Lita meticulously dusted everything. All the shelves, the bedframe, the walls and corners, the chairs, and the desk. Ruefully, she wiped out the only dents in the smooth, demon touched walls.

Marks and symbols left by her mistress to remind the demoness where her treasured belongings were stored.

All of which were unfortunately safe from the prying eyes of the human servants.

As she dusted, she casually moved and arranged things. Tucking in the blankets on the bed to check for things under the mattress. Rare books and other paperwork on the shelves moved to one side while she dusted. More paperwork on the desk.

The paperwork on the desk was what she’d been most eager to look through.

The Mistress had left her room in a hurry this morning, leaving behind a small stack of parchments behind.

It was something that rarely happened and made Lita’s heart race as she casually ‘accidentally’ knocked the documents to the ground.

She had to do that. Had to go through the entire routine daily. Because the demon could smell where she’d been, how long she’d been there, and in what order she’d been there.

If she changed anything, the mistress would know.

Just like the creature could put her nose to the ground to confirm that Lita had, in fact, dropped the paperwork there.

At least, she was pretty sure demons could do all of that. Often they were so scarily accurate that she thought it was better to assume they could.

I wonder if parchment still smells like sheep to them, she thought as she picked up each piece one by one. Glancing at them to get an idea of what was on each page and deliberately mixing up the order as she put them together.

She glanced at one page, started to put it into the pile, then looked at it sharply again.

Ronda was scheduled for a raid.

Dates, names, what these people were suspected of, what enforcer units were going to be used for the raid. It was all there. Nearly a whole page worth.

She grimaced.

More than she could memorize in a few minutes.

With a sigh, she contemplated the problem. Then she pulled a small bottle out of her skirt pocket and dripped a single drop of clear liquid on that page. Careful not to touch the liquid herself, she folded the document and stuffed it into her chest strap.

There was nothing else in the pile worth her attention, so she stacked it all and put it away. Then resumed her cleaning.

She’d just returned from a trip to the laundry and was putting away her mistress’s freshly cleaned clothes, when she heard the door open behind her.

Lita glanced up and quickly bowed to the demoness who’d entered.

Diana Veran didn’t look at her. Instead, the tall red-headed, yellow-eyed creature made directly for the desk and picked up the pile. Lita’s heart pounded as the demoness paused, bringing the stack up to her nose.

“What happened?”

“I knocked it off the desk, Mistress.”

Diana grunted and began rifling through and sorting the pages. The demoness didn’t say a word, keeping her back to Lita.

Lita’s hand started to sweat and shake a little but she didn’t dare do anything but stand there. Waiting for the demoness’s verdict. I should be used to this, thought Lita, clutching the folded shirt in both hands.

“Put that down, I can smell you from here and I don’t want to smell like you,” said the demoness coldly. She put the last document in place and finally turned, holding up the stack. “There’s a page missing.”

Lita put the shirt on the bed and wiped her hands on her skirt.

“Is there, Mistress? There’s n-nothing left on the ground.”

“I can see that for myself.”

Well, what else do you want me to say?, thought Lita. Her fingers tightened in her skirt and she stared determinedly at the ground.

“Where is it, human?”

“I don’t-”

The demoness strode over so quickly that Lita barely had time to take a step back on instinct. She froze, her whole body tensing as Diana Veran leaned in and sniffed her. When the demoness grabbed Lita’s hands and smelled each of them, the creature momentarily flinched and wrinkled her nose.

It was an odd reaction but Lita didn’t have time to think about it before Diana tossed her hands aside and stepped back.

Well, what were you looking for? I already confessed that I’d dropped them. Did you think someone else picked them up?

“They used the wrong soap on my clothes again,” the demoness announced coldly. “Take everything back and have it redone.”

Lita flinched.

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Then I need you to deliver this letter.”

The demoness pulled the letter from her hip pouch and held it out to Lita.

“Of course, Mistress,” said Lita, obediently taking the letter. “Where am I taking it?”

“To the amphitheater.”

Amphitheater? Lita suddenly felt sick.

Very sick.

“The… amphitheater?” she choked. “Mistress, the laundry may take a bit. Maybe I should have a runner take it? It’ll be faster.”

“No, I want you to do it.” The demoness picked up the previously discarded stack of parchments and started going through them again as she walked to the door. “Bring back Taiken’s reply.”

Taiken. That was the name Lita had been afraid to hear. She swallowed bile as she bowed her head to Diana Veran’s back.

“Yes, Mistress.”

The door closed again.

Voids it! Lita slammed a fist on the soft bed and groaned. No!

No, no, no, no, no!

Four years!

“I avoided him for four years. Now you’re making me go see him myself? I hate you!” 

She slammed her fist into the bed again. Then, clenching her teeth, she gathered up all the laundry she’d just put away in the wall cubbies and dumped them into the still half full basket.

Fine.

If she had to see him against her will, then she’ll go informed.

On the way to the front gate, she stopped at the kitchens for a water pouch. It was busier than normal, due to guests coming in the next couple of days, and she agilely dodged people to avoid being runover.

Water pouch secured, she left the Palace. Once outside, she walked halfway down Manor Hill (where all the rich folks’ homes were) before slipping into an alley.

If demons were dogs instead of people, this would be easier, she thought as she again pulled out the little vial of clear liquid. This time she dabbed it onto her wrists and opened the letter.

Huh.

Her eyebrows rose slowly as she read and anxiety clutched her stomach. She was disappointed that it wasn’t more useful for the Chief but now she was worried for people she cared about.

Biting her lip, she closed the letter back up and washed the liquid off her wrists. Then slipped back onto the street. 

Unaware that by washing the potion off, she had restored not just her normal scent but an extra scent which rode her like a signal flag.