Cass and Rudy were back in his apartment. Rudy was sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs and trying to whistle a jaunty tune. Cass looked at him and smiled.
"Relax. Tindra will think I'm dressing you down, but I just had some questions for you."
Rudy melted into the couch.
"Aw, man! Don't scare me like that! I'm already on high alert around that fiery vixen as it is! What'd ya need, buddy?"
"Have you ever met a demon before?"
Rudy almost choked on his soda.
"A demon!? What brought that up!?"
"I'm just wondering how common they are. I'm not the most worldly man you see, so…"
Rudy scratched his cheek.
"I doubt you'll find any around here. Certainly not in the open. Have you ever seen one? I know you got a lot of books on 'em."
Cass rubbed his neck.
"Once."
Rudy's eyes widened.
"What was it like?"
"It was gruesome…The way she ate…There was zero humanity in it."
Rudy shuddered.
"Ate!? You saw it eat…wait!? She!?"
Rudy was on the edge of the couch, giving Cass his full attention.
"Is this that demon babe you're always gawking at in those books!?"
Cass almost choked on his noodles.
"What are you talking about!?"
Rudy gave a nervous chuckle.
"You left one of your books open and her face is hard to miss…"
"This isn't about me! I saw a demon in the slums…A male, to be clear."
The color drained from Rudy's face. He sat back.
"It's not unheard of. Demons are "kill on sight" in most places within the human world. But the underground is a little more accommodating. And then there are bleeding heart types who sympathize with them…buncha screws loose if ya ask me."
Cass leaned against the wall.
"It was palling around with Dhall."
"What!? Did you tell Tindra!?"
"I was hoping you could. It might help you endear yourself to her."
Cass wanted to avoid telling her himself. All she'd have to do is demand to know where he saw it and he'd have to spill the beans on his after work activities.
"I guess I can. She needs to know. If he's enlisting demons…You guys might be in big trouble."
Rudy's leg was bouncing wildly. He tried to hide the worry on his face.
"Ah…damn. Well, it is what it is. Can't dwell on it."
He stood up and smiled.
"And here I was worried you wanted help gettin' your demon fetish fix!"
"Will you drop it!"
Rudy slid his arm around Cass's shoulder.
"Relax, man. I took a good, long peek inside those books. I'd let her take a bite or two out of me in exchange for a little alone time myself."
"I'll be sure to let Daniella know."
He straightened up and coughed.
"I'm just glad you're still alive, buddy."
"I didn't try to fight it or anything."
"No, I meant Dani. Judging by some of those letters…I thought you'd wind up missing or worse by now."
He laughed. Cass sighed.
"Well, when she really gets going, sometimes I wish I was."
Rudy ran his hand through his hair.
"Don't worry, Cass, I'll smooth things over for ya. I have a way of talkin' to the ladies. Especially Dani. And I'll let Tindra know about our demon friend."
"Thanks."
"See ya later!"
And with that, he was gone. The next day, Cass found himself in a rather peaceful environment. The overcast morning and light drizzle outside seemed to calm the world. The freshly brewed tea and the scented candle that sat lit on the coffee table filled the apartment with a pleasant aroma. Cass was at the table by the window continuing his study of the strange fibers. He laid out some strands of yarn he picked up at the store and continued to add the tiny, intricate runes, being sure to match the diagrams as closely as possible.
Done!
Letting his excitement get the better of him, he scurried to a corner of the room that still had some blank space on the floor. He began scrawling runes frantically. He was muttering the meaning of each one he'd been able to figure out; a mantra he wanted to commit to memory. He suddenly froze. He felt a gaze upon him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Daniella on the couch staring at him, disapproval and disgust written all over her face. In his excitement, he'd forgotten she was sitting there reading a book. Cass shot her a crooked grin and waved with his fingers.
"Eugh. Could you look any creepier?"
"I had a spark of inspiration for a new art project. I think it'll really bring the look of the room together, don't you agree?"
"Didn't you just buy a bunch of parchment paper? Why draw on the floor?"
"Oh, right. That's a little experiment as well. It's kind of a crude solution, but I've been-"
He stopped himself.
I almost ran my mouth too much.
He grinned.
"You can't fight inspiration, Dani. And this floor…let me tell you…it's really speaking to me right now."
She rolled her eyes and sighed.
I'd better wait until she leaves before I actually try the spell.
Cass finished the circle of runes and sat on the couch, flipping on the tv in the process.
Oh boy! Just what I wanted to see!
On the TV was an in-depth news story about the impending marriage between Lady Islay and Lord Cadeyrn.
Ah! There they are! How wonderful! Really photogenic, that bunch.
What an idyllic family: Llywelyn, the proud father, standing next to his most beloved son. They really were twins, weren't they? The raven black hair and piercing blue eyes. Of course, the neatly trimmed beard gave Llywelyn that mature framing to his stalwart face. He was slightly shorter than his son, but with a broader, bulkier build clad in an exquisitely tailored black suit. Cass had never really looked at the man so closely before; it wasn't something he wished to do ever again. Cadeyrn had his hair pulled back with loose strands hanging in his ridiculously handsome face. You could practically see the women swaying in tandem to his every move and utterance. Oh and who could forget…Branwen, the bewitching mother, whose beauty was unrivaled even among the nobles. Her long, silky black hair was arranged in an intricately woven design that Cass had never seen before. Combine that with her extravagant red dress and the precious jewelry lining her neck and wrists…you'd think she was royalty.
Those blue gems match her eyes…But really…should a woman her age wear such revealing clothing? I get being proud of your figure, but have some decency.
"Are you okay?"
Cass snapped out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you really? You're shaking the whole couch with your leg bouncing. You only do that when you're agitated."
"Oh? Like when you bite your thumb?"
Daniella cut her eyes at him. He rubbed his neck.
"Sorry, I'm fine. Really. I just don't care for nobility."
Her gaze softened, but her tone was curt.
"They're the protectors of humanity; sworn to fend off the demon scourge."
Cass sighed.
"Yeah, that's what I hear."
"Do you know how they became nobility?"
Surprised by the abrupt question, Cass took a moment, considering how to answer.
"Yeah, their benefactors. The original head of each house was supposedly some great Blessed during the Golden Era. So great that the royals decided to bestow the title to them."
She closed her book.
"It's because the people came to see them that way."
Cass looked at her.
"There are other powerful Blessed, and becoming wealthy when you get that kind of power isn't difficult. But the prestige and admiration of the people, especially on the level of the nobility…very few achieve that. That's the real power of the title of 'noble'. It guarantees that admiration."
He studied her face carefully. Did she truly believe that? The common belief was that royals were emissaries of the gods or god, depending on the religion; and that these royals would bestow their powers to the greatest warriors humanity had to offer. All in the name of defeating the demon scourge. A decree from the divine that no mere mortal had a say in. Of course, he didn't believe a word of it. He finally settled on a response.
"Really? I had no idea."
She furrowed her brow slightly.
"What did you think all the merchandise was for?"
"Merchandise!? Huh!?"
"T-shirts, action figures, brand deals for all sorts of products, novels, comic books…Have you been living under a rock?"
"You mean there's some dunce out there wearing Cadeyrn's face on their chest!?"
"I wouldn't be shocked. Granted, it's usually expensive, so you won't see it in the slums very often.
Cass clicked his tongue.
"Most of them never do anything to earn it. Admire them? What a bunch of fools they are."
"Be that as it may, it's how they're perceived. Attacking nobles…to them it's like attacking their hope and salvation, whether it's true or not. So you should be careful who you express your displeasure to."
Cass leaned back on the couch.
"What about you? Are you some noble fanatic? Is there some lurid, noble romance story in that book of yours?"
She looked him up and down.
"They keep the Fog and demons at bay; my interest begins and ends there."
Daniella stood up.
"I'm going out for a bit."
"Have fun."
Cass was eager to be left alone so he could continue his sorcery experiments. As soon as Daniella left the apartment he was back on the floor with his yarn in hand. He placed two pieces in the circle and began channeling mana through its channels. The threads hopped and wiggled limply on the floor. Channeling mana through the tiny, intricate runes was much more difficult than the one for the stone cubes had been. A few hours later, Cass was drenched in sweat and the two yarn strings sat unchanged, other than their position, on the floor.
I guess I need more finesse with my mana control.
He got up and took a quick shower. There was a whole new row of soaps and gels lining the shelf.
No wonder girls smell so nice…Not that I make a habit of smelling girls. I just work in close proximity with a lot of them.
Pushing any further thought of that aside, Cass decided to check on Tindra after his shower. As the door to the Dogface Doxy creaked open, he saw Detective Karsten sitting at the bar, nursing a drink. Tindra's eyes shot over to Cass as Karsten stood up.
"There ya are. I've been lookin' for you."
Oh great…