The 'Subordinate'

"What's your name?"

"Vanessa, but my friends call me Nessie. I'm a dragon-kin, so I look young and incredibly attractive by your standards even though I'm a respectable seventeen. GAHAHAHA!"

"She's real modest too…"

"Did you say something?"

"Hmm? No, nothing" This girl woke up no more than a few moments ago, and she's already this lively. While she slept she had the expression of an angel, with fair skin and beautiful caramel brown hair. I was excited for this anticipated chat, giddy even, but now all I could feel was a headache coming on. From the moment she opened her golden eyes, it seemed as if a great dam had burst open, and all the conversation she could have had while asleep came flooding out.

"So by sparing this one you wished to make to make me your subordinate. Very well! I will comply with your wish. I can do many things, like hacking, and slashing, and making people disappear in the night real well! I can even do this and that and even that thing. Hehehe."

"...Vanessa was it? I'm going to stop you right there. I never asked you to become my subordinate. But you are a Dragon-kin, that explains the strong resistance ability. More importantly what is going through your head right now?!"

The Dragon-kin were creatures that were said to be the offspring of dragons and humans. Dragons had an incredibly powerful nulling capability that warded against both blessings and curses to the point that they did not even faze them. Perhaps because of this, Dragons, which were as intelligent as humans, and could even take on a human form, were considered to have the semblance of the Gods' chosen creatures. This trait was almost always inherited by their kin, albeit a weaker version. Because of this many of the dragon-kin were quite prideful.

I suppose the eyes prove Vanessa's claims though. If red eyes were the hallmarks of demons, then golden eyes were the hallmarks of Dragons and their kin. However I've clashed against a dragon and can say with confidence their nulling ability is not omnipotent, nor are they any sort of divine being. If they bleed red, scream in agony as you sever their limbs, and look at you with eyes filled with hatred as they breathe their last; they are nothing divine.

"You must be the direct descendent of a dragon and a human, and quite the dragon at that. You're really something else. I've fought dragon-kin before, and hell, I've even fought a dragon, but really….Anyways, by saying you'll become my subordinate you must have some goal in mind. What is it? Answer me truthfully."

"I have no ulterior motivation whatsoever! I am simply abiding the decided code of conduct within my clan! And my own beliefs, I guess? Wait, you fought a dragon! WOW!!!"

I was taken aback by this girl, my mind halting before putting some thought into her statement. I put a great deal of force in my last few words, and to answer without hesitation; it would seem that she spoke the truth. However if there was one thing that I could trust about a dragon-kin, it was that they were prideful creatures, and I still have no idea as to what extent she can resist my voice. I can't fully trust in her wanting to be my subordinate either. Truthfully speaking I don't mind having a travelling companion that can resist my vocal abilities, but I might have to use that to ensure my personal safety.

"Hmph! I accept your subordination, but you will have to make a pact with me. Deal?"

"Make a deal with the demon king himself? Sounds fun, let's do it!"

"Why do I feel like I'm coaxing a child into a suspicious covered wagon…."

In that fateful moment I met the first person I could talk to in years. Somehow the world seems a bit brighter, if only by the tiniest amount. How long this annoying brat will stay with me I don't know. Whether crossing paths with this eccentric person is a trap or some nefarious plot doesn't really matter; I'll handle whatever this shitty world throws at me. Whatever her goal might be, it will become apparent with time. If that agenda is to end me though, it will end quite badly for her. I refuse to go down easy.

…..

Trust is such a tentative thing. With of the power of my curse, the 'Absolute Demonic Contract', we made a deal. On her side she would never physically harm intentionally, nor would she plot herself or with others against me. On my side I would let her travel with me as long as she still wished to, and to not abandon her so long as she remains loyal to me. For some reason she insisted on the 'I will not abandon her' part; got teary eyed even. Maybe she has those kind of issues, or she was abandoned as a child? Sounds like something complicated and messy, I'll ask about it sometime later.

It was nothing to complicated, but this cursed power would never allow any disobedience from either parties. You could not physically disobey, no matter what. It was a fearsome ability that would only activate at both parties consensual agreement to a deal. Only I could overwrite, revise, or annul the spiritual contract.

Needless to say after she woke up, and after such a lengthy debate, I made lunch. Nothing special really, just some vegetable soup and slightly stale bread. And yet….

"Boss, this food is so good! Tank du bery much!"

With a stuffed mouth, I was praised for some pretty mediocre cooking. If tears weren't streaming down her puffed up cheeks non-stop, I would have thought she was making fun of me. Somehow I'm touched, no maybe this a ploy of hers to curry favor, and get me off guard. Though I don't have to worry about her killing me now, so yeah, I'll just take her actions at face value from now on.

"You're welcome. Would you please stop calling me 'Boss' though? Callahan, or even just Cal would be better."

"Really?! I'll call you 'Cal' then, okay Boss! I mean Cal!"

We were silent for a while, and normally I would be able to hear the sounds of nature. Right now though? I couldn't here jack squat over the sounds of Vanessa's voracious eating. Seriously it's like she was raised by wolves or something. When she got done dunking the bread in the soup and then eating it, she slammed her face in the wooden bowl trough style. Her wooden spoon lay beside her untouched. She did know how to use it, right?

"So you're my new boss. I never thought the day would come I would have to bow my head to someone stronger than me. I've been undefeated till now. Even if we never crossed blades, a loss is a loss."

"Pfft! HAHAHA!"

"Wh-Why are you laughing at me now?! I'm trying to be serious here!"

"Sorry, pfft! HAHA, I can't take you seriously with soup covering your face! Here use the cloak! It's just an oversized napkin anyways!" I handed her the cloak I had taken off earlier, and she took it reluctantly with her face bright red. She seemed to cooled down a bit, along with the soup.

"Boss, I mean, Cal. Is this not the normal way to eat?"

"It's not, but if you really don't know how to use a spoon I'll show you how later, okay?"

"GAHAHAHA! Me?! To not know how to use this, this spoon you speak of, how...that's...I...I'll take you up on that offer."

"It's a deal then." Silence elapsed yet again as I silently packed up the campsite into my sack. Vanessa tried to help but she was a little unsteady on her feet, so I made her sit down. When the preparations to leave were finished, Vanessa and I began walking down the forest path. She insisted to carry the bag because 'I had made food, cleaned up her mess, and because I was the Boss.' Apparently she thought I was being to nice to her, to which I call 'bullshit' on. As I said back to her: "Though you seem to have nothing but good intentions, I cannot trust you with the important things yet. Maybe in time, but for now I will take care of my own self."

After a few grumbles, me and my 'subordinate' set off.

…..

"So boss, as I was saying earlier, you're the first one to beat me, and I already told you about me. So now I want to know about you! Especially your deepest darkest secrets, that are so horrifying you even hide them from yourself!" We had been walking for no more than five minutes before Vanessa opened her mouth. I didn't mind talking, so the novelty of having a conversation partner hasn't worn off me yet.

"I don't quite know what you're getting at, but I don't mind telling you about myself. Nothing to personal though, okay?"

After giving some thought to what I wanted to say, I looked into Vanessa's expectant eyes and let out a sigh,

"My full name is Callahan Nyx. I can cook pretty well, I can clean and do chores, I'm not half bad at camping out, my blacksmithing is more than pretty decent I'd say, oh and I can sing."

"Really? You can….sing? Sing a song then!" Vanessa looked at me with the upturned eyes and pouting lip of a begging puppy. The socially inept me could not say no. I need to work on this. After I get my anger issues under control, of course.

"Fine. Um, this one's pretty silly but it's the first one to come to mind. It's happy and uptempo so you'll probably like it.

'There once was a man named Steven,

He was quite the ladies' man.

But he had one problem,

Just one, that's right!

He reeked like a week old dead skunk.

Poor Steven, Poor Steven,

NO ONE COMES WITHIN MILES!

His only pet was a nose-blind goat,

That smelled as bad as he.

Once poor Steven was robbed

It was a devastating crime,

But Steven's money was so rank

That the bandit gave him back his money and more,

Then Steven he wasn't so poor.'

"N-Not to bad right? Right Vanessa? Vanessa?! Say something!" Vanessa seemed to be staring into the distance, her jaw loosely hanging like a broken hinge. Suddenly she jerked her head left and right, before refocusing her eyes on me. Tears flowing even harder than when she was eating earlier.

"I-it was s-so beautiful I, I lost myself. Sorry." Her praise shocked me, but that shock turned into jubilation as a broad grin streaked across my face. Haha, that was the first time someone besides myself praised my voice, even if she's faking, who the hell cares?!

"Though I suppose I should probably begin investing in handkerchiefs. You seem to have oceans for tear ducts."