Chapter 5 - Ridiculous, Truly

  Corvus sits back in a comfortable wing-backed chair. Wearing his guise, he lifts a wineglass to his lips and daintily sips from it with his eyes closed. Letting the bitter drink wash across his tongue, he savors the bouquet of flavor in a moment of quiet reprieve. He lets out a pleased sigh and opens his eyes, looking across to the other demon inhabiting the matching chair across from his own.

  “I can’t believe you actually did it.” The other demon says in a resonantly sardonic tone. The voice belongs to a sensuously captivating woman. Everything about her draws the eye to all the right places. Everything about her makes you want her. “That deal was preposterously bad.” She taunts, gesturing up and down Corvus’s form. “Is this some type of fetish of yours? Because that’s the only way I can imagine it.”

  Corvus snorts and shakes his head. “Gravitas, not everything is about desire… At least not in the way you perceive it.” He says in the same tone he’d use to correct one of his new arrivals. “He intrigued me. Enough to draw my real attention to the splinter he’s with.” Corvus takes another sip from his wine, once more taking the time to savor every drop. “He’s analytical, cautious, but willing to take calculated risks.” The crow explains, then leans forwards and puts his elbows on his knees, hands clasped before him. “But most of all… He values knowledge.”

  The woman rolls her eyes, then brushes a lock of crimson red hair from her face. She locks eyes with Corvus, her piercing red irises in stark contrast to her ash-grey skin. “He also got himself Faded within hours of arriving, Carrion Lord. Most don’t have that problem until they reach the nearest towns to their Nexus.” She says disbelievingly. “Well, on the bright side, it’s not like he can fall into the usual trap there.”

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  Corvus can’t help it, letting an expression of abject disgust wash over his face. “Ugh, don’t remind me. He’s headed for Last-Stop. That one has a particularly vile racket being run by The Glut. So wasteful.” He sneers out, then when he lifts the wine to his lips again, he finds the sour flavor no-longer to his liking. He signals to a server, and the bottle and glass are quickly replaced with a different vintage. He pours for himself, then offers a glass to the other demon. She graciously accepts it and they sit a moment, sipping in silence.

  “You’re what… 50… 60…. Millenia older than me.” She eventually asks, and Corvus nods. “And yet… that amount of time is nothing to us. So how is it that you’re able to see the long-game with these gambits of yours so much better than I can?”

  Corvus lets the smile creep slowly across his lips and he quirks a brow at the other demon. “Really? You don’t understand it? Gravitas, really? Think. Your Title, The Gravitas… it’s all about your Presence in the moment. The Here and Now.” He says once more adopting his lecture tone. “That has immense power. But lacks subtlety. In fact, I’d argue that subtlety is anathema to your nature. You NEED to be at the center of the moment.” He pauses considering. “Actually, I now wonder if it’s your title that led you to come here and sit with me today… To be here in this moment of gravity.” The crow’s eyes narrow, gaze unfocused.

  The other demon stills in her seat. “I did feel a conspicuous pull…” She mutters, then turns much more serious. “You think he’s going to be that important?”

  Corvus doesn’t answer for a long moment, then just smiles and relaxes back into his chair. “Now wouldn’t that be ridiculous, truly?” He asks, tone thick with sarcastic glee.