peasant coffee

"Guess not," Vaerion affirmed. He didn't seem anywhere near as distraught as Asuriel, though.

Asuriel pouted. "Why doesn't it bother you? Is there nothing you don't want to share with me?"

"Nope, I'm an open book. Besides, it isn't as though it's mind-reading; I sort of… have a general sense of what you're feeling," the devil shrugged. "Anyway, I refuse to stay in this rancid, tiny ass apartment. You'll be staying with me."

"Hey, I paid for this with my own money! I'm pretty proud of myself," Asuriel defended herself. "And I didn't want to burn the incense. It was for my safety."

Vaerion's golden eyes bore into hers, then briefly flickered to the rest of her body. She was still in her underwear, and it made him chuckle. Despite the obviousness of his thoughts, he continued the conversation.

"I've had a few people watching over you this month," he admitted nonchalantly. "You would have been alright, but it's good that you took the initiative."

Asuriel crossed her arms over her chest, slightly blocking his view. "What? Why? Is that the reason I was narrowly escaping all of those incidents?"

"There's something wrong with you, and I can't pinpoint it. I noticed your aura was strange when I visited the Lounge once and decided to keep an eye on you," he explained, sparing no details. "Other infernal, and even celestial, forces also started to notice, so it's a good thing I did. My underlings had been curbing most of the problems."

"…Something wrong with me? My aura is weird?" she asked, then looked down at her feet. "and… uh, thank you, I guess."

"No need to thank me. I did it purely out of self-interest." Vaerion then nodded. "Yeah, strange aura. Most wouldn't have noticed because it was very, very similar to a mortal's. I'm sensitive to energies and more powerful than most, so I caught it first. It wasn't quite right for a human, but it also didn't fit the criteria for anything else. Curiosity got the better of me."

He narrowed his eyes, then added, "And it's doubly wrong, now. You're not human at all. Your… incident today must have broken the dam on whatever's happening inside you. It's fascinating."

"Doesn't that mean more things are going to bother me?" Asuriel asked awkwardly. "Won't you be overworking your friends?"

"One of them is already in trouble for a… mistake he made the other day, and the other is overseeing the punishment, so I would have been the one looking after you, anyway. Our predicament makes keeping watch over you easy now," Vaerion replied with a dismissive wave. "Even if it inconveniences me in every other way."

"Oh…" Asuriel wasn't sure what to think, let alone say, so she sighed. "So, you don't want to stay here. I'll stay at your place. It's probably big, right? Since you're a billionaire or whatever."

"Obviously," Vaerion stated. "Don't bother bringing your uniform. You won't be working. I'll talk to Evelyn."

Asuriel sighed. Their encounter earlier made her forget that he was still insufferable. "You can talk to her?"

"Emberlight Holdings owns the Velvet Lounge. I'm the one who hired her," Vaerion shrugged.

"I'll pack some things then," she said. Her eyes lit up when she thought of something, "But first, I want some coffee."

Coffee always made her feel better, and it would energize her for what would probably be an incredibly long night. It was already eleven pm.

Vaerion's brow shot up curiously, but he answered indifferently. "Sure. Make some coffee."

"Do it for me," she laughed. Asuriel knew he wouldn't, but he seemed like he would be fun to tease. She demanded firmly, "Make us some peasant coffee."

"Absolutely not. That's beneath me," Vaerion denied instantly… but despite his determined words, he started to walk toward the kitchen.

Asuriel's eyes widened. "Huh?"

The devil's golden eyes filled with shock and irritation. She watched him curiously and realized his tattoo was glowing upon closer inspection.

"No way," Asuriel started to laugh. "I can tell you what to do?!"

"Stop," Vaerion's voice was laced with anger. He opened the cabinet holding instant coffee pods and grabbed two. "I will not make coffee. Especially not instant coffee."

"I think you're making instant coffee, Jae," she teased, watching with intrigue.

"Revoke your command." the devil's voice was firm, but he didn't raise it. "And my name is not Jae!"

"You're doing great," Asuriel snickered, leaning on the counter to watch up close. "Honestly, you're a natural at using coffee pods."

Vaerion grabbed two mugs and placed the first one under the coffee maker. He inserted the pod and pressed the button, after which the machine hissed to life. The entire time it filled the cup, he bore holes into Asuriel's soul with furious, glowing golden eyes.

"I like half-and-half in mine," she added once the cup was full. Asuriel watched with a bemused expression as his brow twitched, and he grabbed some from the fridge. Much to her surprise, he poured the precise amount she liked into it.

After finishing, he placed the cup on the counter before Asuriel with a bitter expression. "Here you go, witch. Enjoy."

"Oh, I will," she teased. "Don't worry. Now, don't be shy, make yourself a cup. You brought out another mug, so you might as well."

"I'm going to kill you," Vaerion threatened through clenched teeth while he busied himself making another cup. "Forcing a devil prince into playing barista with your stupid instant coffee maker. If we were in the infernal realm, you would be hanged."

"Good thing we're in the mortal realm," she snorted, blowing on her streaming mug. "And I'm too interesting to murder on a whim."

Vaerion didn't grace her with a response and instead finished his drink in silence. Once he placed it on the counter, relief washed over him as the 'spell' vanished after completing his task. He drank his all at once, the heat bearing no consequence over him since he was a devil.

"Wow, impressive," Asuriel mused as she sipped. "Don't worry, I won't give you commands often. I'm a gracious god."

He eyed her with distrust. "Finish your drink and put some damn clothes on unless you want me to take you with me naked again."