Back in Aspheri - Open - (Gabriel)

Bart rolled his eyes, sighing. "Well, are you against or for his proposition? I have a feeling that the answer's blatantly obvious, but maybe you changed mind for all I would know."
Bart began tapping his clawed fingers on the black marble ground, a faint tinkling sound resonating in the wide room. It repeated itself over and over again as Bart tried to think.

Shadow sighed.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I don't particularly want to marry him, it puts the dimension in danger, but we won't be ready for another full frontal attack for a while yet. There are a lot of injured."

"Yeah, you're right, this s a dilemma," Bart replied, lowering his head, "I don't have shaman blood coursing through my veins like Dominique does, so I can't use kraferric magic. And I don't think we would have time to heal everyone with demonic magic anyways."
Bart sighed, throwing his head backwards and smiling slightly to himself. Well, looks like my life ain't so boring after all, he thought. He couldn't use the All-Teller necklace either, since he had given it to Dominique so that she could hide it, for security reasons.

"So, now you see my problem." Shadow said. "I can't fight either, otherwise I would have broken the dimensional barriers. Aspheri is weaked, but so is Merthras. We have a little breathing time, but we need to be on our guard while negociations are so precarious."

Bart stood silent, thinking intensively for a solution to the problem. He knew that he had gotten much better controlling his demonic form, but one against, what, an army. He wouldn't even bother trying that; he already knew it was suicide to go fight against the Prince of Merthras right now. Muttering a few kraferric words to himself, he tried to get his mind straight.

Be'lakor was standing silently at the back of the room, just letting the conversation go on. He had his true sight active, and was concentrating on keeping the Princess safe, rather then negotiating for war. He was watching the Kraferr, this was the third time he had seen a Kraferr, and his first chance to study one.

Shadow got up off her throne, starting to pace the length of the room. Her dress brushed lightly over the floor and she had her eyes narrowed in concentration. They were, quite basically, back at square one, although they had been wounded on both sides in the meantime.

"How much time do we have for the answer?" Bart asked, turning his head to the demoness. His tail slid to the floor, stroking it delicately. Bart's claws still repeatedly tapped against the floor, but faster than the last time. His red eyes glistened slightly in worry, his hands tensing. He had promised Dominique to not get into any trouble as bad as what had happened some time ago. It had taken him 5 days to get a grip on himself when that had happened.

"We don't have a lot of time, certainly," Shadow said, her violet gaze fixed on the floor. She pulled off her mask, putting it down on a table as she passed it. She ran a hand through her coal black hair, trying to think of a way out but, just as it had been since the Prince of Merthras had first put the proposal to her, she had no idea of what she was supposed to do.

Be'lakor had his eyes closed while Bart and Shadow conversed. He opened them slowly, his true sight was still active. He looked at the kraferr, who's face was pondering. Be'lakors lips twitched into a slight smirk. "You have your friend with you now Shadow, do you think if i we broke the dimensional barrier, i could assassinate the prince and get back to you quick enough?" Be'lakor asked, another idea filling his head. "Or accept, but refuse unless i am present. At the ceremony, something will most definately hit the fan." Be'lakor chuckled to himself at his comment.

At the word of 'assassination', even though Be'lakor's voice only seemed like a murderous song (which, by coincidence, probably was right now), Bart's eyes widened and a small sneer appeared on his before straight lips. His fingers stopped tapping against the ground, and he clenched it into a fist, before lifting his eyes to Shadow.
"Yes, I guess we have no other choice," Bart replied, grinning, knowing that there was probably another choice. But the idea of a battle always begged him to join.

Shadow didn't stop pacing. She turned her gaze briefly to Be'lakor before she started to contemplate the idea. Accepting would mean that she was placing herself at the mercy of the Prince of Merthras, but there was no other way forwards. It at least meant that they had a little more thinking time.
"I think that you are right, Be'lakor. I should accept for now..." Behind her mask, Shadow's face was troubled. As she passed one of her wolf guards, she told the wolf to find a messenger and bring him to the audience chamber.

"After accepting, what do you wish we do. I must be present at the ceremony in order to do anything. Your friend, the Kraferr, he will be present also. If the ceremony takes place on Merthras, he will need to fend off gaurds as i attempt to assassinate the prince." Be'lakors lips were still a smirk as he thought out loud.

Shadow nodded, still pacing. The messenger arrived, looking puzzled, as most messengers did when they were summoned in front of their ruler. Shadow instructed him to tell the Prince of merthras that she had accepted his proposal, and awaited his plans.

- I have to go here, talk to you later -

Be'lakor leant against the wall on the far side of the room, he looked at the kraferr, taking in everything he saw. The species was nearly extinct, but they were so fascinating. Be'lakor would not be pleased if they dissapeared. They were built for battle, just from their physical appearance, Be'lakor thought that Bart looked formidable.

As the messenger left, Shadow sank down onto her throne again, her head in her hand. Her broken arm was starting to pain her again and the stab wound throbbed. She closed her eyes, tired again. She wondered how much longer she would be able to rule this dimension before all reason left her.
What if I end up like Karthragan? She asked herself.

Bart stood silent, quietly contemplating the throne room. His red eyes scanned the whole area, but his thoughts did not go away from Shadow's trouble. She was a good friend, that she was, and he hadn't had a good adventure in his life for quite a while now. His claws began tapping on the black marble floor again, sounding like rain on the ground. He couldn't read minds as easy as Shadow did, but he knew that she was somewhat disturbed. His tail flicked at the air, showing the same nervousness as before.

Wraith padded over to sit next to Bart, her claws clicking over the stone floor. Phantom stayed next to Shadow, still as a statue, looking at Wraith with a slightly disapproving look. Shadow murmured something quietly to the wolf guard, who nodded and bounded off, returning a few moments later with a vial held carefully in his mouth. Shadow swallowed the contents of the vial, a painkiller, before leaning her head back against the back of the throne, closing her eyes.

Be'lakor couldn't help but smile at the awkward silence in the room. "This ceremony will be entertaining if nothing else." Was all he said, in a slightly amused voice. Be'lakor had a smirk on his face, as he was tapping his fingers against his arm.

"Entertaining for you maybe," Shadow muttered darkly. She opened her eyes to look at Be'lakor, her expression obviously not amused. Her thoughts returned to a previous worry. She was starting to think like her father did, and without being under even a partial demonic possession. Now she was starting to get scared.

"Did i saw it would be for anybody else?" Be'lakor chuckled, the blatant amusement still on his face. "Anyway, i'll have a weapon ready for you, so when the action starts, you'll be able to get a piece of it." Be'lakor chuckled again to himself, thinking of Shadow in a wedding dress getting ready to greet the prince.

A small smile crossed her face.
"There may still be a little peice of entertainement in it for me," She said, "On the night before any big, planned, event in Aspheri, the people like to throw a party in the streets, and the council hold a sort of ball. By the end of it a fight nearly always breaks out, but still." A slightly evil look glinted in her eyes. "Of course, my advisors and prtectors have to be at the ball and properly dressed..."

- hehehehehehe -

Be'lakor shook his head. "I will not wear a suit, i doubt you could find one for a 10 foot tall man such as myself." Be'lakor chuckled, the thought of him in a suit was horrifying, he would probably end up destroying the ball in such an event.

"And don't think I'm going to dance with some other nine century-old lady, Shadow," Bart grunted, standing up and crossing his arms. "that would be just creepy." Bart's red eyes glistened softly under the faint curtain of purple hair that fell in front of his forehead. "But I'll come nonetheless... If there's a fight, I've been given an invitation to it." A cold smirk crept up Bart's lip as he glanced at Shadow.

Shadow glared at Bart, making a mental note to kick his butt at a later time. She turned her gaze to Be'lakor.
"Suits are not the formal dress for males in Aspheri. As my primary battle advisor, you would have to wear battle armour." Shadow informed the Daemon Prince. A slightly evil sile crept over her face, hidden by her mask as she looked at Bart. "You, on the other hand, have to wear the same formal wear as the rest of the higher ranking demons..."