Not What It Seems
Chapter 8

A few more days of tedious interaction with Vudu passed, and I was given the all clear on being able to leave my home and resume my rounds in helping people. Vudu decided to stay in my home until he was fully recovered. As much as I wanted him to leave, he became more pleasant to me again. He continued to tease, but he does it more in jest and harmless.

Once I was done for the day, I made my way back to my home, desperately hoping for something normal. But with Vudu, things were hardly ever normal. I let out a heavy sigh and placed my hand on the handle of the door. It opened with ease and I fell forward from the sudden lack of support. I automatically reached out for something, anything.

My hands contacted two arms held out. A pair of boots entered my field of vision, and I stared at the unfamiliar footwear. With some support from the person in front of me, I was able to take in the form in front of me. His clothes hugged his body and showed off his muscles, and he looked like a rogue.

Who was this? I didn’t recognize the platinum blond hair, the baby blue eyes, the chiseled features. He gave me a crooked smile and a raised eyebrow. He found this amusing for some reason.

“You are quite clumsy for someone who is supposed to use magic like a dance.” He stated.

Wait… that voice. “Vudu?!”

He gave me a grin. “You like it? All demons can disguise their true forms. How else do you think we can affect those on this world?”

I pulled away. “You mean you can look like a normal person, and you choose to just camp out in my home?”

“Hey,” he argued. “I had to recover my strength. Being in that mirror really weakened me. I couldn’t even do this small little trick until now. I still have a way to go before I’m fully recuperated.”

Now I had another thing to get use to. I let out another sigh and straightened my stance. Walking past him, I entered my home and placed my staff against a corner. My bag went to the floor next to a chair, and I slumped into the chair. I was tired and needed some rest.

“You know what I need.” Vudu interrupted my thoughts. “A night out of the house. We should go to the tavern and check it out. Maybe play a few pranks.”

My hand went to my forehead. “I’m not in the mood, Vudu.”

“Long day, huh?” He asked.

I went and massaged my temples. “Yes, one of the patients I help has taken a turn for the worst. I don’t think I can do anything to help them.”

Vudu was silent for a bit. “Maybe Romos has decided it’s time for them to return to him.”

I didn’t respond immediately. “How is it a demon sometimes knows more about Romos, scripture, and His Will more than some of our scholars and prophets?”

“You have to know your enemy to be able to effectively fight against them.” He joked.

I looked over at him with a cocked eyebrow. “I think there’s more to it than that.”

He simply shrugged. “I think a night out would really help you right now. Let’s just distract your mind from the negative and have some fun. Come on.”

I thought for a moment. “Alright, but only for a few hours. I want to get a good night’s rest.”

“Fine. Fine.” He waved. “Shall we go to your friend’s tavern? I could play a few games of Dragon’s Hord.”

I gave a weak smile but nodded and stood up. We exited my home and walked the short distance to the tavern. The nights were always busier there than the afternoons when I would usually arrive. Luckily, Elaine’s husband, Erik had returned from his duties with the King and was helping her out. They had a few hired helpers to act as the waiting staff and to clean things up, but even with those additional hands, these busy nights kept everyone on their feet.

“Zeriah,” Elaine’s voice called to me. “I didn’t expect you to come tonight.”

I waved to Vudu as he walked over to the game tables to play some cards. I walked over to my friend and sat down on the bar. I was greeted by smiles by Elaine and Erik. As I relaxed, I noticed a different look in my friend’s eye. She had seen me enter with Vudu, and curiosity was eating at her.

“Who was that? The man you came with?” She asked as she placed a cup in front of me.

I glanced back at him, and he let out a hearty laugh as he placed down a card. The reactions of the other players caused me to chuckle. “That? Do you remember that demon I told you about?”

“You’re kidding!” She belted out. “That’s Vudu? He doesn’t look like a demon.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Apparently, demons are able to change their form to hide themselves within the non-demon population.”

She looked him over. “And of course, he as to be a handsome fellow.”

“He’s a demon, Elaine.” I restated. “Besides, he said that demons don’t do things like love. It apparently ‘destroys’ them, as he put it. They cease to exist. Besides you’re married.”

“Oh no!” She held her hands up. “Not for me, for you!”

I withdrew from her. “What are you talking about?”

She laughed. “Come on, I’ve never seen you so comfortable with someone like this.”

“It would never happen anyway.” I explained. “He sees anyone that isn’t a demon as not even a person. He sees us as objects to play with.”

“That does put a damper on any relationship.” She explained.

I shrugged. A light touch on my shoulder caused me to turn to see Vudu next to me. He had an expression that showed discomfort and uncertainty of what to do. I gave him a cocked eyebrow as I waited for him to tell me what was wrong.

“Get it off of me.” He said, each word strongly emphasized.

My expression changed to confused until he directed my attention to his legs. A little girl, Elaine’s and Erik’s little girl, Lina clung to Vudu’s leg in a bear hug. Toddler’s grips were strong, so I could understand his difficulty in removing her. But my confusion was why she seemed to like Vudu so much.

I laughed and crouched down to talk to her. “Lina, do you want to sit on Aunty Zeri’s lap?”

Her grip on Vudu tightened. “No!”

The demon’s stance became stiff. “Zeriah, you know that I don’t beg. But I am getting close to begging.”

“I’m trying, Vudu.” I explained. “Toddlers don’t always listen.”

After a long while of trying to get Lina to leave Vudu’s leg, he eventually sat down and gave up. He refused to look at her, and we were stuck there for a while. As the night grew late, the crowds in the tavern began to thin. I continued to talk to Elaine and Erik, and Vudu sulked through the night.

I looked over at Vudu right as Lina let go of his leg. Vudu let out a short celebration, but it was quickly ended when she walked closer to him while rubbing her eyes. He froze as she crawled into his lap and cuddled up to him. Quickly, she fell asleep against his chest. Vudu’s eyes widened as she got comfortable, and slowly his arms wrapped around her. They trembled slightly as he didn’t fully know what to do with the little girl in his arms. But something seemed to change in Vudu’s eyes. He wasn’t seeing her as a toy to play with. He was seeing something else.

“I want one.” His eyes suddenly jumped up to mine.

“No.” I quickly replied. I knew exactly what he was thinking. “Kids are not pets. Non-demons are not pets.”

“But I’ve seen humans and elves with animals as pets.” He argued. “Why can’t I have one.”

“Animal pets are different from a child.” I explained. “Children require a lot of responsibility and are dependent on their parents or caregivers for well over a decade.”

“I can do that.” He gave me a look of pleading. “Please.”

“No.” I told him. “You aren’t going to have a human as a pet. It’s not right, and you can never have a human as a pet because we are not pets. You will never understand that until you see us more than just something demons can use.”

I glared at him. He seemed to get the message and dropped the subject. But his eyes went back down to the little girl in his arms and he continued to watch her, admiring every feature of her face. She seemed almost foreign to him.

Soon enough, Erik came over and carefully pulled his daughter from Vudu’s arms and took her to bed. I bid my friends farewell and grabbed Vudu’s collar and dragged him out of the tavern. He had gotten on my nerves that night, and I needed a good long rest before I could have a civil conversation with him.

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