A savory aroma slowly began to waft through the massive kitchen as the two entered. Somewhere near the kitchens back wall, a plump beef patty lightly simmered atop the sizzling face of a skillet on a stoves lit burner. The hiss and fizzle of the cooking meat lightly peppered the room with its sound, subtly blending in to the words of their conversation.

Dante got bored sitting at the table and decided to go get a goblet from the kitchen upon arriving he smelt the stastifying smell of meat cooking, he personally loved to cook. But this smell was to die for.

YamiCuoreLaroux said
Kyo looked around in awe at the sheer size of the castle as they walked. Katherin's family must have had a lot of resources to have something this grand built. How long had it been around for? He couldn't tell at all. Upon entering the kitchen, he was astounded yet again at how big the one room was. One could probably cook for an army in there! It seemed to be fairly well-equipped, too, so that was certainly a good thing. The thought of cooking a delicious meal in there to share with others was quite comforting for some reason...oh, right, the teacup. After a moment of daydreaming, thankfully uninterrupted this time. the boy started looking around for the nearest sink to wash out the cup. Eventually finding one, he cleaned out the small vessel and set it on a rack to dry before turning back to Katherin with a small smile. "There must have been a lot of people in your family. I can't even imagine how there could be so much space here."

I don't know. I never knew Murphy family. Until a year ago I thought I was an orphan. Then some lawyer contacted me telling me some aunt had left me this castle. Since I was living on the streets at the time it was alittle overwhelming to be given such on such a big place. I still haven't explored all of it. Katherin wrote.

Eliza knelt down before a small patch of weeds that were growing below a window on the castle grounds. Each one was a different from the other in size, shape and of course, toxicity. Eliza reached out for the one with the leaves like maple but the voice in her head protested. Not that one. Grab the one that looks like a fern.

"What for?" Eliza replied. "What is it?"

That is bracken, her demon replied. Eliza smiled devilishly as she obediently plucked the weed. A leather bag was hanging at her side from which she produced a book with a hard burgundy cover. It was old and tattered, but in it were her various notes on different poisons which she'd collected throughout the years. She opened the book to a random page and carefully placed the weed between the sheets, slamming the book shut before placing it back in her bag.

"Of course, bracken. The cancerous weed that slowly kills the stomach. Wonderful," Eliza said delighted. How coincidental were her thoughts for the scent of cooking meat had suddenly filled her nose. She quickly stood and looked through the window that was above her, dusting off her black dress as she did so. Her eyes brightened at the sight of what seemed to be a kitchen through the glass, where steam was rising from the stove. Eliza stomach gurgled quietly and she clutched at it with a tight grip. Although she was perfectly capable of just climbing through the window and creeping in to grab the delicious prize, she was disheartened at the sight of a few others who already seemed to be waiting for it also. She wondered if any of them had a heart soft enough to fall for her deceptively innocent charm and offer her some through the window. If not, there was always the option of finding her own way in.

KatherinWinter said
Katherin wrote.

"So we have that in common, then. Both of us are orphans." Kyo looked down for a moment in reflection before typing again. "I suppose that I was fairly lucky, though. I was eventually brought to an orphanage around the age of fourteen. I don't live there now, but I probably wouldn't be here if I hadn't been found."

MiaRainx said
She wondered if any of them had a heart soft enough to fall for her deceptively innocent charm and offer her some through the window. If not, there was always the option of finding her own way in.

'Disease is looking in the window.' Katherin sighed didn't anyone use the front door anymore? She shook her head. The guys seemed fine so she took her notebook and headed to the door. She needed to go town to get herself a tablet like Kyo's. It would make things a lot easier. She wrote a quick not for the new arrival. She hurried outside before Eliza ran off. When she reached the girl she held out her notebook. The note she had written readHello Eliza. My name is Katherin. I would like to welcome you to my castle. Please come inside I'll introduce you to the others and tell you what I know so far.

Eliza was surprised when Katherin approached her with a welcoming message written in a notebook. She seemed nice enough and Eliza was driven to kindness by the fact that she was the owner of the castle. She gave Katherin a weak smile, for at the moment it was all she could muster.

Ah, this must be Secret's host. Interesting, said the voice in her head. She did not dispute it since the notebook and Katherin's acknowledgment of her were enough to prove that Disease was not wrong... but then again, when is it ever?

Eliza said a soft "thank you" to Katherin and gave her a small curtsey before heading into the castle. She was fascinated at how large and beautiful it was. It seemed as though it was a place you could easily get lost in, just like her old home. Although, her house was nothing compared to this and she could never go back there.

Eliza followed the tantalising scent of the cooking meat and soon found herself at the kitchen. She froze slightly in the doorway as she had forgotten that there were others also waiting for the food and she hesitated. Not only was she quiet and awkward when meeting new people, she knew that she also looked very grubby at that moment. Her hands were dirty and the hem of her black dress was speckled with mud. Before she could say anything, her stomach spoke for her with a grumble. She clutched at it with both arms, looking down with embarrassment. She had made a fantastic first impression.

Nightmare seemed to be excited about Disease's arrival, and was making it a bit difficult for Kyo to focus, but he somehow managed to force a small smile and type a message of welcome on his tablet. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. Nightmare seems to be happy as well. I am Kyo, Nightmare's host." He let the British-accented voice read the words from the tablet and gave a small nod of his head before taking note of the sound of the girl's stomach. "Katherin, do we have permission to cook here? And now that I think of it, is someone else already doing so?" Finally realizing that there was a new smell in the air, he looked around briefly to find the source.

YamiCuoreLaroux said
Nightmare seemed to be excited about Disease's arrival, and was making it a bit difficult for Kyo to focus, but he somehow managed to force a small smile and type a message of welcome on his tablet. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. Nightmare seems to be happy as well. I am Kyo, Nightmare's host." He let the British-accented voice read the words from the tablet and gave a small nod of his head before taking note of the sound of the girl's stomach. "Katherin, do we have permission to cook here? And now that I think of it, is someone else already doing so?" Finally realizing that there was a new smell in the air, he looked around briefly to find the source.

Katherin nodded. Of ourselves the castle is your home as much as mine. Your welcome to cook whenever you like. I am glad that you would like to cook because i am hopeless in the kitchen. I believe that Death has started something although I'm sure what it is.she wrote.

Kyo kept looking until he finally saw the beef patty cooking near the back of the kitchen. "Ah. I see." After looking for a moment longer, he turned back to the rest of the group present. "Well, I'll be glad to cook some dinner if it is desired. It's probably a good time for a meal, anyway."

Having decided, the boy placed the tablet down on a nearby counter and started looking around for ingredients. He was sure that he could come up with something reasonably filling with the items he found here, and eventually had a station set up with everything he needed. There seemed to be various utensils of fairly high quality here as well, so he was a bit excited to try them out. After finding an apron near the door and making sure that his hair was tied back properly, he picked up the tablet and typed out one more message before putting it back down and letting it read out while he began working. "I should have something ready in about twenty minutes. I can probably get a smaller dish prepared a bit quicker if anyone needs to eat now, though."

"Would you kindly flip that for me dear?" Asked a voice to nobody in particular from the corner of the kitchen. Sitting in a rather out of sight wooden chair, just beneath the light of another window, a suited figure holding a lightly wrinkled news paper from around the 1940's. Gloved hands held the paper just above crossed legs and in front of the mans visage. "I'd appreciate it if you cleaned your hands first." Declared the man, turning the page.

"My name is Eliza, the host of disease. It's a pleasure," she said in a soft voice, but still loud enough to be heard. She watched as Kyo organised a food preparation station, presumably to create something for the lot of them. It was fascinating to think that she was in a room filled with others who were just like her, who had demons within.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice from the corner of the kitchen. Eliza turned towards that particular direction to find a man in a suit reading an old newspaper. He reminded her of the same people her father used to associate with, the boring ones who would just sit and talk about politics or social issues. But this man seemed much more intriguing for there was something sinister about him that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Nevertheless, she was hungry and willing to help to get her feed.

Obediently, Eliza walked over to the sink and scrubbed off the dirt from her hands. She heard the voice of Kyo's tablet suggesting a smaller dish for quick preparation. "No, that's alright. I'm willing to wait," Eliza stated, continuing to clean herself of her filth. She then walked over to the little station Kyo had created and held up a spatula, in a gesture to say that she was only going to borrow it, before she headed over to the patty and clumsily flipped it. A small amount of grease flicked out from underneath and she felt tiny stings on her hands. She jumped back slightly before she proceeded to rub away at the small droplets of hot oil on her fingers.

The suited stranger turned the newspaper's page in a nonchalant manner while the young woman did as he asked. The kitchen grew quiet as each of the demon hosts became aware of the stranger. Of course, the host of secrets was the first to sense him.

Death looked on with a blank stare, gazing over more news of riots. This time the zoot suit riots. The newspaper folded lightly beneath his slender fingers as he pulled it closed and set it on the window seal. Standing from the creaky wooden chair, Death stepped through the suddenly quiet kitchen and over to where the burger fried. "Why thank you dear." He declared finally, breaking the silence, before the patty disappeared from the skillet and reappeared on a bun, sliced in half and sitting on a plate suddenly clasped in Death's right hand. Just as casually as he walked over, Death made his way back to the chair he was sitting in, which was now accompanied by a small circular table and one other chair.

Taking a seat and grabbing half of the lightly steaming burger, Death looked up toward Eliza expectantly. "Well...you are hungry aren't you?" The chair opposite to him scraped across the floor, sliding a few feet out from the table. "Sit." Said Death firmly, taking a bite of his meal.

Eliza watched in wonder as the suited man seemed to show off his powers. The apparitions of the meat into the bun and the movements of the chair were simple things but they certainly fascinated her. After becoming accustomed to hearing the voice of Disease, she had seen and been able to do many unnatural things, but seeing spirits do the same still astonished her. But Eliza hid her slighted amazement with a blank expression.

Death, I am presuming. Oh look, how kind of him to be sharing with a you. Who knew you would literally be dining with death, Disease hissed in her head. Eliza wanted to silence it and allow her some time to think for herself but she knew that was impossible. She was hungry after all, even though she knew the others must have been as well. Besides, Kyo was in the middle of preparing something as well so surely they could delve into that and she could take what Death offered.

Once the chair had stopped moving, Eliza took a seat opposite from the suited figure. She took hold of the other half of the burger and nodded to him in silent thanks. The minute she bit into it, the delectable flavour tingled at her taste buds and her bites began to get bigger and her chews quicker. She looked like a ravenous bird with an innocent face. She was dressed in agreeable attire but her manners were poor. Everything about Eliza in that moment was contradictory to her appearance but she cared not. Although, she was still curious about this Death fellow and she gave him a couple of glances as she ate.

"It's not going anywhere you know." Uttered Death as he watched Eliza feverishly consume the burger. To look upon Death was like looking at a mirage. His form flickered with intangibility, straining the eyes. "Come now. You were raised better than that. Remember what you were taught as a child." Said Death smugly, sliding a neatly folded handkerchief across the table, laying it beside the plate in front of Eliza. "My the world sure does change quickly doesn't it?" Taking another bite and setting the burger down on a paper towel, Death gently wiped his hands on a hankerchef in his lap and continued. "One minute your enjoying life in a house like this one with a family to match, the next winds you up in the alley of a house like this one with the most unlikely of allies. How rubbish that must be, don't you think dear?" The small teacup that dried next to the sink had moved in a blink to the table next to Death's hand, filled with an auburn liquid that smelled of honey and earl grey.

The sight of the figure began to waver before her eyes. Perhaps she had eaten too quickly that her perception was blurring. Eliza slowed down her chewing, taking heed of Death's advice and put down the remaining amount of her portion. "Do not speak to me of how I was raised. I was raised to do what I want, when I want and the manner I preferred. No one would, or could, ever tell me different," Eliza said bluntly in a more confident tone. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was mocking her, or at least taking pleasure in speaking of a past on which she preferred not to dwell on.

Eliza took the handkerchief that was placed beside her and daintily wiped her fingers clean. Looking up, she noticed that her vision of Death's spirit was still faltering. Don't worry. Your vision will clear again soon... as long as he wills it, Disease reassured her. She chose to ignore the voice for now. Whether her vision of Death cleared or not, she was not bothered either way. She had eaten her fill and got what she came for and he was talking to her of allies.

"Hmph," Eliza grunted. "Allies? That's a bit presumptive. I could be an enemy." She kept her eyes fixed on the demon's wavering spirit as she refolded the handkerchief in her hands.

"I wasn't referring to us...my dear." Clarified Death as he motioned his hand toward her heart. "But to the filth that resides within you." Lowering his hand and silently looking over Eliza with observant eyes, Death raised the porcelain teacup sitting on the table to his lips and sipped lightly from the steamy liquid within. "Personally I couldn't care less about your alliances. In the end you're dust just like all the rest." The cup clapped subtly against the table as it was set down. "As I see it however, you seem to presume that leach sucking on your soul is some kind of friend." He chuckled mockingly, his words harsh as he referred to the demon Eliza was host to. "Even a savior perhaps?"

Ah Death, as kind as always, Eliza heard Disease sighing in her head and she simply replied with another grunt. "A friend? No no, definitely not. Friends are those we choose to keep around for our own benefit, so as not to feel alone. I had no choice with this one," she tapped at the side of her forehead. "And it certainly hasn't saved me from anything. Actually, it is the reason I am burdened today. But the fact that I can inflict the same pain onto anyone else is satisfactory enough."

Hmph, well... it seems that you are no better either, my pet, Disease whispered to her. Eliza despised being called that but she did not let her irritation get the better of her, especially not when she was in the presence of others.

Instead, she continued speaking to the figure in front of her. "Perhaps you are right, perhaps I am dust." Eliza laughed heartily. She set down the handkerchief, which she had folded perfectly into a triangle. It was now tainted with oil and tinges of red from her lipstick. "But it should never be underestimated. Terrible things can arise from the dust for even dust is immortal."

MiaRainx said
"Hmph," Eliza grunted. "Allies? That's a bit presumptive. I could be an enemy." She kept her eyes fixed on the demon's wavering spirit as she refolded the handkerchief in her hands.

You can not hid your intentions from me. One of the benefits of hosting Secrets is that no one can hide anything from me. Anything you want to hide from anyone goes into Secrets box of knowledge. Katherin wrote. That was one thing she liked about hosting the demon Secrets. She had access to everything people wanted to hide. She didnt have to worry about who to trust and who not to.

Dante watched death closely, Dante want ratio if and knew why death was doing he wasn't trying to hide it but it wasn't obvious to someone who might be oblivious to the idea of death taking control of there body and them becoming his host. Dante started to grin when death started speaking to the girl she was doing a worse job then he did and that was saying something he was possessed by a arrogant god of calamity. Dante tinted around and started washing his hands before he rolled up his sleeves.