I was flushed and trembling a little, still trying to process what seemed to be several impossible experiences. Being part pig was a shock, but now the prospect of dealing with what was obviously some sort of powerful creature was both interesting and terrifying. Maybe he was a demon, maybe he was an alien or even some sort of minor god. Regardless, he appeared to have the power to do anything he wanted with me, even though he also seemed to need a place to hide. Dealing with demons was pretty much a ticket to Hell, wasn't it? On the other hand, he was stunning to look at, seemed friendly, and dammit - when would I get another chance like this?
"Uh, this is a lot to take in. I mean, you say you are a demon, which usually means dealing with you could endanger my soul. I don't want to spend an eternity in Hell. So whatever else, my soul is not on the table, OK?"
Runt grinned and flopped on the bed, looking up at me. "I don't want your soul, whatever you think that is. This whole demon thing is not linked to any afterlife consequences, no matter what your local mythology says. I am more like the djinn, the magic genies except without the lamp. Magic here and now, with consequences here and now. If you wanted to be a fish, I could make you a trout and watch you suffocate as you flopped on the floor right here in your apartment. Or maybe make you a salmon on your final run upriver to mate and die. But getting turned into a fish doesn't send you to some pit of fire and brimstone when you die."
I made a mental note NOT to ask to be a fish, and then asked "I guess it wouldn't be a problem having you stay here if you are in trouble, but what happens to me if you get found? Is some super pissed-off demon going to turn me into a slug for sheltering you?"
Runt looked pleased. "Nice to have at least a partial invitation. And I'll be straight with you. There are a few really annoyed beings who would like to find me, and it is possible that you could get caught in the cross-fire and hurt. But I will take precautions so that you will be protected as much as I can manage, and I promise I will fix whatever is done to you. As a general rule, none of us actually do anything to end a life. That has bad mojo connected with it. And if you help me willingly, it's way harder for me to be found. I'd put the chance of danger pretty much like taking a commercial jet flight. Hardly anything really happens, but when it does it can be spectacular."
I was quiet a minute, thinking hard. "One last thing. Consequences. Say I want to change my appearance, or age, or even become something wild like a satyr or centaur. Do I lose my identity? Will I be considered some weird freak?"
Runt shrugged. "That's really up to you. If you want to change yourself and stay human, I can alter your reality so that it supports your new look. If you want to be a woman, you will have been born a woman. If you want to look like a famous rock star, I can change it so you and the rock star have always been identical twins. Or you can deal with stuff on your own. The bigger changes, like turning into a centaur, depends on what you tell me ahead of time. You can be a born or created freak, or I can send you to an alternate place where centaurs are normal. I can't make centaurs normal here because that would change everyone's reality. I can only affect your life for the most part, though some things shift for other people. Like, if you want to change your race, you would be adopted instead of having your parents changed."
That all seemed good, really. If I did take Runt up on his offer to change things, other people would not suffer from any bad choices. But the idea of hosting a demon was still pretty scary.