...Alright, I have decided.
Partly because my legs hurt. Again. Partly because we're near people and I can't help but think of our confrontation in the prior town.
I admit. That was pretty scary. Barely being able to stop him before he hurt someone else was terrifying. But letting him be the one leading us around is unbearable. Again, partly because of my legs.
But also...!
I'm the one that died! Unfairly, at that. I'm the one dragged into this world, and that hunk of half naked attitude in front of me is supposed to be my weapon, not my leader.
And it's infuriating.
I've let my fear of his abilities - and his anger - get the better of me. I can't even complain about him too much or he'll take it out on someone else, and it'd be on me.
But...
The necklace on him says that I'm the one giving the commands. And...
I did stop him before.
I glance toward Angus. I know he can send those telepathic messages to me, but I don't have any good way to communicate with him in the same manner. And I don't want to speak to him out loud.
Not with the demon king's ears.
But...
I manage to catch his attention. I make a gesture.
...He doesn't seem to understand.
Apparently a writing gesture means nothing to him. I sigh.
He flies to my side, and I just....
Pat him on his shoulder. The one time I want ad vice and he's not giving me tips. I can't intiate secret communication with him but I was hoping he'd realize that's what I wanted from him.
No dice.
...it's. Fine. I don't know if he'd have any advice for me anyway.
I draw in a breath and cross my arms.
"We're stopping here." I say, with all the confidence I have. And a little I don't. "I need to rest and eat something." I say, gesturing vaguely toward the food stalls. "And you're going to do the same."
The demon king turned on his heel so fast I didn't even notice the motion. One second he was walking away from me, and the next he was standing in front of me, a looming tower of muscle and barely contained rage. His purple eyes were blazing, the air around him crackling with a dangerous, static energy.
"You command me?" he asked, his voice a low, silky growl that sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear. "You forget your place, insect."
...I really shouldn't let it get to me.
He's terrifying and imposing.
And.
This is absolutely a classic kabedon. Standing in front of me, arms on either side. There's a wall behind me. It's so...
So tropey.
And...
I'm getting. Distracted. Staring at him.
FOCUS! VIOLET!
"I'm not forgetting anything." I said, my voice shaking a little, but I held my ground. I looked up at him, meeting his furious gaze with a defiance I didn't entirely feel. "You may be a king, but I'm the one with the leash."
His eyes narrow. "The leash?" His voice drops an octave. I don't think he's pleased at all.
I swallow.
But I don't back down.
I gesture to the necklace.
"That's right. I'm the one in charge. And I say we're stopping." I said, trying to inject a note of authority into my voice. "It's not a request. It's a command. That you have to follow." It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. But I'd been pushed around and insulted and dragged through the mud for days. My patience had worn thin.
And...and I think. I can stop him from killing anyone.
Otherwise, why wouldn't this proud man do that when he was offended by humans and dryads alike?
His expression hardens a touch, and his lips curl up into a smile that's....
Neither mirthful nor seductive but feels like some kind of haunted echo of both.
A hand reaches up, and his fingers trace my jaw. His touch was cool, surprisingly gentle, and it sent a jolt of unwanted heat through my body. He leaned in closer, his face just inches from mine.
"Such soft skin," he murmured, his thumb tracing the line of my cheekbone. "I'll make it into leather." The threat was a soft, intimate promise.
...My heart was beating so fast in my chest I think I can hear it in my ears.
But he's just talking.
He's just trying to scare me. He can't do that.
And I know that.
I lick my lips. "Is that what you say to all the women you like?"
His eyes narrow, and for a second his hand tightens on my jaw painfully. But then he lets it go and takes a step back.
"Are you a woman?" His voice sounded bored - a put upon sound. "I had not noticed."
That. Offended me in a way I didn't expect.
I am most certainly a woman, you bastard!
But I didn't say that. I can't give him the satisfaction of getting an emotional reaction out of me. My eyes narrow. I turn to leave, toward one of the stalls. "I'll find something to eat. You just. Have to follow me. Whether you like it or not."
I huff, and march away from him.
"And I! Am a woman!"
I don't look back.
And he doesn't respond.
But I feel him behind me.
Following.
Like a shadow, like a dog on a leash.
...I won. That time.
So far.
Now...
I guess I have to call his bluff. If he'll force me to stop him from killing someone again or, if my rather hopeful self-calculations were true, he won't bother with the effort. I'm honestly not sure how to judge.
So I...
I look at the stalls.
I decide to try a small one. I feel out of place with my travel worn clothing and my general exhaustion. I probably look homeless.
No. Not probably. I definitely do.
Which is why I try to pick a stall that looks run down.
It's a little old woman with a few skewers of meat. She looks friendly, at least. Wrinkled face, smiling.
Only once I get there, do I turn my heel back...to Angus.
"Do you...have. Money for this world?"
If I remember correctly, the one who had gold - somehow - was the Demon Lord who paid for the inn last time. But. I don't want to ask him for anything. Nevermind he wouldn't give it under these circumstances anyway.
No.
I won't.
Besides, there had to be some kind of contingency plan for if I got a weapon instead, right?
The angel flutters his wings. "...I have a little budget. You're supposed to start earning rewards from heroism, though...!" He trails off into a whine. "It's not my fault you haven't been very heroic!"
Well, the dryads didn't pay me in gold so....
I plant my hands on my hips. "And how much is a little?"
"Um..." he pulls out a pouch and hands it to me.
It's not heavy at all.
But I don't open it in front of him, I just turn and go back to the stall and order two skewers. That should be fine. I hope.
I feel the oppressive weight and heat of the demon lord looming behind me, but I pretend that I don't, focusing on the skewers and the friendly - if slightly intimidated - old woman. Once procured, I hand one of them over to the angel.
"Here. Energy is important." I say.
"O-oh! Right! Yes!" He says, and takes a bite.
As for the demon king....
I simply walk past him, chin up, and take a bite of my skewer. A big one. Just to make a point.