Nef Ia part 3

[Pan]

Khalida give a little sigh as she stand back up. "My story on how i meet Nefertari isn't going to help me out in the lest, but you all should know. As I said before I am a devil for hire and I was hired to do a job. My empoyer was the second princes of Hell, Vetis. As we all know Daemon was the one that made demons and his young brother Vetis specializes in tempting and corrupting the holy."

She give another sigh as she place a hand on her hip and one on her forhead. "He gave me a huge some of money to snick into Prince Daemon's house take the necklass of his most hated wife and give it to his new one. He told me that when I was to give it to Nef to tell her, 'This will revil to you your past prestind and futer.' Then I was to leave and never speek of this again."

Ank looks at this women and say. "You are speeking of this now, why? From what little I know if he finds out you have told he will take your very soul."

Khalida looks at her. "You are right little one if he find out he will take me soul and do what he wishes with it." She looks to them all. "I am risking my soul to help you all get what you need." She then looks at Saeria. "As for me working for Daemon well as much as I there really is nothing I can show you that i am not working for him."

Nef looks at her. "So we are just going to have to trust you? You a devil?"

Khalida looks at Nef with a sideways look. "You grandfather trusted your grandmother didn't he?"

Nef heart skips a beet as she take a step away from her. "what? How did you know? My family has been trying to keep out past hidden...."

[Seven]

"Hold on just one second," Saeria said skeptically. Apparently, she wasn't going to be as compliant as Nef was. "You just told us that you work for Vertis. While all that stuff about 'wanting to do the right thing," --she did spirit fingers to over-exaggerate her perception of this--"is sweet and nice and all, but...How do we really know that's true?" she asked suspiciously. "There's a greater possibility that you are still working beneath Vertis, and what you are saying now is simply the next part of his scheme against Daemon. So maybe you're not working for Daemon, but your working for, what was it you said? The Prince of Corruption?" She shook her head, not liking the sounds of it.

"Just as you used Nef, you'll probably use us too. And I think we already have enough issues with one Prince of Hell--we really don't need to get even more entangled with Vertis' plot as you lead us further astray as well." With that Saeria looked away from Khalida back up to Malevolos, a tell-tale sign that she wasn't going to follow this stranger--if her words hadn't already made such clear.

[Asila]

Malevolos smiled wryly at Saeria when she looked back to him. "Yes, I know." He said in answer to her expression. "She's as unbelievable as every other prophet of false means we've encountered so far. I expected as much." His voice rumbled softly through the words like the purr of a certain contented predator, a sign of confidence. Which, in turn, meant he believed he had a plan to fall back on.

His gaze swept from Saeria to Khalida, their warmth crystallizing into sharp disdain. "Yet you may as well continue to sing the story of your own noble intentions, oh Siren of Hell. The lack of meaning in the words does not compromise the sweetness of the sentiment." The knife-glint returned to his smile.

Ellina shared a glance with Evening, then scoped out the expressions of Lief and Saeria. This wasn't a version of Malevolos she was particularly familiar with, but there was something about that roguishly dark rumble in his voice that promised a breed of destruction as great as that heralded by his roar. Of course, being an individual who feared mind games to the extent she did, it was only natural that she fear his tone. However strangely...playful it's true nature.

[Pan]

Khalida looks at them all and places a hand on her hips. "All right fine don't belive me, not like any of you would understand what is going on right now with Nef." She turn her back on the and give a half hearted waves. "i was only going to help Nefertari and her girl you know. Usha powers will soon get out of hand and she will start brake things she touches and even being to kill people with out meaning to to and Ank..." She turn and looks back over her shoulder. "I was going to help you with your friends on the other side." She turn her head back so as not to look at the group.

Usha looks down at her hands and then back to Khalida and then to her mother. "Mom I think she is right. I am starting to get this feeling of power and I don't know how to control it." She then turn and looks at her sister. "What does she mean 'your friends on the other side'?"

Nef walks over to her children and places a hand on Ank shoulder. "Ank Whats going on?"

Ank looks up to her mother and back at the reast of the group and then slowly looks at Khalida. "My father is the prince of shadows so that make me the princess of shadows..." She slowl holds her hand out. "My friend she is talking about are the shadows." ank's Shadow beings to move and twist on the ground. It slowly turn into a women with only a right eye long claw like fringers and wispy hair, but as soon as it is form it is gone again. "I can hear the shadow talk to me." She looks down at the ground. "I can hear every one shadow talk to me... and I can hear what you are all thinking as well. I can;t stop it no matter how hard I try." Ank looks back up to Khalida. "If you truly are willing to help my family then we must make a deal." Ank has seem to disregard what the other have been saying this whole time, or she just wants to belive Khalida.

Khalida turn and smiles at the child. "A deal with a devil, all right let hear it little one." Ank takes a step fowers and opens her mouth, but the voice that comes out is not her own. It is a dark one an evil one, one that make the very soul of a being trembel. She also speek in demonic to Khalida. Khalida eyes open wide when Ank is done. "I see you got your voice from your grandfather..." She hold out her hand. "We have a deal." ank moves quickly before any one can stop her and shakes the hand of the devil.

[Seven]

When Khalida began to speak, Lief began to frown just slightly. Really! If she was trying to convince them of her trustworthiness, she wasn't doing a particularly good job. Actually, her sudden attitude change was laughable--as he noted Saeria looked as though she wanted to stifle laughter herself. "Well, she's certainly not trained as a diplomat, now is she?" Lief thought to himself, watching the woman skeptically.

Saeria, on the other hand, had been a bit more snarky and just slightly amused, mirroring Malevolos' expression; this ongoing drama seemed to be so bad, it should have been comedy. "I mean--come on!! That is like, the most blatant misuse of reverse psychology I have ever seen! It could have been taken from a children's television program! The whole nonchalant attitude while she mutters about life and death and out of control powers and the unneeded drama--it's too cliche, too see-through! And more so, she still hasn't provided any credibility! Even IF she's not out to backstab us, she hasn't proven that she can do all that 'helping' with those girls that she claims. I mean, to help with the kind of issues she's talking about, she'd have to be one REALLY, fucking, strong person with an uber-wide range of knowledge--then again, that part might be plausible if she was hired by a Prince of Hell....But anyways! The whole act really doesn't mean anything; it's funny even, since she's doing just as Malevolos said she would--continuing to sing her songs of noble intentions to lure us without any credibility or logic to persuade us, and..."

Saeria's internal rant continued on in her head. Thankfully, she saved everyone else having to listen to it--as Malevolos knew she was wont to monologue for several pages if not interrupted. Rather, she turned away from the group to face Malevolos solely and leaned softly against him. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than the affectionate behavior of a timid girl... but the truth of the matter was that she was actually attempting--and doing a poor job of it--to not start giggling at the charade since this was clearly not an appropriate situation to do so. Malevolos, however, could already see that a wide grin was splitting her face at the idiocy of it all.

Sceatto, meanwhile, had been awkwardly forgotten in the background with his wife Pan. He shuffled one foot. Really, if everyone was so worried about trusting her, they could have just probed her mind to see if she was truthful or not. In fact, he was about to suggest it when Ank went through her deal. "Ank," he said in slight despair. Oh well, too late.

Saeria stopped grinning and Lief became both more fascinated, but more serious, as both realized what was occurring. Saeria turned back to look at the deal unfold, and openly gapes. "Ank!" Of course it was too late. "Damnit!" she thought. The girl should have waited--there was no rush! They should have discussed things through first--who knows what trouble they'd all be in now. She frowned crookedly, and did the only logical thing they could do now.

"What was the deal you made?" she asked.

[Asila]

Malevolos lightly pressed one arm to the small of Saeria's back as she leaned against to him, delighting in her grin and sharing her amusement. Trembling with the silent laughter that rolled through his chest, he shook his head. "Ah, didn't I tell you?" His words were mischievous and playfully secretive. "How terribly predictable such creatures can be!"

He was denied the opportunity to make any more fun of the situation, at least for the moment, when Ank made her deal with Khalida. Now, he was obliged to look toward the pair with a quirked eyebrow.


Ellina was frowning, mistrusting the way Khalida seemed to be taking advantage of the fears of Nef's girls in order to gain their complacence. Yet there was little she could do about it. Trying to tell Ank and Usha that it wasn't wise to be so easily swayed would have no effect when they wanted so badly to believe Khalida could help them.

Even as she thought this, though, she could feel the bite of her own self-loathing. How could she let herself stand passively by as this scene unfolded? This felt so wrong. Her fingers curled and uncurled in a fidgety gesture of anxiety as Ank struck the deal, but still she said nothing. At this point, she couldn't speak fast enough to cover her teeming thoughts and misgivings even if she'd wanted to. She could feel her paranoia sinking in as she began to fret over exactly what kind of deal had been made. But it's nothing, she told herself. After all, Saeria and Malevolos were unconcerned. Just because there wasn't much that scared her more than getting roped into something outside of her knowledge and against her will didn't mean she had any reason to think such a thing had occurred here.It's nothing to concern you. Calm yourself. It's nothing more than the effect of a demon's voice and your own trend toward thinking the worst that has frightened you now. She breathed in deep, released the air on a weary sigh and forced into submission the sharpest edge of anxiety as she waited for an answer to Saeria's question.

[Pan]

Ank does not turn to the group as she keeps her eye on Khalida. "That i have made is non of your consers." Nef looks at Ank, "Its is of mine Ank I'm your mother and you tell me right now what it is that you said to her." Ank truns and looks at her mother. "It is of no coner to you eather mother." She then turn back to the group. "Khalida is telling the truth weather you want to belive her or not. I can not read her mind befor of something she is whereing but i can see into her very soul. I can see if she was lieing or not. She is not lieing and she really does want to help us."

Pan leans over to Sceatto and whispers. "Can you do that?"

Usha looks at Khalida now. "So you really are going to help me and Ank?" She nodes her head. "Yes I am, Nefertari how long are you sopposted to sat in this plane?" Nef turn and looks at her. "Humm Daemon said to stay her for 3 days and then come back..." Khalida claps her hands together and rubes them. "Well that doesn;t leave us much time them does it." She looks at the rest of the group. "In thies 3 day we will have to come up with a plane on how to get you all into Daemon's house. I am also going to train Nef, Usha and Ank so that they are more prepaed to fight should something happen."

[Seven]

Sceatto merely shook his head discreetly in response to Pan. He was empathetic, and could see auras and feel emotions and the like--and to an extent, one could make judgments about whether one was lying or not--but he had a feeling that what Ank was doing was different than that.

Saeria couldn't help but think that Ank was being somewhat rude. Fine--she could tell everyone else to buzz out of her business, but her own mother. Who was clearly worried about her? 'Perhaps it's just that I'm dealing with people who are from a different culture?' Saeria thought to herself, but she knew she would have never been allowed to behave so disrespectfully to her own mother, especially when she was that young. That, and she couldn't believe that Nef wasn't going to push the issue. Her daughter--who couldn't have been more than 10 years old--just made Faustian-like deal! (Nevermind that Ank was the "Mephisto" in this scenario...) And Nef wasn't going to question it beyond that singular remark? Cripes!

Lief as well thought the whole scene he had witnessed was rather strange. But then again, it was just like a scene from 14 years ago--no different in fact. Despite the peril of the situation, he couldn't help but feel some mix of deja vu or nostalgia, or perhaps both. Because he had been used to the oddities and perils which had traveled from hell to frequent the Inn, he still felt calm, and really felt as though no time had passed in those 14 years, as he felt prepared once again to be except anything (including rebuilding a place to live, as the Inn buildings were frequently burnt down, if he recalled...). Still, glancing over to Ellina, he realized he wasn't--that situation was different, as he noted his dear one's anxiety. Discreetly, he moved a little closer to Ellina, almost out of concern--though he hoped to remain discreet. While Ellina might appreciate his concern, he also realized that he could also make her feel awkward, or inadequate if she thought that she was acting less than perfectly strong and brave, and he didn't want to cause her unneeded stress.

Once more, he glanced up to Malevolos. Both he and Saeria realized that Khalida's carefree attitude wasn't going to go over well. Especially as she was implying that both she and the four girls intended to stay in the area, if not his mansion--and the dragon was more than just territorial.

"I should stay as well then," Sceatto had added after Khalida had spoke. "No doubt Ank will need additional training with her psychosis, and being here, I can continue to stabilize Saeria's condition--for at least these three days."

'Well, Malevolos might be all right with Sceatto,' Lief thought to himself, glancing to the man clad in green, 'but I doubt he's going to like that all these arrangements are being made without even a word from him. Especially since he seemed to want to leave already...' Well, it looked like the fox would just remain in the background and wait to see what would unfold.

[Asila]

((Shoot, my posts are getting too long again. I'll have to try and make my next one really short if I'm going to stop the snowball effect from continuing.)

Within the span of seconds following Ank's largely unintelligible pledge, Malevolos and Evening shared an unheard of moment of accord as each mulled over what they had been able to pick out of the seemingly garbled demon speech. They even went so far as to exchange baffled glances, Evening forgetting her usual inhibitions when it came to meeting the dragon's gaze and Malevolos failing to remember that the wolf child was too far beneath him to have a valuable opinion (or so he's convinced himself these days). Unfortunately, each learned from the expression of the other that they were no more enlightened and each turned their attention to the problem at hand; Malevolos seeming to immediately forget the shared glance. Evening looked away, blushing faintly, her eyes large with wonder and their honeyed color softened by sentiment. She felt honored and relieved.

This exchange left one to wonder if the former villain realized that, through his love for Saeria, he was gradually becoming an esteemed friend and ally to the skittish wolfgirl. Not that he would ever acknowledge such affection. In his experience, friends were the harbingers of pain and allies were all the stronger for a carefully maintained, cordial distance.

Now, Malevolos was gazing at the group with an expression of dawning horror. Surely they did not mean to stay here, in his very home of all places! No, he could not tolerate such a blow to his sanctuary. Not when his fortress had only been just wiped clean of all damage and exorcised of all...uncertain presences. He bristled, poised to launch his disfavor in the form of snarled words, but Sceatto's offer to stay as well caused him to harness the feral bite to his words and choose more civilized phrasing.

He began with flawless diplomacy. "Sceatto, in honor of all you've done and offer to do yet I will gladly invite both you and Pan to stay in my house for as long as the two of you choose to do so. However," Here he glances toward the others. His jaw tenses, roughening the smooth roll to his words. "my misgivings are too many to allow me to offer the same hospitality to your associates. I will not trust individuals associated with Daemon to reside within my walls." His gaze falls on Ank, who he trusts least of all despite the noble threat he was able to filter out of her Infernal pledge. It will take him quite some time to forget how she used that cursed language against him.

Ellina, feeling increasingly out of the loop, has decided that it would be nice to find some solitary niche in which to sort her tangled thoughts. Ugh, why were supernatural dilemmas still so hard for her to deal with? It was just because they seemed so far beyond the edges of her control, she knew. She tended to search for an immediate solution, and when one wasn't readily apparent she felt at the mercy of the universe. Which put her on the edge of panic since the universe wasn't something she trusted to secure her own well being.

And now Malevolos seemed on the verge of starting another fight. Yikes. Automatically she looks to Lief, since he's the one always seems to know what's going on. Her expression asks What now?

[Pan]

Pan smiles at Malevolos sweetly. "That is very kind of you sir but I must be getting back. You see Sceatto and I have many children and if I am not home soon they will just start poping up!" She say is a cheery tone in her voice. "I don't think you want 12 kids running around your home so Sceatto will stay here, anyways I am of no help!" She laugh rubbing the back of her head. "I don't think there is anything I can to to help what is going on here."

Nef ear twitch a bit as she now looks at Malevolos. "Its ok we didn't ask to stay here and we wouldn't want to impose on you...and I understand where you are comeing from as well, we have a camp not to far from here that me and my girl can stay at."

Ank turn her head slowly as she eyes up the dragon, from the way her head is faceing him can just glimps her right eye, pupless and slightly glowling. "Please do not come to hate me sir just by my looks... I may look just like my father but I will never be like him. He doesn't even want me and my sister around." She then looks to Saeria look to and say in a low voice. "They only reason why I was talking to my mother like that is because she truly doesn't need to worry about what I said." Usha looks at her sister. "She didn;t say anything liek that Ank!" Ank looks back at her. "Well she thought it and it was very loud."

Khalida stand there picking at her nail not really lisoning to what the others are saying. "i also have a camp not far from here I can stay at, you needn't worry about little ol' me." She give a twisted smile at Malevolos. "If you don't mind now I would like to start traning the girls."

[Seven]

Sceatto also smiles sheepishly at the mention of their 12 children. Lief merely raises his eyebrow, the smiles with a slight chuckle. "I can't believe you actually went through with that and had a dozen children," Lief murmurs. Sceatto chuckles and shrugs bashfully. "Yeah, we did..." He looked at Pan. "Oh dear. Can you imagine the mess they'd make? And I doubt we can impose on Keekoos and Reekisa to watch them for another 2 and a half days? I guess I should take you back."

Saeria, on the other, also immediately turned sheepish at Ank's very blunt words. Especially since she usually tried to be diplomatic and polite, this was really rather embarrassing. "Oh...I'm sorry..." she said abashed, not really sure what else she could say in such a situation. Dealing with mind-readers does put you a little on edge...and now realizing that that Sceatto fellow must have seen her every thought to unscramble her mind, she couldn't help but feel even more awkward, if not entirely embarrassed. She even flushed slightly as she continued to ponder on these derailing thoughts.

As Saeria was overcame by these new distraught thoughts, Sceatto also was feeling slightly uncomfortable with the tension between Nef, her girls, and Malevolos. He resumed his sheepish smile. "Thank you," he began politely. "I am quite grateful, but....Shiku was my blood brother, and more so, Nef and the girls are my family as well." Of course there was a subtle implication. "I only meant to stay in the proximity to keep Saeria's condition stable while I can...But I needn't also impose. I can stay with them at their camp if you feel uncomfortable, and just stop by as necessary to help Saeria." He glanced backwards at the girls. "Besides, I'm sure you three are going to need all the help you can get in training."

[Asila]

Malevolos was putting on an excellent calm front (as convincing as shows of calmness ever are when they're coming from him, that is) but something about the threat of twelve kids running around his treasured sanctuary, followed by Ank's irritating insight, which was followed by Khalida's infuriating smile, had the corners of his mouth twisting into an agitated frown.

For Ank's benefit, he thought as loudly as his cherished Saeria had. I'll dislike you less if you would have the decency to stay out of mine and Saeria's thoughts when you are not invited. While thinking this, he nodded a polite acknowlegement to Pan.

In response to Sceatto's polite decline in regard to his offer, he responds with these slow, subtly halting words. He is displeased, but he is making an effort not to show it. He did not take being turned down lightly. "That would be for the best." Turning away from the entire frustrating group of new arrivals, he places a guiding hand behind Saeria's shoulder blades and prowls back to his Gothic fortress. The newcomers have been dismissed. To the others in his party he simply orders "Come." as he leaves.

Ellina breathed a soft sigh of relief. She was immensely grateful that the tension had dwindled and the tie to loiter had come again. She wanted a nap. Never mind that others wisely intended to train, she needed sleep. She suspected that if it hadn't been for the charitable actions of Nef, she'd feel much worse than the ordinary, if a touch severe, exhaustion she was drifting under now. She fully intended to get her strength back before she pulled her next crazy stunt.

She was so distracted that she failed be annoyed by Malevolos' order. Instead, she automatically followed him, as obedient to his command as she often was to that of her grandfather.

Evening was the one to hesitate, casting an apologetic glance to Nef, Sceatto, and the others before she, too, began to follow Malevolos back to his mansion.

[Pan]

Ank hand ball up into fist at his thought a slight blush forming on her face. She turn and yells at him as he walk away. "IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO READ ANYONE MIND!" She get a little quieter now and looks down at the ground. "I don't want to know what others think.... i just can't help it."

Nef walks over to ank and places a hand around her shoulder. "Its ok Ank sceatto will help you out as much as he can with that." ank looks back up at her mother her eyes glossy on the verge of tears. "i know.... I just hate this power..." She then looks down at the ground.

Usha looks at Khalida jummping a bit in her place. "what are you going to teach us first!" Khalida leans on one lag making her hip pop as she places a hand on it. "i like your spunk but I have to teach you the basics first Usha and that go for you to Nef. I know they might have tought you how to fight in Heaven but that wont work in Hell we have to star all over."

Pan grabes sceatto's hand. "Why don't you take me home now it looks like they might need you soon."

[Seven]

((Wow. It's always weird to see Ank explode, per say. She doesn't do it very often--she's always so calm and collected. Molly must be really ticking her off, lol!))

As Malevolos bluntly ordered everyone to follow him now that he had proclaimed himself through with these newcomers, Lief inwardly frowned despite his neutral exterior. Arrogant dragon. He must have know (as Lief had said it outright), that these were his old friends, and though he wasn't expecting an invitation for them from the stubborn hybrid, he might have known that he would have liked to at least not leave on such abrupt, cold terms. And the sudden outburst from Ank...was indicative. He actually might have liked to stay a while and find out what he could learn about these descendants of an old friend. So as the others complied, he was almost tempted to defiantly stay back...till he remembered Ellena. She was obviously still feeling poorly.

So instead he attempted to make it quick. "I pray you forgive the abruptness of our departure, but ith as been stressful in these parts for a long while. Sceatto, Pan, it has been a pleasure to see you again. Please keep in touch this time," he said, bowing his head formally, and then he turned to Nef and her girls. He didn't actually say anything, as Malevolos was still well in hearing distance, but he smiled apologetically and nodded his head. Finally, he did say, "We will see each other again soon." And the he turned to leave.

Saeria also felt a little awkward about leaving so abruptly, considering that these were the people who had just temporarily saved her, but Malevolos was already leading her away. Still, she turned her head over her shoulder and smiled--a little sheepishly from the awkwardness of the situation--and waved. "Thank you again," she called as they walked away.

Sceatto turned to the girls. "I'm going to take your Auntie Pan back now, I'll be back in a few. REady to go Pan?" Within a few seconds, he and Pan were gone, and then moments later, he returned alone.