#ALONGSIDE ... making the occasional contract so a soul has more value

[shimmerbeasts]

To assume devils always looked for the next deal to make was false. Mizora was no stranger to juggling multiple contracts at once, however, at this moment, she was not interested in getting Eve to make any deal. The only reason, she showed a crumb of investment in the leader of this troop, was because Wyll clearly allowed her to command him around. It had been quite a while since her pupster had playmates and thus Mizora felt the need to check how much of an influence they had on him. It would be a shame if they managed to unravel her work, if only by a margin.

Hearing Eve's words, Mizora trailed her claws up the elf's spine, purposefully bumping against each vertebra. Her purr had dropped an octave deeper: "My, my... Aren't you a bold, little thing? You might wanna tamper your choice of words. Wyll kills demons for breakfast - and I am right there with him. So your little flex is not as big as you think."

Even as the Cambion spoke, her eyes were not fixed on Eve. They were focused on Wyll, who had finally found his way back into the tent alongside them. His hand had briefly gone for his rapier in defence of his friend, however, he let go as their eyes met. Wyll had not forgotten what Mizora had done to the last playmates, he had found years ago. Even if that situation had been brief, Mizora had made it more than clear that other acquaintances and friendships were not desired, unless she approved of them.

There was a pained expression on Wyll's face as if he was trying to figure out whom he should address. Mizora's eyes glittered darkly and she smiled just long enough that her pet could see her fanged teeth. "Go on." Her voice echoed tauntingly in Wyll's skull. "Tell me to stop, pup."

He looked away, almost like an unruly schoolboy caught in disobedience. Wyll finally stuttered out: "Eve... Please, stop. You are threading on some really thin ice here. So, please, just stop."

Mizora finally stepped away from Eve, causing Wyll to breathe a sigh of relief. Addressing the wild magic sorcerer again, the Cambion remarked: "Listen to Wyll. I may be patient, but even I have my limits to insolence."

However, when Eve asked her next question, her nose curled in a bemused snort. Wyll seemed to be just as curious as he looked between Eve and Mizora. Her puppy already knew how she had acquired her position, however, it wouldn't hurt to tell this little inquisitive bug more.

Mizora settled into a more relaxed posture. She raised a hand as she explained: "I carved out the niche, I inhabit now, my job as you so endearingly called it. You see, my mistress Zariel has many great forces to assist her in the Blood War. That means that most of her devils and servants focus on fighting monsters. She does have the occasional deal maker and contract forger, but I noticed that most of their deals were not as tightly screwed as they could have been. They were not taking full advantage of a human soul's capability for great desire, fear and suffering.

"I recognised a niche, which had not yet fully been exploited, and I took to it immediately." Pride painted itself across her features as Mizora explained with a suave smile: "I started out as what was essentially a proofreader for contracts. Ironing out possible problems, rearranging clauses, that sort of thing. Over time, I gained a reputation for being one of the most knowledgeable Cambions on infernal laws and an even better contractor. Zariel recognised my value and chose to make me the major one, responsible for any contract work."

Mizora opened her hand and twisted it sideways. The glowing, golden chain, pulsing with almost magma-like light, ending in Wyll's collar materialised and landed securely in her hand. It was lax for now as she only caressed the links of the chain, causing Wyll to bite his lips bloody as he tried to keep a stoic face. "Warlocks are my speciality", Mizora finished, "Though Wyll's more of a personal, little endeavour than something ordered by Zariel."

The idea that Mizora could see more than her fears was not exactly one she wanted to stomach right now. Raphael had been similar, knowing exactly what to pick at to try to get her to make a deal. It seemed that was just how the devils worked. How else were they able to figure out what you wanted the most and then get you to make deals with them for your soul?

It meant that she knew that Eve wanted control--she knew that Eve was healing from a deep betrayal as far as love went as well--and it meant that she could see what she wanted. She knew that Eve was looking for power, and control, and that she wanted to find balance with the life she wanted the life her parents wanted for her. All of that she could see, and Eve should have known better than to annoy her, especially given she seemed a little quicker to pounce than Raphael had been.

The way she sunk her claws in a little bit? Eve felt as though she had struck a nerve with what she had said.

She'd been through worse than claws in her shoulder, but something about the intent behind it, made her nervous. Especially when Mizora got her hands on her dagger, and reacted almost threateningly in the moment. Making devils upset was probably not something that she should be doing, but nonetheless, here she was.

Even as the blade ran along her skin, Eve found herself feeling that rebellious streak and she shook her head. "Perhaps I don't know you, but you clearly don't know what I can withstand. A devil you might be, perhaps, but the last time someone with demon blood tried to killed me, I killed them instead. If you want to scare me, Mizora, you have to work harder than this."

She put her dagger away and shook her head, glancing around the camp and then back to Mizora. Eve didn't want to fight her, but she didn't know if Mizora knew that or not, or if she could see it in her body language. While she didn't like to be threatened, Eve still wasn't interested to making this into more of a confrontation than it already was, and she didn't make any move like she was worried about where she was pricked: Eve had been through worse.

"Exactly how did you get your job, Mizora?" Eve asked, honestly rather curious about it.