Neither of them said anything for a while. Ash sulked in silence, waiting for the girl to leave him alone, while Aralia’s anger slowly came to a boil.
“So that’s it?” she asked. “You don’t care about your own life enough to get off your ass and do something about it? Everyone that cares about you is out there working their butts off preparing to save your life! The least you could do is go down there and cheer them on, but no, you’ve been cooped up in here all this time, laying around like you’re already dead! Well excuse me, I thought you had more life left in you.” Without another word she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Ash tried to lay still, to go back to sleep and shut his mind off. He didn’t want to have to think about all the unpleasantries that would surely be coming his way tomorrow. But as he laid there and the minutes went by, his mind worked overtime replaying the girl’s words.
At last, he felt too bad about the situation. He couldn’t leave things like that. He knew he had to apologize, and so he climbed out of bed and hastily threw on some clothes to rush after her.
Downstairs he encountered Aura, standing in the kitchen downing a jug of water. “Aura!” Ash cried, shocked to see his friend. The death toucher was shirtless and drenched in sweat. His long hair was tied back into a ponytail. The cut from his wound was all closed up now, a light scar across his chest all that remained. “You’re all better!”
“Of course,” Aura replied with a smile, happy to see his friend out of bed. “Wilhelm fixed me up. It’s good to see you out of bed, buddy.” His face turned serious. “Aralia just ran out of here. I think she was crying. What’d you do?”
Ash said nothing to Aura on the matter, but left the house immediately to go find Aralia. He had no idea where she might be, but as he brought out his wings and took to the sky he headed east, thinking the orphanage would be the best place to start looking.
Flying felt nice. It had been a while since Ash really stretched out his wings. On the way all he could think about was how big a jerk he had been and how guilty he felt turning away the one person that clearly wanted to spend time with him. He just had to find her and make it up to her.
Setting down outside the orphanage, there was a mixture of children running around and playing on the yard equipment. Mr. Kurdis stood leaning against the wall of the building, reading a newspaper and occasionally glancing up to yell at the children when they misbehaved.
As Ash entered the yard, the first few children to spot him made a big deal and rushed over to greet him. It didn’t take long for Kurdis to spot the boy and wave him over. “Mr. Kaplan,” he said with a pleasant smile. “I don’t suppose you’ve stopped by to make a charitable donation?” he asked, wagging his donation cup.
“Hi Kurdis,” Ash said as he approached the man. “Actually, I’m here for Aralia. Have you seen her?”
Kurdis dropped the newspaper and frowned. “I thought she was with you,” he said.
“She was,” Ash replied, looking forlorn. “I may have said some things that set her off, and… I think I should apologize.”
“I see, I see,” said Kurdis. “Well come on in, you can wait for her inside. I’ll whip up some tea and- Marcus I swear I will end you if you don’t put that down!” Kurdis sighed heavily. “Come in, come in.”
Inside, Mr. Kurdis poured a dark and funny-smelling tea for Ash, which he served in a dingy stained cup. Ash sipped it slowly, finding the bitter drink anything but thirst quenching. Still he drank it all to not seem rude.
“So you two had your first fight, eh?” Kurdis said, taking a seat across the table from Ash. “I’m not surprised really, that girl can have quite the short fuse sometimes.”
“Well technically, our first fight happened back when we met,” said Ash, thinking back to his shaky first encounter with the girl. “This wasn’t really a fight. Just me being a depressed jerk.” Ash sank a little in his seat.
Kurdis shook his head. “Aralia is a very special girl, as I’m sure you’ll come to understand,” he said. “Watching her grow up has been interesting, to say the least. Tell me… what has she told you about herself?”
“Not a lot,” Ash replied. “She doesn’t talk about herself much. She mostly just asks questions about me.”
“I figured that might be the case,” Kurdis said with a sigh. “She doesn’t like to talk about her unusual upbringing. She was bullied constantly growing up, you see.”
“I didn’t know,” said Ash, genuinely surprised. “She’s so upbeat all the time, I would have never guessed.”
At this point a few small children rushed through the dining area, running between chairs playing a game of tag. After yelling at the children to calm down and take their game elsewhere, Kurdis pointed at the kids as they left. “See the clothes they’re wearing? I’ll bet you’d never guess that Aralia was the one that sewed them.”
“She did?” Ash said, surprised.
Kurdis nodded. “She’s become quite the talented seamstress. She makes all her own clothes, as well as fixing up the children’s, and even mine.” He pointed out a few patches and sewn up areas on his own outfit.
“I could put in the good word with my tailor friend,” said Ash. “Maybe he’d give her a job.”
“We’d all appreciate that. Looking for steady work has been the girl’s motivating force ever since she was of age,” said Kurdis. “It’s a big part of why she was never adopted. She was barely ever around during visiting hours, except when Mal was younger and required more constant care. She would refuse anyone unless they considered taking both of them as a package deal.”
“That makes sense,” said Ash. “It would be hard to split them up.”
“It worked out in the end, since she stays here and helps with the cooking, cleaning, and clothing. She brings in skorch and other resources from time to time, too. I honestly don’t know how she does it.”
If she’s had to resort to violence like she did with me at the card tournament, I think you’d rather not know, thought Ash. He kept that thought to himself.
“She’s one unique flower, that’s for sure,” said Kurdis, appearing lost in thought. “I don’t know what your intentions with her are, and it’s probably none of my business, but if you don’t feel the same way about her that she feels about you, try and let her down gently. Please.”
Ash blushed while he fidgeted in his seat. “Oh, I uh… well I’m not sure about anything like that yet.” The boy was hesitant to lay out any plans for dating anyone just yet. Becoming romantically involved with a devil would most likely put a damper on his plans of breaking out of Hell and getting back to his old human life.
“I won’t embarrass you any further,” Kurdis said with a chuckle. “I’ve just never seen her so interested in someone before. Both of them, Aralia and Uverstarr. I think becoming involved with you and your friends has made them both happier. I’ve barely seen them over the last couple of days, they’ve been over at your house.”
“They were?” Ash asked, once again surprised. He’d been sleeping the whole time, so who knew what those two were up to while he slept. “I guess I’ve been missing out…”
Something in the doorway caught Kurdis’s eye, and he smiled and motioned with his face. Ash turned and saw Aralia standing there watching them, a look of concern on her face.
“Oh, hey Raley,” Ash said, jumping to his feet so quickly he almost knocked over his nearly-empty cup of tea. “I was just telling Kurdis I was looking for you.”
“What else were you two talking about?” Aralia asked, shooting the question at Kurdis with what seemed like irritation.
“I didn’t tell him anything you wouldn’t want me to,” Kurdis assured her. “The boy’s come to apologize for his behavior earlier.” Kurdis stood up and walked to the door. “It has nothing to do with me anymore, I was just keeping him company. I’ll give you two some privacy now.”
Pushing his way past the girl, Mr. Kurdis disappeared into the living room area where he c
ould be heard scolding the out-of-control children there.
“Some privacy,” Aralia muttered, crossing her arms. She looked at Ash expectedly.
“Sorry about the way I acted,” he said. “I’m just depressed about how things turned out, but I know I shouldn’t have taken that out on you. You were just trying to be a good friend, and you deserve better.”
That pleased the girl, and it showed on her face. “So you don’t mind if I get attached to you?”
Ash took a few steps closer and shrugged playfully. “Someone’s gotta be, right?”
“May as well be me,” she replied, uncrossing her arms. “So: do you have any plans for tonight?”
“Whatever you want to do, let’s do it,” Ash said eagerly. “My treat.”
“I can think of a few things,” the girl said, taking another step closer.
The moment was interrupted when Amalia, on the verge of tears, rushed in looking for her sister. The little girl clung to her sister’s leg. When she saw that Ash was there she got excited at the prospect of seeing her ‘Princess bro’, who of course wasn’t there. This made the girl upset, and before the tears could start flowing Ash came up with a suggestion that put a smile on both girl’s faces.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Get Back Up
It was later that same night. Ash stood at the entrance to West Hell with a nervous look about him, his eyes shifting around the area like a ping-pong spectator. Life returned to the streets as citizens continued their usual routines, the people eager to get out and about, socializing in the wake of the most recent gossipy developments. Ash tried his hardest to avoid any curious stares on the trip out.
The boy’s grinning friend stood at his side, all dressed up in his sexiest duds. Aura smiled from ear to ear, his eyes scanning the crowd on their usual task of locating hotties. But tonight was different. Tonight, Ash had promised him a double date with a “total cutie”.
Naturally, Aura was all in.
“Tell me again,” he said. “What is she like? The girlfriend Raley’s bringing me?”
Ash smiled. “She’s the kind of girl that you can’t take your eyes off. She’s just. That. Cute. I’m totally jealous you get to spend an evening with her all to yourself.” Inside he was laughing, thinking about the trick he was playing on his friend.
Aura’s eyes glazed over. “More,” he said. “Tell me more body details. Height? Bust size? Hair color? How are her teeth?”
“Everything’s appropriately sized and in proportion, don’t even worry about it,” Ash said reassuringly. “You’re going to have a great time with her. Trust me.”
This was enough to please Aura, and he stopped asking questions finally. Just in time, as Ash was running out of clever things to say. His surroundings started to make him anxious as the citizens of Hell slowed and stared at him as they went by. Each time he wondered: are you one of those that called for my deportation? Would you have sold me out to the demons?
Ash eventually decided to lower his head, focusing instead on the individual chunks of gravel on the ground. Someone entered his field of vision coming closer to the pair of boys, but Ash avoided looking directly at her. He could tell by the lady’s clothes that it wasn’t the person he was waiting for. It wasn’t until she gently cleared her throat and Aura gave Ash a small shove that he looked directly at her.
Disbelief.
For a minute, Ash couldn’t even be sure he was staring at the right girl. The dress was too nice and too new for a girl of her standing. Her hair was the giveaway though, that familiar jet-black with streaks of purple and pink dyed in. She smiled, a vision of true loveliness, and warmed the boy’s soul.
“Thanks for waiting,” Aralia said with a coy smile, batting her eyelashes seductively. “Well, how do I look?”
What unfortunate timing for Ash to lose the ability to speak. The boy simply stood there and stared like a fool, his mouth hanging open in amazement. She was even wearing makeup! When he realized he should say something instead of standing there looking like an idiot, the best he could do was to say, “How…? Where…? Great! You look great!”
His reaction made her laugh. She smiled even wider, the blush on her cheeks reddening, and she gave a slight half-turn to show off her outfit. Her dress had a large bow tied to the back of it like a Christmas gift. “I’ve never gotten all dressed up like this before,” she said, admiring her own fancy dress. “It ain’t half bad, actually! No pockets to put my knife in, though…”
“Where did you get that dress?” Ash asked, finding his voice once more. Suddenly he felt displeased with his own choice of clothing, a plain white shirt and dark trousers. “It looks expensive…”
“It was free,” she replied, beaming with pride. “I made it myself!”
“That’s some talent,” Ash said in pure awe of her ability. “I have to get you together with Gio.”
“Gio…” Aralia said with a scrunched face. Her features straightened out and her eyes lit up. “Oh! The guy that made our team uniforms!”
“He owns his own shop,” Ash replied. “Maybe he could use a hand. I’ll recommend you to him.”
Aralia flung herself with excitement at Ash, wrapping him in a warm hug. She thanked him over and over until Aura’s agitated throat clearing cut the two apart. Aralia clutched tightly onto Ash’s arm, the two of them stared at their agitated accomplice.
“So where’s my date?” Aura asked, his smile gone.
“Oh, right,” Aralia said. She lifted her arm and pointed. “Over there.”
Across the street Aura saw the girl Raley was pointing to: tall, but not as tall as him. Long, golden hair. Fair skin. Short skirt. Perfect teeth. Larger-than-average bust. The girl had been distracted by a food stand menu, but turned around just as Raley pointed and started walking their way.
Aura stood impressed with a dumbfounded grin, his arms spread open wide to envelope his date in a warm hug as she approached. But the young pretty thing strolled right past the boy, a look of polite confusion graced her face as she tried avoiding eye contact with the strange boy.
The death toucher had only a brief moment to feel the shock of disappointment and confusion before someone else jumped out from behind the girl he thought was to be his date. This other person leapt into the boy’s outspread arms before he even knew what was happening. Without getting a good look at her, he knew at once who it was when her childish voice rang out with glee.
“Mr. Princess!” she said, squeezing the boy tight and giggling. “I missed you!”
“I felt the same way,” the boy replied with a sigh. His tone did not match his statement. He cocked his head at the chuckling couple, beaming a death glare of frustration.
“Enjoy having Hell’s cutest little cutie all to yourself tonight, bro,” Ash called to his friend as his eager date pulled him ahead.
The double-daters moved from the entrance and strolled casually through West Hell. The streets weren’t quite as busy as they’d been when the festival was in full-swing, but there were still more people out and about than Ash felt comfortable being around.
They walked to The Fire Arcade, observing the many different game booths lined up along the dusty avenue. Distance built between the two couples as the death toucher’s toddler of a date kept pulling the boy aside every time she spotted a candy stand that was too tempting or some oversized toy prize she desired.
Ash and Aralia were okay with the growing gap. Bringing her little sister along was the perfect distraction for Aura, as the death toucher spent all his efforts trying to please the child by winning her prizes. They pulled over to try a game where Aura had to maneuver a claw-like grabber over a bin of goodies using only his own flames. It took a great deal of concentration to set the claw in just the right spot above the giant fluffy unique-horn toy that Amalia stared at, wide-eyed and giddy.
With the death toucher and his ‘date’ disappearing from sight, Aralia became bolder with her advances. While Ash was content to keep his distance, tense and stiff with ne
rves, the sly girl narrowed the gap between them until their arms brushed each other with every stride. The boy crossed his arms anxiously and made small talk as they walked.
Aura could tell by his posture that something was bothering him. “What’s wrong Ash?” she asked, looking at the boy with concern in her eyes. “You’re not acting like your usual self.”
Ash’s heart skipped a beat, then went into turbo-mode. “N-nothing,” he said. “Want to play a game? How about that one?” Ash pointed to the nearest arcade booth.
The game booth housed a modest setup: several feet behind the countertop stood a tall pedestal. On top of it there were metallic bottles stacked in a triangle formation. The man working the booth told them the object of the game was to use a single burst of flames to try and knock over the bottles.
Ash paid for Aralia to go first, and she stepped up to the counter lining up her shot. While she was very confident in her abilities, her single burst of flames was not enough to do little more than rattle the bottles. The sound was like laughter to her ears, and she cried “Again!” to which Ash promptly paid for another round.
When again she failed, Ash paid the smiling booth attendant one last time. He stepped up to the counter instead, gently moving Aralia out of his way. He’d seen this same trick performed on Earth at every carnival he’d ever been to. He knew the bottles true weight. All he needed was to mix a little soul power in with his flames and…
The pair left that game booth smiling. Aralia clutched a large stuffed demon that looked like a dog in one hand. Her free arm latched onto Ash’s and the couple walked arm in arm for a while. Ash was absent-minded enough to let out a yawn. His date cocked her head in confusion and then acted mock-insulted, playfully pushing the boy away.
“I’d love a cup of coffee. How about we find a nice café?” He extended his hand, and she took it. Ash pulled her back in close. “I’m buying.”
They added ‘getting coffee’ to their agenda, moving from one booth to the next, pausing whenever something caught their attention long enough for Ash to crack a joke and Raley to laugh and bat her eyelashes some more. Aura lagged behind them carrying a load of stuffed toys under both arms. Little Amalia pranced ahead of him, tugging on his arm to move faster.
Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) Page 42
