Souled Out

Chapter 2: Soul Stipulation

The demon's eyes go wide at your declaration, and when it peers at you again, it feels like it's trying to peer into you. The intensity of the gaze tickles the edges of your discomfort, but it's not bad.

"Huh, it really is mostly gone. There's bits and pieces hanging onto you, I guess that's how you were able to survive." It muses. "So you want me to help you find your soul, just so you can give it to me in payment?"

You nod. "If someone other than me is going to have my soul, I'd rather decide who gets it. I don't like that it's gone without my say." You answer.

"Hmm..." Its eyes go half-lidded, a bemused smirk on its face. "The more you chirp little bird, the more I'm interested. Okay, is your blood offer all there is in our deal?"

"I know I included my body in the payment, and I'm not going to try and rescind that, but I do have a request regarding it."

"If you say something ridiculous like 'no sex' to someone like me, I'll tear this circle apart and drag you to the depths with me." It promises testily, dark scales shivering over the smooth marble skin again.

"No, I don't care about that. Even when I had my soul, I had no hang ups about casual sex, my request is that you don't break or scar my body until we get my soul back."

"Eh? You want me to be gentle for an indeterminate amount of time?" Its face crinkles, but you shake your head.

"I'm not saying you can't hurt me; I'm saying that I don't want new scars or broken bones. Even if it's just for a moment, I want my soul and my body back exactly how they were before my soul was stolen." You explain. "After that you can tear me apart if that's what you want."

"Mmm, I can accept that." It agrees. "I have a couple stipulations of my own."

"I... alright, what are they?" Frankly you had expected a demon would simply do as it pleased. That it would, instead, be making a list of things like a true contract, caught you off guard a little. Though, it made sense, according to the lore demons lived and died by contracts.

You had simply assumed that part of the lore was nothing more than a way for humans to fool themselves into trusting a demon.

"My name's Eustass Kid. Call me that, or Master, and stop thinking of me as an it or a demon. I'm already annoyed by it."

"Don't read my mind then." You retort.

"Some of that shit's impossible to block out, especially when you're thinking about me and looking at me. It's like tryin' to ignore someone yelling in your face, so fucking work on it."

You let out a sigh and level a gaze at him and think to yourself how summoning Eustass Kid might be the biggest successful mistake of your life. But you'll be damned if you were ever going to call him Master.

Eustass grins, licking his lips again. "Look here, honey pot, you sold your soul to a demon like me, you already are damned."

"Are we agreed then, or do you have another stipulation?" You ask, ignoring the taunt.

"One more," he says, stretching as all his perfect muscles shiver and roll. The action seems functional and not intended to seduce, but you could easily watch him do it again. "I expect to be fed."

"... what do demons eat?" You're hoping he's not going to expect you to hunt humans for him.

"Whatever the fuck they want, doll face. Normal human fare works fine. I don't need to eat souls or whatever shit people think we eat." He adds. Looking down first he catches your gaze with a crooked grin. "I don't have any clothes for this world either."