D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

Despite the tension ratcheting up in the room, the home team felt that same silence was much more comfortable for them. Roxy was having trouble keeping up with what seemed like nonsense. The thing that was causing her more issues was actually just how honestly everyone was taking the information. Nobody was cracking, not even the slightest slip. Roxy knew Sylvie was a smart child… but she wasn't even ten. The idea she was being lied to, with no tells… well after all her years of practice she had some pride in those skills. Roxy wasn't willing to believe she'd gotten so rusty… so what the heck was going on here?

The answer that her pride wanted her to come to was that… it wasn't a lie. That everything being said was true. To admit otherwise would be disrespecting her skills… but her mind couldn't accept such a thing. Vivian was horrible at hiding things, even through letters. Could she really have hidden something like this? No, certainly not… right? Roxy took another sip of tea as the silence lingered.

Bruce took his own first sip of tea. He'd been watching the entire exchange and was able to notice a few more details. Kat wasn't lying… but something strange was going on. He'd picked up on her quick chats with Lily, but didn't have the context to know what it meant. He realised that Vivian had managed to find some interesting brats, and had gotten better at misleading her mother… even if she didn't have any resistance to Roxy's teasing. Bruce wanted to shake his head at that. Vivian could walk through an orgy fully clothed and just apologise for entering the wrong room with a straight face. He would know, he watched it happen once. Genuine accident, and Vivian was just so calm throughout the whole thing. He was actually the more put out of the two.

Yet, even still, Roxanne made a slight insinuation that she was having a romp in the sheets with Callisto and the girl just melts. Once again, Bruce had to resist shaking his head. He really did wish the pair would make up their minds in some way. Despite what Roxanne might want to believe, they weren't getting any younger. Time was marching onwards and bullying Vivian about a relationship that may or may not be serious was just growing to drag the whole thing out. Bruce wished Callisto would have a bit more input on the issue as a whole, but that'd be like trying to get blood from a stone. Callisto would go along with whatever Vivian wanted… and he never could figure out what exactly Callisto wanted other than that.

The fact that Vivian had managed to pick up one 'confirmed' lesbian was something that eased Bruce's mind. It wasn't quite true, but it did ease his mind. Bruce was of the opinion that little fact would do more to shake up Callisto and Vivian's relationship then anything Roxanne could ever hope to do. He didn't know which way the dominoes would fall, but if one of them could just ADMIT to something then they could both move forward. Bruce didn't care if that meant moving forward together, or apart but if either of them were a bit less successful he'd be worried about how much they were spinning the wheels.

Bruce suppressed the twitching in his fingers, the need to spread them out was strong but his will was stronger. Enough about things he wasn't going to interfere in. Roxanne would continue her ineffectual game, and enjoy doing it. Callisto would take two steps forward, and another two back during the whole episode… and Vivian would collapse under the embarrassment, wait till Roxanne left and then remove it all from her mind. What was interesting… was the new kids.

Sylvie, the younger one, actually interested him more. Despite being on Vivian's lap, the kid's demeanour screamed Callisto. Honestly, if didn't know how fiercely loyal Callisto was to his daughter, the first guess as to why they were adopting the kid was because Sylvie was actually Callisto's flesh and blood daughter. He supposed that Sister was possible as well… but how Callisto's parents managed to be blessed with such an intelligent child… well let him muse 'innocently' that it was a strong argument that God didn't exist. If those two could end up with a child so smart and skilled despite all their choices… well. Luck had to be the driving force of the world didn't it?

He could see that Sylvie was watching everything, and new from the letters he'd received that she knew a great deal as well. Anyone that could go up against Callisto in a game of chess and take a few rounds was impressive. Callisto wouldn't let anyone win against her more than once if she could help it. Going a bit easy to get people into the game? Sure. Consistently falling to someone to let them feel better? Never. Sylvie's intellect was extreme and it was quite clear the girl knew how to use it.

The problem that presented at the moment, was Roxanne wasn't making a great first impression on the girl. Sure pranking Vivian was fun, and it was deserved, Bruce would never deny that, he was against going about it this way. He'd argued they should call ahead. That they should at least warn Callisto, so she could inform the kids. He was ignored. It wasn't a great surprise, and he wasn't too beat up about it. Roxanne was correct in her arguments that Callisto would warn Vivian. It was an easy conclusion to reach… but he was regretting not fighting the decision harder. It didn't seem worth the damage they were currently doing. Irreparable, no, but certainly not ideal.

As for the older girl… Bruce thought it likely she was warned about Roxanne. He wondered about that choice. Kat was holding her own, obviously, but did she really need the warning? Bruce knew that if he had to choose, Sylvie would've been warned about what to expect. She was clearly intelligent enough to understand the specifics and perhaps even the reasons behind them. So the fact that Kat had been warned instead something, especially considering it was Callisto who offered the warning.

Bruce wondered why that might be. He briefly entertained the idea that it was not to protect Kat, or Sylvie, but instead to protect him and his wife. See, if Kat really WAS a demon then Roxanne's game was suddenly much deadlier. The stakes had been drastically increased and only some of the players were aware of the stakes. That thought seemed to worm its way into his mind. It wiggled and agitated the surrounding thoughts until suddenly it was his focus. It was silly, ridiculous.

Yet at the same time…

Bruce and Roxanne weren't actually religious. Oh, Roxanna and he went to church regularly, and they taught the bible to kids growing up. Not because the church was good, but because the stories in that 'holy' book were all quite deep. They'd been refined over thousands of years. If they weren't worth reading, the whole thing would've fallen through. Additionally, the sense of community the church fostered was a wonderful thing for a child to have growing up. That being said…

Bruce had seen a lot of strange things in his travels. Most of these could be explained, and those that can't simply need a bit more research on them. Still… in so many regions throughout the world there is a sense of belief that imbues itself into the biggest personalities. Politicians, preachers, even just successful businessmen. There's something a little more to all of the good ones. So now, Bruce found himself really looking at Kat as if it was his first time seeing her.

The first thing he noted was that her horns clearly weren't plastic. They weren't painted either. Regardless of if they were actually stuck to the young woman's head, they were REAL horns. Perhaps they were just attached to a headband but now that he was looking, it wasn't hard to tell that they were no cheap props. The next thing he looked at were her wings. That's where things started to get strange.

Once again the quality of the 'crafting' on them was exceptional. The leather looked great and they moved as Kat shifted slightly in her seat. That's when he realised something else. They could twitch. It wasn't anything major, but they would fidget. Kat would roll her shoulders, and then, flex her wings just a bit… in clearly and distinctly separate motions. Bruce was starting to reach a conclusion about just who was playing the game better today… and he was thinking it wasn't Roxanne anymore. The real kicker was when he looked at Kat's tail. It moved and shifted lazily. It wasn't just a costume piece stuck to her back… it moved. Sure, it could be robotic… but it was much to smooth for that.

Bruce let out a breath of air from the corner of his mouth, as if that would relieve the pressure he was feeling. Roxy was in for a big surprise in a few moments. Bruce… well Bruce was going to sit back and enjoy the show.