Inky Slush [Devi/Dale]

Dale's arms wrapped about his body as he walked through the snow. It was yet another unfamiliar thing, unseen by his eyes before this place, and it was a pretty one indeed...the mountains themselves were no eyesore either, their rocky, uneven surfaces stretching far higher than he had ever seen. Stony peaks carved into the sky, spotted with openings that led into dark depths unknown.
It was beautiful, it truly was. Another wonder he would have never known in his old home.
But it was hard to appreciate it, cold and lost as he was. Had he been human, he'd have begun to shiver long before now. Chip's head poked out from his shirt collar, the little pooch having found a way to nestle himself securely inside his garments to escape the chill.

He was lost, and he knew it. At first, the wonder of this place had drawn him in. He held the snow in his hands, and watched as it slowly melted away, before setting out to see what else this place held.
But now the weather was taking its toll, and he couldn't find his way back. The falling snow filled his tracks behind him, and he struggled to find any landmarks that could guide his way.
His breathing stuttered unnaturally, the systems that emulated it inhibited by the cold. "D-d-d-d-don't worry, Ch-IIII-p." No good. He couldn't even speak right. "We-eel get o-out. S-A-fe."
His hand came up to pet the robotic canine's head as he cast a fearful look about. It was getting so hard to stay calm.

The reason for the demon to be in such a cold wonderland was not a result of random wandering exactly, but rather random wandering with a purpose. You see he had been in a creative hellhole recently and quite frankly that put the demon in a funk. Can you imagine being in love with creating and after being brought into the world had this passion for entertaining the world through dance, song, and movies with your friends suddenly drying up due to coming to a strange place that proved you were not who you thought you were and in turn put a huge ass wall around the art you once loved? Can imagine trying again and again to go back to that passion only for it to move further and further away until you dreaded even thinking about it? Can you imagine the pain? The frustration? Can you?

Of course you can’t because you are not Devi, but that is beside the point. The point is he went on this journey to find his Muse again after being locked up in the theater studying and mulling over too many things that had happened recently. He needed to get some fresh air anyway and wanted to be in a spot he had not been in before and well - here he was in the mountains observing a world of ice and coldness without a jacket or any extra clothing; however, the ink demon was not cold as his red eyes scanned the white landscape observing how it looked like a shiny canvas waiting for something to be spread across it.  It was beautiful!

Inspired to do something, the ink demon would lift a hand thinking to drop a bit of the ink he was made out of on this white canvas to see what happened, but stopped as he the wind carried the muffled sound of a voice and movement. Tilting his head, the demon would listen finding the sound was coming from behind him?

The demon would turn his head to look behind. Hmmm. Nope not there and yet there was something here, but where? The demon would turn slowly in his spot his spot as his eyes took in the landscape trying to see if the wind was playing with him or if--oho?

Red eyes would lock on the movement he saw in the distance as his “cape” flicked on its own accord. So there was something else out here then. How curious. Though from this distance he couldn’t tell what it was. Time to get closer. With that the demon would turn into liquid splashing into the snow and vanishing only to reform a short time later a few feet ahead and off to the side of the thing in the iceland.

Coming from a dark puddle the ink would stretch upward and warp until it formed the dark shape of the demon and then as the excess ink fell away the color would appear and in turn red eyes would open and look at the being from a white face. A fangy grin would break that face as he observed the walking being -- A man with a puppy of some sort. How fascinating considering said puppy was very different than what the demon normally thought of as a pet.

Curious the demon would stay off to the side, his tail swishing as he just watched this new thing that had his interest for now.

Info Box:

He needed to find his way-
He heard something. Liquid.
It was too cold for that, though...he looked about, and saw a shape rising from the snowscape, from a black puddle that should have frozen. It was wet and it wasn't, dripping that black stuff on the ground until it fully formed. A black and white shape, with red eyes that stood out in the falling snow.
Dale backed away slightly from it, the human-looking bot giving it a guarded look as he continued his jagged, choppy breaths.

The demon would continue to watch the othe,r his amusement only increasing as he saw the reaction of this man and dog before him. He wouldn't say anything at first as he simply observed the, then blinking at the other slowly the creature would look off to the side a bit in thought before holding a hand out to the side and using his ink he would begin to form the shape of something that was almost the size of the man in the air. His eyes would flick to the giant as the demon used his other hand to add details to the outline until a few minutes later he had a structure made of ink hovering in the air. Letting the drawing flop into his arms it would become a solid structure of what looked like black fur.

Being cautious the demon would take a small step toward the guy that had backed off holding out the thing in his arms. It was a fur jacket.

"You look cold, my friend. Take it and warm up a bit, yes?" the demon would offer in a soft non-threatening tones and then watched to see what the other did.

What was it doing? It was...it was making a shape in the air from that black liquid it was made of. A big one. What was this junc-son doing. What was it going to...huh?
It...it looked different. It looked like...not that liquid.
It looked solid. And...it looked like something he might need right now.
For a moment, Dale stared at the junc-son before him. Then, tentatively, he took the fur jacket, and put it on.
...it...it was nice, actually. He ran his fingers along the fur, taking in the sensation under his fingers. Chip seemed pleased too, snuggling in comfortably within the jacket's confines.
He remained silent for a while, letting himself warm up. It was only after that he spoke. "How did you do that?"

The demon would create the jacket highly aware during the process that the other was watching him; however, he would only glance at him occasionally as he worked not giving his full attention to the guy until his creation was completed and he was holding it out to the other. He would leave the offer out there being patient for now as the other stared at him. He could see the other didn’t trust easily, but perhaps that was wise considering anything could happen in this situation and the guy did not know if he was hostile or not; however, for the time being the demon would not do anything to suggest harm or mischief his offer this time around clear enough.

When the other took his creation, the demon would let his arms drop sinking them back into the warmth of his “cloak” as he watched the other get comfortable along with his little dog. Mmm. Yes, yes. Very nice. Very nice indeed, but perhaps he should’ve worked on the collar a bit more. While it was functional and would be fine to the casual eye, the demon artist could see where it could’ve been even more perfect. That minor note aside though, he would find himself giving a fangy grin of amusement at the question posed. “An artist’s secret,” he would say softly and then tilting his head he would blink up at the other curiously. “Though we are curious as to why you are here in this pure landscape." Why was a man and a pup out here without jacket or proper gear? Were they natives to the place or perhaps lost souls? Hmm curious, curious, curious.

Dale regarded the being with guarded curiosity. Of all the junc-sons he'd seen so far, this one was very different from all of them. It looked so strange...and its body was weird too. Somehow, it made the thing he was wearing. It looked like it made it out of itself, but...this didn't look like it looked, now. Didn't feel like it looked.
...he wanted to do that. He pouted a little as the junc-son refused to tell him how he did it.

For a moment, Dale looks confused at the strange junc-son's words. The figurative cogs can be seen turning on his face as he puzzles out what he was asked. "...oh." He pulls the jacket in closer. "It...never saw anything like this. It's...pretty. Can't get back now, though...feet aren't on the ground any more, don't know the place."

Devi wouldn't seem to mind the way the other observed him, remaining completely relaxed within the winterscape as he looked away for a moment as a sound distracted him. Tilting his head, he'd pinpoint the sound coming from the ground and lower his view to catch a glimpse of a rabbit dashing for white covered bushes nearby. Ah. It seemed there was more than just them moving about today. Too bad the rabbit didn't stay around for chatting though.

That aside, the demon would turn his attention back to the other just in time to catch the pout when he refused to tell how he created the jacket. Giving a lopsided and fangy grin, the demon would shake his head a bit amused at this. "While everything seems teachable some things simply are not. We do not know how to teach humans what we know. Humans are not like us after all." Devi would say in a calm tone before blinking and moving the conversation elsewhere.

To the answer he got in regards as to why the man was here, the demon would hum a bit in thought before nodding. “Aye this place is lovely. It helps clear the mind and bring inspiration in.” The demon would pause closing his eyes as he took in a breath of the cold air before letting it out content. Such beauty indeed, but one he could not sink himself in fully with another around. Reopening his eyes, he would grin at the other once more as his lips parted and he continued. “However, it does hold the danger of getting one lost and also freezing them with its cold kiss; however, you are lucky Mr. Human and Dog We know how to get out of here though it is quite walk.” And would backtrack his plans a bit. Well maybe that wasn’t so bad if...this one could keep him entertained instead. Hmm… Devi would tap his lip in thought before blinking one eye and then the other at the man. “We can show you the way out if you are eager to be away from this place.” The demon would offer as he tilted his head and waited to see what would happen.

Devi wasn't the only one to catch the noise. Where the demon reacted with curiosity, Dale's reaction was to suddenly fixate on the origin of the sound sharply, accurately, and altogether too suddenly, incredibly close to just shooting the source of it. In the end though, he ended up just watching the passing of the rabbit with suspicion...and a little bit of interest.
...it looked nice. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he'd never seen one before.

It...it couldn't teach humans? It said some things can't be taught, but it also said it didn't know how to teach humans, so then maybe it was teachable and then that could mean "Can you teach not humans?"

"...why would you clear your mind? Your mind has everything in there..." Clearing your mind...that sounded bad that sounded bad so bad like that was bad bad BAD BAD BAD BAD NO BAD STOP DON'T
Huh?
His wide-eyed surge of panic is interrupted by Chip's soothing presence, the worried barking and the nuzzle against his cheek snapping him from his terrified trance.
"...thanks Chip..."
Dale closes eyes and thinks, trying to decipher the scrambled information that came in during his panicked haze. What did he...what did they...? "Did...did you say you could get us out?"

The demon eyes would slither to the corners as he observed how intense the other was when the rabbit had made its dash for safety. So sharp and intense. It was almost as if he was waiting for something to attack and in turn attack back. It made the demon wonder somethings. Even more so when the demon saw the emotions at play on the other’s face - distrust and curiosity. Hmmm.

Red eyes would blink slowly as they drifted back to the landscape. “Have you never seen a rabbit before? Or encountered how quick they are to flee the scene?” the demon would ask as his eyes looked towards the bushes that the rabbit had disappeared into. It was quite strange the behavior the other displayed. Though maybe there was something more to it than that. Maybe this man was just naturally jumpy. He’d just have to wait and find out now, wouldn’t he?

Speaking of finding out, it seemed he would be finding out something more without even asking. That something more got his head tilting again though as he blinked at the other. “Not human? I suppose if said not human was made up of something similar to us we could. Talent such as mine doesn’t tend to do well with things that are too solid. You have be liquid too to learn from one such as us.” A pause, blink and a wide eyed stare. “Are you liquid? Or something else not human?” he would ask his face devoid of any emotion except curiosity….though it was probably creepy considering that fangy grin never went away.

That aside, the demon would wait patiently enough for answers before addressing the next thing that occurred.

“Uhhh…” For the first time ever Devi was rendered speechless for a moment as his mind tried to process what was being said. “Clearing the mind is a figure of speech. It’s like coming out here to push away bothersome thoughts so you can think clearly again. It does not mean wiping the mind clean literally. If we did that we would be zombies or dead. I don’t want to be either of those to be frank. Would be quite the sad thing.” Not to mention how much of life he still needed to experience, but that aside why the hell was this guy taking what he said literally? Surely, he knew figures of speech….right? Or maybe not considering the guy had gone into panic mode when he heard the words. What a strange fellow that was easily comforted by a dog. Hmmm maybe some extreme form of anxiety and nativity was at play here then. Maybe and maybe not.

He certainly couldn’t tell at the moment and he probably wouldn’t be able to for a long while. Either way, he’d put the thought on the back burner as he watched the other pull himself from panic and ask a question that was so much easier to answer than the last few.  

He would grin as he nodded. “Yes. Yes we did and can.”

"No..." So that was a rabbit. Small, and...what was the word? How did he describe it...?
...this was annoying. He didn't know the word he wanted. He didn't even have the words that meant the word. He was utterly lost.
It seemed to treat everyone else like he did, though. It wasn't as fast, nor as big or as big or as strong as he was. It couldn't move like him, could act like him. But it blended in better than he ever did, and it knew to stay away.
It felt familiar. A little thing just like him.
...rabbits would have been nice to have before.

As much as the creature's expression was creepy, it wasn't as unnerving as others seen before. It was missing the sheer and blatant hostility, the glint that made so clear their ill intention toward you.
But it was still creepy.
A hint of disappointment entered Dale's voice as he realised the tricks of this creature were out of reach, though he remained wary. "I'm not liquid. Or...I don't think so. Never been like that as I know." If it wasn't going to get him anywhere, he wouldn't say he wasn't human. The less people that knew that, the better. It helped him. It made people think he couldn't do what he could.
It...meant people wouldn't try to...
Chip batted at him before his mind could delve down that train of thought too far.

Dale seemed to calm somewhat at the explanation, nodding along as if the secrets of the universe were being revealed unto him. That was a lot better. So much better. If that was what it meant, then he could be alright with that.
A couple of things hitched in his mind though, little niggles of the unknown in what he heard that he wanted answers to. "What's a zombie? Or...dead?"

They could...
"Can you get us out?"