Learning Habits
Beelzebub slowly came awake, feeling stiff and sore. The numbing effect
had worn off and his wounds screamed in agony as he moved. "Ugh." As his
hand came up to be placed upon his head, he realized something was off.
His skin felt more constricted in the areas of his wounds. "Eh...?"
Such a sweet little human. She babied you whilst you slept. Jukan sniggered.
"What?!" Beelzebub bolted upright, looking around wildly for Shiona. "Where in Hell are you, wretched little human?"
Shiona leapt up from her position. "I...h-here..."
"What in Hell you think you were doing?!"
She lowered her gaze, giving no verbal reply.
Beelzebub scraped his claws down his helmet in frustration. "Damned human."
"I told her to do so." ShadowWing piped up, having been awoken from his nap.
Shiona looked up at him in surprise, startled he would take the blame for her actions.
"You?! Why you little-!" He snatched up the little dragonette and started shaking him violently.
"Auck, let go!" He spat a glob of acidic spit at the demon's face.
It landed on the metallic helmet, hissing as it burned into the metal.
Beelzebub growled in frustration and dropped his dragonette companion, grumbling darkly. "Now I'ma have to get Dirian to make me another."
"Sorry, Master. But I would rather have not been throttled to death."
"I wasn't gonna kill you." Beelzebub said in a rather offended tone.
ShadowWing snorted his disapproval. "Nearly did."
Beelzebub looked over his body, examining the bandages. Although they felt a little tighter than needed, they had been bound almost as well as if the Healer had done it herself. He looked up at Shiona, who had not moved from her place and was examining her hands. "So. How did you manage all this? I'm a light sleeper."
"I..." She fiddled her fingers nervously.
"Well?"
"She deepened your sleep." ShadowWing said, seeing that Shiona was not going to answer.
"Oh. Hmph. Well, Shiona, you better not think about doin' anything like that again, got it?"
"Y...ye...yes..."
"Well. After that nap, I'm starving."
Seeming to take it as an order, Shiona hurried from the room to fetch food for the demon.
Beelzebub scratched his chin with a claw. "I didn't mean she had to do it."
ShadowWing rustled his wings in a shrug. "You have to remember, she's been abused. All she knows is to do what others tell her."
"I may hate humans...but I really don't like that concept."
Shiona returned several moments later with a bowl and a spoon. She carefully placed the bowl on the coffee table, backing away several steps and keeping her eyes on the floor.
Beelzebub leaned forward. "Shiona. You should eat too."
She looked up at him, startled. None of the others had ever told her to eat, merely told her when they would allow her.
ShadowWing flitted over to her shoulder and settled himself down. "To the kitchen!" he squeaked, pointing the tip of his tail in the air.
Shiona made her way out of the room.
Beelzbub shook his head and leaned back against the couch, resting the bowl against his chest. It took a few moments before the heat that was radiating from it seeped into his flesh and he yelped. "Ow, ow, ow!" He hurriedly set the bowl down.
ShadowWing's sibilant laughter came from the kitchen. "Did you forget that the soup is hot?"
"Oh, shut it, pipsqueak."
Shiona returned to the living room with another bowl and set it down on the table next to the first. She settled herself on the floor, allowing ShadowWing to slither off to the bowl to eat.
"I thought I told you to eat."
Shiona's body trembled and she wrung her hands nervously in her lap.
Beelzebub pushed his bowl over towards the young woman. "Here."
"B-bu..."
"Eat." he said in a more commanding tone, narrowing his eyes for a better effect.
Shiona cowered down under his steely gaze but hastily did as she was commanded. With a trembling hand, she managed to spoon some soup into her mouth.
Satisfied, Beelzebub nodded. "Good. 'Least you won't starve."
"What about you, Master?"
"Eh. I'm a big demon. I can get my own food." He got to his feet.
Shiona was about to get up as well but a glare from the demon made her wither and return to her food.
Later that evening, Beelzebub was setting up a place for Shiona to sleep, as he did not have a spare bedroom for her.
He straightened up after placing a blue embroidered sheet out on the couch. "There we go."
"I could have-" she started tentatively.
Beelzebub waved a hand dismissively, cutting her off. "Nonsense. You're the guest, stop acting like a servant."
She nodded slowly.
"Now, I'm off to bed. See you in the morning."
Shiona carefully climbed on to the couch and laid down on the pillow against the arm.
ShadowWing was snoring softly, coiled on the arm.
As much as she tried, the young woman found herself unable to sleep; her mind plagued by past events. She feared if she slept, she would awaken again strapped to a wall as she once had been only a few days prior.
Beelzebub spent the the majority of the next several weeks confined to the apartment while his wounds healed. During this time he tried to coax more responses out of Shiona other than intense fear and blind obedience to no avail. Loud noises of any kind, be it from the footsteps of the neighbors upstairs, the television, or just ShadowWing yawning, frightened the poor woman into a trembling mess. If Beelzebub made any kind of comment that Shiona took as a sign of discontent, she would immediately attempt to remedy it as quickly as possible. Her fear made her rather clumsy and more than once she spilled or dropped something and Beelzebub had to spend an hour to bring her out from under the kitchen table with soft words and a forcibly composed demeanor.
Such a sweet little human. She babied you whilst you slept. Jukan sniggered.
"What?!" Beelzebub bolted upright, looking around wildly for Shiona. "Where in Hell are you, wretched little human?"
Shiona leapt up from her position. "I...h-here..."
"What in Hell you think you were doing?!"
She lowered her gaze, giving no verbal reply.
Beelzebub scraped his claws down his helmet in frustration. "Damned human."
"I told her to do so." ShadowWing piped up, having been awoken from his nap.
Shiona looked up at him in surprise, startled he would take the blame for her actions.
"You?! Why you little-!" He snatched up the little dragonette and started shaking him violently.
"Auck, let go!" He spat a glob of acidic spit at the demon's face.
It landed on the metallic helmet, hissing as it burned into the metal.
Beelzebub growled in frustration and dropped his dragonette companion, grumbling darkly. "Now I'ma have to get Dirian to make me another."
"Sorry, Master. But I would rather have not been throttled to death."
"I wasn't gonna kill you." Beelzebub said in a rather offended tone.
ShadowWing snorted his disapproval. "Nearly did."
Beelzebub looked over his body, examining the bandages. Although they felt a little tighter than needed, they had been bound almost as well as if the Healer had done it herself. He looked up at Shiona, who had not moved from her place and was examining her hands. "So. How did you manage all this? I'm a light sleeper."
"I..." She fiddled her fingers nervously.
"Well?"
"She deepened your sleep." ShadowWing said, seeing that Shiona was not going to answer.
"Oh. Hmph. Well, Shiona, you better not think about doin' anything like that again, got it?"
"Y...ye...yes..."
"Well. After that nap, I'm starving."
Seeming to take it as an order, Shiona hurried from the room to fetch food for the demon.
Beelzebub scratched his chin with a claw. "I didn't mean she had to do it."
ShadowWing rustled his wings in a shrug. "You have to remember, she's been abused. All she knows is to do what others tell her."
"I may hate humans...but I really don't like that concept."
Shiona returned several moments later with a bowl and a spoon. She carefully placed the bowl on the coffee table, backing away several steps and keeping her eyes on the floor.
Beelzebub leaned forward. "Shiona. You should eat too."
She looked up at him, startled. None of the others had ever told her to eat, merely told her when they would allow her.
ShadowWing flitted over to her shoulder and settled himself down. "To the kitchen!" he squeaked, pointing the tip of his tail in the air.
Shiona made her way out of the room.
Beelzbub shook his head and leaned back against the couch, resting the bowl against his chest. It took a few moments before the heat that was radiating from it seeped into his flesh and he yelped. "Ow, ow, ow!" He hurriedly set the bowl down.
ShadowWing's sibilant laughter came from the kitchen. "Did you forget that the soup is hot?"
"Oh, shut it, pipsqueak."
Shiona returned to the living room with another bowl and set it down on the table next to the first. She settled herself on the floor, allowing ShadowWing to slither off to the bowl to eat.
"I thought I told you to eat."
Shiona's body trembled and she wrung her hands nervously in her lap.
Beelzebub pushed his bowl over towards the young woman. "Here."
"B-bu..."
"Eat." he said in a more commanding tone, narrowing his eyes for a better effect.
Shiona cowered down under his steely gaze but hastily did as she was commanded. With a trembling hand, she managed to spoon some soup into her mouth.
Satisfied, Beelzebub nodded. "Good. 'Least you won't starve."
"What about you, Master?"
"Eh. I'm a big demon. I can get my own food." He got to his feet.
Shiona was about to get up as well but a glare from the demon made her wither and return to her food.
Later that evening, Beelzebub was setting up a place for Shiona to sleep, as he did not have a spare bedroom for her.
He straightened up after placing a blue embroidered sheet out on the couch. "There we go."
"I could have-" she started tentatively.
Beelzebub waved a hand dismissively, cutting her off. "Nonsense. You're the guest, stop acting like a servant."
She nodded slowly.
"Now, I'm off to bed. See you in the morning."
Shiona carefully climbed on to the couch and laid down on the pillow against the arm.
ShadowWing was snoring softly, coiled on the arm.
As much as she tried, the young woman found herself unable to sleep; her mind plagued by past events. She feared if she slept, she would awaken again strapped to a wall as she once had been only a few days prior.
Beelzebub spent the the majority of the next several weeks confined to the apartment while his wounds healed. During this time he tried to coax more responses out of Shiona other than intense fear and blind obedience to no avail. Loud noises of any kind, be it from the footsteps of the neighbors upstairs, the television, or just ShadowWing yawning, frightened the poor woman into a trembling mess. If Beelzebub made any kind of comment that Shiona took as a sign of discontent, she would immediately attempt to remedy it as quickly as possible. Her fear made her rather clumsy and more than once she spilled or dropped something and Beelzebub had to spend an hour to bring her out from under the kitchen table with soft words and a forcibly composed demeanor.
