Topic: Dangerous Negotiations

Dominick Darcy

Date: 2016-06-26 23:30 EST
"Dangerous" ~David Guetta (feat. Sam Martin) https://youtu.be/FsfrsLxt0l8 Song playing in the lobby of Shadowdown

You take me down Spin me around You got me running all the lights Don't make a sound Talk to me now Let me inside your mind

I don't know what you're thinking sugar But I just got that feeling sugar I can hear the sirens burning Red lights turning I can't turn back now So hold on tight

I don't know where the lights are taking us But something in the night is dangerous And nothing's holding back the two of us Baby this is getting serious Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Dangerous

Start of this vignette found here: http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/viewtopic.php"p=221294#221294

The exterior of the building was elegant, having been recently renovated. They had kept the quaint charm of the location, just made it look all shiny and new. Pushing through the elegant framed glass door Dominick stepped into the cool air. It was a welcoming sensation after oppressive warmth of the evening, and the lingering heat of the day.

For the most part the place was eerily quiet. A few walking through or waiting on an elevator. Off to the side he spotted that crazy white haired girl. He had to do a double take as it looked as if she was hanging out with a wrath demon. One, if Dominick's ears were correct, who was playing Candy Crush on his cell. It was a rather odd thing to witness. Then again, it was entirely possible that the weird girl was singing or humming. She did that a lot around the house and at the strangest times no less.

Around him was a case of understated elegance. Sleek and clean but with tones designed to welcome its special clientele. From the curtains, to the couches and tables it was all about comfort. Even the various receptionists were selected for their cool, professional manner. Basically your standard ice queen type that could smile even in the face of the worst possible client tantrum. Those like him need not apply for such a position. His response to anyone screaming in his face was to flat out deck them into the dirt. Which was why he was hired to be a messenger, obviously.

Speaking of the receptionist, he stopped at the desk, leaning there and waited for the frosty little blond to look up. He waited, and waited some more and right about the time his patience was starting to wear thin, she looked up at him and gave that plastic little smile. "May I help you, young man' Are you lost?" Her cold blue eyes flicking down over the bloody and torn clothing and ripped jeans. The scent of Guinness likely still lingering upon his person.

His smile was tight, a mere baring of teeth actually but he remained surprisingly calm. "Yes ma"am, I could use some help." He used "ma"am' because it was polite and, having learned some time ago, that woman generally hated to be called that when they were considered still young and available. It had the desired effect as she blinked at him with a sudden tightening of her lips. "I would like to see my grandmother, Lyllianne." He had the satisfaction of seeing the woman turn a lovely pale shade of embarrassment. "She is expecting me."

She reached for the phone and after a very brief and hard to hear conversation with the lady he sought, she was waving him off. "She will see you now." No 'sir" or "young man' now eh' Yeah, well Domi knew he didn't quite fit the veneer of the place. However, he had been wearing clean and presentable clothing when he left earlier that day. It was amazing what a trio of pissed off demons could do to a guy's whole look in a very short amount of time. "Thanks ma"am' He watched that faint wince touched her brow and just smirked to himself before walking off toward Lyllianne's office. That lean form slouched and lazy as he moved past the wrath demon. He actually offered a casual nod to the weirdo blond kid of Star's too. For his effort he was given a beaming, sunny smile that made him almost flinch at the brilliance of it. Reaching his grandmother's office door, a hand lifted and offered a polite knock and then waited for her to call him inside.

Lyllianne DeWil

Date: 2016-07-19 21:23 EST
She had left her grandson sitting there with her drink now on his tab. There was something gratifying to his wanting hazard pay, and her knowing that the truly most hazardous thing that could happen to him was him loosing coin. There was no way that she was actually going to send her still way to young and green grandson out on a truly dangerous job, at least not yet. But let him feel like he had put one over on her, and that was good enough for now.

Her stroll through the shadows had her passing by one rather large, and apparently in it's hayday, well maintained house of worship. Of course, those wonderful days were gone, and the only way that poor building was still standing was because of all the prayers that had been offered up through the years.

She considered slipping inside, and walking around, even pausing and sitting in one of the many pews to take a look around. It was always fun to run into the old men and women coming closer to death and further away from heaven. They were always so desperate as they realized the sins of their youth were about to catch up to them.

It was also fun to see the looks in the eyes of a still innocent child or someone just hours from death as they realized her true nature. Mortals seemed to think that where they worshipped were safe places for them. Little did they know that both demons and angels could easily stroll through at any time. Angels, for some reason, the mortals expected. Yet they always seemed to think that demons burned when confronted with their prayers. More often than not, demons just tended to get bored with all the whining and begging for forgiveness for things people really weren't sorry for doing.

On this day, that pause to tease and tempt those in their acts of contrition was going to have to be put off. Instead, she strolled just a little further down the way and slipped into The Psychic Deli. It wasn't a treat for herself which she sought, however. Instead, she waited for a moment and just as she expected, in strolled a young woman with a box filled just for her.

As the box was offered to her, she smiled and drew a few bills out of the very air around her to slip into the woman's hand. Without even opening the box to see what was inside, she offered, "Thank you, just what I was needing."

Tucking the box of treats under her arm, she then headed toward her office. It was the click of her heels that announced her arrival, and caused heads to lift as each person sitting behind their desks offered various practiced greetings. As she came to her own receptionist, she paused for just a moment, "I am expecting a visitor shortly. Please send him in once he gets here."

The young woman gave her plastic smile followed by her response, "Of course, Ms. DeWil."

With that, she slipped into her office and set the box of treats on the corner of her desk and prepared to wait. She was pretty sure this wait, if her grandson had been warned properly, would take some time, so she stood at the window behind her desk and let her human form slip away. As she did, she again found that she could hear, see, and smell so much more than she could when encased in her small shell.

After a little bit of time, she finally heard the conversation she had been expecting. She couldn't help but laugh softly to herself at that particular little exchange. The young woman would eventually learn who would give back to her just as well as they took. For now, she was still learning the ropes and best that she play her "young man" card against Domi.

At the tap on her door, she once more shifted to her human form and took a seat behind her desk. While she knew it wouldn't frighten Domi to see her in her true form, she more often preferred conducting her business here in the human form. It often kept other beings more at ease, and in some cases let them feel they had the upper hand in dealings.

In her most practiced and kindest voice she called out, "come in my dear."

Once he had entered, sat down and put the contract on the desk in front of him, she noticed that he hadn't yet signed it. That actually made her smile. "So, have you had a chance to go over the terms yet?" She paused and opened her desk producing two pens from the top drawer, "And did you get the microscope to look over the extremely fine print' If not, I can let you use mine, just so you can know what you are getting into."

It was nothing for those of her family to remind each other what making deals with this particular devil could sometimes entail. Since Domi had not yet signed this particular little agreement, it was hopeful that he had actually listened to the warnings.

Picking up the small box she had laid on her desk, she held it out to Domi, "Care for a treat before we begin?"

Dominick Darcy

Date: 2016-07-28 04:57 EST
Devil Woman ~All About Eve https://youtu.be/Kqdzc55d84E Song playing in Dominick's mind

Let me see the lines of your hand I can see me a tall dark stranger Giving you what you hadn't planned I drank the potion she offered me I found myself on the floor

Then I locked in those big green eyes And I wondered what I came there for

She's just a devil woman with evil on her mind Beware the devil woman she's gonna get you She's just a devil woman with evil on her mind Beware the devil woman She's gonna get you from behind

Stay awake look out If you're out on a moonlit night Be careful of the neighborhood strays Of a lady with long black hair Tryin' to win you with her feminine ways Crystal ball on the table showing the future the past Same cat with them evil eyes you'd better get out oh there fast

She's just a devil woman with evil on her mind Beware the devil woman she's gonna get you She's just a devil woman with evil on her mind Beware the devil woman she's gonna get you

Green eyes regarded that tantalizing box for a long moment. He had heard every word she said but at that moment when she offered him food, his stomach decided to growl. Dominick realized with surprise that he was hungry. He had a work out earlier after all. Nearly getting one's ass kicked by some demonic thugs will work up an appetite. Not to mention he was still a growing boy. "Thanks Gran." He said while taking the box and opening up, still not saying anything about the humongous Gorilla (contract) now squatting on her desk just waiting for his signature.

He gazed at the array of food contained within, taking in the scent and feasted first with hungry eyes before he dug in. The perfectly aligned collection of finger sandwiches and ridiculously small cakes, generally called "peti-fores", captured his attention fully. Domi didn't give a flip what the little confections were called, they tasted good so he ate them. He did manage to show some manners, as he was polite enough to eat them one at a time.

Now, he didn't eat the whole box, but he did plow a respectable dent in it. It also kept him from speaking for a few minutes at least. Talking with one's mouth full had gotten him clobbered more than once by his older sister. Taking a paper napkin offered to him by his grandmother he carefully wiped his mouth and fingers before eyeing her with healthy caution. From a pocket in his jeans he withdrew a pocket mag and held it up. See, before he had ventured into the Westend earlier, Dominick had taken a stroll through the market and found just the thing he needed. Trouble was, he hadn't seen anything in the contract to give him pause, and the absence of a "Screw You" clause, actually did inspire a prudent amount of trepidation on his part.

He had been hoping his father would have turned up for this, but so far no sign of the Fallen parent. "Um, well I read it. I didn't find anything to make me not sign it, but that alone makes me very suspicious Gran." A finger waggled at her, much like he had done when he had been small and she had played a prank on him. "Everyone keeps telling me you're an evil woman and I gotta watch my back with you and your contracts. I really have no interest in working for Star. You know how my dad feels about him. Still, I like the additional bonuses including replacing damaged clothing." That last came with a pointed look downward at his less then pristine state, before his dark head lifted with that habitual toss. Shaggy bangs thrown out of his gaze, for the moment anyway.

It was at this point he started to reach for one of those pens. "I read it over and over and it did look straight forward." Inwardly, he wasn't as confident as he sounded. He couldn't quite shake that ominous feeling of doom that loomed over him. Still, he had pressed the issue and he would look like a petty douche if he backed out now. Right'


Orthon

Date: 2016-09-04 22:41 EST
"Things with your grandmother are rarely ever straight forward." The cultured tone came from behind Dominick as a hand plucked the stack of paperwork from his fingers. The young man shifted away, startled, and Lyllianne's smile grew brighter as Orthon took a seat beside his son. Sharp blue eyes looked back at her evenly for a moment. "Hello Lilith. You'll forgive me for not knocking."

"Like there is anything to forgive." She replied, her tone saccharine-sweet. "I actually would have been surprised if you had not made an appearance this afternoon." Orthon resisted rolling his eyes, instead glancing to the obviously relieved Dominick beside him.

Orthon had received every message from both his sons, but had been in the middle of a pleasant evening and did not reply right away. It had still been dark in the otherrealm of Vhalburg when he had risen and dressed, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the raven-haired beauty still sleeping before he slipped away. He had stepped from the doorway of one of the storefronts near the building that housed Our Lady of Perpetual Misery and took a moment to simply take in the feel of the place. Nothing had changed. He had sensed the nearness of his son, and simply sidestepped through the aether to him.

"I read the whole thing dad. I didn't see anything that would let her put a ball and chain or anything on me." Dominick's comment brought a soft peal of laughter from Lyllianne, which drew another look from Orthon over the papers he was reading. "I even got her to add in extra for hazard pay." He neglected to say that it had been his brother's suggestion, as it didn't seem relevant at that moment.

"Indeed he did." Lyllianne rested her chin on folded hands as she looked between the two D"arcy men. "Dominick has quite the knack for negotiating." Dominick beamed at the compliment while Orthon returned to his reading. The contract was fairly straight-forward, and he finally handed it back to his son.

"You can sign it if you wish, Domi." Orthon leaned back into his chair, hands steepled with the forefingers tapping gently. "It's simple, with no hidden clauses, and does not promise you to the service of another.? That had been his biggest worry in all this. Lyllianne had never had any qualms about using her family in her games, and he was determined to keep his blood out of the games as much as possible. His gaze shifted to the demoness lounging behind the desk. Lounging, like a spider in wait.