The Pen is Mightier

Jill racked her mind for anyone named Varisella, even though she didn’t think she needed to. Jill’s forgotten quite a few things before, but someone like Varisella was very recognizable. She’s sure she’d remember her.

“Um… hi, Varisella.” She felt bad, but… “I… don’t remember us meeting before, sorry. You sure it was me?”

Varisella’s anxieties were a bit infectious. Jill averted her gaze, looking down again awkwardly and sorta unsure what to say. “I remember going to bed. Guess I got here in the middle of the night… somehow.”

How she got here was actually less important to her right now, she still really wanted to know how this girl already knew her. I mean, Jill didn’t really know much of anyone, let alone some girl with horns. Then, a little lightbulb went off above her head, and she looked back up with a look of realization.

“Oh! Wait! Did Lenore tell you about me?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. Just be professional. You don’t even know what exactly is even happening. Getting emotional is only going to make things more awkward for both of you. When she opened her eyes she smiled once again, more of an apologetic look on her face this time.

“...You know, I think you’re right. I’m scatterbrained at the best of times and I meet a lot of people through a part time job. It’s been so busy I’m doing it more than my full time job, what a world.”

“Grew them, like, from birth? Wild.” If anything, she expected it to be some sort of gene mod the girl got in her 20s or something. But, even with how little time she’s been in the city thus far, she’s seen a few interesting characters here and there. She was pretty ready to accept natural horns.

“Uh, yeah, I’m Jill. How’d you know that, though? I don’t live here. And this is my natural hairstyle…”

She looked down at herself to make sure she wasn’t wearing a nametag or anything, her face now scrunching up a little in confusion.

“Did someone tell you I was here? The only thing I was told was that everything would be okay, or whatever…”

“All on my own.” She said with a curious smile, eyebrow cocked. This was Jill, confirmed by the woman herself. Vari continued this sort of perplexed half smile for a few silent moments. “Natural, huh. How did I... Jill it’s me; Vari. Varisella.”

Okay, this was weird. If Jill was a great actor then it was something she’d never picked up on before. Maybe she was, but this just felt so genuine. 

“No one told me...” She trailed off, her tail flicking behind her anxiously. She looked like Jill, she sounded like Jill. Hell, she even smelled like Jill. Never mind she was here, actually saying she was in fact, Jill. A thousand thoughts in her head. It was hard not to feel a little heartbroken when it seems like you’d been forgotten, but this city was a strange place, there was more to worry about than her personal feelings. 

Things were... Not the best! Aly wasn’t here anymore which was kind of distressing, but the demon figured that just meant she was back at home so at least she was safe there. She hadn’t really seen Jill recently either, so that was the person she spent the second most amount of time with, both as a friend and a food source. 

So! She been spending more time out, both for her health and her sanity. The club was a great place, she knew people here from work and there was always people to meet that she didn’t need to know for more than an evening. One of the former caught her eye. 

There was a collection of curiosities here. It was strange to see Victor sitting on his own anywhere in the club, but especially this part. It was strange to see him not in an upbeat mood, or at least wearing a smile. It was stranger still to see him staring off into space with a blank expression like he was in some kind of fugue state. She spared only a second thought to her outfit- it’s not like she was on shift tonight anyway- and rocked up to the table with a practically fluorescent drink in her hands. 

“Heyyyy Victor”

Society had progressed past the need for supermarkets with high shelves.Or at least, it should have. The half pint fiend stared longingly at the bottles out of reach, holding a basket that was stocked exclusively with alcohol and cereal. She missed Alydia, she hadn’t seen Jill in a while, she was hungr and this shelf taunted her. 

This guy though, this guy wasn’t small. Despite everything, Vari tilted her head and tried to give her most charming smile. “Hiii!”

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“I guess it would be unfair of me to expect you to do all the work anyway…” She kept her voice low, because she wasn’t sure how good the hearing on those things were, and she didn’t want to find out. The blunt admission of weakness though didn’t surprise her, she thought she knew Varisella decently enough now and didn’t expect her to have any succubus tricks hidden up her sleeve in the first place.

Her usual abilities probably wouldn’t work on those shadow things. Probably? She’s not gonna bring up the idea.

“Look, you’re not stressing me out more than anything else is right now, you’re fine.”

She looked back the way they came, but the road was pretty messed up.. it would be exhausting to try to pass it again. They did pass an alley earlier though, right?

“It might be better to turn back around? I don’t know. I’m also kinda winging it here.”

If push came to shove- and she was sure it probably would- well, she had oneor two things that could help that probably wouldn’t be horrifyingly embarrassing. 

“Right, right... You’re right. Let’s get going, I’m pretty sure I saw another alley back there.” She took one of Jill’s hands with her own. “Staying out of sight is our best bet, I think... not that I’ve got the best colour palette for camouflage.” She smiled, but it was a nervous smile. Trying anything really to even assuage her own fear. 

So on she went, still holding the woman’s hand and staying exceptionally close. Thankfully, there had indeed been another alley a short distance away. It was fairly cosy, seeming to feel both comforting and claustrophobic at the same time. They were just about to pass a junction in the alley when she saw another shade ahead. “Nope-” was whispered beneath her breath and she ducked down the second path with Jill in tow. 

Yet, it was only a few moments of travelling this route that instead they found themselves faced with two shades. Vari was gripped by a more intense fear instantly, they were right there, did they even have time to go back. Oh hell, would this even work on these things..? Not like she had much other choice. 

So she stepped forward, eyes glowing a much brighter pink. “H-hey... Easy there... Do you think you two could help us out? Protect us if anything tries attack.” Despite the stutter her words carried a strange weight to them, and for a moment both of them halted. 

Then one of them lunged as if it was about to attack. 

She didn’t have time to even scream before it was tackled by the second, a fight breaking out amongst them. She turned to Jill, eyes still glowing brightly.

If the mix of nerves and mild panic, she’d call it, that she noticed on Varisella’s face after Pramanix asked if she could fight were anything to go by… then it would seem that Pramanix’s choice in who to approach could have been better.

Could have been worse, too, of course! If they can’t fight, then Pramanix wouldn’t want to leave them alone, either. Things just might be a bit more difficult for the two of them than Pramanix had hoped. She pursed her lips, looking from Varisella to the approaching shades (who were thankfully distant enough and slow moving enough still that they didn’t have to rush into a decision).

“I don’t think writing will help here.” Thanks, Pramanix. “I can… it’s difficult to explain.” Up close, she could tell that Varisella wasn’t actually a Sarkaz, so she probably wouldn’t know what Originium Arts were…

“You should stay close, I think,” she said, raising her bell to her chest and shutting her eyes. The circle of snow at her feet began to expanding, until it covered a consider area around them. With each ring of her bell now, starting off quiet and periodic, small flurries of snow-looking magic would shoot out, striking a shade some distance away and, apparently, damaging them.

“Unless you think you can fly or outrun them, that is.”

“Y-yeah, no kidding...” If only she was either of her siblings, they’d be able to help here. They wouldn’t just be useless or worse; need protecting. “I mean that’s great! You know, I don’t want to get in your way or anything...” But on the other hand she was about to run away from someone that might be a safety net.

So stay close she did, exceedingly close in fact. Her eyes grew wider in wonder as the snow started to spread, accompanied with a ringing of a bell that would be remarkably serene in any other circumstance. Help or not, she wished she did have writing implements with her right now; this was inspiring stuff.

“Well... No, I can’t fly. I can’t run very fast either. Maybe... Maybe I can do something if any of them get too close...”

It would be fine, right? Did these things even think? She wasn’t about to die just to uphold some morals if she could actually defend herself and arguably more importantly; help defend this woman who had taken it on herself to protect her. 

“I’m gonna be blunt with you;” Vari spoke as she stood on the edge of a street, peeking around the corner as he tail flicked about anxiously behind her. “I am not a fighter either, so if you’re hoping I have a whole bunch of demon powers to keep us safe, well, you’re out of luck...”

There were shades on the far end of that road, so she ducked back down and looked back at Jill with an expression that was both apprehensive and apologetic. “Look, I’m not trying to stress you out or anything, I just don’t want you to think I’m capable of more than I actually am, which is... Nothing, basically. I don’t even know what to do, Aly’s better at being decisive...”

A sorry excuse for a demon, that was her thinking at least. While she was well aware this was not the time to be feeling sorry for herself, it was difficult considering the circumstances.

Baby’s got some powers but baby is absolutely not a fighter. She also likes spirale city? Sure she’d like to go home but it’s basically a vacation here, regardless she can only lightly defend herself never mind start any fights. But if you’d like an event thread with a very fearful demon then just hit that like. 

Susie blinks a few times. She glances to the side, but resists the temptation to look it up on her phone. While she’s heard of creatures that drain others’ lives, her world doesn’t have that particular kind.

“No, go ahead and elaborate for me. It’s something that I should be aware of, right?” Surely, it wouldn’t change her opinion of her as her client, a fellow businesswoman, and her friend.

Her face was already turning a deeper shade of pink. God, she really was the worst succubus. “Right, well... Okay. So like, most living things usually need like food and water or something close to those to survive? I need a little something else. It’s part of my... Diet, you could say. Like how vampires need blood! But what I need is less tangible.”

“Huh… Well, you do always smell nice,” she says. “Though I don’t really see what that has to do with this plant. It’s not like you, um…” She squints at her phone. “Attract small bugs and digest them with enzymes?”

Truth to be told, Susie didn’t know much about Varisella’s species or the rumors thereof, but whatever it was, she seemed so pleasant that Susie didn’t think it’d be something like this.

Shaking her head, Susie puts away her phone. “Are you sure you don’t want to register a complaint?” To Susie, Vari came off as the soft-spoken sort. She needed her agent to stick up for her!

“Well, thank you... It does make sense you would think that.” She smiled at the compliment, but it was a fairly awkward smile throughout. She knew it wasn’t like, something to be ashamed of. As far as what she was is concerned she thought she handled things pretty well considering how others she knew went about things. 

“No, no! I’m okay, thank you. I don’t want to complain, it’s still a pretty plant. And less bugs in the house, right? But what I meant is...”

“A pingui—what now?” Susie tilts her head. Admittedly, she doesn’t know much about plants. “Um… One moment.” She takes out her phone and checks the internet for the solution.

“I see, I see… It’s a carnivorous plant. Apparently, it lures in its victims through scent. But that doesn’t sound much like you, Vari. Do you think the computer made a mistake?”

“Oh, it’s okay..! It doesn’t really... Matter...” But Susie was already on her phone and Vari just stood there awkwardly for a moment. She could feel the tail wrapped around her waist getting slightly tighter as she waited. Yet when the woman spoke, she couldn’t help but give a hesitant smile.