In the Café of the Demon Ing

This standalone story is about 21000 words long.

I met the Ruler of the World in a surprising way. Well, I think that's when I met him for the first time.

I'd visited the café down the side alley a few times before anything struck me. The café was a couple of turns away from the building where I had my lectures, so that's where I had my black coffee and my croissant after morning lectures. It seemed a normal place, cheap, good service, and always quiet. I was sitting at a table by myself, laptop out and tapping away, when I noticed the waitress. She was dressed formally like an old-fashioned French maid, with a short skirt and even a little tipped hat. She stood at attention, her fearful gaze on the man one table over.

He raised his eyes and caught me looking. The smile on his face was slow and lazy. I felt as if I was looking at a big cat. I glanced at the door before I could help myself then back at him. His smile widened. He'd seen me and knew I was worried.

"Why don't you come over here?"

I'd felt it before. The 'Buzz' when The Ruler of the World sent a command. The command could be anything, we only found out when someone figured it out and the newspapers published it. Sometimes The Ruler told the world: 'Tuesdays any woman must show her pussy to any man that asks, then thank him for looking. Men, you're welcome. You can rename the day as you like.' That had been years ago. I'd shown myself a couple of hundred times now. The Ruler was an asshole. People called him an asshole, quietly, or the nickname from the papers, Demon King.

I felt the buzz now, stronger than normal.

I looked at the waitress. She looked scared, pale faced and eyes so wide it was almost comic; her hands fisted tight and stiffly at her sides. Why was the waitress looking at the man? I looked at him. About my age, perhaps more, difficult to tell. Black hair, no grey. Smooth faced. Wearing a dark-blue jacket, a patterned pink and black collared shirt, and matching trouser. Nothing special about him. Sort of average but well dressed. I glanced at his shiny black shoes. He could go to a fancy party like that. The other customers I'd seen were in student casual, except for him and the waitress.

My mind was racing and scattered. Why was it so strong... What was the order going to be... How can I have...

I got up and walked over leaving my stuff on the table behind me. I must remember it. Perhaps I wouldn't have the chance to collect it. My main thought formed: 'Oh well, here it goes again. What's the humiliating and sexual display going to be?'

I could speak for myself and started off by being rude to him. Yes, he got to see me; I got to insult him back, if a man tried any serious violence to a woman now they ended up in hospital with the worst headache in the world. That was also the Ruler's world we lived in now. "Hello asshole. What's the joke today?"

"You were looking at me and I wanted to talk. Most people ignore me but you didn't."

"I should have ignored you, asshole. Well, you've got the command. What do I have to do?"

He gave me a look. It seemed to say, you are going to regret that. Then he shook his head a bit. "Yeah, I came on a bit strong. I've seen you before, and you look sweet. I was just trying to have a word. As I said, it came out stronger than I expected."

I blinked. He'd nearly apologized.

"Perhaps we started on the wrong foot," I said. He looked OK, and he hadn't asked to see my tits straight away. Most tit-gazers asked without further words, and the words after, post seeing my uncovered breasts, had never been a great conversation. I raised my eyebrows to get his answer.

"I'm sorry about the command." He stood and motioned. "Would you join me for a drink?" He was about six foot two, medium build with a nice face. He had slightly messy hair and brown eyes. His jaw had a little dimple. He wasn't badly groomed and with the clothes looked like a well put together package.

"OK."

I shifted my stuff, laptop and messenger bag, between the tables. The waitress was at his side instantly. He asked what I wanted.

"Coffee, black. Thanks."

The waitress left to make the order. He had a paper pad with him and started writing on it with a fountain pen. That was unusual. He studied what he had written, then tore off the sheet and handed it to me.

I read, 'I will not give you any commands until you leave the table.'

"I don't understand..."

"I'm the Ruler of the World. I'm not going to do anything to you for a bit. I want to talk."

I didn't have an answer for this so we were both quiet whilst I thought.

Right, I thought, Katie you have to puzzle this out. Either he is The Ruler, the Demon King, or he isn't. It's much more likely he isn't. What are the odds. Pretty long. Actually, very, very long that he isn't, just a random person who is fucking with me. If he is I'm so fucked. I'm completely defenceless. But he's probably not. That 'buzz' was a coincidence.

I was going to be assertive and let him know he was out of order. "I don't believe you. If that was a pick-up line, it's objectionable. I don't think I want to talk to you at all after that."

He scowled at this as if he wasn't used to rejection. Good. I stood up to go. He might ask me to show my tits, but I didn't have to like it, or pretend I like it.

"Fine. I'll convince you." Again he wrote and spoke, "Tell me your name and information. Do it."

"Why would I do that. I'm Kate Mary Catory, I'm 20," and without being able to stop, I carried on with my phone number and address. Fuck, why did I say that. My eyes widened as I evaluated him again. He couldn't be him, could he. Some sort of trick, some mental hypnosis. It had to be. Just get away. I turned away, but he spoke again.

"Stand still." That 'buzz' was in my head again, I'd felt it every time. I froze. "Turn around and face me."

"Stop it, you're scaring me." I managed to stammer out. I was convinced now, that last 'Stand still' had worked. I looked at him, the Ruler.

I was sweating and breathing hard. I can't run.

I watched him scribble on the pad, then show me. His writing was large and clear, easy to read. Some of the ink was slightly smudged. He said "Do it."

'Sit at my table and write down your details. Then the names of the persons who you most value in the world.'

It was horrible, but while I was doing it without a choice, I was aware of my head both doing the task and another part behind the terror, waiting calmly. I wrote down my family: Mother, Sister, Father, and then Angela, my friend and roommate.

As I wrote he spoke again, sounding bored. "You can add your families' contact details."

I carried on, betraying my closest people. My sister, Erin, older than me. Her birthday was next month. She had a boyfriend. Mum and Dad. Where they lived, in a house they had lived in together all my life. Angela, living with me. It wasn't a command, this extra part, but I was too scared to resist. This all went on in my head while the waitress brought over the coffee. A white latte for him and my black. She'd put on the little biscuit. I noticed every tiny detail as I tried to plan an escape.

I'd finished so I tested what I could do. I could move again and tried to rise from the table. I stood up and sat down a second time, just to see if I could. He gazed at me with a smirk on his face. So, I must do what I'm told but afterwards I can run. He knows all about me, and my family. I can't run. I had no clue what my tactics were going to be, so I literally thought 'Fuck it, play it by ear.'

"Thanks for the coffee." I said politely. "Do you want the biscuit?"

"I'm the Ruler of the World. Does it look like I want an extra biscuit?"

"You might have a sweet tooth. It's good to know that, if true. I could sell that information... I could even describe you to the papers – that would be a good story. The Demon King likes biscuits."

"No, you can't. Not once you leave. No one can describe me."

"I can describe you now. Tallish, medium build, nice body, pleasant face, a little older than me, brown hair and eyes. And what the people say is Northern European Ancestry. You like latte and don't like biscuits excessively. I think I'm shocked and rambling. You've proved you are who you say you are. What do I call you? Demon King, or Sir, or perhaps My Lord. I'm rambling." I shut up and looked down at the cup, and biscuit which I was holding out to him.

I realised that I was thinking he was like a dog I could bribe with a biscuit, but he could tell me to go out to the square, lie down naked and ask all comers to have me all day. The Ruler had done that before. I whimpered a bit and looked up to him again.

His eyes were still nice.

My mouth started again, "What do you want with me?" I clearly couldn't take the stress. "Or fucking stop teasing me." I thought of something else. "Anyway, you still might be someone who has been given an elaborate gift for random commands, and I just haven't heard about it yet." I was making stuff up, because that was better than being in the café close to him.

"I'll make her do something too." He didn't say anything, wrote something, then the waitress came over, and took her skirt off, dropping it and stepping out of it. She was blushing and looked terrified at him and me. She wasn't wearing knickers, had a dark bush and just stood by our table.

"Fuck me."

He grinned, "You'll have to do better than that at asking. I can have anyone I want."

My hands shook so badly that I put the cup down so I wouldn't spill it; I couldn't breathe and my vision spotted. I was going to faint. He watched me melt down, I wasn't getting any better.

"Just go for a walk, then come back in again when you have calmed down. I told you, you were safe." He sounded sympathetic now. Sympathy for the Devil popped into my random brain. I was so scared and in trouble. I got up and went out.

I was shaking and scared, breathing hard. I felt the 'buzz'. I had no idea why I was scared. I was in the city square, a crowded and familiar place. I started walking, deciding to walk round the square three times. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. What was wrong with me. I had no idea, I couldn't remember anything unusual. I'd gone to lectures, gone to my favourite café, done something and now I was walking and sweating and jittery as if I'd had four coffees.

I did a lap round the edge of the large central square, gradually calming. Everything was a normal day. I looked at the buildings round the square, the modern theatre, the concert hall, wide-stepped town hall, and on the other side more decaying brick-red buildings from the time of empire. The town centre shopping was off to one corner and a tall hotel tower on another corner. I always had been interested in my city and studying here at the university was, I felt, a privilege and delight. I saw a woman stopped and showing her tits to a man; not uncommon and not worth commenting on. I frowned, but if I told the man he was being rude he would just do it to me. I averted my eyes and walked past. It was just the way of the Ruler's world now; I was dressed as usual in clothes that could quickly show my breasts if a man asked me. I took a breath and decided that it was a nice day and I was feeling better now. What had happened? I did another couple of laps watching some skateboarders doing circles and jumps in the arena in the middle of the square, then decided I would go back to the Jujue café, get my stuff, and something soothing. I needed it. Definitely no more coffee for me today.

As soon as I entered, I saw my laptop and bag on a table. A man was sitting at the table, a dark-haired stranger a bit older than me. As I got to the chair, I remembered everything. I remembered him and the conversation and my fright. My cup was still on the table, covered to keep it warm. I sat down, as he expected.

He showed me what he had done to me, written in blue ink in that clear hand. 'Kate will walk 3 laps of the square, not thinking of me. When she comes back in she will be calm and sit down with me.'

"So you are the Demon King. The Ruler. What do I call you?"

"Jack. I'm not a demon king really, so Lucifer would be wrong. I don't even like the name, the papers give it to me. Do you want a refresh for that drink? It's cold now."

"I can't drink more coffee, I'm too buzzed with adrenaline. Hot chocolate. I'm Kate, but you know that." I was still too calm.

"Yes, I rule the world. It's got advantages and disadvantages."

"This is a crazy conversation and I want to ask so much. Why aren't I afraid now?"

He was chatty and easy to talk to. I was being controlled to be calm, which explained a lot. He could make people think things, or just do them. Also he could change emotions, calming or exciting. The writing down commands was because when he had started he had done some bad things. Now he had commanded himself to mostly only do written-down commands. He wasn't explicit about the bad things, and I didn't try to ask. He didn't know how it worked, and he wasn't going to tell me. If he had told me I could make a fortune selling the story, if I could tell it. He lived in an apartment close to the centre and I'd seen him, and even spoken to him several times. He'd then decided to talk to me. Like a pet dog or something. He agreed that was about right and I said it was a bit rude but I understood. If we had spoken before, I had forgotten about him. We found out about each other, and he was happy to talk. I was having a good time.

After an hour he smiled, he was in charge all the time, of course, and told me I'd been uncontrolled for the last half hour. I thought about what I'd felt and decided I didn't care he if was a monster.

"Wow, I didn't expect that."

"I don't trust you, not yet. I'm going to tell you that you cannot tell anyone about me or describe me, beyond someone you met."

"I expected something like that. I understand why."

"It's to protect you and your family too. Can I see you next week?" He asked.

"Will I remember you now?"

"Yes. Same time, here, next week."

"Do you own the café? The name seems appropriate."

"No, I just like the place. I was waiting for you here."

That statement didn't make much sense but I didn't ask more. I couldn't decide. It was very high risk for me, but he knew about me anyway. He had my details, and he could get more or apply more pressure with no problem. It was illogical but this last conversation had been nice. I could ask if I might escape. Like a mouse asking a cat whether it could run away. They never get far, we used to have a cat. I wouldn't ask.

"When I come back, tell me to be calm for the first few minutes. Can you do that?"

He nodded and I said goodbye to Jack, the not-demon king.

So that was what I remembered as my first meeting with the Ruler of the World. I hadn't decided what to do yet, and I couldn't ask anyone.

+++

I tried to talk to my flatmate, Angela. She was sensible and we usually talked things out, as good friends. We'd been living in the flat together for a year and got on very well. I was more curious, more into taking risks and she usually gave a good reason for being cautious. I wanted to see how much I could say.

"I met someone, the other day. They seemed nice and I had a conversation with them."

"Ohh, interesting. What's he like?"

"We were talking for an hour, so they were interesting. We had coffee together."

"Are they from around here, and did you take a picture?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

The conversation didn't go further since I couldn't be specific. I'd even tried to write stuff down, but I couldn't. As soon as I got anything specific down, even fragments, I had to destroy it. I'd got a wastepaper basket of ashes and the smoke alarm kept going off in my bedroom.

He'd been the Ruler for four years, starting from nowhere. No one had even known which part of the world he was in. Did that make me special? or was I one of thousands of people just like me who couldn't speak or write?

I was playing with fire but was surprisingly OK about it. The Ruler wasn't cruel, usually, and that was for people who tried to find him or destroy him. One country had tried to launch a nuclear missile at a city when they thought they knew where he was. They had failed and I knew now that it had been the wrong city. The entire government and parts of the military had killed themselves. Hundreds dead because a few had attempted to launch a missile; some of them had broadcast what they had tried to do as they died. It was nasty, but I understood it. A monster like him had protected himself. Did that make me a bad person?

Some commands had stopped wars. Fewer wars now, and they were mostly ones so disorganised that it would be difficult to stop them. At least that was the theory. Again, the news was under his control, so it would be spun so that he wasn't the monster. I might get the chance to make up my own mind.

I could find out more, about how he did it, and what he wanted. My curiosity was tugging me forward, like catnip for a cat; of course I wanted to know.

Angela laughed, "Earth to Katie."

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About them, I suspect."

"No point in denying it. They are a mystery," I admitted.

"Tell me more when something happens. And check in with me when you do go out. Stay safe."

"Yes, mum." I knew she always had my back as a friend.

She chuckled, she'd said that before to me. "By the way, have you taken the matches? I couldn't find them the other day."

"Oh sorry," I could talk about that. "They're in my room. I forgot to bring them back." I jumped up to get them.

She waved one hand. "Don't bother, the moment has passed."

+++

I had an hour before seeing him again and I had started to panic. I hadn't decided what to wear. Formal, or informal, or partywear? What do you wear for someone whose taste you don't know and who can have anyone in the world for sex. I decided to be ordinary, just myself, in the end. Running out of time, I put on a blue blouse, leggings, a skirt to cover my bum and nice trainers.

When I looked at myself I looked wholesome, pretty and attractive. Not a party look, but a girl-next-door. My dark neck-length hair was brushed and glossy, and I was wearing a little light makeup. I knew he could have anyone, that wasn't what I was going for. I wanted to show that I'd made an effort before meeting him. Trying to upset him was just stupid; he had been pleasant to talk to, and I was looking forward to the meeting.

Angela had looked me over, approved, and said that I looked excited. I had agreed. I felt calm descend on me as soon as I left the flat.

The calm was a double-edged sword. The calm took away the anticipation as well as my worry about meeting Jack.

My emotions rushed back as I left the Birmingham Canal Old Line towpath and entered the Jujue Café again. I'd avoided here for the last week but it looked the same now with a formally dressed waitress standing at the counter. I didn't know if it was the same woman. I remembered her dark pubic hair matched her hair last week, but this woman had light hair, so it wasn't the same one; funny how you can recall pubic hair but not a face.

Jack was waiting for me. I got the impression of a tiger again and gasped as the anticipation wound up and up into a near panic. I stood still before pulling myself together and sitting down with him, the Ruler of the World.

"Hi," came out of my mouth and I berated myself for not being more inventive. "How have you been? How's the overlording going?" Now that was too much I thought, entirely too late.

"It's nice to see you, Kate. Or is Katie OK for you, I never asked?"

"Katie's fine. And I'm sorry about that overlording. My brain goes funny when I meet you. I might get used to it sometime."