The streets of East Nashville were quiet, the night peace broken by the slow patrol of Police officers looking for anyone or anything suspicious. They tried their best to pay attention, illuminate the dark corners of the streets and offer a ride to lone people walking on open areas. North East of Nashville they had focused on people, which made them ignore the subtle trail of dead mice, rats, and small birds, culminating in a whole deer lying dead on a ditch, a sword jammed on its side as the Jubokko-ken sucked every ounce of blood from the beast, disgusted at its own action.
When the last drop of blood was taken Jubokko-ken dragged the blade back into his 'temporary accommodation', and tried to regrow the missing digits blown by Mortis's powerful gun, which proved to be futile, he had been weakened by the latest conflicts, particularly his encounter with the man with the dog at the house, who managed to blow his hand off, the new weapon he had encountered in this century, it was way above how this weapons where when it first met them, now they could harm him, especially in his weakened state. Jubokko-ken needed time to think and prepare itself or it could find itself back in the darkness of the Box.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen" the words came from behind Jubokko-ken, a presence that had eluded it had managed to sneak too close to Jubokko-ken's comfort. The demon poured the blade out of the stump and readied itself to strike, only to find that mysterious woman again.
"It you" spoke the possessed body, not dropping its guard.
The woman was dressed in a tight coat, gloves, a scarf to hide her hair, a mask for her mouth and shades for her eyes. It was her voice and figure that betrayed her gender, but everything else was impossible to distinguish; in a crowd she would be a sore thumb, but it was nigh impossible to tell who was under all the work, she even made sure to speak in a voice not natural to her vocal chords so to further hide her identity.
"I thought you had everything under control?" mocked the woman.
"You said it was safe as long as I kept night" replied the demon, frozen in position like a parked car.
"I told you it was safer, safer. Although I can see how you may not understand the difference between two similar words"
"The man chasing me, he is dangerous".
"Detective Mortis surely is, as I warned you earlier, and as you can testify by changing your diet" said the woman.
"To be lowered to this!" the demon looked at the deer with disgust.
"Speaking of lowering, you failed in the end of your bargain" pointed the woman.
"I killed the man in the carriage, I did as you asked" spat the demon.
"It was two men. Now the other target has gone missing and we have a loose end" the woman took a handkerchief and carefully rubbed a piece of mud off her pristine shoes, returning the shine to its temporarily tarnish luster.
"I did everything right! You should have told me people today let others act as masters of their horseless carriages. I fulfilled my end of the deal, and it drove me to this" Jubokko-ken spat as it sank the blade inside the dead deer to suck whichever blood was left in it.
"But it works" pointed the women.
"Like asking a lord to eat the meal of peasants" pointed the demon.
"But it works, or would you rather starve and be defeated again?" said the woman.
Finally the monotone possessed body changed, the muscles of the body lost control, relaxing and contorting out of sync and out of place, until it finally returned to a human frown.
"Don't dare mock me" threatened the demon.
"I am not. Why did you think I met you back there? Why did you think I pointed you to your current host?" said the woman.
"You have been following me. I do not like that" said the demon.
"Is for your own good, I need you to win, it benefits me" pointed the woman.
"Then why not give me what I need" pointed the demon.
The woman smirked, soft and confident as she gave her back to the demon "Oh dear, I do not need you THAT much, you are a plan, I cannot put all my eggs in one basket".
"You mean the person in charge doesn't want to do it" pointed the demon.
The woman turned and faced the demon again, the smirk had gone from her face to the possessed body.
"Things stay the same in some" pointed the demon.
"If you have a brain then you better use it" ordered the woman.
"I need more blood, to grow stronger, I do not think you have enough strength" complained the demon.
The woman pulled from her pocket a vial of blood and tossed it to the demon.
"What is this?"
"A sample of what I have in store for you".
Jubokko-ken opened the vial and poured the blood in its arm, the taste was familiar.
"This is pig's blood".
"Indeed" said the woman.
"You want me to lower myself to drink pig's blood?" replied the demon, pointing his edge at the woman.
"Not one pig, not ten. A thousand pigs" said the woman.
The demon froze, no reaction came for it could not imagine what it was said, which the Demon summarized with an astonished "What?"
"I am offering you thousands of live pigs, bigger than any man, and with enough blood to turn you into a giant" the woman smiled, it was smooth and seductive.
"And where shall I get those beasts?" asked the demon.
"I pointed you to that man for a reason, is up to you to use it or not" said the woman.
"This body is nothing special."
"Is not the body you want."
And thus the demon understood, and when he found the right memory he smiled with a wide grin.
"Now you see the world the way I do it dear" said the woman as she left the demon to rejoice on what he would prepare to do.