Eva frowned slightly. "That happens with families," she said, "they start to stop caring... and then they disappear. It's just the way of things." She disapeared down the stairs into the basement.

He followed her closely after flipping the light switch on. "These basements are huge." he said, deciding to change the subject before they got too far into his past. it wasn't exactly bright and full of sunshine and he had a lot of secrets he was afraid he'd tell her if they continued.

"I think they'll be in that closet over there." he pointed across the spacious place that had only that sepparation. otherwise it spanned the entire house unbroken.

Eva moved to the other side of the wall. "They're here," she confirmed, "oooh... they hav a good brand of detergent too... what are these?"

Andrew held back the look of shock on his face as she picked up a box of dryer sheets. "you put one in the dryer with your clothes and it makes them smell nice with the added bonus of allowing for much less static cling."

Eva stared. "I..." she blushed as she realized just how she'd made herself seem. She didn't really know what to say now and opened the drier. "I... haven't seen them before," she said sheepishly, "you must think I'm some farmer's daughter or something now..."

He shrugged. "wouldn't really matter to me if you were. when i think about it from the standpoint of someone who hasn't had money like this all their lives the way i have, i can see that those would be way too exspensive a luxury to even think of buying."

he looked up at her. "right after i left the navy, i tried to live on my own money. i got a job and an apartment in georgia, but after a while it was too hard for me. i realize now that i was a spoiled brat, but i've learned to appriciate the small things."

She blushed again and ducked her head slightly, moving out of the way so that he could throw the clothes into the dryer. "Thank you," she said, "but... what to do until the clothes dry....?" she thought about it a moment. "Oh! I haven't seen the kitchen yet... I'm curious about what's there... interested?"

((I feel sorry for the angel and demon. Here we've gotten to this almost annoyingly slow point [which I'm enjoying very much actually] and they're nowhere to be seen. LOL))

He shrugged. "sure. he msy still have food and stuff we can use instead of letting it go bad. i'm not at all sure where the kitchen is though. it can be a treasure hunt. he did have a pretty good taste in food."

Eva nodded and started the dryer, closing the lid. "Most kitchens are on the first floor," she said, "that should narrow it down." She tilted her head to the side for a moment as she moved to pass him. "You... said you're satanist... right?" she asked.

He nodded. " Yep, Kitchen will more than likely be on the first floor. and yeah...why?" He sounded a bit nervouse at this question, given her reaction to the idea that he could see her gardian.

"I've researched quite a few religions, trying to figure out my own," she said, "but I always threw Satanism to the side because I thought it was just .... I can't word this without sounding rude... but I never really thought of it as something for me. What exactly does Satanism entail? What is it that you believe?"

He was silent for a long moment. "I suppose it's a self gratifying religion. we in general believe that the self is the most important thing in life. in a sense, god comes from within. we don't really worship satan because we believe that the spiritual essence was and always will be created in the natural world...this is sounding conffusing, i appologize. pretty much we use satan as a sort of role model to live life. be kind to others as long as they are kind to you. seek revenge when someone crosses you. live life for the full extent of pleasure and happieness you can."

Eva continued walking then. "It is confusing," she said, "especially when you say you can see guardian angels... or perhaps they're really just ghosts of people who've come back for us? If spiritual energy comes from within it could go on after death... of course... that's if you believe..." She paused for a moment before shaking her head, making her way to the top of the stairs, "sorry, thinking out loud again."

he shrugged and followed her. "of course, the spirit is very alive. this is why we occasionally saccrifice. by doing so in rituals, we increase our spiritual energy. when we die we simply wander until our energy has evaporated. well at least that's what i believed until i started seeing these things we call angels and demons. i'm unsure of a higher power but these beings are most certainly not human. they do not exist of the human flesh. and never have. their energy is pure where ours has been watered down so to speak."

he looked down as he walked, carefullywatching his steps as he remembered having a similar conversation with his sister. "at any rate, your gardian has been punished. he's been demoted so to speak because of something he did that he wasn't supposed to do."

Eva walked slowly beside him, looking around halfheartedly, more interested in listening. The information was interesting, despite its lack of truth. "Why would he have been demoted?" she asked, "speaking as if he's actually an angel, that is..."

He looked up at her for a moment. "Something about manipulating an object with no reason to. some book that pissed him off. he said he tossed it across your room because the demon that's attatched himself to you was trying to make you summon him. a seal book he said."

Eva tripped and fell against the wall, staring at him. "WHAT!?" she cried, eyes large as saucers, "how---?!" she turned and began to hurry again, spotting the kitchen. She could think of nothing to say to this, her mind whirling. In the kitchen, she found some soda in the fridge and took a deep swig of it. "I-if you're so smart, then what's his name?"

"Malichai. i'm not really smart, he just asked me to help him. i don't think he knew i lived right next to you. he just saw someone who could see him. it was just a crazy coincidence. he's supposed to get his powers back next year some time and he wants me to summon him if you succeed in summoning Akane. that's the demon by the way. he's a very smug bastard."

"Malichai and Akane..." she thought about this and then turned her back to him. "Why would they have such an interest in me? Hypothetically speaking." She had set her stance stubbornly, now not believing him simply because she didn't want to. There was evidence, but she didn't want it.

He shrugged. "i dunno. well i think gardians are assigned to their keeps. and as for Akane, well, he's not giving me any details that'll help out. he's very shallow unfortunately and he gets distracted way too easily."

he snorted a moment. 'if i didn't know any better i'd say he has a crush on your poor gaurduan."

She gave a small laugh. "An angel and a demon, huh?" she repeated, "that's classic... come search the fridge and see if there's anything that you want..." She took a swig of her soda again, leaning her back on the counter and watching him.

he moved forward, losing himself in the gridge for a moment as he thought back.

"Andrew! how can you say that?!" Corynthia was very upset with her brother.

"Where was my angel when that car hit us? ha? was that gods will? really?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "How the hell should i know?! and i know i saw something and if it wasn't an angel that what was it?!"

he repeated her words with a hiss. "how the hell should i know?! you're the expert on these things!"

She slapped him across the face and ran upstairs to her room. "I hate you!" she screamed as she slammed the door shut."

The refrigerator door hitting him as he stared into the white box woke him from his day dream and he shook his head. "i think i want to find pasta. if there isn't any than i'll look again but nothing is appealing at the moment."

"Pasta... sounds good... I'll make some cheese sauce if he's got sooommeee..." she looked past him into the dairy drawer, then reached in and grabbed a block of cheese, "cheese... and milk... and flooour..." she found what she needed. "I usually just add a little bit of salt bu I really feel like some cheese." She set out the things on the counter. "Anoher question... if you don't mind my asking..."

he looked up at her with a bit of a lost smile. "not at all. sorry i've gone quiet all the sudden. i was just thinking."

"It's alright," she said, "I don't mind... but.... angels... demons... how can you be sure that they are who they say they are? And if I have a guardian angel, then why was it you who saved me when I fell from my deck?"