It had been weeks since Riyo received her first assignment from Malcolm.

Crumpled papers littered the floor around her trash can like cat toys scattered around their respective container. Numerous times she had started, realized that she was going off on a pity party tangent, and quickly tossed the paper aside to start anew, and after 10 papers or more, she would get frustrated, push herself from the desk, and leave the room for some much needed fresh air.

“I can’t do this anymore.” The ghoul said to herself one evening after violently throwing her pen down, effectively smearing the newest piece of parchment with ink. “Jack dammit!” Another wasted opportunity tossed over the shoulder and into the paws of her anxious cats who saw this as nothing more than a silly game. “Out of all the things that b*****d could’ve stuck me with. I would rather wrestle bears in a bikini than put up with this s**t.” And she didn’t even own a bikini.

One thing about it, however, even after weeks of constantly starting and stopping, she was still trying. The newest piece of paper now lay in front of her. Simple, clean. Ready to be filled. The feline’s eyes watched it, as if waiting for the inanimate object to write on itself. “What’s good about me?” Deep down, she felt like admitting there were good traits was equal to the claim of perfection. It was what held her up all this time.

Felix, growing tired of being left to his own devices, finally managed to hop up on his owners lap for some much needed TLC. For a split second it looked like Riyo was ready to push him off, but stopped, and simply scratched behind his ears. “Why can’t I just write about you instead? Or any of my friends, really.” Riyo sighed. Yeah, that would be so much easier. She could list at least 100 things she liked about all of them.

Hm. Did having friends count as something she liked about herself? Her pen perked up momentarily.

… Probably not.

“Well. At least I’m not Titus.”

Immediately after that thought, number one on the list appeared.

1. I’m not Titus.

There. That wasn’t horrible. It did beg the question, however.

Who was she?

Well, she was Riyo, for what that was worth. She didn’t care for the name but besides her demon name (which she dare not utter in public), it was the only one she had. She had climbed mountains of s**t just to get to a point of stability, which is where she stood today. Most of which she did on her own. Hm. Hey now.

2. I’m self-sufficient.

There was a good bullet point. She was indeed self-sufficient. Well, 2 down, 8 more to go. Eight more daunting realizations that she might not be as bad as she previously thought to go. Hm. Speaking of her trials and tribulations stage, there was the fact that she hadn’t thrown in the towel. Yeah. She’d been close. Incredibly close. The fact of the matter was, however, she was still here and, for the most part, sane.

3. I’m resilient.

Resilient like a stainless steel knife. Sure, it got dull eventually, but it never rusted. Just needed to sharpen it every once in a while.

The ghoul tapped her pen against the desk a few times, pondering what should follow while half-heartedly scratching her hazcat’s back. Meanwhile, another feline friend managed to knock over the violin case sitting upright on her desk.

On a normal day it would’ve culminated in curses and frustration, but it did remind her of the determination it took to learn that all by herself.

4. I’m determined.

Well alright then, half done.

5. I don’t give up on writing shitty papers.

Might as well throw a jab in when given the opportunity. She had been at this for weeks, after all.

6. I’m modest in my appearance.

A bit too modest most days, but considering how some students dressed, was it really such a bad thing?

7. I’m good at lying.

Well, SHE considered it a good trait. It was especially good to have when you were surrounded by jerks on a daily basis. Sometimes, lying was the best defense.

8. I like learning new things.

When contrasted with some of the more stubborn parties, it stuck out in Riyo’s mind as one of her better assets.

9. I choose friends wisely.

Instead of inviting the whole world into her small bubble. It did cause her problems sometimes, considering her inner circle was guarded with brick walls and barbed wire, but the people who deserved to be in generally proved so.

One more to go. Uh. Okay. She’d come this far. Surely one more…? Her tail tapped against the back of the crate she was sitting on when it struck her.

10. I’m a cat. And cats are the best.

Sure, it fell more into the realm of what she was and not who she was, but her heritage had a big influence on her personality, now that she thought about it. Certainly being proud of your species wasn’t a bad thing.

Which led her to the second half. Why did her friends like her?

This was a job for her handy dandy journal. Shoving Felix off as to not waste the adrenaline that came with wanting to finish this assignment once and for all, The feline reached to the back of her bookshelf for the hidden tome of the things she never wanted to forget. For a few hours, the room was silent.

She smiled, she frowned, and she became angry while reading a few of the passages, but when she slammed the journal down and reclaimed her writing utensil, the feline wrote so fast it almost burned through paper. Once you saw there were positive traits about you, it became harder to deny that the people who called you friend did so for a reason.

1. I’m brutally honest with them.
2. I’m loyal to those who earn my trust.
3. I won’t abandon my friends, even at the cost of my life.

One particular thought came to mind when she wrote that down. Deacon possessed with that awful disease they called insanity. That whole time, she had been the one taking care of him. The one who stood by his side even when things seemed hopeless.

And where was he now?

She stopped and glanced out the window. The demoness hadn’t heard from him since that time. He just sort of… Disappeared. Half of her felt used, the other half, well… She supposed it was just a relief to know there was a heart somewhere in that ribcage.

4. I’m eager to accept challenges.

A few of her friends would probably throw that one out. Riyo did love a good challenge.

But she was running out of fuel for this burnin’ fire. There was no time to waste. Throwing down her pen, she rushed out of her room and practically knocked down Akubi’s door.

Within minutes (and with little to no explanation), she ran back into her room and scribbled down more.

Akubi managed to add these things to the list:

5. I stick to my guns.
6. I adapt to my situation.
7. I’m willing to try new things.

Which left three more. The ghoul was about to shout out in frustration in lacking only three, but an opportune knock at the door caught her fuzzy little ears. Low and behold, it was Poke.

The question had been blurted out as soon as the door was open, and when she had all the answers she needed, it was shut in her face. Riyo was sure that was a poor choice, but it was ALMOST DONE. All the long, laborious hours upon days upon weeks were about to pay off.

8. I’m smart. (a stroke to her ego she felt that she deserved)
9. My fashion sense is awesome. (Not the exact words but this is what happens when you flatter Riyo)
10. I listen.

Though Poke might say otherwise after the door greeted her face. OH WELL.

This left the easiest part, which she had been saving for last. To savor the experience as a whole. Finish with the easy. Mm. What she wanted to improve on before graduation.

1. Get a grip on my anger issues.
2. Better control my FEAR.

She knew what the last one was. Oh yes she did. Writing it down on paper however was completely and totally acknowledging the fact that this was a problem.

3. I want to… Not be afraid of touchy feely… Stuff.

Uh. Yeah. Eloquently put, Riyo.