On Saturday afternoon, I pulled an old, dusty suit from my closet. I didn’t often have the chance to go to formal events, other than the guild’s biennial awards banquet. And I only went to that because I kept on winning things.

“You don’t have a lot of friends, do you?” Knell asked from the doorway. I couldn’t tell if he’d been reading my mind again or if he was just being random.

“What’s it to you?” I replied.

“It’s just that I worry about you sometimes, Clarion. I mean, I know I’m great and all, but I’d feel better if I knew you could connect with people your own age.”

“…Exactly which one of us is the child here??”

“Well, it can’t be me,” said Knell. “You know, the demon I fused with was 89 years old. If you add my 8 years to that, you get…97. Compared to me, you’re a baby.”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you should try connecting with people your own age. There’s a retirement home in the next city over.”

Knell grinned. I didn’t poke fun at him very often, so he loved it when I did. “I’ve been on the run for my life recently, so of course my social life took a nosedive. What’s your excuse?”

I put the suit down on my bed and looked at him. “…Do you want to hear a story?” I asked.

“Yes, yes!!”

I sighed. “Alright, then.”

“Once upon a time, there was a naïve little teenage boy who had just become a licensed demon hunter. He joined a guild and ran with a group of other young hunters who traveled the country, living on the road.

“They lived from job to job, spending their money carelessly. It worked…right up until they ran into another group of hunters who “stole” a job right out from under them. They were really counting on that job, and didn’t have a penny left to survive on in the meantime. That’s when things started to take a turn for the worse.

“The leader of the group decided that they would raid the other hunters’ camp and steal their food. It turned into a huge brawl, and some people got seriously hurt. The boy just watched from the sidelines and did nothing.

“After that, they moved on. They had eaten, but they still didn’t have any money. Luckily, they soon arrived at a little town with the beginnings of a demon infestation.

“However, instead of rescuing the people immediately, the leader told the group to wait until the infestation got worse, so the people would pay more, and upfront. Innocent civilians were being killed, and none of them would lift a finger to help.

“Eventually, the boy had had enough. He ended up having to fight past the leader of the group and start driving the demons out of the town single-handedly. A few of the other group members helped him in the end, but by then it was too little, too late.

“After that, the boy left the group behind. He registered with another guild, and from that day forward he swore to work alone. And the rest is history,” I finished.

Knell blinked. “So, I take it you were that teenage boy,” he said.

“Brilliant observation.”

“And you decided people are garbage and you’re better off by yourself.”

“That about sums it up.” I went back into the closet to look for a tie.

“But you know not everyone is garbage, right? After all, I’m not garbage.”

“You’re a child.”

“Well…Peal’s not garbage either.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You don’t even like her.”

“That’s not true! Sure, I was a little sour to her when I first met her, but that’s because she was going to blow my cover. I don’t actually hate her or anything. Maybe I should tell her that…”

“Maybe you should.”

“You should tell her that, too! Tell her you don’t hate her and you want to be friends!”

“Knell, I doubt angels even have friends,” I replied. “Their definition of ‘friend’ is probably just someone to…talk about fashion with every once in a while.”

“What’s that? I think I hear fear talking. Fear of disappointment…”

“I didn’t ask to be psychoanalyzed. Now would you please drop this?”

“Okay, okay…” said Knell, turning to leave. “I just want you to know I’ve been where you are. After what happened with my parents, I thought I might be by myself for the rest of my life. But I decided to be brave and take a chance with you.”

He grinned. “Sure, I lied a lot in the beginning, but in the end…I wasn’t disappointed.”

I waited until he left, and then sighed.