"How much did she explain?" The old man asked Isha, twiddling his mustache.
"I explained the basics." The demon replied, reappearing. The old man furroed his brow when she appeared, May stepping back a bit.
"Interesting. I thought demons had to remain in the body during possession? Even in half baked ones like yours." Mr. Ilan inquired her, getting his cane at the ready.
"Heh. He consumed me." She replied to him, sitting on the chair by Isha.
"What? What…. What?!" The old man dropped his cane, as a quizzical look soon etched itself onto May. The demon wore a smile, putting her hands together in her lap.
"Isha here consumed me. Albeit I did try to eat him, but he turned the tables. My soul now resides with his." She stated, as though proud.
"But how? Only another demon can consume a demon. And the other party dies!" The old man exclaimed. Isha had no clue what they were on about, watching the two talk.
"I've been trying to find that out. However, it seems those memories are blocked from me. Not on purpose, so I don't expect Isha to know either." She replied to Mr. Ilan. "My name Is Rose, by the way. Rose Chrysan." She looked at Isha, lightly punching his knee. "You never asked jerk."
Rose huffed and crossed her arms. Isha rubbed his knee, furrowing his brow.
"I didn't think a demon would have a name." He replied to her, putting his hand on his chin in thought. "After all your just an evil being aren't you? You even tried to eat me."
"Huh, so you weren't told." Rose glance over at the old man, who was nervously twiddling his mustache. "Alright then. Isha,-"
"N-no! Miss. Rose, please a-allow me." Isha looked over at the stammering May. Her face was tinged red, her hands on the hem of her shirt as she clenched it in her seat. Isha tilted his head, brow furrowed.
"I'm possessed…." She said quietly. "W-well… a little more than that." May closed her eyes and played with the hem of her shirt as two cat ears and a tail popped out. "I'm m-more of a half demyon nya." Her speech pattern changed as well.
Isha stared at May for a bit as his mind put things together. A light smile spread on his face as he placed a hand on her head. She flinched a bit before opening her eyes and looking up at him.
"Y-you're nyot scared? You don't h-hate me or anything nya?" Isha proceeded to gently pat her head, rubbing her velvety black ears a bit.
"No, not really. Actually, this makes sense. How you act, you saying how you liked pets, and how you and the old man knew I had gotten possessed." He replied, smiling softly. "And I know we just met, but I don't think I'd be able to hate you. And that goes for the old man too."
May wiped her blue eyes. Isha noticed her pupils were now more of slits as she looked up at him. A smile spread on her face and she had begun to purr.
"Wow. So she gets pets and I get avoided and ignored!" Rose huffed and hit Isha.
"Well unlike a certain someone, she didn't try to eat me!" Isha replied, stroking the purring May's head. As Rose huffed and hit him again, Isha looked to Mr. Ilan. "Are you a cat too?"
"Would you lyke my too be nya?" The old man replied, going into a cat pose. Isha just let out a laugh and shook his head.
"You must be the real pervert hear then?" He asked. Even May had tilted her head at her grandpa.
"How dare you accuse this former first class exorcist." Mr. Ilan furrowed his eyes and twirled his can.
"Former exorcist?" Isha asked, Rose getting off the chair and getting closer to him. The old man nodded.
"That's right. I was a Catholic priest. But May ended up getting possessed…." The old man trailed off. Isha tilted his head as Rose sat on the counter behind him, putting Isha between her and the ex-priest.
"You see, May was possessed by a greatly powerful cat demon. Not arch demon level like the little miss there, but more powerful than we could handle. So the usual casting out exorcism was a no go… which led only one option…" May stared at her lap as Mr. Ilan continued.
"They told me to put her down. After all, if you can't cast it out, the next 'best thing' is to kill the possessed and the possessor in one blow… I couldn't do it... I wouldn't do it. The demon didn't even take over May's body. It's just using her as essentially a host to rest in for the next few hundred years. She has access to his power, and he gets to sleep. So of course, I couldn't murder my precious granddaughter…" The old man took a breath.
"If the demon outright controlled her body… then I admit it'd be different… I'd have done it." The old man stared at his cane, before glancing up at Isha. "I know it sounds cruel, especially since I'm saying it in her presence, but you have to understand Isha. Once a powerful demon gets a hold of a person's body and soul, if the demon can't be forced out… either you end it and the person, or you let it rampage."
"It's more like your freeing the person at that point. Usually demons possess bodies to take over. The person becomes nothing more than a spectator until the demon either becomes bored, or exorcised. But with May… well as you can see, she is perfectly herself. So we left. I resigned my title and brought May here, staying out of sight and protecting her."
Isha nodded to his words. He understood why he did what he did.
"That's why the coffee is mediocre." Isha teased, taking a sip. The old man smiled and twiddled his mustache.
"But that's why I said we were practically family earlier." Isha nodded at what Mr. Ilan had said. May had now finished her food, enjoying the attention from Isha. Rose on the other hand picked at his plate, eating some of his sandwich and his soup.
"Do you even need food?" Isha asked her.
"No, but it's still nice to have. Especially when… I just want it." She huffed again, taking even more of his food. Isha shook his head as he toyed with May's fluffy ears.
"So then, May said she was more of a half demon? But you said she was possessed?" Isha stated out loud. Mr. Ilan nodded as May opened her mouth to say something, ears perked, but stopped, giving the old man a look. "Ah! If it's a secret, don't worry about it."
"Nono, it should be fine telling you." Mr Ilan shook his head and waved the cane a bit. "Demons live for thousands of years at least, so long as they aren't attacked of course. When a demon possesses the host, whether or not they fully overtake the host, the host gains that lifespan until the demon disappears." Isha nodded along. "For example, you now are essentially immortal. Not invincible, but immortal. May is the same."
May's ears went down, and she hugged her legs to her chest. Isha gently stroked her head while Mr. Ilan sorrowfully glanced at her.
"May is… in her early forties." At this Isha widened his eyes, looking at Mr. Ilan, then back at May who hid her face. "She was possessed at sixteen. Her parents were part of the church, but had been… They lost their lives during an exorcism. Which is how she came under my care. I am about a hundred twenty or something of the sort? I don't know. Being human means my mind still deteriorates." He laughed nervously, twiddling his mustache.
"But… then how are you still alive? And looking this young?" Isha asked curiously, Rose stealing a bit of his cake.
"Partially thanks to the cane. But mostly due to periodic rejuvenating crystals. But even then… This body will fail. It already is starting to, as I mentioned with my memory." Mr. Ilan then waved his hands.
"We're getting off topic. The reason May is a half demon is simply because we've been having her consume the souls of other demons." Isha tilted his head as the old man explained. "Demons, and the possessed, gain power two ways. Eating human flesh, and eating demons. May doesn't want to hurt people, and I don't want to do it either, however normally it is easier and quicker. But she's only consumed demons, three lower tiered to be exact."
May raised her head from her knees, ears perked.
"One of thyem was a fishie demyon nya!" She happily exclaimed, her tail swishing. Mr. Ilan nodded as Isha proceeded to pet her head.
"Due to the scarcity, and the low tier of them, she is only half a demon. Technically anyone can become a demon if they eat some. Or if they resort to cannibals, hence why people who partake human flesh go insane most times. The most efficient is eating people as I stated earlier, especially since you need a certain amount of supernatural powers to consume a demon in the first place. May is able to since she's possessed. You, however, are a curious case."
Isha nodded as May purred happily again, Rose eating more of his cake and stealing some of his coffee.
"But why are you trying to turn her into a demon?" Isha asked, scratching right behind May's ear gently.
"The demon is only in her to rest. Earlier I said it was for a few hundred years, but really we have no clue. Demons are very whimsical beings. As you can see, May was, or rather is, a late bloomer. And her parents, my daughter and her husband, homeschooling her only delayed her mental maturity as well. She is an adult when need to be, but she was always playful and childish."
As though proving his point, May pressed her cheek against Isha's hand, wanting more attention.
"She really was already catlike before. That may have been what initially attracted the demon. But when the demon decides to wake up and leave her, she will die." Isha tilted his head as May's ears went down again as she listened.
"When the demon leaves, if it's passed her normal life span then she'll die. Depending on how long passed, she'll turn to dust. However, if it leaves today, or anytime before a hundred years, the growth she should have gotten will hit her all at once. The pain of that instant growth will either cripple her or kill her. If she were, let's say twenty something at the time of possession, then it wouldn't hurt her so much. So that's why we're slowly making her into a demon, so that way when the demon leaves her body, she'll be a demon herself. If she's strong enough, she'll actually consume the demon while he rests in her."
The old man chuckled to himself, finishing the plates and working on the cups, brewing some more coffee.
"Mu. We've dyone nyothing about talk about me. What about Ishya, we're suppyose to explain things to him nya." May crossed her arms, still accepting the head pats. The old man nodded as he poured three cups of coffee, filling Isha's.
"I'm using our life experiences to explain to him in an easier way." Mr. Ilan stated, taking a sip from his coffee cup.
"But nyow he knyows I'm an old laydy nya." She harrumphed and looked away from the old man.
"You are no where near an old lady." Mr. Ilan stated, patting her head. "At least not for a demon." He chuckled as May went to bat his hand, puffing her cheeks. Isha smiled as Rose drank her coffee.
"You know, your quite relaxed for taking all this in." Rose stated at Isha, still sitting on the counter, looking directly at him.
"Nyeah, aren't you weirded out or anything nya?" May added, her tail swishing as she stared curiously at him.
"It's definitely… abnormal. But I thought I died last night. So, compared to that… and this really calms me. I mean it's the explanation as to why I'm still alive and what's happening. I mean yeah, it freaks me out a little… but I'll get nothing from freaking out." He replied, staring into his cup of coffee. May narrowed her eyes and pounced onto him, pressing her cheek against his.
"Stop looking like that nya! I lyke it whyen you look hyappy nya." She huffed. Isha sighed and gently eased her down at least onto his lap.
"I'm sorry May, but that's how I normally look." Isha replied, patting her head.
"He's telling the truth." Rose added, yawning. "I've been watching him for awhile now. He definitely has a sullen expression when he reads."
"Mu. Pervyert stalker nya." May's tail rapidly swished as she stared at Rose. She then looked back at Isha. "Be hyappier nya!" The old man watched as Isha nervously scratched his cheek.
"It's not really that easy… but sure." The bell over the door jingled, Rose disappearing and May's ears and tail disappearing as she froze, not being able to get off of him in time as a certain person had walked into the door.