The Devil You Know

-Dalen Capital, Grand Theater, Late evening 2 DSTR-

Sarx looked irritated, the cold stare she was giving Celestia would have been enough to seal the fate of many. Randel knew this would not be the case here. “Circe.” He said shifting the focus. “You will forgive me, but I do know that gifts are never without some… how to put this? Strings.” Randel pointed out and refilled his own glass.

Down below the music from the opera was keeping the rest of the audience captivated. “I am not ungrateful for the offer, but I would like to be clear what deals I am making.” He said to clarify. “Deals with devils rarely fall in favor of the mortals.”

The focus of the conversation, he hopes, was now on the more pressing matters. Sarx had a role to play for him, and he did not need her knowing her weaknesses just yet. She was dangerous, her people were dangerous. He needed the Emerald Scarves, he needed the soldiers.

Shifting slightly, he turned to face her, looking into Celestia’s golden eyes with his own. His manners and behaviors were practiced and perfected as he reached a hand out to rest on her skirt softly. “Shall I tell you what I wish for, and then you can tell me the price.” His voice was smooth and soft as silk. The show was going on below but up here, he tried to make a space that was just the two of them.

“I will need someone who can use magic to understand a magical beast. I will need to know how it works, it is like a hell hound, but not. I will also need to be able to cross over into the pathways for faster travel to places.” He tells her. “I know of a door, but I cannot unlock it.”

He leaned in closer, he could pick out her scent and while wild and primal, it was primal and exhilarating. He had to force himself to focus. “Do you think you could aid me in this?”

Sarx was tried to pull herself out of the gaze of the other woman, tried to make herself less of a target.