...her stage name.  Someone was saying that looked so much like her...

That was disappointing. Nothing she could do about it and waited for class to be over with.

Soon enough, class ended.

Ruby waited for Astar before heading to the cafeteria.

"...you waited for me," said Aster.  "I'm surprised."

"Why? I don't know anyone else here," Ruby said.

"...I wasn't sure if you'd rather avoid me," said Aster.  "You know something about magic, after all."

"Why would I do that?" Ruby asked.

"...So you don't know what I am, then," said Aster.

"No," Ruby said.

"I'm tempted to not tell you, then," said Aster.  "...just so that you can get to know me, first.  But some people might call that being dishonest."

"Well, I'm going to have to insist now," Ruby said.

"Are you sure?" said Aster.  "You might get an answer that you don't like.  And I might not like seeing your response in your eyes..."

"What? Are you saying you're a demon then?" Ruby asked.

Aster shrugged.

"It's... complicated," she said.  "Answers you might not like."

"At this point though, it'll just be better to tell me," Ruby said.

"...well, it was nice while it lasted," said Aster.  "I'm three-quarters demon."

"Is that it?" Ruby asked.

"Isn't that plenty?" Aster asked.

"Well, unless I see you stealing souls or something I'm not going to care," Ruby said. "I've been in the magic world a long time."

Aster gave her a studied look.

"...that's not the kind of answer that I'm used to," she said.  "Have you been dealing with my kind before?"

"In a general sense. I've been taught magic since I could talk, basically," Ruby said.

"Not the same thing, though," said Aster.  "Not everyone deals with demons."

"I've read up on a lot of demons, had to exorcise a few and besides, you're not even a full blooded one," Ruby said.

"No, but most people note that I'm only a quarter human," said Aster.  "That's not exactly very human."