[IC] Friends in the Void.

[Ramjammer]

This was not good.

This was in fact, the single farthest thing one could get from good short of being dead.

The cool fall evening meant that many people would not be out at a time like this. Just as well, Rasteva would hate to be seen like THIS. Leaves rustled wildly as something small and dark zipped over them. A cloud of smoke so black that it absorbed all light coiled and darted across the ground. This in and of itself was already odd. Even odder that the cloud of smoke was TALKING.

"Absolutely unacceptable! to think that I, Rasteva would be degraded in such a manner!" The Cloud darted across the ground erratically, all the while a deep voice bellowed from within. "Such an embarrassment, that is all this is. An embarrassment, she should have wiped me from existence. But ah, then she would have not had the opportunity to sit back and laugh at me now, would she?" Only the wind answered the cloud of smoke, and it was an unwelcome answer at that. The cloud began to thin, almost in danger of dissipating completely.

Needless to say, the voice was not amused.

"Unbelievable! To think that I would be stricken down by a mere breeze! I must hurry, if I cannot find a form I-"

The voice stopped short, footsteps echoing towards them. Someone was coming.

This was good, better than their current predicament. Whoever it was that approached was sure to have something on them that Rasteva could use as a temporary form. Once there they could make plans to regain their former strength.

But they had to act quickly.

[knuxieh]

Why was it always so cold in the evenings? The fair-skinned woman pulled her school blazer tighter around her, adjusting the red plaid scarf she had wrapped around her neck to cover more of her mouth a nose, red from the cold. Her presentation for her latest psychology class had run over the end of the class limit, and now there were even less people walking about making the college student nervous. Gripping the medium-sized white teddy bar with a matching blue and white polka dot bow around it's neck to her own school tie, her green eyes scanned the streets, happy to see a small but scattered group of people making their way through the streets.

She just needed to cross the first street, and pass through the lit small park area they had in the middle of a round-a-bout. heading through, she gripped the stuffed animal a little tighter to her chest, making her way through rather quickly. The young woman was eager to get out of the cold, and into the warmth that her dorm room would graciously offer. Arriving at the designated building, she presented her student id - the machine out front beeping to grant her access. Moving through the sliding glass doors, her footsteps echoed softly through the empty lobby, save for a few security guard, and a person behind a desk for questions. Approaching the elevator,she called it, and once she was inside, pressed the for the 5th floor. The doors soon opened to her floor, and she exited, making her way to the door, and unlocking it with her id once more.

Upon entering the room, she shivered slightly. "Oh no, I thought I had turned the heat on before I left for the project.." She whined in dissapointment, and moved to the thermastat, pushing for the heat to begin flowing through the house and set the teddy bear on the couch with care, pulling the blazer off. "I hope I get a decent grade on it.." The kitchen was her next destination as she began pre-heating the oven for a frozen pizza to act as her dinner. Once she moved into her room and changed from her school uniform into a comfortable matching set of pink cat pajama pants and button down shirt, she hurriedly put on her slippers to keep her feet warm as she moved back to the couch where she had put the teddy bear down, and sat down pulling it onto her lap, finally letting out a sigh. "I might need to take some medicine...All this cold weather has me with the sniffles.."

[Ramjammer]

The wind was beginning to pick up tremendously and Rasteva cursed themselves internally. Each gust of air only dissipated their smoke form further and they were getting dangerously close to falling apart altogether. The Daemon tried to collect their form as much as they could only to have someone walk straight through their body, causing to to unwind once more.The Daemon let out a sound of irritation as the Human rushed past "How rude! If I had a good and proper body, you'd be regretting that!"Rasteva silenced themselves, realizing that the human had long since left and wouldn't have heard the Daemon anyway. And what could have Rasteva done if they had? Given them a severe coughing fit? The Daemon's ego shrunk a few sizes, the realization of how powerless they were fully hitting them. When they had a body the were strong, but now they were nothing.

Less than nothing.

But that could all change.

Shaking off the intrusive thoughts Rasteva resumed their previous course of action. "A body. I need a body. Any body will do. And once I am strong enough I can begin regaining my former glory. But until I have a physical form-" The Daemon cut themselves short, taking notice of a young woman nearby. She was walking at a brisk pace, no more eager to be out in the cold as anyone else.

Perfect.

Or rather what was in her hands was perfect. Well, as close to perfect one could get in a situation like this. The rapidly shrinking cloud of smoke darted forward as quick as a Viper hunting prey. Winding swiftly up and around the woman's body, the smoke coiled around the object in her hand and was quickly absorbed into it. And it was thus, that Rasteva made themselves at home. Granted a stuffed animal was nowhere near the Daemon's first choice for a physical body, but beggars could not be choosers. It would do for now, and it was Rasteva's hope that they would soon find something better.

Of course there was the small matter of escaping the woman that clutched the Daemon in her hands. As far as Rasteva could tell she hadn't noticed them possessing the object in her hands, too distracted by getting inside to relative warmth and safety. The Daemon remained still and quiet, not wanting to alert the woman to their presence. From their position in her arms Rasteva could not see much but committed as much as they could to memory for when they made their inevitable escape. Her home was small and modest, but overall seemed comfortable. The care that the woman took with handling the plush toy they now possessed did not pass the Daemon's notice and as she gently set them down before moving off to take care of other matters they felt a small twinge of guilt. It was not uncommon for Humans to grow very attached to objects like the one they inhabited, and it made what Rasteva planned to do a little rude.

But it was neccessary.

Once they were sure the woman had left, Rasteva hopped to their feet. Staring down at their tiny plush paws, the Daemon let out an irritated sound. This was NOTHING like their own body. It was small and weak and the coloration on the tie around their neck was nothing short of awful. Shaking their head the Daemon surveyed their surroundings with interest. Moving about the place shouldn't be overly difficult, but the woman's home was small enough that she'd soon notice if a stuffed animal started to suddenly move around. Rasteva surmised that they would simply have to wait until the woman was asleep or gone before they tried to escape. It was the only way they'd be free, and-

Were those footsteps?

Throwing themselves back onto the spot that the girl left them, the Daemon remained stock still. It was dark and they knew that the girl would have to sleep soon. All they needed to do was be patient and wait for an opening. But for now they were resigned to being held on the couch by a Human girl.

A Human Girl that was potentially sick.

Wonderful.

[knuxieh]

As she sat on the couch, she heard the beeping of the oven that had finished pre-heating in the kitchen, and stood, taking the stuffed animal with her this time. Entering the kitchen, she ran her hand over the counter, checking to see if it was free of any moisture or debris before setting the bear on top of it. Unwrapping the plastic from the frozen pizza, she put it directly on the top rack, before returning it into the oven to cook, pulling her phone out as she set a timer for twenty minutes. Closing the oven back, her attention fell back on the teddy bear, and she gasped. "Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to take off your bow. I took off my uniform and didn't even get yours." She laughed lightly, her fingers untying the ribbon with a few deft motions, leaving the bear bare of any articles of clothing. She pocketed the ribbon, and left the kitchen for a few minutes to head into the bathroom down the hall. While she remembered she would go ahead and take a few pills of cold medicine she had in her cabinet. After sifting through the various boxes, she found what she was looking for, grabbing a small cup nearby and filling it with enough water to take them with, swallowing them, making a face after.

"Ick, those gel tablets always dissolve a bit even with just water...Maybe I should start taking them with milk? It might be thicker to coat them..." As she left the bathroom, her phone began to ring, a simple tune playing from it, and she reached into her pocket, answering it. "Hey mom, what's up?"

"Hey honey, just wanted to call to see how you think your presentation went." Her mom usually called to check in with her pretty frequently, especially after she had to give a speech, or had a project for school. Making her way back into the kitchen, she raised herself to sit on the counter across from where she had placed her teddy bear, legs swinging as she conversed. She told her mom that everything seemed to go well and that she had just taken some cold medicine and was currently waiting on her dinner to be ready. Once her mom seemed satisfied with their conversation, they parted ways, ending the call on her phone. Looking at the time, she raised her eyebrows.


"I always forget that talking to my mom always goes on for longer than I intend." She laughed, turning her attention back to the bear on the counter, and gently poked at its tummy. "You know how she is, yeah?" She didn't expect a response, simply giggling as the bear rocked back slightly from being poked and returned to its former position. Her timer went off and she moved, turning the oven off as she grabbed oven mitts to help her remove the pizza from the oven and put it onto the pizza box that it had come in, cutting it into eight slices and carried it into the living room, after grabbing a container of parmesan cheese to put on it. Grabbing two cans of soda from the fridge, she dried her hands off on a nearby towel, picking up the bear from the counter and placing it on the couch beside her, but far enough away where she wouldn't get it dirty with what she was eating. Grabbing the remote, she turned to her company.

"Hey, I heard there's this new show on Netflix called Black Mirror? Well...It's not really 'new' but they have a new season coming out, and I heard some people in the halls talking about it so I figured I might give it a look, yeah? It's about new technologies and hypothetical situations with them. It's meant to get people to think about 'what if' situations. You know I enjoy learning new things, especially about what impact people have on the world around them." The clicked the show to begin, the episode playing as she ate her pizza and drank her soda. It was about people, and how if someone has information on a person that they don't want their loved ones to know about, how they can be manipulated to do things they wouldn't normally do otherwise. As it came to a close, and the ending revealed itself, Sara frowned. "I didn't appreciate that ending...I mean, c'mon now!" She groaned, running a hand through her auburn hair. Shaking her head, she gathered her trash, disposing of it in the kitchen before washing her hands. Coming back into the living room once she cleared it, she picked up the bear again, moving to lock the door, just in case. She did a lap around her dorm, closing the blinds and covering all the windows with thick curtains. She held the bear tighter as she approached the windows, black from the night as she couldn't see anything outside. Even if she was on the fifth floor, and her fear that someone would be looking in at her at night still didn't subside as she approached them, quickly covering them up.

Heading into the bathroom again, she brushed her teeth and flossed, finishing up with mouthwash before finally stopping in her room. Turning the light on, she set the bear on the bed, removing the ribbon from her pocket, and hanging it on a small hook, next to a set of smaller ribbons of different colors. She color coordinated the teddy bear's ribbons to match her own for school that she had. "I'll have you know that I am finishing up your own little blazer and sweater in my home economics class! You'll look so spiffy with that ribbon." Sara beamed. Turning on a small lamp nearby so she wasn't submerged completely in the dark, she turned off the light, causing some glow-in-the-dark stars and moons to come to life on the ceiling, and her small night lights to brighten up. Slipping into the bed, she nuzzled the back of the teddy bear's head, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Night, night~" She whispered, her arms cuddling the bear as she snuggled under her blankets, going to sleep in a matter of minutes.

[Ramjammer]

Rasteva was pleased that they did not have lungs because otherwise they might have screamed. With that said, the Daemon settled for screaming internally. The Woman would not stop talking, but this wasn't as odd as it could have been because as far as Rasteva knew Humans of any kind never knew when to shut up and so it stood to reason that this one would be no different. She was however, nice enough to remove the ridiculous bow from around their neck which bumped her up to 'slightly tolerable'.

When the woman left the room once again, Rasteva took a furtive glance around. The more accustomed they became to the area the easier it would be to make an escape. Rasteva snapped back to stillness as the girl returned, resuming their role as her stuffed toy once more. The Daemon bit back their irritation as the girl prodded them, and resisted the urge to swat at her with a tiny paw. Rasteva was not used to being touched, much less held and they found the sensation to be odd. The girl returned to the other room and began chattering about something or other on the television. This was a bit more bearable as Rasteva actually LIKED television and they watched the show with some level of interest.

It may have been the only good thing Humans had ever done if the Daemon was being honest.

Something the woman had said rattled around their mind however. She had admitted to wanting to learn and experience new things, and Rasteva knew that the youngest of Human society were often more open minded. Was it possible that she....No. It would not work. Shaking off the intrusive thoughts, Rasteva was vaguely aware of being carried away once more through the woman's now dark home. She seemed to be preparing for sleep, and the Daemon prepared themselves for what would come soon after. They took a brief moment to let out another internal scream as the woman giggled over an outfit they planned to force the Daemon to wear at a later date.

The sooner they escaped the better.

Even in sleep the woman would not release her grip on the Daemon, and Rasteava wondered if they might even escape from her at all. Listening intently they waited until the girl's breathing became deep and regular before attempting to wriggle out of her grasp. It was a little nerve wracking as they new she could wake up at any moment, but even then the woman did not move. Finally managing to free themselves, the Daemon stood up and turned to regard the sleeping Human with a critical eye. A soft plush paw reached out to poke the Human on the face while she slept.

Payback.

Once they felt that retribution had been doled out in equal measure, Rasteva shuffled to the edge of the bed and climbed over and promptly flopped onto the floor. Pushing themselves to their feet the pint sized monstrosity toddled to the door and stared up at it. The doorknob was quite far over the Daemon's head, and they had no way of reaching it from the floor. Looking about frantically, Rasteva laid eyes on a chair sitting by the Woman's desk. Hobbling towards it as quickly as their stubby legs could carry them Rasteva beang pushing the chair with as much stength as their plush body could muster.

Which wasn't much.

Still inch by inch the chair was edged towards the door. A step in the right direction. Rasteva frequently stopped to look at the woman in the bed, but she did not seem to be waking any time soon. This was good. All Rasteva had to do was get the chair to the door, and they would be a step closer to freedom.

And then their real work could begin.

[knuxieh]

The woman seemed to be a pretty deep sleeper, as the teddy bears constant wriggling didn't do too much to actually disturb her. If anything, it just had her shift about, at times easing her grip, and tightening back up again. Soon enough, the teddy bear was free from her grasp. As the soft fur poked the sleeping face of the young woman, her nose instinctively scrunched up as some of the fur tickled at her nose. Sara still had not registered that the bear she had been holding so closely was now gone.

Quite some time had passed between her falling asleep, and the bear's slow movements to get the chair towards the door to escape. The carpet was working to an advantage, to some fault. While it made its escape quieter, the chair would indeed get caught in bits of the carpet, slowing the escape. Their patience would be rewarded, as the young woman didn't wake up from her slumber, but seemed to realize subconsciously that she no longer was holding the bear, a quiet whimper escaping her throat as her hands began feeling about the bed for the familiar fur she was used to holding. Her search didn't keep for too long, her hands eventually stilling as she slipped back into a deep sleep.

It seemed that the darkness of the room from the bear's height had deceived them, for the door was wide open. The effort they had put into dragging the chair seemed to be for nothing. The door to get out would be a different story, however. As they made their way through the dorm, the way lit by more small night-lights in outlets around the dorm. Clearly, Sara wasn't fond of the dark, which is why she left her door open, even though she had sufficient light in her room to fall asleep. Loud voices suddenly pierced through the door. College students. They didn't know much rhyme or reason about when you should be considerate of others sleep schedules. The group passed through, the quiet soon returning. So quiet, the air became slightly heavy.

"Isn't this the place?"

Some rustling. Paper, perhaps? "Yeah, Dorm 55. That weird chick lives here. The one that talks to that bear she's got all the time."

The handle turned rougly a few times, voices outside muttering curse words that it was locked. "Give me that screwdriver I'll just pry the damn thing open."

[Ramjammer]

Rasteva did scream this time. Albeit silently so as not to wake the still slumbering woman. All of their work. All of their struggling was for NOTHING as the bedroom door had been open the entire time. The Daemon pressed a paw to their face, and wondered what it would be like to cry actual tears. They had never done so a day in their life, but now seemed like an appropriate time to do so. Hopping down from the chair and filled with abject embarrassment, the Daemon scampered out the door and towards the main room of the girl's home. This time they knew that they'd have to repeat the process, but at least their efforts wouldn't be for nothing.

Toddling into the kitchen, the Daemon prepared to haul yet another chair to the door when they heard voices. A group of Humans seemed to be chattering outside, and the Daemon paused to listen. Their conversation did not make much sense, but it immediately became clear that they were talking about the Woman who's home the Daemon was trying to escape.

Much more concerning was that they were attempting to break in.

This posed a variety of problems for a number of reasons and Rasteva bolted back into the woman's bedroom. Scrambling up onto her bed, the Daemon began to prod at her again in a panic but suddenly halted. What would they do once she woke up? They couldn't reveal what they were and It wasn't every day that stuffed animals spoke, and she was sure to be terrified. Moreso once the people at the door managed to make their way inside. The Daemon supposed that the could simply lay there they way a stuffed animal should and not intervene at all. Rasteva stared down at the sleeping woman, mind turning over itself. She had done nothing wrong. Her only crime had been holding the small toy that the Daemon now possessed.

They could not leave her to Fate.

Groaning in irritation, the Daemon hopped from the bed and rushed back into the other room. The sound of tools could be heard on the other side of the door and the voice cajoled each other as the Humans on the other side moved ever closer to getting in. Rasteva let out aother groan, unable to believe that they would be forced to waste what precious energy they had on THIS. But in a way it could be considered repayment for possessing a random girl's stuffed animal and making off with it.

The Bear dropped soundlessly to the floor and a plume of smoke erupted from it as Rasteva pulled themselves from the toy. They wound their way across the floor and under the front door. Coiling at the gathered Human's feet Rasteva gathered what power they had to expand their present form. It was not much, but it would do. One of the Humans noticed the smoke pooling at their feet and began to panic, alerting the rest. Rasteva drew themselves up to eye level with them, a cloud of black smoke roiling on itself in front of them. Of all their possible forms this one by far was the most useless. Rasteva could do nothing, and had no means by which to physically interact with anything.

But they could be seen, and they could be heard.

"COWER MORTALS BEFORE YOUR IMPENDING DOOM. SEE AND HEAR THE END OF NOT ONLY YOUR EXISTENCE BUT ALL LIFE ON THIS PITIFUL WORLD."
From where the Humans were standing they were confronted by a screaming pillar of smoke with a large fanged maw.

Needless to say they were terrified.

The door forgotten, the Humans promptly began to scream as was to be expected when confronted by a threatening smoke cloud. Rasteva took a moment to revel in their terror, but not for long. They ran the risk of waking up the girl sleeping on the other side of the door, and the Daemon could not have that. "Be silent!" the cloud barked, and the group of delinquents complied immediately, each of their faces pale and tear stained. The cloud's voice lowered to a hiss, the fanged maw edging closer to the Humans, it's teeth looking more than capable of rending their flesh despite being composed of smoke. "Remove yourself from my sight, and know that your doom comes.....And uh...Don't bother telling anyone about this. They're probably not going to believe you." The group of delinquents nodded silently in unison, not eager to argue with a demonic smoke cloud before rushing away, all tripping over each other in their haste to escape.

Satisfied that their work was complete, Rasteva immediately deflated and retreated back under the door. Their little stunt had been costly, and moreover they had revealed themselves to Humans though they were sure no one would be any the wiser even if they DID speak of what had just happened. Rasteva coiled back over to the forgotten stuffed bear and settled back inside of it once more. There was no chance of them escaping tonight, even know they could not muster the power to even move the toy. Resigning themselves to spending the night on the floor, the Daemon only hoped that the girl sleeping in the other room did not question their distance from her bed too much.

Rasteva made a mental note to collect their payment from her at a later date once they had regained their own body.

[knuxieh]

It wasn't the commotion just outside her dorm that stirred the young woman from her slumber, but the fact that nature was indeed calling. Groaning softly as her body forced her out of practiced habit to wake up and go to the bathroom, she made her way down the hall, seeming to ignore the chair in her dazed state. Upon entering, she did her business and washed her hands, rubbing at her eyes afterwards. "Mmm...What time is it?" Nobody would respond to her, and she didn't seem to be able to spot a clock in this room. Stepping out into the hallway once more she moved into the kitchen, pulling a chilled bottle of water from the fridge, finding her throat had dried during her sleep cycle.

On her way back to the room, her eyes spotted the teddy bear on the floor, and gasped. "Oh no! How did you get all the way out here?" Kneeling down, she grabbed the plush animal and headed back to her room. "What were you doing? Trying to go on adventure?" Sara giggled. "The couch can be a fun place, but who knows what danger goes there." She teased, blinking in surprise at the chair near her door. "Did I move that? I don't think I did..." Rolling with it though, she continued to pick at her bear. "You're pretty strong to move this chair across the room." Easily pushing the chair back to it's original position.

Setting the water bottle on a coaster on the bedside table, she got re-adjusted under the blankets and fell back asleep, turning her back to the door with the intent of holding the teddy bear captive in her arms until morning.

---------- The Next Morning ----------


Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Be-

Click.

"Too early," Sara yawned, as her fingers found the snooze button as she rolled over. Resuming her sleep for another ten minutes, her alarm blaring again, doing its best to reason her to wake. Her hand searched out once she was disturbed again, and switched it to the OFF position, slowly sitting up and yawning. Taking a few minutes to gather herself, she looked at the time and slowly took a few drinks of her water bottle. The clock read 9:45AM - she had about an hour to get back to school for her morning class. Standing up, she stretched out and headed into the bathroom, leaving the bear in a moment of silence before the sound of water rushing filled the hallway.

What she thought was ten minutes - that was actually twenty, the water was turned off and she emerged, pulling a towel from the closet to dry herself off, and wrap a second, smaller towel around her hair. Opening the door, the steam escaped the bathroom. Heading back into the room, she opened her closet, pulling out a navy skirt and the tan pullover sweater-material vest from it as well, removing the towel and dressing herself for the day. Deciding to pull on the white thermal tights she had bought, and a pair of knee-high boots.

Fluffing her hair out and making sure it was dry she grabbed a nearby brush and blowdryer, pulling it through her hair until it was dry and a little frizzy, which she easily fixed with a small bit of product. Turning her attention back towards the ribbons, she stood in front of them for quite some time, deciding on the color for today. "We wore blue yesterday...What about..orange today?" She asked, looking back over to the teddy bear, as if he would nod happily in response to being dressed up. Puling the matching ribbons from their hook, she kneeled down, her fingers gently tying the ribbon into a cute bow around its neck, slipping her finger in between the ribbon and the bear's neck to gauge that it wasn't on too tight. Once satisfied, she tied her own tie on her neck.

Once she had grabbed her bag, she scooped up the teddy bear into her arms and took a portable toothbrush and toothpaste with her to brush her teeth after she ate breakfast. Heading out of the dorm, she heard it close behind her and made her way back out of the building the way she had come before. Heading to a coffee shop, she approached the counter. She wasn't actually here for coffee. Not a real fan of the bitterness of it, to be honest. Ordering a melted turkey sandwich with a cup of milk, she gave her name, and picked a seat by the window where she would still be able to see the door, and placed the bear in the seat opposite of her.

It didn't take long for her order to be ready, and hearing her name, passed a look to the bear across from her. "One moment. I'll be right back." She had no qualms about leaving it unattended, since the shop itself was rather small and cozy. If someone tried to take the bear, someone would see. Returning back with her breakfast, she began eating, her eyes drifting outside. Some might wonder if Sara had any actual friends made out of flesh and blood rather than the stuffed companion that she fancied so much as she poured the bear a much smaller amount of milk in a tiny container, and cut a small piece of the sandwich to put on a napkin for them, humming a soft song as she watched some birds outside hopping about and eating small crumbs that nobody could see.

[Ramjammer]

The Girl was odd, this much was certain. Even by the standards of how utterly strange Humans were this one continued to baffle Rasteva. Upon finding both her stuffed animal and a chair where neither should reasonably be, she didn't seem too perturbed. Granted her line of questioning towards the Bear made the Daemon quite nervous, especially since her reasoning was the exact truth of what transpired last night.

There was a brief moment where Rasteva considered if she KNEW. The girl had given no indication that she was aware that Rasteva even existed at all, but when they considered all the events that had led them to this place it became more and more plausible. At the same time as the Girl went about her routine the Daemon got the sense that she was much less aware of the Daemon's identity and nature and simply lonely. She spoke to the Bear as if it were an old friend, and not a toy at all. Even going so far as to ask what it wanted to wear for the day. This left Rasteva feeling somewhat miffed because bows were not what could be considered good fashion sense at all. The least she could have done was provided them with a proper suit of armor.

As she hurried out the door with the Daemon in tow, Rasteva took a moment to have a good look at the area. The building was large and confusing, and that was barring the Elevator which the Daemon was positive they could not work in their current state. That aside after their adventures the day before, Rasteva could feel a small portion of their strength returning. Given enough time they might be able to conjure their own form, albiet a small one that they'd not be able to keep up for very long. But progress was progress and the Daemon would take any that they could get, not matter how small it was.

Sitting in the quiet cafe was about as interesting as sitting in the Girl's home. From their spot at the table Rasteva couldn't see anyone else in the small building. It was woefully boring and quiet, though the strange girl soon filled the silenece with menial chatter. Once more the Daemon mulled over her behavior. As far as they had seen, she had no other companions. And if the group of delinqunet Humans from the night before had been any indication, she might have been a bit of an outcast. Rasteva had never really cared for the motives and methods of Humans. Their morals and reasons for doing what they did were as incomprehensible to the Daemon as they were uninteresting. But they could not help but feel a twinge of pity and slightly more irritation on the girl's behalf. As far as they had seen, she'd done nothing to deserve whatever treatment the Humans from last night had planned for her. She was odd to be certain, but she seemed quite kind as well. Far more than could be said for most Humans Rasteva had come across.

The longer the girl spoke the worse Rasteva began to feel. They had already tried to abscond with an object of great value to her. Even worse she had no idea as to what was living inside of it or what it meant for her or her species as a whole. Rasteva recalled what they had said to the Humans the night before. It had not been a lie. The events leading up to what the Daemon had told them were set in motion long ago. And even now they were all being dragged towards their demise without even realizing it. Rasteva stared at the girl across the table, she seemed so content and assured of safety and it caused Rasteva to feel another pang of guilt.

This was starting to get old.

Rasteva let out an internal sigh, resolving themselves to seperate themselves from the Girl as quickly as they were able to. The guilt the Daemon felt was starting to become both a hinderance, and irritating. They would get nothing done staying as they were and babysitting a Human. She would understand, of this Rasteva was certain.

She had to understand.

[knuxieh]

It didn't take her very long to finish her breakfast, moving to grab a small bit of water to brush her teeth, tossing the disposable brush into the trash bin, along with the rest of her garbage, and left a few dollars to tip for the speedy service, before putting her plate onto a receiving shelf. Returning to her table, she pulled her bookbag over her shoulder, and picked up the bear again, making a small joke that it must not have been that hungry with all the adventuring they did the night before.

She stepped outside, shivering slightly as the wind caught her exposed throat, which she touched in reflex, nature reminding her that she forgot her scarf at home. Sighing softly, she started towards her school again, passing the familiar scene of the small park from the night before. As the bell clock chimed, she hurried her steps. That chime meant it was half past, she had fifteen minutes to get to her class across campus! Even though she moved at a brisk pace, she easily weaved through the mass of people who were shuffling about the hallways. Arriving at her home economics class, she waved to the older woman at the front to immediately smiled towards the girl.

"Working on that blazer and vest, are you?"

Sara beamed, nodding. "Mhm. It just took a little work to get the patterns all fixed up." She went to work after putting her teddy bear into the seat next to her, before beginning the rhythmic drumming of the sewing machine. It took almost the entire period, but she finished, brushing off the excess thread and trimming up any spare edges before slipping the tan vest over the bear's white fur, and slipping its soft paws through the sleeves of the blazer she had made. Deciding to button, or un-button it, she simply left it open. Her eyes went to the clock, and she waved goodbye, while other students went about finishing up their latest sewing project.

"You look like a real student, now. Very sharp." She grinned, making her way through the halls again. Her destination was going to be the library to hopefully check out a few books to read over the weekend. As she left the building and was hit with the elements again, a strong force caused her to fall backwards onto the pavement.

"Watch where the hell you're going, you stupid--OH! Look who it is!"

A young man with dark black hair and blue eyes stared down towards Sara. He was wearing the appropriate pants and vest, but wasn't wearing the blazer or tie...and his shoes weren't in regulation. He had a skull tattoo on his right arm. "It's Sara - The Bear Whisperer!" He teased, kneeling down to be eye level with her. When she fell, she had let go of the bear to catch her balance, which the man picked up and went to talk before giving pause, his eyes looking over the bear intently. "Something's off with this bear, yeah? Don't you think?" He asked, seeming to be talking to the girl on the ground, but his eyes cast to his right side. "I think we'll take this off your hands, dear. You really need better company. Like me for example." He grinned, passing a quick glance again to the bear before he began walking off with him in tow.

"N-No! Stop! Give it back, Ethan!" She pleaded, scrambling to her feet, wiping off her hands and wincing slightly. Her palms had skidded lightly against the hard pavement, making them tender. The young man was much faster than she was, able to create a great distance between them.

"I'm doing you a favor, my dear!" He laughed, arriving at the plaza. Most student were in class still, and he tossed the bear into the fountain, the clothes and fur of the bear quickly becoming soaked as it absorbed the water, sinking slightly as it got weighed down with the cotton inside of its body.

Sara stopped dead in her tracks as he threw her bear into the water. Her eyes wide and wet with large tears that threatened to fall. This bear was her prized possession, and she took great strides to take care of it. And it was now in the water fountain, the constant water rushing over its delicate fur, threatening to cause the fresh seams she had sewn moments ago to rip apart.

"M-My teddy bear.."

[Ramjammer]

Rasteva had simply had enough. First their body had been destroyed, then they had been forced to take refuge in some odd Girl's stuffed toy. And even after she had the audacity to dress them in ridiculous clothing. But all that paled in comparison to what they were forcing to endure now. Even as they bobbed and floated in the fountain's waters, the Daemon kept their focus on the Human male that had hurled them in. They were not ordinary, and nor was their company. Rasteva decided at that moment to throw caution to the wind. The company that the boy kept was not of the normal variety, and their companion had even less reason to stay. They both had answers and Rasteva was damned if they would not get them.

Willing their body to action, Rasteva hooked their tiny paws at the fountain's edge and struggled to haul themselves out of the water. Sara was staring directly at them, but the Daemon did not care. They needed answers NOW. Finally managing to pull their small furry body out of the water, the Daemon wobbled to their feet before pointing an offending paw at the Human male. "You...Tell me who you are this instant!"

"I knew it....." Ethan glanced down at his right arm, confusion screwed on his face. "The hell you talkin' about? You knew what?" The tattoo on the boy's arm began to shift and swirl, the skull symbol seeming to collapse into itself before erupting to life. A large shadow stretched from the Human's arm, taking the shape of a snarling beast's skull and affixing it's glowing red eyes on the teddy bear at the edge of the fountain. "Hey man, what gives? You always said not to pull this exact shit in public and then you go ahead and do it anyway?" Ethan snorted lightly at the shadow, seeming more irritated than fearful. "Be quiet you dolt! Adults are talking." The Skull didn't seem any more pleased than the Human did but still kept its focus on the Bear and Ethan grumbled out a string of insults directed at the skull before piping down.

"So it is you.....I heard the rumors, and I wasn't sure if it was true at all but now I can see it with my own two eyes!" Ethan stepped forward, hands jammed in his pockets as he frowned at the Teddy Bear. Sara had been all but forgotten, but that didn't stop the man from flashing her a smirk before turning their attention back to the Skull. "Ey uh, Betulri. This isn't the guy you were talkin' about earlier was it? Look at him! He's a loser!" The Skull howled with laughter alongside Ethan. "I know, that's what makes it so funny! Look at them, what a disgrace!" The Skull surged forward, eyes boring into the Teddy Bear. "You've fallen a long way Rasteva. I simply cannot WAIT to tell everyone about this!"

Rasteva remained silent as the other Daemon spoke, mind seething. It could not be possible, but thus far all the evidence was starting to stack up and the Daemon was at an utter loss. To find a Daemon that not only willingly kept company with a Human, but also spoke to them more or less on an equal level was not quite what they expected.

Worse still was what it implied.

Drawing themselves up to their full yet woefully unimpressive height, Rasteva addressed the other Daemon, staring directly into its glowing red eyes. "What is the meaning of this! Answer me at once!" Belturi let out another howling laugh, Ethan joining in with them this time. "Ethan! Ethan look! They're trying to give orders!" "Oh shit, hold on I gotta...I gotta tell everyone about this. Funniest thing I've seen in a while." The boy pulled a phone from his pocket and began to rapidly tap at the screen. Belturi shifted back to float over the man's shoulder and stare at the screen. "Make sure you text Dikav and tell him how right I was. Are you doing it? ARE YOU TELLING HIM I WAS RIGHT ETHAN?" Ethan let out a snarl and grabbed hold of the beast skull and shoved it away roughly. "Hey! You wanna talk to people so bad get your own damn phone! Otherwise you can start paying the bill!" The Human and the Daemon then decided that this was the best time to start arguing over the phone's bill and how best to split it, leaving Sarah and Rasteva practically ignored.

Rasteva slowly raised a tiny paw and pressed it to their face, realizing that of all the people that had choosen to try and get answers from, they had to be the biggest fools around.

"I really wish she had gone ahead and killed me....."

[knuxieh]

Time seemed to slow as the tears fell from her eyes, watching as her teddy bear helplessly floated. She really couldn't even keep a teddy bear safe, could she...? Suddenly, her bear moved and stood, pointing one of its paws towards Ethan. Even more surprising was the voice that immediately came after the motion. The bear could...talk? And move?!

Even weirder still, the ink on Ethan's shoulder swirled and twisted until it revealed a beasts skull with bright red eyes who stared directly at her now defiant-stanced bear. The exchange between Ethan and his tattoo shadow seemed to be...difficult. A power struggle, maybe? Rasteva? Was that the name of her bear all this time? The voice that carried in the wind from her toy commanded respect, but the impact was lost when one would see where it was generated from...And the offending duo seemed to know it.

Hearing them bicker, and how they were arguing over..a phone bill split? Sara willed herself to move, quickly picking up the bear. She would have normally squeezed it to remove the water, but knowing that it could move and talk, she didn't want to cause any pain them. While they were distracted with their obvious large problem, she slipped away, and decided she needed to go home. She had many questions, and hopefully wouldn't be seen as annoying with her answers.

Once she inside the dorm again, she set the dripping bear on the counter, quickly grabbing multiple towels to gently press the water out of the fur. "So...Uhm...I-I'm Sara. But...But you know that...How long...have you been able to move? It's not...every day that bears move on their own. I've been talking to you quite a long time, you know..." She seemed a little upset if anything else, that if they could've responded for her, why they did not. "I'm sorry that you got thrown into the fountain...I should have kept a better hold of you..." As she removed a good bit of water from the body, she removed her hands from the bear, and looked at it with a bit of sadness. Would the bear even talk to her?

"Your name..is Rasteva? Why did Ethan's tattoo ink move and talk? The tattoo knew you?"

[Ramjammer]

Rasteva grumbled loudly as the girl attempted to dry them off and swatted at her hands with their tiny paws. She had been wise to run from Ethan and Betulri. Though the two of them didn't seem to be particularly intelligent, they proved to be a legitimate threat. As they were now Rasteva had little chance of taking them both on and so retreat was the best option. The girl's series of questions pulled Rasteva out of their reverie and they stared up at her. She said her name was Sara. As was to be expected she was visibly scared, and she seemed to be a bit sad though Rasteva had no idea why.

Grumbling again, the Daemon stared up at the girl and addressed her directly for the first time. "Yes, yes these are all valid questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I suppose I'd best start by discarding this body." The Bear suddenly flopped over, a plume of black smoke erupting from the small toy and coiling in on itself. The Cloud expanded and floated lazily over the counter before a deep voice boomed from within. "I am not what you think me to be. Your little companion cannot speak. It never could." The Stuffed Bear simply laid on the counter, not making a sound. "Last evening I possessed it in hopes of using it as a temporary form. My original body was destroyed and I lack the strength to create a new one."

Rasteva's form collapsed in on itself before expanding once more, the cloud of smoke beginning to circle slowly around Sara's head. "It was my intention to escape this place and strike out, I require answers and moreover I require strength." The Daemon paused, the unwelcome feeling of guilt striking them again. "I apologize for misleading you. It was never my intent to bring you any harm." The smoke cloud drifted down to eye level with Sara, searching her expression for any reaction. "As for the other Human.....I cannot say what his intentions are. But he has made a pact with another Daemon much like myself and it does not bode well. If it is in any way related to what befell me the other day, then you may very well be in danger."

It had never been Rasteva's intent to bring Sara any harm, or even get her involved at all. But she was as involved as she could possibly be and if one of her classmates had a Daemon at their beck and call there could very well be more of them doing the same. And this wasn't even touching on what might happen if Ethan and Betulri got ahold of her. The Daemon was positive that either of them would allow her to get away after they'd revealed themselves in front of her. The problems at hand were beginning to pile up rather quickly, and it was making the Daemon's head spin.

For what had to be the thousandth time that day, Rasteva grumbled before they addressed Sara once more. "Sara, I've no right to ask this of you, but I will need your help. That boy.....Ethan had a Daemon. They know something that we do not. Moreover they are a threat to our safety and the potential safety of others. We must confront them both, it is the only way to resolve this." What the Daemon was asking the girl was risky. She didn't seem to possess much in the way of fortitude or bravery. And Rasteva could tell that she'd never been in a fight. In truth all of this hinged on how much she was willing to humor them and after the events that had just transpired she was well within her rights to deny the Daemon's request.

But in truth it was not as if she had much of a choice anyhow.

[knuxieh]

There was absolutely no way that the stuffed bear's paws would cause her any harm, but even still Sara quickly withdrew her hand from the toy as gently fidgeted with her fingers. Why was it mad at her...? Well, obviously it was mad at her. Look at it, all soaked and pitiful. The growls weren't helping, causing her to jump as she was startled by the sudden voice again. Dis..carding? Watching as the stuffed animal went from sitting to falling over and a rise of smoke emerged from it, her eyes followed the cloud with interest. It explained that her toy could not speak in the first place, causing a rather sad attempt laugh to come from her throat.

"Of course it couldn't! That...That's completely silly. I'm sorry to hear that the...body you originally had was ruined, Rasteva.." As the cloud circled around her, she gently gripped her upper arm with her free hand. "I...see. I wish I had the answers for you, truly I do..." As Rasteva apologized, she simply nodded. "No, no..I don't tend to get on well with people as it is. If I wasn't so attached to my things then you wouldn't even have been recognized, and maybe you could have escaped last night...and...and..you wouldn't have to deal with me." Her expression fell as she spiraled into a little space of sadness, sighing.

Listening as Rasteva went on about informing her about Ethan and his tattoo..he called it...a Daemon? She had heard that name before. She wasn't in the best of moods right now, but he needed her help. "I...Of course I'll help you, Rasteva...I want you to be able to have your body back or at least..something more suitable than just floating about.." Taking a moment, she cleared her throat.

"You said that tattoo he had was a Daemon? I...I've heard of those before. They've recently been popping up in some department stores and advertisements for them play on the radios. They're marketed for teenagers to young adults to purchase. I'm not sure what they do exactly since I haven't looked too much into it...but I know they're pretty popular. It's a brand that makes pretty much everything you can think of."

[Ramjammer]

Rasteva made a noise of surprise, their smoke form flattening to mirror the emotion before recollecting itself quickly. Sara agreed to help them, which was good. But she seemed rather despondent about doing so. The girl's forced laugh did not escape the Daemon while she hurriedly attempted to reassure them. Their gaze shifted towards the soaked Teddy Bear laying forgotten on the counter and the Daemon felt another surge of guilt. The stuffed animal was Sara's only companion and in short order Rasteva had attempted to kidnap it, gotten it stolen and nearly destroyed. Even after all of this she APOLOGIZED to the Daemon, taking a measure of responsibility for a problem that she hadn't even caused to begin with.

And yet despite this she was still agreeing to assist them.

Needless to say Rasteva was at a loss for words. At best they had expected Sara to tell them to leave. At the absolute worst they had gone into it expecting a great deal of screaming one her part. The Cloud began to float lazily near the ceiling, deep in thought. Her agreement to assist could not go without payment. It would be poor form to take so much from a person without repayment, and so the Daemon resolved to gift her with something in return once they had regained a proper form.

But that could not happen until they got one in the first place.

Drifting back down to eye level, Rasteva posed a query to the Human. "You have heard of Daemons before? You say that what transpired was normal here?" It was beginning to make sense all of a sudden. The casual nature of Ethan's and Betulri's interactions. Sara's almost complete lack of surprise when first confronted by Rasteva. Her.....It became quite clear to Rasteva and they didn't like it in the slightest. The Daemon tore themselves from their musings to speak to Sara. "You claimed that this has been happening for some time. That someone else was causing this? Show me, I must see this for myself first hand."

[knuxieh]

Blinking as the cloud came suddenly back into her view, she nodded. "Yes, essentially." Motioning for him to follow her, she pulled her laptop from the bedroom, hooking it up to the television in the living room to make the image larger for Rasteva to see. Within a matter of minutes, the face of a woman with the Apex logo acros the bottom of the page popped up, with a play button in the middle of it. Clicking it, the ad began to play.

'We've got the newest innovation with pet care - virtually self-sufficient! Different personalities and abilities! What are they? Daemons. They're quite the hit with young adults everywhere. It seems almost unthinkable we didn't have these creatures before! Wanting one? It's easier than you think! Simply go to your local Apex outlet and get screen to have you fitted with the best Daemon in our selection, and get it registered in your name. Once all that is taken care of, you'll need to find a suitable object for your newest pet to stay in while not out and about! They can fit into anything - and we mean ANYTHING to suit your needs! From Jewelry (A popular item with ladies), to Tattoos (A popular item with our men) they fit your lifestyle! So, what are you waiting for? Get with the program and get your own personalized Daemon today!'

The ad suddenly cut off, and Sara glanced over towards him. "I think they're still working on their delivery but...in a sense Daemon's are pets that young people can collect. Some...use them to fight for money, or other unthinkable things, but most people just want them to have them and use it as a status symbol for the best of my knowledge." Rubbing the back of her head, she sighed. "I don't have too much to give you, since I don't really talk much, just overhear a few things. I'm going to assume that you're one of these Daemon's Rasteva? I...don't know if we're really all that compatible or anything like that, but...if you are, and you're going to want my help I'll need to actually get you registered as my Daemon, if that's alright..." She cleared her throat.

Sara was pretty convinced that Rasteva didn't have much of a choice, since she wasn't just going to go about this whole thing illegally. If she did, it would only cause complications for them later on. Standing up, she brushed off her tights, and went to pick up her bag from the couch. "Let's head out, then." Pausing, she grabbed a small ring and held it out to him. "I'll be able to pick up something more suitable for you to stay in once we get to the store." Once he had settled in, she slipped the ring onto her finger, and headed out, going to the department store, which was about a twenty minute walk. Once they arrived, an eager saleswoman greeted them.

"Hello, hello! Good afternoon! I see you have a Daemon with you!" Sara wasn't sure how to feel about not getting a word in before the woman began talking. Gently taking Sara's hand, she slipped the ring off of her finger. "I don't think this one is registered in our system. And they're quite grumpy in there, aren't they?" The woman giggled, moving to a scanner, slipping the ring inside of it, a photo of Rasteva's cloud-like mass showing up inside. "Hm, as I thought. No registry is popping up. Were you looking to perhaps get this Daemon registered to you today?"

The young woman nodded and was presented with quite the stack of paperwork, and began signing on dotted lines, and after it was taken care of, the woman led them to a containment room. "Right, now just have a nice chat to figure what item your pet would like to be stored into while they aren't out and about."

She smiled, leaving them to it. Their selection was pretty large and a wide array of different items for different Daemon's tastes to comfortably sit in. Glancing over towards Rasteva's cloud-like mass that had been pulled from the ring, she motioned to the items. "Did you have a preference?" Sara of course, had her own in mind, but wanted this to be as pleasant as she could make it for Rasteva.

[Ramjammer]

The Woman on the screen was immediately recognizable to Rasteva, and the Daemon fought back a surge of rage. The person laid out before them was the reason they had been stripped of their power and the reason Rasteva so desperately wanted it back.

But of course she just had to be one of the most powerful people on the planet.

The only thing that came close to angering them as much as the sight of Lorette was hearing her refer to Daemons as Pets. Her audacity and arrogance seemed to know no bounds, and for a brief moment Rasteva was glad that they had no physical form as they'd have surely destroyed Sara's television and perhaps the apartment in a fit of rage. As they struggled to rein their temper in, Rasteva was vaguely aware of Sara talking to them, and zeroed in on the Human. Her suggestion to have Rasteva registered as HER pet nearly earned her a string of insults but the Daemon knew that what she said held weight. As they were, Rasteva was not going to get anywhere on their own, and they HAD asked for her help. Settling their temper into a more manageable state the Daemon ground out a rough word of thanks before receding into the girl's offered ring.

The Daemon remained silent as they traveled to the nearest outpost. The ring was a bit better than the stuffed bear, though it didn't allow Rasteva to see as much of the world around them from where they were. Sara had mentioned that the place they were visiting might have something more suitable for the Daemon to inhabit once they arrived, but they doubted it. The only thing they wanted was their old body. A body that they had willed into being long ago. Until then, nothing would ever come close. Rasteva tried to calm themselves again, realizing that they were being ungrateful. Sara was going out of her way to help them, and moping wouldn't do either of them any good.

A babbling woman greeted the two of them at the door of the Outpost, and once more Rasteva felt their mood darken. Her bubbly demeanor and high pitched voice grated on the Daemon's nerve. But that paled in comparison to how she went about manhandling them. "Watch your hands, you lumbering oaf! I, Rasteva shall be treated with the proper respect as befitting a Daemon of my stature!" The irritating woman only giggled at the Daemon's exclamations and Rasteva found themselves wishing they had a set of hands to strangle her with. Sara was busy handling a variety of forms, and looked to be slightly overwhelmed by it all. Rasteva hoped all the effort would be worth it in the end of things.

Once all was said and done, the bubbly woman led them both to a room and explained that they would be choosing an object to house Rasteva in until they required a physical form. The variety of statuettes, jewlery and other items did not interest the Daemon much and they spent a better part of their time there drifting around listlessly. The room also contained a number of stuffed animals, and the Daemon avoided those like the plague. A screen with the Apex logo rotating on it was situated in the corner. And occasionally a variety of Daemons and objects would flash across it. Rasteva felt another surge of disgust at the sight. Had their kind really fallen so far as to willingly allow Humans to rule over them? They were bought and sold like the objects that housed their souls, and none of them seemed to care at all. Rasteva's gaze drifted back down to Sara as she wandered about the room. Every so often she would pick up an object that caught her fancy before setting it back down. It was clear that she held her own opinions on what type of item she'd want to carry around but she left the decision solely to Rasteva knowing that they'd be most comfortable in a vessel of their own choosing.

She really was too kind.

The cloud of smoke drifted back down towards the floor and resumed its patrol around the room. They would be with Sara for a long time to come, so they knew they'd have to make a choice. A series of statuettes caught the Daemon's interest and they drifted towards them. They were different from the plush animals, each one to proper scale and crafted with incredible detail. As they passed over the figures Rasteva halted by one resembling a Raven. The bird was covered head to toe with feathers and did not look all that different from a typical Raven. Mulling over their thoughts for a moment, the Daemon settled over the raven figure before possessing it fully. The Raven's eyes blinked rapidly for a moment as they adjusted to the bright lights in the room. Rasteva stretched their wings and leapt from the table before flapping around the room several times. Once they had grown used to their new body, Rasteva fluttered towards Sara and alighted on her shoulder, beady eyes regarding her critically. "I am finished here. Let's be off."

[knuxieh]

Watching as Rasteva slowly made their way around the store, she could kind of tell they weren't too happy with this protocol. As she stopped fiddling with things she wouldn't mind carrying around, she watched the cloud settle onto a raven replica. The fact that it came towards her with the wings it had for use, startled her slightly and she took a few steps backwards. "S-Sorry. You uhm..scared me there for a second."

She gave them a moment to get comfortable and once they had, Sara gave a small nod. "Okay." Moving back towards the woman, she paid for the item, and it was immediately tagged around the ankle, as would a normal bird that had an owner.

"Thank you, come again!" The saleswoman chimed as they were leaving. Exiting the building, the woman couldn't help but feel on edge. Her green eyes scanned the road with a panic, worried that Ethan would emerge from the shadows and confront them again. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets to keep from noticeably fidgeting with her hands. It was rather awkward, her jumping at the slightest look their way, and immediately being critical of all objects that passed near them.

Was there something she should have picked up inside? Maybe she should have really done research about the best course of action with Daemons. How was she supposed to help Rasteva get their body back if she wasn't exactly sure what steps to take to gain their strength back in the first place. Clearing her throat, she looked to the raven perched on her shoulder. "S-So...How do we go about...getting you to your body?"

[Ramjammer]

Sara seemed to be on edge, though she could not be blamed for it. The day had been stressful and it was a wonder she had managed to keep her composure through it all. Rasteva shifted on the woman's shoulders and ruffled their feathers, beady eyes staring at the Human. "I am sorry for startling you, that was not my intention at all." The body they had chosen was unfamiliar to the Daemon, but they had grown used to it rather quickly. It was a good form, and Rasteva knew that they could use it to go far. They continued to regard Sara for a moment, searching for something to say. "I know that you must be worried. Especially after all that happened today. If you need to stop for a moment and rest then do so. I dare say that you deserve it."

Rasteva mulled over Sara's question, not sure how to answer. "To regain my body I require strength. But attaining it will be most difficult in present circumstances. For a Daemon, power comes with time and experience. We live for a long time and in it we gain much power." The Daemon ruffled their feathers, letting out a small grumble. "I have existed for millennia.....We do not have THAT much time. Especially when we may very well have made an enemy." Rasteva was not overly eager to run into Ethan and Betulri again, but they knew it was only a matter of time. The only hoped that both they and Sara were ready for it.

[knuxieh]

"It's alright...Rest? I think I'll be able to do that once we're back home...and not outside." The answer that Rasteva had given here didnt' really anwer her question, if nothing else it left her more confused. Sara frowned slightly.

"Sara, hey!" A female voice called from ahead, and it caught the young woman's attention. Sara smiled slightly towards the woman who approached, with bright pink hair and a similar uniform to the one that Sara was wearing. "I'm glad to see you! You finally got a Daemon, huh?"

The sudden question did throw her off guard. "You can tell I have one?"

"Well, sure. I've got my own, see?" The pink-haired girl pointed to a pretty ornate hair accessory. "It lets me know when one of its friends are nearby, isn't that neat?! Yours could totally do it too if you simply asked it to." Digging through her bag, she pushed a few pamphlets towards Sara. "Here, you must have just gotten it. You'll have to have your Daemon get stronger in order for it to actually do anything useful." Thinking a moment, the woman smiled. "You'll have to go about it the old fashion way."

Sara stared at the woman, clearly not understanding. "...What?"

The woman's expression fell as the joke wasn't understood. "I mean you'll have to beat up weaker Daemon's! Or stronger ones! Depending on how well fed your Daemon is, they can tell you if an rival Daemon is stronger or weaker than their current state of being. Yours is considerably weaker than mine right now. But I'm not actually looking to take your demon's strength for my own! But you can totally do that - and you seriously should. It's all legal and all that. You'll just have to find a place that does organized fighting, and with your registered Daemon you can get into the bracket of your choosing and go all out! Neat, yeah?" Frowning, she sighed. "Though, there are totally people who want to skip the formalities and just get straight to the fights. They might get you on the streets, so be vigilant. What's your little thing's name anyways?"

Giving her a moment to process everything, she glanced to the raven on her shoulder. "Rasteva. Yours?" The girl beamed.

"Says its name is Kivash, but I just call it Kivvy. It's cuter. Oh hey! We can go for a practice battle if you want. I'm pretty sure my Daemon won't mind helping out. I think. Lemme ask. If so, we can head somewhere a little more secluded to practice up. Wouldn't want to draw any unwanted attention." She grinned, and tapped her hair accessory. "Hey, Kivvy - wanna help my friend here beef her Daemon up a little? Pleeeeeeeeease?"