"Look, this is very nice, but I don't really have any time to lose." Firia nervously smoothed a wrinkle in her skirt.
"Nonsense. There's no reason to rush. Let me repay your hospitality." Lafitte leaned over the table and poured tea into the cup in front of Firia. His smile was so predatory it might as well have had a hook in it. "I haven't had any reasonable company in a long time, Firia."
Firia stared at the steam coiling above her cup. This was absurd, you couldn't drink here! She watched as Lafitte poured his own, then sipped the drink. This man...this boy...got stranger with every passing second. "Really, though, you seem to know your way around this place." Now what you're doing here, that's a different issue. "I'm looking for Xelloss."
Lafitte let out a bark of laughter. "Know my way around? I LIVE here! Xelloss owns the place and I..." Lafitte rubbed his chin, contemplating the logistics of his tenure. "...I keep it clean."
"Clean?" Firia pretended to sip at the tea, trying to appear polite.
Lafitte grinned proudly, white teeth gleaming. "I keep the riffraff out."
You ARE riffraff. "I see. Xelloss hired you?"
"Yes." Lafitte beamed with pride. "Few incarnt Mazoku would ever hire a surinni like me. They think we're beneath their station, that it's not even worth their time to tell us any incarnar news. But Xelloss is different. He gives us errands to do all the time, pays us fairly, gives us tips on which Lords might want one of us around permanently. Hell, he comes down to surinnar regularly, just to talk with us. Doesn't expect nothing from us, treats us like we're incarnt, just like him. I tell ya, Xelloss cuts a square deal." Lafitte drained his cup, a smug grin alighting on his face. "I'm his favorite, ya know. He'll chat it up with the rest of 'em, but he never lets them into his home. And I," Lafitte poked his thumb into his chest, "me, Lafitte, I keep any intruders right in line for Xelloss, ya hear?" He leaned far over the table, his nose touching Firia's before she could blink. "So don't get any ideas, girl. I've got these eyes right on you, no matter what direction I'm facing!" Lafitte turned away as quickly as he had lunged forward, examining the wallpaper.
Firia was stunned into silence, muddling inside her head the alien words Lafitte had spoken. Did he mean there were different races of Mazoku, just like with dragons? And was he telling the truth about working for Xelloss? And could he really see her with his back turned?
"You look awful confused," Lafitte said, his back turned to her. "Hasn't Xelloss talked about us?" He faced her again. "He pals up with you LOTS more than he does with me." Lafitte's grin was a leer now, giving Firia an uncomfortable warmth in her cheeks. Surely Xelloss had never told...
"He doesn't tell me about those kinda things, but damned if I don't ask!" Lafitte chuckled, banging his fist on the table. "I'm more curious about it than the others, see, because I might have a chance to do it, next time I go to-" Lafitte cut himself off. "But...um...you don't need to know about that, you know?"
Yes I do need to know, you damnable thing! Stop saying things without explaining what they are! How can you talk so much about so many things and make absolutely no sense!? "...Right." Firia smiled. Maybe I can get him to say where Xelloss is if I just let him go on. I just need to keep him on track. "So, how long have you been working for Xelloss?"
"Oh, I don't know. I have trouble relating to incarnar time." Firia watched the age on his face ebb and flow, and began to understand it. "Here in surinnar, we just don't have to measure things like that. But it's been a long time, I'm sure. It feels like less than forever and a lot more than just now." He winked at her, and Firia smiled back without apprehension. Lafitte almost seemed friendly now. "He came looking for security when he realized that there was only so much he could do by himself. I mean, what if another incarnt darts past Xelloss' safety devices here and gets in? What could keep that out?" Lafitte smiled. "I can hear anything that gets in here, see it while it's still coming. That's easy for us surinni. And he can trust me. He can't trust a damn fellow incarnt, but he knows us surinni don't play power games." His face clouded over. "Surinni don't have that kind of ambition."
Firia blinked. "Even dragons have ambition."
"That's because they're wrong." Lafitte's stare drifted as he crossed his arms. His eyes gazed at a far away nothing.
Feeling herself adrift in the silence, Firia said nothing. This mazoku was far different than any other of his kind she had met...in fact, she had never met anyone like him. And as coarse and intimidating as he was at moments, he spoke words that demanded her contemplation. She could trust him, strangely. He acted in a manner that was crooked but honest, and he was more loyal to Xelloss than she could imagine anyone but herself to be. The mazoku[...surinni?] was clever, and Firia wondered if this could be more to her advantage if she took a risk.
"Xelloss is hurt." Firia met the surinni's gaze. "You don't know it, but he's hurt very badly. I came without his permission because he needs my help."
Confusion flicked across Lafitte's face, replaced quickly by a knowing smirk. "You lie. If something strong enough to hurt him rendered him helpless, then we wouldn't be alone together. He would retreat surinnar like any wise incarnt." He raised an eyebrow at her, eyes watching her intensely. "Are you growing tired of my company?"
"I speak the truth." Firia's voice was calm and quiet, with an ineffable firmness to it. "His physical shell was frozen solid when he crawled into my home. His clothing and skin showed signs of heavy abuse and he was beyond conscious thought. He's showing no signs of improvement no matter what physical aid I give him. I wouldn't come here if I thought I could be of any help on the physical plane..." Firia leaped to a conclusion. "...if I could aid him incarnar."
Lafitte frowned, his face devoid of mirth. He considered Firia's words seriously for a long time before answering. "You seemed like an honest, trustworthy girl, Firia. But I'm afraid I can't believe you. I know exactly what Xelloss' condition is, because I know exactly where the incarnt himself is." Lafitte's eyes told Firia exactly how angry he was at her percieved betrayal to him.
Firia felt fear again, and saw in the surinni's shift in posture that he could feel it too. But she let the fear go. She would convince Lafitte that she was speaking honestly. That was all there was to it. "Show me where Xelloss is, and if I am wrong then I will concede it."
Lafitte cocked his head. "You'll accept responsibility for your words if I prove that they're false?"
"Of course." Firia felt strangely calm as she accepted the terms of a mutually understood oath. "I'm in your hands if what I say is a lie."
"Where I'm bringing you...it's not safe." Lafitte's concern for Firia barely showed behind his stony features. He wanted to hold her to her word, not hurt her.
"Don't worry," Firia spoke with certainty of her integrity and of her capability. "I'll be fine."
"Nonsense. There's no reason to rush. Let me repay your hospitality." Lafitte leaned over the table and poured tea into the cup in front of Firia. His smile was so predatory it might as well have had a hook in it. "I haven't had any reasonable company in a long time, Firia."
Firia stared at the steam coiling above her cup. This was absurd, you couldn't drink here! She watched as Lafitte poured his own, then sipped the drink. This man...this boy...got stranger with every passing second. "Really, though, you seem to know your way around this place." Now what you're doing here, that's a different issue. "I'm looking for Xelloss."
Lafitte let out a bark of laughter. "Know my way around? I LIVE here! Xelloss owns the place and I..." Lafitte rubbed his chin, contemplating the logistics of his tenure. "...I keep it clean."
"Clean?" Firia pretended to sip at the tea, trying to appear polite.
Lafitte grinned proudly, white teeth gleaming. "I keep the riffraff out."
You ARE riffraff. "I see. Xelloss hired you?"
"Yes." Lafitte beamed with pride. "Few incarnt Mazoku would ever hire a surinni like me. They think we're beneath their station, that it's not even worth their time to tell us any incarnar news. But Xelloss is different. He gives us errands to do all the time, pays us fairly, gives us tips on which Lords might want one of us around permanently. Hell, he comes down to surinnar regularly, just to talk with us. Doesn't expect nothing from us, treats us like we're incarnt, just like him. I tell ya, Xelloss cuts a square deal." Lafitte drained his cup, a smug grin alighting on his face. "I'm his favorite, ya know. He'll chat it up with the rest of 'em, but he never lets them into his home. And I," Lafitte poked his thumb into his chest, "me, Lafitte, I keep any intruders right in line for Xelloss, ya hear?" He leaned far over the table, his nose touching Firia's before she could blink. "So don't get any ideas, girl. I've got these eyes right on you, no matter what direction I'm facing!" Lafitte turned away as quickly as he had lunged forward, examining the wallpaper.
Firia was stunned into silence, muddling inside her head the alien words Lafitte had spoken. Did he mean there were different races of Mazoku, just like with dragons? And was he telling the truth about working for Xelloss? And could he really see her with his back turned?
"You look awful confused," Lafitte said, his back turned to her. "Hasn't Xelloss talked about us?" He faced her again. "He pals up with you LOTS more than he does with me." Lafitte's grin was a leer now, giving Firia an uncomfortable warmth in her cheeks. Surely Xelloss had never told...
"He doesn't tell me about those kinda things, but damned if I don't ask!" Lafitte chuckled, banging his fist on the table. "I'm more curious about it than the others, see, because I might have a chance to do it, next time I go to-" Lafitte cut himself off. "But...um...you don't need to know about that, you know?"
Yes I do need to know, you damnable thing! Stop saying things without explaining what they are! How can you talk so much about so many things and make absolutely no sense!? "...Right." Firia smiled. Maybe I can get him to say where Xelloss is if I just let him go on. I just need to keep him on track. "So, how long have you been working for Xelloss?"
"Oh, I don't know. I have trouble relating to incarnar time." Firia watched the age on his face ebb and flow, and began to understand it. "Here in surinnar, we just don't have to measure things like that. But it's been a long time, I'm sure. It feels like less than forever and a lot more than just now." He winked at her, and Firia smiled back without apprehension. Lafitte almost seemed friendly now. "He came looking for security when he realized that there was only so much he could do by himself. I mean, what if another incarnt darts past Xelloss' safety devices here and gets in? What could keep that out?" Lafitte smiled. "I can hear anything that gets in here, see it while it's still coming. That's easy for us surinni. And he can trust me. He can't trust a damn fellow incarnt, but he knows us surinni don't play power games." His face clouded over. "Surinni don't have that kind of ambition."
Firia blinked. "Even dragons have ambition."
"That's because they're wrong." Lafitte's stare drifted as he crossed his arms. His eyes gazed at a far away nothing.
Feeling herself adrift in the silence, Firia said nothing. This mazoku was far different than any other of his kind she had met...in fact, she had never met anyone like him. And as coarse and intimidating as he was at moments, he spoke words that demanded her contemplation. She could trust him, strangely. He acted in a manner that was crooked but honest, and he was more loyal to Xelloss than she could imagine anyone but herself to be. The mazoku[...surinni?] was clever, and Firia wondered if this could be more to her advantage if she took a risk.
"Xelloss is hurt." Firia met the surinni's gaze. "You don't know it, but he's hurt very badly. I came without his permission because he needs my help."
Confusion flicked across Lafitte's face, replaced quickly by a knowing smirk. "You lie. If something strong enough to hurt him rendered him helpless, then we wouldn't be alone together. He would retreat surinnar like any wise incarnt." He raised an eyebrow at her, eyes watching her intensely. "Are you growing tired of my company?"
"I speak the truth." Firia's voice was calm and quiet, with an ineffable firmness to it. "His physical shell was frozen solid when he crawled into my home. His clothing and skin showed signs of heavy abuse and he was beyond conscious thought. He's showing no signs of improvement no matter what physical aid I give him. I wouldn't come here if I thought I could be of any help on the physical plane..." Firia leaped to a conclusion. "...if I could aid him incarnar."
Lafitte frowned, his face devoid of mirth. He considered Firia's words seriously for a long time before answering. "You seemed like an honest, trustworthy girl, Firia. But I'm afraid I can't believe you. I know exactly what Xelloss' condition is, because I know exactly where the incarnt himself is." Lafitte's eyes told Firia exactly how angry he was at her percieved betrayal to him.
Firia felt fear again, and saw in the surinni's shift in posture that he could feel it too. But she let the fear go. She would convince Lafitte that she was speaking honestly. That was all there was to it. "Show me where Xelloss is, and if I am wrong then I will concede it."
Lafitte cocked his head. "You'll accept responsibility for your words if I prove that they're false?"
"Of course." Firia felt strangely calm as she accepted the terms of a mutually understood oath. "I'm in your hands if what I say is a lie."
"Where I'm bringing you...it's not safe." Lafitte's concern for Firia barely showed behind his stony features. He wanted to hold her to her word, not hurt her.
"Don't worry," Firia spoke with certainty of her integrity and of her capability. "I'll be fine."