Three different people came to see the place before the lease was signed. Catharsis of course carefully observed each in turn, doing nothing. Where a hastier fiend might have then compared and ranked them from least to most fun, or which would be easiest to corrupt; perhaps even played some games to test them. Catharsis only watched, listened and remembered.

When the front door was unlocked and the new tenant first entered the apartment, the demon suppressed a flash of annoyance. The young lady who paused at the threshold looking about before softly stepping through was not any one of the three. All of that observation wasted. This was the excuse the demon gave in it’s own mind as a breeze from the window was assisted along, slamming the door home on the lady’s heels. Then another surprise as the obviously skittish girl did not jump. She paused, tightening of muscles in her back the only indication she felt anything, before continuing, slower still, into the apartment.

The girl, revealed to use the name Elizabeth, took less than a week to settle into a routine. A dull, minimalist routine. She had come with no furniture, and no truck had arrived with any in the days immediately following her arrival. Rather she came in the second day with a pad that could be called a futon or mattress if one was being generous. Elizabeth brought a chair and small table in with her the afternoon of the third day, clearly castoffs from some garage sale or recent move.

That was when Catharsis finally learned the girl’s name, or first heard her speak. The apartment manager had been on the stairs, asking if there was anything she needed help with, offering further assistance in a tone of undisguised interest as to the ‘help’ he would prefer giving. Elizabeth had answered in as flat a tone as the demon had ever heard.

“Thank you, but no. I’m fine. Have a good day.”

She then set her burden in the hall to close the door and turn the bolt. There had been no further reaction to the manager as Elizabeth brought the scavenged furniture into the main room of the apartment. No mutter under her breath, not even a roll of the eyes. Catharsis didn’t even detect any of the subtle cues of a spike in frustration or fear.

And that was it. Kitchenware trickled in over that week, and the girl did in fact cook for herself. She clearly took no pleasure in it, but did not appear frustrated by it either. The demon didn’t have the capacity to say whether the food was any good of course. By the end of that week Catharsis growing suspicion was that Elizabeth would eat a five star meal or cold oatmeal in the same way.

Weekdays would have the girl up to her alarm at 7. She would dress and eat, mostly cereal and usually assemble a couple sandwiches for her lunch and leave before eight. Elizabeth would return to the apartment between six and seven pm, make dinner or eat the leftovers from the previous day. She would watch a couple of art videos on her phone, a barely used sketchbook ignored near her elbow. Then the typical nightly ritual, brushing teeth and such and bed. A shower ever other day, between dinner and the videos.

Catharsis saw that sorrow was going to be the only real way to go with this room-mate by day three. Still, the demon waited. Elizabeth didn’t have the look of one likely to move again soon, so there was time. The weekend however, offered little. Yes Elizabeth stayed in the apartment more, only leaving for the weeks grocery trip. Yet there was little difference from the week. She would sleep in, as well as go to bed earlier. Perhaps her Saturday shower was a little longer, slower than during the week, but not by much if it was.

There was never any sign of strong emotion. The girl could smile faintly at a funny part of one of the videos she watched, sigh her disappointment when she over-cooked some food. The demon wondered. Decided to give it another full week before really starting anything. Maybe this girl took awhile to really settle in. Perhaps she would interact with someone else, give the demon some idea of the feelings that must be lurking beneath the flat barrier the girl presented.