Inside a silent and long sealed room sat a throne, and upon it, an unmoving
form.  It sat back, long legs forward, one arm resting down across the arm
of the throne, the long clawed fingers hanging over the edge lifelessly.  The
other arm rested bent, elbow on the thone arm, the open palm holding up the
forms chin.  Nothing moved. It was the way of the first demoness these days,
there was no reason to move, so she did not, sitting instead like a statue.
Then suddenly Brannin's consciousness flickers over her, seeking. 'Greetings 
DarkAmber.. We have wish to speak with you.'

Lilith glanced up and nodded at the air as if it was a person.. 'As you 
wish.' She stood with the fluid motions of a cat, just as silent.  Faster
then Brannin could arrive she was in the sitting area of her store, sitting
upon one of the chairs as if she had been there all along.

Brannin walked in from the east past Mogor, a serpent slithering in after
him.  Seeing her, he nodded at her in greeting.

From her place she nodded slightly in aknowledgment.

Brannin asked 'Perhaps a place more private?' He glanced around almost
suspiciously, keeping his face hidden behind a deep hood.

The demoness glanced up and shrugged at him. 'I suppose' She rose again and
waves her hand dismissively for him to follow.

Brannin moved silently, watching her with shadowed eyes.  He followed as she
walked back to her throneroom from which she came.

She sat upon her large ornate Throne of Ebony leaning back to stretch her 
long legs. She then peered at him, willing him to say whatever he had to say.

Brannin noded, standing before her, his form sturdy but face still hidden 
beneath his cowl. 'As you know Sarailis' essence is beyond the reachable 
realm.' He spoke of the deal they had made along with Jvar, in payment for
him daring to touch her.  He was to kill Sarailis and bring his head to the
demon, or lose his own.

Lilith rest her elbow on her throne and sat her chin in her palm.  Her 
features unreadable.

Brannin's voices are strong, and confident dispite the punishment that should
come of the failure.

'I have noticed.' Was Lilith's only reply.

Brannin removed his hood and revealed to her that the entire left side of his
face, it had been branded with an odd mark, like that of a wing.

Lilith glanced up and arched a brow, slightly curious of the mark.

'Sometime after he left, We casted a magic to burn a foe.. it  seem's Jvar's 
will extends farther than we ever could have thought.' He looked down for
just a second then continued. 'We did not do this.. the magic lept from the 
very fingers which so long ago foolishly touched you.' He turnd his face to 
show her before replacing his hood.

Lilith looked at him curiously with unblinking eyes.  Her eerie stare 
examining him closely.  He had changed, more than the mark. She closed the
hand under her chin into a fist.  She didn't know what it was, but she knew
she wasn't going to like it.

'It always burns.. His essence will not heal it.' He hesitated as he spoke,
as if he was unsure.

Lilith tilted her head slightly. 'You say will not, meaning he could, but 
won't?' She didn't need to ask really, she already knew.  He wouldn't heal
it, she wouldn't have.  Indeed, she would have done far worse.

Brannin shruged, almost uncaringly. 'We are not sure if Jvar commanded it 
consciously or if it is  his very essence within us which has caused our 
magic to turn against us..'

Lilith rests her chin on her palm again after tilting it at him.

'We have not spoken to him of it but we know it's meaning.'

'Oh?  And what is that?' She arched a brow slightly, in amusement or perhaps
disbelief.

Brannin continued as if she hadn't spoken. 'But it is greater than any 
discomfort or disgrace our touch could bore your dignity. We know pain, 
Lilith, but non is such as before this. ' He raised his chin defiantly.
'We no longer acknowledge debt to the DarkAmbers. The price is paid.. and 
more.'

Lilith arched a brow as a  cold smirk crept across her lips.  He had no idea!
He never had.  He had dared to touch her, and all he thought of it was 
disgrace?  She wasn't sure if she should laugh or be disgusted at his 
ignorance.  

Brannin clenched his teeth as pain ravenged through his body, almost in
response to her change of moods and building anger towards him.

'You did not own a dept to the DarkAmbers, you owed it to me.  And prices 
are fickle things.' Lilith tilts her head slightly, a cold smile on her face.

Brannin remained silence in response, unmoving.

'Tell me child, what do you think the debt was of?'  

'It was our own foolishness which brought it on. We realize that Lilith.'
He spoke without looking at her, but somewhere over her head. 'It has been 
years since last we have spoken.  Much changes.. ' He looked at her now. 'Yet
much also stays the same.'

Lilith continued to smile coldly, her amusement clear in her eyes. 'Did you 
expect me to change?  Sorry to disappoint, I'm sure.' Her tone made it clear
she was anything but.

'We expect nothing of you Lilith.'

Lilith laughed. 'Then you have learned something after all.'

'Such is not our place. You have been a caretaker to Us in the past.. but 
only at Jvar's request and not of your own affection to us. We  thank you for
that much.' He was looking over her head again as he spoke.

Lilith peered at him almost lazily, like an old predator, bored with old 
hunting. 'I see.  Then you believe I helped you only because of Jvar?'

Brannin cocked his head, his hood folding slightly. 'Yes.'

Lilith tilted her head down slightly, then peered up at him through her 
lashes. She asked of him. 'Why?'

'We are not your toy Lilith. And as such it provides no value to you to do 
so.' He met her expression with a blank, emotionless one.

The Dark Lady smirked with undisguised amusement. 'How do you know what you 
are, or are not, and what I would value.' she made a slight gesture with the 
hand she was not resting her chin on. 'I could value speaking to anyone, you,
a peasant from the fields, a great lord, what makes you think it makes a 
difference?' She laughed. 'I thought it was not your place to expect things
of me?'

Brannin said 'We care not of your 'values'. We are the First Apprentice, 
Jvar's hand. We know who we are and our place of sorts.. Though with you it 
is a mystery. We care not to ponder it any longer. Value or not, we 
acknowledge no debt to you and our energy can be fully channeled to that of 
our duties to Jvar.'

Laughing coldly she replied 'Indeed, a slave, how nice.  No wonder you liked
the little slave girl, you have so much in common.'

'Our interest in her was one of lust. Nothing more.' He clentched his jaw,
but gave no other signs of emotion.

The demon smirked coldly. 'Indeed.' She didn't seem to doubt it, her opinion
of men was so low that she did not imagine any intrest they had was anything
but lust. 'As for you caring about me child, you should learn to.  I do not 
care if you are the first apprentice,  I am not impressed by that.  I do 
not take insults well, from anyone.  Learn that quickly, or pay for your 
ignorance later.'

'How have we insulted you? INdeed a foolish act invoked by ignorance, but not
one ment of dishonor.'  He clearly spoke the truth, unaware of his misstep.

Lilith watched him closely, her amusement gone, her face now cold.

'We offered you our affection, something we gave no other, for your trouble 
in caring for us in certain matters. It was made clear that such was not to 
be returned. And we pay for our 'ignorance' for all time.' Brannin rubbed a 
hand upon the left side of his face, then looked at her. 'Just as your own 
magic once burned you.'

The response of his words were immediate as demonfire flared in her eyes
and she glared at him, her face set with an icey expression. 'Hold your 
tongue less you lose it.' He tone was quiet and calm, betraying the true
demonic rage that boiled below the cold surface.

'We have been without it before.. but you are right, we our intent is not to 
insult or dishonor.' He bowed his head slightly in awknowledgment of his
words.

She sat forward in her throne, her long claw-like nails digging into the
stone arms of the throne. 'Learn to whom you speak boy, I am not a slave 
girl, I am not your master, and I am not Kindra.  Keep your place.' She said
the name Kindra with a cold, hard tone to make some unspoked point to him.

Brannin's eyes flickered slightly at the mention of Kindra but his face 
betrayed no emotion.

Lilith knew better and smirked slightly.  She knew things about people that
they would never guess unless they crossed her.  Then she had no problem
using that knowledge against them.

Brannin asked 'Are we finished then?' Clearly he wanted to be away from the
demon quickly, for what reason however wasn't clear.

'Just remember, I am not blind boy.  Do not cross your boundries.' If he were
not Jvar's apprentice he would have been dead many times over for his 
mistakes.  If he thought he could play her game, she was going to show him
what a mistake that was.  He may not pay now, or even a decade from now,
but in the end, everyone paid their debts to her.

Brannin's tone become dark, his voices almost demonic in their tones. 'YOU 
hold no boundries to Us.. never forget that. Our loyalty is not to you it is 
but to Jvar and Our Lord. We came to you in respect and curtisey, do not lay 
upon us that which you have no claim. Just as we had no claim to lay upon 
your our touch. Know that we pay for that always and will always from now 
until Jvar lets us sleep. We are through.'

'Fool.' Was her only reply.  She sat back, her anger gone, stored deep for
another day.  Put aside, but never forgotten.  She had no doubt he would
pay with suffering, but today she could do nothing, so anger now was a waste
of time.

Brannin replaceed his hood and silently walked to the door, glancing back 
over his shoulder he called to her. 'A high throne is a lonely place with no 
subjects..' He then opened the door and left without another word.

He had meant the words to hurt, and somewhere deep down they did, but only
anger came forward, and it was placed with the rest for later.  She closed
her eyes and returned to her unmoving state.


Brannin tells you 'Jvar's essence burned him like he touched lilith's burn 
since he couldn't repay it by killing Sarailis.'