The Demon Pact (OOC/SU)[M]

At one particular location in Vestria city, known to it's customers as the Dipper Cafe, the sounds of chatter filled up the relatively medium-sized establishment, which was also part library. The place was a bit livelier as usual today, heaven knows why, with their regular customers, mixing in with those curious enough to stop by for the first time today. So along with their usual young males, who were only a few years ahead of graduated college students, were also those actually from college, who were more than old enough to behave.

If his sister didn't make sure of that, with how surprisingly calm and relaxed she always was, then one of their regular customers surely would, in a dead-end attempt to impress her. Both the one or two trouble makers who found themselves visiting for the first time, and the suitors that often left gifts for his sister, which would go in the lost and found anyway, were two of many things in his life he wished he could resolve himself. But Robin has never had the best luck in the world, and more times than not, finds himself unwillingly getting into conflicts.

Whether it be getting robbed, and mocked for having a nametag in his wallet, so that it could be returned to him later, or somehow mixing his stuff up with someone else. Some people say everything happens for a reason, and while he can accept that, the question of why his life is the way it is, often pops up in his head from time to time. He doesn't dislike his life, nor does he really like it. He does know however, that his life could be better, and somehow more fulfilling, which is one of the few things he and his sister would really disagree with.

Even without looking up from his book, Robin knew by the lack of pouring his sister did for their specially made brew, that they must have ran out of supplies. And he was right about that, as the brunette beauty many of their customers came here for, had placed down the tea kettle she was holding, and looked over in his direction. He was more than used to the passing glances people gave him on the streets, to know when a pair of eyes trailed over to him. "Robin, could you please go out and buy some more supplies?"

There was no pleading at all in his sister's voice, nor was there really a begrudging demand for it. When she spoke, it was just clear that she meant well with her decision. As he closed his book shut, and placed it back on the shelf, Robin could hear a few unfamiliar voices offer to do it instead for his sister. He knew it must have been someone new, because the few times they did run out of supplies, their regulars quickly understood it was a matter of secret recipes, and he also knew they would have rather stayed here with his sister anyway.

One of the regulars explained the situation, apologizing to his sister, when he came off as teasing the first voice more than he should have. Even though he knew their regulars were always defending the establishment, and helping out as much as they could, he had become too acquainted with their attempts as suitors, to really hear anything meaningful from them. She was actually engaged, his brother-in-law was just always a busy man, having moved overseas to manage a corporation. And he was a really good man too.

So hearing these suitors talk, had always made his heart skip a beat, although it wasn't really something he really questioned. As quick as his heart had skipped a beat, the explanations had ended, and some passing glances were given to him, Robin already feeling his face was heating up in embarassment. His sister only smiled at him, handing him a shopping list, which he accepted, and carefully pocketed. "I'll be sure to come back quickly." He told his sister with a bow, before glancing around at the customers, both knew and old.

"Please, for those of you trying our special brew, we ask you be patient." Again, he had bowed apologetically, gaining support and encouragement from both his sister and the regulars, that he would be able to do it. Specifically, his sister had told him good luck. As unusual as it might be for someone else, saying something like that to him, was pretty normal. His sister and a few of the regulars who cared to pay attention, knew how clumsy he could be, as well as his bad luck. Grabbing his bike from in a room nearby, he made his way out the door.

Minutes passed by as he pedaled through Vestria city, on his way to the grocery store. Robin saw many things and people along the way, situations he wished he could actually do something about, and people he had the misfortune of being familiar with. Neither of those he knew would really bother him for the moment however, but he knew they were going to do so, when the sun had set. He was used to it, but it didn't mean he would willingly accept being robbed and beat up. It didn't take him long to get to the grocery store, nor to find things.

He knew where everything was, but the problem with grocery stores, was how busy it could be sometimes. As much as he always wished it to be so, he knew by the time he got out of the building, the sun was going to start setting, making him vulnerable to those who saw him as prey. And he was right about that, when he later walked out of the store, to find that the street lights were starting to turn on. His bike was still where he had left it, thankfully, and there didn't seem to be anyone he knew around, that would give him trouble.

For the moment anyway. Getting on his bike once more, with his groceries this time sitting in the carrier, he pedaled away, and back towards the Dipper Cafe. His cheeks heated up, and he felt himself pull his body closer, as he went through Vestria city once again. It was always cold for him at night, despite his baggy clothes and the scarf he always accompanies it with. It might have been a lack of iron intake, or perhaps his perception of the city always seemed so different during the evenings, than it was when the sun was still shining.

He wasn't sure exactly, but he wasn't going to really put a blame on anything. As he started to turn a corner or two, he knew to be shortcuts, trouble had came to him. Someone else was getting robbed by several two or three men, and he was a witness to it. "Hey, you!" His eyes had raised up in what was clearly fear, as he pedaled quickly around him, in the way he wanted to go, somehow ironically having enough luck to actually make it pass the alley. He could still hear them following behind however, which did nothing but make his heart race.

Robin was desperate in trying not to require having to go to the hospital, as his pedaling showed, and as he continued pedaling away, he felt that familiar feeling of his heart skipping a beat. The clumsy part about him, was that when he started to panic, he more than not ends up more than not, taking a few corners he shouldn't have. Those few corners would likely lead back or around where he was trying to avoid, and with his bad luck, it wasn't really that all hard to believe that it would happen to him. This wouldn't exactly be the first time.

And how right he was. He actually did end up passing into a section of the street, where the group of men were looking around for him, and where his situation was, pedaling across the street was something that would likely have him lose the ones chasing him. Which he did, and at the worst moment he could have ever chosen. His heart would skip a beat one final time today, as he narrowly avoided an incoming car, and while he was able to pass it, his action didn't really do his body good, as he felt a sudden pain in his chest. His world went black.

When he later opened his eyes, he found himself handcuffed to a metal chair, and his feet wet. Whatever the thin liquid was, it went against reason for him, since he usually kept himself well covered up in warmth. Wherever he was, it was dark, and everything within himself felt empty, like something was missing. He could clearly still remember how he barely managed to avoid the incoming car however, and that sudden pain in his chest. A pause. Something really was missing, but he couldn't really put his mind as to what, choosing to look around.

Blue balls of wispy flames floated around, being the only source of light of where he was, and as they continued to move, his eyes started to adjust to the low amount of light available around here. Hundreds, maybe thousands of others were in chairs and handcuffed like him. He was reminded again that something was missing. "Welcome to the Night Realm." A sudden loud, deep yet eerie voice stopped him from pursuing the thought deeper. It sounded like one of those voices you couldn't place where the source was, but it didn't stop him from looking.

The voice went on again, explaining that he had died. What the voice had said didn't seem far-fetched from what he could remember, but again, he knew something was missing about him. A burst of blue flame ignited in front of him, before a small sheet of paper appeared. The voice was giving him a choice to choose to pass on, or still continue to live on. This emptiness within him, the feeling that something was missing, it was reason enough for him to overlook the possible consequences of what saying three words that would bring him back.

"I'm Not Ready..." Robin has spoke those words, reminded again of that missing piece, before the contract lights up and vanishes in another burst of blue flames. What the voice had said about a guest arriving soon because of the contract, didn't really put much thought for him. He just wanted to get out of here. He found himself closing his eyes, the floor beneath him collapsing into darkness, before he was sent back to where he had came from. When he actually had, he knew exactly what he was missing when he had gone to that strange world.

His heart didn't skip a beat like it usually did, and there was no warmth for him there, nothing for his cheeks to heat up, and get embarrassed about. There was also that strange sense of tiredness as well, which was primarily the reason he had closed his eyes. All of those, he should have felt comforted, now knowing the reason was because he was dead. But he wasn't comforted. If that was what death would be like for him, all that emptiness...Robin had got up, hearing several voices around him, finding that he was in pain.

Looking around, those who were around him had moved back, where he saw his bike near him, which fell flat on the ground. He could see his groceries fell along with it, although thankfully, there wasn't really anything he had that would spill out. The disturbing part about all of this, wasn't that he was resurrected from death, but that those who were around him, were the group of men he was trying to avoid. "Please don't hurt me..." he said with a bow, already pulling his wallet out, and holding it in front of him.

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Time had quickly passed on by for him, and before he knew it, a few months had passed on by, since Robin had been resurrected from death. Things had longed since started to fall back to his usual routine of finding himself unwillingly getting into trouble or accidents, only without narrowly dying this time. The memory of the incident was starting to fade away as well, pushed to the back of his mind, where he knew he would soon forget about it completely, and continuing on with his so called normal life. The sun was setting, as he pedaled his bike.

He was pedaling through the streets once again, something he did occasionally, although it was never really for the same reason. Sometimes he rode his bike outside because he was delivering something for his older sister. Other times, he had to go outside to get his bike repaired. In this particular case however, his older sister had insisted he go out for some fresh air, which he couldn't really argue against, since he knew she meant well. Still, it wouldn't be that long until he went back, and he was making sure to just pedal around the cafe.

Even though he was being safe about where he was riding his bike at, the sun setting down, as the sky darkened, still did give him the perception that everything changed in the evenings. It made him feel like something was going to happen to him, and he was actually expecting it to. He did have some pretty bad luck, and was clumsy enough whenever his heart started racing, for it to happen. And something did happen, it always would eventually. But it definitely wasn't something he would ever suspect would happen.

Some kind of creature had appeared right out in front of him, causing him to cease his pedaling, as his bike stopped. It had crimson skin, two notable horns that protruded from it's temple, along with a smaller set of horns that protruded from the sides of it's chin. The most notable thing about the creature, were the black rune markings, it's towering height over him, and it's fearsome appearance. Robin was surprised, his eyes showing fear, and he had taken a moment to swallow some of the bile that was in his throat with a gulp.

The creature doesn't say or do anything, which he soon realizes, along with how the creature looked like it was annoyed. He didn't think anything of it, other than it going well with it's other characteristics however, along with how the creature didn't really seem hostile. "I'm sorry, but it's getting late, I have to go." Robin had told the creature, bowing apologetically, before pedaling around him, and continuing on his way. Of course, with him being so used to knowing when someone was staring at him, even without looking back, he knew it followed.

He wasn't sure why, but he wasn't going to question it. It was best for him not to. Time passes by again, and a week passes before he knew it. He was starting to get used to the creature following him around, especially after finding out two things about it. One was that, it seemed to respect that he doesn't want to draw attention to himself, like how it disappeared after he had gone back to his family's cafe. And two was that, from what he knew, he was the only one able to see it, as evident by the lack of surprise to those around.

Robin still wasn't sure why the creature was following him, but it definitely became less of a worry for him, and also made him feel a bit more secure about going out in the evenings as well. One night, he heads off to bed to sleep for work the next day, the creature having long sinced gone away after he had entered his family's establishment. He didn't really expect anything else to happen to him, from just choosing to sleep, but it did. Instead of dreaming normally, darkness had befell him once more, and again, he found himself handcuffed.

Great, he was back here again.