#terxmorphous

Lothaire wasn’t sure what he expected, but it was no this. It would never be this. A live human being, delivered to him wrapped in spider silk; it was the gift of a lifetime, but maybe not for a delicate demon like him. “Oh! Oh, um…it’s lovely, Azhekh.” he poked at the numbed individual with a clawed finger, hardly able to tell if they were still alive or not. Dear god, if they were, this was going to be a strange conversation to have if they set them free. “Y-you know, this is a beautiful gesture, but I don’t exactly eat much human, you know. I’m not much of a red meat fan. I understand it’s an acquired taste, I’m sure I would get used to it, but perhaps tonight is a good night for a fine fish or chicken dish. Don’t you think?” He offered a charming smile, hoping that his refusal was sweet enough not to offend his majesty. The last thing he wanted to do was anger him or push him away, after all.

Gamal was ALWAYS a sucker for gossip. Any kind of gossip, really, but gossip about other demons - especially his shithead cousin - was just a bonus. He listened intently, but when he learned the secret, his mouth fell open in shock. “You’re kidding.” He couldn’t believe it. Lothaire of all people? With the king? It was a strange couple for sure, but he wouldn’t lie - he kinda liked the idea of Lothaire being eaten by baby spiders. Fuck family bonding. “Huh, I guess I always knew Lothaire would be a family man.” A horrible grin spread across his face, witty and wicked, and he gave Ihrun a little pat on the face. “You know what? Fuck it. They deserve each other. I hope they make ugly babies that enjoy the taste of albino demon flesh. I’m sure as hell not gonna be the godfather.”

“Oh, me? Goodness, not really. Though, I’m not against the idea in the least. I adore children. I’ve just never thought about settling down with anyone. To tell you the truth, I’ve lived most of my life not knowing many other demons other than my disastrous cousin.” He rolled his eyes as he did most every time Gamal was brought into discussion. “But I would so love to know the wonders of parenthood one day. To spoil them and coddle them and – ugh, I love the idea.” He was unaware of the pink flush on his cheeks as he grinned like an idiot, staring off in the distance with a mind lost in thought.

“I can’t say I’ve ever felt that way myself.” he said, standing before the spider king and watching his several eyes staring wistfully past him. “But I suppose that answers the question of whether or not people like us can love people like them. Humans aren’t long-lasting, that’s very true, but they have a..quaint kind of charm to them, I suppose.” He attempted to cross his arms and succeeded awkwardly, his giant hands cumbersome to gesture with. “Don’t worry, your majesty, at least you know you’ll have my beautiful face to annoy you for a long, long time.”

“Kindness is a tricky thing. It’s often not given to you unless you give it first, but as you say, sometimes it feels as if no one deserves it because no one gives it to you. But that’s when you have to ask yourself…is it worth it to be the kind one?” Against his better judgement, he approached and placed a huge hand on Orfeo’s shoulder. He almost wanted to pull it away immediately, but he was trying to make a point. “I’m being kind to you, aren’t I? So you can’t say you haven’t seen any kindness today.” He winked with a charming little smirk, ever the pain in the ass.

“It’s as if we deserved it.” he said, barely able to close his lips enough to pronounce words with absolute perfection. “Of course, I can’t think of a single thing I’ve ever done to deserve being cursed, but maybe it was just a mistake on my part.” He attempted a smirk, but with his altered face, it looked more like an awkward grimace. He sat down on the floor, clawed feet stretched out in front of him, and patted Ihrun on the head with one monstrous hand. “Don’t worry, little shit, this too shall pass.”

He could hear their voices speaking to him, words of torment and mocking. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by a flurry of familiar faces, all of them pointing at him and laughing. He knew these people. They were the souls of those he had fed on before; people in need who begged for his company and his gifts of good fortune before selling their souls away to him. Lothaire tried to ignore it at first, but it was difficult beyond belief for him. They followed him everywhere, appearing in droves, multiplying and growing louder and louder. These were his greatest fears: humiliation and worthlessness. He couldn’t stand the idea of humans of all people seeing his insecurities, but here they were, laughing at him and treating him like a joke. He simply could not stand it. His giant hands rose to cup his ears and he screamed at the top of his lungs: “GO AWAY!” But they didn’t go away. They were as rude and as loud as ever. And if there was one thing he could not stand, it was rudeness.