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

— Kat —

As they entered into the cafeteria, Meg practically vanished. To where? Kat wasn’t sure. Inside the room there was a couple of groups. In the back corner there was a boy and girl pair Kat would later learn was Brook and Church. Kamiko was sort of nearby, but clearly apart from the two.

As soon as Kamiko noticed them she smiled brightly and Kat planned to head straight over.

At the front of the room was three people, Bower, and two women. One looked calm but with an odd sense of sadness inside her. She had a teapot nearby but no teacup for herself. It seemed she was mostly serving the third person in the group, an older looking woman who somehow managed to look stressed beyond belief and yet super calm. Kat had no idea how that combination was possible.

Then there was a group of five that were… making there way over? “Hello, I’d heard there was some new faces joining us today, would you answering a few questions about the outside world for us?” Kat would later learn this was Ben, with Chasen, Sloane, Grelk and Neoms standing behind him.

*Who is this used car salesman? He’s probably never sold anything in his life but I feel like shaking his hand would somehow get engine oil all over mine! Plus Kamiko looked so happy to see us…* Kamiko was clearly trying not to frown, but have a slight nod of understand. *Yeah that just makes it worse.*

[I don’t know how he looks so sleezy… and I guess it’s up to you? I already said I planned to remain as a cat where these guys can see me for now. Not sure if they know I’m a person or not. Meg could go either way with this sort of thing.]

Urgh… I don’t want to agree but I also don’t want to cause trouble. Do you think you can go over and keep Kamiko company? That’s probably the best compromise even if I feel like an ass for saying so. Kamiko… seems fine? I dunno. I want to say that it feels like ignoring a puppy but that feels demeaning to Kamiko as well… urgh.

[Hey, I’m fine with that. It means I don’t have to deal with used-car-salesman.]

“Sure, I suppose I can answer a few questions,” agreed Kat reluctantly.

“Great! Please head out with us. We wouldn’t want to disturb Corela while she’s working after all,” said Ben.

Kat nodded even if she wasn’t too happy with the suggestion. Kat let herself slide to the side so Ben could lead the way while Lily slipped free of her warm resting spot to go hang out with Kamiko. Hopefully the pair would be alright. Kat trusted that if Kamiko did need some more serious help Lily would inform her. With a heavy heart Kat turned and followed behind Ben and crew.

— Lily — (Like right now!)

Lily leapt up towards Kamiko who instinctively brought her hands out so Lily had a place to land. Kamiko sighed softly and pulled Lily into a hug. “You didn’t have to come over you know. If Ben wanted questions answered you could’ve gone with Kat…” Lily brushed her face against Kamiko’s hand, being careful with her horns and trying her best to purr.

Lily found she could do it, wasn’t even hard… but it wasn’t quite the same as the purring she made automatically.

“I guess you’re planning to stay like that?” Lily made a slight nod but looked at Kamiko seriously, trying to convey that if Kamiko really needed to talk they could. “No this… this might be better. I don’t want to overwhelm myself or you either. It’s just… it’s been a lot these last few days honestly.

“Meg is… scarier then you both likely think. I don’t have a proper way to convey that to you, even if I’m sure you’ll have figured some of it out already. She’s… different in a way I guess I wasn’t prepared for. She’s not… obviously evil and she knows where the bottom line is… but that almost makes it worse because she can keep pushing you to that line knowing you’ll mostly forgive her for it.

Even when the complaints pile up…

“She then goes and does something that makes it hard to be quite so mad. Maybe it’s something cute like doing something silly for Hunter, or maybe it’s ensuring that you meet back up with your friends. Yes, I am saying she ensured that the timetable for meeting up with everyone was moved up,”

‘Why?’ conveyed Lily with her eyes.

“Technically Meg would have more time with Hunter if she waited for everyone here to be ready to leave before heading out to grab you. Might only by an extra day or two… but that’s still an extra day or two. I suspect she realised that she’d pushed me, and perhaps Hunter as well… a touch too far.

“You and Kat are a moderating and calming influence naturally, even without Kat’s aura. I’m not sure how much Meg’s noticed but Kat is just… a very go with the flow type person and as long as Meg doesn’t bully you too much nothing will happen and with me calmer… she can probably get away with more. And it’s… sort of terrifying to realise just how far ahead she could be.

“Though the more annoying part? It could all just be luck. Meg has set herself up in such a position that makes it always seem like she has a plan, and that things only happen because she allows them to. Obviously that’s nonsense… but it’s really hard to work out which parts are. Worse?

Meg is still very good at things like that and trying to downplay her skill is just setting yourself up for a bad time in the future…”

Lily continued to snuggle with Kamiko and allow her friend to complain. Kamiko wasn’t really looking for answers, she was looking for an excuse to offload a bit and a fluffy cat that would put up with being pet? Well, that was a great deal of encouragement even without words. Especially words that could mess things up.

— Kat — (A few minutes later actually. It’s all the walking you see)

Kat and the group had been walking around but eventually they made their way to the garden… only to find three other people there. Before Kat could get so much as a hello out Ben had turned around and left the room. Kat gave the three people she didn’t recognise a brief shrug and a wave before following along. This led to backtracking until the reached a small cinema with all the lights on.

There was no great place for six people to sit together but they could get close enough by spreading out over two rows. Kat ended up on her own one row back allowing her a chance to stretch her wings out a bit while the other five took up space on the row below, sitting backwards to look at Kat and leaning on the chairs.

“So what’s the outside really like?” asked Ben without any pre-amble.

Kat wanted to roll her eyes. They hadn’t introduced themselves and the question was so generic as to be almost painful. Kat badly wanted to mess with them… but feared the guilt of doing considering this would be the biggest decision of their lives. So she let out a long sigh, and instead said, “That’s a complicated question. Much more so then I think you realise.

First, we’re not really from ‘the outside’ we’re from further then that so I can only tell you about the stuff I’ve seen on the way here…

“Which is mostly the environment. Which… is something else that changes a fair bit. It’s not all the same everywhere. Snowy mountains, harsh deserts and in the most immediate vicinity? A forest with space warping mist and a bunch of deadly animals,” explained Kat.

Ben didn’t look happy with this answer, “How deadly? Like are we going to risk dying just to get out of it?”

“Well… yes and no? Noth- I mean, nothing except the drake here has ever been a concern for the group I’m travelling with. Each of us is capable of defending you from anything and we shouldn’t encounter any swarms too large either… as strong and numerous as the monsters are here, a lot were scared off by the drake and we already killed that.

I suspect we can get everyone out safely… but that is a real risk you’ll have to take,” explained Kat.

“So… what people can just die?” asked Chasen.

Kat considered the question for a few long moments before settling on her answer. “Yes. Fundamentally? Still yes. I’m not going to say that a constant fear of death is common, frequent or even healthy… but a shocking amount of things can potentially kill you. Here I imagine it’s quite distant but… sickness is an issue, running out of water or food.

Hunting for that water and food. Someone else taking an issue with you. It can be a scary world out there…”

“But we have to go out right?” asked Neoms.

Kat shrugged again, “Well that’s the question isn’t it? I know a lot of people who’d say yes. Despite the dangers you need new experiences to truly live. Others will say that ensuring you survive to experience that life is always going to be better… yet other people will say that a short life lived well is the superior option.

As someone who is already essentially immortal and timeless with a regeneration factor that shrugs off almost all injuries at this point? I just don’t know what to tell you. Not anymore.”