shook away a pang of guilt, of regret, for leaving Evey in danger. It was bullshit, and he knew it. A lingering side effect, no different from drug-induced paranoia.
“I am literally the hugest moron,” he groaned.
“What?” Artie called over the music, which now drowned them out again. Tom shook his head.
“Nothing.”
********
“I'd never seen one of those things before,” Keda's fashionable friend piped up. He had introduced himself as Goichi. Tom had a little trouble hearing him over the clanking of the subway car.
“A succubus?” Artie responded genially. Tom was nursing a bottle of water. Keda was, true to his behavior this evening, quiet.
“Yes. Is that what it was called?” Goichi asked with interest.
“Yeah. They're far more common in Europe, so don't feel bad. I'm kind of surprised to see one this far from home, honestly.”
“And how do they operate?” Goichi pried further.
“You probably know the old archetype. Seduce men, steal their souls. More or less accurate, but 'soul' probably isn't the right word, and they can snare women too, though they tend to prefer guys. They just kind of... drain your energy, I guess? It's hard to quantify it, because anyone who’s ever been drained by one has committed suicide within twenty-four hours. It completely saps the victim's will to live.”
“Does that mean Tom is a special case?”
Tom rubbed his forehead. Artie turned to look at him.
“Well, she didn’t have time to drain him, but...”
“She definitely snared me.”
“What was it like?” Artie asked.
Tom cocked an eyebrow.
“Sorry, never mind. Too soon,” Artie tried to change the subject.
“I was in a fantasy,” Tom explained with a frown. “Like... I was just somewhere else. She put me in this little world. I probably would have stayed there until she was done with me.”
“What was it like in there?” Artie inquired.
The side of Tom's lip curled up. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. Goichi, right?”
“Yes,” Goichi responded with a warm smile. He reminded Tom of Keda in a lot of ways.
“What do you do? Are you a Medium?” Artie asked.
“Yes, but not like Keda. I'm a pleasure host, or a concierge as some call it.”
“I can guess what that means, and I'm not sure how to feel about it,” Tom chided.
“It's fairly self-explanatory. I willingly rent my body out to demons who are here to experience the pleasures of the corporeal body.”
“You're a prostitute,” Tom said sharply.
“Sex is a large part of my job, yes,” Goichi said smoothly, running a hand through his hair. “But also substances. Anything demons find novel, I allow them to experience. Some are content simply to sit in an apartment listening to music or taking in films. In a lot of ways it allows me to enjoy simplicity to life that other people, ironically, can't appreciate. Many take the world we live in and the amazing bodies we are given for granted.”
“I guess I see what you mean. But there are other things they might want to experience-- bad things. Hurting people, killing people. Rape. Dangerous situations. Do you expose yourself to that?”
“No. Those sorts of people are referred to as Hard workers, and they're usually the kind of people who would be doing those things, to themselves if not to others, regardless of if they had the convenient excuse of demonic possession to justify their actions. I take all the necessary precautions. I get tested regularly. I often take a partner along to keep watch in case the guest tries to push things further than I'm willing to let them. Some guests are more persuasive than others.”
“Does it happen often?”
“They commonly want to go quite far, I will admit. But I am experienced. The boundaries are set clearly when I make the pact, and I swiftly end the agreement if they make more than a cursory attempt to break them.”
“Is this sort of thing common? Are there a lot of people like you?”
“Very
“I am literally the hugest moron,” he groaned.
“What?” Artie called over the music, which now drowned them out again. Tom shook his head.
“Nothing.”
********
“I'd never seen one of those things before,” Keda's fashionable friend piped up. He had introduced himself as Goichi. Tom had a little trouble hearing him over the clanking of the subway car.
“A succubus?” Artie responded genially. Tom was nursing a bottle of water. Keda was, true to his behavior this evening, quiet.
“Yes. Is that what it was called?” Goichi asked with interest.
“Yeah. They're far more common in Europe, so don't feel bad. I'm kind of surprised to see one this far from home, honestly.”
“And how do they operate?” Goichi pried further.
“You probably know the old archetype. Seduce men, steal their souls. More or less accurate, but 'soul' probably isn't the right word, and they can snare women too, though they tend to prefer guys. They just kind of... drain your energy, I guess? It's hard to quantify it, because anyone who’s ever been drained by one has committed suicide within twenty-four hours. It completely saps the victim's will to live.”
“Does that mean Tom is a special case?”
Tom rubbed his forehead. Artie turned to look at him.
“Well, she didn’t have time to drain him, but...”
“She definitely snared me.”
“What was it like?” Artie asked.
Tom cocked an eyebrow.
“Sorry, never mind. Too soon,” Artie tried to change the subject.
“I was in a fantasy,” Tom explained with a frown. “Like... I was just somewhere else. She put me in this little world. I probably would have stayed there until she was done with me.”
“What was it like in there?” Artie inquired.
The side of Tom's lip curled up. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. Goichi, right?”
“Yes,” Goichi responded with a warm smile. He reminded Tom of Keda in a lot of ways.
“What do you do? Are you a Medium?” Artie asked.
“Yes, but not like Keda. I'm a pleasure host, or a concierge as some call it.”
“I can guess what that means, and I'm not sure how to feel about it,” Tom chided.
“It's fairly self-explanatory. I willingly rent my body out to demons who are here to experience the pleasures of the corporeal body.”
“You're a prostitute,” Tom said sharply.
“Sex is a large part of my job, yes,” Goichi said smoothly, running a hand through his hair. “But also substances. Anything demons find novel, I allow them to experience. Some are content simply to sit in an apartment listening to music or taking in films. In a lot of ways it allows me to enjoy simplicity to life that other people, ironically, can't appreciate. Many take the world we live in and the amazing bodies we are given for granted.”
“I guess I see what you mean. But there are other things they might want to experience-- bad things. Hurting people, killing people. Rape. Dangerous situations. Do you expose yourself to that?”
“No. Those sorts of people are referred to as Hard workers, and they're usually the kind of people who would be doing those things, to themselves if not to others, regardless of if they had the convenient excuse of demonic possession to justify their actions. I take all the necessary precautions. I get tested regularly. I often take a partner along to keep watch in case the guest tries to push things further than I'm willing to let them. Some guests are more persuasive than others.”
“Does it happen often?”
“They commonly want to go quite far, I will admit. But I am experienced. The boundaries are set clearly when I make the pact, and I swiftly end the agreement if they make more than a cursory attempt to break them.”
“Is this sort of thing common? Are there a lot of people like you?”
“Very
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