“What driver? Never mind,” Jenn shook her head. “He’s not here. He’s gone back to the Abyss. Now leave.”
“Well, aren’t you Miss Congeniality? Where am I supposed to leave to? Remember, he was my ride as well as yours.”
“Get yourself gone, demon. We command you.” Jenn told the octopod.
“By what right? Do you have a binding on me? Did you summon me? Do you even know my name? You don’t even have the right components for a ward.” He pointed to the materials Gastropé had put together trying to construct some form of protection from the demon.
Gastropé, as was recently his habit with demons, was blanching severely and trying to stutter out some new form of protection spell. Jenn was just frowning. She’d faced down a bigger and nastier demon recently, and while it was probably a very stupid attitude on her part, she didn’t intend to be cowed by this one. She’d just ignore the fact that it could easily rip her to shreds.
“Don’t push us, demon. We’ve had about enough lately. Tom has left; he’s not here so it does no good for you to stay. You might as well just leave.” Jenn told Tizzy. At this point Maelen, Rupert and Edwyrd walked up. Edwyrd was helping Rupert to walk. That boy should not be out of bed yet.
“Hey Tizzy!” Rupert waved his hand at the demon.
“Hey Rupert!” The demon replied, baring its teeth in a fearful grimace.
“Rupert! Get back in bed! What the Abyss loving mother of dragons are you doing out of bed? You nearly died yesterday, and if you’re not careful this fiend from the pits will finish you off. Get back inside.”
“My, you really do have a type-A personality, don’t you girl?” The demon asked. Jenn shook her head in annoyance, not understanding this crazy creature at all.
“Edwyrd, you will take Rupert back to his bed, this instant.” Jenn commanded.
“Um, well, Jenn, Rupert says he knows this demon. If so, maybe he could be of some help in placating it. Maybe keep it from eating everyone on the ship?” Gastropé appeared to drip another gallon of sweat on the deck.
“Edwyrd, if you knew anything at all about demons, you would know that you can’t placate them. The only way you can deal with them at all is from a position of power. Not by being buddy-buddy. Now get Rupert back to bed.”
“Is she always this bossy?” Tizzy asked Rupert.
“Well,” Rupert tried to be conciliatory. “She’s under a lot of pressure right now; she just thinks she’s looking out for me.”
“Rupert!” Jenn was going to go beserk about any second now. Why did everyone have to be so unreasonable? Was she the only sane person left in the world? She glanced at the waterlogged Gastropé; well, one of two sane people in the world, she amended. This was a murder-loving demon they were dealing with. A fiendish monster from the fiery pits of the Abyss! Here they were standing around talking to it like some long-lost comrade.
“Demon! Would you just leave? You’ll find no friends here. Your demon lord has returned, leaving you. So go get left!” Jenn was nearly shouting at the end.
“You really shouldn’t get so worked up.” Tizzy commented casually. “My thirteenth mistress was the same way. Eventually she burst a blood vessel in her brain. I didn’t even have to help her!” Tizzy shook his head sadly.
Jenn swayed on her feet. She felt like she was going to collapse any second. She really wasn’t cut out for dealing with demons. Nor with senseless human males like Rupert and Edwyrd. “Maelen, would you please make Edwyrd and Rupert go?”
Maelen coughed, clearing his throat. “Esteemed colleagues. While it is true that I sense no immediate danger from this demon, prudence would dictate that you return to your quarters.”
“Enough!” Edwyrd said. “I can handle the demon, if it becomes a problem. You know that.” He glanced at Maelen who looked rather uncomfortable all of the sudden. “Demon,” Edwyrd addressed Tizzy directly for the first time. “What is it that you want? You’ve been told that the being you seek is no longer here.”
“Ahh, mister?” Tizzy inquired politely of Edwyrd.
“Edwyrd.” Edwyrd supplied.
“Mr. Wyrd, thank you for your politeness, some people could learn from your civil manner.” The demon glanced at Jenn from the corner of its eye. Jenn simply glared at the demon. The demon continued in an almost too suave, too civilized, theatrical tone. “It seems that my ride has temporarily vacated this plane. Since I can’t return without him, and since I am sure he will return to visit you, his... friends.” He smiled leeringly at Jenn, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Jenn’s face went red with fury. “I would like to wait with you, in the chance of encountering him again.”
Jenn had been watching the smiling demon. Now she was ticked. It acted like it was playing some sort of game with them. “Impossible!” Jenn snapped. “You may not stay here.”
“Well...” the demon returned its stare to her, tilting its head, and flexing four of its claws. This time it spoke in a higher pitched, more thoughtful tone. “If you prefer. I could go out to the nearby countryside. I hear there’s a lovely buffet. Nice ripe little children. Ready for picking and roasting.” The demon smiled evilly, a small flame sprouting from its upper right claw. He licked his lips. Jenn now followed Gastropé’s earlier lead, and blanched.
“You wouldn’t.” Jenn said horrified.
“Never know! Might. Might not!” Tizzy rocked his head back and forth several times. “I also hear there are some lovely virginal maids that direction.” Now he leered directly into Jenn’s eyes, licking his lips. “Nope. Hard to decide. So many choices. So many delicacies. I guess maybe you’re right.
“Yes indeed. Jenn was it?” Tizzy asked. “You have the right idea. Why should I wait around here for Tom to return to take me back to the Abyss? Here I have every demon’s dream. Free reign on the planes of men. All the young babes to eat, maidens to ravish and men’s souls to consume, that I could ever wish for!” Tizzy began dancing around in a circle.
Suddenly, before she could react. Tizzy grabbed her head with his top two claws and kissed her full on the lips. As he stepped back, releasing her, she spat. She was horrified, sickened. “Thank you, thank you, Jenn. You have given me such a wondrous idea. Here I was just going to go meekly back to the Abyss once Tom returned! But you! You my dear have given me such wonderful ideas.” Tizzy began testing his wings as if preparing to launch again.
Jenn was shocked. Almost speechless. She couldn’t believe this. The crazy creature was about to go out and create goddess knew what mayhem on the world. All because she’d told it to go! It was thanking her! Goddess save her! “No!” she shouted.
“No? You don’t want me signing your name in the credits after each massacre?” Tizzy asked, pausing suddenly. “You are a modest girl, but don’t worry. I will see you get your credit. After all, there are union rules to follow here. I really must give you billing credit. After all, you have practically given me the script to follow. Don’t worry, I’ll sign your name up in blood, right there with my own. What was your family name again?”
“No! Demon. I do not want credit. I do not want you going out to do this. You will stay here, with me, until the other demon comes back.” There, it had backed her into a corner. She didn’t want it to stay. Gastropé was staring at her. She didn’t have a choice, she didn’t know if it would really go out and do all those things, but it was a minion of the Concordenax. A being of cruelty and evil beyond imagining, it probably would do exactly what it promised. She had no choice, even if it was bluffing; she couldn’t risk that it wasn’t.
“Good marsh gas girl, you are just the slightest bit mutable in your desires. First go, then stay! Have you tried lithium? I hear it can work wonders. Or,” here the demon got quieter, as if trying to be confidential, “is it just, well, you know, female problems? That time of the month, hmm?”