finalflight | PSL; [YOU MAY BURY MY BODY]

I think you can manage it.

[ They're of the same mind where that's concerned, but it also makes clear that Warren doesn't mind discarding people or things that are no longer of use to him. ]

Mm. I think so, too.

[Hums contentedly. She thought that would be a harder sell, but look at them! Already agreeing. This is going more smoothly than she thought.]

In that case, that brings me to my final item. I want to request that I am owed... one single favor from you. To be determined at any point, big or small. Though there are stipulations, of course. I wouldn't dare be unfair. I can't ask for anything that would bring actual harm to you, or fall under the category of the first item in our contract.

[ Ah, now she's given him something more to ponder. Warren is used to dealing in favors, and while handy, they're not something he hands out lightly. Now, he wants to make sure this is worthwhile. ]

Before I say anything one way or another, I'd like to know what I can expect from you in this little endeavor. You've promised me some vague notion of help, but what else?

[That's fair, she thinks.]

You mean you want to know what my actual power can do for you? The applications of it?

Yes. I hope that's agreeable.

It is. It only makes sense.

[But where to begin?]

The main thing: I'm able to control anyone that I believe to be inferior than me. If that inferiority comes into question? I can defeat them in a fight and settle it that way. However, I think this is one ability that is... not as potent as it was. We can test it sometime, but until I've regained more of my power, consider it a... weaker version of what it was before.

[She lets that settle, before moving on.]

You saw my ability to, ah, shoot things. [She smiles again, amused. Clearly, this is like, her favorite thing to do.] But it's representative of my general ability to break items. And people. Crush them into nothing. Even from long distances, with the right resources, I can obliterate anyone I have the name of.

That's a little weaker, too, but I'm confident it'll return to me at full power with time. With your help!

There's more [of course there's more, surely he remembers the RATS], but... Do you have any questions so far?

[ Even if her abilities are significantly weaker than they were in her own world, they’re nothing to sneeze at. Any degree of control over anyone would be a boon he didn’t have before, and the more of a reputation she gains, the more that power will grow.

The rest… well, he just finds it amusing. He got a taste for how similar their abilities are during their little scrap in the yard, but it seems they’re more alike than even he thought. ]

I’d like more detail eventually – what sort of resources you’d need, for example – but for now the broad strokes are fine.

Your powers of destruction have a lot in common with my own.

[Makima was feared for a reason. Plenty of governments gave up on fighting against her, especially after she contracted with Japan, except the stubborn ones.]

Sure. Nothing we couldn’t manage to find in a pinch, anyway.

[For long-distance killing. JUST A FEW MEN TO SACRIFICE, THAT’S ALL-]

I did notice we used similar talents, didn’t we? Tell me, is all your magic so… forceful?

[ Oh is that all? Yeah that's probably fine. ]

Forceful? Not necessarily. It can be quite subtle, if the situation calls for it. But it is always, always destructive.

[You know, she of course doesn’t know Warren all that well yet, but she thinks this sort of magic suits him. The color of it, too.]

And is that the nature of this world’s magic, or just a personal preference?

Personal preference.

[ Which probably also tells her a lot about Warren as a person. ]

Wizardry is categorized. Specialized. There's nothing keeping a wizard in any one Specialization apart from preference, or perhaps tradition.

[It says plenty. But maybe that's the exact kind of person she needs right now, so all the better for it. This contract will certainly be beneficial for both parties.

Tradition, though. This reminds her of something he mentioned before.]

And... traditionally, demons don't get along too well with wizards here, do they? Will this ["this" = this whole arrangement] be a problem in the future, you think?

Oh, no. Let me make myself perfectly clear: I have no love for tradition. I operate on a level that is rather... above all of that, anyway.

[ The way he says it, it doesn't sound like he's bragging. It's a simple statement of fact. ]

[She chuckles again, amused.]

Oh, no. I don't mean for you. I think you wouldn't be agreeing to this so easily if it was going to be a problem.

[But he operates on a higher level? Makima knows what that means. It means he has enough clout to do nearly anything he likes and get away with it.]

I mean for the rest of the magical community. Unless you plan to keep me hidden away for the foreseeable future?

[ Makima he just agreed to let you injure random people in the magical community do you really think he gives a fuck—

He quirks a brow. ]

On very, very rare occasions, demons have worked with wizards before. It wouldn't be unheard of. And neither community is tight-knit or strict enough to specifically have rules against it.

Besides, I promised you fear. Keeping you a secret would be counterproductive to that.

[Hey, better to double check than stumble across a complication in the future they could have avoided-]

That's true, it would be. Oh, now I'm excited to give everyone such a scare.

[It sounds like a joke... but it's not.]

Well, in that case. Should I continue to explain the rest of what I can do? You remember the rats and pigeons, of course. [And the flesh halo portal.]

[ He chuckles a little. Despite Makima's greater designs for the world, they align enough in method that he thinks he's going to find some enjoyment in this partnership, too. ]

How could I forget the rats and the pigeon? And the thing that they came out of?

[Yes, they're going to be absolutely terrible together.]

That "thing" is something like a portal of mine. I don't usually use it to summon vermin, though. Often, it's better utilized for people and things previously killed or defeated. Old enemies, you could say, realigned to work with me.

[To be, once more, controlled.]

But I don't have any of those in this world. So I used my control over small animals instead to dump them in and give you a surprise. I bet you weren't expecting that.

[ People and things previously killed or defeated. Just when he thinks he's starting to get the full, terrifying scope of her powers, she throws something else at him. More and more, he's starting to feel like he's getting the better end of this deal, if a few movies and a favor are all the price he has to pay. ]

I don't think anyone could have expected that.

[But wait, there's more!]

It wasn't ideal, but at least it caught you off-guard. [She sounds proud of that, in a it-was-kind-of-funny sort of way.

She continues-] Anyway, small animals might not seem useful normally, but if you ever need a reason to eavesdrop on someone, I can use them to listen in, as long as they have access to wherever they need to be.

This used to apply to anywhere in the world, but now... [Well. Same as before.] It probably doesn't extend past this state. That's just a rough estimate, though. I'd have to test it out sometime, too.

Even then, the whole of New York is not insignificant.

[ The United States is VERY BIG. ]

I'm beginning to think it would have been easier to ask you what you can't do.

[ So, needless to say, he's very impressed, and very, very interested. ]

[Oh, good. It would be a shame if he didn't think this contract would be worth his time, in the end. (But Makima probably never thought that was going to be the case.)

She can also travel via a horde of rats, but!! Maybe she'll leave that part as a surprise, someday.]

I am a horseman, after all. We're all very impressive. But in the end, I have my limitations. Similar to what you said, a Devil... specializes. Since I'm a Devil of Control, that "theme" is where my powers begin and end.

[So, no, like. Elemental manipulation or anything utterly unrelated to what she presides over.]

[ That will sure be one hell of a surprise!

But also, HOL UP A MINUTE. ]

"Horseman"?

[Oh, right.]

…Ah, does that exist in this world? The concept of the Four Horsemen? It’s nothing relevant if they don’t.

You can't possibly mean the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

[ That's a yes. Is he about to ally himself with one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? ]

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