<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><div style="text-indent:1em;">Elliot scribbled in his notebook for a while, writing idly between bouts of watching the others play games. His hand would sometimes move without him even paying attention. When he glanced away from the screen to focus on a particular line, a voice had made its way into the room.</div><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Pass me one of those funky looking controllers, with the mish-mash buttons. I'm gonna kick all the butts at smash." </span><br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;">Elliot wasn't paying attention anymore. His mind was elsewhere; a ringing had started in his ears and he furrowed his brow hard trying to figure something out. His lines weren't staying still and his words were beginning to dance around the page. His vision was darkening and growing shaky towards the edges. He wanted to panic, but he knew that would make it worse so he looked up and closed the book as gently as he could manage.</div><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Actually,"</span> Elliot turned instantly to look in the direction of the voice; he really needed a distraction right now. The boy who had spoken the words looked intimidating and very inhuman. His skin reminded him of a cooked shellfish and his hair and clothes had singe-marks all about it; The look of the boy made Elliot think of someone who had escaped a fire. The tail he sported made him think twice about that assumption; it was menacing and in no way fragile. <span style="font-style: italic">This was a Demon</span>. Elliot felt like he should be more afraid, but instead, he felt safer. A feeling welled up from inside and something stirred in his mind, but it quickly faded; it was almost happiness? Why?</div><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;"><span style="font-weight: bold">"Pass me two. This guy needs a controller as well." </span> Elliot's eyes widened a bit in surprise; he pointed toward his own chest and mouthed "me?" as if he thought he had been invisible. Only when the controller was held out to him was Elliot certain the boy meant for him to take it. Giving a barely audible "thanks" he timidly gripped the controller and marveled at the feel; it was smooth and white with a myriad of different buttons and knobs. After a moment of inspection, he began to play the game. A few minutes into playing, Elliot was getting the hang of the game. He preferred to play the girl who used magic, she looked delicate and weak, but her skill, defensive nature, and power was a deadly combination. After taking countless beatings, he'd finally won. He let out a small laugh of joy and awe; he felt much better. His vision had cleared and the world was no longer closing in. The thought of thanking the boy for the distraction lingered in the back of his mind, but he decided that it would seem out of place and weird to just say out of the blue. Still, he'd make it up to him somehow.</div><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;">The game had consumed him entirely, his mind utterly focused on the minutiae of the game's mechanics. He learned very quickly and began to venture into playing different characters; each time he bided his time in the battle and learned the new playing styles, unafraid of dying a few times, until he was capable of handling the character with great effectiveness. Only the sound of his stomach growling broke his focus; it was a very loud sound and he blushed brightly when it happened. He placed a hand on his stomach and quickly got to his feet.</div><br/>"I-I think I'm gonna go check my room," He stammered before he dropped the controller into a nearby boy's hand who looked quite content to take his place. <br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;">In a moment's notice, he staggered unsteadily but with great speed toward his room. To his surprise, someone else had been in the hall and he practically tackled him. In a sudden flash of pain, the two had knocked each other backward. The sight must've been incredibly funny to see; luckily, the two had been concealed by the wall separating the living area from the hall. Elliot groaned and rubbed the back of his head as he sat up. Though his head was spinning and his sight was blurred from the impact, he could make out the appearance of the other boy. He was pale with black hair and a gentle slant to his eyes. He wasn't very impressive in terms of stature or appearance. In fact, he looked in every way like a regular human.... but his scent didn't seem right.</div><br/>"I'm so sorry!" Elliot exclaimed as he shuffled to his knees and moved toward the boy. "I- I didn't- I.... I'm so sorry!" he rambled. <br/><br/><div style="text-indent:1em;">His mouth opened as if he wanted to say more but instead he gaped dumbly as he slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with remorse and blurry with tears; the pain and stress made his transfiguration fail. Kneeling there with tears, red eyes, and fangs.... the exorcists would have a field day.</div></span>