New Highest Bidder, New Loyalties

[sadiemockingbird]

Sadie had gotten annoyed with her old Master, some higher level demon from the ninth layer of hell, he wasn't used to having his underlings be treacherous and treasonous to him, but he didn't pay up on his side of the bargain so Sadie walked. She had heard of this Demon King. Maybe a King would have just the right price to keep her around. She was a lower level demon after all, she needed someone to look after her, tell her what to do, you know the usual.

There was some tension in her homelands of fire, brimstone and chaos. Something dark was afoot, loyalties being changed and made in dark, damp rooms behind pillars of crumbling marble, dark with soot and excrement. She wandered around until she entered the domain of Ruina, the demon king. She would have been proper and demanded an audience, but that required all sorts of pleasantries involving a contract demon, a true-name lawyer and the like, and Sadie didn't have a true-name, and she wasn't in a deceptive enough mood to bring one just to hide the fact that she was a 'flight risk'.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Domain of the infamous demon king, nice place, would have bought some decapitated pixies to liven up the place, but it will due, I guess." she sighed, then made herself at home as she plopped down in a chair of bone and moss from the river styx.

[Ruina]

Satan had just left so Ruina was lounging in her throne, plotting. The throne was like most of her domain, white marble and inviting from a distance but covered in nasty surprises if you dared to get close enough. She'd have to decide just what she and her demons would be doing in the upcoming war sooner rather than later it seemed. She'd spoken to both the god of chaos and the prince of hell and was tempted to keep her bargain with Lucifer. The way Satan was convinced he owned her...and that daughter of his, even if she was asleep, didn't agree with her. Besides, who liked a bloodbath?

A voice shattered her thoughts. She turned her dark eyes to the source and looked the speaker up and down with both her power and her eyes. Lower level demon, not much power, not a threat. The new demon wore the shape of an attractive human goth complete with piercings and Ruina was willing to bet that the appearance was good at luring in a certain type of victim.

Ruina stood and stalked around the newcomer in a circle while she spoke. "Infamous? Is that all? I really should make sure better rumors are circulated then. And decapitated pixies are soooo last season darling." She smirked. "I'm looking forward to a much bigger display." How about the mutilated soul of someone by the name of Lilith? That sounded rather nice to her.

"So." She let that hang for a moment or two. "To what do I owe the fashion advice, little one?"

[sadiemockingbird]

Sadie snapped her fingers, idly, igniting and extinguishing a flame. “I was sent here” she said in a languid bored voice, “My old Master, some, contract demon, possessor of souls from the ninth layer of hell, he got bored and annoyed with me and said that if anyone had the balls to deal with me, it would be the demon king, so he burned the directions in my arm, here” she revealed her arm, and there it was in her seared flesh, directions to the domain of Ruina, “And told me to be on my way” she then yawned.

“Should I skip on back and tell him I am not needed here?” she asked and snapped her fingers again, the flame appeared, and then she shook her hand and the flame was gone, just a puff of smoke around her hand.

She looked up at the demon king, Ruina, with dark eyes and waited to hear what her next move should be.

[Ruina]

She stopped circling the chair, standing in front of the demon. Ruina watched the girl ignite and put out a small flame with her fingers. This one truly had no respect for those above it and while it was easy to see where this would annoy other high level demons, Ruina had to admit that she was beginning to enjoy the newcomer's attitude. The one's with attitude were always the fun ones. Blind obedience was nice but so was not having to leave hell for entertainment for a change.

She inspected the directions seared into the demon's flesh with respect. There had been no way of this one losing it's way, efficient. "No, there will be plenty for you to do here, rest assured." Lower level demons were always useful and she had just the thing for this one to do, it would make her life easier when the war broke out.

"Now then, let's have your name."

[sadiemockingbird]

Name. There was a loaded question. Usually, when a higher demon, especially a king such as the one before her, asked for a lower demon's name, they were supposed to give their true name, thus once the higher demon says it back, it binds the lower demon to the higher demon sealing the contract of servitude, so to speak, making it final.

Sadie didn't have a true name, and once she gave her name to the demon king and she said it back, and realized that no bond has been formed, she may very well reject her and send her away. But this was hell, it was full of surprises, maybe she would find it refreshing to have a free-spirited flight risk demon under her wing, after all, Sadie could think of some uses she could have for the king. She could swear her loyalty to all three powerful lords of hell and be the ears for them all ....

"I'm Sadie, m'lord" she replied, rising from her seat and giving a low sweeping bow before the royal demon. It was meant to be respectful, but every proper thing that Sadie did seemed to come across as mockery.

[Ruina]

“Sadie.” She murmed more than commanded but it would be enough to bind the demon to her. She waited, expecting to feel the bond form between them. She waited and instead of a bond, felt nothing. Ruina waited a bit longer, but her patience wore out quickly. Something was off, but what?

Could it be that this one was still bound to it’s last master? Even if that was the case she would have been able to break to bonds of a lesser demon, she was the king after all. No, the girl had given her a false name. It was obvious, unless of course this little one didn’t have a true name to give. No self respecting demon would call itself ‘Sadie’ if given a choice. Humans were weak, so having a human name made one weak.

She frowned slightly. “That is not your true name.” She stated simply, the question of what her true name obviously hung in the air. If the new demon had no true name then that meant Ruina could not bind Sadie to her, it would be a stupid risk to take but she’d been known for taking stupid risks in the past. Perhaps this one would pay off like those had.

[sadiemockingbird]

Sadie rose and put her hands on her hips, looking bored. "Well, its the only name, I have, m'lord. I seek only to ally myself with the best and most powerful. Was my old master wrong in thinking to send me to you?" Sadie asked, she knew she was challenging the king's authority by questioning it.

But she didn't care. She didn't have a true name, never did, and probably never would. And frankly, she knew her worth, if the Demon King didn't have her, she could go to Satan or Lucifer and see what they had to offer, in exchange for a demon like her, one that couldnt' be tethered to anyone.

Had to admit, it did have its glamour. She could wander between the halls of Hell and listen in and take notes of what was important and report back without anyone being the wiser, well, without anyone thinking badly of the highness of the Demon King. Wouldn't want to be thought of stooping low, well, no lower than expected in the sulfurous evilness of Hell anyway. Why snoop when you can have someone else do it for you, she was after all a King, must act the part,or the gossip demon would never let her live it down. Even now, Sadie could hear them in the walls, waiting like smoke to go and haunt the layers with juicy gossip.