charisstoma

Master List - http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1302810.html


Title: Pumpernickel
Part 9 – Enter Silas - https://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1329126.html
Author: charisstoma
Rating: R
Word count: 508

“Pumpernickel. In German, “pumpern” is “intestinal wind,” while “nickel” is a demon or sprite.” Fern looked up from the screen of her laptop where she was supposedly researching a recipe for a story.

Ezz sighed at the grin on Fern’s face and put down his computer tablet to slowly say, “yes?”

“Know anyone named Pumpernickel?”

“Be good.”

“Not the answer to my question.”

Another sigh. “Yes and he’s well aware of what his name means. He prefers to be called Nick.”( Read more... )

Master List – http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1302810.html



Title: Trust – Part 8
Part 7 – Conferring - http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1310597.html
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 758

“So after due consideration, we recommend you take Demonology 601. Ezz has indicated that he will cover the tuition for you.”

The Liaison, the demon liaison, sat in the chair with his mate, the human Liaison whose name turned out to be Lovell, standing behind him. Xand was discretely seated behind the desk, she noticed and Lovell seemed to be hiding behind him. She could imagine what both of them were hiding, the room had a heated sexual scent to it.

“I’m not here to take classes, I’ve special status to do research,” she argued. “I’m a writer.”

“We’re aware of this. Also of the genre of the books you write and the research you are doing. Consider this, your taking this class will possibly mesh well with your writing, if not the book you are currently working on then the next. It will help you understand the relationship between demons and their mates.”

She barely restrained herself from snorting. “Demonology 601 is listed as Demonology Relationships. I looked up the class and read the class description but can’t find its location. I think Ezzy is trying to derail my current writing project’s theme.”

Xand seemed to grin, but all he did was nod his head, “that is of course possible. It is not un-understandable that he would like you focused on him as his mate and your future together. This is just a suggestion, a strong suggestion, that you talk with him about your concerns.”

She sighed and glanced at her new watch, Ezz had called it a chronometer, that was a gift from him. The dial color was turning pink.

“Ah, I see that you have an engagement,” there was a definite grin this time. Love and I are available to answer any of your questions if there’s any need. The Liaison’s Office’s website, and email address is listed on the card you were given. Even if Love and I are on the Demon Plane those contacts will reach us.”

“Wait. You’re telling me that the internet connects to the Demon Plane also?” She was astonished and an idea occurred to her.

“Yes?” Love was the one to answer her.

An evil grin spread across her lips. Oh the possibilities. “Okay. The Demonology class is on the Demon Plane, isn’t it.”

Xand nodded.

“Great,” she rose. Her, “Thank You,” was uttered as she hurriedly left.

“Think we did a good thing telling her that?”

Xand grinned up at him and pulled him down and there was the sound of cloth tearing, settling him and himself right where he wanted them. His Love would complain later and he’d explain once again that he’d heard how the Inuit had a useful idea in pants which allowed them to squat to defecate without removing their pants.
~~~~

“So,” she entered the courtyard to find Ezz seated waiting for her and reading something on his computer tablet. “I learned something just now. The Demon Plane has internet access.”

Ezz smiled and turned his tablet so she could see the screen. Whatever it was, looked official.

“Work?”

“Yes. What evil thought have you had that has you grinning at me?”

“Well, they suggested a class that they said you’d be willing to pay for me to take. Surprisingly I couldn’t locate where that class is supposed to be held. There’s no building like that on this campus. My what an innocent face you have right now.”

“It’s only held on Wednesdays and Fridays,” Ezz shrugged. “You could stay over with me on those days and maybe if you just happened to be interested, the weekends too. I could bring you back on Mondays before I go to work and pick you up late Tuesday afternoons. We could go out to eat and then to my place.”

“Ah, but I read the class description and there’s a section that’s available online. I might have to take the exams on campus but otherwise I could stay right here on this plane and take the class.”

A low growl of annoyance caused her to smile. “I want to try that kissing thing again. It was quite enjoyable,” and laughed when he moved her so swiftly onto his lap with her legs straddling his lap.

Sometime later, “Tease. You’re not wearing panties under your dress.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Should we stop?”

“You a virgin?”

“Of course.”

She grinned and smothered his pained growl with her lips knowing that he’d not try to enter ‘that’ portal and cause their first time together to be painful.

Part 9 – Enter Silas - https://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1329126.html

Master List - http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1302810.html




Title: Liaison – Part 6
Part 5 - Perilous Path – http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1306027.html
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 1048


‘Oo-kay,’ she mentally drew out the word, they’d told them in her intro to Demonology class that the Demon Liaison Office was located in an open double entranced hall. She dithered outside the ornately decorated stone archway to that passage. The Demon Liaison Office door was so close she could practically touch the door. It was right there on the left, maybe 5 steps past the archway. There was a chip out of the stone entrance, about knee level and she wondered, guessed what could have made it. Something substantial to make that big of a chip, she didn’t want to know considering its proximity to the Liaison Office. All the wizard scenes from Harry Potter, were not real … were they?, flashed before her eyes and she did a quick compare and contrast. Nah, couldn’t be. The movie wasn’t real life… but then again most people didn’t think demons and other magical beings were either.

Taking out a handful of pebbles she tossed them one after another into the corridor tracing out her path. Before she got there the door opened and an annoyed man stuck his head out to frown at her.

“I do wish you would stop doing that. I understand why but the Liaison’s Office is protected so gather up your,” he regarded the small rocks, “protective pebbles and come in.” He glanced out the door behind her and his frown grew.

His growled, “You too,” to that someone had her practically jump up from her gathering to stand and turn toward the doorway. There was nothing there and she quickly turned to look at the man who had an amused grin on his face.

“Gotcha. Come on in and tell me about it.”

She barely kept her own growl sub-audible, well maybe not sub-audible because the man’s grin grew. Demons and their liaison, made of the same cloth.

“I heard that.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You thought it really loud then. Come on.( Read more... )

Master List -Why yes there is a Demon interested ... http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1302810.html


Title: Research - Part 4
Part 3 - The Meeting - http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1302562.html
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 438

After the incident in the foyer and then the wide glass door, she was feeling hunted. She’d made it outside safely thanks to the greater foot traffic on the lower level stairwell. If this continued it was going to seriously impact her ability to do the things she needed to do, like earn a living. As far as her creative writing class, she rolled her eyes.

Picking up a taco and a soda at a street vendor, she sat on a bench in the dappled shade of a tree to consider. She needed information, so:

1. research at the Library on protective measures against demon possession
2. visit the demon liaison office which had a daunting location with its dual portal.
cut>
The Library wasn’t difficult. Lots of students entering or leaving at the same time that she was. The references were more difficult, she smiled, something to do with students doing research.
Finally she got a reference that was high on the list of books suggested for the upper level Demonology Classes, a student told her a title on that list and went with her to find it on the shelves. Together they found the pages pertinent to her needs, used the copier, something the sympathetic and helpful student suggested though she kind of figured out that the student wanted the book themselves. She was lucky that the book was a ‘Reference’ and therefore for in-Library use only.

Trying to exit out of the Library through the double sliding doors should have been easy; once more in a tandem with students some of whom met the criteria of demon-munchies, evidently her predicament was becoming known. In fact one of them had rudely shoved her back to step through and had promptly disappeared. To reappear almost as quickly. The student was practically coughed back out into the Library and a low growl had more than her rubbing the hair on their arms to settle goosebumps. Tit for tat, she grabbed the angry rejected student and firmly walked out with her arm in arm, a smile broad upon her face in contrast with the grumpy face of the student.

Undoubtedly there was some rule she was breaking, as she stooped to gather and pocket a handful of pebbles from the landscaping. But they were one of the most easily accessible protective items. Throw a few through a doorway/possible summoning circle and when the first hits the ground step threw whatever entrance you needed to get through safely and still be on this plane.

Now just make it across campus and into the Liaison Office. Should be easy as pie, right.

Title: The Meeting
Part 2 – It’s Magic - http://charisstoma.dreamwidth.org/1301932.html
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 453


The door was way too large. This was her first clue. Second was that it was not child or klutz friendly, anyone if they weren’t being aware could catch their hand or whatever in the shorter part of the door frame when it pivoted on its hinge. Why would any sane person want a door like that? No one human.

Ah.

To get to the room where her appointment was, she’d need to pass through this door.

Standing in front of the ‘open’ door, she murmured, “Not going to happen,” and did what a door does, especially what this one did, pivot around and walked away.

“Oh, come on,” followed her and a smile spread across her face. ‘Darn, foiled again,’ she said soto voci.

“I heard that.”

Pressing the button to call the elevator back to the floor she was on, she pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her messages, she tapped the text concerning her meeting. ‘Yep, that’s the room.’ Just to be sure she sent off a separate text to the individual who had sent it to here.

The phone pinged shortly, ‘SORRY. I HAVE NO MEMORY OF ARRANGING A MEETING WITH YOU TODAY.’

Dear Sally. He never could figure out how to get his phone texts out of caps-lock. Then again, she was no help because her texts were all lower case; she snorted. And THAT should have been a clue; though Sally might have had his assistant send the meeting message, Georgie did know how to text in both upper and lower case.
hat brought up an even more worrying idea. Ezz might have figured out how to hack into her phone’s text messaging.

Turning she called out, “Ezz, if you’re hacking my phone, Cut. It. Out.”

Only the hum of the elevator could be heard and its loud ping of arrival. As she was just about to step through the opening doors, another ping sounded, this time from her phone.

The text read as, “Who me?”

She decided to take the stairs right next to the elevator bank doors. There were more floor exits and entrances with opportunities for others, especially on the lower levels, to be using the staircase to leave the building. According to common knowledge, two humans could not be transported through a summoning circle if they didn’t know and voluntarily want to enter them with the full knowledge that it was a summoning circle.

The elevator behind her positively growled as she walked through the doorway into the stairwell. Only 12 floors. She was going to get her cardio in after all.

Sending a reply text to Ezz, ‘door size, overeager much?’

The ping came only a moment later, “Very eager.’

“Drat it!”

Deal with your demon-possessed dogs elsewhere.
https://www.facebook.com/EnglishLanguageEnthusiast/photos/a.769434386525936.1073741845.118506828285365/800019663467408/?type=3&theater


Title: Sign
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 212


“It’s okay. You’re a cat familiar.”

“But it’s the whole concept of the thing. First it’s dogs and next it’ll be others. I could see it if it were a Hell hound. There’s the whole fire safety thing but demon dogs can be perfectly okay or they shouldn’t be allowed in normal public areas and definitely not in the rough of golf courses.”

“And what would make a demon dog be okay?”

Felix was about to answer but a tall dark haired man spoke.

“Demon dogs could be amongst you and you’d never know. We can act civilized, you know.”

Felix looked up at the man, then looked at Bruce, then back at the man. His tail swished lazily back and forth and his ears folded back. “This was a private conversation. I don’t need the help of a dog in whatever form you’re in. Leave.”

The man gave a low growl but the trickle of a magic more potent than his own must have convinced him to polite behavior. He turned and left.

“See. Demon Dogs can be just fine,” Felix nonchalantly sat and licked his paw.

“And yet you drove him off.”

“Well, he’s a dog, no matter what form he’s in, and he doesn’t have to be near me.”

Title: The Case of the less coffee in the pot than should be.
Author: charisstoma
Word count:388
Prompt:What do you call a fat pumpkin? Plumpkin.

Leslie frowned at the coffee carafe. No one had been in that morning except him and he was just now able to pour out his first mug and yet there were two cups of coffee missing from the level in the carafe as if someone had taken a mugful. He’d set it up to make 12 cups, carefully watching the water level in the clear window that indicated how much water was being added. If you went over that 12 cup mark the cleverly evil manufactures had put holes in the back of the water reservoir and you ended up with water running spilling out over the counter.

Since he was strange like that, he asked the nearest object, not the coffee maker since obviously it was in cahoots with whoever was sneaking its coffee, where the missing coffee had gone. This just happened to be the pumpkin surrounded by a wreath of greenery sitting on the counter, one of the numerous Fall Season decorations for the office. Understandably the pumpkin didn’t reply, sitting quietly in its nest with a distinct glowing orangeness about it.

Every day Leslie made coffee. Every day two cups of it would disappear at a time without the aid of any living person. Leslie just assumed that it would be gone by the time November ended. It wasn’t until someone tried to move the pumpkin that a new mystery was presented. It sloshed.

Rotten pumpkins are not pleasant thing to have around the lounge so very carefully the heavier than should be, liquid filled pumpkin was removed to the nearest outside location. Leslie didn’t think anything more about it but as he locked up the building late that dark evening the pumpkin glowed up at him and being like he was he wished it good night.

Walking quickly away, because being the only one around in the dark parking lot with only slight illumination from the light poles is creepy, he could have sworn he heard a burp and the hiss of good night follow him.

Monday morning the pumpkin was withered down to a rumpled empty shell surrounded by a large puddle of thin brown liquid. Leslie tried not to look too closely and he didn’t mention it to the coffee maker which made 12 cups as it should from then on.