Asher didn't budge when he heard his door open. He stayed on the floor, just like any other day. Nothing ever changed. He'd thought, foolishly, that he would back a little affection in his life. How idiotic, to think anyone would care about him. So, it was back to being the apathetic piece of shirt he was. 

As Ryan walked over to him, he raised his arm up, offering him his wrist. He'd expected his aid to inject him and go. Instead, he was taken back when Ryan grabbed his wrist and yanked him up. Asher glared at him for daring to interrupt his meditation.

"Whatever the fuck you did to me, you better fucking fix it." Ryan deadpanned.

He scoffed, "Don't talk down to me like you're more superior. I could kill you at the drop of a hat, but unfortunately that'd get me a slap on the wrist from Master Knight. It's for that same reason that I could never hex you or curse you or any shit like that." 

"Who the fuck else would fuck with my mind to make me like this?" 

"I didn't fuck with your mind." Asher yanked his arm back from his grasp. He sat up, crossing his legs. "Think of it this way. Your sexual desires have always been a foggy mirror. You always thought that what you were seeing in it was a woman. I cleared away the fog so you could finally see clearly. The one good talent I have is the ability to make sense of a jumbled mind."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "If that's true, why hasn't you fixed Ripper's mind? Or Dusk's?" 

Asher leaned back on the ground, closing his eyelids. "Master would like them to do it on their own, with the help of therapy. Besides, I need my energy equalized to do it, and he really doesn't trust me with my own power. Now, would you do me a favor and kindly fuck off?"

"Hard to believe you were so sweet on me just a week or two ago." He mumbled. Ryan grabbed Asher's arm again, jamming a needle into his vein. The demon bit his lip and moaned slowly. Ryan finished with his injection, sneering, "You demons disgust me. How can you thrive on your own pain so much?"

"I do not thrive on pain in particular. I thrive on feeling." He opened his eyes briefly, glancing over at the vampire above him. "I could make you feel amazing feelings, but you won't let me. I can see it in your eyes. You're finally starting to believe me. Why do you place yourself so deep in denial?"

Ryan stared at him a moment more before turning to leave. He wasn't going to sit here and listen to this shit. Whatever Asher thought he saw, he wasn't sure. It definitely wasn't any sort of feeling.

"It was a serious question." Asher said, "Please, just answer me this once. Why do you refuse to believe me?"

His voice was grainy, deepened by spite when he replied, "Why the Hell would I believe a demon? Let alone one locked in a mental ward with a criminal history three hundred pages long? And that's not a fucking exaggeration. I know because I had to read it."

Asher slowly got up to his feet. He wasn't planning to exert any effort today but things took a different path. The demon slowly walked towards his prey until he'd backed him into the way. "You act tough," Asher slammed his hand on the wall beside Ryan's head, making him flinch. "But you still fear me. You know what I'm capable of." He turned his head to whisper closer in his ear. 

"You remember, don't you? I'd make you remember if I could. Make you relive the moment when I made you call me Master. I'm perfectly fine playing this cat and mouse game, but don't you forget, you're the mouse. When you read my record, did it turn you on?" Asher released a heavy breath that seeped into Ryan's neck, "Did it make you hard to think about me dominating helpless men and women? To think about them begging me to stop, begging for their lives while I fucked them senseless?"

"Asher, stop this." Ryan growled, trying to push him away. 

He didn't even budge. It was as if this whole time he'd been playing with Ryan, letting him think he was weaker than he really was. Vampires were a Hell of a lot stronger than humans, at least. He should've pushed him back even a little bit but it was like trying to move a brick wall.

"I don't think I will. I don't think you want me to either. Why don't you just give your life into my embrace? I promise, I'll treat you much better than any woman ever could." He placed a gentle kiss along Ryan's jaw, "Just open your mind and I'll show you a world you've never known."

"I said stop. If you don't get off of me right now, I will report this to Jasper. Even as much as you love pain, I doubt you want to be on his bad side." 

"I'm always on his bad side." Asher sighed dramatically as he turned away, "But I suppose you're right. If your mouth wants to keep denying my advances, that's fine, but you can't deny the fact that your cock is rock hard from having me rub up against you."

It's not like he was lying. Ryan had an impressively strong mind. It's the only thing that's kept his body from giving in completely to this demon. He couldn't realize how lucky he was to be offered the love of such a powerful creature. If he really knew who was in front of him, he may have seen the massive amount of disrespect he was giving by denying Asher. 

The demon sat back down on his pentagram. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. A moment of stillness passed, in which he hadn't heard his door open and close. "Why are you still here?" He asked aloud.

"Truthfully," Ryan responded, "I don't know."

"I've said all I need to say to you. It's clear you grasp onto your denial because it's all you have left in your life. If you won't give me affection, then at least give me solitude. Please, leave." Asher said.

Ryan was out of energy to argue. He was angry about what Asher said, in regards to how empty his life was. For the time being, it wasn't worth the breath. He did as his patient asked of him and left the room. Asher wasn't as cold as his words could suggest. It was hard for him to tell him to go. He wanted to be alone with his own thoughts, though.

| | |

"Please do make sure Kettil is washed off before he returns to the manor. I don't want anyone else tracking the wretched smell of humanity through my manor again." Jasper told his new assistant, continuing on, "And please do find a way to keep bats out of the garden. I imagine once Thursday recovers, they'll be swarming the place. 

Find an alternative food source for them, as well as ravens, but I do not want them touching the fruit meant for non-animals, and-" He cut himself off when his door unexpectedly opened. Jasper looked up, seeing his dearest love interest. "Do come in." He sassed him.

"You don't knock when you visit me." Beau responded, "Why should I return the favor?"

The warden smiled widely, "It's been quite awhile since I've seen such a spark in your eyes. It's enticing."

"Should I really be hearing this?" Felix said. 

"My apologies." Jasper snickered, "When you get to be my age, you don't care much for subtly. Now, Beau, I'd bargain to guess Knox told you something that's set you off?" 

"Yeah, he did. When did you plan to tell me that Sixteen was one of the six cursed prayers?" He asked. Jasper's eyes enlarged like a dear in headlights. His alarm changed Beau's attitude completely, "You didn't know, did you?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't. Despite being one of them, I do not know whom the missing three are." He answered.

"May I ask... What that is?" Felix responded.

"I will tell you, but it does not leave this room. Although, at this point, you should be used to that. The six cursed prayers are the most powerful demons alive. Most demons are created through birth, like any other creature. They- we were created by a massive amount of human misery being concentrated in one place. It takes such a great amount that this has only occurred six times. Of course, the fact that humans now believe in us much less contributes to the fact that it hasn't happened in a long time.

I was the first demon created by these methods. Jarin and Asher are also two of the six prayers. However, the other three I had yet to discover. It seems the long lost love of your younger brother is one of them. He was the first creature in our several years of searching that was a compatible vessel for the revival. That concerns me, that it'll take that much power."

"Chances are, we'll have to find one of the other two to use as a vessel. That requires us to defeat one of the six prayers, though. That's a massive undertaking." Beau said.

"Do you forget you've done it once already?" Jasper replied, "We can do it again. It's just a matter of locating the last two. It'd be in our best interest to find them and choose one to keep as an ally, and one to use as the vessel. As far as Sixteen is concerned, I've changed my mind about sending you and Finch. I've decided there is someone else who would be much more adapt for it, and he does have to prove his loyalty, after all."

Beau opened his mouth to reply, freezing when he felt a strong wave of energy wash over him. Felix, even being a ghost, felt it as well. He shivered as if a blast of cold air just hit him. It coated the entire mansion, touching everyone from the staff to the patients. Suddenly a storm broke out outside. Thunder boomed in the distance, rain rushing down.

"What was that?" Felix questioned, still feeling the residual energy.

"The birds of prey have awoken, finally. This storm will surely upset several patients. Beau, I believe you should be worrying about them. We'll worry about helping our newest editions settle in." Jasper stood up from his desk and hurried towards the door. 

Felix followed close behind, Beau staggering along. He wasn't really a fan of what storms did to some of his patients. They'd be restless, to say the least. It seems storms are becoming more and more common. Perhaps it's a result of the realm shifting so much. Vanaheim's energy was once neutral. Without the Gods to keep it in check, it's turning to the dark side. None of them were complaining though.