do?"

"You could stop drinking my beer," Colby shot back, though the amused smirk on his face told Mabel he really didn't mind all that much.

In response, Zephyrine pulled a bag of chips out of the cupboard. "We're here to talk." She stated blandly, popping a chip into her mouth and letting her gaze wander over the tiny apartment.

Colby grinned wickedly, handing Mabel a glass of water and taking another beer for himself before gesturing to the shabby couch in what was probably supposed to be the living room (It was hard to tell with all the empty takeout boxes and bottles).

"Ah, talking; I'd rather do something else with my mouth." Colby's words sent Mabel into a coughing fit, which caused Zephyrine to shoot the man an unimpressed look.

"While I appreciate the innuendos, let's not kill her. I don't want to explain that to her boyfriend."

If anything, Mabel hoped the mention of Aleron would get Colby to stop his advances, but it only seemed to spur him on more, if the spark in his eyes was any indication. "A boyfriend, eh? I can deal with that. Now, what did you ladies want to talk about?"

The way he purred the words made Mabel's face heat up, and she slapped a palm against her forehead. "Oh, my God. How does a person like you even exist?"

The minute the words left her mouth, Mabel regretted them. Colby's entire face lit up with mischievousness, and she felt like a rabbit that had just been given to a hungry fox. "Well, now, I could always give you a demonstration of how that—"

"Nope!" Mabel exclaimed, her voice shrilly, "Please, no, no, no."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Alright, aright. In all seriousness, though, why do you need me?"

Mabel blew out a heavy sigh, eyeing Zephyrine curiously.

How were they supposed to explain this?

***

"I think that probably could have gone better," Mabel mused aloud, staring at Colby's closed apartment door.

Zephyrine shrugged. "Maybe. Let's go. I'm hungry."

Eyeing her incredulously, Mabel waved her hands frantically at the door that had been slammed in their faces not minutes ago. "What? We can't leave! We have to get him to come with us!"

"And he will," Zephyrine stated, examining one of her nails even as she strode down the corridor to the stairwell. "Eventually. There's not much more we can do today, Mabel. Let's go."

Mabel conceded with a sigh, following Zephyrine out of the building and back to her car.

They'd explained to Colby about the existence of the creatures in Hell (Zephyrine had even showed him her tail), his possible role, and how it would help solve the problems that had come up.