Taran looked at the mage’s long white figured and heaved a heavy sigh. He had money, but almost no one carried around two hundred and fifty gold pieces unless they were going to purchase a sizable parcel of land. He tried not to convey anything after the choking noise, but it was obvious that he was concerned. He opened his mouth to speak, and hopefully to bargain, but Mack cut in before he could say anything.<br/><br/>He met Mack’s eyes when the smaller demon turned towards him. He looked incredulous and skeptical at best, yet a bit curious. It wasn’t like Mack to volunteer anything rash, so Taran let him continue speaking. However, he really wished he hadn’t done that.<br/><br/>“What?” Taran barked, his neck snapping towards Mack with worrying speed. He tried to keep his voice down, but the sheer idea of it caught him off guard. Killing a Marsubisu? He weighed their options for a moment. Marsubisu clan members were known to be notoriously weak, short, swamp-dwelling demons, which is why they so often fell target to many other clans. His family had fairly few ties to them, considering they were so far down south, but Taran would be lying if he his family hadn’t shared correspondence with them. Well, he’d already burned down an entire town, and destroyed a portal. Killing a Marsubisu seemed small when it came to his list of recent crimes.<br/><br/>He collected himself as he coughed into his fist. His eyes slowly, and a little bit angrily, trailed from Mack to the white mage. “I… could bring proof on my way back,” he said through his teeth, his fist tightening.<br/><br/>The white mage balked, and then started laughing. “Would you?” she sneered, the hand that had previously been out and ready to accept money retracting into her form. She turned away swiftly, and twisted her head around suddenly. “But how could I hold you accountable…?” she muttered, twisting around the room in thought.<br/><br/>Taran glared at Mack.<br/><br/>“Ah, yes, yes,” the mage said, twiddling her long white fingers together, and then waggled one at Taran. “The next time you enter any sort of portal, you will be taken here, and you better have a trophy. Or,” she stopped, dragging her long finger across her neck. Somehow, Taran didn’t doubt it.<br/><br/>“Deal’s sealed. Marsubisu territory, then,” Taran said curtly, looking expectant, his gaze flickering between the mage and the half-demon. “Mack, you can have the honors of going through the portal first.”