novelraw Chapter 96
Chapter 96
I can already hear the bustling city underneath, scent the odors drifting with the wind, and feel the heat of many fireplaces lightening up in their chimneys and streets lights for the upcoming cold night when Ethan speaks again:
"Let’s go down close to the entry, best keep your nature hidden for now." He says as I fully display my owl image, not able to have a good grasp of any passengers in my humanoid form.
I nod in agreement and start tilting my body to the side to descent smoothly, and at the first lean the almost calm Ethan goes right back into his koala mode as he hugs me for his dear life even though I do everything as efficiently as possible, but the mere movement in the air is enough to unbalance his fragile courage and ego.
I snicker at the thought, not foreseeing him as weak and frail, but seeing some of his fragility does make him feel more reachable.
I wonder if it is the same for him after seeing my state because of the water... I think as, with two last slow rounds around to descend, I finally manage to get down and, with a few steps, stop the flying momentum.
My amusement increases when Ethan does not waste any time in getting off of me, almost throwing himself off with the force he swings his leg out of my back, and soon after he starts shaking like a wet dog to get rid of the strange sensation of standing on the ground after flying for so long, like going down of a roller coaster and feeling that your stomach was left behind somewhere in the last few curves.
"Will you start kissing the floor now?"
"I might as well." He says after putting his arm on a tree and letting his weight rest against it as I walk to the side with my silent pads and sit on the shadow.
"Ew, please don’t, that would be disgusting and embarrassing and I don’t think your image can take it."
"What? I can, or do you have such a low image of me already?" I do not answer, ignoring him, only for him to poke more for an answer and sigh in worry. "Oh boy."
I stop bothering him for a second to change back to my human form, but at the moment that I move to cover my wings with my cape Ethan stops me.
"No need to keep your wings hidden, actually that’s even better to fit in as a demon you see, just tug that tail and cover your face as always." He says, already moving to click the veil in place, making me want to raise an eyebrow at his actions but making no move to stop him.
"Very well, I would like to stretch my wings a little." Plus is easier to react in case anything goes south and we need to flee.
And to my surprise the tables turn when Ethan takes off a mask and puts it over his face, and the fact that I’m showing off parts of me that were always hidden and he is hidden parts of him that were always on display makes my mind unfocused for a second until I pay attention to the adornament.
As I focus on the mask itself a buzzing headache shot for a second behind my eyelids, something about that snarling horned monster, about those angry eyes framed by thick eyebrows that seemed... oddly familiar, and yet I would have remembered such strange thing if I had seem one before, would I not?
"Are you ok?" He says, quick to step forward and massage my temple as I cover my eyes, but as the pain lows down to a bothersome itching sensation I brush his hand off.
"I’m fine, just a little headache, that’s all. And what is that all about?" I ask, indicating the adornment as I can feel him smile behind the mask, palms up and showing off the mask more by moving his head around.
"Oh this?" He hits it with his fingers, making a slight metal sound. "Is so that they don’t recognize me, as human and all, you know?"
"Would that be troublesome?" I ask, blinking under my veil and trying to understand the society of demons we are walking into, and trying to decide how I felt about it, quite bitter to say the least after what they have done with mother, and as much as I understand not to categorize a race by the actions of few my heart is still heavy when we start walking down the path towards the city, the back of the skeleton visible even from this far, rested against a cliff and expanding the city diagonally.
I think it would have been safer to build all over a real cliff than this, at least the supports and wooden trunks that would stick inside the rock were made and planned, but a pile of old bones was an odd choice of architecture, after all, they were bound to break down one day, weren’t they?
"They won’t break down, you know? Just chill out and leave it to me!" Ethan says, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Oh my, now that I think about it this is our first vacation together! Not my first choice of place that I would take you to but is not half bad and- Ouch!" I put his rambling to an end by hitting him with my metal fan, opening it up next to match with my outfit and aloof behavior as I give him my back and start walking away, making him shout and run after me.
"W-wait up!" He says. "At least stay away from the flowers this time ok? And be careful around strange demons..." His murmuring, however, does not reach my ears as the strange yet alluring city of demons, Demonshell, unfolds before my eyes as the trees part way.