The Devil Likes Lemon Cupcakes

The Devil Is Not Here

                                 »Perhaps some day I'll crawl back home,

                                                     Beaten, defeated.

                                               But not as long as I can

                                     make stories out of my heartbreak,

                                                Beauty out of sorrow.«

                                                        Sylvia Plath

After a few very long days, absurd messages from the King of Evil, and quite repulsive, fresh caught breakfasts' from Layla brought into my bed, it was finally the time.

The day of the date.

Well, not a date. Not even a double date. More like a get-together. Of a few friends. Well, not really friends. Just some people we know. Or they know...

I was actually quite surprised regarding my lack of enthusiasm. There would be a time when I'd be walking around with my head in the clouds, carefully imagining all possible outcomes in my head, but...I just wasn't feeling it.

Ever since the deal with the Devil I have noticed a decreased emotional response towards certain situations. I believe that because of all that supernatural crap, I have lost the chills that you get when you see a cute guy, butterflies in your stomach when your crush says hello to you in the school hallway, or the joy of watching Fairy Tail clips of the episodes featuring Erza and Jellal. Where did my *moe go...

This was the thing that I wanted most in this world, so why did it feel like I was doing Lena a favour by showing up...I guess it didn't feel right, because it wasn't a real date.

Pervert: Send me a picture.

And yes, of course he did try to control everything I did, even from as far away as Egypt. I snapped a quick photo.

Pervert: Looks better than that cartoon shirt.

And yes, that was his idea of a compliment. You had to read between the lines.

Me: It's called anime. Why are you still in Egypt, anyway?

Pervert: It is a demon convention.

Me: Oh wow, really?

Pervert: No.

Of course.

The place of the meeting was the Beach. The Beach, was technically not a beach, it was just a few huge stairs next to the city river. The stairs were concrete and fairly unattractive, but behind them there were these beautiful willow trees, with their branches reaching towards the water, and their greenery lightly kissing the river, like hair of a forest nymph. There was a time when one could bathe in the waterway, but those days where all left in the past. Our grandparents told us stories about how clear the river was, about all the life in it, about how they took a swim on a hot summers' day, but now...Now, all that was left was intoxicant emerald water that invited you in her deadly embrace, but luckily the stench of all the waste and years of human ignorance and pollution screamed run.

Now it was a place reserved for teen gathering, drinking and jumping into the sewer infested water if dared.

I was still quite freaked out because of my encounter with a Grigori the last time, but somehow Layla's presence soothed my nerves. I hid her in my large bag, because let's face it, marching there with a tiny cat by my side, would be quite odd.