[Baconwizard]

Samael sat on top of the cathedral spire, the sea wind brushing through his hair. It was a pleasant day, and Samael supposed that was the reason the humans were out in droves, buying things and spending that worthless money at the market. Samael could hear the cries of vendors hawking their wares even from his great height. The humans looked like little insects, like he could squish them between his fingers. Samael wasn't partial to heights, but even he could appreciate a view like that.

Still... Views could only go so far. Yet, actually going down there and fighting to be noticed by some wayward soul, when there were so many other temptations to lure a human in, was exhausting. Samael didn't want to spend that much energy on a human that could turn out to be a dud. The last human he had dealt with was a bore, and it still frustrated him to no end. Samael tilted his head, squinting his eyes to look down at the heads of passerby. Surely there was one... some pure soul willing to do a dirty deed in order to get what they wanted. Some innocent willing to become corrupt for their wish. Samael wanted a challenge; he wanted something fun.

Sighing, Samael propped his chin on one hand, unable to take his eyes off the mesmerizing spectacle that was human society. He watched a man steal an old woman's purse unnoticed, and a woman tugging a gaggle of children through the crowd. A tall man stood outside of the church and preached at anyone who would listen about the end of the world approaching. Who was he kidding. The end of the world was here, and Samael was watching it with the fascination of a child watching a fish bowl.

Samael toyed with the idea of leaving. It took a perceptive human to notice his presence even when he was standing right in front of him; no human would ever see him way up above. Not even the self-proclaimed holy men of the abbey would recognize Samael for what he was. Staying where he was was looking to be a more boring prospect. Just as Samael stood up, the bells of the cathedral began to chime the hour, stunning Samael slightly with the resounding clamor. Cringing, Samael clutched at his ears, turning to glare at the large bells that had the audacity to disturb him.

[Sorry it took me so long to start! I figure Dolly could hear the bells and look up and see Sam?]

[Atoli01]

They were running low on milk back home. It was a universally known fact that Dolly couldn't go a night without a glass of milk to put her to sleep. This trip was intended to be a speedy, curt one, though it was unanimously decided that, since Dolly was going out anyway, that it would obviously make the most sense for her to handle the troupe's groceries this time. (Sure, they were running short on a few other crucial cooking ingredient, but wasn't milk the only one that had mattered?) By far, handling the groceries was her least favorite chore. It didn't help any that Elliot had blatantly ignored her request for accompaniment, and Horatio assured her that Magi and Rupa were having too much fun playing together to allow her to leave either.

To sum the situation up: Dolly was bored, and alone in a large city, and worn out simply from the thought of grocery shopping. She decided that it would be best, however, to get the troublesome task over with promptly. 2:30. The time wasn't bad, but... Dolly just barely managed to dodge two children who ran past her, but bumped into an older man in the process of doing so. With an apology she scurried off.

One ingredient at a time, she hunted down the respective vendor and scratched it off her list. Before long, both of her arms were nearly full. Wouldn't it have been a better idea to have someone like Elliot handle the groceries? Dolly sighed before getting her bearings on the city once more. However, stopped at a corner, before she could turn her body in the correct direction, the city's bell rung.

She had heard that same chime countless of times before, though this time in particular, her gaze directed itself upwards toward the tower. Only to find... a person?  Who would...?

[Baconwizard]

There was a prickle on the back of Samael's neck, and it made him pause among the ringing of the bells. He stopped, his violet eyes sweeping over the crowd beneath him. Someone had glimpsed him. Not only glimpsed him, but really seen him. The sound of the cathedral bells washed over him unnoticed, the vibrations of the sound echoing in his bones. Dong... Dong... Dong... Three times the bells rung out, and Samael stood motionless, every fiber of his being at attention.

Yes. There. That girl. Samael's eyes fixed on a pale smudge that was nestled in the crowd below, noticeable only because she was the only one not moving along, like all the other sheep. Even from this distance, Samael seemed to lock eyes with her, and slowly, a smile began to creep across his face. "Hello, my dear," he murmured, tilting his head as he watched the small human girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The demon took a step forward, off of the edge of the roof, and vanished into the air.

[Atoli01]

Haha, silly her. Surely Dolly had only been seeing things. The weight of the bags must have been paying a toll on her body, huh? No man would climb to the top of that tower. (Were people even allowed up there? She doubted it.) So, with a sigh, she dodged several more people in the city's crowded streets before finally managing to direct herself down the correct back back home.

That... Would have been the case however, had a rather burly man not slammed into her and made her drop a good half of her groceries. He didn't even stop to help, or even say sorry! Dolly was infuriated by his lack of manners, though to act on such emotions wasn't a thing she did. Instead, she merely shot daggers at the man before setting down her bags and gathering what could be salvaged from the ground.

[Baconwizard]

Samael watched the girl make her way through the crowd, his eyes glinting in the shadows of the carts and alleyways she passed. She was young, even for human standards. The girl seemed to be as exactly as she appeared: sweet, simple, and good-natured. Those were always the ones that hid their dark selves underneath all that sugar-sweet goodness. It appeared as if she was doing groceries by herself; certainly all that food wasn't just for her. The demon watched with an amused glance as a large man bumped into the girl, making her stumble and her groceries fall out. Well, if that wasn't Samael's cue, he wasn't sure what was.

Stepped out from the shadows of the alleyway, Samael stopped an apple from rolling away, scooping it up with a deft motion and holding it out for the girl. "Is this yours?" He purred, a smile on his face. "Would you like any help with all those groceries, Miss?"

[Atoli01]

Just as her hand reached out to grab the last apple to the collection she had cradled in my arms, it was snatched away. Had Dolly not thought better and looked up at the culprit, she would've ended up yelling at the "thief" to come back with her apple. Her mother would have been ashamed of her manners. Fortunately, she had thought better of it, and was now staring this particular stranger in the eyes.

"Y-yes, thank you," she fumbled over her words, scooping the apple from his hands. The man didn't look... unattractive, to say the least. Asking for help from anyone was something she was something she was hesitant of, though, looking at the bags and the messily gathered groceries around here... "Would you really help me? I'm sorry. I stay at the circus in town, if you know where that is."

[Baconwizard]

[*TWEETS WHISTLE LOUDLY* Nooooo, Dolly, you are not allowed to find Sam attractive, go to your corner before he breaks u more D':  Of course, it's my fault for making an attractive demon scumlord. I just feel bad for anyone who ever develops nice feelings towards Sam.]

Samael's smile grew a little wider as he listened to the girl speak, and his eyes lit up with delight at the mention of her home. "The circus!" How interesting! Samael had never met someone from the circus before. This was getting more interesting by the minute, and the demon hoped that it would continue to do so. "That's wonderful! Are you a performer, by any chance? Oh, pardon me, let me help you up, Miss." Samael stepped a little closer to the girl, wrapping an arm around her and helping her to her feet. He smiled, then quickly stepped back, his eyes fixed to hers to gauge her reaction. "I just have this instinct to help when I see people in troubled situations."

[Atoli01]

[ A very attractive demon scumlord sobs. ; ___ ; You and Dolly and scumlord are all awful aaaaaaaa. Sadistic characters are the best characters. B) ]

"O-oh, I'm a clown. A little silly, huh? I mean, um..." Dolly hadn't even meant to phrase things that way. Peculiar how words came out when you were on the ground surrounded by groceries, talking to a stranger about the circus. "Yeah, I guess it quite really is silly." Despite her embarrassment, she giggled at the thought. And people thought it was distasteful to laugh at their own jokes. Hah, what did they know? ...The thought just made Dolly laugh more.

She quickly gained composure when she felt the man's arm around her waist, however. Being touched by a man was something that shocked her, so, using his arm as support, she quickly jumped to her feet. Not that she disliked the man, but physical contact from the male populace put her at unease. The twintailed girl took a single step back, wiping a stray tear or two from the corners of her eyes. "Thank you. You seem very kind, sir."

Dusting her hands off on her dress, Dolly held one of the messily packed paper bags out to the man. "Oh, but before I give this to you--" she pulled the bag back to her chest. "What's your name?"

[Baconwizard]

[So true, but I'm just glad they only exist in fiction. In real life, Sam wouldn't be fun at all.]

Samael's smile grew a little wider as Dolly joked, but he did not laugh along with the girl. As she jumped up, his eyes grew wide, but he quickly averted them in a gesture of apology, bending his head in a mock bow. He had startled her, just with that? She was shier than Samael had first thought. It was a little funny, and funny was an appropriate description for a clown.

A sincere expression on his pale face, Samael held his hands out to take the bag, his head tilting as she retracted it. At Dolly's words, he sucked in a breath, as if catching his breach of ettiquite. "Pardon me, I haven't introduced myself yet." He paused, glancing away, then back at Dolly, a troubled look entering his violet eyes. "My name... my real name is a bit of a secret, I'm afraid. You see, if I tell someone my name, it gives them power over me. Not unlimited power, of course, but it is a tad annoying to be able to sense whenever someone is talking about me." Samael fidgeted with the end of his sleeve, his posture giving the appearance of someone nervous. "I'm sorry if all this frightens you, Miss, but I feel like I shouldn't lie to you. If... If I tell you my real name, will you keep it safe for me? Would you keep it a secret?"

[Atoli01]

Real... name...? Dolly tilted her head at the man curiously. Easier than he could have spit all those words out, he could have just as easily have given her a fake one; she never would have known. Furthermore, it sounded, in a way, like something that she'd read out of one of those silly teen romance novels about witches and wizards and the like. He wasn't just messing with her, right? Dolly was stared at him for a few moments in expectation, becoming more and more confused as time went on that he hadn't burst out something like, "I'm just joking!" or, "I'm just pulling your leg!"

"I won't tell. I promise." She was sincere. Even if he was a stranger she'd likely never see again once the groceries were out of the equation, if he wished it to be kept a secret, she was in no position to speak of it.

[Baconwizard]

Samael's eyes warmed, and he nodded his head. "Thank you, miss." He straightened himself up, looking at the girl. "My real name is Samael. But, if you prefer, you may call me Sam. It's less of a mouthful that way." He chuckled, his voice a low purr. Reaching out to take the grocery bag from Dolly, Samael continued. "May I ask what your name is? I can't keep referring to you as miss..."

[Edited because I forgot the color, whoops!]

[Atoli01]

"O-oh, right!" After Dolly handed Sam the bag, she looked down a bit shamefully, cursing herself for her slip in propriety, when it was her who inspired it in Sam. "My name is Dorothy Coppleman, though most people refer to me as Dolly." She bowed when introducing herself, and thanked the man for taking the bag. Dolly could get the other one. That much was easy to handle, right? She had handled more than just one bag before, anyway.

Picking up the other grocery-packed bag, Dolly gestured with her head to the original direction she was heading. "Shall we get going then, Sam?" She grinned lightly, before starting down the busy street. Maybe she could even take a moment to take him backstage to meet the others.

[Baconwizard]

Samael's smile widened, and he bowed his head as Dolly introduced herself in a gesture of politeness. He adjusted the bag in his arms, and fell into step besides the girl. He was silent for a moment, glancing up at the sky. This was certainly better than sitting up on the roof, bored out of his wits. But it wasn't... exciting, either. The demon was fairly certain that Dolly was categorized as a 'sweet, gentle girl' but Samael didn't care about sweetness or gentleness. He'd rather see those pure, white sentiments stain into something darker.

Violet eyes flicking back to the smile on Dolly's face, Samael cleared his throat, a curious expression on his face. "Tell me, what is it like working at a circus?"

[Atoli01]

"Hm... working at the circus..." Dolly adjusted the bag in her hand as she walked, having to take a moment to think about the question. She wanted to give Sam an honest, accurate answer, though it was a question that she had strangely only been asked before once or twice when she was younger. Most people just asked them to show them something like juggling or asked her to do something nonsensical for them.

"I guess it's a little hectic sometimes. But it's a lot of work. I live with all of them, so it's really like a full-time job. Half of them wouldn't even know their left foot from their right if it weren't for Horatio and I. Pfft, especially Elliot. He's hopeless." Dolly laughed a little though, she stopped herself at that thought. "Sorry, I've talked a lot, huh? It's really fun, in the end. Better than being at home for most of us."

[Baconwizard]

Samael listened, an attentive expression on his face. He chuckled along with Dolly, a warmth rising up in his eyes as Dolly apologized, and he shook his head. "It sounds like you've found yourself a very good home there." Samael looked down the street ahead of them, the smile still on his face. "You would do well to protect that. A happy family is a rare gem indeed." Adjusting the bag in his arms, Samael glanced at Dolly gauging how his words landed in the girl's mind. Those who adored their family would generally do anything to protect it, even at their own expense.