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

Chapter 382: Story of Someone Else’s life

Kat bit her lips as she went over the story Kamiko had just told her. It was strange, but she now knew more about Kamikoʼs past than she did Lilyʼs. Sheʼd asked of course, back when they were younger and newer friends and Kat had been politely, and surprisingly forcefully, especially for Lily, told the girl didnʼt wish to speak on it. Still, Kat was sure if she asked now sheʼd get an answer. Even if a small part of her denied that fact.

”I… Iʼd love to say I understand Kamiko, but youʼve heard my story and know I never can. The orphanage never had anyone around long enough to really get to know anyone as an older sibling.

”The only thing I can relate it to, is my… sort of half adoption with a girl called Sylvie. She was the first person I really considered to be family outside of Gramps, and I donʼt really know how it happened. I mean, now of course it is a bit more obvious because weʼve all moved into a nice home, but thatʼs another issue and not really something we need to go over now” said Kat.

”Thatʼs alright” said Kamiko as she pushed herself away from the wall to resume her floating. ”I think it might be better you donʼt try to understand. Itʼs just nice to know that youʼve heard me. Iʼm more than aware you could have said ʼI understandʼ itʼs not enough of a lie to prevent you from speaking it, especially when you think about it a certain way”

Kat clicked her tongue. *Of course. Thatʼs something I hadnʼt really thought about. Kamiko knows what itʼs like to grow up unable to lie. I… I wonder what that does to a person? Is there anything I should know? I… I guess I could ask?*

”Um, what is that like exactly? I actually only recently had that penalty forced onto me. How do you go about not being able to lie to people?” asked Kat.

Kamiko giggled at Katʼs question, seeing the precious naivety of the idea. ”Oh Kat, itʼs much too easy to lie without lying. As much as Iʼd love to say it is a great experience, it really isnʼt. Double meanings are everywhere and you can say some shockingly incorrect things if you try.”

”Could you give me an example?” asked Kat. ”I canʼt really think of any off the top of my head.”

”Oh, well a favourite insult of succubi everywhere, is to say, ʼyou look like youʼve gained weightʼ especially when itʼs amongst children” said Kamiko with a grimace. ”The reason they can say that, is because we all get taller and, well it simply is a rather obvious truth when you think about it. Young children age and gain weight as they become taller.

”But you can see how that is used maliciously of course. Um, a really good one is to say stuff like, ʼI think thisʼ or ʼI think thatʼ because, especially if you think the words out in your head beforehand, you can say practically anything, because even if it is untrue, and you believe itʼs untrue, if you run the words through your mind, you have in fact, thought whatever it might be.

”So, um… to pick something that really would be rude to others but I think you wonʼt mind. Iʼm able to say, I think your mother was a terrible person. This is easy to prove false because Iʼve never met her and neither have you. We both have no reason to believe that she was a bad person, but if I think it I can add the words and say it” said Kamiko with a shrug more to herself then Kat.

*Huh… I didnʼt really think of it like that. This… this curse isnʼt really all that restrictive is it?*

”Whatʼs even the point then?” asked Kat ”With tricks like that there really isnʼt all that much we canʼt say. Plus, we just canʼt speak lies, does it matter if people hear only part of something? Like could I ʼI think your mother is a terrible personʼ and then silence the rest which would be ʼwhen she tells me off for breaking stuffʼ or something?”

Kamiko twisted her mouth into a frown. ”You know… I donʼt think Iʼve ever asked. It might be like the angels, and that we arenʼt really allowed to talk about the specifics maybe? Depending on how you silenced yourself it would count as lying… I think, but test would have to be done and I really donʼt know how youʼd do them”

Kat shrugged and let the motion carry through her wings which shuddered and stirred the water around them. ”Neither do I, but now that Iʼve thought of it, I have someone in mind that would likely have some ideas and the desire to test it. Her name is Callisto. Sheʼs… well sheʼs something”

”Tell me about her, if you donʼt mind?” asked Kamiko, wanting to know more about the important figures in Katʼs life knowing she lacked the sibling support Kamiko had.

”Hmm, well, I guess I can” said Kat ”Iʼm not sure what Iʼd call her really. Itʼs… itʼs not that we have a complicated relationship per se, itʼs that I have no idea what that relationship is… so, to get started, I guess I should mention that I got adopted by this lovely person named Vivian.

”She… she isnʼt really much older than I am, only a few years really, but the arrangement was mainly because Sylvie wouldnʼt have accepted if I didnʼt, and Iʼm turning eighteen in a bit less than a yearʼs time so Iʼd have had to leave as well, and she already figured out the big secret that I was a demon, which was becoming hard to hide at the orphanage… so it was just convenient really.

”This… sort of means that Vivian should be a mother figure, but we both recognise that sheʼs more of an older sister figure for me if anything, but I go along with it more for Sylvie than anything else because the age difference is enough there, and Sylvieʼs not that old so she really needs someone to fill that role for her.” Said Kat, without suspecting a good chunk of that statement wasnʼt entirely correct, but she didnʼt know that.

”Now Callisto, she happens to live with Vivian and… I canʼt really get a proper idea of their relationship if Iʼm honest. I donʼt exactly have enough friends to compare it to anything but it doesnʼt seem normal.

”Callisto lives with Vivian, doesnʼt really pay rent, but she has her own space… she doesnʼt sleep practically ever, and she somehow always shows up to do the cooking whenever it needs doing. Also she wears a French maid outfit… though I guess you donʼt know what that is do you?” asked Kat

Kamiko shrugged and said, ”Sort of? Like, part of the translation effect means I have something of an idea about what it is, like… it doesnʼt exactly SOUND like this, but I get the impression itʼs an inaccurate depiction of what servants used to wear? Except now it is also really formal? Which doesnʼt make a lot of sense to me.”

Kat quickly describe what the outfit in itʼs entirely looked like to Kamiko, elaborating on the details when asked. ”Do you get it now?”

”No…” said Kamiko ”Well, yes, but no. I understand what it looks like… and I understand why some people would wear it, as it sounds like itʼs fairly appealing attire but… yeah I also donʼt understand the dynamic between those two. On the one hand she is kind of like a live-in servant, but on the other, she is also somewhat like Vivianʼs handler even though they are the same age”

Kat nodded vigorously ”Yes, itʼs exactly like that. Vivian is consistently making impulsive, if somewhat well-reasoned, decisions, and Callisto is forever ensuring nothing too horrible is done under those orders and things run smoothly around the house. Which, I will add, is smaller than your own so it isnʼt a pain to clean.”

”Why would it need cleaning?” asked Kamiko

”What?” asked Kat, only for Kamiko to repeat the question.

”Well now Iʼm confused” said Kat ”Do you not need to clean things here? Dust things off and other such things? Surely the dirt builds up right?”

Kamiko shook her head. ”No, everything other than the fridge and the cutlery is self-cleaning. You canʼt make them self-cleaning because it removes the food from them, which is obviously a problem”

”Huh… is that common?” asked Kat

Kamiko nodded, causing large ripples to be sent out. ”Yup, practically everyone has their houses set up like that. Itʼs cheap and it doesnʼt ever run out as long as you have enough people living in the space, or well, there is enough power that radiates off them.”

*Well damn. The more you know. I wonder if Callisto would love that or hate it? Giving her less to clean? A blessing or a curse?*