PSL; [YOU MAY BURY MY BODY]

[makimavellian]

( me and the devil walkin' side by side )

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[makimavellian]

[It's certainly not the first time she's been set up with a legitimate "identity" in order to function within human society, though it is a funny thing that it's happening again. Makima deals with any paperwork required, plus the new phone (interesting; no buttons?), without a fuss. Though she rather likes the color of her eyes, and it is a shame to cover them up with a color more mundane, she understands the logic behind that, too. (Green. She chooses green because what else would suit her orange-red hair better?)

In the time between then and now, she's a good housemate. Her dogs are, too. She strikes up conversation with her wizard contract-companion on the regular, of course, though if he has work to do, she happily leaves him to it. Takes to exploring the city, instead. Shops a bit more. Dines a little more. Passes by a few theaters with their big movie posters plastered across their facades, and pauses, wondering what's good these days.

She has faith that Warren is working on the demon summoning issue and all its particulars, so one day, when she's asked into his library, she wonders if he's gotten it all settled. Makima isn't sure she expected to see him looking so amused though (at least, yes, in his own subtle way), and so she glances at him a bit questioningly as she wanders in.]

You look pleased with yourself.

[spellbent]

[ Even after only a few days of knowing each other, it’s a bit strange to see green-eyed Makima wandering into his space, though the color is indeed a good choice for her. ]

Oh, I just found something kind of funny, is all.

[ As ever, when she finds him working in the library, he’s got an array of books spread out over the desk, in the midst of which sits a tablet. He offers the latter over to her, and she’ll find an old newspaper clipping displayed on the screen. The grainy picture of a gothic-style manor nestled in some trees is a bit hard to make out, gone dark with age before the newspaper was even scanned into a digital format.

The article itself touches on the troubled nature of the film shoot that was supposed to take place there, and how the structure has been left to sit in the woods to be eventually demolished by the studio. No such thing ever happened, of course. ]

That house sits on top of a gateway to hell. Lucky us.

[makimavellian]

Kind of funny? So you do have a sense of humor.

[She teases, though, as she takes the tablet from him only after briefly noting the display of books spread over the desk. Yes, it's only been a few days, but it's a sight she's grown to expect by now.

But then she begins to read the article, scans at the picture. Oh, it's not just a gothic-style house, but it's an old abandoned movie set. Her (green) eyes light up once she's done, and she glances over at him with a smile that isn't quite devious, but nearly there. Definitely amused.]

Oh. Is it. So this is where we might find ourselves a little demon to eat?

[Well. A demon for her to eat.]

You really do spoil me.

[spellbent]

It's in there somewhere.

[ Again, usually at other people's expense, or, apparently, when it comes to little twists of fate. ]

Helping you only helps me. If that's the case, I don't mind spoiling you some.

[ Or like. A lot, considering all he has let her do and have. His usual network of contacts and allies have never gotten access to his bank account, after all. ]

Unless you have some extra preparations to make, I'd like to leave this evening.

[makimavellian]

[Humor in there somewhere, brought out by irony. In this case, at least.]

That's what they call a symbiotic relationship.

[Yes, spoil her all you like. She knows she's going to be worth it, the power that she can grant him over time a fairly useful tool to be utilized against anyone who might stand in his way. Dipping into his bank account is a small price to pay, right?

She hands him back the tablet.]

Oh, just a change of clothes, really. [She wears a blouse and a skirt now, but she'd approach "work" in more utilitarian garb, far more reminiscent of her uniform back in Japan.] But all I need is myself. Are there any preparations that you need me to help you with, instead?

[spellbent]

[ He takes the tablet back from her, setting it back amongst the books. (If she were to glance at them, they mostly cover methods for summoning demons. There’s a lot of blood involved. You know, usually.) ]

Not particularly, I’ve already arranged for transportation. Though I suppose I should ask, once we kill the demon, just what are we going to do with it?

[ Like, is she going to eat the whole thing or is Warren going to be keeping demon burger patties in his freezer for the foreseeable future? ]

[makimavellian]

[Yeah, she's noticed all these myriad ways of summoning demons. Lots of blood involved! That speaks to her, too, on a primal level. But in a curious way, really; she's hardly one of those blood-starved Devils, more animalistic than anything particularly dignified.

Well, anyhow, Warren's question is a good one. She says, quite plainly:]

Well... I unhinge my jaw and eat it whole.

[(She is joking.)]

[spellbent]

[ Equally plainly: ]

So that's a no on needing a van, then.

[makimavellian]

[lord]

You know that this is the only form I can take, right? I don't turn into a big, scary-looking devil that can eat other devils whole, unfortunately.

[They will need a van.]

[spellbent]

[ He's never going to rise to the bait, Makima. Accept it already. ]

Then the plan remains unchanged. You can meet me in the living room in a couple of hours.

[ Once it starts getting dark. ]

[makimavellian]

[ONE DAY, WARREN WEST.]

All right. Just make sure you have a freezer ready to store all the meat when we're done. I will be eating it the old-fashioned way, too, so I hope you don't mind me taking over your kitchen for... a while.

[spellbent]

[ Ah, so it really will be demon patties and demon steaks for the foreseeable future. ]

There's plenty of room in the kitchen already. Just be sure to label everything.

[ He is legitimately not sure if humans can stomach demon meat, and he doesn't want to be the one to figure that out. ]

[makimavellian]

[And demon stir fry, and demon meatballs, and demon casserole—

How nice of him to trust that Makima won’t just shove it all in the fridge and hope that Warren won’t be silly enough to pick the wrong thing. As funny as that would be, though, she won’t waste any potential meat on a human-wizard who would receive no benefit from such a thing.]

Of course. I’ll put little devil horns and everything on every label. Hope you have a lot of tupperware, Warren.

[spellbent]

I’ll make sure that the kitchen is amply stocked.

[ Says a guy who probably hasn’t done anything so menial as grocery shopping for himself in a long, long time. Who or whatever keeps the kitchens stocked will be sure to come up with the appropriate amount of baggies and containers for whatever they bring back. Really, how much meat could they possibly get out of one lesser demon? ]

I’ll see you in a few hours, then.

[makimavellian]

All right, see you then. [She turns to leave, looking over her shoulder with a smile.] I look forward to our first foray together!

[And that's utterly sincere. This should prove as a relatively accurate baseline regarding how well they'll work together, and hopefully it'll be a resounding success. (After all, it's just a minor demon.)

A few hours pass, and once daylight has properly drained away from the sky, Makima shows up in the living room, dressed as she said she would: crisp clean blouse and dark, pressed trousers. No tie, though! How wild of her.]

Is it time now?

[spellbent]

[ Warren is already there, just straightening up the sleeves of his jacket when she enters. He gives her a pretty clear once-over, eyebrow arching. ]

Are you hoping to rope the demon into a conference call, or-?

[ What's that? A hint of a joke? ]

[makimavellian]

[He's pragmatically dressed but it looks nice, as to be expected. But... is that a hint of a JOKE? Do her ears deceive her?

She plays at arching a brow, but it's clear there's very faint amusement in her own tone.]

It's practical. [It's like her government outfit.] Should I have shown up in my bathing suit instead?

[spellbent]

[ He breathes out a small sound, one might even call it a chuckle. ]

You could have at least opted for a darker blouse.

[makimavellian]

[Her unimpressed facade falls right off at that, and she laughs. Even if the subject matter is a little macabre.]

But I look good in red. You'll see.

[spellbent]

I suppose I will.

[ Like he didn't splatter her with blood (some of it even her own!) and viscera when they first met. This is different. Somehow.

Before they make ready to finally depart, Warren summons his gun into his hand with a quick motion, popping the magazine out to replace it with another one — also conveniently materializing in his hand from whatever pocket of space he uses for that stuff. ]

Now then. Ready?

[makimavellian]

[It's different when it's the blood splatter of ~teamwork~

That hammerspace magic of his sure is convenient, isn't it? However, you know what's more convenient? Not needing ammo for your "gun" in the first place!

Still, she watches with some interest.]

Ready. I'll be following your lead in general until we get to the actual demon-fighting part.

[spellbent]

Then if you'd be so kind as to grab that— [ He motions to a duffel bag sitting on the couch, inside which are some books and other items they'll be needing for the summoning. ] —we can be on our way.

[ While she's taking care of the bag, he begins etching a series of runes into the air, and soon enough reality shimmers and tears open in front of them, revealing a small, muddy patch crammed between two buildings. It's dark and very hard to make out much beyond the press of buildings to either side. ]

Ladies first.

[makimavellian]

[She does as requested, crossing over to take the bag and gently sling it over a shoulder. By the time she turns around, she’s met with a tear in reality — leading somewhere close to their intended destination, she can only assume.]

Now where’d the portal come from?

[She asks as she steps forward, but not through just yet.]

[spellbent]

I made it.

[ Easily. He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. ]

It's just a small part of a much larger network.

[makimavellian]

Somehow, this shouldn't surprise me. You're all sorts of versatile, aren't you?

[And it doesn't at this point. A man as well-connected as him of course needs to get around, and to get around quick. Of course he'd have a retinue of portals at his disposal in order to make that possible.]

Well, here we go.

[She steps through!]