Chapter Thirteen

After the bath Rose still seemed upset as Isha dried and helped dress her. However, she seemed to enjoy the blow dryer. Isha began to make breakfast for the two of them while Rose sat on the chair, watching him cook.

"What are you making?" Rose asked as she watched him pull out flour, eggs, milk, etc.

"Pancakes. Since you've more than likely never had them." Isha took this moment to throw all the salt he owned away. Boiled eggs aren't going to taste the same anymore. He sighed a bit.

"Really!?" She exclaimed happily, standing on her chair. Isha looked back at her and nodded, smiling softly.

"Of course." He began to mix the batter, locating some chocolate chips. He made sure to read all the labels of things before adding them. Rose watched intently as he warmed a pan and started to cook the pancakes. As the smell wafted up, she began to drool a bit.

"You really are acting like a kid today huh?" Isha stated, half to himself. She puffed her cheeks out at him.

"I can act as I please. I'm just comfortable." Rose crossed her arms until Isha placed a plate of food in front of her. He set the bottle of syrup in front of her to use as she pleased, then set a cup down for her, filling it with milk. Isha had already put syrup and butter on his food, a cup of tea already made, starting to eat as Rose put some syrup on hers.

"So how is it?" He asked her as she took a bite. Her eyes lit up and she smiled at him, getting more syrup.

"Really yummy!" She replied enthusiastically, bouncing a little in her seat. As Isha watched her, he proceeded to eat, quickly finishing his food and sipping his tea.

"Glad you like it. Don't expect it to be made often, you here?" Rose narrowed her eyes at his statement but nodded her head, savoring her food. "I personally prefer waffles anyway." He added, looking out the window that was next to the still yet to be fixed one.

"A waffle…?" She tilted her head at his statement.

"You've heard of a pancake but not a waffle? Interesting. Well, I'll make it someday." She nodded at him smiling, eating her food. Isha then got up, stretching.

"Going somewhere?" She asked him as he put on his coat and scarf. "Oh! Laundry!" Isha nodded at her, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't read my thoughts. Or rather my past thoughts." He replied, letting a sigh out as he fetched the laundry basket. She just smirked at him.

"Then learn to hide them like the others. You seemed to hide that dream perfectly well this morning." She stated with a pout. "It seemed very interesting." She proceeded to eat.

"I'm glad you didn't see it then." He replied, walking toward the door. "You can stay here right? Since its your domain?" She nodded at him.

"I caaann…. But I want to see everything! It's changed so much…." Rose stared off at the door, her fork piercing a piece slightly.

"Well I'm just going to the laundry room. You'll be going with me when I actually leave anyway." She nodded at Isha with a smile, coming out of her headspace.

Isha left the apartment and walked down the stairs, pulling his scarf up as a winter breeze came in. His apartment was actually the best taken care of amongst the complex, the recent window smash included. The complex itself was essentially fallen apart.

Isha looked into moving, but that bath…. And now he's curious about the place Rose was locked away in. He let out a sigh as he went into the communal laundry room at the base floor of the complex. As per usual there were clothes, empty bottles, cigarette packets, and other things. If you weren't careful, you'd contract something from stepping on a stray needle.

"Hey! Hey! Get outta here, do that somewhere else." He shouted at a possible couple, more than likely not, that were in the middle of the laundry room. "Seriously, there are apartments for a reason. It's freezing down here anyway."

"You're such a buzzkill man, yanno that?" The man said, sighing as he stepped away from the woman, going up out the door. "C'mon babe, les go to the apar'ment. That's if my mood ain't just got killed by Mr. Saintman here."

Isha felt his face naturally go into a type of snarl under the scarf as his eyes narrowed. He stepped away from the two as the walked past him, still nude. The woman glared more at Isha then the man did.

"You guys are just sad." Isha said shaking his head as he went to do his laundry. The man rushed him from behind.

"What did you sa-!" Out of instinct Isha went pale as he twirled around, kicking him in a panic. The man flew back a bit, a dryer breaking his fall. He got back up with a pained groan as the girl stayed in the doorway, staring at Isha.

"C'mon babe, l-let's go." The man stated in a painful voice, limping away from the machine. He didn't even notice a stray needle jab his calf and stay there.

As the man and the woman left, Isha slid to the floor against the machine, luckily nothing under him. He hugged his legs to his chest as his breath got heavy.

"Iiiiishaaaa~" He heard the voice from last night. "Get…. Up Isha…~ C'mooonn~ Remember…. what they diiid~ What they… caused~" Isha covered his ears and only grew more panicked as he heavily breathed in and out. Someone came to use the laundry room, but seeing Isha, going back up the stairs.

"I'm not… I'm not gonna.. No one is after me…" He gasped out, clenching his fist. "I'm not a monster… I'm not like… you…"

"Isha~… Just let me in~…. C'moonnn~ Listen.. to me…." The voice whispered into his ears.

"No... no… stop…" Isha muttered from under the scarf, feeling like he was unable to catch his breath. "Just leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" He shouted and bashed a decent sized dent into the washer with his head as he held his knees tighter. Luckily for him, this wasn't an abnormal occurrence in this area, so no one would think anything of it. Unluckily for him, it was him doing it.

Isha's whole body trembled as the demon him continued, whispering into his ear.

"Wake up already… C'mon Isha~ You're going to miss it… But… maybe… you'd like to… sleep through it~" He banged his head against the dryer again, this time feeling warm liquid from the back of his head.

"Shut up! Shut up shut up!!" He repeated over and over again, banging his head again.

"Maybe… I should…. Help you… Yesss~ Help~ Help… your memory… Ish-" He didn't even let him finish, banging his head twice more.

"No! Shut up SHUT UP SHUT UP!!" He started screaming again. Suddenly, he felt a warmth on him, and the world felt like it came to a sudden halt.

"Hey. It's all okay." Rose's voice spoke to him in a soothing tone. He opened his eyes to see her on him, arms wrapped around him. "I'm sorry for not being down here sooner, but I'm here now." Isha began to calm down again, the voice going away as he hugged Rose tightly back, starting to cry.

"What's wrong Isha?" She asked him, stroking the back of his head. She saw the blood on the machine, and pooling on the floor but decided not to say anything. The wound on his head was already healing itself anyhow. Isha just shook his head, not saying anything as he closed his eyes again, his crying stopping now as well.

"You are such a cry baby. And you're trying to say I'm the kid." Rose said to him light heartedly. Isha bitterly smiled a bit at her but didn't say a thing. "Is it better now?" He slowly nodded as she asked, starting to get up.

"Thank you… I… I thought you were supposed to be a demon." He stated, looking at her as he started to get up.

"Not all demons have to be completely evil." She stated with a pout. He nodded slowly at her, staring into the still open washer.

"Yeah… you might be right…" He started to put the clothes and soap in. "Just like not all priests are saints…" He muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Rose asked, tilting her head at him. He shook his head, not replying as he started the washer. She nodded a bit in understanding. "So then… What do we do know?" She asked him, tilting her head again.

"Wait for the clothes so no one steals them. Be prepared. We may see a thing or two." He said to her, half joking.

"I already see a thing or two." Rose replied with a look of disgust, holding her nose. Isha laughed a bit at her, sitting atop the washer now.

"So how long will it take?" She asked him, sitting beside him.

"About an hour for the washer and dryer on quick mode." She nodded at him, curiously and disgustedly looking around the place.

"This place really has fallen on hard times." Isha nodded at her matter-of-fact statement.

"Yeah, it's especially been bad this year." He let out a slight yawn and stretched as they waited for the laundry. "Damn it." He cursed as he checked his pockets.

"What? Something wrong?" Rose looked at him worriedly as he searched his pockets.

"I forgot my phone upstairs." He replied with a sigh. He didn't want to chance leaving the clothes for even that long.

"What? Why would you want to bring something that big down here?" She furrowed her brow at him.

"What? Oh, no, you know that small rectangle with a screen you've probably seen me use?" She nodded her head after thinking a bit.

"I think I know what you're on about. I don't see how that's a phone… but! I do know where it is." She exclaimed, poofing away.

"She's basically an old lady in a child's body." Isha sighed. She poofed back after a few minutes, giving him something.

"This is it right?" Rose asked as she handed him the object. Isha sighed softly, turning on his portable game system.

"No… But it's close enough. I'll show you my phone later." He told her as he began playing the game that was in it. Getting curious, Rose made her way into his lap to watch him play it. He sighed but didn't say anything against it as he continued to play.