THE MOMENT
"Oh my, are you adventurers?" The lovely blonde woman smiled down at the brown-haired girl in particular, but she was accompanied by a pair of older teens. The older ones looked identical with dark hair and purple eyes; except one had a red hairband and other a yellow one. All three wore plate armor; Six's was gold, while the twins both wore black. The three girls stood on the front porch of the small rustic cottage when Nevelle, the housewife opened to see who was knocking.
"You must be here to see my husband, then," she added and made a sweeping gesture to point around the house that ended with her thumb aiming backward. "He's out back training, go ahead and find your way back there. I've got some cookies about to come out of the oven. I'll bring you all some in a few minutes," she encouraged them away with a wave, then closed the door.
"I wonder what kind of cookies," Six, the youngest one wondered aloud as the trio walked the worn path around the home toward the back.
"I wonder how many 'a few minutes' is," Karin, the twin with the yellow headband, had her own wonderings. She didn't expect to be there too long and hoped the cookies came out before they were done.
"We can wait," Davina, Karin's sister, was well aware of her sister's concern. The three of them were currently helping Karin, and were supposed to adventure for Davina's benefit next. "It's not a tight schedule, just a window I'm aiming for. And, I'm not gonna say no to fresh cookies." They giggled amongst themselves until they finally reached a wooden shed. It was made from the same thick logs as the cottage, and about 1/3 its size. The black door was closed with golden runes painted in a circular fashion on it.
"Mr. Deacon? Hello?" Six knocked on the door. They heard creaking movement inside and then the unlatching of several locks before the door opened.
"You from the guild?" he asked, and Karin nodded. "Come in," he waved them in, and shut the door behind them.
"Did the demon see you?" he asked as he went down the line of six locks, turning them all into place.
"If it did, we didn't see it," Karin shrugged.
"Oh, but don't lock up, your wife is going to bring us cookies," Six added. His hand froze on the last lock, but then he twisted it with a deliberate click; and he sighed.
"That thing is not my wife," he shook his head. "She's been possessed by the demon you lot are here to kill, so you can free my wife."
"Are you sure? She seemed really nice," Davina asked.
"I'm a demon hunter myself," Deacon nodded. "A rather good one. I almost didn't detect its presence until I realized something was wrong. For a couple of days now, she's been way sweet and kinder than the annoying bitch she used to be," he said it in an almost wistful tone. "Now, she loves cooking, and she's trying to show interest in my hobbies. That's not like her at all."
"She sounds better...," Karin commented. Deacon chuckled and nodded.
"You're young," he shook his head. "It sounds easier, and that's 'better' almost by default. But, I love my wife; she's the reason I'm such a good demon hunter. The denizens of the underworld can't hold a candle to my beloved when she's mildly inconvenienced. And, putting up with that every day has been the most fulfilling training I've ever had."
"So you just want us to go in there and get that demon out?" Karin asked. Deacon nodded.
"Can we wait until she comes out with the cookies?" she had the follow-up ready. Deacon nodded again, and the girls smiled at each other.
"So, why are we here?" Six asked. They had an unknown amount of time to spare, and she was curious. "You know she's a demon, and since she's being so nice, getting close to her shouldn't be a problem."
"You're not wrong," Deacon nodded with a chuckle. "But, even by surprise, it's not likely to give up easily. No matter how careful I was, I'd still have to hurt her."
"Awww... and you can't do that to your wife?" Six asked.
"You're damn right I can't," Deacon nodded. "You don't know how upset she's already going to be as soon as she gets back to normal."