Elizabeth
Elizabeth rested her chin against Hannah's head, wiping away her tears and smiling. The thought of robbing a powerful demon, gaining a cute subordinate, and a powerful mage?
It was too much. Plus, her father sounded like a total asshole to Liz. Like her when she was a young, foolish woman.
Elizabeth kissed the top of Hannah's head. "Didn't you say I'm as strong as her? I'll just take her out with my one two punch!"
She picked up a piece of the blanket, rubbing away her tears. "You'll be safe here, my child."
HannahWere it any other situation, Hannah would just jump right at it. Here Elizabeth was, comforting her and wiping her tears away, petting her. Hannah was at her most vulnerable, opening like blossoming petals in the greater demon's grasp. But instead her body shook with sobbing.
'Of course I care about you, Hannah. You care about your arm, don't you?"You don't understand. I'm never safe. It's in my blood."
She scraped at her arms with her fingernails now, eyes shut closed with pain. Not the good, simple physical pain either. Her voice fell to a choked whisper. "I-If my father ever dies, if any of her rivals ever... defeat her, I'm her insurance policy. It's why I was born. That's all I am, you know?"
Hannah's toes curled while her tail wrapped around Elizabeth's waist, desperately.
"I'm just some woman's payment for her magical powers. Just a demon's insurance policy! There's no point in anything! There's no point in plans, or futures, or... anything!" It exploded out of her all at once, her voice rising to a scream. "I can get as strong as I want, I can make any friends I want, get anything I want, and someday she'll just take it away because
I won't be me anymore!"