A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 187: The First Key

"And you concocted this stupid, long, stupid-long plan, with that pretty little head of yours, thinking I would just *cooperate* if you told me you loved me-"

     "Not if I told you I loved you, but made you realize that we're going to be together for a long time and that I refuse to let the last two thousand years of my life go to waste just because you're stubborn as hell in this latest life of yours-"

     "The first time we met, you didn't even know who I was-"

     "You don't exactly look the same in every life, Princess," Keir shrugged, standing over me with folded, tensed arms, as if trying to show off some semblance of muscle yet...no, that was contained anger, wasn't it. For once, he wasn't flexing just to flex. "There are some pretty significant differences. When I loved you-"

     "Ugh-"

     My face turned away, but it hit the side of the couch while laying down. That terminology was truly unpleasant, especially when it had yet to be proven.

     "-you were of pink-haired, violet-eyed appearance, and much kinder than now. The life before that, you were male, a giant, and then you did have dark red hair with eyes so light they were almost white. The life after I loved you, you had pink hair and eyes. It changes."

     "Male?" I scoffed, going to cross my arms defensively, only to remember that I only had one arm again. I always dang did that... "...a giant..."

     That sounded...nice. That was a lifetime I'd have liked to hear a little more about...

     "Do you want me to do this or not? Because I really, truly-"

     "Is someone finally getting upset?"

     "-can't wait until you're reborn again as someone a little more trusting and a little less disgusted every time you look at me."

     "I thought you liked my sass?"

     "This isn't sass, this is rudeness. Now, Princess," he smiled a bit tightly, having been standing over me for the past hour after I finally - tentatively - agreed to his plan after he showed enough evidence it'd work. Barely enough. "May I?"

     "And why don't I make a Ninine Pact with you, huh-"

     "Because, as I've explained to you many times now, you already have my heart. Ninine contracts require the consent of the soul. If I bound both to you, which I'm surprised you aren't disgusted by-"

     "Ugh, no, never mind. Do the thing."

     "-..."

     Keir stared down at me blankly, arms still crossed. No emotion on his face at all, collecting what little he'd spill out as I finally managed to annoy him for the first time ever.

     "Tell me 'please' and 'thank you' when I do it."

     Master, please, just give in.

     Give in?

     Oh...no, Master, that's not what I meant-

     "Why?" I glared upwards, very much aware of the fact that I very much needed his help, given that there were aspects of the plan I needed his knowledge for and didn't really want to do the searching for myself. "When have you ever been so nice to me?"

     "I may not say those things, but I've never not been helpful, have I?"

     "Refusing to help Magaris when her body-"