- Lao and Yvere -
(Not too long before the main story)
Lao and Yvere were walking around the farmland part of Hell. They were on their way to do a self-imposed challenge .
"Dimitri didn't feel like coming along?" Yvere asked.
"He's not one for, as he puts it, "Filling the mouth with wasps and violently shaking your head.""
Yvere laughed. She and Lao had decided to try out some demonic hot peppers that had been grown. Lucifer told them that it was fairly painful, which made the two of them assume it was a nightmare.
"Why do humans enjoy spicy food?" Yvere wondered. "The "spiciest" blood I've ever had didn't make me want more."
"I think it enhances flavor." Lao guessed. "I didn't have much cooking experience in my past life."
Yvere and Lao came to a large patch of tilled land. They were approached by a lanky demon wearing gloves and overalls.
"I guess you're here to try the pepper?" The demon asked.
"We're having a contest to see who can handle it better." Yvere explained.
The demon gave a puzzled look. They scratched the back of their head and stared at Lao.
"Can't say I'd recommend a vamp trying these things." The demon warned. "Their kind doesn't handle spice particularly well."
"That's what he said." She pointed to Lao with her thumb. "That's why I'm here."
The demon lead the two into a large stone building. He told them to wait while he got the peppers. The inside of the building had collections of different vegetables, fruits, and plants. It seemed to be more of a storeroom than a place someone lives.
"He's right you know?" Lao said.
"If I can handle being literally burned, I can handle my mouth being figuratively burned." Yvere disagreed.
"Even Lucifer said these things hurt." Lao reminded. "I half-expect this to just be a shard of flaming glass."
Lao wasn't saying these things out of concern. He was trying to psyche Yvere out of going through with this. She could tell that's what he was doing, which stopped her from getting genuinely angry at him.
"We should have gotten Heinrich to join us." Yvere said. "I know how he's seen by humans, but I don't want him isolating himself constantly."
"He might enjoy the isolation." Lao suggested. "I'm sure he hates the stares and avoidance of others, but he might actually prefer being alone."
"I don't know." Yvere said, resting her cheek against her hand. "Maybe I'm just spoiled. I'm the only one of the main team that has family, no offense. I can't imagine enjoying being alone."
Lao liked doing these challenges with Yvere because he felt it kept her from worrying about the other members of the team. He wasn't surprised that she was bringing this up now.
"Never apologize for your life." He sighed. "There's no fault in...um, hold on..." He started mouthing words to try and remember the quote. "Got it. There's no fault in being born fortunate."
Yvere smiled. She thought it was funny that Lao was quoting a certain someone.
"I'm not trying to make things awkward." She looked to the side. "Sorry."
The demon came in with a tray that was holding two black peppers. He placed the tray in-between the two. He warned that he isn't responsible for what happens and walked away. Lao and Yvere grabbed their own pepper and touched them together.
"Here we go." Lao sighed.
They both took a large bite of the pepper. Yvere's eyes widened. Her mouth was in agony far quicker than she expected. Lao was digging into his leg with his other hand so hard that he was breaking the skin.
"S-...So...this is wh-...what it feels like to breath fire." Yvere said, blowing out air constantly.
"I thi-" Lao hiccuped. "I think...I'd prefer dislocated bones to this."
The two couldn't believe the pain they were in. Both had seriously considered cutting their tongues off and regrowing them later.
"So-" Lao hiccuped again. "-So what would happen if your fangs touched that?"
"I...I-I think my mana...would catch fire." She answered.
After a long session of torment the two's pain eventually subsided. They started to head back to their homes with bags full of peppers. They ran into Lucifer on the way.
"Did you two enjoy it?" He asked.
"Y-yeah." They both answered.
Lucifer placed his hand into Lao's bag and pulled out a pepper. He put it into his mouth, chewed a few times, and then swallowed.
"Not as spicy as I remember." He said.
Lao and Yvere looked at each other. They both handed their bags to Lucifer and walked off.