Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

ᴀᴘᴘʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴇᴅᴇɴ || ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ & ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ

Devils Temptation

Super-Earth
Joined
Jan 14, 2021
0mM2eEw.png


"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for
,"
~ Epicurus




Insatiable.

A word with an explicitly negative connotation. To pursue desire that, ultimately, were unnecessary for a person's happiness... but who was the one to make that distinction? At what point did ambition sour into greed and at what point would attaining enough truly be satisfactory? Who decided that? God? A person's mind? Or perhaps it was the environment they were placed into that made those decisions? There was a simple truth to the matter that everyone must face - humans are inherently greedy. It is baked into their existence, much as a bird yearns for the sky for no other reason than it is made to. Everyone in this world has something they crave... something that, given the opportunity and conditions aligned, they would immediately lurch towards. Society prevents runaway greed in that capacity. Rules, laws, regulations, stipulations... restraints, restraints, restraints...

What about you?

Don't worry.

I won't tell on you...

Is there someone you love but you cannot reach because it is wrong?

Do you have someone you desperately wish you could hurt but you cannot because the world makes it wrong?

Perhaps... there is something you wish to possess but you cannot grant it to yourself, whether it is through lacking money or time?

You aren't a bad person for having these thoughts. Everyone and I mean everyone has them... there are those who admit it and then there are the liars of this world. I much prefer people who are honest with what they truly want - after all, some of the more farfetched wishes will never come true so what is the harm in thinking about them on occasion...?

Or... what if I told you... they don't need to be mere dreams?





With a city that sprawling, there was bound to be those hidden little spots tucked down hidden roads or alleyways... some that were held up solely on the patronage of niche clientele. Bars, restaurants, shops - but there was one establishment that had none of that. Not a singular hidden spot to find it at, not a reliable clientele, the pull of that place had been something far more basic. An offer of goods that no other place in the entirety of that city, or that planet, could replicate. It was precisely that place that the woman would've encountered on her stumble down the alleyway - maybe on the precipice of a particularly terrible day that needed to be drunk away to the bottom of a bottle... or just someone to whine to about the unfairness of the world. In bright, bold RED letters above an entry way neatly carved into the brick wall, there it was -

Umbra Noir
Faint, red hue leaked out the glass display besides the establishment, revealing neatly lined bottles of spirits and liquor. A bar. The red hue might've indicated something a little more unsavory like a strip club but nothing about the few glances inside seemed to indicate anything like that. Rather, it had a much more eloquent vibe to it with smooth black countertops and a more rustic set of seats. A standard bar, perhaps, located in some odd little corridor of the city. Entering the door would have a faint chime ringing through the establishment... it was empty? No other customers seemed to be around nor was there anyone manning the front counter. The lights had still been on and there was the faint chill of running air conditioning to indicate that everything was still on. No TV screens were mounted anywhere nor was there anything but booths in that particular bar, not even a pool table. They could have been in the process of packing up for the night...

...but before she could hurry back out a voice would have called out to her.


6eeb73eb8240cdc7940beffcc1fd5f5a.jpg

"Come in, miss. What can I get you?" Sitting on a stool not too far from where the woman had entered was a man dressed in a vest and a white dress shirt. Combed brown hair and between his index finger and middle finger there was a single dart that had the tip painted in a crimson hue.

eKEYWbX.jpeg
THWACK.

One smooth toss of the dart had it sticking all the way over into a board that was positioned right besides the back door of the bar. "Hm... not a bad throw. It could have been better, though. I find people start to think retrospectively quite a bit when presented with what could be. Don't you think so too?" Shaking his head with an exasperated sigh, he would hop off the stool and made his way to the back of the counter to kneel and grab a glass. Filling it to the top with some water, he would pass it to the woman with a polite smile. Something about the way he grinned was oddly... comforting but likewise unnerving. "Please enjoy while you mull it over. How has your day gone, miss?" Polishing off a few other glasses despite there not being anyone else to serve, he kept his hands active while pressing his back to the counter and staring at the selection of liquors on the shelf in front of him.

One fingertip would tap over a few of the bottles before finally deciding on one. An amber-hued whiskey with a nondescript label which he would pour into a lavish glass. Carved orb of ice sat perfectly within the center of it - was that one on the house? No. It wasn't even for her. Grabbing the glass himself, he brought it to his lips. Drinking on the job... one of the most biggest cardinal sins of any bartender.

"Umbra Noir is a fairly strange place, to put it politely." He also spoke a lot... most people would have gone quiet waiting for an order or given the woman some space to think it over but he already had a comment or two to slide her way. Glancing over his shoulder, red eyes would meet her own finally. It was the first time they had made eye contact with each other. Staring into his gaze was... difficult. Difficult but hard to pull away from. It felt simultaneously wrong but so sinfully addictive. "On paper we are certainly a bar but we do offer quite a few other services!" Wonderful... she really had stepped into some suspicious place now. The bartender cheerfully chimed out, holding up an index finger and sliding a menu in front of her finally.

Not of any alcohol offerings. That menu was already on the wall right besides the bottles. The one that was presented to her was a... contract? What the hell was this? The details of it were jotted down on eye-catching red ink with a box for a signature at the bottom. Rather than the long, monotonous legal contracts of most binding agreements in the modern world, this one was very simple.

Contract with The Devil

In return for sacrificing something of equal value, the signer may substitute it with anything else they so desire granted they understand the stipulation that there is NO returning from this deal once it has been made. Do you agree with these terms and do you wish to partake in this deal?


"Most people that come in here, miss, these two boxes are already filled in..." Tapping onto the two blank boxes, one that showed what the signer was losing and one that showed what they were gaining, the 'man' would let out another amused smirk. "...but yet here you are without a completed contract. How rare... and delightful!" Clapping a few times as if it was impressive the clearly crazy(?) man would snap his fingers and all at once the front door would snap shut and the lights around the woman would start to dim in a supernatural manner. Not as if the lights in the bar were going off but as if her vision was focusing in on only the bar, the man, the drinks behind him... all of it seemed to vanish aside from those few things. An island of darkness would surround the two of them and it would feel like if she took a step away from that bar counter she would have fallen into the void and darkness below.

FH4Yq8t.jpeg
"Tell me something, miss... if you could have anything in the world, what would it be? If rules, laws, regulations did not apply to you... what is that one thing you so desperately desire?"

The sight of him had altered, as if the darkness around them was reaching out and touching his face. Faint outlines of horns atop his head, or of his facial features gently distorting just to flicker back to the usual handsome brunette that was smiling back at her. "Though... truth be told..." Another pause. It must've been terrifying for the woman to be shown something like that... beyond any sort of understanding whatsoever. Snapping again, the bar would revert to its usual self. No signs of any darkness, not of any hands or silhouettes on the man's face, nor the sensation that the floor was gone from underneath her.

"...I find gentlemen that force themselves upon women to be rather brutish! This bar can be whatever you like. A place to drink, a place to talk... a place to make a deal to change your life. Or nothing at all - you can so choose to get up and walk out that door. I will not stop you. I am merely here for one and one sole reason and that is for people like you to act upon your desires." Nothing more, nothing less.

There was nothing that was more sinful than a humans own base urges for their desires. It needed no encouragement, it needed no push. It existed regardless of how kind or pure a person was.

It was utterly and completely unavoidable.

He did not rush her, merely gestured to the drink menu once more as well as a dinner menu that had fairly standard bar-restaurant food for her to choose from. Or, the mother rational option to... just run out of there as soon as she possibly could. The man made no attempt to stop her, instead just focusing on polishing his glass and remaining silent for the time being. It almost felt a little too quiet without the man's constant chatter...

@Passion
 
L1qHXT6.png

I've come to realize that...
I do not belong anywhere on this Earth.

Not at my family's side.
Not in the arms of a lover.
Not in a worthwhile career.
Not even in a damn coffee shop.

I misalign.
I do not belong.
I'm the error in the equation.


I am different from them all in a way they would never understand.

So, this world and those around me will
wash me away.
Fading my colors until they're diluted and unseenforgotten.

Still, I keep breathing.
Hoping.
Dreaming.

Refusing to fade,
even as my colors bleed like ink in the rain...

vanishing line by line.

Because somewhere... beyond this ache, beyond this misfit skin...

There has to be more.

I AM MORE.

♫ Waiting ♫

[Earlier that Day]

886213e37a3acc8d13483e5156e52cb2.jpg
"Bella, we're happy to have had you here for two years now, but the team is thinking that you might be better suited elsewhere." Her manager, an older woman with fake blonde hair, sat across from her junior financial advisor.

"Don't worry. We aren't firing you. We're giving you time to look for a new job. You did nothing wrong, so we don't want you to be without a paycheck, but… we think there's a different job out there that would suit you better."


I don't fit in. Again.

With a fake smile on her face, Bella nodded as if she understood. She didn't, but at the same time, she wasn't surprised. "I appreciate you giving me time, and for your honesty. Could you please tell me why you felt I wasn't a good match?" Reflecting back, she hadn't done anything wrong other than just a few human mistakes here and there.

The manager answered with a shake of her head. "You haven't done anything wrong, but we believe you'd be happier in a different field."
Bella wouldn't get her answer. She never did.

Now what?
Now what was she supposed to do? Where was she to go? Who was she to tell?


Lost...

WHERE DO I BELONG?

Nowhere.


Even after work, she wandered the streets aimlessly with tear-blurred eyes. She didn't know where to go. Going back to her apartment didn't feel right. Going into a restaurant didn't feel right. Nothing felt right. Was she meant to just fade? She couldn't accept that fate. There was something more. She could almost taste it.

In her emotional state, she had gotten herself lost in a maze-like alleyway. She had thought it was a shortcut, but her mind was too aflame to make sense of her direction. In the whirlwind of her thoughts, neon red managed to catch her attention. It seemed to be telling her… this was where she was meant to be right now.

Was it?

The lost soul entered. Taking a deep breath, she wiped away the tears caught in her lashes to take in the sight of the quiet bar. She looked around, and as soon as she saw the one speaking to her, she froze.

Bella was different. She had a slight edge beyond that of a normal human; perhaps it was why she didn't quite fit in. Could he tell? Maybe. It was a subtle spark of something supernatural, faint and faded like her aching soul.

She walked over and smoothed out her dress before hopping up onto the stool. She took the water with a polite smile. "Thank you." She looked behind the bar, debating on what to order. She didn't drink often, but today she had sliced open some of her deepest insecurities. As she debated, she caught the bartender drinking on the job. Rather bold, but she knew this world already judged far too much.
686745968d43f0a03f77605a9fd96d2e.jpg
"I've had a terrible day. I have to look for a new job, one that I probably won't like." Her eyes closed for a moment as a wave of emotion nearly gripped her. When her blue eyes opened, they met his red. It was a bit alarming, but it sparked her curiosity. He was different, too... in a much unlike way, but it made her wonder if he might understand her struggle.

Such thoughts took a back seat when she realized the menu he gave her was actually a contract. Her eyes widened as she read it, her focus drawn to the blanks when mentioned. Of course, it would be blank. Her soul was dim, her desires too… she had lost any clear sense of direction or purpose. A girl who yearned for more, yet didn't have a vision of what that more was.

Just as she tried to make sense of it all, the world around them seemed to be swallowed by darkness. Bella held her breath in utter fear, afraid that if she tried to stand, she would fall into an oblivion. What was even more alarming was the bartender shifting forms. She could sense the dark energy radiating from him. It was clear she was not dealing with a human.

While the darkness weighed heavily on her, he asked a blunt question: What was it that a beautiful young woman like Bella truly wanted?

"I want a purpose. A place I belong for once in my life." Was that why the page was blank? Her true desire was too broad, too open. She had no direction and was too diluted to even dream of what that might be. She neared the void more than the flames of sin.

When the color of the world returned, Bella gasped. "If you do that again, please warn me!" She squeezed the glass of water tightly, the ice within clinking softly from her trembling.

She looked at him long and hard, as if trying to see beyond the flesh, even though it clearly frightened her. "I shouldn't stay here. I'm not trying to end up cursed by a demon, but… I'm different too. I see and feel things others can't." Something told her this kind of man would be the last to judge her. She was nothing compared to a devil, but it was easy to see why someone like Bella might not fit in; being a little different was all it took around a bunch of sheep.

"Could I please have a bottle of chardonnay and a glass?" she asked softly. She just hoped he wouldn't scare her off before she could catch a buzz. After all, she might need one if she was going to have a conversation with the devil.​
 
Back
Top Bottom