You decide to spend your morning checking on your mother. You haven't really spent much time with Elisa after making sure she'll give you free reign around the house and otherwise. You are primarily concerned with trying to see exactly how much Aria has messed with your mother's head while she was visiting. You make sure you've done all your own essential morning tasks done first before you return to your mother's bedroom to ask her some pertinent questions.
You aren't exactly encouraged when you enter the room. Your mother looks up at you, no immediate changes obvious. Except...
'Good morning hunnie,' she greets you, rubbing absentmindedly at her arm without any concern that she hadn't finished getting dressed, 'did you need something?' Your eyes are immediately drawn to the item around her wrist. You don't remember having seen that before.
'Is that new, mum?' you ask her. Elisa blinks at you, seemingly confused.
'Is what new, darling?' she asks you. She looks down at herself, 'this? Not at all, I've owned this bra for years! Do you like it?' Er, you aren't really sure how to respond to that. Sure Elisa has gotten used to dressing and undressing with you in the room. But this feels, different somehow. But you might just be feeling like this because you know Aria did something to her yesterday. And you are fairly certain she didn't have that thing on her arm before.
'I was looking for big sis,' you say, 'have you seen her?' Elisa frowns.
'Your sister,' she repeats, 'she was certainly here yesterday, wasn't she? Maybe she simply left early? I'm sure she'll be back later, you don't need to worry about her, she's a big girl after all.' Great, so as it turns out Aria didn't fix whatever she did to your mother. And who knows when you'll see her again to ask her about it. You can only hope that she hasn't made any other changes to Elisa that you don't know about.
Unfortunatley, you don't really have the time to fully investigate this strange situation. So instead you follow your mother around for the rest of the morning, trying to determine if there's anything fundamentally wrong with her behaviour. Nothing as of yet, except she seems reluctant to put her top on, requiring you to prompt her. There may be more obvious changes in time. You'll have to prioritise challenging Aria over this the next time you see her. Meddling witch!
As concerned as you are about Elisa you make the decision not to make any decisive action right now. You don't like the bracelet your mother is now wearing and have no idea how it could even now be meddling with her mind, but trying to remove it without knowing anything about it is potentially dangerous. You can imagine an item like that having a defensive measure in place to prevent it from being removed. Your mother is very fit and could probably hurt you quite badly if she wanted to. Plus you trust Aria enough to feel that she wouldn't do anything too dangerous.
So you reluctantly go to school without doing anything. It'll just be another issue on your growing list of issues you have no real solution to but need to deal with anyway. Great... Your first task of the day is meeting up with Ms Erikson. She informs you that she has confirmed her schedule and will be available for private lessons after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She asks you to inform her in advance when you require one
Private lessons with Ms Erikson are unlocked. These will be considered a free extra action between class and evening on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be assuming that we will be taking advantage of them every day we don't have anything important to do during the evenings!
You keep your head down in class and let your Aura do it's work. You aren't sure exactly how long it will be before the entire class is in the palm of your hand but you are looking forward to it. You aren't sure exactly what you could possibly do with that power without bringing the Church and angry parents down on your head, but you are sure you'll think of something. For good or for ill you've also affected Roger again, you might need to think of a way to keep him out of the class in some way to prevent any extreme reactions.
As a bit of a change of pace you decide to spend the lunch break with Sherry and her friends. It's been a while since you've spoken to them and it would be a shame if you ended your interations with them at the pantie stealing thing. Plus you are fairly certain your hook is deep in Sherry herself and, with her infatuation helping out, you are likely quite close to seizing control of her completely. But there won't be much you can do to her with the others present. And this is an opportunity to affect all three at once.
You mull things over as you head to the cafeteria. As much as you'd like to influence all three of the girls at once, Sherry is so much further ahead than her friends perhaps it would be better to just go ahead with her rather than continuing to work on all three at the same time. You are running out of time, after all both the Church investigation and your latest soul collecting deadline are approaching fast. You need to start making some big plays.
So you'll step up your game with Sherry and start to push her into a position where she can start making herself useful to you. At the same time you'll use Suggestion on the other two girls to make sure they don't ask questions. You'll likely need to do the same thing to her close family members as well, but that will need to be a problem for later. Securing an invite to her house would be a good next step.
Next you need to decide what you actually want to do with Sherry. As much as manipulating her appeals to you, it is difficult to ascribe a specific purpose to it. You briefly considering prepping her as a spare body like you are currently trying to work Venus towards but quickly abandon this idea. A seven year old girl would not make a good body for you, you are trying to jump up the ranks, after all. And if you are going to be ending up in a female body it should at least be one you can actually appreciate. No, you won't be using Sherry for that.
Time then to flip your reasoning on it's head. Can you make use of the idea that Sherry isn't especially useful. Well, it would be a good foil for your more extreme ideas and fantasies, something you wouldn't want to risk on a more valuable target. But at the same time it would be best to have something easily hidden, at least until you have enough influence that it doesn't matter. So, something you can trigger on and off, allowing her to act as herself when she needs to but makes her putty in your hands otherwise. Like that, you could play around with her as much as you like, just like a puppet.
Yes, you like the sound of that. She'll be your oblivious puppet, Thoughtless and empty, obeying your commands instinctively without even being able to process them inside her own head. You'd have your fun with her and then bring back her personality, her none the wiser. Not especially functional but excellent entertainment. And it would certainly be a real test of your skills. With your decision made you plot your next move. Establishing her 'default' personality shouldn't be difficult. A couple of Suggestions should do that. Emptying out her mind in the way that you want with your current power will be more of a challenge.
A devious and truly wicked plan begins to form. The best way to encourage Sherry to reach the state of mind (or 'not' mind in this case) you desire would be to fill her thoughts with pain and despair. Enough negative emotions and feelings and she'll retreat from her own conciousness just to get away from it all. Just like your own mind nearly snapped under your boss' 'care' or how trauma can cause insanity or PTSD. As an added bonus it will net you some lovely malice as well.
What's the best way to hurt Sherry without making it seem as though you are 'trying' to hurt her? You already have the perfect opportunity. Sherry is infatuated with you. With a little guidance you can fan that into full blown love. Then you pull her to one side and confess to her that you have feelings for someone else. As her little heart breaks you tell her that person is one of her friends, Ami or Maria, and ask her to help you out and give you advice.
Compelled by your Suggestions and the obedience you've been growing inside her with your Aura she'll be trapped, helplessly aiding you in your efforts to ensnare one of the others while battling against her own feelings. And that will surely tear her up inside. Then all you need to do is guide her away from the pain to somewhere else. Somewhere that doesn't hurt her. Blissful emptiness that won't be able to do her any more harm. Delightful! You'll get the hang of this demon thing yet! And with Sherry helping you it'll be that much easier to sink your claws into one of the others. Now you just need to decide which one you 'have feelings for.'
Maria has been the biggest problem so far, proving to be strangely resistant to your magical advances. It might make more sense from a practical standpoint to enlist assistance with her. But Ami is the bigger mystery, elusive and hesitant to speak about her own affairs even while around her friends. And her family situation seems interesting. Plus she has an attractive older sister. So you'll pretend to like Ami, she's probably more appealing than that loudmouth Maria anyway. And you have a feeling not even Sherry's help would get you an invite into Maria's house.
The first part of your plan is straightforward enough. You sit down with the three girls in a way that they are used to at this point. You spend much of lunch speaking with them without trying anything. Then as things start to draw to a close you lean in closer to Sherry and ask her if she has time to speak with you in private for a moment. She goes very red in the face but is unable to say no to you so you tell her where to meet you and she gets up from the table. As she moves away Maria and Ami naturally inquire as to what is going on. Pretending you don't want anyone else to hear you, you beckon for them to lean in close, one at a time so you can whisper it in their ears.
'You trust Sherry and Zach and won't find their actions or behaviour suspicious or strange in any way.' You command to first one and then the other. Neither is capable of resisting your enhanced Suggestion and you feel the words sink in. As such neither of them question you when you gather your own things and head after Sherry.
The two of you meet in a lonely area behind the school building close enough to your next class that you won't be late after finishing here. Sherry looks incredibly nervous, red faced and shy, she's unable to meet you in the eye and is tugging at the hem of her skirt. Maybe she's thinking you are about to confess to her? Poor thing, it's her own misfortune she happened to like your posession target. If she happens to meet God after all this is over she should ask him some pressing questions about how He allowed such cruel things to happen to her.
'W...what did you w...ant to talk about?' she stammers finally. First things first, prep her to make sure she reacts accordingly.
'You love and trust Zach more than anyone else,' you Suggest, 'and you will do everything you can to help make him happy.' She actually rocks as your words slam into her, the life in her eyes fading for a delicious moment as your power adjusts her mind. Soon enough that expression will be present for much longer! You pretend to be nervous yourself, rubbing your head and averting your gaze.
'Well, er...' you manage, 'it's like this, see. I kinda maybe... I wanted... no that's not right.' You continue to 'struggle' as you watch Sherry brace herself, a flicker of hope in her eyes. Poor darling.
'I kinda think that I like Ami!' You manage suddenly, 'I was wondering if you could help me out!' You think you can actually make out the precise moment her lovely, innocent little heart shatters like glass. Is this one of the most cruel and heartless things it is possible to do in this world? It surely must be up there, a mental injury so grave it feels like real physical pain, except this sort of pain isn't nearly as easy to see or heal.
The worst part about this is you actually rather like Sherry. Enough to want to make her yours, after all. It really isn't right to hurt someone you like this much. But you've done a bunch of fucked up things already and you'll do a bunch more. You could try to rationalise it by saying that you don't have a choice. In order to rescue your soul from a tyrant you need to grab power any way you can.
But the simple truth is that you are an awful person. You've always been an awful person, even before your tried to sell your own worthless soul. There isn't really any need for further explanation or rationalisation. If the darkest pit of Hell is to be your final destination anyway, you'll be damned sure you get as much as you can out of this pathetic existence before you arrive there!
The next few moments are intensely uncomfortable. You can see Sherry desperately trying to hold the pieces of her heart together while trying not to burst into tears. Struggling to get the words out she manages to nod her head and utter a few strangled words of agreement to your request for assistance. You play the dense idiot, confused that she suddenly seems ill and offering to take her to the school nurse, as though such a person could actually help. She waves you off though and you decide to grant her a tiny kindness by leaving her then and there, allowing her to let it all out once she's sure you are out of earshot.
Congratulations, scumbag! You broke a poor girl's heart! Thats 100 malice right now and a continuous influx of malice from now until she gets over it. Assuming you ever let her!
Having done something that even you feel bad about you console yourself with the knowledge that Sherry will eventually be in a much better head space. Or rather the space in her head will be totally empty. But that is still better than misery and pain, you know this from experience. You resolve yourself to expunge her misery once you've finished working on her, she won't be any fun to hang around otherwise and you'll hopefully have other ways to farm malice by that point.
For now you reactivate your Aura and sit down for your afternoon classes. Same old tedium, you aren't sure exactly how much more of this you can handle. Perhaps it would be better if the Church person really did just kill you. Then maybe you'd end up in a body that doesn't have to waste so much of their time with these boring lessons. It's an amusing way to spend the time, imagining all the various future forms you could take, but it isn't all that practical. It's not something you want to risk until you have greater control over the power. Besides, you've done a lot of work here, you don't want to waste it all.
As that wonderful bell signals the end of class for the day you hastily make your departure. There is so much you need to do over the next few days you aren't entirely sure where to start. The Church investigation is a concern but so long as you don't do anything blockheaded you should be fine where that is concerned. Your next deadline is a much more pressing concern, and you dislike relying on Aria for your souls. You could always go on a rampage but that's most certainly a last resort.
So then, short of sneaking out every night for the rest of the week and hoping to get lucky your only hope is likely to strike a deal with Aria's friend and hope he isn't quite as hard to deal with as the other powerful beings you have encountered so far. As such the first thing you do when you get home is check the Internet. A brief search of the Myskin theatre reveals its whereabouts but tells you little else about the person you are going to meet. Of course you don't expect a demon to be advertising himself on a website, that sounds like asking to have Church inquisitors kick down your door. So you'll only find out more by going there in person.
Now you just need a plan of approach. Mother will need to drive you there, assuming she's still of sound mind but you'll need to decide whether you'll be entering the place with her or leave her in the car and approach on your own. You don't see any need to bring Lucy with you but it might raise less suspicions if you all go as a family. But of course that's making the assumption you go in through the front entrance. There might be an alternative way in, though whether you'll be capable of using it is a different matter.
Considering this Soprano character is expecting you it's probably best to just go straight in through the front. Skulking around outside would likely get on his nerves or draw unnecessary attention. And for the same reasoning you'll bring Mum as well. You'll just act like a normal mother and son buying tickets to the theatre. What you'll do afterwards you aren't sure, but you'll use your Heightened Senses as you approach the building to see what you can pick up.
Convincing mother to drive you to the theatre is easy enough. Convincing her to put her clothes back on is actually more difficult. Ever since yesterday she seems to have decided that she's most comfortable wandering around the house in just her underwear. Surely this is Aria's handiwork, though you aren't really sure why. You are fairly sure Elisa is way out of her strike zone. So then, is this just another way in which she is messing with you? Most likely. Not that you can say you aren't enjoying it, so long as this new behaviour doesn't bleed into the rest of her life.
You don't like the idea of leaving Lucy alone at the house so you decide you'll bring her with you and have her wait in the car. So long as we lock it she should be safe. You activate your Heightened Senses immediately after stepping out of the car. You'll likely need to keep replenishing it, but there's no helping that. Your immediate reaction about this place is that there is something off. Strangely though, you aren't getting that impression from the building itself but from several areas surrounding it. The smell is at times sickeningly sweet while at the same time being oppressive and dangerous. Most likely this is the scent of divine power rather than demonic.
So then, servants of the Church are already here? Or at least have been here at some point? That's worrying. If you weren't in desperate need of this person's help right now you'd be sorely tempted to just turn around and leave right this moment. Still you and Elisa make the journey to the front door, you doing your best to avoid any of the more concentrated areas while trying not look like that's what you are doing. The result likely comes of as the sort of manoeuvres you imagine a drunken monkey would make. Real subtle...
Fortunately, the stench of the Church disipates once you enter the building itself. Still no sign of anything demonic, though you aren't really surprised. If the enemy is already outside their door they've likely gone into hiding or put up some sort of defence. Unsure how to proceed now you walk up to the desk and make an enquiry about their next play. You have a brief conversation with a friendly but dim girl with far too much makeup on and a hairstyle that looks like she rolled out of bed, took a photo of herself and then presented that photo to a professional hairdresser as the style she wants. Afterwards you agree to purchace three tickets for a performance of 'The Conductor's Symphony.'
'Will there be many sopranos during the play?' your mother asks, as you requested her to. The ditzy staff member hastily scribbles something down on a brochure and then hands it over to you as she answers you mother's question. You take a quick glance at the item you were just handed. The writing reads:
'Rear... Rightmost... Red.' Wonderful, how informative! Fucking cryptic demons!
Your tickets in hand you make your way back to the car with your mother. Or at least that's what you try to appear to be doing. Instead you are examining the building again, trying to solve their stupid puzzle. Rear could only mean the rear of the building. Rightmost... well that's probably the large dustbins positioned against the wall. As for red, you'll probably need a closer look. You Heighten your Senses again and try to wrap your head around all the various smells and noises you are now being assailed by.
From what you can tell with your limited knowledge none of the scents right now are fresh, likely indicating that whoever was here isn't right now. This could mean this is your best chance to poke around. Or perhaps you'll be better off coming back later tonight. Though of course it might be that is when the observers are here, assuming that more nefarious activities are bound to happen at such a time. The darkness might also make it more difficult to solve this silly puzzle you've been given.
Fuck it, you've come all this way and you'd rather not blow what could be your best opportunity. Besides you've got shit to do, you'd rather not waste any more time on this than you have to. So instead of going back to your car you double back and approach the rightmost dustbin. As it turns out, doing so with your senses enhanced is a bad idea. Fuck, what the hell is in these things! You have to hold your nose to approach further. Just in case you use a Suggestion to have Elisa act as a screen for you while you investigate in more detail. The only red you notice here is a slightly off coloured brick in the wall, though you wouldn't exactly call it red, more like a grubby brown. Still you give it a poke and...
All of a sudden you are somewhere else. Shit... And you left your mother standing around outside like a complete fool. If anyone comes back and asks her anything...
'No need to worry about that,' a voice speaks up, causing you to spin around and actually engage with your surroundings. You appear to be inside a dressing room. How you got there is a complete mystery but you'd like to learn how to do this trick yourself. In front of you is...
A disgruntled flat chested girl in some sort of uniform? You don't know what this person's deal is and you get the distinct impression you don't want to know. She looks down on you, literally and figuratively, with an expression of barely disguised contempt.
'Your careless blunder will be remedied,' she informs you, 'you are expected! This way and try to keep up, I don't have time for babysitting!' She spins on her heel and leads the way. You don't even bother pointing out that if she's expecting you she should know you are not actually a child. You don't know who she is but you are fairly sure she isn't Soprano and as such you don't really care. You certainly don't intend to invite her out for coffee later.
She leads you down several corridors past a number of doors. A few are open and you can see a few other people, actresses you assume. All female as far as you can tell and all equally challenged in the chest department. It isn't something you are intentionally looking out for, your head just happens to be at that sort of height. It would be helpful, if you didn't spend most of your time at a school with children in it.
Your escort leads you onto the main stage. A few male stagehands are working on the backdrop but the most obvious figure is the man? in the centre of the stage. Oh shit, you are starting to understand exactly why Aria warned you about this place. You take another look at your escort. It's surprisingly difficult to tell but you are getting a horrible feeling you wouldn't want to check under that skirt. You are already starting to edge back the way you came, maybe he won't notice you in time. Fuck, he's turning around. And now he's barelling towards you like his bum is on fire!
'Why hellooooooooo there my darling! Aren't you a treat! You came straight from school I take it? Wonderful! We have much to discuss!' Well shit... Talk about one hell of a trap!
'Good evening, Soprano, I presume?' you say by way of greeting, 'It's a pleasure to meet you, it's a nice place you have here. I was impressed by the method by which I entered.' He? She? Fuck it, you'll just keep calling it 'he' for the sake of your sanity. He beams at you.
'Such a nice polite young man! So unlike all of my other darlings! Not that you need to worry about that, my dear! Let's clear that up right now, shall we? You've likely already worked this out but my passion is transforming nice young men like you into dainty little dears like my Sam here! Isn't that right, cutie pie?' Sam crosses 'her' arms and scowls.
'Yeah, right,' 'she' replies, 'it isn't like I asked to become like this, you fucking freak!' Soprano simply laughs.
'Don't mind her, dearie,' he tells you, 'Sam here isn't finished yet. I do enjoy the process and cannot resist dragging it out eeeeever so slightly. I'm sure you can appreciate that, yes? Once I'm finished she'll be more than happy with her new form, just like a darling little caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly!' You cannot help but notice Soprano has a habit of moving his body dramatically as he speaks. With 'butterfly' he stretches his arms out above his body and balances himself on one foot. He's very expressive, perhaps you could say dramatic. A true embodiment of his craft. He returns both feet to the floor and adopts a faux serious expression:
'But you need not worry about such things happening to you, dearie! As much as I cannot deny you'd make a marvelous addition to my troupe I'd rather not run such a risk. Your mistress has a bad reputation in our society but regardless of that her strength is undeniable. I care far too much about my other darlings to risk having my insides rearranged by that monstrous woman! I hope you can understand!' He talks as though he feels you should be disapointed that he isn't planning on turning you into one of his little sissies or however he wants to call them. But he seems genuine, or at least you can understand that you aren't a prize worth crossing someone who happily calls herself 'The Torturer.' Finally a reason to be grateful to your employer? You never thought you'd see the day.
'I see,' you respond, 'shall we discuss business instead then? I heard from Aria that you have a job you'd like me to perform?' He nods and waves his hand. Two more traps in fancy dress carry a table and some chairs onto the side of the stage. Soprano gestures for you to take a seat, promptly taking the spot opposite you. A clap of his hands and the performers begin a dance routine, Sam angrily hovering nearby. You discover that the table and chairs have been positioned so that you both can observe the dancers with ease. You'd usually consider this a considerate gesture. Except of course that knowing these 'ladies' true nature's distracts from the spectacle.
'Now then?' Soprano begins, pouring you both a cup of tea, 'shall we get straight to business or is there anything else you'd like to discuss?'
You attempt to discreetly activate your Heightened Senses and give your cup a faint sniff. Nothing suspicious that you can detect, though you rather doubt that a basic level one ability will be particularly effective against someone powerful enough to install teleporting bricks in his theatre. Still, his reasoning for not wanting to mess with you is sound and you feel as though, in the centre of his territory you are pretty much at his mercy here. If he wanted you he wouldn't need to put something in your tea. So you drink it. You don't immediately pass out so that's a good start.
'So you said you had a job,' you repeat yourself, now dreading exactly what sort of job you will receive from this person.
'Indeed, darling,' Soprano responds, sighing dramatically, 'you likely noticed it yourself but I'm being observed by some rather gōsh fellows at the moment! It's my fault really, my most recent darling was a little bit too high up the ladder if you understand my meaning, someone who people actually look for. And it was especially foolish of me to make a move when all of my comrades are lying low looking for that ghastly book or whatever it is! They do say that the fish that splashes the most is the easiest prey!
'Fortunately they don't know for sure that it was me but it does mean I haven't been able to leave this place for the last few weeks. Even worse the last darling I sent out on a little excursion didn't come back! I have an understudy in place for such little accidents. But I'm the sort of gal who likes to be prepared, if you catch my drift. It's all hands on deck here at the moment and if a single one of my lovely darlings gets injured well, we won't be able to perform! And that is unbearable, darling! Frankly, unacceptable!
'So my request for you is as you might imagine, dearie! Either find my little lost lamb for me or provide a suitable replacement. It shouldn't be too difficult for you, love, a charming young lad such as yourself should be simply spoiling for choice, yes?' You resist the urge to sigh. So yes, he's asking for a young boy to fill the hole in his troupe. Not a particularly difficult request to fulfill. The tricky part will be the blowback.
'I'd like you to elaborate on what exactly you intend to do with this, replacement,' you say, carefully, 'if a young boy from my school simply disappears one day it could cause problems for us both.' Soprano seems to have been expecting the question. He claps his hands together with surprising force reminding you not to underestimate him.
'Not to worry, darling! I already have it all worked out! You pick out one of your dearies and bring them to one of our shows! I'll arrange a deluxe back stage visit with the stars. I'll work my magic on him a little bit, just enough to make the little dear want to keep coming back! Eventually he'll be ready for the old switcharoo! We'll swap the little darling with a duplicate, an exact replica in all the most important ways. Then all we need do is arrange an unfortunate accident! Truly upsetting, but cannot be helped! At which point our new star makes her glorious debut on stage! And no one will be any the wiser!'
You mull his plan over in your head. It doesn't sound so bad. All you need to do is provide a young male 'victim' and Soprano's people will do most of the rest. You suspect you might be called upon to help arrange the 'accident' but you can tell that these guys are used to this sort of thing so there shouldn't be too much of a concern there. If everything Soprano says is true this should be an easy job. Though of course you also have the option of trying to track down Soprano's 'little lost lamb' which you imagine will be much more difficult. Still there's no reason you can't do both, you consider. Find a youngster to plug the gap in the short term and work on finding his lost subordinate afterwards.
'What happens if I end up doing both?' you ask, 'would I get paid twice?' Soprano's eyes sparkle.
'Oh yes! I thought the two of us would get on well, dearie! Yes, indeed! Most certainly, let's discuss prices now, dear! For the fill in I'll pay six lowest grade souls up front and six more once I'm satisfied the little dear is firmly in my grasp. I don't anticipate any problems but you never can tell! As for my lost lamb, well if you really can return her to me, dearie, well it really would have to be something special now wouldn't it! Though I could pay you the more conventional way if you wish. Malice and souls do have such a strong appeal for those just getting used to this gig, yes?
Whatever you choose I will most certainly make it worth your while! Though I'll hope you'll forgive me for not commiting to a price until I've seen the state of the poor soul first! It wouldn't do to be paying up for a lovely that is no longer, well lovely if you understand my meaning?' You think you understand. In truth, just the easy part of that deal is very beneficial to you and there hardly seems to be a reason to refuse.
'I'll take the jobs,' you conclude, 'I'll do my best to find your little lost lamb but without knowing who took him it will be difficult. I'll have to do some digging around. I'm not in a strong position right now so I can't make any promises. Also, I'd like to know exactly what kind of 'replacement' you'd like. I'm assuming not just anyone would work?' Soprano claps his hands together with obvious glee.
'Oh my you are such an angel, sweetie! No worries, I'm sure you'll try your very best! Here, this should make things easier for you!' He reaches down the front of his dress, ugh, and pulls out a photograph, handing it over to you.
'Isn't my Alex just a treat!' Soprano goes on, 'you can keep the picture. Use it as an indicator of who might make a good replacement.' You examine the individual in the picture. Cute, yes, if you didn't know better... But black hair and blue eyes is going to be tricky to replicate. You don't think there's a single boy in your class with that combination. You might have to search the rest of the school for a likely candidate.
How frustrating, if there was a match in your class this would have been easy! You are fairly sure your classmates are so far under your influence they'll obey any suggestion or order you give them, within reason. But no, you'll have to find someone you haven't been working on for the last week and a bit. And somehow influence them enough to drag them to this weird theatre in time for the end of the week. All while the Church investigation is going on around you! But for twelve souls it would sure be worth it! And your upgraded Suggestion should be powerful enough to get the job done, if used properly.
'With our business concluded for now do you mind if I ask you a few questions?' you say. Soprano's eyes flicker with newfound mischief.
'You already did, hunnie!' he teases, 'but go ahead. I may not answer though, as much as I do like you!' You nod. You are actually fine with him choosing not to answer your questions. You'd actually prefer that to Aria and Usa answering without actually answering.
'At the moment I only know how to obtain souls by killing people,' you begin, 'are there any other ways?' Soprano seems to actually feel sorry for you.
'Awwww, sweetie!' He cries, 'you really weren't told anything were you? Of course there are plenty of other ways to do it! The most commonly used methods involve signing a soul contract. Humans don't really understand what a soul even is for the most part. They think it is some insubstantial thing they don't need to worry about until after they die. Usually a demon will appear before a likely human and offer them a deal. Wealth, power, the affection of another, you can promise anything so long as you can actually keep your word. And once you have their soul they'll never be able to escape you! Though I guess you don't need me to tell you that, darling!'
You instinctively clutch at your own chest at his words. Yes, you are one of those people. You were desperate, uncaring, ignorant. And you paid for that mistake, you are still paying for that mistake. Even if you manage to overthrow your tormentor these scars likely won't heal completely. How many other people like that are there around. Probably a lot.
'Of course,' Soprano continues, 'you can do it the other way. Forcing a human to give you their soul in exchange for their own safety or the safety of another are good examples. Those deals are more tenuous, however, as they involve an ongoing promise. If someone gives you their soul in return for their loved one's safety you'll have to make sure that loved one continues to be safe, or risk the contract being voided. I've heard there's some very nasty backlash from a broken contract! The sanctity of the demon contracts is one of our highest regarded laws! Anyone who breaks one, deliberately or otherwise, will be making an enemy out of the entire society! It's something we take very seriously!
'You can also use a contract to solidify an existing relationship. Take on a subordinate, grant them power and protection and then sign the contract later when they are sure it's what they want to do. It's very difficult to reverse the terms of the contract once it's been signed, after all!' You take all this in without commenting. In a way this is common sense, he hasn't told you anything you likely wouldn't be able to imagine on your own. The issue would be...
'And these contracts?' You ask. Soprano chuckles.
'Given out to every demon in the society at the beginning of every month,' he replies, 'the higher their rank the more contracts they get. Those high ranking demons usually pass theirs down to their subordinates on the field. As such you'll likely have to ask your boss for your share, sweetie! She certainly should have a lot of them, afterall!' Fuck... you have to rely on her for your contracts? You might as well have not even asked! Still, you are her only subordinate which likely means she isn't using them herself. So perhaps it wouldn't be too terrible an idea to ask her for one or two the next time you see her, assuming she even gives you a chance.
'Do you know much about the guardian spirits?' you ask, 'particularly the dog and the fox?' Soprano frowns.
'I know precious little about that I'm afraid, dearie,' he answers, 'I try to keep away from smelly beasts, after all. I only appreciate beauty as you can see! We don't allow animals in the theatre! What I will say about the fox though, sweetie, you'd be better off staying off her radar. Just because she doesn't like to act herself doesn't mean she can't make you disappear if you upset her. Those other spirits who are looking to pick a fight with her? Courting their own destruction as far as I can tell.
'None of us know how she became as powerful as she is, but we all know the fox is most certainly the single most powerful individual in the city. There isn't anyone else even close. She's dangerous, sweetie, unimaginably so, and a cute little one like you should avoid her, simple as that!' Odd, you actually find Soprano's concern touching, albeit somewhat creepy and disturbing. If you didn't know he likely very much wants to turn you into one of his little sissy performers you could find yourself liking him. But no, messing with a guy's manhood is a BIG no no! It's basically a crime against nature! It doesn't matter how sweet he acts, you can never be friends with this person!
Soprano waves off your question about any other jobs he might have for you, stating that he'll write something up for you for next time you come in. Likely he wants to see how reliable you are before entrusting you with anything else. Fair enough, getting him the replacement he seeks should go some way towards that, though you suspect you'll need to find and retrieve his little lost 'Alex' if you really want into his good books.
Finally you describe the braclet Aria put on your mother and ask for Soprano's input. Here the man frowns.
'Aria has always been somewhat rambunctious, I'm afraid,' he explains, 'it's the main problem with surrounding yourself with unthinking dolls, no real company! It's why she's always so bored. I always tell her, hunnie, why not get yourself a toy that can actually talk with you, who will keep you company! But no, what she does to those little cuties, well it doesn't bare thinking about! At least my dearies can still go on with some semblance of a normal life! It's another reason she can't act freely. Too many disappearances in her area will draw attention. She's probably just like me at the moment, pinned down and forced to keep her head down. It must drive her crazy. I worry she'll do something foolish eventually!
'But you were asking about the bracelet? I don't recognise the actual design, sweetie, but it's likely one of two things. It'll be a magical item imbued with either a hex or a curse. Hexes are usually small time, trivial things. A hex will change your mother in a few minor ways for a small amount of time before going away. A curse is something much more serious. Some curses work slowly, others faster. You brought her with you today, didn't you? Want me to have a look at her?'
It sounds like a nice enough offer. Except that he's a part of the demon society, just like Aria. Indeed the two of them work for the same person. This could very well be a cunning trick. The two of them could have worked on this together, Aria plants the curse or whatever it is and then Soprano tricks you into paying an exorbitant price to have it removed. Though Aria must realise you don't actually have anything of value that she knows of, unless of course she doesn't believe you.
'May I ask, what would you want in return for this service?' You ask. He narrows his eyes at you for a moment. Then he roars with laughter, startling the dancers off of their routine and slapping his knee with merriment. Then his eyes flash dangerously.
'Very good, young man,' he says, his voice much lower than normal, teeth bared in something resembling a snarl, 'trust isn't something to be given lightly in our world. Anyone extending their hand in friendship towards you is surely doing so purely out of their own interest. That includes Aria and I, and don't you forget that, dearie!' He stands and rounds on his own performers.
'Did I say you stupid bitches could stop?!' he roars, 'how dare you embarrass me in front of my guest! You'd better get your heads on straight and perform the rest of the dance perfectly or they'll be HELL to pay later! Understood?!' The dancers hurriedly get back into their positions and try to resume their routine. Soprano turns back to you, suddenly back to 'normal.'
'Ever so sorry about that, dearie,' he apologises, 'you practice and practice but real discipline is oh so hard to come by! You shouldn't worry too much about your relative. Aria's aware of your situation and there's some connection between your boss and ours so she knows not to antagonise you. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. And if the situation does get worse let me know and I'll give that little brat a good telling off for you! Alright, pumpkin?' You nod. Oddly enough, his outburst doesn't actually put you off him any more than you already were. It's just good to know he's as messed up as everyone else, as if you didn't know that already.
Your discussion over for today you say your passionate (at least from him) goodbyes and Sam takes over again. The grumpy trap leads you back through the corridors and into a waiting room. In here you find your mother and little sister, the former fast asleep on a sofa while the later is happily doodling on a piece of paper. With a little shriek Lucy runs over to you and gives you a hug.
'We brought them both in here to make sure noone asked any awkward questions while you were busy,' Sam explains, 'maybe leave the peanut gallery behind next time?'
'Sure,' you respond, 'assuming you want to drive me over here and then back home after I'm done!' He clicks his tongue at you but you stare him down. If you weren't trying to stay on Soprano's good side you'd be putting some rather nasty things in this freak's head. He seems to sense this, for he suddenly starts to back off. Finally, he realises that you are more dangerous than your seven year old body would lead him to believe.
You rouse Elisa and the three vacate the theatre through the front door. It might look somewhat suspicious to anyone watching from outside, but hopefully you just look like a regular family, maybe relatives of one of the troupe members paying them a visit. You are pretty sure noone was watching when you entered so they shouldn't know how long you were actually in there. Elisa seems a bit vacant minded after her sleep and you are a little concerned about her driving, but she seems to recover quickly once she's behind the wheel. Or at least she doesn't get involved in any accidents on the way back.
Unfortunately, there really isn't much time left in the evening. You have dinner, plow through your homework and then it's time for bed.
You've acquired another 50 malice from a certain heartbroken young girl while you were busy and another 40 from her parents. It would seem she wasn't able to hide her distress from them this evening! Maybe a problem for later, but a boon for now!
Regeneration Level 1 unlocked. You can now heal yourself when you get injured. It's only useful if you get the time to use it though, so you still should try your best not to die!
You know that Soprano reassured you that Aria wouldn't take things too far. But that is hardly reassuring considering it's you who is on the line here not anyone else. Sure, Elisa's disdain for wearing her clothing around the house isn't dangerous, as such. In fact you could even consider it a benefit. Her decision to sleep totally naked even more so, it's been a while since you've gotten a good look at her breasts up close like this. But it isn't much of step from this to 'naked all the time' and that will most certainly draw attention. And get your mother arrested.
You don't believe Aria is so crazy as to turn Elisa into a full blown nudist, but you can't rule out the possibility that she fucked something up. So you decide tonight to take a little dive into your mother's dreams just to check and see how things are going. Maybe you can determine exactly how Aria is messing with her, maybe even use it to your advantage. There's a risk to this, but you decide it's worth taking. So you lie down next to your unconcious, naked mother and focus.
Immediately you can tell something is wrong. You haven't dived into too many dreams but you feel as though you've dived into enough to know how it is supposed to feel. You tend to ease your way in slowly and gently, appearing gradually as the dream forms slowly around you. But this time something tugs you roughly from the other direction catching you off balance. Instinctively you seek to pull back but the grip doesn't release you and stone walls quickly form around you to stop you from leaving easily. The force holding you relaxes and you collapse on the floor in manner similar to the way you are summoned by your mistress.
But this time the figure in front of you is Aria. Though she's dressed differently, in the same style of uniform she was wearing in her human form. Your mother is here as well of course. Though you have to do a double take to make sure. Naked and on all fours, a collar around her neck and a leash attached to it, the other end being clutched in Aria's right hand. In Aria's left hand is another leash. This one has your sister on the other end. At least Lucy is wearing clothes, the same she was wearing when she went to bed in fact. If that isn't bad enough Aria's using Elisa as a chair right now, and Lucy as a foot rest.
'Well isn't this a surprise!' she barks, 'who would have guessed you already had the power to enter this place yourself! Though you'll likely regret doing that!' You climb to your feet. Maybe you should be scared, this is far more drastic than you had expected. Had she actually set this up to trap you? But she's acting as though she's just as surprised as you are. In that case...
'What the fuck, Aria?' you challenge her, your anger taking over, 'what the hell are you doing with my family? And now you are trapping me in here too?' You consider her as you speak. This Aria is different. You don't get nearly the overpowering feeling you normally do when she's before you. In that case this isn't actually Aria, just something she's left behind that's taken the form of her. She laughs:
'You are right about that,' she answers you, 'I imbeded a small piece of my soul in the braclet I forced on your mother. It was supposed to be a small test, I wanted to see if you would try to deal with it yourself or ask for help. We are all interested in you, after all. The Torturer's one and only servant. You've made startling progress for someone without any real assistance, it's made us all curious. I didn't expect I'd get this sort of opportunity though! I'm sure I'll have a lot to tell my main body once this is over!'
'Like hell you will!' You retort, 'you think I'm just going to let something like this slide! You've gone too far Aria!' She waggles a finger at you.
'Actually,' she reprimands you, 'I have barely started! I haven't been here long, but this little piece of your mother's mind is under my control. And while you are here I can do whatever I want to you. Including making you forget this ever happened when you wake up in the morning! So you'll be none the wiser once this is all said and done!' Shit, this is really bad. She's going to wring you out like a sponge and bring everything back to the real Aria. Maybe the little psycho hadn't planned for something like this to happen, but she's hardly likely to turn such information down when it is presented to her. And if she learns about the Diary... Shit, is she reading your thoughts even now? You have to do something and fast!
You resist the urge to gnash your teeth. This uppity little bitch thinks she can just stroll in here and divulge you of all your secrets? Does she really think she has that kind of power? Certainly if she was whole she'd be able to. No doubt it would be easy for her. But this tiny piece of her? You doubt it. How much of her soul could this possibly be? And she's been in here for a day, maybe a bit more, depending on when she gave Elisa the bracelet. No, this little brat is way over her head and she doesn't even know it!
What's more, this is just as much an opportunity for you as it is for her! You'd never be able to defeat Aria in a head on fight, she's far too strong. But this right here, this is much more manageable. And if you can dominate this small part of Aria, it might present more opportunities later. And the little freak will have only herself to blame for pulling this silly little stunt! You laugh, suddenly filled with confidence.
'You think it will be that easy?' you goad her, 'I don't think so. I think you are the one who is in way over your head here! You just said it yourself, you have no idea what I am capable of. But don't worry, I'll show you. Let's start with this one. Get off my family, right now!' Whether it is through the sheer element of surprise or just her own hubris, your first assault slams into her like a hammer, rocking her head back with a jolt even as her body moves to obey you, jumping to her feet, the images of your family disappearing as her control over this space starts to waver. She shakes her head, confidence giving way to fury!
'Bastard! You should know your place! Kneel!' She strikes back at you, using the same power. You feel it hit you and you struggle to resist it. Your legs buckle as the pressure crashes down on you driving the air out of your incorporeal lungs. One knee hits the stone floor then you're clear of the impulse and back on your feet. It had affected you, but certainly not as much as your initial assault had affected her. You roll to the side as another surge of power lashes out at you. It's unfocused, as though she is simply trying to overwhelm you with her mind. You could probably do that as well, but perhaps you should weaken her first.
You thrust out at her again. This time you'll use Sleep, see if you can't weaken her resistance in preparation for your next attack. She simply laughs at you.
'What was that supposed to be?' she mocks, 'you were acting big earlier but you surely haven't exhausted your power already? Did you forget! This is my space, it obeys my whims! I'll use your own darling mother to crush you. She raises her hands above her head, and the scenery around you changes. No longer in a dull stone room now the pair of you are standing on two giant human palms, one each. Your mother's you assume. Aria points her finger.
'Crush him like the worthless bug he is!' At her words the palm underneath your feet begins to curl into a fist. If it is successful you doubt you'll be in any condition to continue fighting. But this woman just messed up. Does she really think that her influence over your mother is stronger than yours? Idiotic! She's been playing with empty headed dolls for far too long. She's forgotten how the human mind actually works. You use your best 'Zachary' voice.
'Mommy help!' you cry, 'the bad lady is trying to hurt me!' Instantly the palm under your feet wavers and the palm underneath Aria moves. Much faster than yours did. Aria barely has time to shriek before it closes around her. You have to give her credit, for many others that would probably be GG right there. But she's still hanging in there. Not many could hold fast after being squashed by a hand the size of a room. The scenery switches back to the room from before. This time, however, Aria is looking a lot worse for wear.
'Bastard, bastard!' she's yelling, 'you think you will get away with doing this to me?'
'Why not?' you reply, 'while you are here I can do whatever I want to you. Including making you forget this ever happened. Isn't what you said to me?' The severity of the situation seems to dawn on her at this point.
'Wait,' she says, her fierce expression suddenly turning desperate, 'I'll apologise. I'm sorry! It wasn't supposed to go this far, it was just supposed to be a little test! I promise I won't try this again, alright? Just let me go, please!' Even now you are sure she's just stalling for time, trying to recover enough strength to try again. Even if she isn't, does she really think you'll let her go? You are sure she wouldn't if your roles were reveresed. Besides, you can't take the chance that she learnt something from your mind. You need to keep her quiet.
'You should have thought about that beforehand!' you roar, 'let's see how you enjoy being toyed with! Kneel!' She yelps as her knees slam into the cold stone floor. She's looking up at you now with terrified eyes, her body trembling with apprehension. She doesn't bother pleading with you anymore, except with her eyes. Too bad, so sad, you don't feel the least bit sorry for her.
You don't bother with a command this time. You just gather all of your might, all of your power and assail her with it, batter her with it over and over again. She struggles against you as best she can, you are reminded all the more how hopless your situation would be if you were facing the real Aria. But she's too badly damaged by your mother's will. The love a parent has for their child isn't something that can be interfered with so easily, maybe if she had understood that she wouldn't have come up with this foolish idea. Too late now. You keep slamming her will with yours until it crumbles and then continue, thoroughly grinding it into nothing. Once you are done the Aria on her knees before you is looking up at you with empty staring vacant eyes.
'What is your desire, Master,' she drones without a shred of expression or emotion in her voice, 'commmand and this one shall obey.'
First things first, you interrogate Aria's soul fragment for information about Aria herself. Fortunately, it seems as though Aria wasn't expecting this particular eventuality. Barring that her explanation relies on you having some basic understanding on the inner working of the demon society and some more recent knowledge she tells you anything you want to know.
Firstly, Aria was born and raised in the demon world and became part of The Conductor's circle early on. Her main strengths are her ability to shapeshift, her skill with a blade, the ability to conjure and manipulate fire and a strong ability to manipulate souls.
According to Aria, almost all the most powerful demons define themselves by a particular fetish or quirk and assume titles accordingly. Her master, The Conductor, an individual she has never actually met, is a connoisseur of sound and, when she was younger hired an instructor to teach Aria how to alter her voice in different ways so that she could sing for him.
Every time she was called upon by The Conductor to perform, he would remain behind a curtain. Her 'performances' varied from singing, humming, laughing, and even sometimes she would be beaten or tortured by another servant so that he could hear her cry out in pain or fear.
As such, Aria has little love for her master and her efforts have turned more and more away from seeking to please him and towards her own personal enjoyment. As for what is her own personal enjoyment, you pretty much know this already. Aria had intended to call herself 'The Dollmaker' if she ever rose in rank and was informed that such a title has already been claimed by another, much to her irritation.
Aria's tastes lie almost exclusively with young girls, very young girls. It must have taken great mental fortitude for her not to simply take Lucy away from you that first night, as your younger sister would have been a perfect target for her. In fact she still intends to relieve you of your sister at some point, though at present she intends to do so without relying on force and is flitting between simply buying her off of you once her soul has been fully corrupted or manipulating events around you so as to put you in such a desperate position you'll have to hand Lucy over to enlist Aria's help.
Aria's methods for obtaining souls and malice are usually the same. She'll pick her target, typically a small child with only a single parent. Then she'll ambush that parent, killing them, extracting their soul and merging it into her own body. Then she'll take the appearance of said parent and slowly start to change her attitude towards the child. She'll start getting wild mood swings, shouting and getting angry, becoming aggressive and abusive, though never to the extent that anyone else would be able to take action. Finally, she'll pick a weekend when she thinks the child has been suitably 'prepared.' Then she'll tie the child up and hurt her, tormenting her mentally and physically until the child's little mind snaps under the pressure.
Perhaps the most cruel and ingenious part of this method is that Aria utilises the soul of the parent she absorbed into her own body. She extracts all their memories to allow her to pull off the deception flawlessly. But worst of all she makes the parent's soul aware of everything. The poor soul is trapped inside a body that looks like theirs and forced to watch as some stranger who sounds like them torments their beloved child until their mind breaks. In this way Aria is able to farm malice from both parent and child while at the same time her Soul Brand works its twisted magic on the parent's soul making it hers.
Once she's finished with the child Aria extracts the child's soul from her body and replaces it with that of the parent's. Then she transforms the child's body via a particular process that is both fascinating and grotesque. Fortunately, or unfortunately this fragment isn't prithee to the full details of how this process works so you wouldn't be able to replicate it yourself if for some fucked up reason you wanted to.
What remains at the end of this process fully resembles the appearance of the original but is entirely artificial in its construction. The bodies certainly feel as they should but Aria's dolls do not require sleep or nourishment nor do they need to relieve themselves or deteriorate in any meaningful way. They will obey simple instructions but will otherwise remain exactly where and how they are left, simply staring with glassy, vacant eyes.
Aria mainly uses them as decorations and toys, purchasing vast amounts of clothes to dress them up in as well as display cabinets with glass cases to place them in when she's not 'playing' with them. And yes, you can tell she uses them for sexual relief as well though you pointedly do not ask for further details about that.
The result of this particular hobby is that Aria doesn't actually have any real subordinates of her own. With the exception of an older, slightly more intelligent doll that she uses as a maid to clean her other dolls and her flat, Aria typically operates on her own with only a few acquaintances, relying primarily on her familiar for communication with the rest of the demon society. Such behaviour naturally limits her productivity and reduces the spoils she brings back to her own master, putting her at odds for the most part with her fellow servants, or at least those who actually care about serving their employer properly. Many, like Soprano, do their part as instructed but have little loyalty or affection for The Conductor.
From this you extrapolate that taking full control of a subordinate's soul to the point that you have with Zach and will be with Lucy is actually very rare. Most demons consider it a hassle and an unnecessary waste of time, which enforces what Aria said to you before that most demons aren't especially good at corrupting souls to the fullest extend necessary. Most are simply content with relying on soul contracts to ensure their subordinates don't step too far out of line.
Evidently the Diary has granted you a significant advantage in this regard, seeing as it would be nigh on impossible to subvert the other servants if their masters had such a strong grip on their souls. It also confirms that, while messing with the rest of Aria's soul might be difficult, trying to influence her mind should be possible. Especially considering none of her strengths would indicate that she has spent much time developing her Mind. This is assuming of course that the rest of the demon society utilise the Mind, Body and Soul system that the Diary uses.
As for Aria's intentions regarding Elisa, they are surprisingly minor. It seems as though the main purpose of the braclet was for monitoring and tracking purposes, allowing Aria to know where your mother is and see through her eyes. Aria's alterations were designed more as a test or prank, minor changes that were of no real threat but were designed to make you worry and determine what you would do about it. She anticipated that you would speak to Soprano for assistance and had intended to ask for a cut if you paid out. Failing that she would have offered to fix it for you the next time you spoke, for a promise of an 'undisclosed favour' in return.
Clearly it didn't even occur to Aria that you would attempt to dive into Elisa's head to assess the problem yourself, which again indicates that Aria underestimates you and doesn't really believe that you are as strong as you are, not that you are especially strong by demon's standards. Still, she likely still sees you as a lowly human with some small amount of skill and the ability to move souls through possession. Your continued need to rely on others for your souls only enforces their low opinon of you. Of course, the more they understimate you, the stronger your position will actually be, so you are absolutely fine with that!
Having gleaned everything you think you can obtain from the soul fragment you leave it with your instructions. You decide to have it slowly manipulate your mother's feelings for you, adjusting her common sense so that it warps her view of what a normal mother and son relationship is. She'll start to look at you in ways that she isn't supposed to and some part of her will know that such thoughts are wrong, causing an internal dilemna that will eventually resolve itself in such a way that she'll never even understand why she was upset in the first place.
Finally she'll be under the impression that lusting after and being intimate with her son is perfectly normal, but instinctively know that it isn't something she should talk about with anyone else. It might be a tricky bit of manouvering and might take a while but you are confident it can be pulled off, especially considering Elisa's mental state has already been influenced a fair number of times already. The only issue now is if Aria ends up recalling the fragment before it's finished editing your mother's mind. That could be a problem. You may need to stall Aria until the matter is settled, which could raise some eyebrows.
But you'll be preparing a nasty surprise for Aria for when she does recall her soul fragment. Whether she planted it maliciously or not is irrelevant, she gave you this opportunity to slip into her soul and her head and you'll use it. Your little piece of Aria's soul will be a sleeper agent, slipping back into place and subtly influencing the main body. Making her ignorant, more absentminded. This should give you more opportunities to nudge her until she's more malleable to your influence. As messed up as her tastes are she'll be useful to you, whether she wants to be or not.