PSL; [YOU MAY BURY MY BODY]

[makimavellian]

( me and the devil walkin' side by side )

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[makimavellian]

[Sure seems like it!]

So you do know. Then yes, that’s me.

…Well, only one of them, obviously. I’m the Horseman of Conquest, too.

[Fear of conquest is basically a fear of being controlled, too. Same difference.]

…I don’t have a horse, though. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing.

[spellbent]

[ God. Just. Give him a moment to turn the sheer uptick in absurdity of this situation over in his head, because the more he thinks about it, the more absurd it is. And the more absurd it is, the more funny he finds it.

Entering a contract with the Horseman of the Apocalypse is such an insanely villainous move that it's comical. He's becoming a caricature of himself.

And yet, he can't also help but think, this is going to be fun. ]

No, I'm sure you'd much rather have a dog. [ He's grinning. Oh, is he grinning. ] I think I've heard everything I need to hear. Consider that favor yours.

[makimavellian]

[She can practically see this churning in his mind. How her reputation, even if it existed in an ancillary way in this world that wasn't hers, still pulls a little weight. Still has a little clout, simply by title alone.

Honestly, yes, it is a little comedic, isn't it? A little over-the-top villainous. But Makima has never considered herself much of a villain; she definitely has no desire to create an apocalypse. She wants to help the world, recreate it into something good and without pain, not destroy it.

But if this sweetens the pot, then that works, too.]

Oh? Maybe I should have started with that. We would have saved ourselves some time!

[She's kidding.]

[spellbent]

Not likely.

[ He’s thorough, remember? Though knowing that she’s a Horseman of the goddamned Apocalypse certainly changes a lot, he won’t deny that. ]

Is there anything else you care to add as terms?

[makimavellian]

[The smallest headtilt.]

No, I don't think so. Five items is enough. [Even if two of them were relatively minor, even silly. Domestic.] Oh, mentioning this is just a formality, because I'd want to do it anyway, but... As per our contract, if you require my help with anything at all, then you just have to call on me, and I'll be obligated to be at your side. That's agreeable, too, I assume?

[spellbent]

More than agreeable.

[ Though perhaps he'll have to make sure she has the basics anyway, like a phone and such, for those moments where he strictly doesn't need to "call on her". He's already making a mental list. ]

So, what happens now?

[makimavellian]

Now? Well...

[Well, some Devils are rather dramatic about how they seal a contract. But Makima? Makima is a straightforward kind of woman.]

Then we make it official. With you officially agreeing to my terms, in exchange for me being "your" contracted Devil... then. [She extends a hand. For a handshake!] We shake on it, and it's a done deal. Set in stone, Mr. West.

[spellbent]

[ That is rather straightforward. Warren's eyebrows tick up in some mild sort of surprise, but ultimately he's appreciative of this fact.

Well, point of no return, right? ]

Set in stone, then.

[ And he reaches out to shake her hand. ]

[makimavellian]

[Easy right? Her hand clasps around his, granting him a firm but not too forceful handshake.

This is the part where the atmosphere imperceptibly shifts, right? Where every shadow in the room grows longer and darker? That would be expected after striking a deal with a Devil, after all. But no, nothing of the sort. She releases his hand, and nothing changes.

(Well, except for maybe the slight tingling sensation of another tattoo being borne onto his skin, somewhere.)]

Then we're both bound in contract. I'm all yours, Warren.

[spellbent]

[ The lack of theatrics might have him thinking that this whole thing is a ruse, if not for the slight tingling on his right side, right over his ribcage. That must be the mark she mentioned. He'll have to take a look at that later. IT'S NOT A CHIHUAHUA JEN ]

I was fully expecting to have to sign something in blood.

[makimavellian]

[WHY NOT RAMEY!!!]

Hm. I thought about it. For old time's sake.

[But then she shrugs, and this last part is deadpan:]

But I'm just so tired of paperwork these days.

[spellbent]

[ A small laugh. ]

So you really used to work for the government, then? I can't imagine that would have been very well received.

[ You know, with her being the Control Devil and all. ]

[makimavellian]

I did. My last human contract was with the Japanese Prime Minister, to be exact.

[Fun times. It was actually a decent arrangement because if there are certain people willing to get their hands dirty to achieve difficult goals, it's politicians.]

Most didn't know I was the Control Devil, though. That would have been badly received by some. No, my subordinates thought I was human. And even a few of the higher-ups. As you can tell by looking at me, it was easy for me to get away with.

[spellbent]

[ His eyebrows go up. He’s not entirely sure why he didn’t suspect that the highest of the higher ups were involved in the whole Devil business, especially if the whole thing is public knowledge. If magic were the same, he imagines there would be plenty of politicians willing to leverage any amount of magical muscle for their own gain, couched in some nebulous greater good. ]

I see. Well, I don’t tend to do a lot of business that requires paperwork, so consider yourself retired from bureaucracy. But on the subject of your appearance, your eyes might pose a bit of an issue.

[makimavellian]

Will they? I suppose I can’t just say they’re colored contacts, can I?

[Tricky, tricky, existing in a world where strange and supernatural things must be kept on the downlow. This will take some getting used to, but thankfully she won’t exactly be doing it alone.]

I can’t do anything about my eyes. You don’t have any magic in this world that can make them look more… normal?

[spellbent]

You could for now, I suppose.

[ It won't hurt in the short term, probably, but he would like it taken care of sooner rather than later. To that end, he fishes his phone out of his pocket. ]

We do. I have someone I can call.

If there's anything else you require to help get you settled, let me know.

[makimavellian]

[Ah, Warren's resources to the rescue.]

Thank you. Since you've offered, I think I'm going to need some clothes eventually. My own clothes. Not whoever these belonged to!

[spellbent]

Clothes, identification, and the like are already on the list.

[ How many times will Ramey's characters have to establish Jen's in a new reality place your bets. ]

Anything else?

[makimavellian]

[Yeah but that's because THE BOYFRIENDS ARE GROSS and this is because of two bad people doing bad things. Variety!]

Hmm. You spoil a girl. Let me think...

[A beat.]

Maybe just some time to explore my new home. And I don't mean your house. New York, in general. [One more considering pause.] Barring that, I can think of one more thing, but it might be... messy. Maybe you'd rather wait for me to get properly settled first.

[spellbent]

That's fine by me. You're a grown woman— [ Or whatever the equivalent is for a Devil-slash-Horseman. ] —I see no reason to babysit you.

[ One eyebrow lifts, and his gaze flicks to the massive windows overlooking the back yard and the beach beyond. "Messy" is clearly not an issue for him. ]

And what might that one more thing be?

[makimavellian]

[Noted. No need for babysitting. A bit of independence, just for her. Better than government work already.

But maybe she means "messy" in a way that needs to be cleaned up in less, ah, orthodox means.]

Well, let me ask you this first: How easy is it to kill a demon native to this world?

[spellbent]

Depends on the demon, but even the lesser ones are... tricky. The hellfire they wield cuts through most magic.

[ Must, but not all. ]

Why?

[makimavellian]

I see.

[Tricky is right. She sighs and brings her hair over her shoulder, begins to braid it just to kill time while they consider this, talking.]

I don't know how demons work, really, in this world. But Devils have the ability to grow more powerful, and in some cases, steal the power, of other Devils they consume. Since one of our goals is for me to regain what I've lost, this might be an easy way to achieve it. On top of making people fear me over time.

[Yes, she is suggesting they kill and let her eat a demon. If it's feasible.]

[spellbent]

Hm.

[ He pauses to consider this. She didn’t seem to wield, nor did she mention, any hellfire of her own. Having something like that at his beck and call would be an advantage few wizards could boast. ]

Tricky doesn’t necessarily equate to impossible. I think the pros would outweigh the cons, in this case. Besides, we won’t know how your abilities are able to affect a demon from this world if we don’t try.

[makimavellian]

No, we don’t. And we won’t know until we try.

[He sounds on board with trying, at least. Which is all that Makima is interested in. If it doesn’t work, well, then they know for future reference.

And they have a bit of fun in the interim.]

I’m willing if you are. One more test of my limitations for me.