Liu Ying (demon_princess) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2019-07-21 10:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, ~2019 july, ~25 points, ~~liu ying (demon_princess), ~~tim drake-wayne (redrobin) |
Who: Tim Drake-Wayne and Liu Ying
Where: Around Madison
When: Evening, Jul 20
What: Tim doesn’t like demons
Status: Complete
Liu Ying was exploring the town in smoke form. It was easier that way. In her natural form, she was faster; she could travel higher; and she could move into spaces her human form could not. Doors, walls, fences, they were no deterrent to her desire to learn more of the mortal world.
She explored late at night, when most mortals were sleeping. She did not disturb them in their slumber; she only found it less alarming to them if they did not see her, and the cover of night gave her something to blend into.
As she flowed out of an empty shop and back into the street, she jostled a fruit tree and a ripe apple fell off. An apple! She enjoyed apples. They were not as tasty as figs but just as rare in the demon realm. Before it could hit the ground, she turned back into human form and caught it in her hand. Dinner.
***
Tim was often out late at night, in part because of the hours he kept Watchtower open and in part because it was his preference. On nights when Cassie didn’t stay over, Tim patrolled for a few hours just to give himself the piece of mind. Tonight was certainly no different in that regard as he strolled casually through the streets. He had less people to keep an eye on now that he and Nyssa had come to something of an agreement. He wasn’t so sure about her niece, but Tim was willing to not trail her just to prove a point.
Just as he was getting ready to call it a night and head back to his apartment, a woman materialized out of what had looked like a spiral of smoke to catch an apple in her hand. Tim veered ever so slightly to appear naturally to be traveling in that direction and came upon her as she was enjoying her apple. This was the woman who had announced herself as a demon on the network. Interesting.
“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” he commented, as if he were talking to a friend. The friendly approach worked better most times.
***
“They are,” Liu Ying agreed happily, once she had swallowed. Had this mortal seen her materialize? Perhaps it was not of import, as he did not appear fazed by her appearance.
She gestured to the tree. “Apples do not grow where I am from. And yet here they are so abundant and available.”
***
“You must be from a very warm, dry climate if apples aren’t local,” he replied. He might have appeared unconcerned, but he very much was. Tim was always on alert, but around an unknown quantity? He was ready for an attack should one come. She didn’t appear to be armed, but given that she had materialized from smoke, he wasn’t taking and chances.
He walked over to her and plucked an apple for himself. “I’m a bit on the unconventional side. I prefer Granny Smith apples of all the different types. Have you found a favorite yet?”
***
Dry? Yes, the Underworld was dry. But warm? Liu Ying shook her head. “Representatives of the Flower Realm do not often visit the Underworld,” she explained.
She sensed his alertness, felt his suspicion. She had come to realize most people reacted this way when she knew who she was. But she would not compromise who she was simply for their comfort. To be a demon, it was not a source of shame.
“So we do not have flowers, or fruit that come from flowers. I did not know there were so many varieties of apples until I came here.” She peered at the apple in her hand. “Which is this?”
***
She was open about where she came from, which was interesting. “How many realms are there?” Tim asked, ever curious about how different worlds worked. Was the mortal realm the one of flowers? Or something else entirely?
He took another bite of his apple, considering the taste and comparing it to memory. “A Gala apple, if I’m not mistaken,” he replied. He wasn’t, not usually. “It’s mild and sweet, and the most produced apple these days.” He was full of random facts that never quite managed to be relevant and yet were in times like this.
“Are you enjoying the human realm?” Tim figures questions would be okay since she opened herself up to them.
***
“In my home, there are five realms,” Liu Ying explained. “The mortal realm; the skies; the Underworld, the Flowers, and the Seas. I do not often have time to visit the mortal realm, and the other immortals do not often visit the Underworld. They believe demons to be barbaric.”
Her good-natured smile flickered slightly at that. “It is unfortunate. They miss much in their prejudice.”
As, it seemed, some people did here. It was impossible to miss the reaction she received when she revealed her allegiance.
***
Tim didn’t miss the parallels he could draw from mortal history when she invoked prejudice as a reason why demons were not well liked. He didn’t think all demons were awful per se, but they weren’t all nice by any means. There was a scale of evil, one that allowed for reasonably well behaved sorts - like Nyssa al Ghul - to live in relative peace in Madison Valley. If invasions came again, she was a good person to have on the battlefield, even if he didn’t trust her necessarily to have his back.
“So demons have evolved in the Underworld?” He kept his tone more curious than dubious. “Mortals, at least, are taught that demons are evil and malicious creatures. Some of us know there is a sliding scale, but it’s curious that even your immortals are stuck in the old ways.”
Time was the only way Tim would ever come to believe that she wasn’t evil herself, but that was just the sort of person he was.
***
Liu Ying could sense his continued suspicion, but she did not allow it to bother her. Demons had always been seen as such by those not of the Underworld. To be honest, there were certainly individuals who justified that suspicion, but as with all groups, there would always be those who brought shame upon their family and clan. Liu Ying was not one of them. And when people came to know her, they came to realize this as well. She was willing to be patient.
“This word ‘evolve’, I do not understand,” she replied. “We have been in the Underworld as long as the fish have been in the sea and the birds have flown the sky.” She could speak of the Dawn of the World, when the Void Brightening created the Five Realms, the Nine Layers of the Skies and the Three Levels of the Underworld, but it was a deeper conversation than she suspected this young mortal was interested in. “It seems most people, immortals and mortals alike, fear those that are not like them. How many wars do mortals rage to conquer The Other? I fear immortals are not immune.”
***
"It means to change, to adapt, to grow," he explained. "In our world, here, humans evolved from apes over the course of centuries. It happens slowly, maybe even more slowly for immortals, and it is a bit of an oversimplification." Tim shrugged. "Most things that someone else doesn't experience can be boiled down into an oversimplification because it's easier for them that way. I prefer to learn the nuances." Things like heaven and hell, which he didn't believe existed despite even knowing of the existence of the Gods, were by nature a gross oversimplification in an attempt to make it easy for people to understand the difference between good and bad.
"Mortals, myself included, will always fight what is perceived to be a threat. Not all of us have evolved enough yet to understand the difference between a true threat of harm and someone who simply looks, speaks, or acts differently. The unfortunate thing for you is that what interactions people have had with demons? They were not pleasant. We were literally invaded by demons and monsters courtesy of the Gates of Hell being opened. A version of it, anyway." Tim finished his apple.
"It warrants checking out any potential threats."
***
Liu Ying’s dark eyes twinkled. “And am I a threat?” She presumed that was what he had been doing: assessing her, trying to determine if she was going to try to cause trouble or even take over. Given his past experience, she did not blame him. But she always thought the immortals who sought to subjugate mortals were wasting their time. Mortal lifespans were so short, she might as well teach a flea to sew. She appreciated, however, that this mortal was taking the time to learn the nuances, as he said, rather than jump to judgement.
***
“Undecided,” he replied honestly. It took more than one meeting, one conversation, to make up his mind. What mattered to him was what she did when no one was looking. That required a level of stealth that a face to face conversation lacked but he was confident that a situation would arise that would show him her true nature.
“I think it would be stupid for me to underestimate what you’re capable of. I’ve made that mistake enough times to have learned my lesson.” He had the scars to prove it but that wasn’t important at the moment. Instead, he plucked another apple from the tree and held it out to her.
***
Liu Ying accepted it. She did like apples.
“You are wise, Young Mortal. Might I know your name?” She suspected she would see him again, now that he was aware of her existence and what she was. He seemed the sort to watch and learn before acting. She appreciated such patience.
***
"Tim Drake-Wayne," he replied easily. She could, no doubt, figure that out for herself if she wanted and he had no reason to hide. It would likely be hard to keep tabs on her going forward, but it would be more of an occasional check in aside from monitoring her activity on the network.
"What should I call you?" He knew her name from the network, had seen her introduce herself to others, but it was more polite to ask.
***
Tim Drake-Wayne. Liu Ying tried it silently to herself. It was a mouthful, full of sounds she was unaccustomed to speaking. But she would try.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mortal Tim Drake-Wayne.” She did not mangle it too badly. “I am Liu Ying.”
***
He grinned a little, more impressed that she used his full name in return than anything else. "You can call me Tim," he replied amicably. While he didn't think they'd ever become best friends or anything, there was a part of him that wondered if maybe they would manage for not enemies. That would work out quite nicely.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Tim added, since that was the polite thing to do. "It was...enlightening." He still had much to learn, but that was one of the few positives to Madison Valley. There was plenty of time to learn all the things he didn't know.