As soon as we’re there, we hear the argument taking place and the reason behind this meeting.
“You can’t just keep cutting their fingers off and sewing them back on,” Ponds says to Elvor. The giant fae doesn’t even acknowledge the demon as he chastises him. “You need to be more creative, Elvor.” That is when Elvor loses it. He picks up Ponds by his neck, suspending him in the air. He doesn’t say anything, just roars in his face before putting him back down.
“What seems to be the problem?” I ask in a bored tone.
Ponds straightens his jacket and clears his throat. “Elvor isn’t—” Elvor growls in Ponds’ direction, “—following torture protocol.”
“Torture protocol?” Lilith whispers under her breath.
“Why? Are you unhappy with Elvor’s performance?”
“He just does the same thing every time; cuts their fingers off, sews them back on, and then cuts them off again.”
“I don’t see why you can’t mind your own business,” Lilith says to Ponds, a demon she hasn’t even met before. “Obviously, Elvor elicits fear in those that he tortures. And don’t you think the worst torture for his victims is knowing what’s going to happen every day. They probably piss themselves thinking about having their fingers chopped off day in and day out.”
Elvor grunts in approval. He doesn’t smile at Lilith, but there is the slightest tilt at the corner of his lips.
“And you are?” Ponds sneers in a shitty tone.
“This is Lilith, and she works directly with me, and I happen to agree. If Elvor’s methods work, there’s no reason to argue. You torture how you want to, and Elvor will do the same.”
“But my lord,” Ponds starts, but I give him a pointed look, annoyed that I have to deal with this bullshit. I swear it’s like wrangling children.
“If that’s all?” I question, raising an eyebrow and wanting to know how much longer he wants to complain about this.
“Of course, thank you for your time.” Ponds gives Lilith a death glare, and she flips him the finger as I grab her forearm, portalling us to the city of the dead.
My grip is slightly rough with her forearm as she tugs it away. “That’s some seriously dumb bullshit. Do you need to deal with that every day?” She rubs her forearm, and I wince, thinking that I hurt her. She turns to one of the decrepit buildings where the souls work. “What are we doing here anyway?”
“Looking for a specific soul.”
“Why?” she questions, walking next to me and rubbing her arm again.
“Was I too rough with your arm?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “No, but who are we looking for?”
“His name is Kirk, and we just need to ask him some questions.”
“You couldn’t have a demon do this?”
“When you want something done right, you do it yourself.” She nods her head in agreement and stops talking as I open the door for the both of us to walk in. I don’t speak to anyone; they all just go about their business as we head to the elevator, and I push the button.
“It’s kind of like they’re all stuck in a mundane mediocre time loop,” she comments. I nod my head but don’t respond. The elevator feels stifling with her next to me. Her lips are pursed in a straight line, and I feel fucking ridiculous for wanting to make her smile, wanting to make her happy.Could she ever truly be happy here, with me?
The elevator dings, opening its doors, and we walk through them into the office space. Souls are working in their cubicles as Lilith looks around with interest.
“What are they working on?” she asks quietly.
“Some do the same work that they hated on earth as a punishment, others have actual jobs.”
“Like…”
“Monitoring souls that have been bargained for, paperwork from sorting, reports from the pit.” She nods her head, pleased with my actually answering her question. Maybe I need to be more honest with Lilith, but that involves me being vulnerable, and that sounds fucking terrible.
I don’t knock, barging straight into Kirk’s office. He actually has a door because he handles more delicate matters from time to time. He’s been given harder tasks because he’s been actively trying to be promoted to a demon for decades now.
“My lord,” Kirk greets, bowing his head and glancing at Lilith. His eyes widen, and he clears his throat. My suspicions of this soul grow heavier as he glances between Lilith and me. “How may I serve you?” he asks.
