"Does it not bore you to sit and stare at the wall?"
The fallen angel walked into the room where I had chosen to call mine. Tortured souls who had pledge their lives to him when on earth were now his servants and had prepared space for me in his room. I didn't have a choice in coming down here but I was making sure I had a choice in this. Having to give up everything I was was hard. I had to at least try to preserve what little dignity I had left. Which brought us to now, where I sat straight-backed on a cushioned chair in a small room with nothing save a bed, said chair and a desk.
Day two of my eternity in hell.
"I'm praying," I said, much to his amusement.
"Mm, don't you think you're over that now?" he mused, voice teasing.
"They sent me down here to appease you but do not mistake that for weakness." Stupid Satan. If he hadn't wanted to wipe out half the world I wouldn't be here.
"It was a jest, my love."
"I'm not your love." Being down here brought out all the mortal qualities that were embedded deep in my being. I found my emotions fluctuating, temper flaring. And I wondered if i was the right person for this task. No matter how angelic I had been, having to grapple with the fact that my creator had dropped me here to save mortal lives was tough.
"You are to be wed to me," Satan pointed out, stepping deeper into my dwelling. I'd sheathed my wings yet they still trembled in his presence. "There is no shame in sharing a bed with me."
"I told you." I opened my eyes, distracted and irritated. "I don't want to share a bed with you."
Satan got the message. He shrugged. "Would you at least join me for dinner?"
Now I was properly distracted. "You eat down here?"
I always thought they fed on all the nasty stuff humans were made of. In the Celestial Realm, we had food from Eden, and endless banquet. I'd never known anything other than that.
"Our food is different, yes," he admitted. "So I thought you might want to try some earth food." A gloved hand stretched out in my direction, inviting. "Shall we?"
Having been brought up in all things good, I accepted his hand.
The devil said human food. I expected a less appetising version of what we had in the Realm. Earth food was moulded after food from Eden after all. What awaited me was a pleasant surprise.
"What is this?" I poked at the mountain of worm-like things on my plate with a utensil.
"Spaghetti. Its boiled flour. You eat it with this sauce." Satan pushed a bowl of a rich red viscous liquid towards me. I peered in, horrified that it was lumpy and not smooth in texture. Were these human remains? Initially, I was nervous that dinner was just us two, at a small square table, no less but the sight of so many foreign foods intrigued me.
He saw my expression and laughed. "It is not what you think. The sauce is tomato and onions. The lumps are balls of meat made from cow. Here." He reached over to ladle sauce over my worm-spaghetti. I was still wary, and with good reason too. Satan chuckled, poking his pronged utensil into my food and lifting some up to his mouth. "See? Safe."
Hesitantly, I did the same with my fork, sticking my tongue out for a lick. When it didn't instantly paralyze me, I took a bite and flavours unlike any other exploded on my palate. After that it was hard to stop, and it wasn't just with the spaghetti. Some of the foods, like rice and bread I knew. Cheese and fruits. The ones that dared me to step out of my comfort zone were the meat dishes in different sauces, the soft, moist bread with some sort of spread covering it, silky, jiggly paste-like cubes drizzled with a black sauce and garnished with green onions and the best of all: cold creamy perfection that melted on my tongue and felt sticky on my chin.
I learned that I had eaten Chinese food later, the jiggly cubes being tofu.
Dinner went by surprisingly well. Of course, I remembered where I was but the company was not half bad and the food was better. Satan remained civil, occasionally teasing me about my lack of knowledge with earth food and encouraging me to have more. I even found myself asking him questions, curious about his experience with the humans. Conversation was thoroughly engaging. It wasn't until I saw the door of my room when I realized I'd allowed him to escort me back.
"You walked me back here," I stated, stepping away once I realized how close we were standing. Molten gold eyes glanced down at me, the corners of his plump pink lips tugged up in the beginnings of a smile.
"I reckoned you wouldn't want to take a stroll with me," he said, nodding.
"Thank you. For dinner as well. It was wonderful."
For a moment we stood there, apart, each regarding the other. Whatever his true form was, the human one he'd picked was flawless, albeit a little off. He positively towered over me, broad shoulders testing the limits of the collared black shirt he wore beneath a red-and-black waistcoat. From afar he would come off as slender; close up and one could see just how defined his body was. Raven hair fell over his forehead in thick locks, both his ears pierced in several places. His lips full, nose straight and unmarred by any flaw, jaw free of any blemish or traces of facial hair. The only unnatural thing about his countenance was the odd shimmering of his golden eyes and the intensity of his presence.
Undoubtedly, he was very powerful and most would do well to cower but I knew he couldn't hurt me. Even if he could, I knew how to defend myself. The thought made my wings rustle.
"Won't you sleep in my room tonight?" he asked, voice a low purr that caressed my skin. The gold in his eyes swirled. I looked away, scowling, irritated once more. The pleasant dinner seemed nothing more than a memory now, unfortunately.
"I am fine here, thank you. Goodbye."
Without waiting for him to respond, I went into my room and closed the door behind me.