Upon arriving home, Trisal and I found the inert body we’d left in the living room had moved outside, waiting for us. The human, covered in scars, was in a pitiful state, as my demon had only treated his immediate wounds before we left the night before. Seeing Hamilton standing in the cold without shoes or a shirt suggested he had hastily left Tristan’s home upon waking up.

He was stranded in the outdoor hallway. Dressed only in his undergarments, underwear that offered mediocre modesty, of course, he was vulnerable to the wind. His eyes, without the aid of a magical object, would never see the door, but he knew it was there.

“Good, you’re awake,” Trisal remarked as he and I walked up to the freezing man.

Hamilton, holding his shoulders and shifting weight from foot to foot to keep his toes from the cool concrete, violently turned to the sound of Tristan’s voice. He nearly stumbled over, but before his body could run away, his mind forced him to remain. “I felt everything,” he said through chattering teeth.

“You can go now,” Trisal said, amused by Hamilton’s discomfort.

It was clear the human had waited for us to let him back inside, but my demon was slow in movement.

“My sister. Did you at least find her?” Hamilton questioned while Trisal used his marble to reveal the door.

Immediately, the boy tried to move inside. Though the entrance had been dispelled, the door was locked.

“Let me in,” Hamilton demanded.

“We’ve helped you enough,” Trisal said, but neither I nor Hamilton were amused.

“Let him in,” I said.

“Why should I? He’s the one who left in a hurry,” Trisal laughed.

“The room was on fire,” Hamilton argued, but my demon dismissively said “…And?”

“What is he talking about?” I asked.

“It’s nothing, just a security measure.”

“When I woke up, everything was engulfed in flames. I had seconds to escape, or I would have burned alive. At least that’s what I thought. Once I stepped past the door, I realized the fire was an illusion, but the door shut before I could get back in,” Hamilton explained.

Shaking my head with disappointment, I started to ask Tristan, “Why would you do,” but he shrugged his shoulders and answered, “he’s alive, ain’t he?”

With a push and pressure, I convinced my demon to unlock the door. Swiftly, we all sought refuge from the cold.

When the front door shut behind us, Trisal warned, “Get your shit, and get it fast.” He stood impatiently, waiting for Hamilton to collect his clothes and get dressed, but I couldn’t understand why his mood had turned so sharply.

“Did you find her?” The human spoke to me while he put on his clothes in the living room.

Trisal’s anger was intensifying even though he avoided looking at us. Tracking his eye movements, I noticed he was fixated on the peculiar decorations in the space. The ruined couch, dirty laundry, takeout containers. In a surprising turn, he couldn’t tear his attention away from things he had previously ignored. Had he only just then noticed how disheveled his home was? Was he… embarrassed? Was Trisal uncomfortable with a human in his domain? Given the amount of fun he’d had with Hamilton’s unconscious body, it was an unlikely answer. It wasn’t the presence of someone in his space that made him uncomfortable, but rather someone observing it. Trisal had shame.

“Did you find her?” Hamilton repeated.

“No. But we know she’s on earth,” I said, focusing my attention back on the human.

“That’s not good enough.”

“She’ll be easier to find. Searching the train would have been endless,” I reminded.

“Not without my watch.”

“Can’t you build another?” I suggested, but the human explained, “It took six months, nearly seven, to sculpt my first. It’s not something I can do overnight.”

“We aren’t going on another hunt,” Trisal barked with marble in hand.

Contemplation in his stare was obvious. Had I been absent, he would have cast Hamilton out already. Knowing as much, I purposely moved to stand nearer to the boy, but my presence couldn’t shield him forever.

“Trisal, his sister,” I started, only for him to bark at me, “No. I told you.”

Hamilton had dressed, but a shiver remained in his stance. Regardless, he stepped around me to confront Trisal directly.

“He broke my object. How will you make up for it?” Hamilton said.

“You’re out of your damn mind, aren’t you? Get out of my domain before I summon actual fire,” Trisal warned with a discomforting grin.

“Tristan! Trisal, don’t!” I spoke out of shock.

“It’s fine, Black Angel. He can’t hurt me without a reason, but I’ll go,” Hamilton said confidently, but my demon remarked, “Yeah, you will.”

In a flash of purple light, our guest suddenly vanished.

Worried, I asked, “Where did you send him?”

I wouldn’t receive another response or any answer the rest of that morning.