The TV was muted, the wine forgotten, as Chase stood near the kitchen island, nursing his annoyance. The chaos Rixsa had brought into the apartment felt almost physical—a buzzing irritant that reminded him sharply of his old life.
Rixsa finally emerged from the guest room, dragging a small, beat-up duffel bag behind her. She walked into the living area, plopped the bag unceremoniously on the expensive wool rug, and then threw herself onto the plush white sofa, sinking into the cushions like a tired cat.
"So, what's the plan?" she demanded, not bothering to sit up straight. Her red eyes, framed by the wild white hair, glanced around the room with dismissive boredom.
Chase crossed his arms, leaning against the marble counter. He needed information, and he needed this arrangement to be as brief as possible. "The plan, for now, is for you to tell me exactly who you are, why you were sent here, and why the Goddess thinks dumping you on me won't 'affect my life,'" he said, adopting the sharp, interrogative tone he used to use on captured enemy contractors.
Rixsa let out a groan that sounded disproportionately loud for her size. "Ugh, Look, the short version is that the Goddess—you know, her—got into a huge, ridiculous spat with some other minor deity over territory rights, and now all her followers are targets until the divine cease-fire kicks in."
"And you are one of her followers," Chase stated.
"Duh. I'm her personal chaos agent," Rixsa replied, picking at a loose thread on the sofa. "But the big dogs are hunting all of us down to use as leverage. She needs me to stay out of the divine realm, and definitely out of the hands of the other guys. She told me to crash with you because, and I quote, 'Chase is a powerful, untraceable shield that smells delicious but won't actually eat you."
Chase frowned, fighting the urge to rub his temples. "So I'm a high-security safehouse and a piece of meat simultaneously."
"Basically.
She said you're the perfect decoy because your Essence is so unique, no one will be looking for a tiny, run-of-the-mill demon following your scent. They'll be looking for you."
The logic was infuriatingly sound. He was an ancient, powerful entity wrapped in a new, unindexed human shell, and his unique power signature was massive. Hiding a tiny, non-Awakened demon under his signal was actually quite clever.
"Fine," Chase conceded, taking another sip of wine. "We'll discuss the specifics of my 'shielding services' tomorrow. First, let's get the basics straight. What is your name?"
Rixsa blinked, her boredom suddenly replaced by a strange blankness. She tilted her head, tapping a finger against her chin. "Name? Like, a designation? Demons don't really do names. We're usually just 'The Seventh,' or 'Chaos Agent .' Why?"
Chase stared at her.
"You don't have a name? How do you expect me to introduce you? How do I refer to you when I'm talking about the nuisance sleeping in my guest room?"
"Just point, or hiss, or whatever,"
Rixsa shrugged, reverting to her default laziness. "I answer to being annoyed."
This was absurd. A warrior who had spent centuries cataloging every deity, faction, and champion—all of whom had highly descriptive names—could not tolerate the presence of an unnamed entity in his living space. It was a breach of cosmic protocol.
"No. Absolutely not," Chase decided, setting his glass down with a decisive click. "You are living here under my protection. You need a proper designation." He looked at the punk aesthetic, the chaotic white hair, and the sheer rudeness of her entrance. He thought of the word the Goddess had used: chaos agent.
"From now on, your name is Rixsa," Chase stated, the name sounding firm and established as he spoke it. "It's a functional, memorable designation. Do you understand, Rixsa?"
Rixsa considered this, pouting slightly. "Rixsa… Sounds kind of high-maintenance. But fine. Whatever. Just spell it out if you want me to write it down."
"Spell it R-I-X-S-A. And no, you won't have to write it down. You'll just answer when I say it," Chase instructed, feeling a small, deeply satisfying sense of order restored to his chaotic evening. "Now, Rixsa, you need to understand the rules of this arrangement."
Rixsa groaned again, turning her head away. "Rules? So boring. Is the first rule 'don't be lazy'?"
"The first rule is: You are to be discreet. You do not leave this apartment unless you clear it with me. Second, you will be silent during my working hours. Third, you will not mess with my wine collection. And finally," Chase paused, his eyes narrowing, "you will not, under any circumstances, interact with anyone from OmniCorp. Especially not my boss, Lilith Thorne."
Rixsa finally looked interested, propping herself up on her elbow. "Lilith Thorne? Is she the big wolf chick? I heard she smells like old money and bloodlust. Is she a problem?"
"She is an Alpha, a hybrid demon, and my employer. She also knows about the Goddess's deals and is explicitly aware of the value of my Essence," Chase explained dryly. "I do not need a chaos agent complicating my already precarious professional life."
Rixsa smirked, a wicked, small gesture that was entirely demonic. "Sounds like fun. Maybe I'll order takeout and invite her over."
"Rixsa," Chase warned, his voice dangerously low, "Don't test me. Just because the Goddess is incompetent doesn't mean I am. I spent centuries killing things far more impressive than a displaced chaos agent. Stick to the rules, or you'll be finding another safe house."
Rixsa rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine, fine. Rixsa will be a good little parasite. Now, where's the remote? I'm exhausted."
Chase ran a hand over his face. His simple life had truly died tonight. He pointed to the coffee table. "It's there. And get that duffel bag off the rug."
Rixsa didn't move, already focused on the television. Chase just sighed. Some battles, he realized, weren't worth the effort. At least the apartment was shielded, the demon was named, and the television was on. It was a small, fragile victory in a new life defined by failure and monstrous desire.
"Do you have any form of identification in this world."
"No why" Rixsa replied.
Staring at her in disbelief, he wasn't surprised at all, "but of course she had no identification why would they prepare any thing in advance."
Now he had to find time in his busy schedule to find time to register the little parasite.
"Just grate."
Chase decided that he will deal with this problem later.