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 Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:17 pm
Lucifuge grimaced at being back in the same room as before. This time, it was more flashy, true- Luxuria had done her part well, making this room as lovely as she knew how. She was the only other who had ever seen this room with more than the dim purple light in the far corner on, and the only Sin to have looked at- and seen- his mistress. The mistress's dark hair, lustrous today, swayed in an unseen breeze, as it always did. He had no worries about the Nameless demon recognizing her, not like he had with the Prince of Lies.
The door began to open with a creak, jolting Lucifuge out of his reverie; instinctively, he reacted just as he had when they had met Akedia. "Good evening, Ifrit. And to you as well, Miss Brisbane... I believe we've met, but I'll reintroduce myself." He turned to face the door, but only after bowing to the Mistress. "My name is Lucifuge Rofocale. I am the Prime Minister of Hell, and this is my mistress."
His eyes darkened when he looked up after a courteous bow, but his face was thrown into sharper relief because of it. "You will not attempt to see her face." It was not a question.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:31 pm
Claire had been nervous, extremely nervous and had fought with the Unnamed demon in her possession about going out this late and to who knows where. Now that she was here, she felt no better.
The door before herself and Ifrit slowly opened and the demon moved ahead, pressing his nails into her back to get the summoner to move. She did, moving in what to her felt like a think haze, next to Ifrit through the door. She did not glance about the room as she walked in, but at the figure in black and white judicial robes. Automatically her mind wondered what did Ifrit do? She let the demon go out to Hell to get wasted, but he had never told her of any trouble. Not like he would if he had, Ifrit kept his affairs private.
She watched as Ifrit gave a low bow with the words "My Lord" coming from his mouth and she followed suit. Prime Minister of Hell? Respect, respect, respect. As the demon mentioned his mistress, both Claire and Ifrit paid their respects, not looking into the shadows as they bowed and stood again. In silence they agreed to the order given. Both liked living.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:39 pm
He glanced at the mistress and straightened the flowing sleeves of his under-robe. "Shall you handle this one also, my lady?"
She laughed, a gentle rustle of many voices in one. "Not yet," she said, shifting in her chair. "Continue, Luci."
So the Prime Minister did, bobbing a small bow to the lady in the chair before turning courteously to Claire. "Would you like to take a seat, Miss Brisbane," he said in the eerie not-voice, all perfect manners and non-threatening smiles. "This could take a short while." He sat in an overstuffed arm chair- the other choices were the match to it, and a small loveseat. All of it was done in black, a choice that had offended the owner of the house. But it had to be said- against the background of unrelieved darkness, Lucifuge and his mistress looked quite striking. He threw one arm out to rest on a table, while the other gestured vaguely towards the seats.
The mistress watched curiously as to what the two would do, the invisible gaze like a tangible presence in the room.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:53 pm
Quiet from the summoner and her demon as the Prime Minister and his mistress carried out their brief conversation. In her hand was the only item she had brought; Ifrit's lamp. She held the item by its base and was squeezing it lightly, trying to take away any nerves that were running awry. At the mention of taking a seat she nodded.
"Yes...Thank you sir." Quiet and brief, polite as well, though the voices of the mistress and the demon unnerved her. With a glance to the nearest armchair the young woman walked over and sat as the Ifrit followed, standing at the arm of the chair. He had not been asked to sit and doing so without a request or order from Lucifuge would be rude indeed. Since before he had come in Ifrit had dimmed the flames and heat his body produced so barely a flickering of fire was on him and no heated, shimmering air was present. He had also reduced his size to about six feet tall, average human male size, and he detested it.
Still, the fire demon and his summoner made no image known to their discomforts. Claire placed the lamp in her lap and had wound both hands around it, still squeezing it, waiting for the next words from the enrobed demon.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:30 pm
His mouth quirked. "Well, you certainly aren't as gluttonous as I was led to believe," he said. "I heard you were quite hungry for revenge. Where has that fire gone, I wonder?" Still, he sighed and rested his chin on his knuckles. "What my mistress wonders is, why do you desire revenge so well?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:35 pm
Claire didn't like that word but she made no mention. Ifrit shifted slightly, taking the weight from one side of his body and moving to the other.
"Why I desire it?" Claire repeated the last part of Lucifuge's speak, confirming it to herself. "Because I am sick and tired of living in fear. Five years pass and still I am afraid to go near the door. Ifrit can vouch for that."
The fire demon merely nodded, face set with a slight frown and silent. He had had to use a bit of force to get the girl to go out this late. Daytime was better, night...Not so much.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:43 pm
"What's there to fear," Lucifuge said crudely, fully aware of how awful a question that was. "Only the weak feel fear, darling. Why, even Luxuria walks out among the red-light districts, and she never closer to the slums than newspaper articles in her life. What's someone like you to be afraid of?"
He flicked his fingers in patterns, apparently bored. "Well, what does it matter?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:53 pm
A sharp squeeze to the lamp, enough to make the tendons in the woman's hands rise up briefly. Her eyes shut as memories came back. Some were foggy and hard to pick details out, but others were vivid and shocking. Once Claire opened her eyes they were changed, angry, dark, and flecked with something else.
"Luxuria is a demon correct? She has nothing to fear because she is above it. I am a human, it's only natural for a creature like me to be weak and afraid. It is how my species has lived long enough to evolve through the ages. We might be on top of the food chain here, but we all fear. We are all weak."
Ifrit glanced down at his summoner and then to Lucifuge. Mentally he was chanting the words 'Don't piss him off' over and over again. She sounded disgusted with herself and yet eager.
"Plus, I have survived through horrors that no person can comprehend unless seen for themselves or experienced." She bit the inside of her cheek, wanting to curse the world but holding back. Self control, she had it. "And the people who caused this living nightmare in me are still out there and free to create more horrors to others who are innocent. Horrors and fear...Revenge...I can taste it..."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:00 pm
"Luxuria is as human as you are," he said, and it wasn't a lie. "Ifrit, would you like to speak with me?" His tone made it clear he didn't ask the Nameless demon. He ordered, leaving no room for argument. "Alone." The Prime Minister stood and opened the door out. "We can assume true forms here, if you like."
-
The mistress stood and moved to occupy the demon's chair. She wore black, head to toe, and a short lacy veil. "So we meet again, Claire," she said sweetly. Her voices shuddered through the air. "Do you remember me?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:11 pm
"Oh..." She trailed off. Luxuria sounded like a demon name. As Lucifuge made an order to Ifrit, the demon nodded and followed the Prime Minister without any words. He gave respect where respect was due, and it was greatly due to the Prime Minister if he would want to keep on breathing. He kept his six foot form, but only grew himself up about two inches.
Claire watched her summon leave out of the corner of her eye. Once the door shut she looked back to the now reoccupied chair. The woman had been told not to try to view her face, so instead she looked at the lamp she was clutching. Her knuckles were white with tension so she briefly released the shiny lamp. At the question, she shook her head as a shiver from the voice ran up her spine. Sleep deprivation, half caused by Claire herself as she worked out the details of where to exact her revenge where it would be that one person and that person alone each time. It had caused her to lose track of time and caused some forgetfulness, one of the times her own self control had faltered.
"Your voice sounds familiar." Becoming docile again.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:15 pm
"That's good, dear," said the mistress, multitude echoing in her voice again. "Would you like Us to help you with your revenge, our dear?" That self-control... The mistress admired it, but it would have to go. She wanted the girl for her sinful side, the desire for revenge that overcame all else. "We can do that, you know. For you."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:19 pm
"Help me?" A crease appeared between her eyes. "How can you do that?" It made no sense. Sure, one could help another with revenge, but they would be an accessory and it wouldn't be worth their time to do that, if the revenge wasn't theirs to bear.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:53 pm
The mistress tilted her head. "By making you one of Our children," said she, reaching across to fold her pale hands over Claire's. "We can give you power enough that you'll never need fear again, Claire. You'll be strong enough that nothing can hurt you." Her voices dropped several octaves. "In return, you'll just have to do Us a small favor."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:55 pm
The woman shivered under the touch. That was familiar. Though, what the woman promised sounded so good. No fear? Claire liked the sound of that.
"What sort of favor?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:58 pm
"You'll have to hold something for Us. A soul, in fact... The soul of Gluttony." Then she narrowed her eyes. "And, in fact, We also desire your self-control. You see, you aren't much good for the purpose with such... power over your darker emotions. They are necessary for human existence. For continued human existence. You understand?"
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