Interview with the Demon (Lita)

[Karishima Yumi]

The opera house in the Montnuit district was lit up with countless lanterns and torches. It was opening night of the latest run of Venus' favorite play The Lady of Ivory, which chronicled the time long ago of when Emperor Merandor and the Lady Ivory pulled their struggling empire from the edge of collapse to the shinning example of human achievement it was today.

Karishima hated the play with a fiery passion. It was nothing more to her than a celebration of the acts that killed her father and broke her mother, leaving her an orphan and a slave. But whenever it ran, she made it a point to attend. Mostly because it was expected of her. Venus' favorite citizen should attend Venus' favorite play after all. And also to remind herself that what she was planning, what had to be done was just.

So she was all smiles and waves to as she glided out of her carriage, her wine colored gown falling almost to the floor and cut low so as to attract more attention to her chest than to her tentacles. The commoners of Venus who could not afford the opera themselves or simply had no interest in it still cheered at the sight of her. Following behind her were two women. A taller blonde woman built less like a model and more like a professional weight lifter, and a smaller woman with blue hair, carrying a tall wooden staff. The people barely noticed them. It seemed as though one or the other or both were always with her, and they had basically become background at this point.

Karishima entered the ornate double doors of the opera house and the Impresario was at her side at once. And old, balding man, he's lack of social graces was more than made up by his organizational skills. "Madame Yumi!" he greeted. "Glad to see you here once again. The rumor of your attending an opening night is enough to double our ticket sales. The actors find that to be a slight, but they still accept their increased cut willingly enough."

Kagoshima smiled warmly. "I never wnated to be a celebrity. But since it has been thrust upon me, I'm happy to help. I want to thank you for arranging the special invite for my guest. Has she arrived yet?"

The impresario shook his head. "Not yet, I'm afraid."

Karishima frowned. Why is it creative people have no sense of punctuality? "Please have them sent up to my private balcony when they arrive," she said. She swept pass the man, her two companions beside her.

Lita Annabelle Triat Karishima thought. Wanted in as many countries as she was exiled. It would be risky, what she planned on purposing. But if even half the rumors of what she has accomplished in her work were true, she would prove an invaluable ally.

“Bianca,” she said once they reached the top of the stairs and the entrance to her private balcony. “Remain here. Escort in Lita when she arrives.

The taller woman nodded her head once. “Yes Mistress,” she said. “Shall I search her for weapons?”

Karishima shook her head. “No need. According to the reports her main offensive ability consist of lighting herself on fire. Fiona can handle her easily should it come to that.

The smaller woman with blue hair and the staff smiled adoringly at Karishima, tickled pink at the praise. Karishima took Fiona's hand in hers and the woman nearly swooned. Bianca rolled her eyes and took her position by the balcony entrance, her arms crossed over her chest.

A purple-pink tentacle snaked out form under Karishima dress, and patted Bianca shoulder gently. “Don't be cross. Its her turn.”

Bianca nodded again. “Whatever pleases you, Mistress.”

“When Lita arrives and enters, see to it we're not disturbed,” Karishima added before final disappearing through the separating curtains with Fiona in tow. Now on the balcony, she settled into the large couch set front and center. Fiona let go of her hand, and took her post standing by the arm of the couch. There were two other chairs, on on each side of the couch.

Down below the orchestra was warming up. Karishima leaned back into the soft cushions, her four main tentacles stretching out form under her dress, coiling on the floor before her as she allowed herself to relax.

“Aren't you going to let them all out, Mistress?” Fiona asked. She sounded hopeful.

Karishima smiled, but shook her head. “It would be nice. But no sense in scaring the poor woman she she arrives.”

[Lita]

It was a strange message to say the least, not only because she was entirely unsure as to who this Karashima Yumi was, but also because of the meeting place. Lita wondered why anyone would have any desire to meet in during a play. It seemed like an incredibly distracting location and certainly a poor bit of planning on this person’s part. Still, it sounded legitimate and she might meet somebody who didn’t plan on turning her in for money. Plus there was the slim chance that this was a chance to gain an investor. The idea of being paid to do her work made Lita far happier than she had been in a long time.

She decided she wanted to dress to impress, so she put on her finest outfit, finest being relative as her best dress was still a rather shabby forest print that was marred by a few burns. Still, she hoped it would make some favorable impression with this mysterious stranger. Of course she expected trouble, so she made sure to wear her long cloak and robes over it in case some unfortunate issues manifested themselves. She grinned at her reflection in the mirror while fixing her hair up into the bun. It was quite a nice effect in her own mind. She grinned and winked at herself. “Make them jealous.”

Of course there was one small issue, Kizzy had gone off to do something or other which normally wouldn’t have been a problem, but it left her without a guide. Fortunately she had remembered her glasses. Still, she spent a good amount of time wandering the streets and receiving highly suspect directions from passerbys. She was glad she had left early, but it still wasn’t nearly soon enough. She ended up arriving late at the theatre. Lita dashed inside and glanced around. She dug through her pockets as she was approached by several well-dressed personnel. She pulled out the note.

“I’m supposed to meet a Karashima Yumi in an upper balcony. I have a ticket.” She added, pulling that out and waving it. They certainly reacted to this information and their personalities seemed to change.

“Right this way.” One usher said and escorted her up the stairs to the private balcony. Lita used this time to try and compose herself. She needed to be impressive if she wanted any funding.

[Karishima Yumi]

Bianca was standing in the exact same position that Karishima and Fiona had left her in, back ramrod straight, muscular arms crossed over a surprising well endowed chest, looking very much like the bodyguard that she was. She heard the usher and Lita coming long before she saw them, and dropped her hands to her side, where they wold be ready to attack or retrain in a flash, should the need arrive.

When they came into view, however, Bianca allowed herself to relax. The woman, who had to be this inventor her mistress wanted to see, didn't look as though she could hurt a fly, much less her or Karishima. Her azure eyes sweat over Lita once, finding her attire somewhat lacking. Bianca didn't care personally, but it would not due to have anyone embarrass her Mistress.

"Lita Triat," Bianca said once they were closer. It wasn't a question. She then looked over at the usher, whom she towered over. "Leave," she snapped once. He wasted no time in complying.

Bianca took a step toward Lita, her fingers twitching once involuntarily. It was killing her not to search the woman for weapons. But she had her orders, and she couldn't go against them if she wnated to. And she'd never want to.

Instead of completing the second step she would need to close the distance, Bianca turned on her heel, approached the curtains separating the balcony from the hall and parted it with one arm. "My mistress has been expecting you," she said at last.



Down below on the stage, the Lady Ivory had just arrived at the City of Venus and was in midst of a cleverly choreographed montage of learning just what kind of hell hole the city had become. There were muffled gasp of shock and awe from the audiences far bellow, though the reached he balcony only a distant white noise.

Karishima had seen it a million time before. She watched the stage without seeing it, her mind elsewhere. On her plans, on the future. On the interview, should the Triat woman ever decide to show up. Distracted as she was, more tentacles emerged from under her dress, slim ones about as big around as her arm before tapering of to a tip. Acting autonomously, they coiled around whatever they could find, the railing of the balcony, the leg and waist of Fiona who smiled contentedly at their touch.

It was then that Bianca's arm parted the curtain, allowing the brighter light of the upper hall into the balcony. The blond bodyguard preceded the inventor in the room, holing the curtain open for her. "She is here, Mistress." Bianca announced.

Karishima's attention snapped back to the here and now. She began to pull her wayward limbs back to her. She did not rise, and her four main tentacles still remained coiled before her on the floor

"Show her in please, Bianca," she instructed without turning. "Then resume your duties.

Karishima waited until she heard the footsteps enter and the curtain fall close behind her again. She could feel Fiona tensing at her side. She allowed one tentacle to emerge from under her dress and return to its position around her waist. The woman relaxed, but did not take her eyes off of Lita for a second.

"Please have a seat, Ms Triat." Karishima said evenly. "I'm not a woman accustomed to waiting," she added. "I'm not sure if I should be upset by this, or amused by the unfamiliar sensation."

A smile tugged at her lips as she final turned her head to look at Lita.

[Lita]

Lita nodded to the woman stationed outside the door and did her best to hide her nervousness as she was escorted into the room. She focused on staying cool and collected. If she could pass herself off as someone who could keep her head it would be far better. She kept her face expressionless as best she could when she entered the room. When Karishima spoke, Lita almost missed it. "Ah yes, I apologize for my rudeness however I will not bore you...with...excuses." Her sentence trailed off when she noticed the tentacles. Her mind began to spin, whirling through all sorts of things, of course the art of tact was immediately shoved aside.

"Those tentacles." Her eyes lit up and she stepped closer to get a better look. "They look so good, they must have been attached immediately after primary separation. Were they attached at the point of limbs or at the hips? The work that must have gone into such a combination. Did it leave a scar?" A thought struck her. "You don't intend for me to reattach your legs do you? Physical degeneration would make that exceedingly difficult. I'm sorry. Maybe some other legs would work. But the work to merge such completely different anatomy. I'm good but I don't know if I could do that with such precision so a reversal of the technique might be out of my skill range. I'm sorry." She spoke faster and faster.

"It's marvelous. Can you move them all perfectly? Is there full tactile abilities? Wow. Can I see the point of attachment? I've never been able to do successful combinations of different creatures while they were alive but you don't look as if you were ever killed. I'm so curious. I might not be able to help you now but after you die might I have your body for research? If someone has made even more progress than me then it will be so useful for me to investigate their work. I didn't even know someone else had even delved into this sort of thing. This is amazing."

[Karishima Yumi]

Two pairs of eyes blinked in confusion as Lita began her rant, one blue and one teal. The blue eyes, Fiona's eyes, widened slightly, then narrowed when Lita used the word 'killed'. She took a step forward placing herself between Lita and Karishina automatically, raising her staff in both hands as she did so. Glowing, blue-green was already beginning to gather over the head of the staff.

The tentacle around her waist tugged her back slightly, and she dismissed the gathering magic and lowered the staff at once. "There's no need for all that, Fiona," said Karishima. "I'm sure Ms. Triat wasn't threatening me. Were you, Ms. Triat?"

Fiona lowered her head, embarrassed. "Yes, Mistress," she said softly before falling back to her post beside the couch.

Karishima patted the couch cushion next to herself, inviting Lita to sit. "Its encouraging to see a glimpse of how your mind works, Ms. Triat. I have heard talk and hersesay about how you were 'always on' that is to say, always thinking of your research, even in... socially inappropriate times. I'm glad to see that's true. I'm not going to be investing in your social skills, after all. I have a house full courtesans for that.

"I'm afraid that I must disappoint your sense of curiosity however," Karishima went on. "I was born this way, half human and half Dealthwok demon." the same smile touched her lips again and she reached down to the hem of her long gown and proceeded to pull it up... and up... and up...until the point of her hips where the purple-pink tentacle flesh flowed seamlessly to human skin at her hip was visible.

"All standard issue," she added, allowing the gown to fall back into place. "No after market additions here. But do not let that deter you. Tell me more about your field of study. I do recall hearing about an incident revolving lizard-like creatures... you creation from the ground up?" she asked.

[Lita]

Lita's hand slipped inside her sleeve where the small incendiary device was strapped. A simple flick and the cloak, as well as her, would burst into flame. Fortunately, Karashima intervened and saved Lita from the act of stupidity. "I wasn't threatening anybody. I try to avoid threats and just explain the facts." Lita stepped over and sat next on the couch next to Karashima. Her eyes followed the rising hem very closely, purely for scientific reasons, probably.

She barely could resist the urge to touch and feel the seam where the two bodies met and became one being. "Born this way. Nature outdoes me again." She muttered to herself, staring at the joining place. She was jerked from her focus by the mentioning of the lizard men, lizard women to be more precise.

"You know about that then." She said, her excitement all but gone, replaced by a nervous guilty feeling. "Look, despite what you may have heard, that was not my fault. I was simply trying to increase the efficiency of trade between landfolk and seafolk. I didn't expect residual traces of the creatures to be so prevalent in the minds of my babies." She turned herself to face Karashima better. "It's not their fault if a few cattle got killed, and they certainly didn't mean to break my arm. They just hadn't matured properly."

"Some people just don't understand how hard it is creating life, let alone training it up after it's been instilled. Childbirth, ha. Children don't try to murder you at every opportunity." She was starting to mutter very fast under her breath. "Then they go and kill them all off. There was still a chance they could be useful. Then they had the gall to run me out of town. Me, still recovering from failure and the broken arm. How could they? And then putting a price on my head." Lita shook her head and sniffed. Her head suddenly jerked up.

"I'm sorry for that, that's not what you wanted to know about." She paused. "Well, I didn't create them from scratch per se. I took a few large crocodiles I had managed to obtain and began splicing them together with several corpses I had procured. Then I simply gave them new life so that they might flourish."

[Karishima Yumi]

Karishima nodded slowly, her eyes sliding from Lita to the play. Emperor Merandor and the Lady Ivory had just met. The fluffy idealized romance would start soon. She turned her attention back to Lita.

"Accidents happen when one experiments," she conceded. "A lot of them are unforeseen. The tentacle wrapped around Fiona's waist twitched, and a shadow of guilt passed over Karishima's face.

Fiona rested a hand on the tentacle, smiling reassuringly. "We dont blame you Mistress," she said with earnest smile.

The shadow deepened. "Of course you dont," Karishima said wearily. She shook it the moment of depression, and continued with the intreview. "The important thing is to learn from those mistakes. Given the chance to archive the stated goal that gave rise to the lizard hybrids, what would you do different? Suppose you had more resource. Funding. Workspace the size of a warehouse. How would you use them to perfect the process?

[Lita]

"Oh, well." She hesitated, Lita rarely repeated experiments, especially when they failed. Still, if this woman wanted lizard people she could probably do it. And maybe she could squeeze in a few side projects as well. That would certainly be useful. "Well more resources would be incredibly useful regardless, bodies are not easy to come by, be they human, animal or what have you. They also aren't cheap if it comes down to purchasing them." She thought for a moment before continuing. "The space is hardly required as I've worked in cramped quarters before, however a large sized area means a great deal more room to work with as well as more storage so while size matters little, more is better. As for perfecting the process, the actual process is fairly perfected. I can generally create life within standard boundaries, however accidents and variables happen so nothing is perfect. The issue comes with how they act once bestowed with life, that is something only more experimentation will cure, resources have little bearing on that besides allowing for more work to be done faster."

[Karishima Yumi]

Karishima mulled this over, tapping her lips with her index finger thoughtfully. With her conscious mind thus distracted, more tentacles began to emerge from under her dress, sliding across the floor as if exploring their surroundings. Most of them were only as big around as her arm, much smaller than her main ones. They coiled around the railing of the balcony, the legs on the chairs beside the couch, no fewer than three finding a familiar home wrapping around Fiona's calf and thigh.

"I'm curios about your process," Karishima said at length. Two of her tentacles, one that tapped off to a tip and one that seemed to have a a tiny mouth on the end had just noticed Lita's feet and were poking at her shoes curiously . "But I understated if you choose not to share them at this stage in our professional relationship. But I have to ask, have you considered utilizing magic to effect more... desirable behavior from the finished product? As a follow up, and again assuming you'd have the resources to do so, what would be your 'dream project'? Something in this field you've always wnated to do, but was held back by logistics?"

[Lita]

Lita's mind was focused on the tentacles. The way they moved fascinated her. She had a terribly powerful desire to get some of her own just to see how well they could move. She wondered if they were as dexterous as human fingers, or even more so due to a general lack of bones. Of course she still kept a bit of attention on the conversation. "Magic." She sniffed. "If I wanted a bunch of magically manipulated morons moving merchandise then I would learn magic. If I breed my creatures a certain way, they should behave the way they were bred. It not only saves time, but when future generations come along you don't have to magic them up too. Plus there's never a worry about spells wearing off, anti-magic fields, and the chance of rebellion by some fool magician."

What was left of Lita's attention drifted to what she really wanted. A companion, a lover, a friend who would stand by her and never leave. That was why she came to the city, wasn't it? She bit her lip. She came because she had given up on that. She couldn't create one no matter how hard she tried. Even the simple tasks she created creatures for went unfulfilled. They always went on rampages. The chances of creating one that could do the complicated job of being a companion was far too low to measure.

"No, I simply enjoy creating life and I'm always looking for new ways to help somebody out."

[Karishima Yumi]

On the stage in front of and below them, The Lady Ivory and the Emperor were wed. The curtain fell to the sound of thunderous applause. Karishima did not join in.

"Helping people," she sighed wistfully. "That is something I can understand..."

The two tentacles prodding at Lita's feet seemed to be growing frustrated with the woman's footwear. The one with the mouth went on its way, sliding along the floor to the foot of the couch, the coiling up to the arm, before arcing back to slide along the cushions and finally into Lita's lap. Its destination reached, it yawned and then lay still.

"Magic is not quite as fickle as you seem to think it is, Ms. Triat," Karishima went on. "It just science with different rules. Or, since its practice predates that of science, one could say science is magic with different rules. But I wont tell you how to conduct your research. If I knew it all, I wouldn't need to invest in inventors, now would I?"

The other tentacle that had been tapping at Lita's shoes final noticed where it ended, and stated tapping and brushing tentatively at the woman's shin, as if looking for something.

"I've come to a decision, Ms. Triat," Karishima began. At that exact moment, however, the house lamps began to brighten in the opera house, signaling the beginning of the intermission. In the light of the now brighter balcony, Karishima finally noticed just how many limbs she had allowed to emerge, and gasped once, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh!" she said. She shook her head once, and noticed one tentacle on Lita lap and the other trying to curl around the woman's leg. "Well this is embarrassing," she muttered under her breath. In unison, all the purple-pink limbs in the room save or her main four and the one around Fiona's waist began to retract, sliding back under her dress and out of sight.

"My apologies," she said, her face an oddly inhuman shade of pink. "They... tend to have a will of their own when I'm distracted. It was not my intnetion feel you up. Just so you know, that is not the way I conduct business... this business at any rate... and allowing such...behavior is not a condition of my investment. IfI get too touchy in the future, and make you uncomfortable, please let me know."

Once she was satisfied that her many limbs were now kept to herself, she went on. "It's intermission. Would you care for any refreshment? I can have Fiona get some for us."

[Lita]

Lita tried to hide her disappointment as Karashima retracted the tentacles. She really wanted to examine them more under better light, as well as much more magnified. Barring that, she wanted to just get a close look. She understood that they were attached to a person, which was how she had kept herself from grabbing and examining the one that had strayed across her lap. The temptation to hold it, feel it, test it was almost too much for her to bear. Yet she was able to keep her hands away. When the lights came up and Karashima retracted it, as well as the one the was poking at her foot, Lita felt a combination of relief and disappointment.

Of course when the tentacles were retracted, a new thought popped into Lita's mind, well several new thoughts to be more precise.. How many were under there, how did she hide such a large number if there were a large number of them, what did she mean by a will of their own. Of course one question was forced to the front, Karashima's and that one needed an answer.

"Simply water please, nothing too fancy." Water is easy, nobody messes up making water. She thought to herself. her favorite drink, however, was not nearly so simple. She much preferred making it herself. Of course any indications of being a lush would also be a bad thing to display during a business meeting so she would need to hold off on a drink anyway.

"You said they have a will of their own, what do you mean? Is there a secondary brain, or perhaps even a tertiary one? Possibly more? Unless they are controlled by your subconscious, though that would make dreaming a strange event surely." She bit her lip again and thought for a moment. "Maybe there are receptors in each one for gathering information and it's all relayed back, much like antennae. Fascinating."

[Karishima Yumi]

Karishima turned to Fiona. "See about some water for Ms. Triat," she said. "And wine for myself. Red. I'll need it for the next Act."

Fiona looked from Karishima to Lita and back again. "Yes, Mistress," she said finally, stepping away from the chair and toward the door. The tentacle that had been around her waist uncoiled itself as she moved, and was left hovering in the air, looking oddly forlorn as the blue-haired woman vanished through the curtains.

Karishima turned her attention back to Lita. "I'm afraid I'm not really sure how these work," she said waving at the lonely tentacle in the air. I'm the only human/dealthwok hybrid in existence, so I dont have much to compare to. I dont think I have any secondary brains... The best I could offer as an explanation is that their 'will' is a combination of subconscious desire and a need of physical sensation. The dealthwok demons are a very... tactile race. They have eyes, but perceive the world primarily through touch and taste. Its an instinctual drive that took me a long time to learn how to control. But it requires a sort of passive concentration... that why my control slips when I'm thinking hard on something else. And you're right: things become very interesting when I dream. I also find it very relaxing when I can just.. let them out. The sensory input from all those limbs on all those surfaces sort of washes over me... not unlike being slightly tipsy, only still able to think clearly."

A careful smile crossed her face, the pink hue there fading. "Still I like the way your mind works. The questions you ask, and the way you ask them. Initiative, motivation, curiosity. Here," she said , and gently lay the tentacle that had been hugging Fiona in Lita's lap. "You must be dying to get a closer look, then. Go ahead. But listen as you work:

"I've decided to invest in you endeavors on a provisional basis. I will pay you an advance, and provide you with a work space and...material for a period of six months. You'll have total Independence, but I will expect regular progress reports. At the conclusion of those six months, we will reevaluate , and see about a more permanent venture. Do we have an agreement?"

[Lita]

On being given permission, Lita shot to her knees, though she was quite careful not to kneel on any stray tentacles. Delicately she picked one up. Her mind was almost entirely focused on this new task, though she kept one part of it still focused on the conversation. "No." She replied, tact not being something she was very good at when distracted. "Not how it is. My work is controversial to say the least, I would either need you to pay for guard services or provide enough for me to buy them myself." Her hands lightly slid down one tentacle, feeling the texture. Every few inches she would stop and squeeze a little to get a feel for the thickness and density.

"I have also recently come into possession of a slave. I have not freed her as far as any law is concerned as far as I know, but I am using her as hired help. Handling little jobs, small errands, et cetera. She will need to be taken care of as well, or you need to provide enough for me to take care of her myself." She came to the tip and lightly prodded it with her finger, then began the whole process in reverse.

"As for a time frame, six months makes sense as a limit for evaluation, however regular progress reports are simply impossible outside the most generalized information in this work. Experiments could be nearly complete one day, and the next be discovered to be far from any sort of completion. You may still do check ups but you must understand the nature of science and experimentation. It has its own schedule." The tentacle was enthralling. It certainly seemed to have full tactile abilities. It was just so amazing. Lita's mind now drifted in the direction of more tentacled people.

"As for a free range, that sort of work is hard. When people like me have an idea, we seek out someone to fund us. You sought me out which means you want something done. I am far from against working on commission. But that also brings to mind the timeline again. In two weeks I can have reanimated dead chickens churning out of the building depending on the weather. If I were to create more creatures like you, well, just the study of that would be months, possibly years unless I made a sudden breakthrough in research. Of course once I figure out how to do it, it would hardly be a month before I complete the first one, but then I would need to perfect any flaws, master the process, do more study. It all takes time."

[Karishima Yumi]

A little half-smile formed on Karishima's lips. "I think you'll find the advance I'm prepared to offer will more than enough to cover for your livelihood and that of your... employee. Bianca, the woman you met at the entrance to the balcony, can provide you with the contact information for a troupe of sells-swords that come very reasonably priced, and owe a favor or three that they would be only too glad to extend to you. You will not need to worry as far as security or personal protection are concerned with them on the case. Nor will you have to worry about spending the advance on any... 'supplies'. Make me aware of what you need, and I will ensure you receive it."

She tried not too look as though she was enjoying Lita's ministrations, but her prodding and squeezing was very soothing, like a foot-rub would be to a human. A contended sigh escaped her lips as the curtains parted again to re-admit Fiona. She was carrying a tray with a pitcher of water, a wine bottle, chilled in bucket of ice, and too glasses. Her oaken staff was slung though a leather loop fixed her back. "I've returned, Mistress." she said simply.

"Thank you Fiona," Karishiam said, her voice a sigh. She turned her attention back to Lita as her blue-haired servant/bodyguard went to work on the cap of the bottle. "Shrewd observation, Ms. Triat," she consented. "There is something I want you to do."

Karishima, realized she had been slowly sinking into the cushions of the couch sat up straight again. "My business are many and vast, but there is always room for expansion. I'm turning my attention to other parts of the world, places were my human employees can not or should not go without being well protected. They will need a powerful and versatile vanguard force of creatures to protect them. It is my hope you can create such a a group of beings."

There was pop as Fiona uncorked the wine, the began to fill Karishima's glass, then poured some water in the other one.

"Obviously, I dont expect hundreds of them to roll off the line tomorrow, or next month, or even a decade from now. I tend to take the long view in things like this. I just need to know if it is possible, if perhaps a prototype line of ten or twenty can be made at first.

Fiona handed Karishima both glasses, and Kairshima in turn offered the water to Lita. "Did I address your concerns? Can we do do business together, Ms. Triat?"