forum Gods and Demons

Started June 14, 2020 by @PaperHats business

tune

“Tasriuth…,” Xellis murmured, letting the name flow elegantly from his tongue. It was extremely familiar, almost wonderfully so.
“Demon of destruction and anger? What pleasure it is to meet you,” he continued, ignoring the order of questions.
He breathed in deeply, taking a short pause as if he were thinking briefly before flicking his eyes back over.
“Do you happen to know Kalisecey? Demon of revenge? You might like her.”
Before awaiting a reply, he straightened back but kept hold of the demon’s hand, closing his eyes briefly and inhaling. Maybe it was to keep him from drawing away, but the act seemed to show he didn’t mind the contact at all.
Though, at this point, it didn’t seem like either of them would give in. So be it.
He opened his eyes once more, looking down at his other hand and beginning to preen it.
“As for what I want?” he asked. “What a vague question. In this situation? I was just told to come find a demon on earth. Make sure you weren’t up to any”— he flicked his eyes up and down, meeting her’s again— “… trouble.”
Previously seeing her lean into his flirtatious approach, he was in too far to show any weakness. As he saw it now, it seemed it was a battle to see who would break first. And Xellis was very, very stubborn.

Tastriuth rolled her eyes, her grip tightening between them as she replied, "Haven't seen that amazing idiot in half a millennia, but we're very close. I would try to see if you know any of the gods I know, but seeing as I don't keep up on your weird and complicated family tree, I don't know many."
She straightened as their handshake grew longer, relaxing into the feeling of the thrum in her veins while also making sure her wall of cool and smart was slammed up harder than ever. This god didn't deserve to see her emotions, he could deal with just a wall fo cold.
"Well, are you satisfied with my lack of…trouble at the moment," Tastriuth replied smoothly, perfecting the look that mortal women usually did when flirting with men. Looking him up and down, pausing for emphasis and shooting him a tiny amused grin. Xellis had a stubborn streak as well apparently. But she was going to make him break. "I was on my way to cause some in a few minutes. Nothing big, I'm not going to destroy cities, so you can go report that to your leader and then I can get back to my plans to rule earth." All her words were sarcastic, but if the tone wasn't picked up, no one would know she was kidding.

“How naive,” Xellis murmured mockingly, leaning in slightly. “You think I came here for my higher-ups?”
He paused briefly before clicking his tongue. The fire had grown much more bearable now, but the issue with not being able to feel his fingertips would probably catch up with him. The burning numbness, although… inviting to someone such as he, would most likely continue to grow more and more uncomfortable as time went on. But for now, he could keep it up.
“Who’s to say I didn’t come down here to explore? Feel the thrumming of a human heart once more?” Xellis gave a sigh, standing upright, his visible attention fixed on his free hand. Although, every single one of his other senses were attuned to the woman before him. She was certainly a bold one. He couldn’t say he didn’t find it charming.
“And for your information, I could care less about your antics,” he continued, flicking his eyes back to hers momentarily. “It’s all just curiosity to me.”

(Sorry it's short, promise my next will be longer)
"Well, I know your kind are cowards, and its rare to see one of you around without being sent by someone," She replied smoothly, "Why else would an immortal and powerful god subject themselves to being stuck in a mortal body? My antics have to be the reason you're here."
By now the contact between the two of them was becoming quite close to unbearable to her, but she grit her teeth and forced herself to hold on longer. Losing wasn't an option she was going to accept.
Tastriuth smiled, though it was clearly not a genuine smile. She just wanted to annoy him enough that he would decide to let go and leave her alone, or at least let go and walk alongside her so she could find something to deal with her still ever-present headache. Preferably as soon as she could get him to.

“You don’t believe me?” Xellis said dramatically, smacking his free hand to his chest and gasping. “How… insulting.”
Sarcasm flowed as thick as blood through his words, and yet he kept his smile up. Although, unlike Tasriuth’s, his actually seemed real, and like he was having fun. In all truth, he was.
“Listen. I did come down here to check on whatever underworldly games your playing. But after I figured that out, what I do is my own. I don’t need to report. Hell, I don’t even need to leave earth.” He twisted his mouth into the crooked smile once more. “So that’s my plan. I quite like it down here, thank you.”
It was common knowledge that a god could bear more than a demon. A powerful god, of course. Because of the mortals’ support and idolization. However, because Xellis was a much lesser deity… he and this demon were probably equally matched at the handshake game. Minute by minute, Xellis regretted the challenge more and more.
Finally, his fingers twitched slightly around her hand.
“So…,” he cooed, tapping his fingers across the back of her hand. “I’m assuming neither of us will give in. Consider it a draw? Or would you like to continue on?”

(Ok!)
A flash of pride slipped through her wall when he had admitted she had guessed his main reason for coming to earth correctly and for a minute her eyes showed that pride without hiding it. Before several seconds passed though it was gone and she was back to her wary but intrigued self. Xellis was an easy target to guess his reasonings, even if he got on her nerves easily.
"Not a fan of getting bossed around every day, hm?" She cooed, a sarcastic grin on her face to match what he had done to her only minutes before, "I don't blame you, gods are bossy and stuck up, always want to get their way."
Tastriuth was about ready to let go of his hand as the grip continued to get more uncomfortable, but as she was about to do so, she felt his fingers twitch and heard the god's voice again. Perfect, she wasn't going to lose. Or at least they were going to tie. A look of faked surprise settled onto her face and he tapped the back of his hand with her fingers, shrugging, "I would prefer you just let me win, but a draw words too."

“Honey, I could stay like this for days,” he said, his words slightly harsher. “I’m saying this for your own sake.”
He paused briefly, looking around for a moment before continuing.
“And you seem… decently hasty to be on your way,” he muttered, meeting her eyes again and adjusting his shirt with his free hand. “So either we let go now, or I come with you and continue to hold your hand~.”
His voice piqued up into a higher tone, into almost a mocking sing as he spoke. It was obvious his motivation was dwindling, but he wasn’t one to let up.
“And hey, you never answered me when I asked what you were actually doing down here,” he said, raising an eyebrow and averting his eyes down. “Besides your… remark about taking over the world. I’m curious as to what that entails.”
Before she could reply, he gave a smile and looked back over. “But of course, maybe it was implied. Sorry for being such an… ignorant god, hm? Because us celestials know nothing of a demon’s ways.”

Tastriuth stayed silent as he chattered, scowling at him when he made the suggestion that she could just continue with her day as they held hands. Already she was ready to let go. Going about her day while being next to the god that was setting all her internal instincts to leave through the roof sounded like more than just pure torture somehow.
"What I have to do with my day or time on earth that I'm eager to leave is none of your business, but going around with you just sounds like more work than I'm looking for. A draw would work much better for me," She replied, snorting, "And as for my plans of world domination, why would I ever spill those secrets to any god, let alone one that's going to go tattle on me as soon as you hear any whiff of my plans. That would make me as ignorant and clueless about your kind as you gods are about us."
As antsy as the demon was to get moving, she kept herself calm and still, only shifting on her feet and tapping the back of his hand again. Her hand that was locked in his was numb with uncomfortable pain, the feeling similar to when a limb fell asleep, multiplied several times. Any longer and she was sure she would lose control of her hand and forearm for the day.
"What's your choice, deity? Draw or consider yourself the loser of this interaction? Choose quickly, before I become impatient," She purred, brushing the same stray copper hair over her shoulder as before.

“Alright, you win then,” he said smugly, letting go of her hand and letting his fall limp by his side. “Impatience is greater than stubbornness.”
He slipped both hands into his pockets, the one he had touched her with turning a bright shade of red as he stuffed it away. The burning sensation lingered, he wasn’t thankful for, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he continued to feel it until the end of tonight.
“And let’s just say I’m curious,” he mumbled, rocking back on his heels. “Let’s just say I don’t necessarily believe you in your ‘quest to take over the mortal world.’ It seems like an empty goal, does it not?”
He took another sigh, brushing the reddish hair from his golden eyes.
“And will you stop with the whole ‘me reporting to my higher ups?’ I have one god I’m under, and I could care less about what she orders me to do.” Despite his words, he looked oddly cold and calm. “And hey, I don’t really believe I’m the only one under orders here. Tell me— why are you really on earth?”

The demon shot him a triumphant and smug grin, releasing his hand and letting her hand fall to her side. The skin was already turning an impressive shade of red, and by the numb, tingling pain shooting through her hand and arm, she wasn't going to even attempt to do anything with it for a while.
"It's no empty goal, it's a perfectly good goal, if overambitious," She replied smoothly, brushing a stray piece of dandelion fluff off of her much too big sweatshirt. Now that their 'handshake' had ended, she seemed much more comfortable, or at least calm for the moment, "If you must know, by the way, I'm on earth because I feel like being here. No one is ordering me to be here, us demons are much more lax with that side of things. Even as dull as this world is with its color choices, I chose to come here because I wanted to. Anything more than that I'm not going to tell you."
Tastriuth turned away from Xellis, making it clear as she started walking away that if he wanted to talk to her he was going to have to walk with her. At least then she could get on with her day as she was dealing with a bothersome god.

Xellis stepped into line with the demon, clasping his arms behind his back with a smile. He seemed very chipper, even for the heat radiating off of Tasriuth. It wasn’t as unbearable as direct contact, but he could feel her arm next to his giving off that same flare. Without being too noticeable, he grew slightly distant, to the point where the heat was much lesser.
“So, you’re down here for pleasure, I assume?” he asked, cocking his head. “Y’know, exploration?”
He took a moment, shifting his golden eyes to the sky. “It’s notable, really. I’ve never met a demon who considered exploring another plane of existence. All they wanted to do was either kill me or torture me. Which seems tempting, no? Even many gods wouldn’t mind doing either of those things.”
He gave a short stifled laugh, running a hand through his hair. “But, seeing as you haven’t tried to… tie me down yet, I would assume your goals are otherwise. For that, I thank you straight out.”

"Why I'm here is my business, goldie. Earth is interesting." Tastriuth smoothed out her shirt and only glanced at the man beside her, cursing the mortal downfall of blushing. "And as far as I can decide at the moment, I don't want to torture or kill you. Yet. It should stay that way too if you don't try to get in the way of whatever chaos I want to cause."
She walked calmly under the tree cover of the park towards the rest of the city, watching as her powers of making animals and people mad diminished. Maybe it was because her headache was disguised by the ache in her hand, or by having company; no matter if they were demon or deity. Either way, she didn't care. It was nice to watch the birds stay in their trees-instead of flitting away as she came by.
The large brick and concrete buildings came back into view as she continued, shrugging, "I should thank you for not killing me right out either. No god I've encountered has waited more than five minutes before trying to strangle me. You're making history just by talking to me."

“And may I say, you’re making the same history,” he said, crossing his arms and smiling down at the demon.
“You’re one of the first demons to not try to kill me instantly. Granted, I normally… toy with them beforehand.”
He said the last part slightly quieter and drawn out, only to provoke some kind of anger from Tasriuth. However he didn’t wait for a reply before he continued.
“And I guess I should say you’re welcome,” Xellis said with a shrug, keeping his smile. “I don’t normally try to kill demons. Why would I? It’s not like they’re affecting me any. Unless someone paid someone, I wouldn’t get anything done. And in case you’re wondering, there was no money involved in my order. Thus, why I’m not actively trying to take you down.”
He paused for a moment, eyes holding the slight tinge of mischief.
“But… I could probably take you down another way, eh?”
Xellis let out a light laugh in response to his own joke, backtracking before Tasriuth could react. “Don’t worry, demon. I jest, I jest.”

It was amusing to listen to the god beside her talk, Tastriuth decided. Even if some of his words made her anger flare, she found both his wording and his confidence to be interesting when paired together. Maybe that was why she replied back without scowling at him.
"You're awfully confident in your abilities when it comes to taking me down..in any way, aren't you? I'm not an easy target," She replied smoothly, a flicker of amusement and mischief twinkling in her eyes, "Jest or no."
Maybe she could get along with this one. That much she considered as the edge of the park came into view and she could see the busy streets ahead. It was loud like usual, unlike the quieter park, and it made her feel right at home in the chaos. She could blend in here, disappear and explore the world, even with a copper-haired deity.
"You should be happy I'm not being paid to kill you either, otherwise you would've been dead way back under the cover of those trees. Out here there are a few more witnesses I would have to deal with," Tastriuth replied, shrugging. Her eyes landed on the sign to a diner on the corner of one of the streets and she started towards it, letting Xellis pick his next move.

Xellis continued to follow the demon, as if a second though had never even passed his mind. He kept his eyes locked on his surroundings, not bothering to let Tasriuth know that his full attention was, in fact, completely on her.
He kept his arms crossed, but sort of confidentially strutted next to her. He held himself up proud and high, as he always had been. Even if he was a lesser deity, he was above all these mortals. Of course, not technically physically, considering this was a mortal body, but mentally, he was stronger than even the most enlightened man.
“I could say the same— you seem awfully confident in your abilities, too,” he repeated, humor lacing his words. “I’m not easily killable either, so you can bring your assumptions back down to where they should be. Although, as for the double entendre…”
He drawled out the last words, giving a sly glance over before smiling wider. Though in an instant, he completely dismissed it, continuing on to speak.
“But maybe you should pour some holy water over that hellfire of yours, hm? The mortal world is something to be enjoyed, regardless of what goal either of us have,” he said regally. “Who knows? We could make history, you and I. The first pair of a god and a demon to stand within each other’s radius for over… say— an hour? In simpler terms, this is me asking you if you’d like company this fine, fine afternoon.”

(Gosh both of them are giving me secondhand embarrassment ahhhh it's greattttt lmfao)
While Xellis walked with clear confidence, Tastriuth's stride held power. She didn't have the height to pull off the look he did, but she held her head high and from the sparkle in her eyes, she knew just how powerful she was compared to humans. The pair of them together was enough for anyone to get the feeling that they were to be respected.
"In a mortal body you are as easy to kill as I am, deity," She purred, "Or at least I could send you back to your plane of existence as easily as I could snap your neck. We both know that."
Tastriuth slowed to a stop as they neared the busy road, watching the cars flash by and waiting patiently for the crosswalk sign to light up. It didn't take more than a few seconds before it did just that and she strolled across the street, unbothered by the cars that had to stop to let them by or the honking that came from it.
"At least I agree with you at that statement. The mortal world is made to be explored." She was having clear fun as she talked, a grin on her face. "You're asking a literal demon to spend her afternoon with you? This is by far a first. You'll be happy to know I'll accept that offer, under two conditions, we first get food and two, no stopping whatever antics I get up to."

Xellis pretended to think, although he already knew his answer.
“I’d ask what’s in it for me, but food and fun sound promising,” he replied. He looked much more comfortable by now, his whole ‘defensive flirtatious’ facade slightly suppressed at the tone of her words.
In the celestial realm, gods didn’t necessarily have to eat food in order to survive. It was the feelings of mortals that kept them satiated. For Xellis, it was the mortals’ feelings of curiosity and wanderlust that kept him living. However, with mortal bodies— or “puppets,” as Xellis liked to call them— they needed sustenance. If they weren’t properly cared for, they’d no longer work. Simple as that.
Xellis took a deep breath, every time enjoying the chill air more. It had gotten respectively warmer throughout the morning, although it still held that hint of icy spring.
The god crossed his arms, glancing over to Tasriuth before averting his eyes back to the destination. “And you don’t have to worry about me messing with your little shenanigans. Frankly, like I’ve said before, I do not care.”

"In return you are guaranteed that I won't try to kill you along with food and fun," She replied, shrugging as if she didn't care. In reality though she was quite excited to have company that wouldn't try to get her to ignore the tug to mischief that all demons felt.
Tastriuth stopped at the door to the diner, opening it in one smooth motion and motioning Xellis inside with a grin, "As I've learned from my time here, ladies first." She made no move to go in either, clearly making a joke.
In her mortal body, Tastriuth felt the same basic need for food and sleep that any human would, unlike when she was back in her true form. Then she lived on the anger and destruction that mortals caused, similar to what the gods survived on. But as a human, her body was craving food, and so she followed what it said. At this moment specifically, warm food sounded best.
The fire in her veins thrummed warmer as the distance between them shifted and changed, but it wasn't very noticable, just made the spring morning slightly warmer.

Xellis walked right in, not even bothering dealing with the insult. It actually wasn’t even an insult. Xellis was the equivalent of a queen and he knew it. Jokingly, of course.
“Thank you, sir,” he nodded in good humor as he stepped through the door. He walked up to the front counter happily, a spring clearly in his step.
Mortal food was absolutely delicious. It wasn’t often he could enjoy the pleasantries of fried food, grease, oil, and salt. It was beautiful, really.
With a charming smile he asked for a table for two, and gave a quick glance back to Tasriuth before following.
He slipped into the shown booth at the side, acting like a child and giving excited bounces once he was on the seat. He thanked the hostess as she explained she would be back with the waiter.
With a sly glance, he looked over to the demon, actually smiling genuinely.
“I’m actually quite excited, if you can’t already tell,” he said, voice chipper. “When’s the last time you made a trip to this plane?”

Tastriuth followed the clearly eager god through the door, offering tiny polite smiles to the employees. She seemed happy, but not overly excited like Xellis. After so long even delicious mortal food got boring anyways, and she had been here long enough that it was getting like that again.
"I can truthfully say I have never seen anyone get as excited as you are for food." She slid into the booth in a smooth movement, watching the people in the diner while she thought, "To answer your question, my last trip to this plane was about two years ago in this way of telling time. What about you, deity?"
Even for her, it was quite a recent trip but she could care less. Things were almost always crazy in the world of demons, but it had gotten crazier in the recent past due to who knew what. Tastriuth didn't want to find out, and so this world was her escape. She could relax here, even though the feeling of dulled down powers was something she was sure she could never get used to.

Xellis pondered for a moment before saying boldly, “Three millennia. I haven’t had a chance to come down here recently. It’s not like I’ve been getting a whole lot of prayers to help with.”
He leaned back in the booth, twirling one of the straws between his fingers. “Gods are much more petty with reasons. We aren’t allowed do come down here just any day of the week. I think we should be able to do whatever we want. I swear, I should have been made a demon.”
He gave a charming smile, although it was mildly crooked, before looking away, his eyes wandering the roof of the diner.
“As for the food? Surely you understand my excitement. The only thing we have upstairs for joyful consumption is some kind of odd enlightenment tea. To me it just seems like dirt leaf water. I’ve been craving soda for a couple thousand years.”
To that he gave a light laugh, in good spirits. “As I said before, I’m sure you understand that.”

"That's my favorite part of being a demon, the freedom to do almost whatever the hell I want whenever I want to do it," Tastriuth replied, a grin on her face, "It would've been nice to have another demon that shared my interest in the mortal plane to talk to, but I suppose a cocky god will do too."
She reclined back in the booth, shifting on the uncomfortable seat and finding some semblance of a comfortable position, trying to ignore the smells coming from the kitchens of delicious food. Just to match him she laughed lightly, nodding, "Ah, good old leaf water, as disgusting as it is, it sure beats a steady diet of anger and destruction. This food is by far the best thing humanity has ever come up with. My personal favorite is their chocolate shakes."
Even though it hadn't been long, she was already tired of waiting for the server to come and take their orders. She was hungry. Waiting longer was an unneeded extension to the process of ordering food and then receiving it.

(So weird? I remember writing a reply to this and I guess I just never hit post, dang it)

Xellis gave a pressed chuckle, nodding along. He kept his eyes on the table, tracing the pieces of wood with a finger.
“Agreed,” he said as she finished her statement. “Food is by far a top for humanity. Along with gods. They created us after all. Still, I’d take food over the rest of the gods any day.”
He let out a soft hum, glancing up to meet Tasriuth’s eyes.
“And, a chocolate milkshake? Not bad,” he replied. “Although I really, really love their seafood. I mean, as far as drinks go, a milkshake is certainly on my top tier. As for actual food, I can’t get over sushi. It’s weird, but I love it.”
He sat back, propping his head on the back of the booth seat with his arms, as if blissfully remembering the days in which he used to have it. It had been an extremely long time since then— and he barely remembered what it tasted like anyway. He had just remembered how much he enjoyed it.
“But… you also can’t beat some french fries and chicken nuggets, can you?” Xellis mumbled humorously.