Asmodeus's Story

Rick Brackwall

With their orders the waiter left to deliver the instructions to the chef.

Rick himself looked over to the newcomer, the nervous girl who had placed her order while sitting at their table. It was interesting, her expensive tastes must of cost her quite a bit. The best explanation would be that she had a well stocked bank account, likely left over from her former guardians.

On an overall note it was going quite well. With only the absence of Caius the rest were at least talking in a friendly enough manner. Ash was still Ash and Helena still seemed concerned but overall the mood of the table was a friendly one. This at least gave them all a chance to meet each other outside of less pleasant circumstances such as the event they were to undertake tomorrow. It would not be easy but with his guidance it shouldn't be too hard either. The biggest difficulty would be the surprises the WDL had in store since no boot camp is prepared the same.


Out from the corner of his eye he gleamed a lady passing their table. Not an exceptional event save for a few small differences. He didn't recognize her, something he'd definitely remember since she neither looks Italian nor is there anything particularly plain about her. Her style of dress left little to the imagination, not that he was going to undress her in his mind. His thoughts were more occupied with other concerns.

... Until their eyes met. It was strange, really. She seemed to look at him for a bit of a drawn out moment, their eyes connected for that seemingly long period of time which was really no longer than a couple of seconds at most. She gave him a wink and a bit of a broad grin, something he didn't really understand. Having enough questions on his mind already the implications of what she was trying to indicate were many and it bogged down Rick's already worked mind further.


Was that wink flirtatious? Knowing? Did she see something in this conversation I and the others are having that I let slip? What am I missing here!?

As she turned and left Rick rested his arms, placing his fingertips together as he gently put his fingertips together in a slight arch whilst breathing out gently. He emptied his mind, silencing the storm of thoughts in his brain altogether. He felt a brief moment of reprieve from this over-calculation would sooth the stress starting to build in his head.

His hands folded onto his lap and he was now centered in the moment. Letting that go did him well, leaving him to peacefully watch over the proceedings of the lunch table at his own leisure.


Before long the waiter returned, their food resting atop the platter he carried. With relative grace the man set each of their dishes before them, each with it's own intoxicating aroma. In the middle of the table was the platter of bruschetta that Rick had ordered, a large plate with several pieces for the taking. It was a dish for everyone, along with the food everyone already received.

He gently hooked his glass of wine between his fingers, lifting it with measured delicacy.

"Enjoy." He took a light sip from his glass.

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

When the new girl approached and made an introduction for herself, Ashley gave an audible groan. With a visible look of disdain, she shrugged in resignation as the party of individuals let shy and stupid join the table. Eh, whatever. What would it matter if ANOTHER dweeb joined their group? She already hated group dynamics, and one more wasn’t gonna make it any more or less tolerable to her. Seeing everyone make a fuss over her and Helena, Ash didn’t see any need to interject. In fact, she didn’t normally function too well in situations like this. Instead, she made snarky looks with her eyes as Rick gave another one of those all too familiar but ever annoying spiels about getting their support at boot camp. Heh, yeah right.

Charlotte finally got her seat, and the group got in their orders soon enough. The table descended into small-talk and chatter as the group started to get to know one another, and Ash shifted mildly uncomfortably. She hadn’t been around this many people in a social setting like this in quite some time. The closest memory she could find was with her family, and they most certainly didn’t count as a good guide to this sort of situation. Thankfully, her drink arrived fairly quickly, and she amused herself with that, remaining clear of whatever idiotic topics they were discussing. She would’ve much preferred somewhere like a pub or the like, at least then there’d be a pool table or darts or something to distract her. There was nothing for her to do but make conversation with these people, and she had more than a few reservations about that.

Seeing as she wasn’t participating in the chatter, she was a bit more aware of their surroundings, and the odd sensation of being watched. Glancing about the room casually, she noticed another girl walking over in their general direction and began mentally preparing her complaint that they were somehow grabbing another tag-along. What was it about their group that seemed to attract so many weirdos? As she briefly stopped in front of them, meeting eyes with each before lingering on Rick, Ash honestly thought she was about to make some flashy introduction. Instead, with little more than a wink in their ‘leader’s’ direction, she made her way out the door and left. Huh. Maybe Dick had an admirer? She didn’t look nearly as much of a wreck as Charlotte, so somehow, Ashley doubted that a floozy like her would have the reservation not to just act on those feelings. Whatever the case, that hassle was already out of their hair, and better still, Ash could see the waiter making a return with several platters.

All grouchiness was forgotten as the intoxicating aroma reached her nose, the full spread of pizzas on display before her. “Now this is what I’m talking about!” She declared with probably the most enthusiasm anyone had heard from her. Without hesitating, she quickly reached to grab a slice, but quickly had to drop it back to the plate as the heat was still a bit too much. Blowing on her fingers a moment, she instead decided to take a different tactic, reaching over to the platter containing the bread. Lifting it, she shifted it over in front of her, taking out a piece to snack on without offering anyone else the appetiser. Food did her soul (and stomach) so much good, and best of all, everyone would hopefully shut up while they ate. Maybe she could have used some cutlery to make a start on her pizza, but she wasn’t that refined. Soon enough however, she began half juggling a slice between her hands before latching down on a large mouthful. Mmm… Okay, maybe she could get used to fancy restaurants like this if the food was this good. Happily munching away, she continued to watch and vaguely listen to the group, though it was clear the majority of her focus was on her meal.

---

Kane was happy to put some sugar into Rianne’s tea, lightening it up a little with some milk before sharing it her way. After Rianne inquired whether she could smoke, Kane realised a little late that any protests he may have had were a little bit overdue as the click of her lighter signified she had already made her decision, taking in a steady draught of smoke. Well, if she was going to be his master, he supposed he’d have to get used to it. Everyone had their vices. Moving to take his own seat, Kane was excited to talk about his apprenticeship under Rianne, what sorts of things she had planned and when they could start. At her mention she had some other things to deal with before really going into it, Kane nodded enthusiastically. That was reasonable, someone as tough as Rianne likely had a lot of important business to attend to.

Then… The conversation shifted. Listening to Rianne do her best to douse his hopes was painful, and Kane wasn’t quite sure how to take it as his eyes shifted downcast. Had he already done something to upset her? Further clarification came in that maybe he’d misinterpreted things, and that made him feel even worse. Here he was pressuring Rianne into these things, and she’d never intended on any of it – at this point, was she just being polite with him? It was a worrying thought, but Kane could sense that she was genuinely trying to look out for his best interests. Throughout her explanation, Kane began to pick up on bits and pieces of things. The way she regarded herself and her teaching ability, along with the barrier that presented. He’d always seen Rianne as a strong and talented individual, one that could compete with the best. Perhaps that wasn’t how she saw it.

Still not sure how to take Rianne’s rejection, Kane idly moved the conversation to Yohan, but that didn’t seem to bring about much of a talk. Still, that small moment allowed him to clear his thoughts some and mull over what Rianne has said. He was certain at this point that her rejection of him was less about Kane’s own capabilities, but Sister Rianne’s lack of faith in her own competence to teach him. The question was, what could he do about that? How could he help her help him? Squeezing his hands together tightly and scrunching his pants a little, he finally decided to speak his mind on it all.

“Sister…” He paused, thinking how best to say it. “I’m sorry but, I can’t accept that. I’ve made up my mind, and your own humility only serves to kindle my desire to be your apprentice. I know you’re busy, and I know you think that I’m making a mistake asking for your guidance, but…” He stopped again, sitting up. “Shouldn’t that be something I decide on? How can you say that you’re a poor teacher if you haven’t even tried? Let me be the one to prove to you that you have the potential to be a great instructor; and if not, well…” He sighed a little, settling back into his seat. “Well, I’ll have to let this go at that point.” Shaking his head, Kane met Rianne’s gaze again. “But I know that it won’t come to that.” He affirmed, smiling before looking to the side in confusion as Erica sat up.

“Well, I’ll let you two work all this out. I think I heard someone.” Erica excused herself, though Kane honestly hadn’t noticed anything. Still, he could hear her make conversation with a certain Aunty just outside the door, though he couldn’t quite hear what it was about. Regardless, his focus was on Rianne now. This had turned into a battle of conviction, she was testing his devotion. He’d prove right here and now he would not falter!

Ding.

Kane politely excused himself to the kitchen in order to turn some of the food over before returning.

Rick Brackwall

He left the lunch, walking briskly back to his room. Overall he'd say that lunch was a productive distraction, not an entirely unnecessary one at that. The food helped get their minds off their tensions, got them back to thinking of things in the moment rather than dwelling on the means by which they were found. In time he hoped they would accept this change imposed upon them. After all, denying it was but a fruitless effort, especially at the strength they were at now.

He arrived at his door, procuring the key from his pocket and carefully unlocking it with a surgeon's precision. A majority of doors were locked automatically, a system monitored by ORIN naturally. Rick had his door specifically designed to be off the system, sealed solely by a door lock with him holding the key. Naturally

Once inside he felt a faint essence wash over him, the natural effect of passing through his wards. He liked to know when people were in his room, especially when he wasn't inside. There were also a couple other wards in effect, one to ward off spirits and another to blind scrying magic. There were more powerful magics for securing one's sanctum but he hadn't seen the need to look to such extents. Before today he didn't have reason to believe there'd be prying eyes capable of seeing into the WDL.


His house was quite bare. White wallpaper and virtually nothing but stacks of paper, just paper in stacks all around the house. They were neatly organized so there was a clear path through them. He had virtually no furniture around the house, just a refrigerator in the kitchen. Even still the fridge mostly held bottles of water. He subsisted mainly off of WDL rations for the most part.

In his room there was a bit more furniture. An oak desk and chair along with a single's size bed on the opposite side of the room. This room was not exempt from the presence of paper however this paper seemed to hold more variety. There were all sorts of different types of papers and a majority of his scrolls were kept here. The scrolls didn't necessarily always conform to the stereotype, a good number of them being on different types of paper of different sizes, all experiments to try and better condense the size of his scrolls for ease of carry.

Besides the paper there were also many tools. They looked like the tools of a watchmaker however they seemed to range from mundane assortments such as wrenches and small hammers to stranger things. One such tool resembled a cross between an inking pen from a tattoo parlor and a welding torch.


For now however he only needed to tighten the lens to the frame. All other work had been done on this item already. It was a magnifying glass, made with an elegant silver frame. Etched both in the frame and on the lens itself were arcane runes, the full frame of this item dedicated to hosting these elaborate runes. When he finished joining the two together the enchantment would become complete and allow the item's magic to function.

It was designed with a spell allowing the viewer to perceive the auras of the world around them through it's lens. With so many people blind to the existence of such telling signatures such as these he found that it would prove valuable in catching demons hidden to the naked eye.

He figured he'd take it for a text run, maybe give the prison a quick rundown to see it's effectiveness. As he approached the door however he noticed a letter slid under his door. While most beings coming into his room would have alerted him via his ward soulless inanimate objects don't register unless magically imbued. An ordinary letter such as this would of missed his notice had he not been rather observant of mail sitting on his floor.


By simply touching the letter he already knew it was an invitation to something of an information dealer. A most unusual trade amongst more honest professions. It seemed like someone knew what it was he did for a living and sought him out specifically for this. Most ordinary people didn't need to buy their information less it's in the form of scholarly books. He needed to see if the information he sought would be up for selling and if so at what price.

Diverting his intended destination he left from his room and walked on down. It was getting somewhat later in the day now as he arrived to a strange sort of store. It seemed to supply various odds and ends, ranging from strange alchemical reagents to cases of soda and snacks. From appearances it seemed the place used to serve a bookstore but it had been bought and renovated to sell a more miscellaneous variety of items.

Making his way to the back he saw a door to a room which looked only a little bigger than a storage closet. It was well out of the way however it seemed someone definitely made their living in there as it had a sign written on paper taped to the front which read No Knocks, No Service.


He had no intention of barging into the back room of a store without knocking to begin with. With the invitation in hand he gave the door a short series of knocks, as follows:

Knock knock, knock knock, knock, knock.

With that he stood and awaited the author of his invitation, questions already brewing like a steady storm inside his mind.

Eyes glued to the folder in front of her, Asmodeus grinned widely. Plenty of new information from her eyes around the worlds. She was quite invested in several of the happening events. With a soft sigh, she shut the folder and tossed it over her head. The filing cabinet behind her burst to life, sliding open as it caught the folder and papers. Magical hands appeared from inside it, fixing and sorting the papers back into the folder properly before starting to take the papers apart, putting them in their respective positions. Having a cabinet that could sort itself was definitely something Az was happy about- her new job essentially required it, alongside the fact that the carrying capacity of said magical cabinet seemed to be infinity plus two.

The knocking on the door brought a small smile to her lips and brought her out of her thoughts, however.. Reclining in her chair, she gave a light chuckle. There was only one person that would've acted on her invitation immediately- and also only one person who would've come right here. The instructions on the invitation were just a tad confusing, and Asmodeus cracked her neck as she stood from her chair. She extended her hand, a shadowy tendril snaking out and grasping a cane she had resting against the nearby wall. Her other hand snaked out and she clicked her fingers, the enchantment on the door fading as she, in her irresistible voice, spoke. "The door is unlocked. Do come in."

She leaned on her cane, bent over slightly so her cleavage was visible- most men would've been reduced to quivering wrecks at the sight of the alluring girl before them, but Az's faintly glowing pink eyes met Rick's own mismatched orbs as soon as he entered- her pose was simply something she was used to doing, and she much preferred a person who could control themselves enough to look her in the eyes for more than twenty seconds. With a sly smile, she welcomed the man before her. "Heya there, Brick Rackw- Whoops, sorry, Rick Brackwall. Apologies, it's just that your name is so fun to mess around with." A joking grin broke her features as she stood up, motioning with her hand as the door shut behind him. "Please. Sit. I'm sure you have a lot of questions- and finding me probably added to that list by quite a bit." She sat down just after he did, if he did at all, then put her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm, leaning towards him. "Ask away, little demon boy."

Rick Brackwall

Enchantments on the door gave way, the voice bidding his entry. While this venture had his interest it now began to have his curiosity.

Stepping in the door shut behind him and he was left to see the host to this particular meeting. A rather stunning lady with blond hair coming down to about the shoulder and almost luminous pink eyes stood before him, leaning on her cane. Right off the bat his eyes did a sweep of her, his gaze not stopping to linger on any one particular bit of her. Whilst her form was most assuredly lovely his first concerns were more in regards to regalia and weaponry. What she had and what purpose it served, the two questions that struck his mind first.

With but a moment past she began to speak and his eyes returned to meet hers. It was rather strange really. Her stance and demeanor spoke more of alluring seductress but her manner of speaking was not far off that of a child's, joking about before quickly jumping to the point. A rather curious disconnect.

To her request he obliged, sitting down as she made her way around to sit across from him. It was questions she wanted, in a moment it was a question she would receive.

"This is not a question however I must say not many folks go into the field of exchanging information and even fewer have information pertinent to my line of work."

His legs were crossed over, his fingers laced and his elbows on the edge of her desk. No less were his eyes still met with hers. There was not a time where he'd ever ogle a ladies form longer than deemed necessary and this was business, no other time less appropriate for such a thing.

He saved the obvious remarks, the standard stuff that most would ask. His question was perhaps not the most important question but definitely the most important question to ask first.

"What do you want?"

The smile that split Asmodeus' features was indescribable- mocking? Sinister? Smug? Only the small creasing of her eyes betrayed her true intentions, and in a mere second even that was gone. The girl adjusted her seat, leaning forward towards Rick even more as she traced a circle on the table idly. She stared into his eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time, making no indication of intending on answering his question. Her unknowable grin stayed affixed to her face, and at last she, tapping the table twice awfully loudly with her nails, extended a hand out behind her. From a filing cabinet behind her flew a folder- full of papers, yet not one piece fell. Asmodeus caught the folder, staring at it idly. "Rick Brackwall, would you prefer I cut to the chase or toy with you for a bit? This is a very important question- think carefully before you answer." Some sort of test, maybe? Asmodeus' face was hidden behind the folder, now, preventing Rick from analyzing her expression.

If this were a poker game then neither of the poker faces yielded much in the way of expression. Her's was a grin while his was stone flat but neither truly expressed the minds behind the players. His eyes only flicked over to the file cabinet as a file was virtually spat out, landing comfortably in her hand. Not a trace of his interest showed but he was a tad jealous of her filing system.

A question with hidden potential, a fork in the road persay. With two choices and no way to truly know which way either one leads he spared but a brief silence to consider.

To put it simply, in Poker this is a call or fold moment.

"Cut to the chase. You barter for knowledge and I seek it."

He called.

"Tsk." In a moment, Asmodeus dropped the folder. She had a disappointed pout on her face, but she shrugged and sighed. "Silly boy. You need more fun in your life- a life not enjoyed is not worth having lived." A small smirk crept across her features. "Someone like you probably doesn't understand, but work isn't everything, Ricky. I'd suggest getting out more. Everyone has goals, but having no life aside from working is no fun for anyone." Her eyes had lost their glimmer, and she outright seemed a bit bored with him. "And to think, if you had've given me a good answer, I would've folded and given you some information for free. What a true shame." A soft chuckle left her soft lips as she held up the folder, opening it and tossing a sheet of paper his way. It had names and images of both Rick himself and the rest of the children. "A word of warning, though. The people here might not know that you are who you are, but rumors can spread quite fast. And if people get too suspicious.. you could be in danger in a place full of anti-demon religious maniacs."

Dropping the folder onto the table, Asmodeus shrugged her shoulders. "You can call me Lucia. It's a pleasure to meet you. I work as a broker. I'll trade for a lot of things." A smirk slid across her lips. "I just lied to you. What did I just lie to you about?" She sat back in her chair, grinning a cheshire grin. "If it's not obvious, I enjoy games."

This was definitely not going to be an ordinary conversation. Perhaps he needed to start looking at this challenge less... linearly.

He took a moment, longer than before as he took in the words she spoke. With a sigh he began.

"I wouldn't wish a life like mine on many." He paused, the words drifting off.

"Perhaps I don't have much fun in a life like mine. I've accepted that. If by taking leisure in my job results in the joys of others ripped away then it's I that I hold accountable."

She had presented him a sheet of paper, complete with names and images of him and the other six. He didn't bother to touch it, let alone read it. The information itself was self explanatory.

"I understand the WDL's feelings towards my... Blood. I support them to an extent but I support their cause more. Should I run the risk of being eschewed by this place I'll continue on elsewhere. Work like mine needs to be done, regardless of where or by who."

Another moment he let pass, considering her next game. She just told him three things he didn't already know. One of them was a lie. Now he knew that she worked as an information broker. That one was crossed out. The remaining two facts were that he could call her Lucia and that she'd trade for a lot of things. He had his answer.

"You don't trade for a lot of things." He spoke, confident in his choice.

"Care to hear the deduction?"

"Do you stop wars? Do you prevent murders? Do you get in the way of rape or abuse? I doubt it. You can't save everyone, Rick Brackwall, so resting on your laurels is a good thing, sometimes. It keeps perspective- you're not a magical, legendary hero- you're a regular man like everyone else." Asmodeus smirked. "Please do tell me how you deduced that. I'm curious as to how you came to the conclusion." She crossed her arms, sitting back in her seat with a widening smirk.

"Simple." He answered.

"You are an information broker. You seem pleased to meet me, despite our differences. Most notably I can call you Lucia, even if that's not your real name. Little prevents me from calling you that, hence all that remains is the choice of payment."

With his explanation past he unlaced his fingers, only to lace them again with a different hand forward.

"Do not think I'm not aware of my limitations. I do not disagree, however, that perspective is key."

Asmodeus clapped, her amused smile returning to her face. "Very astute, Rick, however.. I'd like you to think about my second statement again- "I just lied to you. What did I just lie about?" Her eyes sparkled for a moment, before she continued. "What if I lied about lying? After all, 'what did I just lie to you about?' does include my statement of 'I just lied to you', does it not? On top of that, what reason do I really have to be honest with you?" With a small smirk on her face, she tilted her head and placed her cheek in her hand. "Would you like another riddle to recover? You should be more careful than that, Rick. I somehow doubt the people you'll be encountering in the future will play fair, if that's something you're considering complaining about." She tapped her table twice, drumming her fingernail against the wood. "Another, final, riddle, then?"

A slight sigh escaped his lips, the only real sign of his slight vexation. Perhaps the riddle was that she lied about giving him a choice not to be toyed with in the first place?

Regardless, the conversation continued.

"I'd say the main reason you'd have to be honest with me is business. An information broker with a reputation for being dishonest doesn't keep her customer's faith in the information."

At this point his biggest question still stood. What could she possibly gain from this? Nevertheless he let her comment about his caution slide.

"I'll hear your riddle."

Asmodeus grinned widely. "Fun. Good fun. Now.." She closed her eyes, hmming to herself for a moment before she spoke. "What has four legs in the morning, two legs at midday and three legs at dusk?" She paused. "It's a fairly common riddle- I'm going easy on you." She sat back in her chair, cupping her hands in her lap.

"Indeed it is a simple one. I suppose I'll give two answers, one you've probably heard and one you probably haven't."

He held out one finger, his first answer.

"Man. Four legs in infancy, two in mid life, and two with a cane as an elder. That is my first answer."

He held up his second finger indicating his second answer.

"Is also a man. He eats four legs for breakfast, two for lunch and three for dinner."

His face was stone but underneath there was a slight worry that his dry delivery would lack the intended humor.

Asmodeus sat there, her face a blank canvas as Rick delivered his 'joke'. She sat there in absolute silence, her blank, unamused glare drilling into his eyes. And then she grinned. "Just screwin' with ya, jesus. Cannibalism jokes are a part of your repertoire, are they? And you seemed so straight-laced! Ah, what a nice surprise." Despite her prior stoic demeanour, Asmodeus had an amused grin on her face. She sighed, shaking her head and making her hair bounce a little. "My lords, what type of child did the big man on campus make you out to be?" Her tone was absolutely joking, and she didn't mean to offend him. She spoke again, grinning. "One last riddle. If you get this right I'll put all of my cards on the table- 'I go in hard, I come out soft. You blow me hard. What am I?' is your question." Az's smirk was incredibly wide, a stifled giggle being quite audible from the girl as her eyes sparkled as she tried not to laugh at her own lewd joke.

Rick gave an off-hand wave as he responded to her amused response. "Technically I never said they were human legs. If anything, you're the one choosing the cannibalistic approach." His tone was light, evidently also not speaking with a great deal of gravitas behind said words.

Joking aside he set his mind to consider her riddle. All the while as he waited he looked on in her deep pink eyes. She seemed to practically be bursting at the seems with humor as he caught the quite audible giggle. He knew he'd need to consider her frame of mind in solving this matter. He rolled the question about in his mind several times before coming around with what sort of could be considered an answer.

"I wouldn't be technically wrong to state the answer is a notable member of the male anatomy. Would it be one of those types of riddles now hm?"

Asmodeus' grin widened. She reached below the desk, fumbling around for a few moments before making a noise and sitting back up straight. She grinned slyly and tossed something over at Rick.

It was a stick of gum.

"You're more of a pervert than I am, Ricky boy. How amusing. The answer is 'gum'. It's hard when you put it in your mouth, you chew it and it gets soft." She paused to stifle a laugh. "And you blow bubbles with it- you have to blow awfully hard, of course." She knew he'd fallen into her trap, and she was reveling in it. "In any case, I'll stop the riddles for now- they're a hobby of mine as I'm sure you can tell, pervert." She coughed and sat up straight. "Alright, since you've been such a good boy I'll give you some answers- if you ask me first, of course." Her smirk was much more tame now, a sense of professionalism suddenly being visible in her usually joking demeanor. Despite this, however, her eyes still sparkled slightly- it was obvious she was enjoying the company.

Indeed. It was an obvious answer his and perhaps he should of anticipated that she'd of thought of that. Then again he was certainly happy to be on with this, no longer mired in the swamp of brain teasers. Rather than argue that it wasn't very hard to blow bubbles in gum he let the issue go and maintained his focus on more curious matters.

"If I recall I did ask you first. I'm happy to have entertained but I'd still like to know."

Asmodeus' face went blank. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Her pink eyes glowed brightly now, almost leaving an aura around them. She was silent for a moment, then spoke. "Souls. I want the souls of the beings you hunt, so that I may devour them and regain my strength." Her usual joking demeanour had vanished, replaced with a somewhat cold visage- she was dead serious. A subtle chill would run down Rick's spine every time his eyes met hers, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. "Before we begin, however, allow me to introduce myself." She slowly stood, the light above them flickering slightly as she seemed to tower over Rick suddenly- she was definitely not this tall last time she'd been standing. However, the reason for her suddenly imposing presence was made clear with the next words out of her mouth.

"Forgive my impertinence. I do enjoy games, however that doesn't excuse my lack of manners." She smirked, yet it seemed forced and almost.. dangerous.

"You may call me Asmodeus, fallen Demon God of Lust."

Rick did not break eye contact with her as she spoke. He stood as she stood. He maintained poise, standing stalwart in the face of her subtle changes. Just as he did with Arthur he was dauntless, not letting the supernatural aura permeating the room bow him, not even slightly. What did change however was that a slight smile pulled at the side of his mouth.

"A pleasure to meet you Asmodeus, fallen Demon God of Lust. Evidently I need make no introduction on my behalf."

It satisfied some curiosity on one hand and yet it brought around more questions. It was definitely interesting to him that a demon god, one of the few surviving it seemed, had chosen to come close up next to the heart of the WDL, a staunch demon hunting organization. She was clearly taking a risk simply coming here. She must of heard about the seven and figured that one of them would be amiable to seizing the souls of fallen demons in exchange for her information services. Ironically despite the display and the reveal that she was a demon he trusted her slightly more now. He knew enough to know if she had plans to kill him in some absurd trap she'd of done so already. This was the time for talking, if any.

"I humbly forgive the runabout. It is not every day one gets to meet the member of a supposedly extinct caste."

Putting forward one hand out from behind his back where they were folded he gestured to a seat.

"Shall we discuss this arrangement?"

Asmodeus' change evaporated as she happily dropped back into her seat, her goofy grin returning. "Sure we can, Ricky. Let's chat. I want the souls of the demons you kill so I can then eat said souls and regain my power- in return, I'll both provide you with information and even other services in exchange for your continued loyalty." She paused. "I don't mean sex, mind you. I mean non-lewd things despite my title. Former Demon God of Lust, after all." She crossed her legs, then her arms, awaiting Rick's negotiation. It was a chance for him to tell her what he expected from the deal, and she wouldn't deny him that.

She noted his smirk, however, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Explain your smirk." It was a hard, blunt question.

As he was sitting down he was about to answer but as her final question came back around he had the suspicion that he'd probably want to answer that one first before continuing any further.

"Simple. You gave me the answer I wanted."

With that said he clapped his hands together, still looking rather pleasantly pleased as opposed to cold serious.

"Now you state that you specifically want demon souls, yes? That I'm definitely happy to provide if the information's good. As an added bonus, how about this: You want loyalty from me correct?"

He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Should the information you provide me be on the level then I shall be completely, unfailingly honest with you. Should the information you provide me be used to lead me or any of the other six into a trap and..."

He let the question hang so as to allow her mind to fill in the blanks.

"I won't be so pleased."

A moment and he was back to talking normally, not at all wanting to leave this conversation on the mood of threats.

"So how about it? Total honesty, Good information and the souls of those I slay. A fair bargain I'd say."

He left the table open for her reply.

Asmodeus smirked. "You can try to play me, Rick, but it won't work. If I want to lead you into a trap, it'll be one you won't walk away from- I'm no fool." She gave him a wink, definitely flirtatious this time.. or was it? She seemed to ponder his statements, before chuckling out loud. "Rick, why would I give away false information? How many people do you think are okay with feeding a demon souls? Not many- killing off my clientele is a silly thing to expect me to do." She pouted, seeming a little offended. "And if you doubt my information, I'm very upset with you. Your paper skills suck." It was a jest, her growing smirk made that clear. However, she spoke once more. "Please do not think I am incapable of defending myself, Ricky boy. I am quite capable."

At his final offer, she stood up and extended her hand for him to shake. Her eyes glowed softly as she spoke. "Honesty for honesty, souls for information. What better a deal could we make?" She gave him a teasing smirk before leaning over to him as he took her hand and whispering into his ear- softly, almost sensually. "And if you help me.. I can get some information that is very pertinent to your cause, Rick Brackwall. Very, very.." She bit his ear softly. "Very pertinent." she said as she pulled back.

He stood up again as she came over.

"I do not take you for a weakling. I'd hope you do not take me for a fool."

As she came over, however, she might of been playing very friendly but the words were like cold water to him. Nothing bothered him quite like being outside the know and here he was out of the know on something he suspected he really wanted to be in on. While it gnawed at him inside like a hound gnawing upon a bone he had little option but to swallow that sensation and play ball. It was an uncomfortable agreement as giving such a level of honesty to her was a definite vulnerability but any sort of options he felt he might of had seemed to melt away at her mention of knowledge.

With that he shook her hand.

"An agreement then."

He leaned in a bit, not quite as close nor nearly as intimately as Asmodeus had by far.

"And a promise. Help me thwart the devil of wrath and I'll ensure you return to your former strength, however I can."

Asmodeus gripped his hand a bit hard- her touch was awfully warm and made him feel a tiny bit warm and fuzzy inside. Leaning in again, the demon smooched Rick on the lips before pulling back and giving him a triumphant grin. "You can't break our business deal, now, or you'll die. Kiss of Death and all that." A lazily smug grin replaced her triumphant one as she let go of his hand, and sat down in her chair once more. "Now.. I would offer you information, but you seem to be in a shortage of demon souls in your possession.. what a shame." Her grin shifted to a warm smile and she looked at him. "I look forward to our future business together, Rick Brackwall." Somehow Rick would've figured she was confusing on purpose.

She seemed to not have heard his own promise, however her next words shattered that illusion. "If you do help me return to my former self, it's much more than strength that I require. Memories, power, thoughts. All stolen from me.. somehow." She shrugged and her suddenly morose expression lifted back into her jubilant, teasing one. "And if you do destroy the Devil, all the better for me when I get my powers back, no?" She was visibly enraged at the mention of 'Devil of Wrath', yet she seemed fairly determined to not make it obvious. She was doing a terrible job of that. It was quite obviously bothering the girl, but she grinned at Rick. "Now.. is there anything else?"

Rick was a tad thrown off by the sudden kiss. It seemed he was inadvertently dragged into some form of contract that kills if he breaks it. Well that was certainly something. As she sat down himself before giving a brief chuckle.

"Ah, demons. Using magic to make deals instead of trusting one another to honor the spirit of the agreement."

He spoke mainly to himself, hearing out the rest of what Asmodeus had to say. It was quite interesting her requirements. It was if something had damaged her to make her forget. He hypothesized that it could of been a result of the damage done to her during the demon wars when the world fought back the demon god of despair and the devil then turned on his weakened allies and presumably destroyed them to solidify his rule. Of course it seemed the topic made her visibly angry, despite her best efforts. It was best time he wrapped this particular meeting up.

"I suppose I shall go and peruse means of collecting souls to begin honoring my half of the contract."

As he spoke he started up from his chair, beginning on his way out.

"It has been a pleasure dealing with you Asmodeus. I'll show up back at your office when I possess something to trade."

Asmodeus grinned, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on her desk. "I'd surely hope so, Ricky boy. Don't get killed out there, mhm? It'd suck for both of us if that were to happen, after all." She gave Rick a sweet, curt wave as he stood up.

He returned the wave, making his way out the door.

"Indeed it would."

He answered as he passed beyond sight of the door, shutting it behind him even though he suspected it would shut itself if he neglected to do so. As he walked away from her office his expression fell and he ran a hand down his seemingly exhausted face.

"Goodness, that could of gone better."