Your Home

"This is my home for the next three years, and I guess yours now as well."

Rowen said when they pulled into the driveway. She had been living at the headmaster's house with Brooke for the last few months.

Brooke parked and got out of the car. Nasi quickly got out and opened Rowen's door.

"May I?"

It asked and pointed at her backpack. Rowen shrugged but handed the backpack to Nasi. I could get used to this, Rowen thought as she made her way to the house. Nasi managed to get to the door before her and held it open after Brooke unlocked it.

"That's handy. Do you cook?"

Brooke turned to observe the pair as they walked in.

Nasi looked at Rowen, "If that is what my master wishes."

"Speaking of, where will it be sleeping Rowen?"

Rowen looked around the living room, then down the hall where her room was. She could have Nasi sleep on the couch, but she did not believe that was for the best. The next option was her room, though she did not have any way to set up a bed for it.

"My room, I suppose. I'll feel safer that way, especially since you're working all night right now."

Brooke folded her arms and raised her eyebrows, "Where is it going to sleep in your room? On your bed?"

"I am fine with sleeping on the floor. I don't imagine much has changed when it comes to sharing a room with a young lady. We demons may not attribute gender to ourselves, but humans tend to view us the same way they do males."

Rowen snorted, "My parents are dead and they were the only ones whose opinion mattered. If I decide to share my bed with you, I will. It's not like anything but sleep will happen." Rowen gave Nasi a hard look. "I'm too young for such things and do not plan to pursue a sexual relationship until after I graduate."

Nasi bowed its head, "I will do whatever you wish."

"Once you figure out what you're doing, let me know. We can go shopping and get another bed."

Brooke left, headed in the direction of the kitchen while muttering about demons and avoiding magic.

When they stepped into Rowen's room she decided that getting a second bed would be the better option. She just had a single mattress, so fitting anyone else on it would be difficult. The room had just enough space to add another bed. She had no dresser or table in her bedroom, just a bed with generic white sheets and a black pillowcase and comforter.

"I'm surprised, this room shows none of your personality."

"It just isn't important to me. My old room was certainly filled with personality."

Rowen went to her closet and pulled out a change of clothes. She directed Nasi to put the backpack in the closet.

"Just because something terrible happened it doesn't mean you have to stop living."

Rowen sat on the bed and laid back, "I honestly don't know who I am anymore. The friends I've had since I was little wouldn't recognize who I am now. It's only been a few months since my parents died and all I feel is anger. Anger and a strong urge to kill.

"I could blame it on the fact that I'm sharing my soul with a demon, but I know it's all me. Gabriel isn't influencing my emotions."

"Demons are impulsive creatures. We experience strong emotions and tend to act first, and think later. It may not be purposely influencing your emotions, but the changes that your body is going through will enhance what you're feeling."

Earlier when they had been talking they had touched on the subject of her soul-bonding with Gabriel and the changes it had caused.

"Can't really argue with that logic."

~It is most likely correct. It had not occurred to me that your emotions would be affected.~

Rowen sat up and sent Nasi out while she changed.

"Enhanced or not, it's still my emotions. I won't push the blame off to something else and ignore it. I don't know if meditating will help, or if anything will help, but I need to try."

She took off her uniform and hung it up on the hook on her door. She was too worried about the uniform getting damaged that, even dirty, she would keep it properly hung. Rowen had chosen to wear faded jeans and a shirt with a dragon pictured on the front. There was a princess standing next to it and a knight facing them. A dialogue balloon said 'she likes me better, knight.'

~Maybe you just need to kill someone. I can feel how strong the urge is when the humans annoy you, letting some of that out will help.~

"How? The way they're regulating me I'll never come across an opportunity."

Rowen looked down at her hands and sighed, "Is this urge to kill part of being a demon? I don't remember being this way before. I mean, I know that nothing bad has ever happened to me before. It was easy to be happy and have a friendly personality.

"I can only imagine how I come across now, based on the reactions of the adults around me."

~Maybe. Based on your own memories you would curse at school, but not while with your parents. You also watched horror movies with friends that your parents did not approve of. Some of it may be because of our bond because demons do enjoy death and destruction. Some of it is most certainly because of the trauma you experienced. But, what if some of it was part of your personality that had not fully developed yet.~

Rowen could not help but laugh. Gabriel's words made sense. If she really thought about how she had behaved while with her parents and while out with friends, there had been a hint of a different person. It may not have been so strong if she had never experienced the trauma and if she had not been soul-bound to a demon.

A knock at the door drew her from her thoughts.

"Enter."

Nasi walked in and was wearing the uniform, and pin, that Hyacinth had given him. He held the clothes he had been wearing and the spare uniforms.

"What do you think?"

Rowen looked him over carefully and found herself smiling. Nasi had shifted to appear more human. Its horns were gone, replaced by black hair that was styled and long enough to cover its ears. The eyes had turned to a dark red shade, almost black as if to match the uniform.

The uniform was black with red piping that ran down the side of the pants. The pin had been placed just below the school's logo on the jacket.

"I suppose I should put my pin on."

"May I?"

Rowen nodded and handed the pin to Nasi after she retrieved it from her backpack. It placed the pin on her shirt, near her heart, where it could be easily seen. They went to find Brooke and the trio headed back out to purchase a bed.

It did not take long for them to accomplish their goal. Because of the small size of Brooke's car they scheduled the bed to be delivered to the house the next day. The bedding that was purchased would be used to create a makeshift bed on the floor for the night.

When they returned home Brooke warmed herself up some leftovers and went to her room to eat in peace. Nasi, true to his word, prepared food for it and Rowen. It even brought the food to her where she was relaxing on the couch. Rowen was watching a documentary on the Ethereal Sea and the strange weather patterns that it was known for.

"Ah, it's so good!" Rowen exclaimed when she cut into the steak and it bled.

Nasi, who had sat down next to her with its own plate, had a pleased expression on its face.

"It pleases me that you like it. Eating such quality meat is something I missed."

Rowen turned to look at Nasi, head tilted, "You don't have meat in your world?"

"We do, otherwise our diet would be lacking. It just doesn't taste the way the meat does here. It has a darker tone and the blood of our beasts is a black, green shade."

She scrunched her face in disgust and Nasi laughed.

"See, not nearly as appetizing. I can understand why some demons don't like it here, not everyone is lucky enough to find a master who treats them well. Too often Summoners treat the demons that they summon as a commodity to be used and thrown away."

"You won't have to worry about that with me. Sure, I'll use you, but I won't just throw you away."

Nasi took her empty plate and carried it to the kitchen. It rinsed out both plates and forks and placed them in the dishwasher before it returned to the living room and rejoined Rowen.

"You have treated me well in just the short time I've been summoned. I have faith in the fact that you will be a fair master."