Vizisco carefully made their way down the path Nrome put them on, carrying the device as they worked their way to Kou. The angel had been kind enough to tell the demon a bit more about the human when they asked, and Vizisco turned that knowledge over in their mind. How both of Kou’s parents had maxed out their Corruption, but tried to hide from the demon Nrome had summoned, nearly killing Kou when they became monsters. Kou had apparently begun living in the forest as soon as he recovered from his injuries, and refused to return to the town. Even Nrome did not know why.

“Damn I’m good.” Vizisco turned, noticing that they could vaguely see the shape of Kou’s numbers far in front of them. The human’s voice carried even between the trees, and Vizisco began to use the numbers as a compass instead of listening to the sound of the compressed grass. “I should make blue next, I think I have some copper. Need to let it rust a bit though…”

The human’s voice trailed off, and Vizisco watched as the numbers started to pace. 

“Vi’s been gone for a long time…” Kou muttered, and Vizisco frowned. Copulation hadn’t taken that long and Nrome had kept conversation to a minimum. Surely it had only been an hour at most. “Maybe I should get my pack. The angel, Nrome, would tell me where–”

“You should rest.” Vizisco spoke as soon as they felt the breeze open up, meaning they had stepped into Kou’s clearing. The demon paused, not wanting to risk stepping on Kou’s garden again. “You have been up for too long.”

“Oh this? It’s nothing. I’ve stayed up for three days before,” Kou’s voice was a little too bright, a little too brittle around the edges. The pacing stopped, and Vizisco tracked the shift in Kou’s numbers as the human moved to stand in front of them. “What’s that?”

“This,” Vizisco held up the device, “is for you to hold onto.”

“Me?”

“You have requested I stay with you, so I need a way to find you, as I cannot see,” Vizisco waited until they felt Kou’s hand touch theirs, moving to show Kou how the device worked. “It makes a sound that only I or another demon can hear. If I cannot find you, this will allow it.”

“Huh.” Kou’s voice was once again strange and Vizisco frowned as they felt the human take the device. “Thanks.”

“You are the one who insisted I stay. This is simply practical.” Vizisco answered, their head tilting slightly at the quiet that followed. Kou’s breathing had changed, less steady, not quite trembling, but… rapid. “You should rest, Kou.”

“Yeah, but–”

“Are you making “glass” right now?”

“I mean, no, but I–”

“Then you should rest.” Vizisco interrupted, watching the numbers as they swayed in front of them. They heard as Kou stepped back, but the demon knew the human hadn’t turned away. “It can wait.”

“Well, yeah, it has to, because I need to go get water instead!” Kou argued back and Vizisco frowned. Were all humans this difficult, or was it just this “Kou”? “I want to make blue glass next and I need the copper to rust a bit before I can use it.”

“Then I will go get this water you need.” Vizisco insisted, and took a deliberate step forward, just to close the gap between them. “Tell me where.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kou’s voice was getting louder and his breathing continued to speed up. “I always get it myself. It’s not far, and the bucket’s kind of awkward, so—”

“You are tired,” Vizisco said plainly. “Your breathing is scattered, your cadence is slurred and you keep bouncing your head because you think I cannot tell. You passing out is not an option I can allow.”

Kou was silent, and Vizisco worried perhaps they had said the wrong thing. Kou collapsing was not something Vizisco could allow, but they also could not force the human to listen, not without crossing one of those strange, invisible lines humans were so fond of. So they waited, letting the silence stretch between them until the numbers shifted again, slow and grudging.

“Okay,” Kou finally muttered, and Vizisco relaxed, just slightly. “But I’m only lying down for a bit, not sleeping. I have stuff to do.”

“Alright,” Vizisco agreed, following the numbers and Kou’s footsteps as they moved through the garden. They continued just behind the human, careful to keep their stride light so as not to step on anything delicate. 

“How… can you tell?”

“Tell what?”

“Where I am?” Kou’s voice was less tense, although the faint tremor in his voice still clung to his words like damp smoke. “You just followed me perfectly.”

“I’ve gotten used to navigating without my eyes. I followed the sound of your feet,” Vizisco shrugged, glancing down at the numbers. “I am assuming you are shorter than me, since you said I would not fit through your doorway, so your stride is smaller than mine.”

“But you saw me this morning.”

“I did. But my secondary eyes do not store memories of sight. They work for gathering information quickly, but I can not make new visual memories.” Vizisco explained, and they flinched as they felt Kou’s hand touch their’s. They didn’t pull away however, and slowly knelt as the human pulled their arm down. Just before their knee touched the ground, the human stopped. 

“This is how tall I am,” Kou’s voice was directly in Vizisco’s face and they nodded, remembering the feel of this height. “And I drag my feet a lot when I’m tired, so I’m walking slower than normal.”

“Thank you. That information is useful,” Vizisco rose back to their full height as Kou released them, and they heard as Kou seemed to dig through a collection of various items. Eventually they heard the items settle, and something wooden was pressed against their hand. 

“My bucket. It’s got a hole on the left side about here,” Kou raised their fingers to feel it, “So you can’t fill it up all the way.”

“Alright,” Vizisco nodded, accepting the vessel as they turned it carefully in their hands. It was poorly balanced, clearly patched more than once, and smelled faintly of sweet clay. Kou took a slow step back, and Vizisco heard as he retrieved the device the demon had given him.

“The stream’s just past the trees, maybe fifteen minutes out if you follow the path behind the kiln,” Kou explained, voice quieter now, as though worn thin by the day. “It’s mostly a straight shot. You’ll smell the wild mint before you get there.”

“Mint?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda sharp and stinging, but not unpleasant. I don’t have any right now, or I’d let you smell it,” Kou chuckled, but like before it was a hollow sound. “I haven’t been there for a while.”

“Alright.” Vizisco nodded. “I’m sure I can follow the sound of water as well.”

“Yeah,” Kou’s voice dragged off and Vizisco stared curiously at the numbers. What was wrong now? “You better come back, right? I mean it. I’ll pack a bag and–”

“I said I would. I have nowhere to be and your safety and wellbeing is more important,” Vizisco answered, their voice steady but gentle as they adjusted their grip on the bucket. “I will return.” 

“Good, cause I really don’t want to have to leave before I finish all the glass to trade with.” Kou affirmed, and Vizisco heard some brightness return to their tone. This human was truly fixated on this “glass”; they should have asked Nrome to explain. Perhaps they still could. “But you really are too pretty.”

Vizisco paused, once again confused. “You saw my eyes.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And.” Vizisco took a deep breath, “you find that pretty?”

“Pretty damn hot if I’m honest, but we’re not there yet.” There was another new tone to Kou’s voice, but this one made Vizisco pause, uncertain what to make of it. The human sounded amused, but not mocking and Vizisco followed as the human moved, presumably toward the path he had mentioned. The numbers and footsteps stopped and Vizisco finally heard the human yawn. “For now, just come back.”

“I will,” the demon answered simply, adjusting their grip on the bucket as they started along the new path. The ground was softer here and harder to hear, but it was clear this path had been cleared, not simply formed from years of travel. It made it easier to follow, and Vizisco went a short way before pausing. 

They waited until they heard the sound of a door closing, then adjusted their hold on the bucket as they continued. Kou was very different from other humans Vizisco had ever met or interacted with, and the demon was still not sure if that was a good thing. The 0 number, if these numbers they saw were Stats, indicated that the human must have been doing something profound, but Vizisco failed to see what it was. 

Perhaps time would tell.