Chapter Eight - It Could Always Be Worse

Cloud Kitty was resting peacefully on the kitchen counter when the sound of multiple Daemos running through the portal caught its attention, interrupting its nap. It gave a worried look as it stood, watching events unfold.

"Hold on a moment, Asch!" Rhys shouted, exasperated.

"What?!" Asch whirled around, coming to a stop outside Ava's bedroom door.

"We should trust Noi to court Ava."

"Why are we trusting Noi with such a task? This isn't something we can play around with here."

"Asch is right. It should be someone Asch can trust with Ava." Pierce sounded deadly serious.

"And the best person to trust would be myself."

"No, me!" Leif glared at the prince. "Noi hesitates to kill, and Asch, you haven't killed enough!"

"Do not challenge me, Leif. I - "

"Silence!" Rhys sighed. "I understand Noi is probably the lesser option on Daemos, but here on Ee-urth, Noi seems to have an advantage. Humans seem... less suspicious of him. Emerald certainly doesn't suspect any - "

"It doesn't matter! We're going to ensure Noi doesn't fail, or if he does, we take his place."

"How?!"

In one smooth motion, Asch hid his horns and faded from view. "Any more questions?" Hearing no immediate objections, the Daemos prince turned and stalked down the hallway.

"Your Majesty, do not use magic so recklessly! We can't - "

Leif let out a harsh laugh. "I'm for this!" He copied Asch's actions, following close behind.

"Leif, no! We can't run out of - " Rhys cut himself off as he heard a now-familiar sound, turning to see Pierce had also gone translucent. "PIERCE?! You too?!" The bespectacled Daemos gave a loud cry of frustration before he too followed suit. 

* * * * *

Emerald paused her music, taking off her headphones and listening intently: she was positive she'd heard one of the Daemos yelling outside. She sighed as she stood, opening her bedroom door. "C'mon, you guys. Would it kill you to - "

The woman stopped short, surprised to see... absolutely nothing. No Daemos, no Ava or her parents, not even Johnny Cat or that weird fluffy-lavender cat-like "spirit". For the first time in what felt like forever, she was completely alone.

"Nope," Emerald declared, shutting her door and shoving her headphones back down over her ears. She kept whispering "nope nope nopety-nope" until her music resumed, drowning out the overwhelming silence.

'I'm just going to assume they're all staying nice and quiet in their little portal room. If I can get this done, maybe I'll go to the restaurant and see how Ava's holding up.' Feeling better with a plan, she focused on the article in front of her.

Just to be safe, she placed her phone face-up on the desk next to her keyboard. 'Hopefully Ava and Noi don't freak out and blow their cover...'

* * * * *

"This is terrible! I have no idea how to be on a date, I've never been on one!" Ava stared down at her phone, frantically wondering if it was too late to text Emerald and demand step-by-step guidance. She stopped when she noticed Noi staring at her from the corner of her eye. "What?"

Blushing lightly, the smallest Daemos gave a small chuckle. "Thanks for choosing me."

"Huh?"

"It's just... I didn't think I would be trusted with something this important."

"I mean... I didn't really choose you, you were just kind of... there."

"Just... tell me what to do."

"Just... follow along with what I say and do. Now look: my pop Devon is very into movies and fiction and stuff while my dad Andrew is very much like a politics kind of business guy, just very boring and I don't understand what he says when he gets into his tangents about politics and stuff."

"Uhh..."

Ava sighed in frustration, cutting off a curse. "How can I explain this to you when you don't even know what any of that means?!" Ava blushed, reaching out. "J-just... hold my hand."

"Wha-WHAT?!"

"Hold my hand. It'll convince my dads we're together and in love and stuff."

Noi gasped loudly. "L-love?!"

* * * * *

Not one hundred feet away, the other Daemos were watching events unfold.

"What are they doing?" Rhys wondered. Even with the glasses from Emerald, they were a bit too far away for him to get a good look.

Asch gasped softly. "Is Sorcerer Ava offering her power to Noi?!"

"Nonsense! Noi has far from won her approval. But still... I'm interested to see how this goes. Courting Ava was not an idea that had come to mind as an option. It also begs the question: would we be better off courting both Ava and Emerald?"

* * * * *

"You aren't going to kill me, are you?" Noi was still hesitating to take Ava's hand in his own.

"Why would I do that, it - just - " She sighed again. "Trust me."

As soon as their fingers interlocked, both began to blush bright burgundy.

* * * * *

"What are they doing?"

Rhys did not miss the underlying anger in Pierce's voice. "Noi's turned completely red! Is she trying to kill him?!"

"FINALLY!" Leif cheered.

"No, he's still alive!" Asch seemed emotionally invested in the scene playing out before them.

* * * * *

"Why are you blushing?!" Ava demanded.

"Uh... is that what this is?" Noi was completely out of it. "Because... you're doing it too..."

"Just... tone it down before my dads see us! They'll think that we've never done this before and we're hand-holding virgins and - " She cut herself off, somehow blushing even more. "I-I mean noobs!"

"This is the first time I've ever touched someone like this..."

"R-really? M-me too..."

"Oh, d-did we interrupt something? I - " Devon cut himself off as he saw Noi and Ava's hands firmly locked together. He gasped, then leaned over to whisper to Andrew. "Should I ask for a picture? Because this moment is too precious!"

"No!" he whispered back fiercely. "We have to be calm and cool, so he thinks we're hip."

"No one says 'hip' anymore, Andrew. You're gonna make us seem desperate and weird!"

"You know, it's weird that you're standing right in front of us and whispering loudly." Ava glared at them, Noi's hand no longer in hers.

Andrew and Devon both gave small shouts of surprise, the former recovering first. "Heh, our apologies. We're just curious about... a lot of things."

The waiter chose that moment to come over and save them all from the situation. "Your table is ready," he purred smoothly in his accent. "I've gotten only the best for my best and most beautiful family of customers."

* * * * *

"Soo, Noi was it?" Devon immediately launched into the interrogation as soon as they were all settled in their seats.

The small Daemos gasped in surprise. "How did you know?!"

"Ava mentioned your name in the apartment." Andrew laughed easily.

"Oh... yeah! I did," Ava chuckled nervously. She glanced at her phone, typing under the table to see if there was any way Emerald could bail her out of this. She was so focused, she almost missed it when Devon asked Noi how the two of them met. 'Oh, shoot! I should have gone over this with Noi instead of fawning over holding his hand!'

"Oh, heh-heh, well you see, I met Sorceress Ava in the back of her home where no one could see us *mrph-bliblblb* - "

Ava slapped her hand over his mouth, cutting him off. "Whoops, you've got some pizza on you!" She chuckled nervously.

Andrew gave her a strange look. "But... we haven't even gotten the pizza..."

"Heh-heh, oh God, I'm so hungry, I didn't realize!" More nervous chuckles bubbled out as she frantically tried to come up with a cover story. "So, um... well, we met at the arcade... dance..."

"The... arcade dance...?"

"Uh... yeah. It was a masked ball, and I was wandering around the room and suddenly our eyes met and we didn't know who each other was... but we knew that we loved each other. And then we exchanged Instagrams because Noi d-didn't have a phone and... uh, yeah."

Devon gasped in amazement. "That sounds just like Romeo and Juliet!"

"Suspiciously similar to Romeo and Juliet," Andrew muttered, before smiling. "...but, that does explain why you made an Instagram account out of nowhere."

"It does? Oh yeah, wait, it does!"

"Interesting," Devon observed. "I thought you could only use Instagram on the phone..."

Fortunately for Ava, the waiter decided to bring out their order at that moment. "Here you go!" he exclaimed, setting it down on the table. "One pepperoni pizza with your favorite, Ava: a smiley face."

Andrew smiled. "Thank you."

* * * * *

Right outside the front window, the other Daemos were trying to see what was happening.

"Ugh, this is no use," Rhys complained. "I can't hear a single thing going on!"

"Then we're going in," Asch growled as he headed towards the front door, Pierce and Leif hot on his heels.

"What? Wait!" Rhys rushed after them.

* * * * *

Just as Emerald was submitting the final document, her phone lit up. A quick glance showed a wall of frantic texts from Ava, demanding guidance for the date. The veteran read over them quickly. 'Yeah, this is going about as well as I thought it would.'

She sighed, standing up and grabbing a pair of socks from her dresser as she left her room. As she pulled on her shoes and socks with one hand, she used the other to text Ava that help was on the way. 'Let's just hope this doesn't make everything even more awkward.'

* * * * *

"What is that?" Noi stared in open wonder at the dish in front of him.

"It's called 'pizza'," Ava whispered. "Just eat it and smile."

Tentatively, he took a bite. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, finishing the first slice and shoveling three more into his mouth. "This is delicious!"

"Wow," Andrew chuckled in disbelief. "Uh... you have a large appetite, don't you?"

"And a large lack of manners," Devon added.

Ava laughed nervously. "Um, N-Noi! Let's, uh... let me show you where the bathroom is so you can clean up. Heh-heh."

"Bathroom? Hyurk!" Anything else Noi wanted to say was cut off as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to follow.

"I'm so happy for Ava!" Devon gushed. "But I have to admit, she's being really odd about this date."

"Eh, I honestly feel both of their behaviors are... perfectly normal. Remember when I introduced you to my parents?"

"Oh God, that was awkward."

"Exactly! W-we just... need to give them time to adjust to us. But still..."

"Something on your mind?"

"I'd like to know if Ava has other friends as well. She's always kept to herself since middle school, and all those kids we tried to get her play dates with, uh, never really clicked with her. In fact, I think the only real 'friend' she's ever had is Emerald, and you know how rough that whole thing started out."

"Let's... not worry about that right now. I'm just glad to know she has some kind of companionship in her life."

* * * * *

Ava led Noi into the bathroom, not even bothering to check if he would close the door behind them.

"Eh, this entire ordeal is a huge clusterf - "

"Whoa," Noi gasped softly. "What is this room?"

"It's a bathroom, like the ones that we have at home." She quickly wet a paper towel and began to wipe off his face. "It's where people come to, uh... wash up. You know, like when Em and I put ourselves into water."

"Haha, oh, that thing you do when you take your clothes off!"

Ava gave him a flat glare. "Yeah. Uh... why is that the only detail you remember?"

"I guess because it's interesting. Daemos don't do that."

"You don't? Then... how do you get... clean?"

"We use magic."

"T-that is... odd to me, but you know what? You guys made a portal to another house in my apartment, so I'm not questioning it." Her phone went off, drawing her attention down. "Oh, thank God Em answered me!" She became absorbed in reading and responding, so much so she almost missed what Noi said next.

"Do you love me, Ava?"

"What?!" She scrambled to keep her phone from falling out of her hands as she backed away, successfully shoving it into her pocket.

"Is love something humans care about?"

"Uh, I mean... isn't that something you guys care about?"

"It's not something we're supposed to care about. That's why most Daemos don't fear me, so I have to work extra hard in order to prove myself." He sniffed. "I'm sure I would've been killed if Asch didn't spare me..."

"Wait... why would your own kind want to kill you?"

Noi gasped as he realized he'd revealed a little too much to her. "I-I-I mean, um..."

A knock on the door made both of them jump. "Hey, quit making out in there and hurry up! Some of us have to take a giant sh- "

"Shut up, I'll take as long as I want!" Ava yelled back, then sighed. "Come on, my parents are probably questioning what's taking us so long. Just... keep being hot."

"Hot?" If Noi was a puppy, his head definitely would have tilted to one side in confusion.

"I mean... keep being you! S-shut up, let's go!" Ava blushed as she ushered him out of the bathroom, shooting a glare at the woman waiting outside as they passed.

* * * * *

Andrew sighed tiredly. "What's taking them so long?"

"S-so sorry about that," Ava apologized as she and Noi returned to the table. "Long line at the bathroom."

"There they are!" Asch called out from behind Andrew and Devon.

"Where did they go?!" Rhys wondered aloud.

"So, uh, Noi. Tell me: what kind of job do you have?"

"Job?"

Leif looked at Rhys. "What's a job?"

"S-so Dad... how is your campaign going?"

"Haven't you been keeping up?""Uh, I mean... I've been busy looking for a job and stuff."

Andrew just gave her the classic "I'm not mad, I'm disappointed" look perfected by parents over millennia.

She cracked quickly. "Okay, fine, I haven't kept up. But Em's been giving me updates every now and then. At least, she does whenever I see her, which isn't always a lot because she's been so busy with work the last couple weeks. You know how it gets. Heh-heh-heh..."

He sighed. "Ava..."

Devon tried to head him off. "Darling, now isn't the time to - "

"You're gonna have to grow up someday, pumpkin. You should really care about - "

"What's a campaign?" Noi cut in.

Andrew reacted as if he'd been punched in the throat.

"Breathe, darling, breathe!" his partner comforted him, patting him on the back.

"Uh, Noi, my dad is running for City Council. It's like being the leader of a lot of humans, heh... "

"That's an odd way to describe it."

"Did you hear that?!" Rhys squeaked out.

"Ava's father is the leader of all the humans!" Asch's mind whirled with possibilities.

"Which makes her..." Leif trailed off.

Pierce finished the sentence for him. "... a princess."

"Oh, that's it! Noi cannot have this opportunity!" Asch began to make his way around the table towards Ava.

"No! This is my chance!" Leif growled, chasing after him.

"You all need to stop! I - " Rhys cut himself off as he saw Pierce slip away to the other side. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! If anyone gets to control the humans through Ava, it's going to be ME!"

By now, Andrew had recovered from his earlier shock. "Noi, if you're to be with my daughter, you must understand: in this family, we care about democra - "

Asch interrupted, appearing out of nowhere at Ava's side. "Ava, Noi is clearly a lesser suitor for you."

All three humans gasped.

"I would kill for her!" Leif declared angrily, appearing next to Asch.

"You both need to stop," Pierce warned darkly.

"Who are these guys?!" Devon squeaked out in confusion.

"Ava! What's going on?!"

"I... uh... " The young woman made pitiful, confused noises as she tried to get the situation back under control. "Uh..."

"Allow me to introduce myself," Rhys cut in smoothly. "I'm Rhys, and - "

"Why are you all approaching her?!" Asch demanded angrily. "You're all traitors!"

"This is Ee-urth! You know what that means!" Leif shot back.

"Oh my God," Devon declared flatly, turning to Andrew. "A-are these guys fighting over our baby?"

"Ava... explain what's going on!"

It was all way too much for her to handle. As Ava felt herself pass out, she could've sworn she heard Emerald's voice calling her name.