Eris Jones's Story

Eris mostly did, but knew her distraction at her surroundings had been at a high enough level that she was grateful enough to just be able to follow him back onto the train. "If he doesn't mind. Whatever is easiest, although I'm not sure if what the 'kids' are into around here are anything like what I'm used to, but I'm up for new experiences."

A rota? That could be interesting, who knew what the witch would require of her. Hopefully nothing too odd, but who knew? Maybe she'll have me find some eye of newt at the market. She smiled a little at her own thoughts, knowing full well the stereotype was likely quite inaccurate, but old superstitions were strong.

She paid more attention on the way back, and when they did finally get back to the bar, she felt confident that if she had to go back out on her own, she would be ok. Probably. Hopefully. So long as she paid very careful attention and maybe asked for directions a few times. She wasn't very geographically oriented, it was a flaw, but one her change had not seemed to fix at all.

The bar was still quiet and empty when they got back. Not surprising, as it was only just approaching lunch time, as Eris' stomach could attest. She was just considering what in the bar's pantry she could whip up for a quick lunch, as they walked closer to the bar, when another entered the bar, high heels clicking on the polished floor.

"Eris Jones?"

Eris turned around and examined the newcomer. Blonde hair was pinned neatly back into a bun, and black glasses helped to highlight elegant facial structure and stern eyes. She wore a thin pencil skirt and blouse, with very high heels, and she held a briefcase in her hand of expensively tooled weather. "Uh... yes?"

"My name is Ms. Dimitriou, and I have been assigned by the Council to be your Probation Officer."

"My--?!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a very precise schedule and you are not my only assignment." Ms. Dimitriou walked forward, wafting the scent of something reptilian towards Eris' nostrils. This woman was definitely not human, but what she was, Eris hadn't a guess. Almost as if she'd read her thoughts, Ms. Dimitriou looked around and announced, "As I see there are no mortals here, I can tell you that I am a Medusa. You probably don't know what that means, but let me be very clear; I am quite strong enough and fast enough to take you down, should you disobey any of the Council's strictures. And yes, I do mean any."

Opening her briefcase in one smooth move, she brought out a thin book and presented it to Eris. "Here are all of the relevant rules and guidelines." She looked at Molyneux as if she'd just noticed him and if there was such a thing as a pretty sneer, Ms. Dimitriou managed it. "Molyneux. What a pleasure."

She turned her attention back to Eris, who'd taken the book and was flipping through pages upon pages of minute, precise rules that the Council insisted upon. "In addition to following these rules, you will also attend a weekly meeting. There is a card in the back of the book with directions. Should you miss any of these meetings, I will be notified, and believe you me, I will not be happy."

Eris struggled for a response. If all of these rules weren't enough, weekly meetings as well? She had to balance that with a job, and patrol, and whatever other responsibilities she had yet to learn about. What did the Council think she had, unlimited time and no sleep?! "Ms. Dimitriou, I--"

"Molyneux," Ms. Dimitriou interrupted again, "you will attend at least the first meeting with her. You might remember that you, too, are technically supposed to be attending these meetings on a regular basis. I can't imagine what would keep you away." She looked around the bar, her eyebrow raised, and looked back at him. "As her boss and primary Warden, you will also be responsible for ensuring she obeys these rules. If she breaks them, the consequences will first fall upon you."

Ms. Dimitriou--never Kalli, and Kallistrate only to the few people in the world she liked--looked critically at Molyneux."Whether or not you appreciate the opportunity of those meetings is completely irrelevant. You will attend one with Eris, and you will ensure that she is as integrated there as possible." Going back into her briefcase, she took out a piece of paper and laid it carefully on a table, almost lining it up, inasmuch as a square thing could be lined up with a circle.

Ignoring the provocation in his comments, she narrowed her hazel eyes at Molyneux. "Thank you for reminding me of why else I'm here," she said, her smile cold. "Here is a list of infractions against the Council's rules that I've observed over the last month. Please ensure that these errors are fixed. And unlike last time I gave you one of these, this time I will ensure that your liquor license is pulled if you do not comply. I will back back again to check up on you," she promised.

Triumphant, she turned again to Eris. "The Council will be keeping a very close eye on you, so I needn't remind you that any error in your diet, especially, will result in harsh measures. I will be seeing you again soon."

Looking around the bar again and nodding to herself, she smoothly turned and walked out of the bar, her heels again clicking against the floor, loud and sure.

Eris turned with wide eyes towards Molyneux."She's... uh... different. I really don't want to make her mad, to be honest, she seems worse than the Council members themselves. What's this meeting thing about?"

Weak willed and out of control? Eris didn't like to think that his description of those who attended the group fit her, but she supposed everyone had... issues. She liked to think that hers were under complete control, but didn't everyone have the occasional problem with urges, just every once in a while? She'd kept hers pretty much locked down, but she knew that if she ever lapsed in a major way, there could be real trouble.

Real trouble as in execution trouble. The Council didn't tolerate failure well, especially if it was in any way public.

Eris sat down and, as instructed, flipped through the book to find the card in the back, her face turning a little sour at even the glimpse of the many rules she was meant to follow. Once she found it, she took it out and read it over carefully, just in case. An address was listed, and a time, just as Ms. Dimitriou had said, but nothing more. The card was simple in design, and despite her fanciful imagination, had no funny quips about demon meetings. Like what to call a group of demons. An unkindness? No, that's ravens."

"Tomorrow night at 7, apparently. I don't think I would risk being late," she added with a wry grin. And I guess you're coming with me?" Eris knew that Molyneux wouldn't enjoy it, he'd said as much, but there was nothing they could do about it. Her new parole officer didn't seem to understand the meaning of life outside of the Council's confines, but she supposed that's why Ms. Dimitriou seemed so good at her job. And, given how expensively tasteful her clothes and accessories had looked, she must be paid well for it.

The idea of going to a group for the "weak willed" didn't exactly sound appealing, but a group of people to talk to about her problems, and hear about theirs in return, actually sounded nice. Eris knew she couldn't be the only demon struggling with their inner nature versus real world ethics, and being able to talk freely with others that ideally wouldn't judge her for them sounded like a real relief. Maybe she could even make more friends, people she could hang out with outside of work. Build a life for herself here.

Eris took a deep breath. She was getting too ahead of herself again, too optimistic. But in her point of view, it was better to at least try to look on the bright side. Too much of the world was dark enough. It was better to spend your time looking for the goodness in others and in your own life than to dwell on the bad in it, and on days that there was plenty of the bad, it helped her get through.

Their... sort? Eris didn't know Molyneux well enough to guess what he meant, but it made her even more curious about this group. But at least Molyneux seemed willing to go along with it and come with her, it would be nice to have someone that she at least knew a little, to break the ice.

Eris looked closely at the list, impressed by how organized it was. Even the handwriting was precise, and the explanations were all clear. Lillian, it seemed, left nothing to chance. If Eris messed up on any of this, it was definitely her fault, because Lillith laid her expectations out very clearly.

"No, this is quite detailed." She looked up toward Lilith, radiating sincerity. "I'll certainly come to you with any questions that pop up, though."

Weekends off? That was more than she'd hoped for, and even if it was only some weekends, that was more time she could potentially explore Japanese food, patrol with Molyneux, even make a trip to the beach if the weather was good. Lillith seemed strict, but fair, and Eris knew she could work with that. Her expectations, at least, were less stringent than the Council's, who seemed to almost expect her to screw up.

Eris showed up a little early to her next afternoon shift. She'd already made herself breakfast and an early lunch, forced what food she could on Molyneux as well as any other employees who seemed hungry, and chosen the only outfit in her luggage that included pants. Granted, they were tight pants, matched with a top that was on the skimpy side and revealed more of her cleavage than she was used to, but it was manageable.

"Good to see you again, Chou!" She chirped as she almost bounced up to the bar in her excitement. Chou was definitely a potential new friend, and the afternoon was sure to go by quickly.

"Why thank you, Chou," Eris said with a warm smile. She attempted a curtsey, wobbled a little on the high-heeled, lace up booties, but managed to stay standing.

"I'm liking it just fine. The pastries are great, the boss isn't too bad, and I'm hoping I can learn how to slide a bit lower below the Council's radar. Not holding out too much ope, but a little optimism is nice." And learning how to get on Ms. Dimitriou's good side, or at least the side she semi-ignored, was essential to that plan. Her parole officer didn't seem like the type to simply forget about a responsibility, but if Eris maybe stayed on her good side for a while, obeyed all the rules... maybe Ms. Dimitriou would be a bit more lax. It would be nice to be able to breathe a little, pretend like the Council wasn't watching everything she was doing, waiting for her to fail.

She walked behind the bar, leaning on it as well, facing Chou. "An informal one, but I could definitely use a refresher course." Eris had taken a good luck behind the bar when she'd organized it the other day, but looking at it as a bartender who had to know the most popular choices and keeping them accessible, as well as the bar's specific policies, was important. And Chou, as a friendly insider, would prove invaluable.

Eris laughed. "I have no doubt. The two musketeers will succeed!" She joked, looking around at the customers. A slow start to what might be a long shift.

She shrugged. "Yep. It's mandatory. I think they want to make sure I stay well-adjusted and don't go off the rails, or something." She clenched her fists, then consciously relaxed them. Being treated like an incompetent, dangerous child was really starting to get to her. Eris took a deep breath, then let it out and smiled. "Let's make magic happen, shall we?"

His instructions were easy enough to follow, and everything was placed more or less logically. It wouldn't be too hard to get into the swing of things, she thought, as she answered his question, "Yes. There are so many possibilities! But I'll make a decision within a week or two, at least just to choose something and be done with it." She was too impatient to let it go longer.

Absentmindedly, she wondered who had cleared out the bar to speak to Molyneux and why. Was it Ms. Dimitriou, or another Council representative? And what exactly had Molyneux done to deserve such a serious chat? It wasn't as if the demon seemed harmless, exactly, but he seemed civilized enough, and certainly enough that the Council wouldn't have to keep him closely watched, but he didn't appear to do too well with rules. Or with Ms. Dimitriou. Yet again she wondered what his species was, and resolved to look at her book before she went to sleep for the night and begin the search. Knowing that could help her know how to get along with him better, and the same could be said about Ms. Dimitriou.

Eris watched as the customer came in and made a swift decision. Better to keep herself distracted from the combined curiosity and worry abut the meeting rather than letting herself dwell on it, which did no good at all."I might as well start now," she said quietly, and turned a charming smile towards the rather unassuming man dressed in casual clothing that approached the bar.

"Hi, what can I get for you?"

"Just a beer, Asahi if you have it."


He and the other few customers that straggled in over the next few hours were easy enough, mostly bottled drinks and nothing fancy, a few snacks she was unfamiliar with but wanted to try when she got the chance. They didn't talk much, and the tips were only all right, but Chou's banter in between customers kept her entertained. And when she poured the first beer from on tap, one from a local microbrewery for what looked like a very trendy young Japanese man, she came to a decision.

When the customer turned to take his glass to a table in the corner of the room, she turned to Chou. "Ombre. Green with purple ends. I think that will be crazy enough for me for a while. I could do it myself, but a salon would be better. Do you have any you would recommend, or someone I can ask for a recommendation?"

"If she could just make the horns appear a little smaller," Erin said with a wry grin, "that might help a little. But I don't want to impose on her. Maybe when I've been here for a while, then I'll ask. I don't want her to think I'm trying to take advantage of her or anything, and it's certainly not been necessary so far." And strangely enough, she didn't want them to go away entirely, at least not all the time. She knew it would just be an illusion, a glamour of sorts, but as odd as they were, she had gotten used to them. And they had proven useful the few times that other demons had attacked her, or thought about doing so. They were a rather obvious indication of her species, which wasn't exactly picky when it came to meat sometimes.

Eris shrugged. "I like making new friends. And having people to talk to about... people like us will be nice. I really don't think it's necessary, but Ms. Dimitriou was insistent, so I don't really think I have much of a choice." She tried not to scrunch up her nose at the smoke, and ended up just moving farther away from him behind the bar, almost tripping over Chou.

"Sorry!" she said, returning a bottle that had started to slightly tip from her bump to the shelf back to an upright position.

Lillian strode in, a large personality in a small body. "You still here? You have a meeting to attend you two--and like I said, we really can't afford to make that woman angry. Shoo!"

Eris nodded, wiped her hands, and turned to Chou. "Good working with you, see you later!"

He waved and went off his own way as Lillian came behind the bar. Not wanting to make her angry, either, Eris looked at the card in her pocked and motioned to Molyneux. "I'll follow you, since you've been there before."

Eris' boots clicked on the dark streets, a soft echoing sound down the long alleys. She had given up wondering what to expect, and had instead turned to her favorite thing. Nibbling on a soft biscuit-like pastry, she watched as Molyneux knocked.

A small slot opened in the door, eyes peering into the darkness, and the door quickly opened after that. A woman, her grin wide in a soft, round face, her wrinkles multiplied by the cheer in her expression, and a glint in her eyes. The rosiness of her cheeks and the white of her hair made Eris think that perhaps the North Pole had relocated this year.

"Molyneux!" She said, her voice melodious but with a bit of a hoarseness to it. "I am so glad to see you again. Come in!"

She ushered them into a small foyer, a table with pamphlets of all kinds and a small bowl of hard candy. Beyond the foyer was a short hallway with a few more doors, but the largest door was at the end of the hall. This was where she led them, opening the door to reveal a group of no more than ten or fifteen people, all sitting in a circle. When they saw them come in, a few quickly stood up and urged the others to expand the circle, adding more chairs to accommodate Molyneux and Eris.

"Molyneux!" She heard several cry out in welcome. There was even waving.

Eris looked with a mischievous smile at her companion. Apparently he had been missed. She sat in one of the empty chairs, to her right, a large man who barely fit into his chair, who grunted at her. A greeting, she assumed?

The woman who had led them in sat in a chair on the other side of the circle, picking up a clipboard as she did so from the seat. "Welcome to our meeting. I am Iona."

"Hi, Iona," the group echoed with smiles. Iona laughed.

"Yes, that is how we generally do it. Why doesn't everyone go around and introduce themselves?"

The names were all sort of a blur, but the three ghostly tails that flickered behind a young man that introduced himself as Hikaru intrigued her more than anything. She tried not to stare, but they kept drawing her attention from her peripheral vision.

"I'm Eris," She said simply on her turn, and noted that no one seemed to look twice at her horns, save a quiet girl in the corner, who stared at them with wide eyes.

"As you can see," Iona explained, "we do not refer to each other by our species, for that is not what we are. We are more than that. We can aspire to be much more than that. But we also must be honest with ourselves about our struggles, and in sharing that honesty with others of this group, we gain the support we need to continue upon the right path."

"For our new member and for anyone who may have forgotten, I will go over our rules. They are very simple. Be honest with one another, share of your lives, and above all, tell no one about anything that happens in these meetings. The need for privacy is essential, not only because of what we are, but also because we must be able to trust that anything shared here will not be used against any of us in the outside world." Iona looked at her clipboard and at Eris, then back at her clipboard.

Pursing her lips, she looked up again to the group and smiled once more. "Does anyone want to share anything about their week? Or any updates from what we spoke of last week?"

Eris was fascinated. A vampire, and another demon that fed on humans? How interesting!

The large man next to her raised his hand, and when he was motioned to, he spoke in a deep, gruff voice. "Hi, I'm Ibaraki." Everyone said hello in return. "I was going to smash a man yesterday who cut in line in front of me. But I didn't go back to my car and get my club and pulverize him into so many pieces that they would never be able to identify him. Instead, I walked outside and shattered his car windows."

There was soft applause before Iona glared at the offenders, putting a stop to that. "Simply because you did not hurt him, does not make breaking his property acceptable. It is laudable that you did refrain from beating him, but this is not an age where such retaliation goes without notice or without reprisal."

"But--!"

"We will speak about this later, Ibaraki. For now, I will remind you that violence only brings out our most savage selves, and puts all of us into danger. Have you been volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, as I suggested?"

He grunted.

"Excellent. Carpentry skills are still in demand, and perhaps your goal might be that, by the end of the year, you are ready to apply for a job in construction?"

He grunted again, this time with a sneer. "And work with humans? No thank you."

"You have been working with humans at Habitat for Humanity, how is that any different?" Iona responded patiently.

"I don't have to do what they tell me to. And why should I? These mortal creatures would fear me, try to kill me if they knew what I was, and the idea that one of them could boss me around like some kind of slave makes me sick."

Iona shook her head, and turned to Molyneux. "Molyneux has worked at a job that serves humans for some time. Molyneux, please remind Ibaraki and our group how this is an important part of the process."

Eris blinked. What in the world is Molyneux going to say? He doesn't like humans either, and he's never seemed at all excited about his customers.

Iona shook her head. "I'm surprised at you, Molyneux. Intimidation is a tool that can be used, yes, but it is a short-sighted choice. Humans, if nothing else, are extremely adaptable, and fear only lasts for so long. Repeated exposure to the source of such fear, especially when there are no consequences to your threats, will dull their effect. The next step is apathy, then the possibility of anger comes in. Humans vastly outnumber our kind. There is a reason that the Council insists on secrecy, and it is not just because it makes things easier. There have been long periods of time where demons of all kinds were hunted, and the divisions between our species and our much fewer numbers left us easy targets."

She looked each of the group in the eye as she spoke, in turn, attempting to impress the seriousness of her words upon them. "The Council made us strong by giving us alliances, and in turn, we all agreed to keep our existence a secret from humans, at any cost. As I said, intimidation can be used, but it is much more valuable to cultivate friendships among humans, to become like them as much as we can, in their eyes. Friends will defend us against suspicion, keep us away from awkward questions. Many demons even marry humans, becoming that much more a part of their society."

"I don't mean to lecture, but this is an important point. I am not telling you that you need to cultivate human friendships or marry one, that is up to you. But even remaining cordial but distant will keep you that much more invisible than a lot of outright intimidation and disdain. A human that dislikes you and fears you might look for a reason why, might investigate more than is safe into our lives. But the vaguely friendly neighbor down the street, why, who would think twice about him?"

Iona turned to Eris. "Eris, I have heard a little bit about you. Would you like to talk about your own experiences with humans, and living among them?" She didn't want to reference anything specific, but given the files she'd read she thought Eris' view would make a good contrast to Molyneux', for the sake of the group discussion.

Eris' eyes widened, surprised at being put on the spot. "Uh... well, I wasn't out among them for very long," Not as a demon, anyway, "but it wasn't too hard to blend in. For obvious reasons I got a job in the underground goth scene, told everyone my horns were just a body modification. No one really questioned it."

"And did you have human friends?" Iona asked, trying to draw her out.

"Yes and no. I had quite a few that I was friends with, but I didn't have enough time to get really close to anyone. And... being what I am made it difficult to let anyone too far into my life."

"Understandable. I am so glad you were able to join us here, the Council is indeed wise. Who knows what might have happened if you had been left without support or proper guidance." Iona turned to the group. "Can anyone else tell us about their relationship with humans, how it has worked out for them for good or ill?"

Eris listened, but only with half an ear. Iona seems nice enough, but she's just yet another person who thinks that the Council can do no wrong. I might not be perfect, but does that mean I don't deserve freedom?