Private Finished the deal of a lifetime

Strings had been counting the days since she encountered the demon in a dream. That dream had haunted her ever since and she's been more obsessed about knowing who and what she truly was. Her obsession over the damaged machine she had found along with her only became worse. All she wanted to find a way to regain her humanity without resorting to any foul tricks.

But Strings was reaching a dead end. She couldn't figure out what the machine was for. She had used up all that she could steal from trespassers of her forest and yet it was all for naught. Strings looked back to the clutter in her hide out.

Maybe she had been doing all things wrong? She had no idea what the machine would lead her to but Mikhainon had given her the answer but what he asked from her might be everything she had. Strings had spent so much time with the machine and never even considered that she could have been anything more than a rift creature.

Maybe there was no other way.

She'd considered her options. In fact, she often called Mikhainon, or rather, Gabriel, to her hideout more than once for a casual chat over a game of chess. Just to know his objectives. Never did he once used any cheap tricks. An honest game.

Maybe it was time to for another round.

Strings stood over what was left of the seal from the last time. Should she? It was a little too early but what the hell. Strings went ahead and reconstructed the seal on the ground. It was time to call a 'friend'.

"Come out, come out, Demon!"

As usual, there was no expression that could tell anyone what Strings had in mind. The lower have of her face split only slightly which looked like a smile, but the crack still spread ear to ear.

"I was lonely, Demon. I wanted to play a game a little sooner than usual." she responded, her smile growing while her dark strings arranged the stage between them. "Did I disturb you from your personal affairs? I don't feel like apologizing." The board stood in the middle of the room, its pieces were already lined up, the game should start soon.

"A quick game, why don't you? I want to talk." Negotiate was more like it, but Strings didn't quite want to show him she had actually made her decision final. Strings had hoped he wasn't catching on just yet but his smirk actually... worried her.

Strings grin grew a little bigger as Mikhainon spoke of monsters in the forest. She was guilty of such acts, but she wouldnt say she was proud. Of course, she also had no intention of apologizing to a demon.

Strings took the seat opposite the Duke. She sat there with poise very unlike of a monster. "I'd really like a proper disclosure about this deal, you know." she began, moving a pawn forward. "The contract's payment: are souls the only thing you accept or are there other means?"

It wasn't like she didnt know. Some wishes didnt seem too weighty in exchange for a soul, but t wsnt like she had anything else. She'd destroyed any magic artifact she found from lost people. She hated things she couldn't logically explain.

The grin on Strings' face vanished into nothing. "And you say I was impatient." Her voice echoed. Strings sat there still for a moment, her legs crossed in front of her, hands laid on her knees as she planned her next move

"But you're right, there wasn't any reason for me to ask," A different pawn moved forward. "Either way, I have nothing you'd probably care about," she said, her tone dripped with sarcasm, "What if I miss my soul? No visits allowed?"

It was followed with her mocking laughter but a frown appeared on her blank face, "It looks like you know where this is going then, don't you, Demon?" she said, the sound of her voice turning solemn, "Would you care to answer some trivial questions then? Nothing too valuable as information. Just an opinion of someone of your caliber."

Strings turned to the board, her face now lacking any expression once again. There wasn't any need for her to pause too long and think. She already had things planned and it might have been already underway the moment the game started.

She still had her doubts, of course. Strings still didn't know how their game would play out. Until she finds gets her physical form, she couldn't even figure out what could happen. And it scared her that she didn't know. After all this time, Strings was now afraid of something she didn't know. It never occurred to Strings until recently how human she was and it almost intimidated her that the demon knew more than she did.

"You know, how humans are just simply too contradicting? Violence and wars in groups that are supposed to be guided by a good god, talking about humanity and killing without thought or regard for others. Humans are more of the animal than the ones that live in the wild," she scoffed, "I find humans disgusting."

Strings put her right knight forward, defending the pawn that once stood before the king. "But tell me, Demon, what do you think about the entirety of mankind?"