Chapter 19: Well, this is awkward…

~ Precia ~

When Dave leads me into the small room, I feel weirded out.

Humans have those inside their houses?

The smell gives away the purpose of the room.

This is where they do… that?!

It reminds me of something I ignored ever since entering captivity. I kind of need to do that soon. Like… really soon. Bringing that up and ensuring Dave understands is another thing, though. Dave urges me to step forward toward the odd chair that humans use. I peer into the opening in it, and the abyss peers back. And it stinks. It reeks so bad! I step back immediately. Somehow, I feel uneasy. Maybe even a little scared.

This is why we have these outside. The wind carries most of the stench away. Here, it can build up…

“Toilet,” Dave spells out before repeating the nearest fitting word in my language. When he explains, his face looks hilarious and weird. “Sit on chair, waste goes in hole, when done, wipe.”

He gestures at some tissues on a nearby shelf. We use water if it’s not clean. If there’s no water, then we create it with mana. Humans use paper and then throw it into that hole. So confusing…

“Go, now?” he asks me. Something seems to bother him, but he is considerate enough to ask directly in my tongue. Truth is, I really need to go… but… Now, something bothers me too. A sudden pang in my lower abdomen makes me flinch a little.

It’s pretty full. And he saw. I can’t pretend I don’t need it anymore.

“Yes, but…” I try to speak his language whenever I know the words from my studies. This is so complicated to explain that I wouldn’t even know how to say it in my language. I don’t think he understands enough of my language to get that across. Thus, I make the words simple to match the gap. “Only when alone.”

The human man nods and gestures at the seat. Then, he exits the room and leaves me alone. He remains in front of the door, though. He will hear the rush of urine. I feel uncomfortable, but this is partly my fault. I need to make him believe that I will not run away. Until then, he’ll supervise me at all times.

Even when relieving myself…

Even Daddy had enough tact to distance himself during these moments. I’m a prisoner now, though. I hate it, but I understand. Reluctantly, I get out of the rags that cover my body. It’s a miracle that the dress still fits with all the areas that got ripped up. I stare at the seat. I hesitate. Then… that ominous feeling returns, stronger than before. I approach, holding my nose while peering.

It’s so dark in there! The hole is quite large! What if I fall in there?! How deep does it go down?!

I panic. I can’t do it. I’m too terrified. I need help. This… sucks.

~ Dave ~

A massive sigh escapes my throat.

I never want to have to explain that ever again!

I slump in front of the door, waiting for the telltale sounds of relief to initiate. It’s not like I’m trying to pry, but water magic isn’t part of my repertoire, which doesn’t qualify me for effortless cleaning of accidents. Therefore, I listen. And listen. There’s nothing to hear. Then, the door opens just a tad. The kid peeks her head out, hiding the rest of her body behind the door frame. I have a bad feeling about it.

~ Precia ~

Gulping, I go back to the door and open it. My body is naked, so I hide what I can behind the creaking, wooden door. I can’t hide everything, but that’s okay. If he agrees to what I must ask the human, he will see my entire frame anyway.

“I’m scared…” I know I’m sounding ridiculous. “What if I fall into the hole?” I’m pretty sure I’m already big enough to sit on it, although I’m not convinced. “Can you… help?”

~ Dave ~

What is this, a bad joke?!

I’m probably scrutinizing the brat with more intensity than necessary. Her expression turns from slight mortification into something more akin to fear. I let out a sigh, a big one. Terrorizing her won’t solve anything. At worst, I’ll cause an accident. I can’t let that happen.

The matter at hand is too complex to express in either language. Since I don’t know how to warn her, I let my actions speak, moving slowly lest I startle her. I’m not surprised to stifle a weak protest in her when I reenter the room. I couldn’t care less about giving her privacy, however. It’s either her privacy or dropping that silly bullshit.

Can’t have her have her way in both matters, can I?

“Sit! Will catch if fall!” I announce, somehow making myself sound angry even in demon tongue despite my terrible proficiency. I must have sounded so mad that it leaves no room for haggling. The brat hops on the seat immediately, shaking in fear but quickly realizing that she won’t randomly plummet straight into the depths of the loo if she sits down like a fucking normal person. Which, thankfully, she does.

“Now bloody take that piss…” I grunt. I’m not offering her any translation, but somehow, the message comes across anyway.

~ Precia ~

A part of me realizes my folly, but something still scares me about that place. I feel so mortified and exposed on that chair. If it were that woman, maybe I’d be okay, but Dave is…

“Don’t look…” I beg before I finally give in to the call of nature for the first time in over three days. This is so embarrassing…

~ Dave ~

The brat’s plea has the exact opposite effect. Even if just for a split second, I glance at her child-like body. The brat looks slightly frail, although not in a malnourished fashion. Her full bladder sticks out like a sore thumb, almost like a bad joke of a child's pregnancy. A human could never have stored up so much that it shows on the outside. If anything, I feel even more disgusted about her race now.

Quickly, I look at the other wall and shut out my ears as the floodgates open into the pit below. I’ve never had minutes drag on longer than this one. It’s just that awkward…

Gods, have mercy on me. This is torture. Don’t make me babysit this stupid demon kid, I beg youuuuuuuuuu!

If anything salvages the situation, then it’s the fact that my presence makes it highly unpleasant to the kid as well. And, I suppose, the fact that she didn’t go number 2. When her stream finally peters out, relief washes over me, although it only lasts a few seconds before another problem adds to my growing list. As the girl casts a simple spell to clean her private area, my lowered gaze falls on the dress she had dropped to the floor.

It’s completely shredded and torn, with more holes and tears than you could ever fix. She needs new clothes…

Thankfully, I’m blessed to have a female guild member who can handle it. Thankfully, Kenneth’s insights once again prove helpful too…

*

Earlier:

“... which reminds me, have you ever taken a closer look at how demons dress?”

Kenneth was on a roll - like a dog that wouldn’t stop barking once someone invaded their self-proclaimed territory, my scientist friend wouldn’t stop explaining his extensive studies on the demon race once I inquired about it.

“Should I have?” I replied almost nonchalantly. I preferred the demon race dead anyway. “Does it matter?”

“It does,” Kenneth said, his gaze pointing at our prisoner. “She’ll be with us for a while, so we should provide her with some basic clothing - unless you want Lance staring more holes into her dress.”

He had a point. I nodded. “So what do I need to know?”

“Glad you asked,” he smirked, happy to have piqued some of my interest at least. “They typically make their clothes from the skins of animals they kill. You know, leather and furs.”

I’d mostly seen those bastards in their battle armor, so it never checked a box in my mind that demons didn’t tend to keep sheep for wool. Humans use furs and leather, too, but it’s more of an upper-class thing, especially regarding furs. They’re expensive. Way too expensive.

“Are you saying we should spend our hard-earned money to buy that stupid urchin fine clothes?” The mere thought snubbed me.

“You won’t have to, “Kenneth immediately replied to mollify me. “Her dress is probably made from fine silk, so it’s not like that’s all they wear. She’ll be glad about anything the way her current clothes look anyway.”

“Then why even tell me about it if it’s irrelevant?” I peeved. “Tell me something useful that’ll make me think, ‘thank god that idiot Kenneth told me’ some day instead!”

“Ah, I was just about to drop one such thing,” he announced dramatically. “Did you know demons aren’t wearing any undergarments? No Boxers, slips, panties, nothing.”

“What?!”

*

Back to the present:

Lance’s obsession with female demons suddenly checks out. As my gaze rests on the remains of a once-graceful dress on the floor, I can’t see any panties. Had Kenneth not warned me, I might have been shocked. Maybe I should thank him whenever he gets back.

He never said if I should buy her panties, though. Well, I’ll probably leave that decision with Lucy…

The demon girl eventually put her clothes back on, so I could finally look at her again. Her face is entirely flushed, and she avoids my gaze. I don’t want to look at the filthy demon brat anyway..

“Was it really that bad?” I say out loud to make room for my frustration.

“Uh-huh!”

My gaze snaps back at her. I said that in the human tongue. Did she understand that? I had to make sure.

“You understand, Dave?”

“Uh-huh!” she grunts again and huffs. I shrug at her.

“Can you do it alone next time?”

The demon doesn’t understand that, however. It’s pretty easy to tell since she always tilts her head when thinking or confused. If she weren’t demon filth, I might even find it a little cute. Sighing, I repeat in demon tongue.

“Next time, you, okay, without, Dave?”

“Duuunt no,” she attempts before realizing she can’t say it. “Maybe if it’s not Dave, I can.”

Yeah, I’ll just send Lucy next time if she needs to go. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

“I don’t like this place, though. It’s scary.”

She tries to increase the distance from the toilet seat but has enough sense not to barge out the door before I give my OK.

“Silly kid…” I mutter before I shove her ungently through the door.