<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/4IltC5z.jpg)</div><br/>The Fiend, a shadowy entity if there ever was one, but at least he wasn't as bad as the Abject Lord.  He didn't demand she forsake her few companions in place of power, which made the Fiend a far more reasonable sort in Zerxel's mind.  That wasn't saying he was no danger to her, quite the contrary in fact, but she breathed a fair bit easier when she wasn't immediately turned away from the counselor's domain.  That meant he hadn't seen a lot of the contestants since the Dungeon had began this year, which meant good news for her, provided things went accordingly of course.  And as expected of the Counselor's personality and reputation, the door to his chambers, a desolate, shadow draped throne room, disappeared the moment she got away from the passageway.  The cold draft that followed had gooseflesh popping up on her dark skin, caressing her flushed, heated body in such a way that had her responding accordingly.<em>Damn this cold.</em>She cursed mentally, having gotten used to the comfortable heat from the Dungeon itself, but her complaints were minor, it was her lust addled body that was giving her the real trouble.  It didn't help that the eyebot that had followed was hovering around her for that very reason.  Still, she didn't give it more than a glance as she started for the throne, not all that surprised when she started to hear the Fiend talking to her without making his presence immediately known to her.  It was just his way, she didn't take offense, not about to risk his wrath anyway in any event.  Not that she could have escaped even if she had wanted to, knowing full well the holes in the roof and the windows were no exit, not this far in the Dungeon.<br/><br/><strong>"I'm glad to be here, Lord Malefactus."</strong>Zerxel replied respectfully, having no quarrel with the Fiend, even as he continued to speak, his voice coming from one place, then another.  That didn't stop her from looking for him, but as expected, she didn't find him, not until he was ready to be seen at least.  Again, that was nothing unusual in his case, given his domain of shadow and illusions, and so she hardly raised a silver eyebrow when she let her eyes fall on the throne, where Malefactus himself now resided.  Despite his handsome face and demeanor, she could see the evil gleam behind it, yet she didn't feel immediately threatened by him.  The Dungeon was full of gray areas, and even certain demons could be considered 'good', to an extent, when they wanted to take down Pandora for their own reasons.  Malefactus might not be obvious about his intentions, but he was no fool, at least, that's what she was counting on as she chuckled at his line about Xara before crossing her arms under her amble chest, no doubt drawing the eye of him and everyone at home as she did.<strong>"She might not agree with you, but in my case, I wouldn't mind the encounter if she does accept your generous invitation Lord Malefactus."</strong>She replied, making it clear that facing her in such an event would put her in quite the decent mood as well, for her own reasons of course, especially if she won against her dark hearted 'sister'.  Magic or not, she was the better, more agile with a blade, and she was no fool as Xara was.<br/><br/>But that aside, she was careful with her words now that the formalities, the official formalities, began between them, even if Malefactus sounded utterly bored with the whole thing.  She couldn't blame him, having done this a thousand times, tens of thousands, before now most likely.  How many failures she wondered, had he endured?  In any event, Zerxel took a mental breath before nodding and letting her hands fall to her sides.<strong>"I would agree, but only after knowing the price of such a bargain my lord.  One of the first lessons ever learned by Drow, no matter their chosen role in life, is that to never make a deal with a denizen from the Fiendish Realms without knowing every angle of said deal.  I mean no disrespect, only that we agree to terms before we strike a deal, but to answer your question, I consider myself prepared and I am willing to negotiate, but I won't agree on a mere whim."</strong>She was careful to be respectful in her phrasing and tone, but Zerxel was no fool, and she wasn't wanting to trap herself in a deal that was....unfavorable to her.  Besides, if she remembered her past viewings of this particular part of those that chose Malefactus, the man preferred those with intelligence and charm over simple fools that would bargain without thought.<strong>"I would end the Dungeon, you likely know this given the aid you gave and I was not the wiser of it at the time, and while I am sure you have heard such things many times before, that doesn't change my goal.  If you would be willing to give me aid to see that goal accomplished, I would be more than happy to negotiate further on that merit alone.  Your price, if it's as simple as facing Xara for your amusement and pleasure, or something more, will change how much negotiating is required, but I am....agreeable, to an extent."</strong>Meaning, as she had stated already, she was willing to talk, to come to some mutually beneficial arrangement for both of them.  She just hoped she hadn't crossed a line by asking such a thing in the first place, but facing Xara would be more than agreeable to her on its own.  If he wanted more, she'd cross that bridge if it came up.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">If I need to make a Diplomatic roll or something, let me know, but otherwise, I sincerely hope I just didn't piss him off lol.</div></div>