PSL; [YOU MAY BURY MY BODY]

[makimavellian]

( me and the devil walkin' side by side )

Comments

[spellbent]

[ The more I learn about CSM the less I understand.

Anyway, Warren lifts an arm to keep the water out of his face, but when he lowers it, the look he's giving her is one of distinct curiosity. ]

Does he, whoever he is, also have something to do with the way you ended up here?

[makimavellian]

[She was just going to leave it at that, but his look of actual curiosity seems to make her reconsider.]

...Yes.

[And how. But then a little shrug, and she takes a few away until the water is at her waist, then grabs the flamingo floatie with an arm.

It's hard to read her expression as anything other than neutral, but it's also safe to assume this is on purpose.]

But don't worry. I made him work for it.

[spellbent]

[ Warren doesn’t very often tip his hand, but in this case he figures she would expect some measure of curiosity from him, so he doesn’t mind showing it. ]

If you were as powerful as you say, I don’t doubt that you did.

[makimavellian]

[No immediate reply as she dips herself beneath the water, then pops up again in the middle of the flamingo donut, an arm on each side.]

Well. Something for you to look forward to in the future, if we can get the rest of my power back...

[She kicks off, floating lazily down in the opposite direction. That idea trails off and she loops back around to their initial conversation.]

So did I miss any tattoos?

[spellbent]

[ The flamingo really sits at odds with everything around it. Even Warren’s pool is dark in color. (Hey, at least he’s consistent.) Perhaps much like Makima herself. Even if there is a mean edge to her brightness more often than not, it’s still bright. A flash of color in the middle of all this black. ]

You did. Three of them.

[ Three whole tattoos! ]

[makimavellian]

[Makima might be a lot of doom, but she’s not a lot of gloom. Not in demeanor, anyway — (almost) always smiling, always pleasant and polite. She has no shame using this bright pink flamingo donut.]

Three?

[THREE. Gosh.]

Let’s see… now you’re making this a little more difficult. You were pretty fast. Does that have anything to do with your tattoos too?

[spellbent]

It does.

[ The last two... would have been harder to spot, if not impossible given how their fight went. Speed is easily displayed. Strength and durability? They have very little bearing when someone swoops in and just makes him relive old memories. ]

[makimavellian]

[Yeah, though she plays at obliviousness, she also knows when she… simply does not know.

Hm. Maybe their scuffle didn’t skew the way. She’d like to believe she’s pretty observant in general, even amid a fight. Especially amid a fight.]

…Well. I have to admit, I’m not sure what the other two could be.

[spellbent]

[ Again, Warren doesn't usually like to give things away, so being so forthcoming is a bit strange for him but... well, they're bound by a contract, aren't they? She's already explained her abilities to him. He can at least return the favor. ]

Enhancements to my strength and durability. I make it a point to be difficult to kill.

[makimavellian]

Oh, that would make sense. Something to go hand-in-hand with your speed, too.

[She’s still floating along. One of her dogs paddles by.]

No defenses for your mind, though?

[ :) ]

[spellbent]

[ The flattest look. ]

You slip through the cracks once and suddenly think you have me figured out, do you?

[makimavellian]

[That earns a short, sweet(?) laugh from her.]

Far from that. I don’t pretend to know you all that well at all. If anything, my excursion into your head only made me even more curious.

And besides, I’m allowed a little satisfaction. It was a small victory — I still lost, in the end.

[spellbent]

[ He can’t help but think that had they continued to brawl, she would have beaten him handily. That’s not a problem he needs to worry about now, per the terms of their contract, but it doesn’t sit well with him either. If she’s going to keep regaining her strength, he’s going to have to get stronger, as well.

Well, at least he’s never shied away from a bit of motivation. ]

You’ll have plenty of other chances for victory. Just not against me.

[ He lists back into the water to lazily float his way to the end of the pool where his chair and book still sit. ]

If I recall, there’s a demon on the docket next.

[makimavellian]

[You'll flatter a girl, Warren. Makima isn't so certain, herself. Perhaps it could have gone either way; without her ability to heal (or rather, pass on injury to some other poor soul), she's difficult to kill, but it's still quite possible. Especially against a destructive force like this wizard's magic.

Still, she shrugs, wholly unbothered on the outside, watching him drift away, too.]

We're a team now. The last thing on my mind is fighting you.

[She uses him, he uses her. No need to muddy that up over something like pride, a character flaw that actually so rarely applies to her.]

I'm looking forward to dealing with this world's version of a demon, actually. Have you thought about how we're going to approach that?

[is this a 'spill the blood of an innocent virgin to summon a demon' kind of world or what]

[spellbent]

[ There's a measure of comfort in knowing just where they stand with each other. Use, and be used. There's nothing more than that, no ulterior motives. Their goals have been clearly stated and contracted around and that's that. ]

I've been doing a bit of digging. The means to summon one shouldn't be difficult to manage. It's the killing it part that's going to be tricky, though that's assuming you'll be just as disadvantaged as I will be.

[makimavellian]

["Disadvantaged" against another demon or devil. What a thought. Not many made her fit that bill back home, so this might require a bit of creativity on her part... Possibly. She'd probably do well to garner a few more details before they dive in head-first into demon-killing. Preparation is key!]

That depends. Just what are we talking about when it comes to what a demon can do in this world? Or are they that varied, and we won't know until we summon it?

[spellbent]

Depends on the demon. Lesser demons are more animalistic. They hunt, they eat, they survive. You won't find anything terribly complicated there. And ideally, that's where we start.

[ The implication here being that if this does go well, they can work their way up to more powerful quarry. Whatever might sate her. ]

I've yet to see a demon who looks as human as you do, but the more powerful ones are definitely more humanoid, in look and intelligence.

But in either case, it's the hellfire that will be the problem.

[makimavellian]

[She’s drifted so far that she hits the edge of the pool gently with her floatie, and Makima pushes herself away from it with a hand.]

I’m going to assume that a demon that’s no more than an animal will be easily dealt with, as long as you have me to help you.

But I guess I should ask anyway: is “hellfire” exactly what it sounds like?

[spellbent]

As in, the literal fires of hell? Yes. But more than that, it's extremely effective against magic. It simply burns through it as if it were nothing. My tricks are going to be a distraction at best.

But yours? We'll have to see.

[makimavellian]

Don’t discount yourself too much. A distraction might just be what I need.

[Hm.]

You could act as bait and I just get the jump on them. That’s the power of teamwork, you know.

[spellbent]

[ He drifts toward a ladder at the edge of the pool, reaching out to take hold of it and haul himself out of the water. He barks a laugh as he does. ]

It’s not often that I get to be the distraction.

[ He’s the heavy-hitter, usually. In matters of clout and power both. ]

[makimavellian]

[And out he goes. What a nice view! (If she squints, at least. Humans look so much the same--)]

It'll be fun to try something different for a change.

[She cranes her head up to appreciate the expanse of the sky above.]

Back to reading for you, then?

[spellbent]

"Fun" is it? I guess we'll see.

[ Says Warren West, fun police. ]

For the time being. Unless you have any objections.

[makimavellian]

Yes, fun. That thing that people like to have, sometimes.

[One day, she will make Warren... have fun.]

No objections. I did say that I'd leave you alone now. Unless you've changed your mind and decided that yes, you'll let me shoot you once with my water gun...?

[spellbent]

[ He pauses there at the edge of the pool, considering her for a moment. Then, he spreads his arms, as if to say "Go ahead." This is your one chance Makima. ]