moonshadows | TBTT 01. Someone like me

He circles around her, boots clicking against the polished stone floor. She holds very still as he examines her from every angle, knowing that his eyes see more than can be seen.

"Joshua's tame demon. Why did you come here?"

She licks her lips, eyes still glued to the floor. "I had to see you."

A pause as he comes back around to the front and stands there, arms crossed, the fingers of one hand tapping on the opposite elbow. Her gaze is drawn to his fingernails, which are immaculately clean and manicured. "And what is that you see?"

"Someone I can serve. Someone I can devote my life to." Greatly daring, she raises her head to meet his eyes. "Someone like me."

His eyes narrow, the shadows of green flames that do not exist flaring briefly. "Explain."

The growl rolls around her, making her heart beat faster. She knows she should be afraid; he is not known for his kindness or mercy. But somehow, all that danger says to her is Yes! Yes! and she knows that she would walk through fire for him.

"Your boots," she says softly. "No pair of boots in the world will ever sound against the floor like yours do." A mental relaxing; letting go of one layer. She stamps her foot and lets the sound ring out. "...except mine."

She can feel his shock. It ripples out in silent waves.

"Who are you?" Not a growl this time, his voice is a whisper that slides into her soul.

"Jentessa, daughter of dreadlord Mal'Ganis." She knows the name will mean nothing to him, but the word she used does.

"Dreadlord." He glowers at her, the shadow of horns looming overhead. "Why did you come here, to this world?"

"I was looking for a place where my family couldn't find me." The old pain wells up and she knows she looks like a little girl, but she doesn't care. "I had to get away. They all think I'm a freak anyway. None of them care about me."

Freak. It hangs in the air between them. Her cheeks are wet, another sign of her dysfunctionality. The silence stretches, possibility balancing on a hypothetical knife's edge.

"...why did you come here?" He is no longer speaking the language of the world. She hasn't been speaking it since she gave her name.

Another layer gone; her eyes glow dimly through the veils that remain, green reflecting on the tears that still flow. "I told you - I had to see you."

Through the expensive and exquisitely tailored suit, she can dimly see whorls of green against purple. His resolve wavers along with the illusion, the walls he'd erected so long ago trembling under her vulnerable onslaught.

"Do you know who you are speaking to?" He is ready to strike her down with his reputation, with his past, but disbelief leaves the threat hollow and all she hears is, Yes. Yes.

"The one I want to serve until the end of my days," she says as her heart yearns towards him, feeling as though it will rip itself free from her chest and fling itself at his feet in adoration.

"Do you comprehend the things I have done?"

Too late, he tries to bring the walls back up. The illusions return, but she has seen through them and steps fearlessly inside his defenses. Her hooves click against the stone as she kneels at his feet, and she can see the claws behind the manicure.

"I don't care," she whispers, taking one hand in hers and bringing it up to her cheek. He flinches as the pads of his fingers brush against her skin, but does not pull away. After a trembling moment, they spread as though drinking in the touch.

Neither of them says a word; they both hear Yes! Yes! and it is enough.