Seeking Out The Boogeyman [Vee/Kokuto]

"Hey hey, did you hear? Some really freaky looking guy's been around the city lately."

"Oh gosh, you mean the one with all the creepy scars and the sharp eyes? Yeah I heard he was a demon."

"Why the heck is he even allowed here? Don't demons like... Eat people or something?"

""Well he hasn't eaten anyone yet, obviously!"

"Yeah, YET."

One again, Vee was listening out for what a group of younger girls were talking about, mostly in her pursuit to really get this whole place nailed down in her mind. She already had a good idea of how to get around and where was best to go, but keeping track of rumors and gossip only gave her more places or people to check out. Though she kept hearing about this supposedly scary man lurking around the place, though really she had only heard about his appearance and race, as opposed to him actually doing anything wrong.

Alright, sure. It was a rest day - might as well investigate this supposed boogeyman. Maybe he wasn't a bad guy, it's not like he's been running around hurting anyone, not like the Vandenreich would stand for someone running around hurting their own. Then again, she'd been hearing terrible tales about demons since she was a kid - Mum always told her stories of how a demon ate up this relative, cursed this other relative, wounded some other guy, on and on, a lot of supposedly true scary stories of one of many terrible races, warning her children about the dangers of the modern world. The recent wars didn't do much to hail any good faith from them, either, but Vee couldn't imagine they were all that bad, especially one allowed to stay in the city.

So she lurked around a few spots she had heard him being seen in, just general public places where he could be, spending her day just walking around looking out for the obvious sore thumb of a man.

Kokuto knew that rumors already were spreading about him, not long into his stay at the City of Lights and his enlistment into the Vandenreich. He had mostly chosen to ignore them -- he needed to prove with his actions, not his words, of what his true colors were. He stuck to doing his work, practicing and training in his spare time, before going back home for a bit of peace and quiet -- or, as much peace and quiet as he could get with Ichijou around.

But, right now, at least, he was just wandering through the City of Lights, going on a walk he had routinely made for himself. He sat down on a bench, rummaging through the inner pockets of his jacket, before pulling out a packet of cigarettes, taking one out and putting the pack back in his pocket. Kokuto saw a few eyes on him as they walked past while he put the stick in his mouth, before standing back up and continuing his walk.

Even in the quiet moments, it was as if there was ice in their eyes, waiting for what they felt was the inevitable. He remembered what Cyrus told him -- it was a problem with the, not with himself. It was true, but, god, it sure as shit didn't feel like it sometimes. He didn't say a word as he snapped his fingers, a flame igniting at the tip of his thumb as he lit the cigarette and took a drag from it, setting his head in his hand and sighing softly.

"Just keep puttin' in the work and the effort. Can't please everyone, after all."

Coding BY: [THEFROST]

She damn near jumped out of her skin when she saw the guy - holy shit they were not kidding he was covered in giant burn scars!

Vee was so shocked she quickly jumped into an alleyway, watching as the strange man walked by, staring at him with wide amber eyes. She was a weird mix of fearful, yet excited. Excited that the guy actually did exist, and fearful because of what he was, and how he looked like. He seemed pretty damn scary, like someone who you wouldn't want to mess with, not totally unexpected for a demon after all. However... A closer look at his face, his eyes...

...He looked sad.

Demons had weird emotions, right? So maybe.. Maybe he was one who just looked sad, right? Like, his default? She wasn't sure in the slightest... Really, all she could do now was probably swallow whatever hesitation she had within her and go.. Say hi to the kinda intimidating guy. Slipping out from behind the building she hid, she'd try to match up pace with the strange man, until she was walking right next to him. Her expression and gait were super stiff and clearly kind of freaked out, but still she pushed herself to look up,

"Soooooo.. Hiiiii thereeee... I've seen you around these parts, uh... What's up?"

He wasn't really surprised to see a lot of people avoiding him whenever he was out. People generally didn't want to be seen with the demon, much less the guy who looked like he just walked through a house fire and miraculously came out fine. But, as he walked, there was something he couldn't shake. He could sense people around him, but there was something other than just sensing energy around him -- he felt someone watching him. His gait slowed for a moment, taking another draw from the cigarette as he looked around.

...Nothing.

Maybe someone was just watching him from around the corner and ran off. Probably some dumb kid, finding the weird patchwork guy interesting or funny to look at. Whatever, it wasn't too abnormal. Kokuto shrugged, before resuming his walk. It didn't take long for him to get that feeling again, but he could hear the footsteps of someone behind him, trying to match his pace. He looked to the side of him and down, seeing a girl standing there, looking back up at him.

He blinked a few times, about to speak, before she broke the silence. He could tell by her walk, her expression, and how she spoke that she was kinda freaked out, not that he could blame her. So, turning back to make sure he could see where he was going for a moment, then turning back, he gave a brief wave of his hand, a warm, friendly smile forming on his scarred face.

It felt nice to not have someone run away in terror -- not like the rumors about him helped any. If anything, this girl was probably just interested in finding out if the rumors about him were true -- if he was some ticking time bomb monster that was gonna eat or murder someone. Nevertheless, the deep, yet raspy and broken voice of the devil held the same warmth and friendly tone as his demeanor as he finally answered the girl.

"'Sup. Kinda surprised you came up to me like that. I'm guessin' you're the one that I've felt was watchin' me, huh? What's your name, kid?"

Coding BY: [THEFROST]

"Whaaaat? Nooooo..."

Her tone was awkward and a little stiff. Oops, she guessed her stealth game wasn't super great... Not that she really picked up any stealth skills to begin with. Stealthing wasn't her jive, really; she was never a good liar or hider, not that she would even want to do any of those things. Even so, she still walked next to the man, shoulders stiff and somewhat squared as she walked along,

"..Vivyan Faye... Not a kid, i'm 19."

Her nostrils flared somewhat at the idea of her looking like a kid; the last thing she wanted to look like was some lost child or whatever. Then again, she probably shouldn't go out of her way to upset the guy who probably could bend her in a few moments with weird powers or whatever. She heard rumors of some girl who came back from being with a bunch of demons for a while and she was completely messed up... So it wasn't like she knew what he was capable of. Regardless, she tried to make sure people were around as she walked by him, and making sure their walk didn't end up anywhere dark or isolated.

"So.. Uh. What're you doing here... Mr...?"

The awkward and stiff tone that she suddenly shifted to made the devil chuckle a bit as he took another drag from the death stick. Seems like his hunch was right, she was the one who had been tailing him. He snickered lightly at her age, 19. After living for so long, it felt strange to hear such low numbers for ages like that.

"Compared to me, that's really damn young. I'm around...four-hundred-somethin'. I was born in the late 1900's, around the eights or nineties. Can't proper remember which these days."

The walkway grew more crowded in time, and people passed by the two, giving strange looks to Vivian, and harsh glares at Kokuto. He sighed softly, offering some friendly waves with a warm smile as they passed, trying to ease the tension. His head turned to face her as she asked what he was doing here, and wondering his name. Taking one last drag from the cigarette before crushing it in his hand, a brief orange glow emanating from the closed fist before he opened it to reveal it empty, not even ashes to remain after.

"Kokuto. I guess, if we're givin' surnames, Kokuto Rooks. I'm here, because....well, I wanna do something good for the world I grew up in. I was human before this, believe it or no."

He paused, his expression turning more serious.

"I've said it before to others, but, I wanna show and prove that not all demons are monsters. I know what my kind have done. It's...admittedly harder than I thought it was gonna be, but, I'm gonna do it."

His expression shifted again, his raspy voice turning more casual as he turned to her.

"What about you? What're you doin' here? Haven't been here long, so, maybe I missed ya, but, you don't seem all that familiar. You new?"

Coding BY: [THEFROST]

She caught that snicker, her stiff expression getting some bits of annoyance in there, biting her lip softly - what, was there an issue with being 19? However, her annoyed look turned to one of pure shock as he told her exactly how old he was - about four-hundred years old. FOUR-HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

"Mon Dieu..." She'd softly breathe at that figure. She couldn't imagine living one-hundred years much less several hundred. She knew some particularly powerful Quincy and other spiritual beings were able to live long, long times, but she didn't think it'd extend to demons as well. If that wasn't shocking, what was more shocking was that he claimed.. HE USED TO BE HUMAN?

Could that happen? Could a human become a demon? Was it like cooties or a disease? Oh god, what the fuck?

"Wait wait wait!" She held up two hands, "How the hell did you become a demon?! Is it contagious? Is it like a cold except really permanent and makes you all- okay I realize I probably sound a little mean, sorry."

She'd clear her throat, "That, and... Yes i'm new. Only been here a few weeks. But seriously is that contagious?!"

Even that subtle, small whisper was enough to make the devil chuckle softly. It wasn't often that he found someone who didn't fully grasp the concept of prolonged ages within the world. As she stopped him, Kokuto turned his head to face her as she quickly started bombarding him with questions. Wow, she...really wasn't all that knowledge about the world. His grin faded into a look of surprise, blinking a few times.

But, as she started asking if turning into a demon, or even worse, turning into someone like him, was contagious, he smiled and laughed again, patting the girl's head as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Yer fine, I've heard much worse thrown at me. As for turnin', it ain't contagious or anythin' like that.Y You ain't gonna start sproutin' horns or somethin' just by bein' around me. I turned into a demon of my own will, it was my choice. Lookin' like a bootleg Freddy Krueger, however, not so much. That didn't have anythin' to do with me turnin' into a demon."

He paused, exhaling softly as he turned to look ahead of him.

"When I first became a Demon, and I got out of Demon World, I hadn't learned how to control my powers properly. I tried to save someone who was bein' assaulted, but...I ended up settin' myself on fire. Ended up becomin' the walkin' nightmare ya see before ya."

Coding BY: [THEFROST]