Demon Queen Wants to Paint

Rosa opened her eyes and found herself in a cramped space no larger than a broom closet. The bed had been far too small for her half human/half demon transformation, so after making sure that the door could be locked, Rosa assumed her natural child demon form.

Her sleep was restless as the bed was barely any better than solid ground, not to mention that she kept having nightmares. Specifically, she kept seeing Alphegor's face as it had looked like when he killed the assassin that had attacked her when she was just a baby. Except in her nightmares his blade was embedded in her chest.

She'd stare at him in horror and then he would pull out the blade and say 'You're no daughter of mine' in her mother's cold voice. The nightmare woke her up every time and it kept repeating itself throughout the night. After the third time, Rosa gave up on sleep completely and instead waited for the mole demon couple to wake.

The food they had offered to her last night was just as horrifying as the monster that almost ate her. It was some dark brown sludge that reminded her of mud with bugs and worms swimming in it. Rosa barely contained her expression when it was presented in front of her.

Initially she had thought that her hosts were making fun of her, but after they dug into their own meals with much enthusiasm and vigor, Rosa had no other choice but to force the gruel down her throat. It tasted exactly as it looked, and she prayed that it would not make her lose her already meager stomach contents.

"Are you awake yet?" She heard a gentle tap on her door and Kurmina's voice behind it.

"Yes, I am," she confirmed and after doing the last check of her transformation for any mistakes, she unlocked the door and stepped out of the little room.

"I am sorry we couldn't offer you someplace better to sleep. It must have been difficult with your long limbs," Kurmina sighed, looking over Rosa with a gaze that suggested that long arms and legs were a hindrance of some sort.

"It's quite enough. Don't worry," Rosa assured her.

I think I wouldn't have been able to sleep well tonight even in the most comfortable bed in the universe.

"Still, I feel a bit bad. We finally have a guest after such a long time, and that's the best I can offer? To make up for it, I made a special breakfast this morning," the mole demoness appeared somewhat giddy, clattering her claws together.

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Rosa perked up, hoping to have something more food-like for a meal. The two of them went to the tiny kitchen, Rosa with her head bent down a little bit as the ceiling was too low to accommodate the full height of this form. Henris was already sitting at the table, sipping some sort of a hot drink with what appeared to be a newspaper in hand.

"The world has gone completely mad," he mumbled as he read the paper.

"What's wrong, dear?" Kurmina asked, as she went to the small stone stove and retrieved a pot from it. She placed it onto the stone table, and then grabbed three clay plates and forks.

"The news, the news, Mina. They made a special edition and delivered it to this forsaken place within a day. But when it comes to sending help to deal with Talpidots then nobody is available for months," Henris clattered his large claws against the table, creating a shrill noise which made Rosa wince. Kurmina didn't appear bothered, instead busily scooping... something onto the plates.

Rosa had no idea what it was. It was dark gray in color and had blueish grains within it and reminded her vaguely of something children would make from soil in the playground, but they happened to find pieces of a shredded plastic toy and used that as an ingredient.

"Well, it must be awfully important if they delivered it all the way here," Kurmina said solemnly and offered the dish to Rosa. She accepted it with a forced smile, looking cautiously at the unappetizing pile of supposed food.