Vizisco sat as they held the sheet of glass in their hand, feeling the “perfection” Kou was so proud of. The human was mixing sand nearby, once again insisting that the glass formed best when the ashes were used immediately. 

While collecting the wood, Vizisco noted that the human acted very… odd. Kou had a habit of lingering when they  touched, and Vizisco also noticed that he chuckled to himself a lot. The demon never heard anything that was cause for concern as they went about the task, and they continued to listen carefully for any indication that Kou’s laughter meant something dangerous. But there was nothing. Only the steady rustle of movement, Kou’s small hums as he worked, and the occasional soft crackle of the flame.

Vizisco rotated the glass in their hand, running a thumb along the edge carefully. They knew glass could be sharp, but this piece was polished, the curve of it smooth and safe. It was heavier than they expected, and while they couldn’t see the color, from touch, Vizisco could tell that despite dismissing the task as “necessary”, Kou took pride in what he made.

“So, live up to your expectations?” Vizisco glanced up to see that Kou’s numbers had not moved, meaning the human was still at the workbench, mixing the sand and ash. Vizisco hummed, standing and moving to where the human was. Kou had taken the time to let Vizsco count the steps around his outside workspace, that way the demon wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into things. It was curious how well Kou seem to anticipate how to help them maneuver. 

“It feels well made, but I am not familiar with what ‘poor quality’ feels like,” Vizisco admitted, listening as Kou chuckled under his breath.

“Fair enough.” Kou sounded… confused? Soft? Vizisco wasn’t sure. “If it helps, a lot of humans wouldn’t be able to tell either.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Then how do you tell?” Vizisco asked, listening as Kou sighed, shifting his weight. 

“Because there would be cracks, bubbles, visual signs too,” the human explained and Vizisco nodded, getting the sense that Kou had turned a bit, maybe to face them more directly. “You can feel a crack if you run your nail over the surface. Even if it’s polished, you’ll catch on it. Same with bubbles, little raised bumps.”

Vizisco shifted the piece of glass in their hand again, this time more critically. Their thumb swept slowly across the sheet, attentive to every subtle change. Kou’s explanation made it easier to understand the care that went into what they held. No catches. No bumps. Just a slick, even surface, faintly warm from the sun.

“It seems… flawless,” Vizisco murmured, pleasantly surprised. 

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Kou’s voice was brighter now and Vizsco caught that unfamiliar sound again. The same one Kou had used when asking to hold their hand, or when he had called them pretty. “The better quality, the more they trade for.”

“I see.” Vizisco was careful to set the glass on the workbench, turning toward the forest. Vizisco could hear some sort of creature wandering nearby, and they paused to listen more intently. The sound of sand shifting slowed as Vizisco tilted their head, focusing entirely on the faint noise weaving through the trees. It wasn’t close, but it also didn’t seem like an animal Vizisco recognized. They didn’t realize their hand had drifted to their sword’s hilt until Kou laughed. 

“Calm down there, Twitchy, it’s just a deer.”

“A… deer?”

“Yeah, a deer. They are pretty common in forests.”

“What does it look like?”

“Uh,” Kou seemed to hesitate and Vizisco stared down at the numbers as they waited for Kou’s answer. Vizisco could hear the way the human rubbed his hand against his clothes, a nervous, fidgeting sound. “Well, they're kind of… tall? They’ve got four legs, long ones. They’re skinny, but in a good way, like, they’re meant to run fast. Their faces are long, and their ears stick up when they’re listening.” 

“You call those ‘deer’,” Vizisco nodded, thinking back to before they lost their eyes. It sounded like an animal they had seen before. “They are… shaded, like dirt or bark, but have white as well.”

“Yeah! That’s a deer,” Kou confirmed, and Vizisco once again heard the smile in the human’s voice. “Some have horns, but not all of them.”

“The horned ones are dangerous.”

“If you spook them, sure, but all they ever do is come to see what I’m doing,” Kou sounded relaxed and so Vizisco released their sword, standing straight again. “Were you gonna really kill a deer?”

“If your well being was threatened. I prefer not to kill animals, but your safety must be kept,” Vizisco answered, turning away from the worktable and, counting the steps, sat at the edge of the garden again. “You are in more danger than most humans, since you refuse to live around others.”

“I already told you why,” Kou sounded… upset now and Vizisco frowned. This human was too difficult to understand. “I don’t like the Rules.”

“I do not understand.”

“You and everyone else,” Kou spat and Vizisco heard as his movements became more agitated, hitting the edge of the clay pot with more force than needed for mixing sand and ash. “I feel safer out here. There’s no gossip, no guessing. Just… truth. Quiet.”

Silence settled heavily between them. Vizisco remained seated, hearing the way Kou’s agitation simmered beneath the surface, but they didn’t understand why the subject bother Kou so much. After all, there was no way living in a forest could feel “safer” than living around others. Out here he was isolated, vulnerable. 

Alone.

Vizisco turned as the deer began to move again, this time coming closer to the clearing. They listened as it continued its cautious approach, hooves crunching faintly against the forest floor. Vizisco kept still, tilting their head toward the sound, gauging the animal’s distance by the uneven rhythm of its steps. Kou must have seen it too, because his next movements slowed, the scrape of sand against the pot gentler, quieter. 

The deer shifted again, this time with a short, startled snort, and bounded off through the undergrowth. Vizisco heard Kou let out a breath, almost a laugh, though it sounded tired more than amused.

“So, what’s the device called?”

“Called?”

“Yeah, like does it have a name?” Kou asked, and Vizisco frowned. 

“The human who gave it to me called it a Telelocator,” the demon repeated. “I am not sure what the word means.”

“I think it's a word they made up,” Kou chuckled, clearly in a better mood as he stopped mixing the sand and Vizisco heard the clay pots hitting each other as they were moved. “Never heard or seen anything like it before, so the person likely invented it.”

“In…vent?”

“To make something, like, create something that has never existed before,” the fire seemed to shift as Kou moved one of the clay pots closer to the heat. Vizisco followed the sound, tilting their head slightly as they processed the new term. “Some people are creative enough to make up new things.”

“I see. It is a very useful thing.” 

“I bet,” Kou agreed, and Vizisco let out a long sigh as they relaxed their posture, letting the warmth of the setting sun ease into their muscles. Kou had explained it would be another long night of making glass, but the human had at least promised to sleep properly if Vizisco “kept them company”. Vizisco wasn’t sure Kou meant, but they simply reassured him that they had no plans to leave. After all, the chances of getting summoned to kill another monster any time soon was unlikely, and even if they did, they would simply have to take Kou with them until they could return. 

It was the only way to ensure Kou didn’t follow through on his threat. 

Eventually, Kou shifted again, the soft scuff of his boots brushing the ground as he approached. Vizisco looked up toward the numbers, curious to know why they were being approached. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to look at you.” That strange tone was back and Vizisco simply stared. “You don’t have a scar on your face.”

“No.”

“Then how did you lose your eyes?”

“They were destroyed by a monster with a dextrous tail,” Vizisco answered. They were used to this question from humans. “I was young and inexperienced, and it still had some intelligence. It thought if it blinded me, I couldn’t kill it. It was wrong.”

“...Huh.” Kou’s tone shifted to something gentler, softer and Vizsco took a deep breath. “So they didn’t heal?”

“No. My eyes were removed. I cannot heal what is no longer a part of me,” Vizisco answered simply, listening as another deer started to wander close. It seemed Kou was telling the truth when he said the deer were curious. “They do not affect my ability to protect you.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. The way you took out that monster proved that,” Kou chuckled and Vizisco frowned. Why was Kou unbothered by that? “Whelp, we are in for a long night of waiting for crap to melt, so I’m gonna bug you with questions. Making glass is honestly boring.”

“That is fine.”

“Good, because I was gonna do it anyway,” Kou laughed again before turning, and Vizisco watched as the numbers moved back to where the fire was. Kou’s footsteps were starting to drag again, and Vizisco shook their head. At least if they talked, the human was less likely to burn themselves. “So settle in, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” Vizisco asked, but for once, Kou didn’t answer immediately. Instead, Vizsco saw as the numbers shifted, and Kou leaned against his workbench. 

“You’ll find out later.”