The Devil Made Me Popular(Princess Pittooey & Lady Jace)

[Star Pupil]

It was strange being in an old, abandoned parking garage by herself. Scary. But if she just simply allowed herself to be scared of a little rats and darkness, she wouldn't be worthy of doing what she was getting ready to do. A lantern took care of the darkness, and she ignored the skittering noises that occasionally went through the garage while she drew up the proper summoning circles using her own blood that she had managed to collect. Good thing she was majoring to become a nurse..she was scared that she would screw up drawing her blood.

The raven haired college girl, standing at about five ft tall, was at her wits end with it all..if her drawing in her own blood didn't tip anyone off. She always had been invisible. Maybe it was because she had no figure...or presence. Maybe it was the dumb, thick framed glasses she wore. Or her mousy voice. Either way, no matter how old she got, no one ever noticed her, and she hated it. She just wanted people to see how amazing she was. She was a straight A student..she was smart. But that was all she had going for her. She even chopped her hair into a bob cut and no one even noticed..not even her mother!

But that all ended today. The minute she was finished with her work of art, she stood in the middle of it. Demons liked virgins, so she'd use herself as an offering. Her soul for the slightest amount of popularity..was a fair trade. Her college dance was coming up, and she would be damned if she missed another dance just because she didn't have a date. Hell, she didn't even have a friend to go with.

She pulled a small journal out of her oversized jacket, and her brown eyes scanned over book. It was then she began reciting a dead language, one that she didn't even know existed. Would this work? Would this seriously summon a demon?

Eh, probably not. She was probably crazy. At least that's what she thought, until the rusty, crimson color of her blood began to glow and the room around her began to pulsate. Before she knew it, a flash of crimson light blinded her temporarily and she had to shut her eyes. Her black hair tied in a loose ponytail had suddenly come loose thanks to the violent winds around her. She felt...scared. Like she had done something really, really bad. But...she had to swallow her fear. This was it, this was what she wanted!

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

As the flash of crimson faded, it appeared that there was nothing left of the parking garage. Instead, she was surrounded by complete blackness. It was not a particular lack of light, she could see clearly. Yet, everything around her was blackness. Still, one could easily tell that the blackness had borders, that she was in some sort of completely black room. The only feature was the summoning circle, which had grown in size and become the entire floor of the room. Then, as suddenly as the flash, there was a desk in the room, a chair on each side. In one chair, which looked far more comfortable than the other, sat a man, his eyes locked on the girl across the room from him. It was all very dramatic in the end, but it was the way that things were done and he was not one to deviate from tradition.

The man was, for the most part, rather underwhelming. His face, for the moment, was rather handsome. His dark brown hair sat nearly atop his head, cut short and combed back. His slim build was covered by a dark blue, nearly black suit, that was finely tailored to sit on his body. Almost every feature made him appear to be nothing but an ordinary corporate worker. Everything except for his eyes. They were a mirror of the normal human eye, with blackness filling in what would be white. his pupils were a striking red, reminiscent of blood. His expression, as if crafted to counter the disturbing image of his eyes, was calm and friendly. A pale hand moved to adjust a small nameplate, the only decoration on the desk.

"My name is Raz and I am very pleased to meet you." His voice was just as soft as his expression.

For the most part, Raz knew the reason that he had been summoned. He had no grand powers like telepathy to pull her thoughts from her mind. It was just always the same when he was dealing with someone her age. They wanted something insignificant, something that would not even matter in a year or two from now, something that would require only the smallest sliver of their soul to buy. Still, it was not his job to question their motives. It was his job to push and pull at them until they told him every last piece. And he was rather fond of his job. So, it was time to get to work.

"Now, I believe that I am here for the standard deal? Your soul for my power?" As he spoke, his other hand came into view, looking something like a gauntlet with spiked fingers, yet visibly organic. It gestured toward the other chair. "Take a seat so we can start talking this through. I am sure you only know a bit of what you are getting into. But let's start with something simple. Who are you and what is your wish?"

 

[Star Pupil]

It wasn't what she was expecting, not at all. Weren't devils suppose to be...well...devils? This looked more like an office in creepy lighting rather than...an abandoned parking garage. Then when she rose to her feet, she could see him clearly. It was strange since there was no lighting she could see, but he seemed to be glowing handsomely. He was...beautiful, something else she did not expect. Maybe beautiful wasn't the right word, but she found herself to be really attracted to him. She moved over to take a seat as he asked, and she cleared her throat.

"My name is Kayla Sinclair. It's surprisingly pleasant to meet you, Razz." She began, her voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper. If they weren't in a completely empty, black void, it might have been to hear her. "My wish is...I wish to be...popular at school." She continued on as her face flushed a little in embarrassment. Was she really doing this? Her frustration at being practically invisible was nowhere to be found right now. Now that she knew that this was all real, or maybe, she was just having a dream. That's right, it was a dream. "And yes...the only thing I really have to offer is my soul. But I don't want to give all of it away, just whatever I have to..."

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

While Kayla was a nervous mess, Raz was calm and collected on his side of the table. Not that it was surprising. He had done this for a very long time and he was not the one giving up his soul to a devil. Still, it did catch him off guard when the girl asked if she could trade only a part of her soul for the wish. At first, there was a small smirk on his face, clearly amused at the question. But, he did not speak. Instead, he seemed to think for a long moment, his clawed hand tapping audibly on the desk. Then, with a short nod, he locked eyes with Kayla again and nodded.

"Well, the standard is usually one complex request with payment on completion. You make your wish and I give you seven days of my power. Any request at any time until you are satisfied. Then I take my payment and you are left with any consequences. But, if you like, I can offer you this: Each request will be a portion of your soul. I will stay with you until you decide you are satisfied or I have taken your entire soul." His tone was casual, with a touch of lawyer on top.

The clawed hand extended to Kayla, obviously looking for a handshake. "So, tell me, what is the first step you want to take on your way to becoming popular?"

 

[Star Pupil]

Kayla stared at the devil's hand for a moment, going over the deal in her head to make sure she wasn't getting tricked. She was nervous, perhaps scared even, however she wouldn't chicken out now. He was here already, and he was offering her what she wanted. And if she could help it, she didn't even have to give away her entire soul to him. She had never actually thought of what it meant, however...to give away a part of a soul. But she'd worry about that later. She shyly reached out and shook his hand, taking a deep breath to compose her thoughts while she thought of her first request ever.

What did she want? Should she be specific? Vague? No, if she was vague, she might end up with something she didn't have in mind. So she'd choose her words carefully. The first thing she wanted was for people to notice her, and what better way to be noticed than to look more attractive than she actually was? "I want people to notice how pretty I am." She said plainly. She wasn't sure how he could make that work, but that was what magic was for. If this worked, she wouldn't need to wish for anything else.

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

As Kayla grasped his hand, the clawed fingers gently wrapped around. If not for the demonic nature of his hand, it would be the most normal handshake in the world. There was no burning, no marks on her skin. The deal was simply made. But, for Raz, she had almost surely sold her entire existence over in that moment. For him, and those of his kind who did the same, this was more of a game than a job. The goal was to take a human and play with them until they broke or became boring. Then he would rip their soul out, devour it in front of them and move on. Today, however, presented him with a unique chance to do something new, something even more fun. He was going to find out what happened when you took a soul piece by piece. He was still a little nervous that she would turn his trap around against him, making her wishes over the course of years and never approaching the true goal. He could potentially end up as her slave.

Still, her first wish banished these fears entirely. It was the perfect wish for the game he wanted to play. It was vague, potentially risky and extremely easy to manipulate into some kind of dangerous situation. The smile on his face was probably a bit too eager as he gave her a half nod.

"That will be easy enough for me to do. But, because of the nature of our deal, I will be following you until our contract is completed. So, you better get used to seeing me around. Well, I will you see you tomorrow Kayla. Oh! I almost forgot."

In a blur of movement, the clawed hand stabbed into the girl's chest. There was no blood, no pain. Only the sensation of something being pulled out. "I nearly left without my fee." And with that, Raz removed what appeared to be a large shard of a mirror from within her body. Then, it was all gone. The black room, the desk, the ritual. All that remained was a parking garage and Kayla, sitting in a chair that had not been there before.