The confessional before you is ornate and well maintained, ebony colored wood embellished with the visage of two angels. A jet black curtain separates the confessional from the rest of the Church, offering a surprising degree of privacy to any eavesdroppers nearby. Unlike the rest of Krakow, the inside is dimly lit by a small light bulb securely attached to the ceiling which emits a faint red light. While the atmosphere isn't exactly cozy, it is private.
A smooth voice calls out to you once you've sat down, familiar enough to identify the speaker despite the partition between you.
"Welcome welcome. I take it something is on your mind?"We're in a museum now, Harry.
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dominioned) wrote2019-12-03 07:17 pm
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...close but not quite. There really isn't any pain involved, aside from a psychological manifestation of it. Fear on the other hand— [ He just smiles, barbed. ]
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[Then again, what does she know about demons. Nothing, really, only what Rembrandt says -- and besides, given what he said about how other demons were like...yeah, she's happy with this one, even if he gives her lip]
Besides it's not that big of a problem. I believe this may be the incentive they would have needed in order to accept my offer during future trials.
[Since they could see the effects of what may happen to them, they would be less reticent than if they knew nothing about what could happen. That's what she thinks, anyway]
Fear. Huh. [She rests her face on her hand] What a thing to be feeling in your last moments. Is that how it has always been? Nobody looked straight at your...whatever shape you had and tried to take it with bravado? That's disappointing.
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My "whatever shape"? You wound me so, my Lady. [ And he's very tempted to start slipping into his true form now, the lightbulb in the confessional flickering intermittently. ]
It's an instinctual response you see—humans, creatures, monsters—they all want to survive in the end. Perhaps you'll be the first though, my previous master was such a disappointment.
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...you did that on purpose to make your point about instinctual responses. Don't pretend you didn't.
[Yeah, she's not immune to fear]
I do intend to give you my soul with no complaint or fear. A deal is a deal. Someone else will take the torch after I'm gone, I'll give you my soul with no regrets.
[And by someone else she means a different iteration of herself, really. Someday. Somehow. She'll think the details once she's close to achieving the goal she agreed with Rembrandt --and because not thinking about it right now convenient for the person writing these lines, hah]
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I've heard that before, you understand. "Servants must always be paid their wages." [ He straightens up a little, his posture the picture of perfection. ]
And speaking of wages, so many of them have been interested in what I could possibly gain from working with you. I think some of them may genuinely feel a little sorry for me.
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[She is not the boss of the year in any way, really, but at least she's not scamming her workers?]
Is that so? [The Lady hums appreciatively] I don't understand in the slightest why they would feel sorry towards you, but if that's how they feel then...
[For a minute there's silence while she thinks. How can they use this to their advantage?]
Has anyone tried to befriend you?
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I do not believe so. There are some who are more amiable than others, but the relationship is largely transactional. That being said, Iago does not seem to mind supplying me with information about his fellow survivors.
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[Good thing Rembrandt's fee is so high almost nobody would dare try to convince him to join them]
Iago? I'm not surprised. If he's that willing to stab them in the back then he's more likely to kill them. [Hmmmm...] Perhaps we should give him...an encouragement. Enough for him to continue doing that if he's sincere about it, or to consider doing it for real if he's trying to fool us.
[The problem is to know what to give him, really]
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It matters to me not, I cannot say I want for friends nor should a devil have any. [ But he actually had one friend believe it or not, a long time ago. Or some definition of friend at any rate. ]
For the moment I think he's more than satisfied with the answers I have been supplying him with in exchange. But should that change, we can easily offer him some persuasion. He seems overly concerned with his original powers, but I fear that would go...poorly.
[ Not to mention they're not really sure the specifics of how getting them back would work anyway other than that they seem to be messed up by the Night like so many things here. ]
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[She married one, some time before she became the Other. Oh the times before continental domination scheming]
It'd go poorly, there's no doubt. I believe Iago is more useful alive than dead, so let's avoid putting him in fatal danger ourselves.
[If someone kills him then alright, that's fine, but she'd like to avoid any situation that'd lead to she or Rembrandt causing his death, yup]
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[ They're perfectly capable of juggling two topics at once. ]
I agree. Most of them have merit in some form, even if only to bolster group morale and serve as a distraction.
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[Her voice trails off. Nobody other than Rembrandt is her type, but if someone tries that she's willing to play along to use that poor sap as a puppet]
Speaking of distraction, there's something I want to ask you to do. I'm leaving it up to your discretion, though.
[So even if it's an order, she's giving him leeway. Oh what a mistake can that turn out to be when it's about this demon, huh]
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It would, humans are at one of their most vulnerable points under the guise of lust and love. [ That is to say he's not opposed to it either if it gets him information, and from the way he says it, he's clearly done it before. ]
Your wish is my command, my lady. [ Funny how some phrases come back to him so easy with just a little nudging. ]
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Either they will suspect we're trying to mislead them and they'll discredit anything they find, or they will believe you're a disgruntled employee and they'll lower their guard around you. Either result will be an advantage.
theres a nugget joke to be made here
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Oh dear, I do so mistrust when things like 'impossible' and 'I doubt' are one's initial response to something.
[She has heard that so many times before. It never turns out to be impossible or doubtful]
Perhaps you're accustomed to perfect success at everything you do, being a demon. But me, being human, have seen a lot of failure. Even the best built plans can fail in some manner.
[So although Rembrandt is a huge, huge boon, she's trying her best not to let that go to her head and make her think it'll aaaaall be always peachy. It's starting to be difficult, but she's still trying that]
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[ Near perfect? Yes. But there were some people who could compete with him, even if they were human. ]
Regardless, my question still stands. They seem to be very much at the investigate stage, and there are only a few who would I label intuitive at that.
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...she has no idea. She's used to scheming against people who have as many scientific skills as her, people with armies, lots of minions, and a cunning that comes somewhat close to hers. Here, though, it's twenty-something people who should be powerless against her. She knows she should be prepared for any eventuality, but she can't imagine how exactly that bunch of defenseless people can fight back, even though there are like two or three rather intelligent people among her.
The Lady never thought her opponents being so...useless and defenseless would be hard to plan against, yet here we are]
I don't know.
[She has to admit that. The Lady opens the door of the confessionary]
Regardless, paranoia is not bad. If anybody gets into the crypts or into the castle itself, kill them. No questions asked, no warning, just make sure they die. We'll deal with the consequences later.
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Understood. [ He tilts his head as he watches her prepare to leave. ]
For the record, I do not find your forethought a bad quality. You'll have to forgive me for playing devil's advocate, as it were. [ His smile is all teeth. Yeah, he totally wanted to see how she would deal with the situation regardless of his opinion. He knows better than to underestimate humans, even if his worries are different from hers.
Can't overcook his meal, this time. ]
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Oh, a pun. Your charms are truly devilish, Rembrandt.
[She can't believe this conversation ended with a pun. Golly, Rembrandt, you totally did that on purpose too]