As Ava considers the question, the cheer drains from her face.

She takes a sip of her tea, holding onto the mug to give her fingers something to do.



"I don't talk about this a whole lot," she says at last, aiming for casual. (Her tone is even, but a bit soft.) "But you might need to know, so ...

A long time ago, I was kidnapped by a demon. He wanted me to work for him too, more or less."