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Layne's stomach protested the sudden surprise teleportation via artifact. Again it felt as if her insides had been broken apart and reconstructed, and again she cursed associating with Bav for that moment in time. The fox had done a two for two teleportation trick on her and yet again had there been any choice in the matter? When she recovered from her momentary nausea she shook herself of the remnants of the sensation and looked with wide eyes to see that they were in a room that looked like a cavern covered in sapphire and cyan crystal shards that seemed to creep along the wall and ceiling. She couldn't help but feel just a bit of embarrassment from the fact that neither Bav nor the giant that had arrived with them seemed to be feeling as sick as she was. She then felt a paw upon her shoulder and Bav's voice came out in a sing-song tone, echoing off the walls, "C'mon, Gatton's chambers are deeper in. He'll answer all your little questions without any teasing, sorry about that by the way, just my nature showing."

Layne quirked a brow at that and looked to the grinning vulpine before shrugging and allowing herself to be led to the door before them. She didn't answer, only continued on heading towards the wooden door before her. Even with the gentle giant by her side with his aura of peace, she felt a tension and apprehension grip at her heart. She had been told time after time that she would not be forced to do anything she did not want to, that she always had a choice, but was that true? She had simply trusted Bav, and yet perhaps it was because that giant was there by her side that she had allowed herself to be taken. The majority of the people on her home continent seemed to believe that demons weren't to be trusted, and yet she had been at that demon city for more than a day or so and only encountered three demons that found it necessary to threaten her life. She couldn't just believe that Bav was a bad egg at heart, she had to at least believe they were telling a portion of the truth. Even as they stopped before the door, and both Bav and the giant waited for her to touch the door, she still felt this overarching pressure that refused to leave, this feeling that she would be forced to make a choice that wasn't entirely hers again.

"We can leave if you desire." Layne jumped as she heard the sudden voice of her large friend, his hand upon her shoulder.

That brought her out of that little maelstrom that was forming in her head, the hand on her shoulder bringing a certain amount of security for her with the assurance brought on by the combined warmth and firmness of the giant's hold. With a breath, she shook herself of the fear and smiled, "I'll be fine. I'm just here for answers anyway, I can leave when I get those answers if I'm not into it right?"

"That is correct." Came the simple and yet secure response.

Layne sighed and reached to take the crystal knob of the door in paw and twist. Might as well simply get it over with, she could at least trust her giant friend to pull her out of this place should things get strange or uncomfortable.

She opened the door not sure what to expect, her eyes set in a determined line, but as she stepped in she found herself in perhaps the most mundane of rooms. There were still crystals sprouting everywhere, but only as lights. The rest of the room itself felt what she would call, oddly warm and homely. The walls and floors were a pleasant wooden decor and there were rows and rows of bookcases lined with yellow-paged tomes and books. At one of the many bookcases, a large gator-like man stood there with scales of cyan that looked similar to the crystals outside, his claws a crystalline sheen. Seated upon his snout were what appeared to be reading glasses betraying his hulking form.

Layne wasn't sure what exactly to say at the moment, but unfortunately, Bav was there to announce their arrival with a flourish and a hop, "Gatton darling! I'm here with a special guest, well two guests, but one is more special than the other!"

Gatton turned, his large tail cutting through the air as he faced the trio in his study, "Bav? You're here with friends of yours? I didn't appreciate the last time--" He paused as he saw Layne and the giant standing there at his doorway. Gatton let out a breath of air and scratched at his chin while he searched for the words, "Hm, these are your friends Bav?"

Bav nodded and clapped their paws together, "More so the little kitten, less so the unmade."

Gatton grunted, "A doll and a cat. What is it that she needs exactly? Why is she just standing there too?"

Bav sighed, "You're just an imposing figure, especially standing there in nothing but your scales. I tell you, I could dress you up so well darling."

"No, I'm already a walking jacket, I don't need more heat. Now, next thing on the agenda. Miss cat, you're not a demon and you have questions right?"

Layne blinked before nodding with a nervous twitch of her digits, "Uh, yes. I do have questions. Plenty actually! Bav hasn't really been helpful--."

"I resent that entirely," Came Bav's immediate retort with their grin turned upside down.

Layne continued on ignoring the complaints, "As I said, Bav hasn't been too direct in answering my questions. So, I'd like to know, what exactly are the cons to staying as a non-demon here."

Gatton took his glasses gingerly and placed them upon the bookcase before speaking, "So you wanna know that huh little lady? Normally you'd have to go through a bit of paperwork to talk to me, but my eyes on the street seemed to think you're above all that. I don't mind. Don't mind that, Bav usually brings special cases, mostly cases with plenty of magic in them."

Layne tilted her head, "Oh uh, I wouldn't want to clog up the system that you have in place."

Gatton waved her off and grunted, "No. You're not doing anything wrong. Bav is supposed to bring me interesting cases. Magic cat. Big power I'm guessing from how Bav was practically drooling when they brought you in. So, cutting to the chase now. The cons to staying non-demon are easy. You can't work under any of the big wigs here. One of them being me, three other heads, and an archduke. Second, more taxes, sucks, but we do what we do. Third, you're liable to be shunned by a few dumb folk. Any questions?"

Layne shook her head but then asked, "What, what exactly is the con of becoming a demon?"

Gatton shrugged, "Not much. Change in affinity is a bit weird. You might find yourself fixated on one thing, so less adaptability at times, doesn't mean you can't go into other stuff, just means you really got passion for something usually. That's a positive or negative. Now then, becoming a demon is a different story. It hurts, and there is a mortality rate kitten. You can handle that?"

Layne choked, "Mortality rate? What exactly is the process to make it so dangerous?"

"There are many ways. Trauma, inner understanding of magic, meditating on a mountain or some nonsense like that, but my method is a bit more direct. A bit of trauma maybe, but a higher chance you'll be alive and a definite chance of you coming out a demon." Gatton then brought his hand up, crystal shards sprouting from his body and covering his hand in it, "A little crystal hibernation does it. Specific thing too, not every one of my kind can do it, but the ones that can are pretty high up. Useful."

Layne cleared her throat, "Well uh, that sounds very, frightening actually. When you say crystal hibernation--?"

"You'll be dead for a few days."

Layne chirped, "Dead?"

Gatton continued in a very cold manner, without blinking or turning from her, "Yes. For a few days you'll be dead inside of a crystal. Every experience is different, mutations happen differently. Now, maybe you can answer me a few questions."

"Not sure what you would want of me but I'd be happy--"

Gatton asked without waiting for her to stop, "What is a Lunar Feline doing here? Aren't you at the top of the chart at your home?"

Layne's ears folded, "I don't really want to talk about that."

Gatton looked to her, saw the pain in her eyes and nodded, "Hm, everyone has their reasons. I'd like to know, but I won't press too much. Would it help if the doll and fox were out?"

Layne thought about it for a moment and sighed. He had given her straight answers, nothing but straight and proper answers without any of the nonsense that some other demons had given her, not only that, but he gave her every bit of information without withholding the darker portions of it. Perhaps she should actually tell him, it wouldn't hurt to talk about it for just a little bit, "Sure."

Gatton looked to both of Layne's escorts and both Bav and the giant moved on out without question, which was strange considering what Layne had seen to be Bav's usual mode of conduct around others. When they were alone, the gator-like demon did not press her. He only stood there and watched her with cool eyes. He didn't rush her, didn't push her, and in that, she found a certain peace. When she could hear a small buzz in her ear from how quiet she was, she finally broke the silence with her words, her mouth dry, "My family is a wealthy clan of course, rich and influential. I was next in line, their darling son, however, there were problems with that. I wasn't good at magic at first, and I just didn't enjoy studying it too much. Sure I can use it now without a problem, but back then they just looked at me like I was an idiot, and more than that, I didn't want to be their son, I wanted to be their daughter." She then added dryly with a sigh, "How befitting of the child of prestige to want to sew and wear dresses rather than learn to wield an awesome power."

Layne felt heat wash her face in embarrassment and frustration as she recalled the old days of being called darling dearest Leon, of being lauded as this child of honor and future success, and then cast into the dust as she developed any other desire to do what she wanted and be what she wanted rather than what her father wanted. Any little failure was a pain to her family, any little misstep was an absolute insult to the integrity of her clan. She could feel the heat crackling in the palms of her paws, the onset of a fire spell forming from the emotional surge, but she took a deep breath and shut her eyes, "I'm sorry. I ran away from that place long ago with the help of my cousin, and right now I'd just like to move for my own reasons, on my own."

Gatton looked at Layne, unclear emotion on his visage, "Sad. Sad that big wigs gotta treat their kids like that sometimes. Pressure has been on you for a long time looks like, but you know, if you're a demon, you won't be able to run away from that anymore. You'll want to talk to them once more, you'll want to face them because you won't fear them. You sure you want that? You sure you want to risk changing your personality, changing your entire life, just for a chance to make a choice on your own?"

Layne took a breath, shaking just a bit, "It is my choice isn't it?"

Gatton shrugged, "All up to you. Why do you want to be here?"

Layne looked at the palm of her paw, "I want some agency without interruption from anyone. Without thought of anyone. I've met some interesting people around here, seen interesting things. I feel like I can take my potion making to another level, and this tech is wonderful. What people on Ultera say of demons are wrong. I don't want to live there, I want to live here and start again."

She heard his voice come low, the gator demon's so surprisingly soft, "And you sure you want to risk death for an opportunity at living the way you want to live?"

Layne nodded and to that he said, "Step out the door and keep walking, close your eyes and count to ten."

Layne felt her heart pump, the small feline unsure of what he meant by that, but this was her choice now, her chance to do something that she wanted to do. Her family played a part in it still, just a little bit and perhaps she would never be rid of their memory, but she would at the very least be moving to a place on her own terms without their eyes over her shoulder, without wondering whether or not they would come to take her back to that awful place, and so, she turned and walked to the door opening it and staring out into the crystal chamber, closing her eyes and taking her first few steps, counting out, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, her heart was beating so irregularly, so frantically, and before she knew it the count reached ten and her world turned black. Her heart had stopped and she felt cold lancing through her entire body. She opened her eyes wide and saw that crystal was coming up over her face. That cold felt far too piercing, far too searing, and yet it was accompanied by a voice, a whisper at the back of her mind, her friend the darling giant calling out to her within her mind, and someone else saying the same words, "See you when you wake. Don't fear. We'll be here. Just give yourself time and you'll be fine. I trust you. I know you'll accomplish this, and when you're back in the land of the living, you'll do just fine. For now, goodnight Layne Luness. Welcome home." With that her consciousness faded, her body stuck in sapphire colored crystal, her lips were frozen in a smile, her body stuck in limbo while she awaited rebirth.