Ire began to hyperventilate; from the other side of the table, Julia showed a remorseful stare. Ire held her breath, slowing it down, and looked up toward her. "I'm done, that's how I got here."
"You poor thing," Julia sighed, "to think that things such as that are allowed to happen in our world."
Ire's eyes dropped as if hit by a wave of exhaustion. She slouched over in her seat. "I want to go home now."
Julia smiled. "Great, let's get—"
"By myself!" Ire demanded. "Thank you for the meal, but I… I have to do something."
Ire stood up, and at the same time, so did Julia. Julia was the first to move, walking past Ire and standing in front of the door. She leaned against the door and faced Ire. "Sure you can leave, just tell me. What will you do tonight?"
Ire stood still, paused with her head down. She raised her head to meet Julia's gaze. "Tonight, I'll kill myself."
Julia walked closer to Ire and reached out her hands. Ire flinched, taking a step back. Julia grabbed Ire and pulled her into a hug. Ire's hands stayed by her side. "Why?"
"Because you deserve it," Julia explained. "I believe in karmic justice. You, Ire, deserve everything in the entire world."
Ire muttered, "I wish that were true."
Julia backed away. "I can help. I can grant any wish you have."
Ire stayed silent, waiting for more.
"I can do anything for you," Julia elaborated. "I can fix every problem in your life. All you have to do is let me in."
"Let you in?" Ire repeated.
"Let me come back with you," Julia confirmed. "So what will you do tonight?"
Ire sheepishly nodded. "Okay… you can come."
Julia clapped excitedly. "Then let's go."
"What about the food?" Ire inquired.
"They'll take it for themselves," Julia said. "Now hurry, let's go to your apartment."
Julia dragged Ire along as they left the restaurant.
The outside street had grown dark, with the lights of buildings slowly turning off. A heavy rainfall had started, the drops making percussion as they formed pools of water across the street. The cold rain drenched Ire's skin; she instinctively raised her arms to cover her head.
Julia laughed softly. "Do you like the rain, Ire?"
"Not at all!" Ire shouted over the rain. "Who'd like this?"
Julia stretched her arms out and spun around, basking in the tears of the clouds. "How unfortunate, I love the rain. I think it's quiet. How it demands everything but itself to go away—it controls the schedule of all living things. I'd like to be like the rain and conduct as well."
A small smile reached Ire's mouth. "I guess that's one way to look at it."
Julia extended her hand to Ire. "Let's walk on the street! There'll be no cars this late."
Ire hesitated before dropping her arms and inviting the rainfall. She took Julia's hand, tightly gripping it. Julia brought Ire off the sidewalk and onto the middle of the asphalt. The two walked hand in hand across the street, taking in the sound and the feeling of the rain.
Ire spoke. "My brother used to say that the rainwater would ward off evil spirits. When I lived with him, we would always use a bowl to catch some every time it rained."
"What a silly superstition," Julia responded, "but it's nice that you have that positive memory."
"I guess you're right," Ire said. "What about you? Are you superstitious?"
Julia thought for a moment before turning her head to Ire and answering, "There's one rumor I believe in. Have you heard of the devil?"
"The religious figure or the criminal?" Ire questioned.
"The criminal," Julia clarified. She started to play with her pin as she spoke. "Are you well-versed on them?"
Ire answered, "I know a little. They're someone who goes to the less fortunate, like gamblers and the homeless, and helps them out for something in exchange. Apparently, the cost is always too much and leaves you worse off, but that whole thing is just a rumor."
"You know more than you claim," Julia teased.
The two continued down the street. Ire noticed how different it was from their first walk. Julia was smiling as they talked back and forth; the worry she had before had now disappeared, and the public street had become a private moment for the two of them.
Despite the cold flow of water, Ire felt warm, felt safe, felt… happy. Ire wanted to ask Julia a question, but she refrained, asking only in her mind;
What will you do tonight?
It wasn't long until the Cascade Apartment Complex came into view. Ire felt a strange sense of enjoyment as they stepped inside.
The two stood in the lobby, greeted by the warmth inside. Ire and Julia looked at each other. The rain had drenched both of them. Ire's hair had dropped down and covered most of her face. Both of their clothes had darkened and dripped with water. Julia and Ire both laughed, looking at each other.
Julia said, "You look so silly."
Ire responded, "You're one to talk, you look terrible."
"Oh Ire, you insult me so," Julia joked. "You should learn to respect your elders."
"My apologies, madam," Ire joked. "Shall I lead you the way?"
Julia laughed. "Why, but of course."
The two made their way up the stairwell, Julia following Ire as she eagerly moved up the stairs. It was almost instant how quickly they reached the third floor. Ire quickly left the stairwell and jogged down the hallway. Julia followed behind with a casual stroll. She looked at her as she ran. Julia muttered under her breath, "I'll end it, it'll be over, you can move on. After I do, I wonder… what will you do tonight?"
Julia sped up her walk to catch up to Ire. The two stopped in front of a light brown door labeled with the number 132. Julia quickly grabbed the handle.
"I think I have some leftover food so I can give you that if—"
The door opened, not inwards but outwards, causing Ire to step backward. A taller man with wrinkled golden skin and black hair combed back stood there. His eyes were pale white like snow and held bags beneath them. He wore a black suit with a black tie to match. He stood at the door in his socks, a yellow note in his right hand.
The man looked at Ire with a surprised expression. "Ire?"
"Aster?" Ire responded, looking equally surprised.
Aster immediately pulled Ire in for a hug and started wailing. "IIIIIIRE!!! You're okay!!! I thought something had happened!!! You weren't here and there was this note and you said you were sorry and… and you weren't here!!!"
Ire awkwardly patted Aster's back. "I'm okay, I just went out for a while."
Aster cried "You didn't even eat the food I left you, you're going to get skinny!!!"
Julia covered her mouth as she laughed.
Aster turned his head to Julia and whispered to Ire, "Who's that?"
"Her name is Julia," Ire answered. "I met her while I was out."
Aster let go of Ire and immediately bowed to Julia. "Hello, Julia!!! I'm Aster Greenridge!!! I'm Ire's best friend, nice to meet you!!!"
Julia returned Aster's bow. "And quite a pleasure to meet you as well, I have to say I wasn't expecting this."
"Why are you back so early?" Ire questioned. "It's only nine pm."
Aster turned back to Ire. "I'm off my case now, so I'll be finishing at seven for a while."
"Your case?" Julia repeated.
Aster spun around again and brought his hand up to salute. "I, Aster Greenridge, am a defense attorney!!!"
"Oh wow, how fancy," Julia complimented. "And you just finished a case?"
Aster nodded. "Yes ma'am!!!"
"Julia," Ire corrected.
"Yes, Julia!!!" Aster continued. "I was defending a man falsely accused of—"
Aster paused, looking at Julia and then Ire, scanning them up and down. He then touched his suit vest, now stained with water.
"Why are you both wet?"
"It started raining and we didn't have an umbrella," Ire explained.
Aster gasped. He took a big step away from the door and gestured for them to come in.
"Unacceptable!!! Both of you inside now!!! You must be freezing!!!"
Ire and Julia followed Aster inside the apartment, and he quickly closed the door behind them. He immediately went to the kitchen, brought out a kettle from the cabinet, filled it, and turned it on. He called out, "Water's boiling! Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!!!"
"I'm seventeen," Ire responded. "I can make my own tea, alright? Go change, you're still in your suit."
Aster looked down at his suit before looking back at the two of them. "Okay!!! Have fun, you two!!!"
He quickly left for his room. Ire sighed. "Sorry about that, he's not always like that."
Julia smiled. "No need to worry, he's quite entertaining. Now, let's take a seat."
Ire moved to sit on the couch, but just before she did, Julia interjected, "On the ground."
"The ground?" Ire clarified.
Julia nodded. The two sat down on the living room's red rug, facing each other.
"Your roommate's a defense attorney, but you don't have any other clothes or a better television," Julia inquired. "Where does his money go?"
"He donates a lot of it to a homeless shelter," Ire explained. "And I told him not to buy me things. I feel horrible enough living under his roof."
Julia asked, "Does he know about Isaac… or your scars?"
Ire shook her head. "I don't want to bother him; he deals with enough already."
"Very well," Julia said. "It's to be expected."
Ire nervously asked, "Not to offend you or anything, but you said you could change my life."
"Yes, yes I did," Julia confirmed.
Ire continued, "How could you do that?"
Julia tilted her head slightly to the right, a smirk growing on her face. "I'm the devil."
It was spoken so casually that it took a moment for Ire's brain to respond. "Wh-what?"
Julia stood and walked to Aster's door. She raised her voice. "Hey Aster, could you stay in for about forty minutes? Me and Ire need to be alone for a bit!"
From the door, Aster's muffled voice called out, "Okay!!! Setting a forty-minute timer!!!"
Julia looked around the room.
"You're joking, right?" Ire asked. "This is a prank, right?"
Julia spotted a light switch on the wall, walked over, and flipped it. The room was instantly coated in complete darkness. Ire heard the creak of the floorboards beneath each step Julia took. Her heart rate spiked as a cold sweat fell across her skin. "Julia! Say something!"
The kettle reached boiling point. The water inside roared like a ravenous beast, filling the room with a relentless, rising ambiance of sound. Its volume grew in tandem with Ire's tension.
The fox sat frozen in the dark, circling itself nervously. Eyes wide, it couldn't move, afraid of bumping into whatever the darkness might hide.
"You're scaring—"
Before Ire could finish, a candle was lit. The white wax candle rested on a small iron disk. Its tiny flame flickered and danced, burning with a passion as it cast a faint orange glow throughout the room.
Ire could see Julia once again, seated across from her. But now her face was covered by a mask—completely blank except for two white dots and a line resembling a smiling face. Ire jolted backward in surprise and slowly opened her mouth to speak.
Julia suddenly clapped her hands, stopping Ire mid-motion, and placed them at her sides. She spoke carefully, slowly, each word deliberate.
"I am the devil. The one in the stories, the myth, the deal-maker. Now… why don't we make a deal?"