El Tango De Roxanne (Djirma)

Karma sat at her mother's grave in the old cemetery, the small rock and mound of dirt the only remnants of the only family she'd ever had. She was twisting flowers into a small wreath, as her mother had loved these kind of flowers, Lilacs, Lavender, and Sage and had said they were great for protection. She smiled softly at the memory, her mother giving her a small crown of the same herbal flowers and placing it on her head.

It protects against bad spirits. Her mother had said in a low conspiratorial voice. That way, if they come and find you, you'll be safe. She'd believed it then, and her research had shown that it was quite true in potion making and summoning spells, so why not leave them to make sure her mother rested in peace?

She started humming the lullaby as her fingers worked on the stems, braiding and intertwining them until the wreath was almost half-finished. The darkness of the cemetery never bothered her, she was here way to often. The sky was clear and full of stars, so there was no storm to be worried about. She'd never been afraid of the dark, anyway. She could see into it.

Djinn had been wandering near the graveyard. Several beings lurked without its borders, and many of them did his bidding. He had noted the girl within its confines. Karma Black.

Slipping in his 'Ethon' form as easily as he slipped into his natural human mask, he strolled casually and silently through the gravestones until he stood over the girl.

"Beautiful," the demon remarked softly.

Karma looked up at the man, her eyes cool, calculating. "Ethon." She said, before her eyes dropped back to the wreath she was weaving. "I've been meaning to talk to you." She adjusted one of the lavender blooms on the wreath so it faced outward, then took a bit of sage and continued to weave it in.

Djinn reached out a hand to lightly stroke her hair. "Oh?" he prompted.

"I have missed you." The demon was surprised to realize it was partly true.

Karma remained silent for a while, trying her best not to react to his words or touch. Instead, she kept her mind elsewhere, on a certain Half-Flame, to help her keep her focus.

"I need you to stop what ever it is you're doing with me." She said, curt, polite, and semi-emotionless. Her eyes stayed on the wreath, drawing peace and serenity from the scent of lavender and sage.

The demon withdrew his hand, eyes narrowing shrewdly. "You think I am... doing something to you?" he echoed. "If I do recall, it was you who approached me, first.

"So, who is it? The psychopath? Or some other pet? I don't truly believe you want me to stop doing anything."

Karma looked up at him, her eyes a bit worried. "I didn't say you were doing anything to me. I meant our relationship. It has to end."

She looked back at the wreath. It was almost done now. She threaded in another lilac before sighing. "It's not the psychopath." she said. "It's someone else. A..." She lowered her voice, her eyes downcast. "Demon-boy." She'd never admitted this to anyone before, and it felt wrong to say it to Ethon before she told Arsen herself. "I refuse to be untrue to him. He's more than a pet."

"Arsen," Djinn spoke he name when she didn't. He let out a small huff that might have been a laugh. "It was my understanding that you loathed the boy.

"What if I don't want our 'relationship' to end? What then?"

Karma looked down at her wreath, refusing to look at him. "Looks like it's something you don't understand then."

She looked up at him then, a fire in her eyes. "What if what you want doesn't matter? What then?"

Grabbing the front of her clothes, he yanked her feet, snarling right in her face. "Oh, it matters," he intoned darkly. "It matters quite a lot, as a matter of fact."

Karma stared him down, even as he lifted her off her feet. She was not afraid of him. She probably should have been, as she'd dropped her mother's wreath, and her feet were dangling uselessly, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her scared.

"You don't matter to me as much as him, so your opinion is of no consequence."

Djinn stared at her a long moment. And then he gave a chilling smirk. He set her down, only to pull her against him, his cheek against her hair as he murmured in her ear.

"You won't choose him over me."

Stepping back, he turned, to all appearances apparating away, but not before casually saying, "Tell your blond-haired friend I said hello."

Karma looked at him defiantly as he set her down, freezing as he leaned in close and whispered. "You're wrong." She said, determined, even though she was shivering at his proximity.

Her eyes widened. She only knew two blonds that could be mistaken as her friends, Evie and Aria.

She sat back on the cold ground and picked up her mother's wreath, weaving it with shaking fingers. She placed it on the grave and stood, wrapping her arms around herself. He wouldn't get to her. She was fine.

But she was cold, and she wanted Arsen.