Greetings, reader. I will be your narrator for this tale of adventure. Well, maybe "adventure" is going a bit far, but... nevermind. My name is not important, but our main character's name is quite important. Well, maybe not so much important as appropriate.
You see, the man's name is Gray, and I do mean his first name. His last name is as important as mine, so don't worry about it.
Anyway, what makes our fellow's name so appropriate is that he is very middle-ground. If he took a D&D alignment test, then he'd probably end up as True Neutral. By societal standards, he's boring as fuck.
He gets up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, and fucking stays there. He's got no friends, and he's not looking for any. He's Gray.
What a shitty main character, huh? Naturally, something exciting will happen to him, or this would also be a shitty story, and what kind of disembodied, imagined voice in your head would I be if I told you a shitty story? Let's go.
Just between you and me, I looked ahead only a little bit, so I really am hoping this isn't going to be a shitty story. Don't blame me if it is.
Gray was sitting at home, doing some boring shit, when his doorbell rang. This was a bit of a surprise to him, but he answered it, and what did he see on his porch but a beautiful woman?
You might be thinking, "WTF, disembodied, imagined voice in my head? This is a weak trope. Next thing you'll tell us is that she had car trouble." Well, no I'm not, and fuck you for being so presumptuous. You know... IF that's what you thought.
Back to the tale. Gray was 5'8" and in his late 20's. Let's say... 27, because boys can't be even-number ages, and girls can't be odd number ages. IT'S JUST WRONG!
But I digress. The woman appeared to be roughly the same age. But not the exact same age, and don't you go pretending otherwise.
She was about his same height, rather pale, but not a sickly pale, and her hair was a jet black, straight bob. She wore comfort-fitted blue jeans with a ripped knee, a snug, cropped black T-shirt, and a pair of low-cut Chucks. She damn hot.
Gray was not a generally excitable guy, and while he still didn't show it, outwardly, he was definitely above his average level of excited. He was digging her.
"Hello," he greeted, keeping his cool.
She flashed him a polite smile, but that was the only overt expression she offered.
"Hi. You're Gray, right?"
'Holy cannoli, this hottie knows who I am! What the bejeebers is happening?' That's the more interesting version of what Gray's thinking.
"Yeah," he replied, boringly.
"You remember last week when you helped a businessman collect his papers after his briefcase came open outside, and the wind was blowing it everywhere?"
"Uh, yeah."
Gray had stopped some papers from getting away but ended up chasing some down. The businessman thanked him quickly, but hurried away, apparently late for something.
"Cool. Well, I was sent to be your reward."
Gray was so taken aback by this revelation, that he had trouble getting his next profound sentence out.
"What?"
"Can I come in? It's hot out here." It was, indeed, a rather warm day, but that has no real bearing on anything. Nevermind.
"Sure." Gray stepped aside, without hesitation. He was a very go-with-the-flow kind of guy, and she didn't strike him as threatening, so why not, you know?
"Thanks," she said as she entered, then he shut the door.
"So, what's this about," he asked.
"Um, well. You did a very kind and generous thing, without a second thought, and went out of your way for someone you didn't know, and so I was sent to..." She waved her hand, with the uncertainty of the correct wording. "Be yours, or whatever."
What struck him, in addition to the statement, was the fact that she had made it so matter-of-factly. It was neither a good nor bad situation for her, by all appearances.
Her eyes surveyed the inside of his home until he spoke again.
"I really don't understand, what you mean, exactly."
"You know... hang out. Do shit. Whatever you want. I mean, they intended for me to have sex with you, but I don't really care what we do." She looked around, once again.
And he was dumbfounded, once again. As a single guy, who wasn't really into dating, he was having trouble coming to terms with a woman in front of him just casually offering him free sex.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"No. Can I have some water," she said, looking back at him... unusually excited, considering the request.
The way she was being so casual, how her reply went directly into a request, and the way she was looking at him, was screaming sincerity to him.
On the other hand, the way she was looking around made him wonder if she was casing the joint to steal from him. Not that he had much to steal. He was not a very materialistic guy.
"Uh... Yeah." He brought a bottle of water to her from the kitchen. She cracked it open and drank half of it.
"Thanks. I've never had water before. I was expecting more flavor." She screwed the cap back on. "So, you wanna do something? We don't have to. I mean, you're not obligated to entertain me, or anything. You can go back to whatever you were doing. I can watch TV if you're busy. I'm here either way."
"Are you okay with this?" Like I said, Gray was boring. He's not jumping at this opportunity to dip his tip. He's also not kicking her out. He's all concerned for her feelings and well-being and shit.
"Oh, yeah. It's no big deal. Demons do stuff like this all the time. I personally haven't, but it's what we 'do'," she said, using air quotations. "Service contracts."
Do I need to tell you that he was taken aback, again?
"Demons?" He was now second-guessing his sincerity judgment.
"Yeah. I'm a demon. So was the guy you helped." Completely casual. Almost ambivalent. And Gray was freaking the fuck out... internally.
He didn't exactly put stock in the horns and tail image of a demon, but that was pretty much all he had to go by, so the fact that she looked like a normal human confused him.
He wanted to question her, but he also didn't want to sound like an idiot. ... I'm just gonna let that one slide.
"So, demons just look like regular humans, then? No... horns?" His voice trailed off, really not wanting to say the word.
"Oh, yeah, we have horns. Even tails. We can just glamour ourselves to hide them. Like I'm doing now."
"Ca... can I see?" That focused his thoughts, didn't it? He seriously wants to see that shit.
"Sure." She closed her eyes and suddenly a pair of short, black horns faded into view on top of her head.
They were actually kinda cute, and Gray almost cracked a smile.
"Can I... touch them?"
"Sure. You don't need to ask, by the way. I mean, strictly speaking. You don't need my permission for anything, but I do appreciate it, just the same."
Gray stepped closer and she tilted her head down so he could get a better look. He lightly poked one, then pinched it between his fingers to try to move it, but it was secure to her head.
"Wow," he said under his breath. He looked around her, in hopes of seeing a tail, but saw only a lump where her tailbone would have been located, and a line snaking down the back of her leg, beneath the denim.
"Wanna see it," she asked as she began unfastening her narrow belt.
"No! No. Not right now." His lame ass wasn't ready for her to drop trou in front of him, yet.
