Cecily was lucky that Manta Carlos was not as large as other places she had been to. It was not that Cecily was bad with directions, but finding her Keepers was work she took seriously, and she did not like to keep them waiting. Cecily had been given a message to tell Klaus Rosales, the man whom she was to meet up with and offer her servitude. It never even occurred to the doll that he might tell her no. Such a thing had never happened, and Cecily didn't consider it a possibility. She was a loyal servant, a weapon to be used at her Keepers' discretion.
She walked up the long steps; they felt quite long to her either way. Lilith had not seen it fit to give Cecily Klaus' address, but she was sure she had narrowed it down. Three days of relentless searching did that. He was an infamous man, this Keeper. Cecily understood why Lilith and the Seven (the simplistic name for the Princes of Hell) would send her to him of all the Keepers. She knew he must have had connects with the other Keepers in the area because the Seven would not lead Cecily wrong.
She knocked once on the door, a sharp, precise sound, so loud it should have hurt her knuckles. She stared expectantly up at the peephole. Doll Girl (which she was sometimes affectionately called by Lilith) did not bother to hide the long staff slung over her body and resting at her back. She hoped her Keeper would not be opposed to connecting with Token because she never wanted to lose him -- any of them -- again. It made things easier if they could be detected and vice versa.
While waiting for him to answer, Cecily peered around the hall. She could objectively state that it was a lovely hallway. The colors matched, they were plain, but they matched. It had no personality, as was so common with places like these. She tried to imagine what her Keeper's apartment would look like. Would it have personality? It didn't matter, either way, Cecily would be happy to see it, but she liked letting her mind wander to such thoughts.
It was a fairly lazy day for Klaus, in that while he was working, it was alone, and he wasn't particularly dressed up. He mumbled irritably to himself as he read paperwork over and over, made calls, and thought about various plans.
He narrowed his eyes when the wards alerted him to a guest. One that hadn't previously been recorded visiting. New was dangerous, and interesting. He wasn't expecting anyone, so it seemed safer to stay as he was, in casualwear and prettier, rather than taking on the full kingpin look. Not putting too much suspicion on him in one of his favorite homes, just in case this was something fairly ordinary.
He stood from his bed after shoving everything off of him, stretching and yawning. Christ, how long had he been laying down, anyway? He'd woken up too damn early. He yawned again and made the journey down all the stairs. "I'm comin', hold on," he called as he got to the first floor. He padded up and looked through his front door's peephole.
Oh. A very beautiful, young looking blond girl was outside, waiting for him. She was, somehow, a mix of cute and ethereal. Fascinating. Easy to fall in love with. He was never one to turn down having this sort of thing left so welcomingly on his doorstep. Felt like a surprise present. Seemed harmless, too, but making judgments along those lines so carelessly was never a smart decision.
He kept looking her over for a moment, lingering in particular on that staff. Were those demonic runes? There was an oddly earnest aura here, so he was a little surprised. When Klaus focused a bit more, even through the door, he could begin to feel the demon all over her. She wasn't one herself, but the association was clinging strongly, unable to be scrubbed off.
Far too curious to simply examine her from a distance any longer, Klaus opened the door. "Afternoon," he greeted, distractedly. He inched closer. "What can I do for you, doll?" He said it as a pet name, though that really was what she resembled, he realized with a hum. Curiouser and curiouser. His magic pressed into her, searching and craving. He licked his lips. "Nice staff you've got there, very nice. Here, let me take a wild guess- is this family related?"
He narrowed his eyes when the wards alerted him to a guest. One that hadn't previously been recorded visiting. New was dangerous, and interesting. He wasn't expecting anyone, so it seemed safer to stay as he was, in casualwear and prettier, rather than taking on the full kingpin look. Not putting too much suspicion on him in one of his favorite homes, just in case this was something fairly ordinary.
He stood from his bed after shoving everything off of him, stretching and yawning. Christ, how long had he been laying down, anyway? He'd woken up too damn early. He yawned again and made the journey down all the stairs. "I'm comin', hold on," he called as he got to the first floor. He padded up and looked through his front door's peephole.
Oh. A very beautiful, young looking blond girl was outside, waiting for him. She was, somehow, a mix of cute and ethereal. Fascinating. Easy to fall in love with. He was never one to turn down having this sort of thing left so welcomingly on his doorstep. Felt like a surprise present. Seemed harmless, too, but making judgments along those lines so carelessly was never a smart decision.
He kept looking her over for a moment, lingering in particular on that staff. Were those demonic runes? There was an oddly earnest aura here, so he was a little surprised. When Klaus focused a bit more, even through the door, he could begin to feel the demon all over her. She wasn't one herself, but the association was clinging strongly, unable to be scrubbed off.
Far too curious to simply examine her from a distance any longer, Klaus opened the door. "Afternoon," he greeted, distractedly. He inched closer. "What can I do for you, doll?" He said it as a pet name, though that really was what she resembled, he realized with a hum. Curiouser and curiouser. His magic pressed into her, searching and craving. He licked his lips. "Nice staff you've got there, very nice. Here, let me take a wild guess- is this family related?"
Cecily stood, patient as ever. She did hope this was the right apartment. She had tried so many others though her dedication never wavered. Until she found her Keeper, she could not speak to others or relax. When she heard a voice, muffled by the door, she canted her head to the right to listen better.
It took awhile after that for anyone to open up, but she never moved, not even her chest or shoulders rose for breath. Doll Girl had always found it strange how often people fidgeted when they waited. It was fascinating, more so before The Change (as she called it).
When the door opened, and the man stood before her, it was clear he was demonic, yes, but was he Klaus? Was he her Keeper? She blinked and waited to speak until he had. The man had a nice voice, she thought, very pleasant to the ear. Handsome, in that objective sort of way. That was to say, to the general populace, he might be a catch by physical appearance alone.
She smiled -- it was the soft, innocent smile of a child -- when he called her Doll. While this might be a common nickname for women, Doll Girl took it to mean he was addressing her in the way Lilith or The Seven might.
She could feel something. It was an odd feeling for sure. Doll Girl knew it was magic; she had felt magic like it before, but it never ceased to feel strange to her. The need it brought was deeper than what was normal for her, but it wasn't enough to derail her from thought. It made her....happy? Perhaps. Difficult to say. She had to focus now.
"Klaus Rosales?" she asked before (slowly) reaching back and taking her staff out. She got to one knee, laying the staff over her hands, which were palm up. It was the look of a knight swearing fealty. She bowed her head, soft hair falling over her face. She waited until he confirmed his identity before continuing.
"This one has been sent by the Seven Princes of Hell and Lilith to serve Klaus Rosales, its new Keeper. In turn, it has been told to obey the children of The Seven and do their bidding. This one asks that its Keeper accepts it and allows it to be its Keepers sword, eyes, ears, and anything else the Keeper needs."
Cecily didn't look up, didn't move. She went quiet, awaiting his answer. If she were capable of genuine nervousness, she might have felt it then. The doll only knew, unquestionably, that she was happy right here and near him. More Joyous than she was used to though sometimes this happiness came to her when meeting certain other Keepers. She assumed it was joy, at least.
Klaus smiled easily in return, copying a bit of her gentleness. Apparently she approved of the pet name. He nodded. "Yeah, love, the one and only. So what's-"
He cut himself off in order to simply stare as she started to pull out her staff. When she got down on one knee, his first thought was that this was a weird marriage proposal, and that his father suddenly decided he needed a secret arranged fiancee- despite that not being the way they normally did things. And hey, fuck, she was cute, but not enough to break his 'no legally getting married' rule.
Yet… there was something more to this. An air of honor, faithfulness, something just a little solemn. One would think, looking at stereotypes, that those concepts were fairly foreign to demons, but he'd always felt the same energy from his father's oldest and most loyal guards. He narrowed his eyes a bit. The girl confirmed his suspicions a moment later.
She was an official, and from the speaking to third person to the words themselves, clearly built and mentally wired to be used as a tool. He couldn't help the desire he felt. Despite these types usually being rather bland in the personality area, and the fact that winning over someone, bonding with them, was one of the most satisfying parts of eventually having them… this would be incredibly useful, that was clear. He'd be a blind fool to not recognize that.
She continued to be very cute, too.
"Is there anything fancy I need to do in order to own you?" Klaus asked, softly, gaze tellingly bright and intent despite the quiet. His magic was far thicker, trying to embed itself in her now, and he reached out to run a hand over the presented staff.
He cut himself off in order to simply stare as she started to pull out her staff. When she got down on one knee, his first thought was that this was a weird marriage proposal, and that his father suddenly decided he needed a secret arranged fiancee- despite that not being the way they normally did things. And hey, fuck, she was cute, but not enough to break his 'no legally getting married' rule.
Yet… there was something more to this. An air of honor, faithfulness, something just a little solemn. One would think, looking at stereotypes, that those concepts were fairly foreign to demons, but he'd always felt the same energy from his father's oldest and most loyal guards. He narrowed his eyes a bit. The girl confirmed his suspicions a moment later.
She was an official, and from the speaking to third person to the words themselves, clearly built and mentally wired to be used as a tool. He couldn't help the desire he felt. Despite these types usually being rather bland in the personality area, and the fact that winning over someone, bonding with them, was one of the most satisfying parts of eventually having them… this would be incredibly useful, that was clear. He'd be a blind fool to not recognize that.
She continued to be very cute, too.
"Is there anything fancy I need to do in order to own you?" Klaus asked, softly, gaze tellingly bright and intent despite the quiet. His magic was far thicker, trying to embed itself in her now, and he reached out to run a hand over the presented staff.
Cecily didn't raise from her knee and she wouldn't until he had allowed her to. She did look up though and beam at him. "Mr. Rosales already owns it, but he can mix his blood with Token," here she lifted the staff a little to indicate it, "so that they -- that is, this one and Mr. Rosales -- may always find each other. This one also must teach him the ritual to bring it back to life when it has been shattered. And if he wishes it to call him by a different name they may also talk about preferences."
Doll Girl was as happy as she could be when he had touched the staff and extended his magic to her. The staff's magic pulsated at his touch as if it were reaching for him. It seemed to mimic the feel of his magic, moving and swirling around his fingers. But rather that ingraining magic into him, it sucked his up, gladly accepting ownership.
Cecily did the same, basking in the warmth of his magic and voluntarily taking his scent. She had no scent of her own and couldn't smell anyway, so she would be grateful for his. Then, she would have been happy to accept any token of ownership from Klaus or one of the royal demon children. To Cecily, they were badges to be proudly displayed.
After having explained everything, Doll Girl said, "This one is happy to have found Klaus. It has been searching." Despite the odd distance to the words that were given by the use of third person, there was a sincere warmth about the way she spoke to him.
“Just blood, is it? Easy peasy. Yeah, I can do that, babe.” Sharpness and black armor crept up his hand, fingers changing to claws. He cut his other palm open and pressed it to the staff, no hesitation.
This girl was a doll in a very literal sense, wasn’t she? She’d felt artificial before, besides the basic traces of lingering demonic energy, which he didn't like. She smelled of roses now. Much better, he was going to keep it that way. He had to admit, he wasn’t against this obedience, even if he was also still a big fan of sparks. Cute was definitely a good word for her. Like a pet.
He was a bit excitable. He was very young for possessing a guard like this. Thirty was fucking tiny. That must mean he’d been doing well, and he had no lack of self confidence, but it still made him giddy. He’d always been a fan of glorified stories from his Hell’s culture, demon overlords with only the most loyal servants at their side and all their adventures. Greed was more modern, typically, but even his father still favored a great deal of the old dramatics. Klaus been starry eyed when he was ten years old, and he was no different now.
“Searching, you say?” He fidgeted a bit, fingers tapping on his thighs. He looked back and forth. “Hm. Come inside, tell me everything.” He reached out to guide her along, hand on her back, and would then close the door behind them. “Starting with your name, please."
This girl was a doll in a very literal sense, wasn’t she? She’d felt artificial before, besides the basic traces of lingering demonic energy, which he didn't like. She smelled of roses now. Much better, he was going to keep it that way. He had to admit, he wasn’t against this obedience, even if he was also still a big fan of sparks. Cute was definitely a good word for her. Like a pet.
He was a bit excitable. He was very young for possessing a guard like this. Thirty was fucking tiny. That must mean he’d been doing well, and he had no lack of self confidence, but it still made him giddy. He’d always been a fan of glorified stories from his Hell’s culture, demon overlords with only the most loyal servants at their side and all their adventures. Greed was more modern, typically, but even his father still favored a great deal of the old dramatics. Klaus been starry eyed when he was ten years old, and he was no different now.
“Searching, you say?” He fidgeted a bit, fingers tapping on his thighs. He looked back and forth. “Hm. Come inside, tell me everything.” He reached out to guide her along, hand on her back, and would then close the door behind them. “Starting with your name, please."
Cecily watched as Klaus cut his hand and laid it against the staff. She reached forward, gently lifting his hand so she could set the staff in an upright position and let his blood fall from its head and down the length of it. Only then did the staffs runic symbols brighten enough to blind and thrum against his touch. For a second, he would feel the beat of it through his veins. Then, all at once, it stopped.
Afterward, Doll Girl was more than happen to get back to her feet and have him lead her into his home. She looked all around, in long, arcing motions. Her eyes were wide in wonder. "Oooh. Ahh." She snapped out of it long enough to give him her name, though, she had been certain he knew it. Hadn't he called her by it earlier?
"They call it Cecily Marionette, but they also call it Doll Girl. This one likes to be called Doll Girl. It is pretty."
Then, Doll Girl's attention was caught, more than once. She would run from Klaus' side to inspect anything and everything in the room. Sometimes, Doll Girl would turn to Klaus, item in hand, and ask him about it.
Most of her bland, one-track demeanor had disappeared now that she had found Klaus and bonded with him. Preferences and talking could wait for a second as she familiarized herself with his home.
In the midst of looking through his things, Cecily looked over her shoulder at him, all hopeful-eyed. "Does Mr. Rosales have coloring books? This one much enjoys coloring."