The Rogue and the Devil (Dorei)

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

CASE FILE DATE :: NOVEMBER 9TH
TIME :: 2:30AM
SITUATION :: INVESTIGATION.

"Jesus Christ, why'd they make us send her out on a briefing and a mission at this time of the night? I was having such a nice sleep." whined a man who was sitting on an office chair, struggling to keep awake, an arm rested on his right cheek. Magdalene had been assigned today to investigate the cause of a fire that broke out at an influencial figure's house. Magdalene had not been given all the full details because it was like two thirty in the morning or some unholy hour like that, but she did not question it; she just said she would like some information on her mission so she could go and do it. The sleepy man waved her off, saying "Your target's in Ichigaya, Shinjuku. I heard that the culprit is still around, some mentally shaken up dude, but I don't know. Maybe you can talk some sense into 'im, you know? You can be a nice sweetheart when you need to be." Magdalene rolled her eyes.

"As you wish, though I will have you know that I am unaffected by such trivial matters as 'sleep deprivation.'" Magdalene giggled. "Get some sleep, Stephen." Upon that mark, the man Magdalene identified as 'Stephen' promptly crashed and fell asleep on the desk. Magdalene hopped out of the room she was in and silently left the complex, finding herself outside in the dark. Ichigaya, Shinjuku... That's a ways away from here, and it's late, so none of the trains will be out... I suppose I'll have to find another way to get there... Magdalene rubbed her forehead and decided to make a run for it. She ran in a random direction in the hopes it'd take her to her destination. She was a robot, yes, but she cursed the fact her designers and manufacturers neglected to put some sort of GPS in her. That would have made things so much more simple.

After about thirty minutes of idle running, Magdalene found herself at a terrible sight of a large building that seemed... like it blew up. It was still burning at parts. Magdalene made her eyes brighter so she could see her surroundings more clearly, to see if the culprit of this fire was still there. "Hoi! If there's anyone still there, come out! It's too dangerous to be here." she said, faintly detecting traces of heat that wasn't the fire...

[Dorei]

It was just another ordinary night for Dorei, until it had happened. This, in itself, was a testament to what a cursed life he led. He was at Haruka's mercy, being beaten even as she had her way with him. She got a special thrill out of feeling him squirm in pain so close to her. He no longer could feel any sort of fear at this, as he was so used to it... But pain never became numb. Certainly, the body of a demon would never be reduced to that by a human. Yet, this was the greatest torture of all.

But then, the normalcy of agony would be interrupted by an incredible rush of heat and sound. The world seemed to shatter as a different sort of agony consumed him, and everything crashed down. In but an instant, flame had devoured everything... Dorei felt a true fear, deeper and stronger than he had remembered ever feeling before. The warmth of his master's body was gone, but instead there was a flame hotter than anything he'd felt before all around. Yet, he couldn't even squirm in the pain anymore, for that which had not yet burned to ash still trapped him. He could do little but slowly try to shimmy forward a bit at a time, unable to even see if the way forward was blocked or not.

The flames would have burned a human alive instantly, and that might have been a mercy compared to what Dorei was feeling. This heat was of an intensity that couldn't be natural... He knew what normal flames felt like, after all. Certainly, his masters in the past had enjoyed seeing their effect upon him, as he would never come near burning to death... Yet he still would feel pain.

Eyes shut, barely shielded from the intense blaze just beyonds the lids, everything was red. Yet, after what seemed near an eternity, the red faded, as did the pain... Yet it lingered, terrible. He was barely capable of moving more than a slight twitch at a time, any attempt to do so met with a further vicious stab of pain. Yet, he heard a voice calling, that spurred him on... Yet, the excitement that he felt at hearing a voice that sounded human was mixed with fear of who might possess that voice. If he was blamed for this...

Dorei rushed forward in a single short burst, leaving the flames. He opened his eyes, and saw the one who had called him... It seemed at once humanoid, and like nothing he had seen before.

What Magdalene would see, would be something unusual as well. A small creature, with very distinctive features marking it as an incubus... But also one that had burns which, on a human, would lead to a slow and painful death.

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

Magdalene could sense the heat signature, but it was abnormal - it definitely didn't belong to a human. The modifications made by Stephen to her ARM Terminal allowed her to detect these things; the trace belonged to a demon, but it didn't feel malignant... In fact, Magdalene could feel something different... An aura of sadness, coming from this being. It was weird, her being a robot and all... Was it a part of the program? Magdalene didn't want to make any sense of it at the moment, her priority was the mission! Her priority was to investigate the cause of this fire and see if there was anything she could glean out of it. The fire took place in the area where all those Defense folks would congregate, so it was of utmost importance to check who was behind this fire. She managed to catch a glimpse of the demon who suddenly ran out, most likely hearing Magdalene's voice as she called out earlier.

The blaze that engulfed the area didn't affect Magdalene at all, moreover, she was focused on inspecting the pathetic sight before her... The demon looked like he had been severely burned by something, either the fire, or something else entirely... No human would be able to survive those burns, it made her cringe a bit - might she have been able to survive such injuries? Her body may break, and it scared her a little. "What on earth happened to you, you poor thing?" Magdalene said, kneeling down to the Incubus, and upon finding out the demon was an Incubus, she sighed. "We need to get you to a safe place first so you can explain to me what the heck happened here... I need to get your wounds treated SOMEWHERE, okay? I'm not dangerous, so please, come with me." Magdalene said to the Incubus, trying to muster her softest and kindest voice, but she wasn't sure if the Incubus would trust her or not.

Well, he had been burnt and most probably beaten by another human! So it was only natural.
"I promise I won't hurt you."

[Dorei]

The stranger had no way of realizing that, had she been fully human, the kind tone of voice would have been the most terrifying thing Dorei could have heard. Whenever Dorei had been referred to with a kind voice by one of his masters, it was as part of a trap, or to make some sort of torture even crueler. Sadism directed toward him was a family tradition, and kindness was the cruelest thing of all... And yet, other demons had shown Dorei kindness before, without betrayal. Whether it was because of their shared situation, trying to make it more bearable for themselves as well, or genuine compassion, he didn't know... Yet, the memories of those rare events allowed the stranger's voice to calm him.

"Tha... Thank you." More often than not, his masters had liked him to show appreciation. After all, there was no reason beings so far above him had to even acknowledge his presence, right? Of course, sometimes they punished him and said only to speak when spoken to... Still, thanking them was usually the lesser risk, so that was what he usually did, when so much as acknowledged. Even when it hurt to talk.

Of course, he still needed to respond to what else she said. Somehow this realization also came with confusion at something she'd said. "Safe...?" While he knew the definition of the word, in theory, its meaning was itself something alien to him. All he knew was the masters' manor, which was gone... And had always been a place of pain. "Safe" was not a concept he could truly understand.

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

"That's right, child," Magdalene trailed off as she gently hefted up the younger demon in her arms like a knight in shining armor would a damsel in distress, in a very protective manner, almost trying to assert the fact she was a safe entity to this beaten and poor thing. "I will take you to a place where you can rest, and there I will want to ask you about what happened. I am on a mission, see. Since you appear to be the only survivor and you look absolutely terrible, I want to help you out." Magdalene said, still holding the demon in her arms, before quickly running off (with the demon in tow) to another part of the vicinity. Unfortunately, Magdalene was not entirely familiar with the area of Ichigaya, so the best she could find was a small park nearby a conveniently placed office complex. It was incredibly dark, the area only illuminated by dim streetlights and cleverly placed lampposts, and Magdalene thereby gently lay the demon on a bench.

Magdalene herself stood by the bench once she was sure the demon was lying on the bench and felt comfortable. "You look terrible... If you feel up to it, do you mind sharing to me your story? Or would you like some rest first?" Magdalene asked. Her arms were crossed and she looked incredibly concerned. Her only possible lead looked like he was going to die, or close to it, anyway... He looked pathetic! Suddenly, a ringing in Magdalene's head... Beep!

"What's the call on the situation, Magdalene?"

"Oh, Stephen, it's you... Yeah, I checked it out... I'm taking care of what I think is the only survivor of the fire, so I can find out what happened..."

"Reliable as ever, ARX-68."

"I have a name, you know."

"You try too hard to be human."

"That's my job. Anyway, I'll report back to you once I have the full of it. You need to get some sleep sir."

"Good suggestion. Over and out."

"Signin' off," Magdalene sighed. Beep! She turned to the demon. "Yes, sorry about that... You are okay?"

[Dorei]

Child... Was he a child? He'd seen generations of the Yamaguchi family come and go, but... He really didn't know anything about the world. He'd read enough bits and pieces of things in books to understand the world changed outside, and to hint at things he didn't realize... But no. He wasn't even a child. He was merely... Dorei. Slave. That was all he could be. Even without a master... Slaves knew nothing except how to serve. That was just how it was.

Dorei vaguely heard as the stranger continued speaking, but, with fear no longer pushing him forward, his consciousness was beginning to fade. He thought it made sense, but he couldn't think clearly... He barely even realized that she was carrying him, his senses nearly shutting down underneath the pain, though he did cough reflexively a few times, from the damage done to his lungs. The pain was relieved somewhat when he was sat down on a bench, but he wouldn't really wake up again until he heard a ringing noise emanating from his savior.

The noise inspired him to be more alert, despite his pain. He was a bit confused for a moment when she spoke, as he didn't hear anyone speaking to her... But then he realized that it must be like those telephones his recent masters had used... He didn't see a phone, however. What was this woman...?

When she turned back to him, he answered her question almost reflexively. "I am fine." It was an incredibly obvious lie, just as it had been in the many cases he'd been forced to say it before... He was never allowed to complain. He did not deserve to complain, while he'd been allowed to live.

Dorei spoke further, answering her questions pre-emptively. "You... You want to know what happened, yes? I was servicing mistress Haruka, when-" He suddenly began coughing uncontrollably, the pain even in his lungs being too much to bear. It was even more painful than the mistress's sessions... But eventually, he managed to continue. "I... I don't know what happened. There was a rush of heat and sound, from nowhere... Everything around me was fire. The fire... Didn't feel natural... I think a- Another demon must have been responsible." He could barely manage to speak.

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

"I see," Magdalene simply said in response. The demon was obviously NOT fine, he was coughing uncontrollably and needed treatment and rest. So it seems this demon did not know the full story, but it was likely that there was nobody else to ask... That fire did look something vicious, and it was very likely that everybody else burned to death and/or did not make it. Magdalene certainly didn't wish to find out, it was irrelevant to the mission at hand. But the demon said perhaps somebody else caused it... But why? What was the purpose? The droid wanted to know the answer to these things, but knew that she wouldn't get them now; not with the incubus in this sorry state. "Well it seems possible that the culprit of the fire didn't make it out of his own flame. What a shame. Well, all that matters is that you're still alive. This isn't a place for either of us, we need to get you... somewhere else. I'll notify my superiors that I'll be bunking with you for a while until you get better, okay?" Magdalene said softly to the demon as she kneeled down to his lying level.

"Oh, and where are my manners. I am droid ARX-68, though everybody calls me 'Magdalene.' I was sent here to investigate the... well, the burning down of that manor, who I assume was owned by... your mistress? You were a slave...? That's terrible. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment. Anyway, I am going to go set us up with a temporary housing so we can get you patched up, okay?" the droid just yammered on before turning away and tapping her temples twice.

"Hey, Stephen. Get up."

"Huh zzz oh what. What do you want."

"Can I borrow your old residential lab? Our new friend is... in a really terrible state. I need a place where the two of us can lay low until he gets better; then I can continue the investigation. That cool with you?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever, just be sure to come back when you're called on another task."

"That'll be splendid."

"You have the keys, don't you? I installed them in you."

"Yeah, I just phoned to get permission, sir."

"Well, permission granted. Now give me my beauty sleep."

"Aye aye, cap'n," Magdalene trailed off and signed off her codec, and then turned to face the incubus. "Well, that settles it. I've gotten ourselves a place we can stay until you fully recover. We could go now if you so wished."

[Dorei]

Bunking with...? Was she to be his new mistress? That would be logical as at least a temporary measure... Mistress Haruka and the others within the manor could not have survived. The last of the young masters was out of the city for now, and waiting for him at the ruins of the manor would not be feasible... This seemed to be the only option. Dorei had no reason to protest, even were protest an option that might ever occur to him.

Dorei felt confusion at the depths of sympathy given by this... Magdalene, as she said she was called. No one deserved to be treated as a slave...? This concept in itself was new to him. Even the other demons in the manor had never said anything like that. At most, they merely wanted personal freedom for themselves... He had not allowed himself to sympathize, for such a dream was self-destructive. It was not something he could even afford to think about.

Yet... He was forced to think about it now. Freedom... The idea at once called to him on a primal level, and terrified him utterly. No... He could never be free. He was worthless, helpless, incapable of managing without direction. Such was his belief, ingrained into his soul.

At her final comment, the only response Dorei could first muster was confusion, yet again. "If I...?" He almost shook his head, but merely cringed. "I have no desires... I shall act as you wish, to my meager ability."

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

"Nah, don't get me wrong, sweetheart - I have no intent of 'owning' you as you might think of this situation. I suppose the correct term would be me becoming your 'caretaker,'" Magdalene said, picking up the demon in her arms and going on a sprint nearby... The residential lab she asked Stephen about just happened to be in this area, she remembered it quite clearly now, it was very close by. But she insisted on sprinting quickly to it. "Well, hold tight. This will be a rough ride. I see a little of myself in you, you know, little friend..." Magdalene said a little loudly as she continued running off to their "new" place with the incubus in her arms. "I too, am being 'used' to further the purposes of Man... But it was my purpose from the very beginning, I was 'Created.' Self-aware of that purpose, I live my life to the best of my ability. But I also take great interest in studying the affairs of Man, and Demonkind..." Magdalene monologued on as she slowed down, arriving at an apartment complex. She punched in a code to get past the metal grate - it was incredibly late, so there was no security guard, but she remembered this, as Stephen had programmed the details into her mind.

Magdalene walked up the stairs of the complex up until the fifth floor, continuing to carry the demon with little trouble. She swerved about and found a door which had the number label 506 above it. Using one of her hands, her index finger morphed into a key which fit into the keyhole of the door, and opened it, allowing her entrance to the door. She went in, still with the demon in tow, and locked the door as she went in. She eyed the couch and gently placed him on the couch.

"Well, this lab is where we'll be staying until you get better," Magdalene said. "By any chance, do you have a name? It would make communicating with you much easier. I'd like to get to know a bit more about you and the circumstances which led to the burning of the manor. That, after all, was my mission. The command given to me by my superiors."

[Dorei]

"Thank you..." Dorei truly meant it this time. The idea of not being owned, yet being taken care of... Well, truly, he couldn't really process it. He felt numb. Yet, he was fully grateful. Maybe there would be no more pain. He could still be given direction, not destroyed by his uselessness... It was still a form of freedom, which he couldn't truly take in at this time. Yet... It was not so terrifying as being on his own.

The pain no longer felt so intense, as Magdalene picked him up and carried him. He listened with interest as she spoke of her purpose, how she was used... So she was like him. Yet, not like him. It was clear that she had autonomy, and the ability to operate on her own, allowed to have her own interests... She was more than him. At least, this was what he believed, as hypocritical as it might be. He did have interests of his own... He just couldn't bring himself to admit that, as even his own will was forced to be something foreign to him.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination, and Magdalene began asking him questions. "A-a name? No... I have no name. I am merely Dorei." Slave... That was all he was. And even had he "freedom", that was all he could be. "The cirumstances were... Merely as I told you. Merely as any other night. The only difference was that one of the young masters had left the city on business... I do not know what else I might tell you."

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

"Dorei... terrible. They literally named you 'slave,' huh... Terrible." Magdalene sighed as she tinkered about with the various machines in the lab, she knew how most of them worked, but they were mostly useless for her purposes, except one, which was used to brew drinks. Stephen, the person who formerly used this lab, had utilized this machine to brew alcoholic beverages. Magdalene would see no such use out of this machine, instead fiddling around with the supplies she could find to try and make some medicine. "So one of the young masters, as you say it, left the city on business. Well they'll be in for a big surprise when they return. I'm sure of it." Magdalene idly joked as she was fidgeting with various beakers and liquid substances, as well as various powders that lay around. Eventually, she placed most of her ingredients into a large vat nearby and turned on the machine, creating an incredibly offputting whirring sound, one that would signify that it had not been taken care of in some time. "Aw, that sounds horrible. I'll need to perform maintenance on this thing." Magdalene groaned as she turned it off after about five minutes. She peered into the vat and saw a viscous purple mixture. She smiled. She quickly took a ladle nearby and took some of the purple goop, scooping it into a small bowl.

She took the bowl, filled with the mixture, and placed it on a table nearby Dorei who she had hoped was still lying down on the couch. "Okay, I made some 'medicine' for you. Hopefully it should taste something like sweet grapes, if you have all of it, I guarantee that you will recover that much faster. Meanwhile, I need to fix this machine, because I know I'll be getting a lot of use out of it while you're still recovering." Magdalene said softly as she went to Dorei once more, trying to act like a school nurse. After the fact, she turned around and her arms began to change form, much like a swiss-army knife, and they looked like they turned into tools one would use to repair electrical appliances. Magdalene began to work on fixing the machine after making several bottles worth of the mixture she had created, so as to empty the vat.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Clang clang!

"Sorry! This will take a while, so I'll be a little noisy! I hope you can sleep like that. And don't forget to drink all the medicine in the bowl."

[Dorei]

Tired though he was, Dorei watched with interest as Magdalene worked with the substances that were present. Liquids, powders, some substances that he didn't even see clearly... It was clear that she had great mastery in whatever she was doing, barely hesitating in mixing the substances together. He couldn't help wondering what she was making... It clearly wasn't a human meal, or like what he or other demons had been fed in the manor. Maybe... Liquids and powders likely would result in another liquid. Was it some sort of drink, or fuel for something?

Magdalene's idle comment about the young master's surprise did inspire some thought, from Dorei... Surprised, likely so. Whether he'd mourn or not, was something less certain... The young master had shown great resentment toward Mistress Haruka recently, and had become distant from others in the family as well. The burning of the manor might be only an inconvenience, if that...

When Magdalene put a strange purple substance before him, and explained that it should help him recover, Dorei began drinking. Fruit had never appealed to him at all, and he'd always preferred meat... But, when given something to ingest, it wasn't his place to question. However, whether it was by a quirk of his physiology, or something else entirely, the flavor of the medicine was absolutely repulsive to him. He was barely able to suppress the reflex to gag, but he forced it down regardless. Once he had drunk it, he felt nauseous... However, he remained silent. He had consumed substances far fouler, brewed by his masters specifically to make him sick. He had practice suppressing his body's attempts to eject what he was given...

The noises made by Magdalene were inconsequential to his ability to sleep. Physical pain had been ever-present when he had to sleep before, and there was no reason that noise should bother him. "I am fine." he said simply, and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep...

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

"He doesn't like it, does he..." Magdalene sighed as she eyed Dorei's now-sleeping figure as she continued working on repairing the machine. "Sigh. I don't have any meat around, so I had no choice. Oh well..." Magdalene shook her head and continued work. Clang! Bzzzt! Whirrrr! Clang clang! Bzzzzz whirrr!! Magdalene fiddled about with wires and began doing some rewiring, it caused a bunch of sparks to fly in her face but she didn't really feel it at all, maintenance work after all was part of her repertoire. Eventually, at some point, Magdalene finished repairing the machine quickly and stretched, looking about the room and noticing Dorei trying to sleep. Magdalene sighed and felt her arms smoke a little. "Aw... I hadn't been designed to do that much at once, have I? Maybe I need some rest..." she sighed and shuffled about and saw a strange socket of some sort in the wall nearby, which she leaned on and sat next to the socket. From her left leg she shook out what appeared to be an extended plug which she jammed into the strange socket, and from there closed her eyes. Her body let out an incredibly soft humming sound as her eyes closed and she looked like she was sleeping, until you realize she was actually plugged into the wall.

"... ... ..."

[Dorei]

Even creatures of the night were not immune to nightmares. Yet, the greatest fears of the young incubus, as thrust into his nightmares, were no worse than his life thus far. The first two hours of his sleep were in fact, much like his life at home... Berated by the masters, belittled and tortured without any ability to escape. The only difference was, the masters had no life to interrupt them, within the dream. Traumas that might have broken the minds of others were visited upon him... Until the masters within his dream simply abandoned him within a sea of flame.

In a rush of intense fear, Dorei awoke. It was still entirely dark outside, and he estimated it to be about 4:30 in the morning... Though if he had woken at this time in the manor, he would have simply stayed awake, he utterly lacked energy this time, as his body put its efforts to healing... He soon drifted back to sleep.

This time, he had a nightmare of a different sort. Rather than an existence of pain... It was an existence of nothingness. He was alone within a darkness that would have calmed him... Yet, it never seemed to end. He was alone, in an endless void. As the loneliness pierced into his soul, existence faded into being... He was within a vast field, nothing else in sight. He felt, more than anything, free...

Once more, a rush of fear woke him. It had been another two hours, he felt... He could tell that the sun was beginning to rise outside. Four hours of sleep, two cycles of dreams... Though still exhausted, he immediately began stretching to awaken. He had been trained into this unnatural sleep cycle over a century ago, so he would always be awake for the masters when they needed, and at least one would be awake along with him, to watch him. Even a demon with broken soul was not worthy of trust...

He still felt sore, and his body was covered in burns. However, the burns no longer felt debilitating. They were within his normal range of pain now, and he was ready to get to work. Normally, he would begin making breakfast for the masters, and what little he was allowed for himself. However, as he looked around the room, he realized that there were not ingredients for a meal. This was not the kitchen, and he hadn't been shown where the kitchen was in this place...

And so, lacking direction, Dorei simply froze in panic, his mind all but shutting down. He would sit in the middle of the floor, hugging his knees, until he was given something to respond to.

[ARX-68 Magdalene]

Whirrrrr... Bzzt, bzzt... whirrr... Magdalene slowly opened her eyes when she sensed that somebody in the same room had stirred, and stared incredulously at the sight before her - Dorei was sitting in the middle of the lab, looking veritably horrified, at least, it was an incredibly subtle brand of horror, he seemed to be waiting for something, it seems that he had not fully escaped the grip of tyranny over himself... He appeared to behave as if he were still a slave... Which was obviously not the case. Magdalene sighed and yanked the power cord out of the socket, making a very loud bzzt! noise that most certainly would have woken anyone else in the room up who was sleeping. It might have made Dorei respond, it might not have. Magdalene made her way to the incubus and kneeled down to his level, she was very close to him, so close that the demon could see that Magdalene was very much made of metals and alloys. "You look horrified... Look, you don't need to do anything, nobody will order you around. You are in far too hurt a state to be doing anything for anyone, so let me make breakfast for you, okay?" Magdalene whispered softly into the incubus' ear before getting up and retreating into a room in the lab, shuffling through crates and stuff, before coming back out with a large slab of... what appeared to be some sort of frozen meat.

Magdalene dumped the frozen meat into the vat which she had used earlier to make the medicine, and pushed a button on the machine, which caused the frost on the slab of meat to thaw out quickly, and soon it was incredibly warm. The droid took some more powders and liquids and attempted to make some condiment out of it before dumping it also into the vat. She pushed two buttons on the machine and let the machine hum with a soft whir, there were no offsetting sounds anymore, due to her maintenance on the machine. After five minutes, the whirring stopped and Magdalene peered into the vat again. The slab of meat had been shredded into strips and had been mixed with some sort of black pepper sauce... Magdalene procured a large spoon from a nearby cupboard and spooned some of the stuff out on a conveniently placed plate nearby and placed it in front of the incubus.

"Eat this. It was the only meat I could find."