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 Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:15 am
Barth had stopped by for a social visit.
It was hard not to notice the papers. Barth had to admit some satisfaction at seeing the evidence of work not done.
On the other claw, there was nowhere to sit.
Barth looked longingly and significantly at the high-backed leather chair, which was piled with angry-looking envelopes and files.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:23 am
Zar was pretty deep in several things, one of these things was denial - the other, as evidenced by the stacks of papers, was s**t. The superficial aspect of the problem was that along with the recent loss of his ability to sense paperwork via touch had come the loss of the ability to do the work his father demanded of him even if he actually wanted to. The real core and crux was that he didn't want to.
So it was piling up, and the more it piled up, the more effort it took to continue to ignore it. The angry red envelopes were the most difficult to avoid out of everything, his father would be furious on a level he had never yet encountered.
He tried to greet Barth in a way which completely denied the rampant chaos of the normally impeccable room, even to the point he quietly kicked aside a demon goat - part of the infestation which resulted in bringing in a pet to keep him company only to find it was well - it had been in the closet. Now there were many.
The black minipet gave a plaintive bleat and scooted off under the bed to join its fellows.
"Pleasure to see you as always." he purred accommodatingly, and in what he tried to pass off as a casual gesture - swept the majority of the correspondence off of the chair the other demon was eyeing - hoping it would mean that none of it was mentioned at all.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:39 am
Barth sank into the chair gratefully.
He was not really the sort of demon to nag other demons about their cleaning habits- the slovenly state of the room was almost homey. But the bed only had a small sliver of space left, and it was a crime that any kind of paperwork should take up space to relax. Zar didn't even have anywhere to sit. It was a bit sad. Barth had a feeling the root of the problem was a lack of staff.
"Thank you. You don't look like you've got much room to err, rest. I can send over Christof, if you like. I think he's been depressed about the lack of more, you know, tidying obligations."
This was probably not what Christof had been depressed about, but for some horrifying reason the igor often stressed his own satisfaction in a Job Well Done. If nothing else, he thought Christof might enjoy destroying important paperwork.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:48 am
Of course the paperwork came up in conversation, it really was shameful the amount of space that it was presently occupying. "There isn't." he conceded with a sigh. "And at present, as fast as I can find space to place it, the more arrives with the next mail delivery." He didn't pursue the offer of sending over Christof - he was almost entirely certain that the Igor absolutely despited him. Besides, he had been an accessory to the hated Student Council and he wasn't about to forget that in a hurry.
"I already have a hired paper shredder. Nahm does a very sufficient job of disposing of excess paper and seems to somewhat enjoy my particular brand of ink. The issue at present would be the fact that this paperwork cannot be safely destroyed." A sandy coloured goat peered out from behind his in tray's towering heap and gave him a slot-eyed goaty stare. He shooed the bloody thing away with a claw.
"The thing is my father has me contractually bound to do this work for him - so I fear the potentially repercussions of destroying it incomplete."
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:59 am
"Contract-ually?" Barth pronounced with careful weight.
He wasn't pleased to hear it.
One more thing to manage.
He gave the beige goat a well-meaning pat as it skirted past.
"In exchange for what, if you don't mind me asking."
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 12:04 pm
Zar was exceptionally talented at contracts - the written kind. He had never really understood the true nature of the demonic kind, his father wouldn't explain it and his mother never shared her trade secrets willingly.
"In exchange for nothing. I was young and must have agreed to his terms, whatever those terms were. Now I am completely stuck in this mire of obligation."
He twisted his tail under him and sat on its coils before despairingly holding his head in his hands. "I have never even seen this contract, but he assures me it exists."
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 12:25 pm
The despair edged into relief.
"Nothing?" Barth repeated.
He rested his chin in his own claws.
"You mean a document, then, not a Contract. Not that I'm an expert, but if you weren't even old enough to remember I don't think that will, err, have much standing in court."
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 12:29 pm
Zar quirked a brow. "There is a difference?" The terminology used for binding documents was generally a contract, he was unaware that it had other implications. The feeling of ignorance irritated him and he crossed his arms. "I am simply reciting to you what I was told. It could stand up in a court as far as I'm concerned - but it is not a court I am really afraid of. Can't contracts written by a demon end with some nasty consequences?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 12:40 pm
"Oh yesss. The difference between a name and a Name."
Barth had met a fair share of demons who were...fuzzy on the process. Or who had never done it themselves. Zar wouldn't be the first.
Barth had started young.
He gave Zar a long, considering look, then dipped his claw into his vest.
"If you like, I'll show you how they work. But in exchange, you'll have to fill out some paperwork for me. If you don't mind. Just these three sheets." In what seemed uncharacteristic, Barth slowly withdrew from the confines of his jacket the only paperwork he did, in fact, carry on him. It was slightly crumpled, and had seen better days.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 12:50 pm
Knowledge was power and understanding the power his father held over him was just about the most important thing to Zar at the present. There was a lot he was still completely oblivious to - and though Barth certainly wasn't trustworthy - he was certainly not the worst that he could do in terms of a teacher.
He was frankly stunned as the other demon produced paperwork, scruffy but nevertheless actually made of paper. "Not a problem." he said, holding out his hand. Anyone else asking him to sign anything would be a serious problem and cause for a battle of wits and stubbornness. But with Barth in some ways, that battle for the moment had already been waged. "Just tell me what to write."
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:02 pm
"Good."
Instead of handing him the paperwork, Barth took Zar's hand.
The effect was immediate, a sinister crackle, and something like electricity. The sensation focused, and burned, and a circular, fiery sigil carved itself into the back of Zar's hand, before settling with a hiss.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:11 pm
Zar's immediate reaction to the crackle was to flinch, though he didn't pull away. Even if he had it would have been too little too late, the sigil seared itself into his skin, bright and fiery until it cooled to the deep inky black of the markings across his chest, sharp and vivid against his light grey skin.
He stared at it, startled and unsettled by it. "What did you do?" he asked, trying to keep the note of panic out of his voice, but failing.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:24 pm
Barth turned his own hand, where Zar's sigil rested on the surface of his skin.
"Made our agreement binding."
His mouth quirked into a smile.
"Don't worry. It's a very small contract. Tempting over entrapment, remember? And you can't get into much trouble on school grounds. They have magics in place that limit things."
He looked more tenative.
"It's err, my Mark, you see. This is yours," he turned his hand again, so Zar could examine it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:37 pm
Zar wasn't sure how he'd gone from trying to figure out if his father had any power over him - if his contractual obligations were indeed deeply binding - to being bound in an undeniably magical sense to Barth. "Our agreement?" he asked, raising a brow. "Specify." He had an idea what was implied, but assumptions weren't something he was happy to settle with when it came to something as potentially crippling as this.
He did look surprised that Barth had willingly taken on a counter marking, a marking which Zar himself had never seen before, but which as he looked at it - was undeniably familiar. The longer he looked the more clearly the letters twined in the sigil itself became to him. He wasn't sure how much he believed the school having limiting magic, but there was no way to test the claim. He returned his attention to Barth's mark on his hand with an intense sort of focus, but it was far from as straightforward to make out any of the composite parts. He ran a talon across it, still not sure how he felt about being marked against his will. "Will it stay?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 1:50 pm
"I'll show you how Contracts work, but in exchange you must fill out those three sheets of paperwork," Barth reiterated carefully.
"It disappears when the contract is filled. It is always an exchange, and it can't be unbalanced. You can't get something for nothing. You err, might prefer to draw it all up in writing. Before making it official. With the err, handshake. I prefer verbal agreements. Much friendlier."
Barth leaned back.
"Now, in order for you to get a full understanding, I'm going to make an unusual request. In a moment, I'll tell you to fill those papers out. You shouldn't. I want you to resist."
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