Domestic Affairs (Miranda Frost)

[Zhaiyu]

A seat of luxury, a glass of wine...there weren't many things that could force Zhaiyu to go to a meeting concerning domestic affairs, and he was making it very apparent. He swirled his drink around in his glass as he stared off from his seat on the highest balcony of his fortress off into the barren wastes of the Demon Realm of which he claimed ownership. He lifted the glass to his lips as he heard a chattering set of footsteps creep up behind him. His head turned slightly just so he could barely see the small, cowardly demon shakily request his presence in the meeting hall, but he would have none of it; not today, anyhow. Today he'd decided to do things differently. He slightly extended a hand out to shoo the pest away. ''Leave me. I am well aware of the issues we face right now, and I don't need a council of you idiots to make your insolent suggestions. This meeting will be held between I and whoever I deem worthy to discuss the topic.''

The demon let out a shaky sigh and raised a finger. Before he could start flapping his lips, the King cut him off. ''I don't believe i've come down with a stutter, whelp. You try my patience.'' The shaky footsteps soon turned into a one-man stampede as the knee-high imp nearly tripped down the steps. He finally had another sip of his wine and propped his legs up on the rail of the balcony, leaning his head onto his unused fist lazily as it propped up on the arm of his seat. His feet crossed at the ankle as he droned over the two main topics up for discussion in his head; he would have liked nothing more than to ignore these kinds of discussions, but becoming the rightful lord of all demons had to have its shortcomings just as anything else.

He let out a disgustingly bored sigh before reaching over to his bottle of wine and topping off his glass, and he'd already set out another glass for someone else he seemed to be expecting complete with a comfortable chair like his. Wailing Dark sat resting clenched between his knees, and the hand resting on his chin lazily reached forward for his fingers to drum on the pommel as he awaited the arrival of the figure he had crowned his right hand. He was glad enough to shoo the smaller pest away, as it gave him ample time to relax before she showed up; not that he'd put any certain time stamp on the matter.

It wasn't long before his ears picked up the sound of another set of footsteps coming up the spiral stairs to the balcony. He sat up slightly but still sat in a relaxed position, seemingly with no care in the world to give toward this particular discussion about to take place. He didn't even bother to turn around; he was merely hoping it was who he was expecting and didn't exactly have the patience or the mastery of temper to chase away another mongrel. He took another sip of his wine before setting the glass on the table but left his hand coiled around its base, ready to resume relaxation as it were.

[mirandafrost]

Those same steps were Miranda's, the demoness that was named by her master Zhaiyu his right hand. It felt right, being in that position. She was loyal and did everything Zhaiyu has asked so far. This master/servant relationship was almost without strings attached. Mister Master still had to deal with Miranda's clingy-ness. At least her company was better desired than his other subordinates.

She had just woke up, actually sleeping later than usual. Her short skirmish with her new friend Leta on earth had exausted her slightly. She yawned slightly, moving up the staircase through the torrent of scared demons from her master's balcony. She didn't have to move out of the way of the rushing crowd. They feared her almost as much as much as Master, but not quite. Those who did not know her wasn't afraid of her due to her appearance, which was that of a attractive human girl, which tons of demons had tried to take advantage of. Well, that didnt end well for them.

Eventually she took her place at Zhaiyu's side, but her voice can be heard once she caught sight of her Master's seat, exclaiming excitedly,"Maaasssterr Zhaiyu!". While other demons felt fear she felt admiration. She admired zhaiyu, and strove to be as strong as he was. "What did those demons want?" Miranda asked curiously, referring to the gaggle of demons that could have potentially run her over.

[Zhaiyu]

He was in no hurry to get the discussion started, and was actually happy his demoness servant had decided to sleep in a bit later than she usually did. As for Zhaiyu, sleep came rarely; the world of demonic politics and intrigue did not come without assertion of authority as well as assassination attempts because someone always felt they could do better and rule more strongly. A small smile curled across his lips at the thought of the last would-be assailant that had the bright idea of trying to take his place. He lifted his glass of wine again and brought it to chest level, leaning back into his previous slouched and comfortable posture. He gazed out on his lands as the footsteps drew closer.

Hearing her voice call over to him, he nodded slowly. ''Hello, Miranda. I trust you slept well?'' A simple response, but it would do. He was actually already running out of things to dodge around the more important subjects on his mind, but maybe she had something to contribute to the delay. He motioned to the chair across from his where her glass was waiting by the bottle. He almost cringed when she asked what those demons that must have scurried past her like rats wanted. ''Just a say in affairs that should not concern them. It's that time of the season when they seek to drag me into their petty debates and squabbles, so this time i've decided to take a different approach on the entire matter.'' He cleared his throat softly.

He lifted his glass to his mouth and took a small gulp, letting out a small sigh. In truth, he'd already dealt with one of the outstanding issues out of sheer boredom but simply failed to bother to tell anyone about it. The matter concerned a group of demons that took refuge in the badlands and their plan to overthrow their rightful King, but he'd granted them an audience on their home turf. Those demons now ceased to exist and dirty his lands, even though he knew the ''council'' of insects that tried to handle politics for him would much rather have tried to negotiate. Sometimes it really made him wonder exactly how soft and delicate the previous King was, especially since Zhaiyu had outclassed him in almost every aspect of combat.

''The way I see things, this Realm of mine only owes its decisions to the ones who take action, not sit and discuss petty squabbles. That is why i've called you here. I've dealt with the small rebellion i'm sure you've heard about. The other matter was the tournament, which was to decide the sole being with the recognizable strength to have an influence and you obviously won.'' He took a small breath and finished his side of the current conversation. ''The last thing on everyone's mind is where we go from here. Admittedly, it has been some time since I visited the human world; I may grace them with a visit in the coming days. He laughed lightly before taking another sip of wine.

In all honesty, he never did seem to mind the girl's attachment to him. It was the quality of an excellent bodyguard and right hand if nothing else. It didn't guarantee she wouldn't try anything foolish, but it certainly cut a lot of risk out of the equation.

[mirandafrost]

"Yes sir, " Mranda said, standing next to him with one hand on the top of the seat, and the other at her side as she looked out to her home's countryside. It wasn't as colorful as earth, but it was still nothing short of awe inspiring. This was her home. This was her Master's home. He motioned to the chair next to him complete with her own glass of wine. It almost made her squeel, but she forced herself to smile instead. She poured herself a glass and sipped on it. It wasn't often that she was able to drink wine, so when she did, it almost looked awkward. She set down the glass, and ran her hands over the arms of the chair, listening to what her master had to say

She kinda looked away when he mentioned the human world. She had went the day before. She had met a new friend there and helped her integrate into society there. "Speaking of the human world... I kinda.. went there without your position when you told me to give you a little space." , Miranda confessed, awaiting her punishment. Actually, she wasn't sure her master would consider this an offense, but Miranda had to consider it. Zhaiyu had already done so much for her in the short time she'd known him. She owed him her life for taking her in.

"If what I did was an offense, I'm willing to take any punishment you deem fitting.", Miranda said coolly and serious-like as she took another sip of wine.

[Zhaiyu]

He didn't pay the girl any particular amount of attention outside of his eyes dragging over briefly to acknowledge she was there, partaking in the wine he'd set out for them both. It was a cultured taste for the king of Demons, and he'd made sure to crack the whip as soon as he took office by demanding the construction of his own personal wine cellar and distillery (no work on his part required, of course). He'd picked out a lighter one for today, something to set the mood for a discussion. He was short on words for a bit so decided to listen for once in a rare while rather than speak, filling the gap with the sound of him lifting the bottle again and topping off his glass. He made a mental smirk at the ''yes sir''. It wasn't so much that it bothered him, but the girl had always been so formal. Any other demon could barely speak his name without cutting themselves off in a stutter two or three times. He took in the landscape along with her for a bit, letting his eyes roll over the terrain. He noticed almost immediately when he mentioned the human world that Miranda looked away almost shamefully. His brow quirked, curious as to if she had something to say concerning the matter. He took a more relaxed posture than a lazy one as he sat up a little bit more, ready to listen in; it wasn't often she kept secrets from him, she basically always ended up telling him what was going on sooner rather than later.

She admitted she had gone to the world of humans without his permission, verbal or otherwise. Surprisingly, his facial expression didn't harden or sharpen at all. He seemed to be pretty alright with the fact. If there were any demon he had faith in not to cause a disturbance and make new problems for the Demon World, she would have to be one of them. He felt she knew how to conduct herself in a way that may allow her to blend in reasonably well, her appearance included. ''Is that so?'' He began in a questioning tone. After a brief silence he continued. ''So how are things on that side of the gate, anyhow? Are they still as meek and ignorant as ever or did they catch a clue or two?'' He didn't seem concerned at all about her going, and in truth he really wasn't.  ''I'm not going to punish you for it. You're one of the few I trust to actually visit the human world, being that you can blend in so well. I like to think you know how to act there so it doesn't worry me; you are responsible enough to know what you can and cannot do when it comes to visiting the humans.'' He shrugged lightly and sipped his wine again and peeked back over his chair, seeing a knee-high set of eyeballs peering from the corridor near the stares. He simply went silent and stared daggers into the runt's forehead, causing an audible tumble down a flight of stairs to resound up to the balcony. He sipped his wine and chuckled softly to himself; that never got old.

As his mind traced back to the topic at hand, he couldn't exactly blame her for going to find something to do. He'd asked her for a little bit of space not too long before her little trip, and he got what he wished for. In truth, he was really just trying to postpone this little meeting. In the end, however, he was just happy he got to spit in the face of his council of ''advisors''. He sipped his wine again and continued.


''So what did you do in their world, exactly?''