Evaine nodded to her innkeeper as she entered one of the few Bilgewater establishments that she owned. His false eye swirled as he looked upon her, and he nodded a silent greeting as she approached her usual table, before seating herself quietly with her back to the wall. Her shadow flickered uncomfortably, and she leaned forward upon the palm of her hand as her demon voiced her discomfort directly into her mind.
"I know." She whispered quietly, though she did not have to speak out loud. "I know he makes you uncomfortable." She let her arm drape down, and the shadow twined around her fingers in the flickering light of the dim establishment, drawing comfort from her. "But deals with a devil are things I am accustomed to. Trust." And Emilia did, because that was the nature of their relationship. "Go, feed." She dismissed her companion as the moments ticked onward, before a plate was placed before her, along with a glass filled halfway with what, in the dim light, could have been conceived as wine. "Thank you." She spoke to her server, a young man without a tongue, silent in his endeavors.
The matron dipped a finger into the sauce rimming her plate, inserting the tip into her mouth for a taste. Heavenly, she thought silently to herself, unnoticed by the rowdy patrons around her.
"How very un- ladylike." The voice drove her from her appreciation, and a grin twisted itself across her features. "But your more… unladylike habits are exactly why I am here, are they not?" He chortled, plopping into the chair across from her with a sickening, repulsive squelch.
"River King, a pleasure as always." She lifted her fork with her left hand, slicing a piece of medium- rare meat from the seasoned slab before her. "I do appreciate your usage of the door this time." He chortled again, laughing hard enough to shake his entire belly. His whiskered swiped back and forth as he scented her food, knitting his hands.
"And who, or what, was that monstrous being in life?" She smirked, glancing down to the steak as she dissected a second piece.
"Murderer. Eight women and two children I believe, before one of my assassins caught him. Quite a bit of a spree, if I do say so myself." Tahm tapped the table as he watched the woman of darkness swallow a bit more of human flesh.
"And we all know you have morals." He chuckled again, before growing serious. "So, matron, what is it that I can do for you this fine, fine, evening?" She cocked an indigo brow, flicking her golden gaze to him.
"You mean you don't want to play our lovely game of guessing? Pity." She let the sourness in her voice eek through, taking a slow sip of blood from her glass. "Here I was, finally beginning to enjoy our games too." The river king's mouth split into a wide, toothy grin.
"Ah, no, madame, you misunderstand me." She bristled at the humor in his voice; he was teasing her. "I know exactly what it is you desire, I just enjoy making you squirm… Want to hear you ask for it, since I know as well as any… One such as yourself will not beg, at least not me, horsefucker." She drew a lengthy inhale, drawing up to her full height, if still slight. He was not going to make her squirm, this day.
"Well then, since you already know what it is I desire, what is it that you desire in return?" She tapped her nails along the edge of the table, before smirking. "Perhaps you would prefer a taste of that you disdain so much?"He laughed, pointing one gnarled finger at her and shaking it.
"No thank you, madame. Though I have no doubt you would spread them for me if it were the only way to get what it is you wanted, I have a much different request." He pointed to the floor, where shadows stretched and danced across the floor as they waltzed with the candlelight. Save for around Evaine, where nothing was present. "It is her that I desire."
"She is not for sale." Another laugh from the king of the water.
"Not for sale, dearie. Not even for trade. I simply wish to converse with her, to know what she is and where she has come… Her many stories and attributes. I wish to know her." Emilia writhed in the back of her mind as Evaine turned her head to converse with the demon, before her shadow melted from the floor to around her legs, and then upward to the chair beside her. "Outstanding." He snapped, grinning. "A trade, of course. The scroll, matron." He placed it upon the table, bound with leather and wax. "You will have to work out the complications and kinks yourself, but I do trust you are adept at such things."
"I would not have survived so long if I were not."
"You and me both, lass." Her eyes narrowed, and he laughed. "A slip of the tongue, matron. I mean no disrespect. Now, may I speak to your companion, be she willing?"
"No." Emilia growled, crossing her arms over her chest tightly. Evaine shared a look with her, and she sighed softly. "What is it you wish to know?"
"More than the worth of one silly scroll, darling, and so I will save some questions for the next time. But for today…"
But Evaine was already lost in reading as they spoke, tapping her foot as she devoured her meal, allowing the words of old to swirl around in her mind. She had built a material list, deconstructed and reconstructed it multiple times well before they were done, and planned out exactly which shops and when she would stop to acquire her materials.
It would take eighteen rings, three pendants, and eleven bracelets before she found the way to make it work.
But she was a very patient woman, and work it did.