Shay had done some research, beyond just what to get the man she'd been paired with. Tatsuo Narisawa, Demon Lord. She'd be inclined to ask him from which Hell he was a lord. It was only appropriate that they were paired together. A Demon Lord and the child one of Klaus and Vito Rosales. Infamous crime lords and both sons of the Princes' of Hell.
It felt like meeting with extended family or something. It wasn't, but Shay was in a good mood, her health was stable again, and she was feeling pretty damn merry.
He wanted magical study books? Ironic. She was trying to get a first edition for Vincenzo. She wouldn't get this man something that good. It already cost her an arm and a leg in bribes to her father. Instead, she'd stopped by the library and picked up a few books from their more exclusive section.
Connections went a long way, and Shay had too many of them for a kid her age. She picked up a chess board too, magically enhanced, of course. A few other surprises and she was off to the town square, where a Christmas tree and lights were hung. She'd told him to meet her there already and now all she had to do was wait.
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Tatsuo had no idea what was coming, who Eroshay Rosales where because he was too busy with private affairs, though the name Rosales rang a bell he didn't know from where. He would assume that Eroshay was as normal as normal gets in Manta Carlos but then again the name Rosales rang a bell, it was something he couldn't put his finger on, but enough to dismiss his first assumption.
The first gift sounded reasonable, sounded like someone who wanted to become a law enforcer but that image had soon been shattered by the next gift wish, death related artifacts. He actually did have a death related item tucked away somewhere at home that he had gotten out just for this occasion. It was a silver necklace with a ruby hanging in it, almost looking like a vial of blood. It once was able to resurrect the dead as mindless thralls, now, this relic was more used as a regular necklace but he hoped she would like the thought behind it.
For the book, he had to actually go out and find a bookstore, he didn't know which one she would like more and picked a generic criminal psychology book. He had been instructed to meet her at the Christmas three and he showed up in a red suit, not a Santa suit but an actual suit that was the same red color of his eyes and a black shirt beneath it.
The first gift sounded reasonable, sounded like someone who wanted to become a law enforcer but that image had soon been shattered by the next gift wish, death related artifacts. He actually did have a death related item tucked away somewhere at home that he had gotten out just for this occasion. It was a silver necklace with a ruby hanging in it, almost looking like a vial of blood. It once was able to resurrect the dead as mindless thralls, now, this relic was more used as a regular necklace but he hoped she would like the thought behind it.
For the book, he had to actually go out and find a bookstore, he didn't know which one she would like more and picked a generic criminal psychology book. He had been instructed to meet her at the Christmas three and he showed up in a red suit, not a Santa suit but an actual suit that was the same red color of his eyes and a black shirt beneath it.
When Shay was lazily scanning the crowd, she caught sight of him (not hard with a suit like that). She hopped down from the bench she was sitting on and trotted up to him, a few presents in hand. Each were wrapped to perfection. Admittedly, Shay hadn't wrapped them herself. Like she could get corners like that. Ridiculous.
When Shay mentioned death-related items, everyone assumed necromancy. That was fair. It was a lot more common than her powers. She rose a hand and wiggled her fingers in greeting at him.
"Tatsuo? Wow, you look just like I imagined you would! Eroshay Rosales, at your service. So, where do you want to do this? We can sit on a bench or get lunch or something. Didn't expect you'd be paired up with a little girl, huh?"
She took a second to look him up and down as if testing him in some way. She nodded and made an approving sound at the back of her throat. "Yup, red eyes. Why do so many of you have red eyes?"
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Tatsuo packed the gifts himself, now they weren't perfect, well the book looked good. He knew that if you folded the sides, preferably twice or as many times you would need to tape the side to the edge, though if there was too much gift wrapper you could cut some away to avoid folding several times. The necklace box had a rounded top which made the wrapper just a bit wrinkly. Holding the book in a plastic bag and the necklace box in a pocket.
He circled the Christmas three, looking for her, not even halfway around it and he found Rosales. When she waved, he returned a wave of his own. It was his regular wave with the thumb and index finger making an L shape, with the middle finger next to the index, this form of greeting was an old habit of his. What was her name now again? Era.. Evo.. Rosales rolled of off the tongue and just as he was about to call out to her, using her last name, he was reintroduced.
"Thank you" I think, he couldn't tell if it was a compliment or not but this was a happy occasion so he moved on.
"I can go for lunch and I prefer to do this with a little girl... Wow, that sounded creepy. It is just that I know many guys who are jackasses." He hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"Oh, my eyes. I made a deal with the devil." A joke, though not too far from the reality. "But who are these other guys with red eyes?" He hadn't made any research on Shay or other Demon Lords, nor did he know of off any and it was made more and more apparent by the minute.
He circled the Christmas three, looking for her, not even halfway around it and he found Rosales. When she waved, he returned a wave of his own. It was his regular wave with the thumb and index finger making an L shape, with the middle finger next to the index, this form of greeting was an old habit of his. What was her name now again? Era.. Evo.. Rosales rolled of off the tongue and just as he was about to call out to her, using her last name, he was reintroduced.
"Thank you" I think, he couldn't tell if it was a compliment or not but this was a happy occasion so he moved on.
"I can go for lunch and I prefer to do this with a little girl... Wow, that sounded creepy. It is just that I know many guys who are jackasses." He hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"Oh, my eyes. I made a deal with the devil." A joke, though not too far from the reality. "But who are these other guys with red eyes?" He hadn't made any research on Shay or other Demon Lords, nor did he know of off any and it was made more and more apparent by the minute.
Shay's eyes lit up in laughter at his seemingly creepy remark. She waved off his immediate explanation. He was all flustered and trying to sound normal. Most people seemed to get that way around her. Cute.
"Hey, don't worry about it. People are usually creepy to me anyway. I don't mind. I'm used to it. It's kind of my forte, at this point." Shay motioned him to follow along as she walked down the main road, pointing out good choices for a sit-down, but ultimately letting him choose the place they ate.
She continued talking as they walked in search of a restaurant. She nodded when he commented that he made a deal with the Devil. "Was that a joke or are you being serious? 'Cause, I mean, that's a real thing, and I don't know you well enough to know if you're being honest right now.
"And one of my dads has red eyes. He's a Demon, too. You know, Klaus Rosales? Of the infamous Rosales gang. He's a son of one of the Princes of Hell. Kind of a big shot around here. Say!"
Shay turned and walked backward as she spoke. "Are you new?"
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"Yeah, that was a total joke, well sort of. I haven't made a deal with the devil but I was born human.. It is a long story" He stopped when he found a place as good as any other for some lunch and gift switching "How bout this place?".
Dads? As in more then one, she must have been adopted or it could be some magic demon hoodoo thing. So that was where he had heard the name from, it was a gang and the one dad was a demon..
But then she said something about a prince of hell "I ain't the kind that has a hell, I don't need minions so I don't torture souls until they turn into demons and I don't need souls to sustain myself" This was his idea of a demon that he had picked up from fiction but whether or not it was fiction or real, he had no way of finding out.
Dads? As in more then one, she must have been adopted or it could be some magic demon hoodoo thing. So that was where he had heard the name from, it was a gang and the one dad was a demon..
But then she said something about a prince of hell "I ain't the kind that has a hell, I don't need minions so I don't torture souls until they turn into demons and I don't need souls to sustain myself" This was his idea of a demon that he had picked up from fiction but whether or not it was fiction or real, he had no way of finding out.
Shay nodded at his choice, motioned for him to go ahead and pick a table. "Sure, as good as any place."
Eroshay sat with him, stared at him a long second, and burst out laughing. "I mean... papa says not all Demons torture people. He isn't a fan, but he also says his Hell does have torture stuff going on, so I guess the bible got that part right-o."
Shay put her presents on the table and slid them toward him. Swinging her legs under the table, Eroshay rested her chin in the palm of her hand and watched him, amused.
"How hilarious is it that we got each other for secret Santa? Of all the people we could have gotten? Crazy, right? You'd almost think one of us pulled some strings. I didn't, by the by."
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