Private Finished Troubled Demons, Doing Troubled Things

Rei kept up a good pace with Kurt, though he trailed slightly behind so Kurt could take the lead. "I like first-person shooters or anything with action."

Back on the topic of photography and drawing, Rei was happy to know that his suggestion was new to Kurt. Whenever he gave someone advice, he worried that his suggestions were too obvious and something they already tried before. Kurt may have been trying to play Rei's help up because of his age, but he knew Kurt was not the type of person to underestimate him. He respected Rei as some kind of equal, he hoped.

Rei accepted the cookie without hesitation. The demons here were very... different from back home. Some were more like he expected, others, like Kurt, threw him off guard. His mother taught him to always be wary of people back in Lust Hell. She was the only safe one, and anyone else would be a threat to him. Kurt in comparison to many of the demons he saw there was safe, friendly, and comforting. There was nothing intimidating about him.

"Thank you," he responded before biting into the cookie. Maybe the cookie genuinely was good, or maybe it was his feelings again, but either way, he told Kurt, "You're really good at baking. I bet that can help with venting too. You could bake stuff for the homeless people. One of my cousins does that, I think."

"Yeah! I tried to learn how to bake, but... it's kind of boring... I can't tell if my food's really good or really bad anyway. I want to help though. I can be the... uh... Pastry Apprentice. I have a lot of money, so I can give you the supplies you need." This was nice. This was what Rei needed. A friend he could talk to who listened to him and took his advice.

Fiddling with the hoodie of his jacket, Rei lowered his eyes, trying to figure out how to form his words. He was not the gross sentimental type. Not that he had anything against it, but it just never "fit" him. In the end, his words always came out wrong and made him seem blunt, rude, or both.

"Um... thanks for talking to me, Kurt..." He messed with his hoodie some more. "A lot of stuff's been happening and... uh... I guess I'm happy I was able to help you." His eyebrows furrowed at the last part as he looked up at Kurt with a harsh expression. Even his tone turned blunter, despite that supposed to be the nicest thing he wanted to say.

Rei's hair began to wiggle, curling then uncurling as he tried to think of a proper way to respond. He could not say too much, but Kurt was a trusted friend. Being a little looser might not be too bad.

"Oh, just... uh... I don't know how to..." He gestured to the purple spots on his face. "Changes. I think I'm starting to look like my mom." She was the personification of flamboyant. With her flashy colors, her unique horns, the pattern of her horns, and the extra features from her shape-shifting, she was someone that was hard to ignore. Becoming that sounded terrible. He wanted to be noticed, admired, and seen as attractive. Not because he was a colorful cecaelia.

"And just... I know I'm a Lust demon but I don't want to look... attractive?" Sexy was too strong of a word for him to just say. "I want to be attractive and handsome, but I don't want everyone to look at me and be creepy about me. And now I'm starting to look like this and..." He let out his built up anger with a long and exhausted groan. "Never mind... sorry... I didn't want to say all of that..."

Rei's face filled with embarrassment and regret for everything he said. Kurt listening patiently while Rei blurted out his thoughts was appreciated, he wished he would forget all of that. Not only was it inappropriate, it left Rei in the awkward position of either suddenly changing the topic, or trudging through this painful conversation.

"Well... it's different for you. You're part human too. I don't think my changes are sudden anyway..." He gave an unsure shrug. For the most part, everything was slow for him. This was just a sudden spike that would hopefully die down as quickly as it started.

Kurt's words made Rei lower his guard, however. His shoulders sunk and his face softened into a smile while he looked at the anti-demon propaganda become covered. "And I bet you'll look bigger and manlier when you're older. I think you look great now, and teenagers always look kind of... um... young. Human teenagers, I mean. B-But... yeah... you're right."

What was once an awkward smile turned into one of determination as Rei locked eyes on Kurt. "We'll be strong together then. I mean, we have lots of time to change. I have plans on how to look better and change. I'm not going to become a completely different person though."

All of this was disgustingly sappy, and Rei loved every second of it while hating it at the same time. It was like listening to an after-school special about the importance of loving yourself and how what really mattered was deep down within you.

With a nod, Rei adjusted his camera and followed Kurt. "Yeah! And I'll make a copy so we can both have a picture."

Rei actually did not want to have a picture of himself from the past. Seeing a picture of himself during an embarrassing and pathetic time in his life disgusted him. If he wanted to have any pictures of himself, he wanted to look his best.

But he could not give up a chance to take a picture with hurt. Knowing Kurt had the height advantage, he passed the camera to him, then gave instructions on using it. "Ready when you are"

After the pictures were taken, Rei told Kurt that he needed to go. For once, Rei's smile was soft, and when he said his goodbyes, there wasn't an ounce of hostility in it.