“But…don’t I need my soul?” Melody protested, not able to keep the waver out of her voice. Wasn’t the soul the essence of who she was? What would she be without one? Dead? An empty shell? Neither sounded appealing to her.

“That isn’t always necessary. It depends on what’s in the pact. But, well, you need to give SOMETHING to the demon to make it worth the exchange, so it’s pretty much inevitable. If you don’t want to give up your soul, then I’ll tell you how you can negotiate with Mammon. Also, I’m sure it would be useful having him as your servant. I mean, despite how awful he is, he’s still a powerful demon.” While this was a tiny relief, it still sounded sketchy to Melody. What right did anyone have to hold such power over another person? It sounded more like straight up slavery than merely having a servant. Also, Levi seemed pretty casual in talking about her soul; it made her feel even more small and insignificant than usual.

“But I bet you feel worried, being dragged here to the Devildom and all,” Levi continued. “So, I don’t think it would end up being a bad deal for you, either. Don’t you agree?” Melody nodded slightly to this part; he wasn’t wrong there. She was very worried. But, she was more worried over that power. After all, there was a saying ‘power corrupts’ for a reason.

“I am worried,” Melody confessed, but then she shook her head. “But I just can’t do it.”

“Hey, don’t give up before you’ve even tried! I thought humans weren’t quitters. I thought your kind…”

“Wait,” Melody said hastily. Levi didn’t look at all impressed at being interrupted, and his eyes narrowed. But, he seemed to wait for Melody to continue what she wanted to say with a glowering impatience. “I don’t mean I think I’m not capable; I don’t want to try in the first place.”

“You’re refusing to help me? You? A human normie?!” Leviathan was getting angry, and Melody cringed back. She had already seen that he was very emotional and even without being a demon, that was hitting her anxiety.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help you. I just…it’s wrong to have that sort of power over someone else.”

“Wrong?” Levi went from narrowed eyes to a look of stunned surprise. He blinked at her several times. “Pfff. That sounds just like something a normie would say.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a friendly laugh. It was mocking, but Melody honestly couldn’t tell how much of that mockery was directed at her, and how much was directed back at himself. “Fine, then, take your normie values and get out of my room.” Levi practically shoved Melody back out of the door, leaving her out in the hallway, alone. Feeling somewhat bewildered, Melody retraced her steps back towards the entrance hall. Dejectedly she sat on the steps, elbows resting on her knees. Then she remembered that her DDD had been beeping earlier.

It was just a text from Mammon saying he had to run off and take care of something, and to ask any questions of Levi. Unfortunately, that ship had sailed, and Melody doubted she would get a very nice answer, possibly any answer at all, if she knocked on his door now. There was also a warning to not tell Lucifer anything. Not that Melody had any plans to do so. She learned the hard way that ratting someone out usually ended poorly for everyone involved, and a double extra helping of trouble to her since she was the youngest. To top it off was a very intimidating looking bird demon thing. Melody still thought it was cute, but the message was still clear. She replied with that same bird demon saying ‘OK’, and Mammon’s response was a horned demon blowing a kiss. Well, that was adorable, but ultimately, unhelpful. She sighed.

“Oh, look, the human is unhappy.” That sugar-sweet voice was too recognizable; Melody knew it was Asmodeus before she even looked up. Actually, she decided to not look up would be the better course of action. Lust wasn’t really something she had much dealings with, so even though he didn’t look scary, she was pretty terrified of the demon.

“Well, um….” Melody didn’t know how much she should say. “I think I got off on the wrong foot with Levi,” she finally confessed.

“If you keep sighing and frowning like that, your face will be stuck with so many wrinkles!” Asmodeus didn’t seem to saying it ironically, or flippantly. He truly seemed aghast at the notion.

“I don’t know how to not frown if I’m feeling sad or stressed,” Melody blurted out, truthfully enough. Honestly, Melody thought wrinkles were the least of her worries right now. A bell like laugh came from Asmodeus, and he put his hands on his hips.

“Well, that’s your problem right there. Poor little human. But we can’t have your face getting so scrunched up if you’re going to live in the same house as me, so why don’t you tell Asmo what’s bothering you.” He leaned in closer, uncomfortably so, to Melody, who had to do everything in her power not to curl up into a ball. “You can even whisper it into my ear, if you like.”

“That…” Melody’s first word came out in a squeak, and she cleared her throat. “It won’t be necessary.” Shuffling sideways, she moved away from Asmo’s close proximity. “Mammon left me with Levi, and then Levi kicked me out of his room, but I still don’t know where to go, or what to do.”

“Fortunately for you, Asmo is here to take care of you! And I always take the best care of people.” Even awkward, wallflower Melody couldn’t miss the overtones of suggestion in Asmo’s voice, but since his words alone were innocent enough, she had no idea how to object. Feeling rather exposed, she just nodded her head. “Excellent. Well, first thing’s first. Time to get you to your room. After all, relaxation is the key to settling those horrid wrinkles.” By the way Asmodeus spoke, it sounded like Melody had aged fifty years between leaving RAD and sitting down on the stairs. She was half tempted to look for a mirror. Instead she just picked herself up and dusted herself off. Usually she would have luggage or something to carry in a situation like this, but all she had was the small weight of her DDD.

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“Thanks…” she mumbled as she followed behind the Avatar of Lust. For a moment she imagined how happy her older sister would have been to be here instead. Asmodeus seemed like just the kind of person, or demon, that her sister would have sought out. And, in turn, she was pretty sure that Asmodeus would have preferred her sister. But, that wasn’t helpful now. Melody was the one here, and that was that.

“Don’t mention it. Seriously, don’t.” The light laugh that came from Asmodeus contradicted his words, but that didn’t surprise Melody too much. She fell quiet as they walked, listening to Asmodeus talk all about skin care and avoiding wrinkles, and a bunch of things that really didn’t have anything to do with her. Still, she didn’t dare tune him out. He was a demon and she was just…a human guinea pig. Finally, they stopped in front of a door, and Asmodeus opened it with a careless sort of grace. Gesturing for her to enter, she did so.

What she saw, surprised her. She expected a sparse, austere room without much in it, bare and unwelcoming. Yet, the room was lovely, and had a certain otherworldly charm to it, the most pointed feature being the tree growing right through it. She’d never seen anything to compare with it, and was sure she looked rather foolish as she gaped in wonder. The décor was a cross between the whimsical and the macabre, with the hanging lanterns in the tree looking like something out of a festival, while a skull sitting on a shelf had a less than friendly appearance. The room was much larger than she anticipated, with space not only for a sizable bed, loaded with pillows, but a dining room table able to seat six people. There was a lot of furniture to store things in, such as a sideboard and a dresser, both of which were filled with knick-knacks. There was even a coffin-shaped bookshelf. Despite some of the darker themes of the room, it was clean; no dust or spiderwebs.

“It’s beautiful!” Melody said once she recovered her power of speech. “I…didn’t expect so much.” When she had still been in the RAD council room, she had gotten the impression they didn’t think much of having a human stay with them.

“Why thank you. It’s not my best work, but you’re only human. Still, I would never do a shoddy job of designing a room. And those pillows, they are so soft and won’t irritate your skin. Isn’t that nice?”

“It’s…a bit overwhelming.” Melody wasn’t sure if she was talking about the room, the company, the conversation, or the entire exchange program.

“Of course it is, sweetie. It’s natural to be overwhelmed in the presence of such charm and beauty. So, I’ll be kind this once and let you gather your wits. Ta!” And, with that, Melody was alone. She felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, a burden too big to hold anymore, and she flopped onto the bed. It was very soft, and the pillows were quite nice, just as Asmodeus had suggested. She didn’t know what to make of him. Part of her had been stressed, thinking that with his designated sin, he would do something to her. But, all he did was flatter himself and flit off. Which, she supposed, was probably for the best. And, at the very least, she wouldn’t have to lie down on a bed of nails or hot coals, or something else torturous.

Rolling onto her side, Melody pulled up some of the pillows that were on the floor and hugged one to her chest. Closing her eyes, she thought about everything that had happened so far. None of the demon brothers really seemed to take her seriously. Mammon, Levi, and Asmo had all been fairly quick to just drop her and find something more interesting, or pressing, to do. With her eyes closed, she could smell a faintly sweet fragrance coming from the tree in her room, and it was oddly soothing. She wondered if she should have turned Levi down. Maybe having someone on her side would be a good thing? But, she really didn’t want it to be forced. Or, perhaps she should have asked more questions to get a fuller understanding before rejecting the idea. Either way, she wasn’t making any friends at this rate. Mammon complained a lot, and it was clear he didn’t want to take care of her. Asmo seemed friendly, but that didn’t mean he was a friend. Not that Melody had had a lot of friends before.

Eventually she dozed off, and her dreams were mercifully quiet.

“Oi! Human! Get yer butt out here!” The impatient voice of one Avatar of Greed rattled against Melody’s door, and she jolted awake. Rubbing her face, she took a deep breath.

“Okay, just a moment.” Hastily Melody combed her fingers through her hair to be at least a little bit presentable. Then she rushed to open her door before Mammon could bang on it, or yell again.

“Never keep the Great Mammon waiting,” he huffed, squinting at her. “You look terrible.”

“Sorry; I just woke up.” Melody expected him to find something else to complain about, but he seemed to let her pass for now.

“Anyway, it’s dinner, so you’d best eat up. Beel will eat everything in sight; you have to learn to eat quick and never be late for meals, or you’ll go hungry,” Mammon warned. “Not that I care if you starve, or anything.”

Melody didn’t know why Mammon had to make such a big deal about not caring. Most people who didn’t care simply wouldn’t go through the trouble of stating it. Then again, he didn’t strike her as terribly subtle. In a way, it was a relief; he wasn’t blandly polite in a way that was entirely unreadable. And, the warning, while gruffly given, was useful information. He didn’t have to give her such advice at all.

“Thank you, all the same,” she said with a hint of a smile.

“Don’t even….well, alright then,” Mammon huffed, after starting to object to something that Melody didn’t end up saying. Used to his brothers’ sarcasm and insults, he’d come to expect it from most people. Melody’s simple sincerity wasn’t what he was accustomed to, and it took his brain a second to sort out that she hadn’t said anything to even hint that he was somehow less of a demon. “Just remember to keep bein’ grateful for all the help the Great Mammon is givin’ a lowly human like you.”

Melody kept her face neutral. As much as his words stung, there wasn’t as much bite in them as the meaning would have indicated. He reminded her of a cat who, after being startled, would walk off as if nothing had happened to save face. It was something she was familiar with. Still, what threat could she, a human, have to a demon? It baffled her mind, so she put trying to sort it out on the back-burner and followed Mammon.

“Did you finish the things you needed to do?” Melody asked as they walked to the dining room.

“What?” Mammon asked the question faster than his brain could tell him not to. “Oh, that. Ya, I got it all done,” Mammon said. It wasn’t entirely a lie; his intention was to get away from Levi, and it succeeded. He was pretty sure Levi wasn’t going to actually kill Melody. Maybe. He hoped. It took a lot to tip Levi into a murderous rage; he was more likely to make someone else annoyed with his otaku talk, or whining about how unfair the world is, than to be the aggressor. Except against Mammon, who no one took seriously. Yet, this human was watching him with completely earnest eyes.

“That’s good then,” Melody said, and she wasn’t lying either. Even if she felt abandoned, she didn’t see any purpose in begrudging Mammon a successful task. She simply didn’t work that way. And, in a way, she felt guilty talking to him, as though she should mention Levi’s designs against him. She had no idea how to bring it up though, and walked the rest of the way in silence.