Despite the oddity and awkwardness that should be there, Ylva still managed to maintain her regal elegance. She did not, however, manage to retain the slouch that she so often posed in upon the throne in her domain. Her back was straight, poised as if she had an artist creating a portrait akin to those of middle-age royalty.
And yet, as Eva waited another few minutes, Ylva did not pour that elegance into words explaining her decision.
“I understand,” Eva said with a shallow nod of her head.
Ylva was supposed to have been the easy sell. The one who already knew what the treatment was from her times observing. One that knew Eva well enough and the one who Eva had the best rapport with.
That one had just declined.
Standing from her kneeling position, Eva clenched her fist.
Being disheartened was not only beneath Eva, but it was far too early. There were plenty of other demons around town and Ylva had merely been the first. The ritual wouldn’t be ready for an entire week. Plenty of time left. Eva intended to finish the search today in any case.
“I’ll let you get back to your…” Eva frowned. What exactly did Ylva do all day? The television had been on when she had first knocked on the door. The walls were thin enough that she had been able to hear it clearly. But only Nel had been in the room with the television. Ylva had been back in the bedroom standing statue still.
They had traded places after Eva knocked.
“To your day,” Eva concluded. A lame response. At least it was neutral and did not make assumptions.
Ylva stood. Her head avoided scraping the ceiling by mere centimeters. Her back wasn’t as straight as it had been while sitting. Perhaps that was why she sat straight; crouching around the place had put a kink in her back that was only relieved by sitting properly.
How uncomfortable must her miniature form be for her to not be using it here? Though it looked like a child, Eva couldn’t imagine the height impairment could possibly be worse than constantly scraping the top of her head against the ceiling. She definitely had to duck to make it through the doorways.
“Good fortune in your task,” Ylva said with a slight nod of her head. After a brief look over Eva, she strode off towards the bedroom where Nel had hidden herself.
Eva stood, watching. Just long enough to ensure that yes, Ylva did indeed duck to pass through the doorways in her apartment. A small part of her had insisted that the doors would stretch around Ylva to allow her passage. Not because of magic or her being a demon, simply because Ylva was that commanding.
Having been dismissed, Eva took her leave from the apartment.
She had made it five steps down the hall before a pitter-patter of footsteps came after her.
Eva turned to find Nel rushing up to her, anger plain to see on her face.
“Did I forget something?”
“Damn right you forgot something.” She thrust her fists to her hips. A glove covered her withered hand up to her elbow where her robe’s sleeve took over. “You didn’t even bother to give me an excuse this time.”
“Devon wants to perform my treatment in a week’s time. I’ll be ready after that.”
“Right,” she said, pouring a month’s worth of frustration into the single word. “Like you would be ready after your finals. Or after school ended. Or after you got back from your vacation.” Nel shook her head. “What’s next? After summer vacation? After next year? After you graduate? After the world ends?”
Eva crossed her arms and glared at the augur. “Are you finished?”
“I would prefer to have our revenge before it ceases to matter.”
With a light sigh, Eva closed her eyes. She could understand where Nel was coming from. They had both been through the same thing, after all.
“This is somewhat important. Potentially to my continued existence. If you cannot wait a week, perhaps try convincing Ylva to help you again? Or do it yourself.”
Nel continued her glare for a moment before allowing her hands to drop to her sides. “‘A servant of Ourself should be able to handle a solitary necromancer on her own,'” she said, mimicking Ylva’s slightly deeper voice.
“On your own?” Eva glanced down at herself. “That has changed definitions since the last time I read a dictionary.”
“I’m showing initiative in recruiting you. She meant without her help, not without help at all,” Nel said with confidence. That confidence shattered as Eva raised an eyebrow. “Probably. Look, you want this as much as I do, so why are you arguing? Was I mistaken? Have you–” Her good hand gripped her bad arm. “Have you forgotten what it was like under his knife?”
“I have not,” Eva said through grit teeth. “And that is why I am being cautious. We don’t have Arachne. Ylva won’t help. I could probably convince Zoe–”
Eva cut herself off with a glance over Nel’s shoulders. Zoe wasn’t at home at the moment—ostensibly to find more students for Brakket, though she had told Eva before leaving that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring anyone here—so talking loudly wouldn’t have mattered much. She didn’t want to tempt fate by shouting for the world to hear.
She had never felt guilty before. Not once in her life. Yet standing in the apartment building with four bloodstones clinking together in her pocket, she couldn’t help but imagine the disappointed look on Zoe’s face if she found out. Even the thought of explaining what scum they had been wasn’t enough to get the mental image out of her head.
“Look. One week. As soon as my treatment is finished. I don’t care if a full-scale demon invasion happened. I would ignore it to get to Sawyer.”
Nel crossed her arms, partially cradling the withered husk. She glared for a full minute before sighing. “I will hold you to that.”
Eva combed her hair back, running the sharp tips of her fingers across her scalp. Hair out of her face, she let out a long sigh. “He’s still in Idaho?”
“The large gap in my sight is. I’ve been unable to find him using his hand, so I assume so.”
“Good. Go keep an eye on him. If he moves, let me know sooner rather than later. Otherwise, one week.”
Turning on her heel, Eva left Nel behind before the augur could come up with any more reasons to speak.
She had a task set to for the day. Nel did not figure in on that task.
The moment that she arrived outside the apartment complex, Eva paused in her steps.
Ylva had been easy to find. She lived adjacent to Zoe. Eva had been to both of their apartments in the past.
School was out for the summer. Seminars hadn’t even started up yet. If she walked into the reception area, would Catherine be behind the secretary’s desk? Would Lucy and Daru be patrolling the hallways?
Or would they be at home? Did they even have homes?
Demons were supposed to be able to sense one another. Even keeping still and concentrating, Eva couldn’t feel much of anything. There was a vague sense of something powerful–Zagan perhaps–but not enough to pick a direction and start walking.
Eva gave a small shudder.
Despite her words to Devon, the thought of actually meeting with Zagan did not appeal to her. She wanted to. Zagan was a powerful demon and having him in the ritual would be nice, even if Eva wouldn’t get all that much out of it according to Devon.
At the same time, he wasn’t the nicest guy around. Case in point, he tore out her arms the first time he had met with Eva. He had put them back, but that was just because he had terrible mood swings. Or something.
It was hard to predict how he would react to being asked to join the treatment.
A light clearing of a throat startled Eva out of her thoughts.
“Excuse me. You’re blocking the road.”
“Sorry,” Eva said as she stepped to one side. She hadn’t moved from the doorway of the apartment complex. “Just a little lost in thought–”