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The demon seems skeptical at first. After all, he acted absolutely horrid upon their first encounter. There would be no blame if the standing bag of bones ended up telling anyone about his sentimental outburst. Yet he eventually swallowed his doubt as he decided to finally to put a little trust into the skeleton. Further antagonizing would just dig his grave really.

Though… He was going to have to show he appreciated the other keeping his secret.

“I appreciate you keeping this between us…”

It’s an awkward but he’s managing to show his appreciation a little bit as he puts the items on the counter. He listens carefully as the other counts the total. He’s careful to note the price of each and every single item. He needs it for future reference, just because he feels that he’s going end up coming to this shop more often from here on out… It was the only shop around really… And it did have everything a person could need.

So he pays and makes sure he has a good hold on the groceries. It was going to be a long walk home, and he probably shouldn’t take all day here… Sig was likely getting sicker with every passing moment. Strangely… He can’t help but notice the other looking at him. It sends a nervous shiver down his spine, making it hard to keep his composure as he attempts to leave…

Yet he stops at the door, looks back for a moment.

“… Thank you.”

And he gives a genuine smile before walking out.

As Ayashii leaves the shop, Oshare is left alone to contemplate what happened. He’s seen so many things come from this person in such a short span of time it’s bewildering. The smile falters a little, but just because he doesn’t have to show anything to anyone anymore, no exaggeration for the sake of support no matter how real the emotion was.

The demon insulted him, cried in front of him, and then gave him one of the most genuine smiles Oshare has ever seen, no matter how little.

Ayashii is a complicated person, that’s for sure.

Still, the skeleton only leans back and sighs, grabbing the book he was reading before this strange, and maybe even fateful (in a certain way to a certain person) encounter and opening it where the bookmark lies. He looks dreamily at white pages and sighs.

“It’s okay. You did no wrong.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I just made myself cry is all…”

The demon had no reason to lie about what caused him to shed tears. It’s better than making someone else think they’re responsible when they really weren’t. He nods in appreciation as he’s handed the handkerchief, using it to wipe away the remaining tears and then drying his face. It’s not the first time his own mind has overwhelmed with emotional thoughts, and it surely would not be the last time either.

Instead, he focuses on making sure he’s obtained everyone on the list. He compares each item with what was on the list. There hadn’t been a whole lot so he’s not surprised when he sees that he’s managed to get everything with Oshare’s help. He feels very fortunate that he wouldn’t have to wander the halls by himself to look for anything was left out.

So, he decides to finally pay for his items. He carries them to the counter before stopping. It then hits him that he had cried in front of someone, something he would usually do when completely by himself. This time someone had seen him at a vulnerable moment. Cheeks turned bright pink as he put the items and the basket on the counter, before glancing away to dig out the money Sig had given him.

“Thanks for your help… Mind if I ask that you never tell anyone you saw… That?”

And by “that”, he means his crying.

Oshare smiles supportively as he watches Ayashii approach. The other has seemingly calmed down a little, though his face has only gotten redder, the reason, however, might be something else but his tears.

The skeleton’s suspicions are quickly proven true as the demon asks him not to tell anyone about... 

Him crying? 

Oshare can't help it, his smile turns even wider, but not because he's about to mock the other for his weakness, no. 

"That wouldn't be a problem~ I'm good at keeping secrets, even if I perhaps don’t look the part." It's mainly because there's now something he can keep. And it might not mean much to anyone, but to Oshare it's a window of opportunity to stick to Ayashii if he chooses to. 

The skeleton, however, masks his excitement as best as he can as he occupies himself with counting the total of what the other has to pay for the groceries. He announces the sum perhaps a little automatically, hands already busy collecting everything in a bag and handing it to the demon. He leans against the counter a little bit, eyes not leaving the other.

Satan absolutely had no need to visit a shop to get things, but here he was, acting on a whim and trying to be like everyone else. He came in with restrained enthusiasm, if only to give off the air of royalty in his strut into the store to make a marked impression.

“Good morning~ ★ ” Am I the first customer– Oh. …It’s that troubled fashionista. Hm. “Am I here too early?”

“I hope you do not mind. I wanted to have a look around this acclaimed store before I go off on an adventure with a friend very soon. May I?”

Satan decided to flatter Oshare in hopes to make this not a difficult surprise on the other. Keeping it casual was a skill of his, and it was something that made confidence radiate off of the great demon unlike most others in town or anywhere. Satan had nothing specific in mind to buy, he will spontaneously take anything that seemed of interest. He had some money, and also a jeweled object for trade because bartering seemed like a fun thing to try out.

Satan is indeed the first person to come through the shop’s doors this morning, besides the owner himself, and Oshare isn’t exactly ready yet. He’s at one of the shelves, sorting and resorting books and magazines when he hears two things. First - the telltale sound of the door opening, and second - the voice that turns his nerves into a molten mess. His heart jumps and stops, or would, if he had one, but it feels that way nonetheless.

The skeleton visibly tenses up and turns around to take a look at the visitor, trying to mask the very obvious anxiety with a sweet smile that doesn’t exactly work if one looks close enough. 

“Good morning~“ he chirps back at the man and turns fully. Careful steps, back to the counter where he’s supposed to be, eyeing the other suspiciously but trying not to be so obvious about it, succeeding somewhat.

All because he’s been down this road before.

“Oh no! You’re not early, we’re open, after all~ Please by all means look around.“ Oshare continues in the same manner, leaning against the counter as he studies the other’s features, not hiding this time.

“Dated one?!”

Red eyes widened as frames almost fell off his face. He didn’t expect to get a look into the other’s romantic life… It made this incredibly awkward actually. During all the time he had spent being in Klug’s book, this was the first he’s ever heard of a demon lover. Things must’ve not worked out if Oshare’s never mentioned it before… Perhaps he should not pry that deeply into things. Break ups of any kind could still sting a heart…

The last thing he wanted to do was bring up painful memories for another… Since he too did not want others prying too deeply in his personal affairs. After all, wasn’t there a saying of don’t do onto others what you don’t want done onto yourself?… Maybe he should’ve been following those words sooner rather than now. So… He decides moving topics as soon as possible would benefit him.

Too bad it went in that direction.

His sharpened canine teeth dug into his lower lip, threatening to break the skin. The question of who he once was never left his mind since gaining this puppet body. Every time he looked in the mirror he knew he wasn’t seeing his own face but instead a copy of another’s… And it tore him up on the inside…

But Oshare did have a positive way of looking at this situation.

It is the start of a new beginning. He did have a second chance at life. He’d never really seen it that way until now. He could start over as a new person, living his life in a new way and leaving behind the past… While the second part would be hard to do, he was already taking baby steps towards the first. Those who wanted him gone were probably deceased by now… And no one from then really knew what happened to him right? He could start over from scratch…

He’s not sure why… But right as he begins to follow…

A warm liquid starts sliding down his cheeks. He stops for a moment, hand rising to touch his cheek and see that it was his tears. He stares, unsure of where these tears were coming from. Why was he crying? He shakes his head as he decides to cut off Oshare.

“Thank you Oshare. I’ll… I’ll handle the rest.”

The other's shocked and slightly agitated tone makes Oshare shut up instantly. He’s probably said a little bit much. He didn’t mean to give away that much information, it just slipped out! He feels a little awkward too from it as well. Ayashii doesn’t seem like a person too used to this kind of talk. Not the romantic, anyway. Which might be the reason he reacted so weirdly to Oshare’s terms of endearment before.

The skeleton is mostly silent, watching the demon’s face change. He feels...guilty, unsure if it’s something that he said that is making Ayashii react in such a way, he looks...sad, and bothered somehow. The skeleton frowns, looking for words as he sees tears start to fall from the other’s eyes. Ayashii, however, doesn’t seem to notice instantly.

There’s only one good thing he can say right now, the skeleton thinks.

“I’m sorr--“

But he’s cut off mid-sentence and he’s not even sure what he’s being thanked for. Oshare nods in understanding and hands Ayashii a handkerchief, turning around right after and leaving the demon to his devices as he returns to his usual post at the counter.

“Seems like it was more meant like Babel or something; meant to reach the heavens,” Dia calmly quips, “Though I guess it could be almost any reason.”

The reflection wasn’t the least bit intimidated at how big a fall it would be to leap off. In fact, it looked more like she could low-grav-glide wherever she felt like in town from here.

“Now that I think of it, one of these could be used as a station for flying beasts. I do recall there once being this set of huge animals that would send people from one such tower to another… But this place seems too remote for something like that.”

“That sounds fun! I don’t recall anything like that here, however. I haven’t seen anything bigger than an average human around...“ Oshare muses as he watches Dia look around, “Is that the preferred mode of transportation where you’re from?“

That’s a little confusing. He’s not sure how such beasts can be manageable.

“The closest I’ve seen to a ‘flying beast’ is a bat,“ the skeleton chuckles, motioning to take his hat off. There’s an actual bat under there, which takes flight as soon as it’s released. “Quite fond of them, actually~“

An answer like that… Was strangely expected. While it did sting to be reminded of his embarrassing defeat, he was at least relieved to hear the demon would no longer be tormented in such a way as long as he respected Oshare… Which wouldn’t be hard since he had gained an immense amount of respect from Ayashii. He wouldn’t dare to disrespect the skeleton after being shown such kindness.

“Destroy them with kindness? Heh… If one could die from kindness, that would be the best death one could be given.”

His response to the joke is rather grim, yet there’s a small smile on his face as he says it. He wouldn’t mind his last moments being pleasant ones… But such a reality seems unlikely for a demon, especially one like him. He shakes his head before chuckling to himself. Sure what he said wasn’t meant to be funny, but he can’t help but laugh at something. What made him laugh would be a mystery.

“You’ve met many demons…? Given how you’re a skeleton now… I would not doubt you’ve met a few demons… Then again this town also seems strangely accepting of demons-”

He stares, confused as to why Oshare’s skeletal face was heating up.  Eyebrow was raised for a moment as the other looked towards the floor. The only demons in town he knew of where either close to Sig’s age, completely inhuman, or really odd… Why was Oshare blushing when talking about demons he’s met? Did he have a crush on one? Could it have been he has a crush on someone in town?

The thought was discarded at the question of if his lack of horns was because of his current form.

“I… I do not recall if I did or did not. My previous form… Memories of it have faded from my mind… That’s why I look like this now. The only thing I really had was the form I took when I possessed Klug… So I had to go off that…”

It was a humiliating thing to share… But honesty was a virtue right?

“Dated one,“ The skeleton says softly with a smile, “And the other one is an acquaintance. You would be the third I’ve ever known. Human-looking, anyway. And well...” Oshare continues as he puts more things in Ayashii’s basket, “I’m not sure how me being a skeleton and meeting demons is connected! Sure, I’m dead, but I don’t know if that’s related.“ 

He takes a quick look at the list again, looks at all the things in the basket and nods to himself. What Ayashii says next makes him stop mid-thought, however.

“You don’t remember it?“ He sounds troubled, a frown on his face, “That sounds terrible-- If I didn’t, I would be wondering nonstop! But ah, I do remember most of my life, even if I don’t always want to.“

But if he thinks about it...

“You can look at it from the bright side. It’s like a new beginning~“ The skeleton almost sings, as he signs for the demon to follow him into a different part of the store, “Well, it’s probably not that easy, but still.“

Or maybe he just doesn’t want to face the fact that it’s actually pretty bad, to Ayashii it might be anyway. Physical appearance is an important aspect of who you are, after all, he should know.

Well, some sort of personal denial might be coming into play here as well.

As the two stop in front of one of the shelves, Oshare looks up at Ayashii.

Attention!!

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“150 years huh…? Impressive…”

The demon can’t help but be amazed the other, a dead man walking, had been around for such a long time. He has no idea how much time has passed since he was sealed into that book, but he’s almost certain he wasn’t from Oshare’s time… That did make wonder how many years had passed since he had been sealed… Yet the very thought made his heart sink.

At least the other was being a good sport about this. Oshare could’ve mocked the daylights out of him. It probably seemed ludicrous that he hadn’t been told by Sig about stores… But it was more so Ayashii’s fault for not asking. He was simply too prideful to admit back then that there were things he did not know. Yet Oshare was nice enough to offer his assistance…

He felt shame settling in for how he treated the other before.

“How things were back then? I cannot recall much… I barely went out during that time… And I wasn’t very old when-…”

He trails off as he lets the other speak again. He doesn’t mind that sentence going unfinished. He holds onto the basket as Oshare begins to explain brand names and product types. He’s understanding it, but still seems confused by something else. Oshare’s kindness still so weird to him. Who would show kindness to someone that had been so rude to him. He can’t say he’d ever be so kind to Oshare if their roles were reversed…

So… He should probably thank him.

“Thanks… For helping… But I must ask… Why be so understanding and willing to help when I’ve been nothing but rude and hateful to you before? You could have easily poked fun at me for my lack of knowledge or my behavior… I just find it strange that you’re so willing to help someone who had insulted you previously…” 

Oshare thinks, not sure if he could word the whole thing correctly. It’s more than one thing, not just looks and fashion choices, even if they don’t play the least important role here. He looks at Ayashii and grins, but without malice or anything negative at all.

“There are a few reasons to that, actually.“ he speaks calmly, “First of all, I’ve already bested you, even if it’s not in a Puyo battle, and I don’t see a reason to rub it in any further. You know what makes me uncomfortable and I know what would do the same thing to you, so why must I do it?“

He shrugs, answering his own question without words.

“Besides, I’m not a fan of conflict and mockery. It’s just so bad! I get impulsive sometimes myself, but stooping to that level? I’d rather destroy someone with kindness~“ It’s a joke, of course, and Oshare chuckles at it, still it’s only half of one. No matter how many times and how harshly he criticizes citizens of Primp, he’s still somehow on good terms with everyone.