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but you're blessed just to be, more or less
standing in the afterglow of rapture with the words the rapture left
Chastille Lillqvist drew her scarf in closer to herself, feeling the snow drift down and melt on her lashes. She stood in the courtyard of the Kianoides church, only one other person present with her… barring her ever-present shadow.
"Eligor. Um. I'm glad to see you again?"
She was shivering just looking at Astrologian Eligor. The other woman in the courtyard wasn't aptly dressed for this kind of weather, to say the least. Her ungloved hand traced the stone face of one of the marble statues and her shoulders were bare. She shivered a second time when the woman turned her gaze towards her.
No, there was no gaze anymore.
Eligor no longer wore the blindfold she had when they had first met. She didn't seem to care who saw her now-eyeless sockets or the unhealing scars marring her once-beautiful face.
After a moment, the woman's face split into a cold smile and she tipped her head slightly to the side.
"Miss Lillqvist… you don't sound very glad."
Chastille pouted in response, hiding the expression away in her scarf as if Eligor could see.
She didn't feel any particular way about Eligor being here anymore, neither positive nor negative. "I mean, it's an odd hour, isn't it?" was her rebuttal. It was just… today, she'd been hoping to leave a little earlier than usual.
"Oh? I wasn't aware you had closing hours."
"You know we do, they're the hours when the church is locked to the public. I tell you this every time."
"Hmm, well, its not like I can see the signs. Or the hands of a clock."
Eligor always sounded just a little bit mocking. It had taken some time for Chastille to grow accustomed to her way of talking. The sorcerer's visits were infrequent, but they lost that feeling of unfamiliarity and unease following the two years since Marchosias's final death. Eligor still raised Barbatos's hackles when she came - he distrusted her intentions - but Chastille felt like she'd understood why she made her way here. And so, despite the warnings she'd received from those around her, she allowed the woman to wander as she pleased.
So long as she didn't try to hurt anyone.
A request made easy by the fact that any residents and guards tended to avoid her if they saw her. She still held the presence of an Archdemon, after all. And, as sad as it made Chastille, Eligor's ruined face and eyeless sockets seemed to intimidate others in their own way. Not that Eligor seemed to mind.
"You say that every time, too. I know you can still tell time," Chastille sighed. But, there was no point in harping about it. Likely, Eligor wouldn't listen anyway. "Well. Uh. Brr…? I know your body runs a lot warmer than a normal human's, but I'm seriously freezing out here -"
"Hm. Purgatory hasn't enhanced your winter clothing?"
"Uh. I mean he has. Just a little, but it's not like I can control how warm it gets," Chastille felt caught. She was a terrible liar, and she didn't want to make it sound like Barbatos didn't do things like that for her. I just needed an excuse… but, of course, Eligor probably realized that it was an excuse. "But… we could always head inside, too. Would you like to come in for some tea, Eligor?"
Eligor huffed. "Miss Lillqvist. Please don't call the poison you concoct 'tea'. It's an insult."
"I-!" Chastille stiffened, taken off guard by how casual her voice was. She was mostly accustomed to Eligor's tone, this was just a particular sore spot. "Its not that bad! You're just… picky!"
But the other woman just let out a small laugh behind her hand.
"A-and anyway, I didn't make it! S-sister Flammarak did, okay? Before she left." Chastille added with a sniffle. "You've been out here for hours, you know!"
---
Chastille reasoned that Eligor came here because of him. Marchosias. This was one of his domains, after all, and the aesthetic of it was still largely driven by what he had put into place a thousand years ago. She imagined Eligor sought comfort in the memory of her dead…
friend? lover? boss?
Well, something like that.
There was also his old castle nearby, filled with his sorcery. It was just outside of the city. But, Chastille reasoned that Zagan's overbearing presence would make it unwelcome to Eligor. Though he wouldn't raise a hand against her if she was simply peacefully visiting the area, he would be highly suspicious of Marchosias's ex… something… coming around his family and his research with no business to speak of. She would be rushed in a way Chastille refused to rush her… even when she really should. She would be tailed and hovered over in a way… well, Chastille did hover, but she was sure she was a lot less unwelcoming about it than Zagan would be.
"You don't have to invite me inside every time, Miss Lillqvist," the Astrologian said. And, as if she read Chastille's frustrations off of her, added: "Shouldn't you be home by now? It's quite late."
"She would be if you weren't slinking around here like some starving mutt," a voice came from the shadow at Chastille's feet. "I said to kick you out the minute you got here, but…"
"Barbatos," Chastille chided, though she had been annoyed too. The Saint Lian's Festival was coming up quickly, and while Chastille had set aside time to make chocolates for everyone with Nephy and Nephteros, she had yet to find a special gift just for Barbatos. Today, she had finished up work a little earlier than usual and hoped to go out into town. But, whenever Eligor came around, Chastille felt like she was the only one who could monitor her properly.
It's not like think she'd do anything bad, but someone else might get scared and attack her first. Though, her own people were used to powerful sorcerers hanging around. And, well, its not like she comes here to talk to me, but it feels a little rude to just ignore her.
"Peppermint tea," Eligor hummed, turning her face towards the teacup Chastille had set out for her, inhaling the scent, "with a touch of chocolate? Fancy. Is there some special occasion?" She took a sip, "the atmosphere around the town is quite festive as well. I thought the holiday was over."
"Great deductive reasoning, oh prophet of the-"
"Oh, yes! You didn't come around last year, did you?" Chastille cut Barbatos's insults short, though he did continue in a lower volume off to the side. "It's the Saint Lian's Festival coming up, on the fourteenth."
"Saint… Lian?"
"Yes. The Saint Lian Festival. My adjutants bought this for me because they knew I liked chocolate and…" she stood suddenly, slamming her hands on the table so hard that even her shadow flinched. "Oh my Lord, Eligor, its chocolate, are you okay!?" Chastille yelled.
"Saint Lian. Saint -lian…" Eligor mumbled as Chastille trembled in front of her.
"Eligor!" Chastille screeched as her guest took another sip of the tea.
"Miss Lillqvist, the decibel of your screams will do me more damage than this tea. What has you so panicked?"
"Uh. Um. Chocolate… is bad for dogs… isn't it… poisonous?"
Despite her ability of foresight, Eligor didn't seem to anticipate that answer at all. She was shocked to silence, mouth slightly open. If she had eyes, she would be staring.
Chastille felt her face start to burn as the silence stretched. She was almost relieved when her shadow started rippling with hysterical laughter, taking the attention away from her.
"Hya hya hya hya hya! What!? Crybaby, what!?"
Despite the tell-tale tears forming in her eyes, Chastille still snapped down at her feet, "don't call me a crybaby!"
"She's a sorcerer, Chastille! She can neutralize poison. Easy. Remember? Whatever, consider this payback for a few years ago."
"Ohhh, right. But… but still…"
"No, hold on," Eligor said, holding up a hand. "Purgatory, do you think this is poison to me?"
"… uh… well. Chocolate is… bad for dogs, yeah?"
Her brow twitched above the caverns of her eyes. "You think I'm poisoning myself? For what? Fun? To be polite?" Eligor asked. It was a rare time where she actually addressed Barbatos in the shadows.
His response was silence. Rare from him.
"Oh, my, you two really were made for each other," Eligor said finally, voice dry as she leaned back. "I didn't realize you thought I was so kind, Purgatory. Drinking poison just because it was offered to me by a well-meaning heart. Do both of you think chocolate would be poisonous to me if I weren't a sorcerer? Really?"
"But… dogs…" Chastille tried to reason, staring down at her shadow.
He remained traitorously silent.
"First of all, quite the oversimplification of that process. And quite an overestimation of what this very little amount could even do to a normal dog. Which I'm not. I'm a werewolf."
"… but, dogs…"
"You- ugh, sometimes you remind me of him," Eligor placed a hand over her face. Chastille flinched. Him? For Eligor, she thought that could only be-
"Werewolves can eat chocolate without getting sick, Miss Lillqvist. We're very much not dogs."
"Oh, thank the Lord. It would be really rude of me to poison a guest, even if it was accidental… even if you're a sorcerer and you can neutralize it."
"… remember when I mentioned your tea."
"My tea is not that bad! You never even drank it!"
"I didn't. It gave me a strong feeling of doom."
"Doom!?"
"My foretold death was averted. I didn't want to waste the life that was given back to me." Eligor tipped her cup slightly, "this tastes fine, though."
"I… didn't make that," Chastille sighed. "Ugh, well, whatever. That's… good, then, that chocolate isn't bad for you. Do you… like chocolate, then?"
"Hm. I'm not a fan of sweets, usually. But, paired with the bitterness of the tea, it isn't so bad."
"If you like it, I can get you some more of it. For, um, Saint Lian's Festival."
"… excuse me?" It was apparently another baffling statement to hear. For both Eligor and Barbatos.
"Wait, what?" Barbatos appeared suddenly, breaking from the shadows to stare down at Chastille in disbelief. It was a silly expression, and she tried not to laugh… but, he seemed almost like he was pouting about it. "Whaddyou mean you're giving her chocolate?"
"I mean, you can give friends chocolates too. That's all. Um," she looked at Eligor. "The day is supposed to celebrate the Saint Lian. If I remember correctly, this saint was executed for crossing a powerful noble of some kind, though the reason varies from story to story. She, uh, supported some sort of peaceful cohabitation when the noble didn't. So it's a celebration of… peace. Um, alsoromanticlovekindathankstoManuela," Chastille covered her cheeks with her hands, feeling them burn as she turned her face down. As if Eligor could even see her expression.
Well, Barbatos can, and that's still embarrassing!
"But also friends!" she squeaked. "We… were planning on making it a holiday about making peace with others through giving small gifts! But then the, um… merchants… got the idea to push romantic love as the main celebrating factor. But you can also give chocolates to friends!"
"Saint… -lian?" Eligor asked again. "The saint's name was Lian? Just Lian?"
"Uh. Well, I don't know if that was her full name but, and her deeds are sort of more of a footnote in history. But, um… a few years ago, Manuela - um, one of the shop owners here - started telling people that saint performed weddings for marriages that were otherwise considered taboo. Possibly, like… people who had sorcerers as lovers…" Chastille tried hard not to glance up at Barbatos, now that he was standing here at her side.
"And they were named a saint for that?"
Yeah, it was completely illogical. Chastille had thought so too.
"Well, you know. That was what was topical two years ago, when we were building the day into a holiday." That was back when she was just starting out as the head of the Unification Faction, trying to bring their ideas to the forefront instead of sitting shunned to the fringes. Back when they were trying to make it so those who worked with sorcerers weren't considered purely heretical. And, under Zagan and Nephy, Kianoides had been easiest to convince by framing it around the concept of a story of love. Or, that was how Manuela defended herself later.
Eligor hummed again. "Who started the holiday?"
Chastille's head snapped to stare at the woman across from her, eyes wide. She sounded nonchalant, but the question felt anything but innocent.
"Um. The current festivities are…"
"… what they are. What about before that? Who named a day for this specific saint? A saint who was supposedly only a footnote in history. Over any of the others."
"I don't… well. Either way, the name and day itself is kind of old…" Chastille said carefully, cautiously. She wondered if she should say his name at all. "The… pope…" she tried, "probably knew that person, right? Or knew of them. And whoever started it… he would have had to approve of it… um, right?"
"Well, that means it was your asshole loverboy then, right?" Barbatos said flatly.
The room fell silent after that, and Chastille felt herself start to sweat. She slid her hand out to grip Barbatos's. Though he took it without question, Barbatos glanced at both women, seemingly confused over why the air had grown so tense.
"… he was always doing stupid things like that," Eligor sighed finally after a beat. "How ironic to name it that, though." Then, almost as an afterthought, she added: "Loverboy?"
"So… that was what you were asking," Chastille sighed, and at the same time, Barbatos questioned: "What? He wasn't?"
Eligor's brow furrowed, her whole body seemed stiff.
"You don't need to give me a gift, Miss Lillqvist," Eligor finished her tea quickly, setting the teacup down with a sharp sound. Her voice was suddenly cold, and it reminded Chastille of when they first met. When she wore a blindfold, hiding eyes that weren't hers. When they were anything but peaceful. It felt like taking twenty steps backwards. "Candies, chocolates, anything. If it's a gift for lovers and friends, we're neither."
"Hey," Barbatos snapped, suddenly defensive when he saw the hurt that crossed Chastille's face. He stepped in front of her. "You really wanna be an ass to someone who lets you hang around her territory without asking anything in return? After everything you did?"
Eligor gave a short laugh, standing and adjusting her kimono. "Do you disagree, Purgatory?"
"You can fuck right off."
"Um…" Chastille jumped up from her seat, moving so she was in front of Barbatos instead. It didn't make much of a difference, he still stood a head taller than her. So, she tugged at his arm to catch his attention, get him to calm down. "It's also… a-about peace." Though that was a huge stretch. "And, we're not friends, but we're at least… peaceful now, right? At least, all the problems we did have with each other… have been resolved."
"Not all of them," Barbatos sighed, but didn't push beyond that.
Eligor seemed to think about that.
"If it's a holiday about peace between sorcerers and the church," she said slowly. "Then Lisette Danta-lian was a failure. They should rename it after you."
The words - a compliment? - exploded behind Chastille's ears. Her face suddenly burned, head boiling and vision swimming as she moved her mouth silently, trying to figure out the right response to that. Even Barbatos next to her looked too shocked to put a comment in.
And so, Eligor made her way to the door.
"E-eligor! C-can I ask something?"
Her hand paused at the doorknob and she tilted her head once more in their direction.
"M-marchosias. What was he to you? B-because, if you want, I can help you leave him some… thing."
Another beat.
"He's dead. He won't receive it. And besides that, he was the villain of that saint's story. Even he would think that in poor taste." She turned the knob. "As for what he was to me. I'm not a dog," she told them firmly. "But I was his dog."
And then it was just her and Barbatos, who glanced over at Chastille, his face twisting as he seemed to contemplate the strange mood that filled the room. Chastille was staring at the door, so distracted that she jumped when he reached out to her.
He had removed his glove, placing a cool, bare hand against her cheek. Chastille looked up at him, holding his hand in place.
"M-maybe I should give her some of those tea leaves," she told him. "She said she actually liked them. Heh, I don't get the impression that she likes many things."
"Yeah? Maybe she doesn't deserve to like shit. The hell does she mean she was his dog?"
"I… don't know." But, in a way, she did know. She understood all too well, with all the hindsight offered to her. What were the Angelic Knights if they weren't the dogs of the church? The dogs of His Holiness, the Pope… Marchosias. "It's not really about deserving, though. I want…"
Chastille didn't know what she wanted.
To be Eligor's friend? To be her confidante? To commiserate?
Barbatos waited for her to finish the thought, but Chastille just shook her head. Years ago she remembered she'd feared Eligor would take Barbatos away from her. It seemed like such a silly, childish thing to be afraid of now.
"I know where those idiots got that tea," Barbatos told her, shifting to let his arm fall over her shoulders, nudging her to lean some of her weight against him.
He was getting more used to reaching out to her when they were alone. It was nice.
"You want me to get some more tomorrow?"
Chastille managed a smile. "Actually, that sounds perfect."
Then she could get him his gift, when she knew he wasn't watching.
---
A few days later, in an area outside of Kianoides, Eligor stopped in her walk and inclined her head downward. She couldn't see her shadow any longer, she couldn't see what would come from it, couldn't see anything at all. But, she had felt his presence here, in this place and at this time, the moment she'd left Kianoides's church. She waited for the familiar scent of subspace - sulfur and dust - to seep into the air. She waited for that strangely elegant way Purgatory opened subspace, like shifting, lifting fog sliding across her skin. Smooth, almost imperceptible.
Before he'd even fully made it out of her shadow, he was presented with her outstretched hand.
"You fuckin' serious?" he sneered. "What, not even gonna say 'hi, hey, what's up?'"
"Would there be a point to that?" she asked, slightly annoyed, though his behavior was predictable even without her foresight. "Neither of us like talking to each other. You're only here for one thing."
After a moment of him grumbling further complaints (that she didn't even bother listening to) she finally felt him drop a velvet bag into her hand. It was heavy, a larger box than was necessary, but Eligor had already known the weight like it was meant to be hers. "So," she said, smirking. "Was it you who went overboard and got the 'extra large', trying to impress her, or was she the one who asked?"
"What, can't see that?"
She laughed and turned away from him without answering.
When Eligor opened subspace, she tended to do so the way most people did - inelegantly. She tore a hole into the fabric of space. It came with a crackle and was brutally unrefined, even if she was better at it than most sorcerers who didn't specialize in the field. It was in her own little subspace pocket where she put the velvet box.
"Tell her -"
"You can tell her whatever you want, I'm not your fucking messenger boy."
"No, just hers," she hid her smirk behind her hand.
"I-!"
"You're not telling me to stay away from her anymore. Kind of you. Or, perhaps you've simply lost your bite."
He was uncharacteristically silent at that, and Eligor took the time to close up her pocket space.
"She said she hoped she saw you at the Festival, so you could have fun or something," the words were strained, like he was borderline furious that he even had to say them. She couldn't understand why. Just because he hung on Chastille Lillqvist's every word didn't mean he should expect everyone else in the world to do the same. "She doesn't hate spending time with you, you know, might even want to do it sometimes. Fuck if I understand why. So you should stop pretending you have anyone else around who gives a shit. Y'know, could you stop being such a bitch when she invites you in?"
"What a polite request," Eligor deadpanned. She wanted to snap back that she didn't ask to be invited in, she didn't want the company of an overly sensitive girl and her overprotective shadow.
But, she already saw herself going back.
She didn't want anything now, she didn't want anyone. She didn't even want to want company, community, or concern. But, she had already seen herself wanting again in the future.
And she'd rather not give Purgatory something extra to throw back in her face when it happened.
"It seems rather crude for me to join in festivities celebrating Lisette Dantalian," she added, "but, I don't know, if someone decides to accompany me, perhaps she'll see me there."
"Hah! As if anyone would want to go on a date with a cold, loathsome woman like you," Barbatos said, far too uppity for a cold, loathsome man whose willpower snapped to pieces under the hands of that gentle girl. If Eligor had eyes to roll, she would roll them. Though she opened her mouth to retort - something about the pot and the kettle - she was cut off when she felt a nauseating shift in the tide of her future. It was so silly and small, she didn't know how Purgatory laughing at her solitary nature led to this but… she sighed. If she felt it, it was solidified in time.
"Oh. What a pain," she mumbled.
"What?"
---
After Eligor passed her expiration date and survived, knowledge of her own existence came to her with an understanding she'd never possessed before. She had to question it: had she ever been more than just a girl who was already dead? when was the last time she ever felt alive? People spoke of existing without truly living, and to Eligor she thought perhaps that had been her whole life.
It made sense, of course, considering she spent half a millennia as the pet of a man who spent most of his long, long life in nothing but despair. At least until Marchosias's first death, Eligor had spent the latter half of his life as one of the closest things he kept near him. Perhaps they'd lived sometimes, together. Those times when he became playful, when he became affectionate, when he asked for play and affection in return so they could forget their miserable future for just one moment. So they could pretend they didn't know their own deaths, that their fates weren't set in stone.
But those were rare moments. Minutes of time over hundreds of years.
She thought of her home village then. Perhaps she'd lived there, sometimes. Back when she clung to the belief that seeing the future meant she could change it, too. Though she had never been quite a friend and never quite family to anyone there, they were friendly. Affectionate. Informal. She knew the names of the children who visited, they played with her. When she saw their deaths, she tried to stop it.
Perhaps.
There was a festival going on in Kianoides Church.
Eligor thought she would stay away, just outside of Archdemon Zagan's barrier.
The name Dantalian was one she knew, a groove in her brain, one of the many scars across the sockets of her eyes.
She'd never met the woman, obviously, and had no real opinion of her one way or the other. Even when she first started following him, she knew Marchosias's opinion couldn't be trusted - he'd admitted as much to her. When he spoke of Dantalian to Eligor - which was rare, it seemed he tried to hold them apart from each other in his mind - his thoughts were varied. Over years, over days, over minutes he would change his mind on a dime. She was a fool, she ruined the world, I regret it Eligor, I can't regret it, I had to do it, I had a good reason, she had it right, she always had it right, it was a pointless sacrifice, it was a mistake, no it wasn't, I miss her, like a daughter to me, I was so proud, I was so furious, I was so, she was so, it was so…
"If it isn't Archdemon Eligor!" a familiar voice sang. It was the voice she once associated with death.
Eligor tipped her head slightly in its direction, her way of acknowledging - looking, glancing, watching, staring when she had no eyes with which to do so.
"You don't look happy to see me… ah! hahaha, or maybe that's it. You're so sad you can't see my beautiful face anymore. Hehe." Asmodeus was already at her side, cheek brushing hers, hair tickling her neck. She opened subspace like a natural, Eligor barely felt it in the air at all, but that was only because the Collector used the body of the creatures that lived there to do it. It still set Eligor's nerves on edge, though not as much as it once did.
Once, Eligor's fear of this woman was overwhelming. This was the one who would kill her, and though Eligor believed she'd accepted it passively, her body still actively craved survival. The urge to run from this woman was the only thing Eligor desired, aside from whatever would see Marchosias's vision true. But that time had long passed. Asmodeus no longer came to her with bloodlust, and her manner of appearing to Eligor was more impish and playful. As for Eligor, Marchosias was gone, and her true death had yet to reveal itself.
Seeking a reaction, Asmodeus linked their arms together, almost laying her full weight over the other woman. She was like a pet herself, stretching across one's lap, refusing to be ignored. Looking for a treat. "You look like you're waiting for someone!" she needled.
"Obviously, I'm waiting for you."
"Ugh, I thought so. So you did see me coming. Boo, I was hoping to scare you to death."
"Who told you?" Because that was the only thing Eligor couldn't have "seen".
"What? Who told me that the poor, poor kicked dog Eligor was single and lonely and begging for a date to the Saint Lian festival and that she was so, so, so, so sad that no one loves her?"
Eligor nodded, taking an educated guess: "Purgatory told your disciple. Right."
"Right! And I was so, so surprised. Beautiful, honey trap Eligor? My Eligor? Was he for real? Single? Wasn't there a time when you could talk men into any trap you wanted? Why are you having a hard time finding a date for a festival? Hmmm?"
Eligor sighed, pressing one of her hands to her temple in annoyance. "You overestimate my abilities, it wasn't so easy. And I wasn't seeking romance, I was doing a job."
"Right, right, for the failed hero we all know and hate. Well, not you, but everyone else." Asmodeus nodded, and Eligor felt the woman's hair rubbing against her cheek. "I always appreciated your dedication. And, well, your acting skills were terrible but what is it? Some guys get really stupid if you're pretty enough, or if they think they have a chance."
Eligor laughed at that, something genuine that had even Asmodeus pulling away from her in shock. "You're right. And I can't attract anyone now, you've made certain of that." Though Eligor hardly held a grudge. "But I was always surprised at how few did catch on. Or, if they caught on, sometimes they didn't even seem to care that they were being used."
To be fair, neither did she.
"Well, I'm not so easy to fool. If you really want me to come with you, you're going to have to beg, Astrologian Eligor," Asmodeus said, voice haughty.
She remembered a time when Asmodeus dragged her all around Kianoides. They sat at a table and ate ice cream while Eligor's heart pounded in her chest and she reminded herself over and over: it's not today, it won't be today, I know it's not today. It was a time when Eligor wanted to stay as far away from Asmodeus as possible, because she was her doom. It may have been the first time Eligor admitted that to her, she told Asmodeus that she would be the one to kill her. Back then, Asmodeus didn't ask for permission for anything. She didn't ask Eligor to do anything, didn't care about what she wanted, just wanted to waste their day with something utterly worthless.
Well, it was a time when Eligor thought such light and leisurely things utterly worthless, especially with the end of the world so close.
But now they both had what they wanted from each other. Brutality had passed. The end was different than anyone could have thought. And Asmodeus was asking her what she wanted, not just dragging her along.
"Oh?" Eligor smiled. "Who said I wanted to go with you?"
"I mean, if you don't, I have plenty of other friends I could ask. There's my super cute disciple, little Foll, birdbrain Phenex, old butler man… who else do you have?"
"No one. I don't have any friends and I don't have any lovers, there's no one left to me. Oh, but Asmodeus, that begs the question," Eligor's voice turned softer near the end, a purr as she leaned her head on Asmodeus's shoulder. "We know why I'm single, but you have so many options. I wonder. Why are you single? Could it be that you-?"
"Are you trying to honey trap me!?" Asmodeus asked, and Eligor felt the faint hint of victory at the small crack in the woman's voice. "What's this, negging, right? Nuh-uh, no way, I didn't say neg me I said beg me."
"When have you known me to beg?"
"Exactly! Which is why I want to hear you beg now!"
"If I'm not going to beg you for my life, why would I beg you for a date?"
"Because you're pathetic and alone!"
"Maybe that's preferable to dealing with someone like you."
"And maybe I'll crush you into a speck of dust!"
"My. You're not exactly making yourself look attractive, Asmodeus."
"I'm very attractive. I'm gorgeous. You're lucky I'm here."
"It's bad luck, then, isn't it?"
The bickering was expected, and they had their back and forth for a little bit longer. Halfway through, Eligor found herself unable to stop smiling. Though Asmodeus put forth a few threats near the end, her tone was playful. The other woman would hate to hear it, but it reminded Eligor of the way Marchosias would play with her. Right down to the physical contact, nuzzling and petting - though she rarely was this resistant to him. She never pushed him to admit he wanted her, specifically. She knew where he wanted her, and she knew when he wanted her there. He could abandon her easily, if he wanted. He did abandon her, eventually. Though, it had been a planned abandonment. She was his dog, and that was just how things were.
Asmodeus ruffled her hair. Though Eligor winced, she didn't shove her away. "Dogs are pack animals, aren't they?"
"Well, haven't you heard of a lone wolf?"
She wasn't Asmodeus's dog.
They were…
something else. The words still felt strange to think, let alone say. It was something she'd never had before.
"You're the last one I'd ever call a lone wolf. Come on, why else would you hang around people who are too nice to kick you out?"
"While you force your presence on everyone you come across, whether they like it or not. Why are you so insistent, Asmodeus? Do you want to go on a date with me?"
"Good enough! Oh, Eligor, I thought you'd never ask!" She found herself dragged to her feet. It seemed Asmodeus had decided to purposefully misunderstand her words. Eligor laughed, thinking the truth was that she just wanted to get to the festival sooner rather than later. "Of course I'll make time in my super busy schedule to accompany you to the festival. You can thank me by buying dinner. But remember, you can't fall in love with me, no matter how cute and beautiful I am."
"I can't even see you."
"Whatever. Come on then."
"Yes, yes. Whatever you want, darling."