Oh yeah.
Ah, forgot. Here's a much sillier, shorter, and cuter fic about the birth of a demonling named Drippy, from a game I run where she's a minor character. May as well post it!
The first thing she heard was the sound of running water above her, and the distant murmur of voices admist the clang of metal and wood. Her forhead felt oddly warm, and she realized it was because water was dripping on her from a pipe above her head.
She sat in the darkness for a long time, not moving, feeling the water drip onto her head, and listening to the constant rush of it through the pipes. She wondered at the voices outside the darkness, but didn't want to investigate. Not yet. It was dark and warm where she was, and that made her happy.
After some time, though, her peace was broken by a sudden ray of light shimmering into her face, and a worried voice.
"Now where are those damn flour ba... woah! Lucifer's oven! Damn. Jophea! Git' over here! We got a newborn on our hands!"
Blinking at the light and sound, she looked up and came face-to-face with a pretty woman with green skin and dimple cheeks. Her black hair shook a lot as she moved her head, and she sighed.
"Hey, you, drippy. Come on out."
She blinked, and spoke her first word. "Drippy?"
"Yeah, drippy. You got water all over your face. Come on out already."
"Me Drippy?"
The green-faced lady sighed again, but smiled a little. "Yes, you're Drippy. You wanna be named that? Good. Just come on out so Jophea can kick you out or put you to work or whatever. I got flour to grab and cookies to bake."
Drippy blinked, and sat up. She stretched her back, and felt two small wings stretch with her. She smiled dumbly at the green-faced lady, and slowly made her way out. She liked her dark and warm little place with the water-sound, but now that she had a name, she was curious to see what else she could find outside.
Before she could get all the way out, however, two large and strong arms grasped her and picked her up; the grip wasn't uncomfortable, but neither was it kind, and Drippy found herself staring at another face; this one was more weary and a brilliant shade of red, and two large white horns spiraled out of a mass of messily-cut gray hair.
"Jophea! Isn't she adorable? She's named Drippy now. Guess she just formed under there."
The Calabite Jophea frowned, and examined the little demonling she held. The thing was female-aspected, as far as she could see, and about as big as a young child. She had brilliantly orange skin, as if she was birthed from a can of orange soda, and a small mess of spikey white hair.
"Great. Imp. Ah well, I could use a hand. Drippy? Well Drippy, welcome to Jophea's Bakery and Coffee. Sumi here will get you some rags to dress you in and set you to work."
Drippy blinked, and gently grasped one of Jophea's horns. "Work??"
Jophea frowned, and slowly picked the Imp's hand off of her horn. "Yes, work. You can't expect to be born here and then not do anything! Or would you rather I hand you over to a hungry cannibal passing by?"
Drippy frowned, and shook her head. Being passed to a cannibal didn't sound good. "Please dress a Drippy. Me am work for you!"
Jophea cracked a smile, and set the Imp down, adjusting her stained apron. "Good. Good work ethic will get you far, shrimp. Stick with the Lilim, she'll show you the ropes, okay?" She took a moment to ruffle the hair of the little demon, and abruptly set off to another part of the bakery, having wasted enough time on the newborn.
Drippy stood and looked around her curiously. She seemed to be in a room used for making things; the smell of the things permeated the air made her stomach gurgle, but what really caught her attention was a strange looking metal machine with a glass pot in it, that was cheerfully bubbling with some sort of dark liquid. She toddled over to it, and stared.
"Um. Um. Miss green lady! What am this?"
Sumi, the Lilim of Gluttony, looked up from the closet she was poking around in, and blinked. "That thing? That's a coffee machine. It makes coffee."
"...oh! Um. Ah. What am coffee?"
Sumi looked up again, and giggled. "Coffee is... wake-up liquid. It does all sorts of wonderful things if you make it well. Which is hard, in Hell."
The Lilim trailed off into grumbling as she dug around, muttering about Earthly goods being so much better than the stuff found in Hell. Drippy ignored her, and stared up at the bubbling pot, as if it somehow held a great secret.
Sumi found the small Imp still looking at the coffee pot nearly ten minutes later, having found some clothes for the demonling to wear. She frowned, and then began to giggle again at the newborn's strange fixation. Drippy merely stared up innocently at the Lilim, wondering what was so funny.
"Okay Drippy. Here are your starting rags. Now, since Jophea said so, this is a freebie, but I'm not giving up anything else without a Geas, got it?"
Drippy blinked, and nodded her head rapidly. She had no idea what a Geas was, but she didn't want to make Sumi upset, so she decided not to ask her anything. She took the rags from the Lilim, and slowly put them on with some help. The pants she got were far too big, and had to be held up with a heavy leather belt tied to her waist. Though her ragged white shirt fit her well (having been a former flour sack with holes cut out), her overcoat was also oversized, dragging a little on the floor; her shoes were little better, being small bags of leather tied to her feet.
Drippy walked around the room and tripped a few times, trying out her new outfit, to the delight of a giggling Sumi. The Lilim took a second to cut the demonling slits in her shirt and jacket, letting her tiny wings push out and flutter freely.
"There! How does it feel? You lucky stink. Not many newborns even get so much as a loincloth in some parts."
"Oh no! Drippy am very happy, miss green pretty! Please take Drippy thanks for clothes!"
"Aw, don't worry about it. It's better than having you run around naked. This isn't the Bordello. Eugh."
Drippy just blinked at the Lilim, not really understanding much of what she was being told. Sumi sighed, and reached for one last bit of clothing.
"Here kid. Best to keep your head down in Hell, and a big hat helps."
Drippy's vision was suddenly obscured, and she wondered if she hadn't somehow been stuffed back into the little cupboard under the sink. She felt something heavy and soft on her head, so she reached up and pushed, and was looking at Sumi again.
"It's a hat, you dink! Pageboy hat, the Earthers call 'em. Heck, if this was the 20's, I could plop you on the streets of Perdition with some papers, and you'd fit right in!"
Sumi looked absurdly pleased with this, so Drippy smiled and clapped her hands, fluttering her tiny wings. She then stared back at the coffee pot again, wonder filling her eyes. Sumi noticed this, and chuckled.
"Okay Drippy. I see you obviously like the big shiny coffee pot. You wanna learn how to use it?"
Drippy's eyes lit up, and she tried not to gasp in delight. "Oh! Oh yes! Please am let a Drippy learn to use coffee! Please?"
Sumi rolled her eyes, and scruffed Drippy's head as she walked past. "Yeah yeah. You may as well learn a Glutton trade to keep you alive. Can't keep you forever, ya know. Come over here."
Drippy didn't come, and when Sumi looked back, she shuffled her feet.
"What's wrong?"
"Um. Drippy. Um. Drippy no am want to make a Geas."
Sumi frowned, and scratched her head. "I'm not sure you get what a Geas is. Oh... damn. Look, you're useless now as it is, and you're adorable, so just get over here and I'll give you another freebie. But last one, you got it?"
Drippy giggled and clapped her hands happily, and fluttered over, hugging Sumi's leg in gratitude. Despite herself, Sumi giggled, and pulled the small demonling off, and then set about teaching her the sacred art of operating the coffee pot.
Drippy listened intently, and marveled at what she heard, taking in every detail. Though her dark place was already missed, she was happier to be outside, happy to be talking to a nice person, and happy to simply exist.
Happy.
The first thing she heard was the sound of running water above her, and the distant murmur of voices admist the clang of metal and wood. Her forhead felt oddly warm, and she realized it was because water was dripping on her from a pipe above her head.
She sat in the darkness for a long time, not moving, feeling the water drip onto her head, and listening to the constant rush of it through the pipes. She wondered at the voices outside the darkness, but didn't want to investigate. Not yet. It was dark and warm where she was, and that made her happy.
After some time, though, her peace was broken by a sudden ray of light shimmering into her face, and a worried voice.
"Now where are those damn flour ba... woah! Lucifer's oven! Damn. Jophea! Git' over here! We got a newborn on our hands!"
Blinking at the light and sound, she looked up and came face-to-face with a pretty woman with green skin and dimple cheeks. Her black hair shook a lot as she moved her head, and she sighed.
"Hey, you, drippy. Come on out."
She blinked, and spoke her first word. "Drippy?"
"Yeah, drippy. You got water all over your face. Come on out already."
"Me Drippy?"
The green-faced lady sighed again, but smiled a little. "Yes, you're Drippy. You wanna be named that? Good. Just come on out so Jophea can kick you out or put you to work or whatever. I got flour to grab and cookies to bake."
Drippy blinked, and sat up. She stretched her back, and felt two small wings stretch with her. She smiled dumbly at the green-faced lady, and slowly made her way out. She liked her dark and warm little place with the water-sound, but now that she had a name, she was curious to see what else she could find outside.
Before she could get all the way out, however, two large and strong arms grasped her and picked her up; the grip wasn't uncomfortable, but neither was it kind, and Drippy found herself staring at another face; this one was more weary and a brilliant shade of red, and two large white horns spiraled out of a mass of messily-cut gray hair.
"Jophea! Isn't she adorable? She's named Drippy now. Guess she just formed under there."
The Calabite Jophea frowned, and examined the little demonling she held. The thing was female-aspected, as far as she could see, and about as big as a young child. She had brilliantly orange skin, as if she was birthed from a can of orange soda, and a small mess of spikey white hair.
"Great. Imp. Ah well, I could use a hand. Drippy? Well Drippy, welcome to Jophea's Bakery and Coffee. Sumi here will get you some rags to dress you in and set you to work."
Drippy blinked, and gently grasped one of Jophea's horns. "Work??"
Jophea frowned, and slowly picked the Imp's hand off of her horn. "Yes, work. You can't expect to be born here and then not do anything! Or would you rather I hand you over to a hungry cannibal passing by?"
Drippy frowned, and shook her head. Being passed to a cannibal didn't sound good. "Please dress a Drippy. Me am work for you!"
Jophea cracked a smile, and set the Imp down, adjusting her stained apron. "Good. Good work ethic will get you far, shrimp. Stick with the Lilim, she'll show you the ropes, okay?" She took a moment to ruffle the hair of the little demon, and abruptly set off to another part of the bakery, having wasted enough time on the newborn.
Drippy stood and looked around her curiously. She seemed to be in a room used for making things; the smell of the things permeated the air made her stomach gurgle, but what really caught her attention was a strange looking metal machine with a glass pot in it, that was cheerfully bubbling with some sort of dark liquid. She toddled over to it, and stared.
"Um. Um. Miss green lady! What am this?"
Sumi, the Lilim of Gluttony, looked up from the closet she was poking around in, and blinked. "That thing? That's a coffee machine. It makes coffee."
"...oh! Um. Ah. What am coffee?"
Sumi looked up again, and giggled. "Coffee is... wake-up liquid. It does all sorts of wonderful things if you make it well. Which is hard, in Hell."
The Lilim trailed off into grumbling as she dug around, muttering about Earthly goods being so much better than the stuff found in Hell. Drippy ignored her, and stared up at the bubbling pot, as if it somehow held a great secret.
Sumi found the small Imp still looking at the coffee pot nearly ten minutes later, having found some clothes for the demonling to wear. She frowned, and then began to giggle again at the newborn's strange fixation. Drippy merely stared up innocently at the Lilim, wondering what was so funny.
"Okay Drippy. Here are your starting rags. Now, since Jophea said so, this is a freebie, but I'm not giving up anything else without a Geas, got it?"
Drippy blinked, and nodded her head rapidly. She had no idea what a Geas was, but she didn't want to make Sumi upset, so she decided not to ask her anything. She took the rags from the Lilim, and slowly put them on with some help. The pants she got were far too big, and had to be held up with a heavy leather belt tied to her waist. Though her ragged white shirt fit her well (having been a former flour sack with holes cut out), her overcoat was also oversized, dragging a little on the floor; her shoes were little better, being small bags of leather tied to her feet.
Drippy walked around the room and tripped a few times, trying out her new outfit, to the delight of a giggling Sumi. The Lilim took a second to cut the demonling slits in her shirt and jacket, letting her tiny wings push out and flutter freely.
"There! How does it feel? You lucky stink. Not many newborns even get so much as a loincloth in some parts."
"Oh no! Drippy am very happy, miss green pretty! Please take Drippy thanks for clothes!"
"Aw, don't worry about it. It's better than having you run around naked. This isn't the Bordello. Eugh."
Drippy just blinked at the Lilim, not really understanding much of what she was being told. Sumi sighed, and reached for one last bit of clothing.
"Here kid. Best to keep your head down in Hell, and a big hat helps."
Drippy's vision was suddenly obscured, and she wondered if she hadn't somehow been stuffed back into the little cupboard under the sink. She felt something heavy and soft on her head, so she reached up and pushed, and was looking at Sumi again.
"It's a hat, you dink! Pageboy hat, the Earthers call 'em. Heck, if this was the 20's, I could plop you on the streets of Perdition with some papers, and you'd fit right in!"
Sumi looked absurdly pleased with this, so Drippy smiled and clapped her hands, fluttering her tiny wings. She then stared back at the coffee pot again, wonder filling her eyes. Sumi noticed this, and chuckled.
"Okay Drippy. I see you obviously like the big shiny coffee pot. You wanna learn how to use it?"
Drippy's eyes lit up, and she tried not to gasp in delight. "Oh! Oh yes! Please am let a Drippy learn to use coffee! Please?"
Sumi rolled her eyes, and scruffed Drippy's head as she walked past. "Yeah yeah. You may as well learn a Glutton trade to keep you alive. Can't keep you forever, ya know. Come over here."
Drippy didn't come, and when Sumi looked back, she shuffled her feet.
"What's wrong?"
"Um. Drippy. Um. Drippy no am want to make a Geas."
Sumi frowned, and scratched her head. "I'm not sure you get what a Geas is. Oh... damn. Look, you're useless now as it is, and you're adorable, so just get over here and I'll give you another freebie. But last one, you got it?"
Drippy giggled and clapped her hands happily, and fluttered over, hugging Sumi's leg in gratitude. Despite herself, Sumi giggled, and pulled the small demonling off, and then set about teaching her the sacred art of operating the coffee pot.
Drippy listened intently, and marveled at what she heard, taking in every detail. Though her dark place was already missed, she was happier to be outside, happy to be talking to a nice person, and happy to simply exist.
Happy.