Conversation With a Demon

Jien sat up in his bed slowly while continuing to peer at the rather beautiful grey skinned woman who sat weakly but calmly in the chair at the foot of his bed. The only thing about her that was not calm was her eyes, which upon meeting his showed a hint of anger but more so a vast ocean of fear. He couldn't comprehend why she looked at him with such fear but also couldn't understand the anger. He pondered for a short moment before figuring that it had something to do with the summoning, perhaps the way that it had been performed or resolved. Then it hit him that he didn't recall bargaining with her or signing a contract, if that was what needed to happen given that she didn't seem to be what the others had described as being a demon.The description that he had been given of what a demon should look like upon summoning, both from the personal experiences of the other noble youths and that of the various texts available, were in short monsters. They would have no defined form, usually taking a form that would emphasize their skillset. A decent example of this concept was Lesley's contracted demon. Prior to it taking the form of a crow it had looked like nothing but a black ball of eyes with a number of wings sticking out, some like that of a bat and others of a black bird like a crow or raven. Never had they described a demon as a being with humanoid appearance even prior to a contract being struck.After making eye contact with the woman for a few long moments he decided to turn to his father, Mark and Runa to alleviate what he was sure was a large amount of concern, especially because he couldn't be sure how long he had been asleep. He gave them as warm a smile as he could muster, though it was not his usual to do so. "I am feeling fine." he said calmly before asking the pertinent question "How long was I asleep?"With his first statement the adults in the room seemed to collectively sigh in relief but Runa did not take his word for it, casting several spells meant for medical diagnosis and giving him a thorough looking over like a concerned mother. Only after she was satisfied and Jien a small part exasperated did his father and Mark finally relax the tense look in their eyes and the stiffness in their shoulders. However, their slight relaxation did not mean that they let their guard down, both maintaining their vigilance of the crimson haired woman seated between them.It was only at this point, while still under the vigil of the three adults that he returned his attention to the woman. His expression changed from the prior smile to his usual calm expression as he made eye contact again, trying to read a little bit into the woman. Despite his efforts however, there wasn't anything different, a bit of anger but more fear than anything. He wondered what had happened to make this woman fear looking at him. His only choice was to ask her because according to what he had been told a summoned demon could talk with fellow demons and their summoner alone. This was to breach any secrecy and even if they were to discuss with other demons those secrets could not be shared with other summoners, creating a binding net for secrets.Jien sighed before starting with a simple introduction. He was fairly positive that the bargaining stage was about to begin because he didn't remember doing anything of the sort. All good negotiations tended to start with a firm introduction, so he nodded his head saying in a calm voice "My name is Jien Losler, son of Lord Losler, Lord of Afrem City in the Elitrix Empire." He wasn't sure if the demons knew of the different empires or not, but it was a place to start.The woman with smooth obsidian ram horns adorning her head looked into Jien's eyes for a few moments that seemed to stretch for ages before snorting and turning her head as if to tell him to buzz off. Given the fear that had been in her eyes previously Jien was a bit taken aback. How had she gone from looking so solemn, upset and afraid to acting like a spoiled brat. He wasn't sure what to make of this situation, were they not in the bargaining stage? How could you bargain with someone that refused to acknowledge you?After her reaction he had no idea how to continue. He looked at the adults around him who were frowning at the woman's response, wondering if they should attempt inflicting some pain to get her to open up. She had assaulted Jien as best as they could tell. Usually such an act would be the end of the perpetrator's life but in this case, she was bound to him by a contract that they did not know the details of as the summoning had successfully concluded.Seeing that the adults were on the verge of stepping in for him, Jien decided to try and get to the bottom of what happened before continuing. There was apparently something important that he was missing here. He had only just summoned this mysterious woman before everything went dark. He needed some more information to ensure that everything going forward would go smoothly. As such his first and most important question was to Runa sitting next to him. "What happened while I was unconscious?"