The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

A/N: My sister’s birthday is the nineteenth. Her name is Tina. ^.^ For her birthday, I got her a beta fish. It was white when I bought it, I swear, but two days later, it was somehow yellow. O.o I was talking to my mother over the phone about this phenomena, and she mentioned that the fish, who’s name is now Bakkita, gradually went from white to a cream color, to yellow, and is now bright, blinding yellow. We looked it up online yesterday and found out that betas loose color when they aren’t happy. Isn’t that nuts? Well, the beta’s still pretty, yellow or white, but I thought it was more unique when it was white. At least I tried.

Zeke was actually attending one of the demonic meetings held in the bar. I haven’t said what really happens during the main part of the meetings because I want to semi-establish a relationship first. It’ll come together later. ^.^

Chapter 12-What Is a Friend?
=====================

Shuey perched upon what was now one of the most common sights of her pathetic little
life: the rooftop. Her legs dangled off the side as she watched the shimmering lights fade.
The view of the lights dimming away into the daylight put her at ease somehow, but it
wasn’t helping her swirling thoughts now. Today’s lesson had gone by with ease, but
she’d been uncomfortable the entire time.

Somewhere in the midst of training, she’d taken to stealing glances at Jerrick, wondering
what he was thinking and mulling over their conversation the previous night. He hadn’t
said anything to her that wasn’t instruction or correction, and he’d left immediately after
his part was done. Leon lingered just a bit longer, showing her a couple ways of getting
out of a hold.

So she’d met her father for the first time, yet it meant nothing but problems for her. Her
mind should be focused on the minute details she had observed, but all it wanted to do
was wrap around an idiotic demon who confused and irritated her. Instead of finding
solutions, all she could do was look out at the city, idly pondering nonsensical things like
how many people lived there. It was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Deciding it was best to let it go and allow the demon to show her what he meant, Shuey
sighed a bit, moving one leg up to rest on the edge of the building. The gleams of light
from not-so-distant windows had all but vanished to the shine of sunlight when she
decided to rise. Work had been relaxing, she’d been the only one at the bar, serving
drinks to her visitors in a mundane fashion. It had been an ordinary day, calming in it’s
normality.

With a small, barely perceptible smile, she moved towards the door, looking forward to
some sleep before getting up later in the day. It was said in books that sleeping during the
day would shorten one’s life, and Shuey could only hope it was true. Knowing the near
immortality of demons and angels, she figured she had quite a long time before she
passed away. That only meant years of problems and knowing her luck, years of Jerrick
and Leon.

The door seemed to open before her hand reached it, making her jump back in surprise,
hand already readied over her armed wrist before her eyes acknowledged it was only
Clara. “Hi,” she greeted happily, stifling a chuckle when Shuey’s blue eye blinked at her
slowly. “I just got off my shift; want to go somewhere with me?” How did this woman
always find her?

Shaking her head slowly, Shuey began to refuse before pianist hands gripped her arm as
the slightly shorter woman smiled at her. “Trust me, I have the perfect place. I think
you’ll like it.” Frowning, she began to remove her arm from the girl, only to be pulled
towards the door by the wrist. “C’mon, what harm could it do?” Slowly, the halfling
considered it, confusedly letting herself be dragged down the staircase by what she had
originally thought was a reserved woman.

Accustomed to hostility or false ignorance, this experience was foreign, Even though
Leon and Jerrick were usually decent to her they made her uncomfortable, whereas this
girl just made her crinkle her brow in confusion. What did one do in such a situation? The
grasp on her wrist never relented, even as she was pulled through the entrance of the inn,
the day clerk’s green eyes widening at the sight as the door closed behind them. “Wait,”
she finally muttered, not sure if Clara would even stop if she said something objective.
To her surprise, the blond turned around, blue eyes nearly sparkling. “What are you
doing?”

“I’m taking you out! You never go anywhere! At first you’d go out every now and then,
but now you never go out. You need a break; lighten up!” As if that was the most
understandable thing in the world, Clara whipped back around, her free hand pushing up
wire frames as she continued to pull Shuey along behind her. “How about going to a
bar?”

A bar? She worked at a bar, why would she want to go to one? Just as she was about to
voice her thoughts, they came to a halt. Not seeing a tavern anywhere in sight, Shuey’s
brow shot up in question, leaving Clara in a snickering fit. “We have to ride the bus,
silly.” Bus? That was one of those huge vehicles that carried loads of people to and fro,
right? She’d never ridden one before.

Seeing the baffled look on her companion’s face, the blond came to the deduction that
Shuey had, in fact, never ridden a bus before. It wasn’t a particularly interesting thing to
do, but maybe the stoic girl who’s wrist remained grasped in her hand would enjoy it.
“It’s a new experience. Aren’t you glad you came with me now?” Clara chuckled as that
smooth brow shot up in the air again.

Came with her? Last time Shuey checked, the woman had drug her out here without
waiting for her to respond. She herself had only said five words thus far. Although she
had to admit, she’d wanted to know what it was like to ride a bus. She was curious about
it, sure, but she’d never had a reason to board the metal whales. Just as one pulled up to
them, doors swinging open, Clara beamed at her. “I promise, by the end of the night, you
will smile.”

The driver was a gruff man of heavy girth in a uniform consisting of khaki pants and a
blue button-up shirt. His hat was a darker blue and his chubby wrist had an old watch
wrapped tightly around it. Bushy brows hovered over dark brown eyes as the man stared
at the pair expectantly. The look on his face was impatient and uncaring, leading Shuey
to believe that the bus really wasn’t all that interesting. Not like she had much choice in
the matter, seeing as Clara never relented her grasp on messy-haired woman’s wrist, even
tugging her up into the bus while she examined the bus driver warily.

The bus wasn’t very full, as would be expected so early in the morning. Just after
daybreak, few humans roamed about, although more moved around now than late at
night. She supposed this was due to fear of the demons. Out of the handful of people on
the bus, two were demonic, and eyed her like they may just attack her for no reason. It
made her nervous, forcing her to reconsider their safety. “Will there be demons at this
bar?” Clara giggled at her serious tone, even venturing so far as to pat her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, a friend of yours works there. He won’t let anything happen,” she assured,
watching avidly as Shuey’s eyebrow arched in question. “He’s a regular at the inn
because of the meetings and everything. Which reminds me, what actually goes on in
those things?” The halfling shrugged. How would she know?

“The bar closes right before they start,” she replied simply, wondering why something
like that would make a human girl grin. Her wrist had finally been released, giving Shuey
the comfort of knowing if something happened, she’d at least have some sort of
protection for the two of them. She’d already decided this girl was a lot of trouble, but
she really couldn’t tell her no. That was baffling in and of itself.

“What are you thinking, Shuey? You look confused,” came the soft, female voice beside
her. Normally, Shuey would have just stabbed the person annoying her and left, but she
couldn’t summon up the will to do so in this situation. Was it because her opponent now
was a woman? Wasn’t that a bit idiotic considering she herself was a woman? She’d had
no problem seeking the urge to stab the Rina girl who’d taken her place a few nights at
the bar, so why was this different?

It might have been because she liked Clara somewhat. Was this called friendship?
Somehow, her brain connected the thoughts to the blonde’s previous statement. “Who
works there?” she asked suddenly, out of nowhere. She had no friends, how could she
have a friend work somewhere if she didn’t have one? Her dual eyes surveyed the woman
in glasses at her side suspiciously. Of course, this earned her a responsive chuckle and an
arm linked with her armed one. At least she could grab the dagger with her free hand if
necessary.

“Stop being so cautious. It’s just Deamon. He said he was a friend of yours,” she replied,
leaning back in the not-so-comfortable seat of the bus as if it were a bed. This was not the
personality she had originally thought Clara had. It was worlds different.
She was becoming rather interested in this woman, though. Shouldn’t she find the blond
annoying? She read her easily, which really did irritate her, but she also never
commented directly at it, or prodded her to speak. It was rather nice.

The fact that the chocolate-skinned demon whom consistently prowled the bar worked at
one didn’t concern her much. He knew so much about alcohol, she’d already assumed as
much. He was always asking for new concoctions by name, and she had begun to wonder
if the man was just testing her skill. It surprised her that he would work during the day,
though… or that he would work at all.

The bus pulled to a stop and Clara jumped up, pulling Shuey with her by the arm. “We’re
almost there. You’ll get to see Deamon’s bar. Aren’t you excited?” The look on the blueeyed
woman’s face said she didn’t expect the halfling to answer, so she didn’t bother
trying to. Instead, she let herself be tugged along as if she were a silent, irritated stuffed
bear.

When they stumbled off the bus like a couple of drunkards, the sun blared in Shuey’s
eyes, making her wince at the bright light. She wasn’t used to such intense illumination.
She didn’t have much time to suffer, for Clara had already begun to tear down the
sidewalk of the less than busy streets. Did people really drink so early in the day?
Coming to a small building that read “A Shot of Clarity” across the top of the doors,
Shuey’s brow crinkled. Why would a bar have a name like that? She supposed it had
something to do with the beverages served. At that point, the title slowly began to make a
bit of sense to her. It was like saying the alcohol here was of a good quality. It was an
intelligent way of putting it; something she wouldn’t expect of a place the red-eyed
demon worked at. Then again, Deamon was fairly clever himself, so maybe it was
natural.

Clara seemed to be waiting for the russet haired woman to make her observations before
yanking her into the tavern at the slightest hint that Shuey was finished. “Come on, you’ll
have fun. And if you don’t, I won’t ask you to go anywhere again.” How did she get
herself into messes like these? Upon entering the small bar, she was taken off guard and
could only glance at the blond. There were only two or three people there at the moment.

Maybe this girl knew her better than she had initially thought. The blue-eyed girl perched
herself atop one of the stools, smiling as Shuey did the same. A low, husky chuckle made
her jump slightly as Deamon walked out of his apparent hiding place. Plum colored
wings shifted quietly behind him as he leaned over the counter, smiling broadly at the
pair of women. “How’d you do it? I never thought I’d see Angel out and about in
daylight. I was beginning to think maybe she was a vampire.”

The blond beside Shuey laughed happily, even venturing to smack the man on his arm
slightly. “Idiot! Vampires aren’t real. Maybe she doesn’t go out so she can avoid brutes
like you.” The demon only laughed, pouring a drink that made the Halfling wonder when
he slid it over to Clara. It was slightly green and had a lime swimming around the bottom
instead of the top. It made her curious.

“Never seen it before, Angel? That’s my own special recipe. Here, try this one,” he said
with a grin as he mixed another and handed it to her. “It suits you.” With her curiosity
peaked, Shuey decided to take sip and find out what it tasted like that. Never having had
alcohol herself before, she crinkled her nose immediately. The eerie flavor swamped her
mouth and made her wonder what was in it. She looked up questioningly at the demon
standing before them.

Deamon laughed good-naturedly and looked as though he were about to touch her in
some manner. “It’s called Dangerous Eyes.” It was strange for Shuey to be there, strange
for her to feel relaxed. Was this an effect of alcohol? “It suits you just perfect, right?” For
some inane reason, the question made her smile. Just a twitch of the lips, but it had Clara
winking at her happily.

“I told you so,” she stage whispered in her ear as she took another sip of Deamon’s
concoction. It seemed that she had told her she would make Shuey smile. Maybe it
wouldn’t be so bad to be here. Maybe it was okay to let her guard down around this pair.
Though she didn’t like the drink, she took another sip… because it suited her.

Was this friendship? The question nagged at her mind during the surprisingly peaceful
time at the tavern. Deamon meandered over fairly often, making small talk with Clara as
Shuey comfortably sat in her seat, watching the interaction between the two with interest.
This was how normal people acted. This was a normal place, with normal people, where
Shuey didn’t belong. It was rather relaxing to be around the pair.

It was almost as if someone had accepted her without question, without trying to
influence her in any way. Without telling her things that baffled her to the point that she
nearly had a headache and cursed her parents to many horrible fates. After a moment of
her thoughts swirling around, her eyes finally took notice of the dark hand waving before
her face. “Yes?”

“Stop by again soon, okay?” The demon didn’t tell her to talk to him. He didn’t say
anything about the meeting the previous day, and he didn’t make her uncomfortable when
he smiled at her. She nodded at him, knowing that next time Clara wanted to go, she’d go
along with her, because she found the small place enjoyable. “See? It’s not so bad having
friends, is it?” Her brow furrowed in thought. So these were her friends? Even though
she’d plowed a dagger through the man across the bar’s arm, he called himself one of her
friends.

She was sure if he knew about her heritage, it wouldn’t be so. Knowing this, she
shrugged. She supposed it wasn’t true friendship unless they knew of her past or her
lineage. “Sorry,” she muttered softly, almost imperceptible to the two nearby. Blue and
red eyes both widened in surprise.

“Sorry for what?” Clara asked with a hesitant smile. Deamon was now standing still,
eerie eyes focused solely on her, but not in the threatening way they had once before. His
arms rested against the counter while the blond leaned on the counter heavily, her light
strands brushing the bar slightly as she turned her head to eye Shuey carefully.

“I don’t know what it is to be a friend,” Shuey explained, hoping they would understand.
Somewhere in the back of her mind it screamed for her not to say such things. To just
accept what she could while she could, but she couldn’t bring herself to take such
advantage of these two people in such a manner. Her eyes widened when both of her
companions laughed outright. The demon even took it upon himself to ruffle her hair,
earning a harsh glare from the halfling. She didn’t find it funny at all.

“You like being around us, right?” Once he received a slow, imperceptible nod, he smiled
at her and moved his hand to mess up russet strands again, laughing when she moved off
the stool and glowered at his hand. “We like being around you, even if you are moody.”
That earned him a small frown, which only made Clara giggle.

“You don’t have to know what a friend is. Nobody can really define the word, anyway.
It’s like Love. Who can say what Love really is?” Shuey’s brow crinkled in confusion.

“We care for you in some way, which makes us your friend.” There was that word again.
Someone else cared for her? How? She didn’t talk to them, and she didn’t ask to go
places with them, or even attempt to be friendly. Yet here they were, saying they cared
for her. What did that mean? Was this what Jerrick meant we he’d said those words?
“You don’t understand what we are saying, do you?” came Deamon’s deep voice.

Frowning, the halfling shook her head. She didn’t know what they meant at all. “There
are many type of friends. There are the friends that you know for a long time, and who
know everything about you and make you happy no matter what. There are friends that
you just spend time with to relax, that’s us. And there are the friends that you trust
automatically, even though you aren’t close.”

Slowly, Shuey nodded. Friends, huh? She seemed to relax, not missing the smiles of
relief on both parties. “We should go now,” Clara said, her blue eyes twinkling softly.
“Thanks for the drinks, Deamon.” The demon nodded at her, already scooping up
Shuey’s half finished drink and the blonde’s empty glass.

“Thank you,” Shuey said, heading towards the door thanks to the soft urgings from the
woman behind her. Deamon just waved, his red eyes watching the pair leave with a smile
on his face. Clara beamed happily at her, shoving her through the door and quickly
tugging her towards the bus stop.

“Any time!” she said, her smooth lips curving upwards again as soon as the words left
her mouth. As they boarded the bus, Clara moved back a bit, blue eyes looking directly at
Shuey. “We don’t care for you all deeply and stuff, we just care about you, okay? So
don’t worry about it.” It was as if the woman had read her mind, which did irritate her a
little, but not as much as she’d thought it would.

She didn’t feel the need to verbally confirm the statement, so she just nodded shortly and
sat down. A strange feeling settled inside her as the ride back to the inn was peaceful and
silent. “You know how to get back to the inn from here, right?” Shuey nodded calmly as
the bus pulled to a halt, smiling softly at Clara before she went to move off the bus.

The blond waved at her with that beaming smile once more, making Shuey happy to have
a friend like her. The frail-looking woman was a comfort to her. She didn’t have to
wonder what she meant, because she usually explained things that she thought Shuey
didn’t understand. She also knew that the halfling just didn’t understand some things.

So this was friendship.


A/N: That took awhile. I kept getting these ideas for other stories, so I had to jot them down, too. ^.^ I was watching tv yesterday and I saw the funniest commercial ever. It was that commercial with the bunnies that steal the soda from the fridge. It was great. When that rabbit burped, I laughed my butt off. It was great.

I’m not huge on this chapter, but I thought Shuey could really use a breather from Jerrick and Leon. *smile* After all, she was a bit stressed out over Jerrick’s little chit chat with her, but now she feels better. I thought she could use a friend or two, also. I don’t know why I chose Deamon, though. It kinda came out of nowhere. *chuckle* But honestly, I think Deamon has a good place in this story, too. ^.^

Thanks for reading thus far, and I hope you all continue reading until the end.