Dear Diary,

I was very glad to be let into the House of Lamentation, whether it was where Lucifer lived or not. Eventually he would cool down and we could discuss what happened. I honestly don't know what came over me... I never talk to anyone like that, my pride isn't so great that I would risk my life. I mean, isn't that basically happened at college with Thanatos? Anyways, I lived through that, and I'm determined to live through this.

Satan, if I remember correctly, doesn't particularly care for Lucifer, so he's the best one who could have come to the door as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sure if Belphie is out of the attic yet, I just can't remember. He would have been the next best to come to the door, he isn't too fond of Lucifer either, though he doesn't particularly like humans either...

~~*\FLASHBACK/*~~

Satan calmly shuts the door and throws the bolt home, knowing full well that it won't stop anyone who is truly determined from getting in. "Fine, but since you inconvenienced me, you'll have to do something for me. I want you to come and tell me exactly what you did, and to whom. Then I'll decide if you've gone through enough, or if you'll need to do something more for me." He slightly crouches and offers me a hand. I look down at my dusty hands and scrub them on the ridiculous leggings to remove some of the dust and start to accept his proffered hand.

I suddenly remember what I'm wearing and quickly duck back down.  I meekly ask "I'm sorry, but do you happen to have an old hoodie or something that I could borrow please? I'm feeling very uncomfortable in the clothes that were given to me." Satan starts to give me a once over, quickly turns his head, and removes his cardigan, wrapping it around my shoulders.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who has been remiss. It was very ungentlemanly of me not to offer when I first noticed how... light... your clothing was for the temperature of the air." Satan's cardigan was long enough on me that it fell to mid-thigh, and I had to roll the sleeves a couple times. Demon men are made much larger than human men, I thought to myself. Satan held his hand out to me and I took it hesitantly. "Let's get out of the entry hall, who knows who could be coming home at any moment, and I want to ask you some questions. I'll take you to my room, we won't be interrupted there." He looked at me to see if I was ok with this. I was not.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I really don't think I should be alone in the bedroom of a man I just met. I'm sure you're very nice and all, I just don't think I could feel settled enough to give you all the answers you want. I'm running on adrenaline right now and that's not very good for thinking." I wrap my arms around myself and look at the ground.

Satan puts one finger to his chin, thinking. "That's fair enough. Let's go to the library then. I'm usually the only one who goes in there anyway, and we can leave the door open a bit if we go to the chairs in the back corner. Nobody will hear us that way, but we will hear someone coming."

It feels like somebody just took a tonne of bricks off of my shoulders, because I suddenly feel much lighter. Satan had let go of my hand and seemed to think better of taking it again, because he motioned me to follow him and soon we were at a large, dark, and ornately carved wooden door. If I hadn't felt scared at the time, I'm sure I would have spent a long while examining the carvings. Satan opened the door and left it open a decent amount, but not enough to make anyone curious. We wound our way through the stacks of neatly shelved books (inwardly I was groaning at not being able to touch them and look leisurely, but there'd be time later I suddenly realised with a kind of horror) and we were finally at our destination.

Satan stopped and motioned me to an olivine overstuffed leather chair that looked like it had seen the Georgian era, but still very much in good condition. I saw an old sepia-toned portrait above the low shelves we were going to sit in front of and blanched.  It was an old, 1800's style portrait of Lucifer.  He noticed that I had paled and asked me what was wrong. "It just hit me that this is the House of Lamentation. I knew it was the House of Lamentation, but it didn't occur to me that it was the House of Lamentation where the seven demon lords live. I'm dead. It doesn't matter, I'm going to be dead. You're his brother and I'm dead." I babbled, my eyes darting around, looking for another exit or window, somewhere I could leave the house by.

Satan made a noise of pure joy. "Using deductive reasoning, am I correct to assume it was LUCIFER that you made so angry he would be willing to risk Diavolo's wrath by killing you? Lucifer, who is Diavolo's little lapdog? Within hours of meeting him, you managed to get him that angry?" Satan then pulled out a slim, black gadget much like a cellphone but slightly different, from his pocket. He touched something on the screen and then his fingers went flying over it, obviously typing something and then abruptly shoving it back into his pocket. "I like you," he said. "Anyone who can piss Lucifer off that thoroughly just after meeting him is my kind of person, human or otherwise. I'll gladly keep you safe from him, but you'll have to make a pact with me for me to do that more effectively."

My eyes widen "But, I don't really want to give up my soul... I don't really think I'd be anything more than just an empty body without a soul."

Satan snorts "Believe it or not, I don't really want your soul. It's very pretty and all, but no. You are essentially right though- a human cannot live very long without their soul, they either turn into a lower caste demon revenant and we have to make sure that they are put down as they are a danger to every living creature in the realm. The other thing that can happen is that the human can turn into a human monster.  I believe you call these sociopaths or psychopaths, and they become so violent that they end up killing in ways that would teach our master torturers some new tricks," He pauses. "No, I don't want your soul. You are far too interesting, and we could do with some interesting around here. For your part of the pact we will make it easy, you will just owe me a favour in the future. I will not make it onerous to you, and if what I suggest makes you uncomfortable in any way, you don't need to do it at that time and will still owe me my favour. Does that work for you?"

I slowly blink. "I'm inclined to say that this sounds far too easy and that there has to be some other kind of catch, but I really don't like the alternatives. So, thank you. Yes, that works for me." I stick out my hand for a handshake, and Satan looks at me grinning. He takes my hand in his, turns it slightly and gives me a light kiss on the knuckles.

As soon as his lips contact my skin, there is an electrical heat that zings through my nerves and settles at the hollow of my throat, bursting from a central point into what feels like a circular design. I look down quickly and see that my skin glows brightly for a moment, much like when you're a kid putting a flashlight under your hand to see if it's like an x-ray, and then all that's left is a pale tracing of lines. I touch the mark and it's faintly tender, but it's like the pigmentation in my skin has been bleached out in just those spots.

The mark looks like some sort of pictograph. There is a full circle, most likely acting as a border, then an equilateral triangle with a short post connecting the bottom vertice to a horizontal bar with serifed ends that is about half the width of the top of the triangle. Inside the triangle, there is an ankh hanging centrally from a short stem halfway along the top of the triangle. At the top two vertices there are small circles, two per corner, angling downwards side by side. At the very bottom of the triangle is an arc, kind of like what you would use to mark an angle (AN- See picture above).

Satan and I both turn our heads when we hear a quiet *click* of a door shutting. I quickly duck behind him, hoping I won't be seen. He smiles at me and reassures me, saying "Don't worry, it's not Lucifer. I messaged one of my other brothers to help me hide you until we can sort things out with Lucifer. Ah, there's Belphie now."

I look out from behind Satan and see the dark, midnight blue haired brother leaning against a shelf of books, his pillow loosely dangling from his hand while his other hand stifles a yawn. "So, this is the girl who has the death wish?" Belphie asks Satan. He turns to me and squints his already heavy lidded eyes, "You, a little human, were able to do something that made Lucifer go full demon that quickly after meeting him? What could you have possibly done to do that? Not that I really care. Anything that ruffles Lucifer's feathers is fine in my books." At that he gives me a sleepy grin. "Ok Josh, lets go."

I look at Satan, who just shrugged. "Um, Belphie- is it ok if I call you Belphie?" He nods. "I'm sorry, but I think you are a little confused. My name isn't Josh, I'm Eudoxia."

Belphie just turns and starts walking. I look to Satan, but he gives me a one-handed 'shoo' motion as a book just appears in his hand.

"I'm too tired to say that uptight name. Josh is much quicker, so you'll just be Josh," Belphie says over his shoulder. "Now come on, if you want to be somewhere Lucifer won't find you *yawn* we better get going. I'm sleepy."

~~*\END/*~~

So, I guess I've got a pact with a demon now. I guess the hamsa 'evil eye' necklace mom got me way back in seventh grade doesn't really do anything to protect me from demons or evil like she said it would. Unless maybe Satan didn't have any ill intent toward me specifically when he made it? I have no idea. So much of this is so confusing.

As always-

Clarissima sidera lucent ex nihilo

AN: In the next part there should be some spicy bits.  I'm not sure if it will be full smut or not, but I've been thinking about writing a separate one shot book to practice my smut writing, any thoughts?