Meet Me in the Middle Ground

Chapter One

"When the parade begins tomorrow, go to that tower over there."

She followed the general direction of his finger to find two towers facing each other, standing out against the city landscape, their shapes clear and visible even in the night sky. They wouldn't have been too hard to locate from a distance, but...

I see two, which one? she almost blurted out, only to have her cheeks squished by his hands, her gaze oriented towards the tower on the left.

"Not that one, this one."

"Oh, 'orry."

Well, at the price of having those demon hands all over her face, she had been answered. Still, why all the touching anyway?

You had someone else's hands all over other places not even half an hour ago. Why does this bother you?

The thought briefly heated up her face, making her reminiscing those memories she would have treasured dearly and used to inspire her night and daydreams for at least an entire week – a week of maddening blushing whenever her daydreaming would have inevitably betrayed her, thus exposing her fantasies to Rita. She had never danced with a male before, she had never had fun with a male since when teenage years cursed her with awkwardness and unpredictable transformations. The whole capital had become magical for one night, for the time of multiple dances in which two bodies harmonized each other and mimicked each other, like the twin wings of a dove. She couldn't even berate herself for that last overhasty escape, but she could bring herself to be slightly annoyed other than confused by Azazel's behavior.

Her face was once again maneuvered to look up at the demon's own.

"Promise me you'll be there," He said, expectant eyes watching her closely, as if they wouldn't have accepted anything different from an affirmation.

"Uh... why...?"

Instinctively, she had asked that question, one that opened up to a series of questions – why must I be there? Why are you so avoiding all the time and suddenly you're not? She was sure there were yet other burning answers somewhere in her head that she sought to find, but these were enough so far.

"You must," He replied, staying vague, tone sounding a tad ordering. "It's important, you must promise you'll be there."

Must, again...?

"Look, Azazel," She lifted her hands to pry his from her face, putting a stop to the likely fish-like lips that made her talking sound mumbled. "I'd love to go chit chat and play the Rag Demon's partner in broad daylight, buuuut... I will probably have something planned with someone else."

Probably, yes.

Not to mention, last time she had been the Rag Demon's accidental partner for a little more than five minutes she risked her life and antagonized the king's knights that had been on the trail of said Rag Demon. She had saved Azazel from certain death another time after their first encounter, but now she had enough of those risky adventures, preferring investing her time in far more enjoyable ones. After all, she didn't come to Anatae to intentionally cause trouble.

Azazel lowered his hands, shaking off hers from around his gloved wrists, seeming mildly pissed by her returning his touch to create some distance.

"It's more important than whatever thing you are planning to do tomorrow," He declared, a matter of fact she wasn't supposed to question further judging by the faint lifting of his chin.