Interview with the Demon (Lita)

[Lita]

"You've certainly covered the most pressing issues." She continued to speak in the rather flat tone she had taken on once she had gotten her hands on the tentacles. "The guard will be sufficient I'm sure though you should know that certain bodies are far more useful than others. Not species but condition. Well preserved bodies are far more useful than rotted husks, though skeletons have their use in replacing broken pieces or building limbs from scratch. That's important to remember. While a general supply of corpses is fine I may need specialty creatures. Where you get them I have no interest in so long as they arrive. This isn't a request either. While I believe I will take your deal, this is something you must expect from me. I suggest finding someone with a knowledgeable mind for burial grounds."

Lita's right hand took the glass and she sipped it. Her left hand held a tentacle, though she had stopped the measured grasps and know kneaded it lightly with her thumb and forefinger in a distracted manner. Her mind wasn't focused on the tentacle but on this new subject. Her mind flashed through the history she knew, grasping at bits she had learned about mythic guardians of all types, those that guarded fields, temples, even graves though she had never encountered them.

"What you want is a guard, something prolific enough that losing a few won't be too much of an issue. Humans are good for that, far more randy than rabbits, though rabbits have the advantage of a shorter gestation period. That's where the misplaced assumptions come from." She liked humans, humans were fun, hard to predict, and, above all, versatile. "Of course they must be far more resilient. Humans pop far too easily." Her mind jumped to rock creatures, but they were too intimidating to go around publicly. Maybe a clay flesh analogue.

"You also want them to breed, maybe not at first but quite soon after first creation. Eliminating the need to create more constantly will free me up for secondary creations geared to other environments. Something that's good at everything is nice, but specialized units are far more effective in their field." She wondered if she could make wings a part of it, then put it away for some other project further down the road.

Lita stood up rather suddenly. She quickly finished the rest of the water in her glass with one quick swig. "I accept your proposition." She still had the tentacle in her left hand, though she had forgotten about it. "I'll need an escort to my new premises so I can start organizing it. I should be able to start work and research immediately after you procure me three average sized human bodies and four hundred pounds of soft clay. New medical and dissection tools would be a boon but I do have my own so those are less priority." Lita grinned, flashing her teeth. This was going to be her magnum opus.

[Karishima Yumi]

"We are in agreement then!" Karishima said with a smile, then paused to sip at her wine. "One thing though. Ms. Triat. I realize that your mind is most likely far away form here and on your next experiment, but I would like to remind you that those are attached to me?" She ave the tentacle in the inventor's hand a little wiggle to make her point.

"Although that does remind me of some thing you said earlier. About, ah, 'nature outdoing you again'? If you believe it will help your research, I am willing to submit myself to an examination by you. Time permitting of course. I am, as you are no doubt aware, an extremely busy woman."

As if on cue the house lights began to dim again. Karishima turned her attention back to the stage briefly. "Not every demand on my time is a welcome one, however," she said bitterly. "But they are all important.

"Will a warehouse on the docks be sufficient as a work space? Or would you favor something more and/or isolated? The docks have the added advantage of a shorter supply line, less pedestrian foot traffic, particularly after hours, and a handy way to terminate... unruly productions via drowning...provided you dont give them gills. This, naturally, would be an option of last resort, but still one that should be considered."

[Lita]

Lita's whole body stiffened, except for her hand which instantly dropped the tentacle and shot to her side. Her focus returned to what she should have been doing the whole time, which was being respectful of somebody incredibly important. "I'm sorry ma'am. Forgive me. My hands sometimes act on their own while my mind is distracted. Not that I'm distracted. I'm paying attention to everything you've been saying, have said. Yes." Lita tried her hardest not to fidget.

"The docks should be fine as long as there is a guard. And secrecy. secrecy beats a guard any day but both is nice too."

[Karishima Yumi]

Fiona poured some more wine in Karishima's glass, and she sipped it slowly. She then leaned forward, wine glass in hand to and looked up at the standing form of Lita. Two new purple-pink limbs, each other about as big around as her wrist, slid from under her dress and coiled lightly around Lita's wrists, lifting her hands slightly.

"Relax," she said patiently. "You already got the job, Lita. May I call you Lita? And besides, I know how it is to have one's own limbs act on their own accord when distracted. You don't have anything to apologize for. In truth, the contact was rather soothing. I told you how dealthwok demon's enjoy tactile stimulation. I'm not immune to that just because I'm half human. Your touch was pleasant. It was quite like a nice light massage, really. I look forward to more of it, should you decide to take up my offer of an examination."

Karishima leaned back, again the two tentacles patting the back of Lita's hands reassuringly before falling away, but remaining coiled on the floor with her main ones.

"The warehouse is virtually identical to those around it, and will draw no suspicion. When you are ready to move in, I will see to it that the premises are be-spelled to prevent noise from escaping that may draw unwanted attention. The guard I suggested are highly discreet. Chance are you wont even notice them until you have a need for them."

On the stage below them, There was a thundering Trumpet ad the Emperor announced: "The Purging of Venus Begins Now!" The smile faded from Karishima's face and she downed her next glass of wine in a single motion.

"The interview is over," Karishima said, her tone oddly flat compared to a moment ago. "If you would call on me at home, I will issue your advance and arrange for your escort. Delivery of your frist order will take place after the guard are stationed. Could you come by tomorrow morning? Fiona will provide you with the address.

Fiona set the wine bottle down, and approached, pulling some parchment with the address to the House of Earthly Delight on it from her robes. As she reached Lita, the orchestra began a thunderous number as the Purge of Venus hit its full swing.

Fiona took this opportunity to lean forward and whisper in Lita's ear. "I know you gt the job and you've been dismissed and everything and you probably have a lot to do, but please, please, please stay. This play always upsets my Mistress and I think your being here would help her. I think she likes you."

[Lita]

Lita smiled hesitantly as Karishima tried to reassure her. She still wasn't entirely comfortable but she did relax a bit. To be honest, she didn't mind the feel of the tentacles around her wrist. They were soft but still very firm, which fascinated her. Her mind drifted to what she could do with them. Oh how she wished she had the skill to attach them herself. She was so distracted that she almost missed the send off. "Yes, well, thank you for the opportunity." She turned a bit and prepared to leave when she was interrupted by one of the other women in the room.

"O-ok, sure. I can do that." She whispered back. Lita turned back towards the couch where Karashima sat. She took a few steps closer and looked down at the stage.

[Karishima Yumi]

The stage was a-buzz well-choreographed bedlam. As The Lady Ivory, now the Empress of Terre De Conte, and her husband looked on from a balcony set a few feet above the stage, knights in their brilliant shinning faux armor changed forth, from the castle to the City of Venus, sword high shields at the ready. The 'unclean' elements of the city, the crooks, thieves, the prostitutes and the demons were forced to fight or flee. Those that fought were slain. Those that fled were also slain, just later.

“You cannot run from Justice!” The Emperor boomed. “Terre de Conte will be freed from your vile influence!”

Karishima sat still as a statue, even her many tentacles seemed poised for something. She held out the glass for more wine, which Fiona poured at once, easily compensating for her Mistress's shaking hand.

As the 'unclean' lay dead and dying in the street, something happened that Karishima had not expected, even having seen this play many times. A new actor appeared,his costume a brilliant purple-pink, and outfitted with additional limbs that looked much like – well like tentacles. Karishima's eyes went wide, she was suddenly leaning forward to look down at the stage, her mouth hanging open ever so slightly, and even then she was barely able to croak out an “oh!”

“Stop!” this new comer cried. “This isn't Justice! You're slaughtering innocent beings!”

With but the slightness waves of her hand, Lady Ivory made the attacking knights hold their positions. “And who are you to decide guilt and innocence” she asked carefully. The audience below them broke into slight applause, though only for a moment.

“I am Glemph, of the dealthwok clan!” the actor declared proudly.

Fiona gasped. Karishima's glass slid from her fingers to shatter on the floor of the balcony, the wine within spilling out all over the floor.

“A demon?” the Lady Ivory asked. Aside from their words, it was silent in the auditorium. Even the orchestra was resting as if silence added to the sense of drama. And it worked. Damn it, it worked.

“Yes,” Glemph confirmed. He began to open his mouth to clarify.

“There is no such thing as an innocent demon,” The lady Ivory replied. "Least of a the raping dealthwok demons. She gestured again. A singe knight stepped forward to run the actor-Glemph. through with his sword.

Karishima suddenly found herself standing, one arm a few tentacles outstretched toward the railing of her balcony. It was a stupid thing to do, and she knew it a half second after she did it, but she couldn't help herself.

“No!” Karishima screamed as “Glmeph” fell theatrically to the stage floor. It was unlikely anyone herd her though, because the auditoriums was filled with thundering applause.

Karishima hand dropped, her shoulders slumped and her tentacles drooped back to the floor all at once. Without turning to look at Lita, she quietly asked. “Lita... do you ever have one of those days... when you think maybe you make a mistake? That the thing you've dedicated your life to was a fallacy and now there's nothing left?”

[Lita]

Lita watched the events on the floor with feigned interest. She didn't know the story, nor had she payed attention to it while the discussion was going on. Her mind evaluated what it saw quite critically because of this. She noted the shining nature of the knights and made a mental note that shiny seemed good and might be a good effect on her new creations if they would be diplomats of sorts. Of course these knights just went around killing things. It was just so foolish, especially killing in such a mundane and messy way. Lita didn't approve of murder personally, but she saw the finer points to it. This was just butchery, and butchery was just tactless and wasteful.

Now that she thought of it, butchers was a horrible name for some of the people who worked with meats. Many were craftsmen in their own right. She'd have to think about a new name for the craft. Something that reflected the art in the perfect cut, the skillful slice, the true art that it encompassed. Of course then the new character came out. Lita didn't catch the name. Normally she would consider the suit of added tentacles bland and rather lifeless. Having been able to directly interact with the real thing she now judged them harshly as tacky and simply without any effort for any sort of realism.

Her criticisms were interrupted by the shattering glass however. She jumped back and turned wide eyed to see Karishima had dropped the wine. Lita swallowed but still couldn't pull her hand from small mechanism in her sleeve that would send her entire body into flames. She glanced around out of habit and returned to looking at the stage in time to see the demon impersonator die. Karishima let out her cry, startling Lita again. She managed to keep her cool though, not that it mattered, Karishima was still looking at the stage while she spoke.

Lita considered the question carefully. Her mind flashed through the banishment she had suffered, the failed experiments, the near death experiences she had faced and came to a conclusion. "No." She shrugged. "The time for looking back to find the mistakes you already made is when all the effects of what you've done have been neutralized. If I experiment to make something burn, I can't stop look back to see if any of my mistakes had led to the result until all the flames are out and the ash is swept away. If you dedicate your life to something then it's only over when you die. At that point you won't be there to look back for mistakes. What's done is done unless you keep doing it. Somebody once told me that you can't change the past, I think that's wrong, I'm sure somebody will figure out how to do so. A more apt saying would be you can only stop the lightning with a lot of pain. You also have to be really fast though. But mostly it just hurts." She thought for a few more seconds. "Even then you probably will still bring half of it to life, or a few fingers at least. So yeah, there's always something left."

[Karishima Yumi]

Fioana was blinking in confusion at what Lita had said, but the stricken look was fading from Karishima's face. She turned to look back at Lita. "That part of that I understood," she said, "we're actaully pretty helpful, Lita. So, thank you for that."

She turned back to the stage, the squares her shoulders, standing up straight again. "Fiona, I think I've seen enough. Tell Bianca to get them get my carriage ready."

"Yes, Mistress!" Fiona replied, clearly relived She all but flew for the curtains leading outside and vanished.

Karishima turned to Lita, and offered her hand. "If you like, I could give you a ride back to the castle. We both have a busy day in the morning!"

[Lita]

"That would be good, thank you." Lita said, though starting to relax she was still rather tense about the whole situation. More time with Karishima could lead to bigger benefits, however the increased time also gave rise to the chances that Lita would make a horrifying mistake of some kind. She wasn't sure that she hadn't already made one. So she just tried smiling, however awkward as it was. She couldn't help but glance at the tentacles and watch them move as they propelled Karishima across the floor. They fascinated her, though she did her best to keep her gaze elsewhere and only watch out of the corner of her eye. She hoped Karashima wouldn't take offense to her continued gaze, but it was better to be safe than to lose all funding.

"I'm staying at the castle." She said, but realized too late that Karashima already may have known this, having sent the invitation after all. "Though once I begin working I will be spending most of my time in the warehouse working." She would have to send out Kizzy for a cot of some sort so she could take short naps in between projects.