Kimberly.
"Kimberly didn't bother heading back into her room after they left the poor—person she'd just possibly ruined for life... The young man just sitting there and staring dreamily at her rapid departure.
Rather, she headed right for her car, William close behind, all their luggage and other assorted important belongings, new or otherwise, already packed up and ready to go.
They were going to be finding a different hotel room for the continuation of their out-of-state stay. Though, made sure to pass by a local park with a black-water river so Kimberly could snap and toss the last piece of the puzzle that might one day lead back to herself.
"Mmmmhmm, so ugh, you maybe wanna get something for brunch?" Will eventually asked with a sort of odd casualness, leaning against the stone bridge with an almost disconnected expression. Both of them having decided to take a few. Each rightfully needing some time to process…
For her part, while watching a family of ducks swim by with active interest, Kimberly considered just how hungry she was, then nodded.
"My Bearclaw did sort of fall on that nasty ass floor…"
"And I just need an insanely higher calorie count than you do." Will offered, grinning as he did so.
"So—what do you feel like?"
"Something Mexican?" Her bestie asked, though not sounding entirely committed to the idea as a whole.
"Actually, if we're going to stop, I was—sortof thinking something a little more—meaty?"
William glanced at his honorary twin and looked directly at the teeth that the woman was clearly keeping hidden the best she could. And, she gave him a nervous, somewhat fidgeting smile as though sensing what was going through his head…
Showing off her numerously pointed fangs, she grinned at him, their cruel and dangerous gleam sending shivers down Will's spine… Each triangular razor seeming to have a sheen of hungering saliva about it that allowed the bladed pearls to gleam in the light.
"You're not going to like—tear someone's spine out if you get hangry are you?"
"Mhhhmmm… gut instinct?" Kimberly shot back, taking a breath through her serrated choppers and rapidly wagging with her fingers.
"Sure! Fuck it, let's hear what your new instincts have to say on the matter."
"Well… if were talking from a judgement-free space… I'm kind of thinking that family of ducks over there would make a uhhh… really good snack right about now."
"Cooked or uncooked?"
"Don't—think I'd be very picky…" The demoness admitted, somewhat sheepishly but not with any semblance of humor.
Frowning at her words, the tall gym bro just glanced at the merry family of fowl, and immediately, his imagination forced into his thoughts a reality in which he saw his best friend leaping into the water to devour everything in sight… Blood and feathers everywhere…
"That's not a very good sign…" Will intoned, deciding he'd be returning to his prior doctrine of never showing Kimberly his back…
"Yeah, well, I mean, If it helps, I didn't exactly eat anything for dinner, and I only had the one coffee…"
"What about kitty cat the kit-cat?"
"Please! Don't call him that…"
"Well, not to get all metaphysical on you, but… you think—food's gonna, you know, cut it? I mean, I was never as big a nerd as you were, but for Christ's sake, dungeons and dragons is practically mainstream these days… I don't need to be a book junkie to know what different demons… well, feast upon?"
Kimberly didn't respond immediately, but with a lip-biting flutter of her squirming fingers, she reluctantly agreed that there could, theoretically, be something beyond the fare of mortal culinary insight that she might just require…
A span later and they found a somewhat slow family restaurant to sit down and eat at while they searched around online. More or less with the hope amidst a prayer of finding something even remotely close to the convention that hadn't already been sold out.
Kimberly smiled demurely at the waitress who waved them in at the door with notable bemused cheer. Given the place had hardly opened at this hour, she didn't look terribly happy to already have customers. Still, she handed them a pair of menus as they passed and explained that they could find a seat wherever they might please.
Despite that Will and herself were the only other patrons within sight, beyond the presence of a singular older gentleman sitting at the bar with both beer and newspaper, the duo decided to find a private enough booth off the beaten path and sit.
The place deffinatly wasn't her first pick of the litter when it came to restaurants she'd willingly spend her paycheque…
The dated roadhouse-inspired interior faded yet still bearing all the various accoutrements of its initial design and inception like they were trophies to be lauded over…
The whole place existing as if to prove that its peculiar sort of corporate-branded chain did not need to fall back upon such undesired expenditures as exiting environments or rousing atmospheres.
Able to persist as it had been envisioned and still continuously grind out enough profits that it could be left to its own devices and largely ignored by distant and all-powerful parent companies.
Once seated, Kimberly and William quickly sank into the somewhat tattered leather of the booth.
The table had that—distinctive stickiness only to be found in well-lived-in family restaurants. A practically historic and germy indication of the countless meals that probably preceded theirs…
The nasty seemingly persisting as if to openly spite the concept of vinegar and a wet cloth...
All the same, Kimberly still unfolded her menu, glancing over the items with a sense of detachment from the majority of what was on display. Salads, soups, sandwiches, nacho bowls, wraps, and all other manner of typical items really just seemed—unappealing in an entirely disappointing way…
It wasn't until her gaze fell upon the wondrously captivating sight of photo-perfect burgers and, further still, steaks that she really started feeling her mouth begin to water.
William, not quite as interested in the pictures as she was, flashed his phone at her while she perused the beefier options. "Found one that might work, it's not exactly at con, more like thirty minutes away, but so far, it's all I can actually find. It's like not surprising, obviously, but also kind of shitty…"
She raised her eyebrows, not exactly loving it but chewing her lip all the same and wondering if it was worth checking out. "It still might work. I mean… not at all ideal like you said, but if it's all there is…"
"Hmm… fine. Look, hun, I'm just going to go out and say it, but why exactly are we trying to—remain near your scene of the crime?"
Kimberly shushed her friend, eyes widening momentarily as she glanced around herself, settling down shortly thereafter once she'd realized there really wasn't anyone around. Clearing her throat and ignoring the curious look of her BFF, Kimberly offered her two cents on the matter as though it should be basic logic.
"Because it's fuck-buddies weekend? You know, the big thing we look forward to every year? When we pull a roadie together and visit con, then go out and find people to sleep with so we can hang out at overpriced coffee shops and share all the details? Will, c'mon, this is, like, your favorite time of the year!"
William deadpanned at his friend, clicking his tongue while allowing himself to digest her words before taking a deep breath and speaking his mind. "Kay. First, I'm positive that we're both not dumb enough to think that you don't actually know what the phrase 'fuck-buddies' really means."
"I'm not a—English teacher! Sue me, it's not like you have anything better!"
"No, you're a PE teacher, one who works in a higher-paying state than average and within a fairly do-nothing subject compared to others. It's why you live a luxurious life with next to zero stress."
"It's not do-nothing…" Kimberly complained, slumping slightly in her seat as she glared at William and how he dared describe her job.
"Sweetheart, you have like fourthings to grade all year per class, one of which is attendance... You can't fool me, Kimmie; I've seen the shit your students try to pass off as their final projects; that crap would hardly work for the sixth grade…"
"Okay... maybe, but you don't have to say it!"
"Oh, but it's not an insult, hun! I'm jealous! I mean, sure, I make more money, but I actually have to work while you have one of those jobs everyone dreams about and gets all up in arms over without ever doing anything to change their own lives."
Kimberly… okay, sure, she'd sort of known she had a fairly cushy thing going, but… still, you didn't have to go after a girl like that!
"Second," he continued a moment later, "convention weekend is hardly my top three... Maybe it's four or five at the most! But, I mean, that's pretty much just because you're with me.
I get you like dressing up and having fun with your whole thing... But, for me, I'm basically just wandering around looking for horny nerds who take more care of themselves in this one weekend alone than they do most of the year!
I go for you. Seriously though, Kimmie, why are we so committed to staying out here? Cause I can tell you right now, I'm ready to leave at any second."
"You really don't like con?" Kimberly asked, her voice quieting towards the dejected…
"I like you, which, like I said, Is why I come here! It's fun, Kimmie. It's something to do where we can spend time together, and it gets us both out of the apartment, but it's not life or death. So again, what's keeping us?"
"Well…" She began, somewhat sheepishly… "I guess… nothing…"
"Blamo. So, how about we skip this whole routine of trying to find a hotel and pretending we shouldn't be putting as much distance as possible between ourselves and that motel! Just head home and, I don't know, deal with the rest of your demon thing!" He finished by waving a hand in her general direction, fingers flowing in a circle as he leaned back on his side of the booth and waited for her reply.
In truth, Kimberly wasn't sure why she'd been so sold on staying… It wasn't like she was going to keep bringing people back to her room for sex, so… they'd of just been wandering around and… keeping close to the scene of the crime.
In all actuality, it wouldn't just be a waste of money, but it would also be a waste of time… Still, going home so soon and… looking as she did, well, it wasn't the ideal situation either…
"Moving goalpost…"
"Pardon?"
"A moving goalpost." She reiterated, breathing while sitting straighter and explaining herself. "It would be like, while I'm here, people won't, you know, care about the whole hair and eyes thing, but when we get back, suddenly I'm not just another convention chick, I'm some weirdo whose—walking around like I'm crazy or something…"
"Babe, if it's about the hair, we can fix it!" Will supplied, leaning forwards and taking his best friend's hands so he could squeeze them reassuringly. "I'll book an appointment at Mimi's while we're still on the road, so by the time we're back, she can get you in and fix you up! That old Chinese lady doesn't give a single fuck how badly people ruin their lives with shit haircuts; she's a genius at fixing where other people crapped the bed, even if she's a somewhat judgmental bitch..."
"And the eyes? I don't even wear contacts! I don't want to have to touch my eyeball every time I want to go out or—Christ! Go to sleep!"
"Then fucking leave them as they are! Who cares? Just act like you're all into the whole alt-craze! You were emo for freaking six years! And, if it's just them alone, I doubt your boss will really even care about it. You're union, Kimmie, they're not gonna tell you to fuck off because you've got pink eyes. Honestly, that's the least of your concerns when it comes to going back to work."
"Fuck…" Kimberly moaned, slamming her head against the booth's cushion as she did so. "What am I going to do?"
"Well, it's, what? July? You've got, hmmm… a little over a month to figure it out? I mean, we made some pretty decent progress in just a few hours or so of messing around, but…"
"I've got to figure out why," She finished, earning herself a nod from William.
"And I've actually been thinking, like, a lot on that," He offered, letting out a long sigh as he spoke. "So, I distinctly remember sitting next to you like every Sunday we went to church and not once did you or either of your parents—you know, suddenly self-immolate…"
"Yeah… wasn't on my mind exactly, but… how do you think it works?"
Will grinned, looking almost giddy as he leaned back in the booth with the self-satisfied smile of a Cheshire cat. "My favorite theory is that the Catholic Church as we know it has strayed sofar from God's teachings that it's not even considered consecrated ground anymore!"
"Or, I'm not actually a real demon from hell, and I just sort of got fucked by magic."
Will shrugged, clearly liking his idea better. "Mmmmm, not sure about that one, but screw it, it's not like either of us are experts… No, what we really need to do is figure out if either of your parents have an idea what's going on—which, I mean, if I was asked to guess…"
"Mom." Kimberly agreed softly.
Sighing, William nodded his head. "Yeah, there's actually quite a few breadcrumbs for us to follow on that one… It's weird, I know, but Mrs. Grant is—one of the few women I've met in my life that I actually had a crush on, and it wasn't small. I would like, ask her for hugs and stuff all the time… It was so fucking creepy…"
"Really? You were crushing on Mom that bad? I mean, I know you sort of had a small thing for her, but…"
"Kimmie, she's like—you but, you know, how you are now… The more I think about it, the more it's kind of obvious… I mean, appearance-wise, she's… well, demon you, just without the demon bits! And, again, no offense, but your dad is sort of…"
"A troll?"
"And not the internet kind." Her BFF chimed, letting out a small chuckle. "You've no idea how many people I've overheard making jokes about your parents and the difference in how they look—comparatively. I mean, it's not really a surprise given your dad's job and all, but…"
"Yeah… mom's a gold digger…"
"Pretty much…" Will agreed with a grin. "She's a total bombshell that's married a short, scraggly rich dude. Honestly, it's amazing you turned out as good-looking as you did prior to the whole demon thing given his, well…yeah…"
"You think he knows?" Kimberly asked; a lot, lot—lot of things now slowly starting to make sense.
"That he's married to a succubus? I mean, sexually, how couldn't he? She probably drains him dry every night to the point of near death!"
"He does really have a crazy thing for smoothies…" Kimberly agreed darkly, nearly conspiratorial in cadence. "Like, he's always adding fucking gross-ass Asian remedy shit to them and draining at least three of the damned things a day! But, you think he like, knows, knows, or does she somehow hide it?"
"Well, I mean, the more we talk about it, "Will intoned, brushing a large thumb over his chin, "and, after having seen it firsthand with you, I'm like ninety-percent sure she's a demon, even if she does look, you know, fairly normal... Buuuut… as to if your dad knows or not, it may not even matter…"
"What'da mean?"
"Well, okay, so I know we've been dancing around the whole what you did to the guy at the motel, but, Kimmie, that was some A-grade spooky shit. Like, you could have your own X-Files episode! And, though I don't want to assume anything, again, from what I saw firsthand, he might know and not even care about it!
Fuck! She might just be so far up in his head that there's just nothing there but blind love! I mean, not saying your mom is a bad person or anything, or anything else negative about her, but… like demon is a pretty big—stigma, I guess? And, you did kill a guy, like, literally right after turning into one…"
"Yeah…" Kimberly acknowledged with a slight nod, pulling in a long breath as she did so, "Hmm… oh, you think she mind-fucked him for his money?"
"Oh no, not demon way at least; all she'd of had to do for that was express remoteinterest in, you know, him, and I guarantee your dad pretty much bought the ring the next day after."
"Mom—is good looking…" Kimberly groused, the rearing topic that she'd been rather sour about for most of her teenage and adult life making her pout...
Knowing that one's mother was, in no unclear terms, potentially one of the prettiest women in the world, accounting for taste notwithstanding, did not do amazing things for their child's confidence. Doubly so when they didn't exactly inherit all their perfect genes.
Again, Kimberly had been more than pretty enough in her own right, but it had nevertheless ground at her that she'd gotten so much of her dad in her looks.
"You're still not like a dead ringer for her, but… It's hard to tell who's better looking than who at this point… I'd have to see you both up close…"
"My mom's pushing sixty!"
"Yeah… like I said, bombshell… And let's be honest, Kimmie, other than her tendency to dress herself in old lady clothes and makeup, when was the last time she actually looked like she's aged in, ever?"
Just then, their waitress appeared, her attitude impressively vivacious for the early hour, demeanor bubbly and likely only a dozen or so years older than themselves. Her outfit just displaying a hint of a slightly chubby frame.
She grinned at the pair of them, bright hazel eyes locking onto William as she—clearly appreciated his figure, then slid towards Kimberly with a slightly more considering look. Kimberly might have even said she'd felt sized up given how long the waitress stared.
However, the brief hiccup in the girl's expression, as though she were a mouse finding herself watched by a cat, quickly disappeared as she forced through something and carried on.
"H-hey there! Welcome to Outback Porkhouse; I'm Sarah, and can I start you two off with drinks, or are you already planning to order?" she asked, pulling out a small notepad and pen.
"Oh, sweetheart!" William bemoaned, his voice taking on a slightly elevated degree of his usual cadence, "You've no idea how hungry we both are! Like starving lions." The girl—appeared more than just momentarily put off guard by his voice but found her footing a second later, her smile leveling out and even relaxing. "Oh? Awesome! So I'm assuming we're going to be getting a few things?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna do a chicken Caesar, extrachicken and also the double-stack rancho-bacon. I'm drowning in a calorie deficit! Though, I'd still rather not have fries…"
"We can do sweet potato fries instead."
"Marry me?" William moaned, batting his long eyelashes and earning himself a loud snort from the woman before she turned to Kimberly. "And you, hun?"
"What's your biggest steak?" The demon asked, the waitress almost managing a smile with a knowing gleam in her eye.
"Biggest is the two-pound sirloin, but the most satisfying?" She added, right as Kimberly spotted something that made her eyes widen like saucers. "Would be the peppercorn. It's not as big, but nothing here quite hits the spot if you're feeling like meat."
"Yeah… that one sounds... perfect…" Kimberly nodded, eyes still fixated on the other girl's head.
"And, well, you look like a rare to medium-rare girl, so… that ones easy; you're cool with crinkly onions on the side, right?"
"Yup… ugh, yeah, sounds great…"
"Hey, you may as well make my burger medium-rare as well, if you could."
Nodding, the waitress beamed at William, turning away from the gawking demon as she tucked her pen and paper away within an apron. "Awesome, guys! I'll bring over some water in a few moments, and if there's anything else you need, don't be afraid to just walk up to the bar. You're kind of far away, but I'll keep checking on you anyway."
And, with that, the woman walked away, her departure leaving Kimberly very confused, though not so much as her friend.
"Kimmie, the fuck? You were totally spacing out there... You good? You weren't, like, thinking about taking a bite or anything, right?"
She turned, glaring at her BFF, trying to determine if she was crazy. "You're saying you didn't see all that?" She accused, practically speaking in a whisper.
"See what? How she was totally eye fucking my rocking pecs? Or how she pretty much gave you full stink eye right after."
"No—no… I mean, yeah, I did notice that, but No! I'm talking about her ears!"
"Yeah… kay… Did they have that like… gross disc thing going on, you know I can't stand?"
Kimberly just stared at William for several long moments, mind replaying what it had seen twitching atop the waitress's head. Their white interior fluff against her black hair being all that might have alerted her to their presence before they moved.
"You didn't see the freaking ears on her head?"
"Mmmm back up…" What are we talking about? Is she, like, another con girl or…"
"No… fuck, she had real ears! Like, fucking catears up there! They were pressed down on her head until she looked into my eyes. After, she had this like momentary freak-out of surprise before snapping back to her senses!"
"Cat ears…"
"Or dog! Or, a feaking fox! The animal doesn't matter! She had ears—up here!" Kimberly hissed, grabbing at the tops of her head and mimicking what she'd seen with her fingers… beginning, if slowly, to feel very foolish as William just stared…