Lief took a long moment to process the offer.
"You..." he began, choosing his words carefully, "Are you completely sure you said 'Holy Water'? Don't you mean demon blood?"
Looking at him with amusement Dorothy laughed "Of course it is holy water," she replied with her chin up, "Where I come from it is a luxury item. It is like those absurdly expensive handbags humans adore. They are war relics and normally stay gathering dust in my display case as trophies, but I thought you could put it to a more... practical use."
Lief felt a pang of disbelief, the idea of demons collecting the very essence of their enemies made twisted sense.
"Alright, I'll pretend it's not crazy that you have that stored away," he said exhaling the air, "Let's go back to the main deal. You want me to enter the Underworld, track a living human who snuck in there, capture him and hand him over to you. And in exchange, my payment for risking my soul is a flask of holy water."
"A whole flask, sealed and unopened," emphasized Dorothy, raising a finger, "It is enough quantity for you to take a bath if you wanted to purify yourself to the bone. Unless, of course, you prefer to bathe in something of mine... If you have those kinds of fetishes, I am also very accommodating."
Lief ignored the insinuation since his mind was on something else.
Holy water.
Although he had his own purification methods, the opportunity to study a sample that was from the origin of the system was too valuable to pass up.
He could give it to Victor to analyze.
"What guarantees do I have that this isn't a trap?" asked Lief, locking his gaze on her red pupils, "Once I am inside, what stops you from deciding to add my soul to your collection? To you, I should also be a quite 'sweet' dessert, right?"
"Hahaha..." Dorothy laughed again, but this time the sound was more sensual, "You are smart and that caution is exactly what keeps you alive."
Her expression turned suddenly serious, and the temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees.
"You have my word, bound to my name and my position. I swear by the Laws of the Underworld that, as long as you fulfill your part and catch that prey, not only do I guarantee you safe conduct back to this plane, but you will be treated as a dignitary under my protection. No one will touch you."
"..."
Lief held her gaze for a few more seconds.
"Deal," he nodded finally, "When and where?"
"Christmas night," said Dorothy turning around, "I will come personally to pick you up~"
"'Pick me up'..." repeated Lief, feeling a chill run down his spine, "Coming from you, that sounds less like transportation and more like you are going to put me in a coffin."
"Don't be dramatic, I assure you the trip will be unforgettable. See you then, my little hunter."
With a wink, Dorothy simply walked toward the shadows of the parking lot trees and, when Lief blinked, she was no longer there.
"..."
Lief wiped a hand over his face with weariness.
He just sold his Christmas to the devil for a flask of water.
Mounting his motorcycle, he accelerated out of the parking lot, leaving behind Dorothy's sweet essence.
He drove through the sunset until he reached the relative safety of his home.
When he walked through the door, the warm lights of the living room and the familiar aroma of a freshly made dinner filled his senses.
His parents with Lillith, were enjoying their evening walk.
In the living room, he found Emma and Esther. Emma was curled up on the sofa, reading the book he had given her with total concentration, while Esther worked at her easel, her brushstrokes filling the corner of the room with color.
Lief went up to his room.
He dropped the keys on the dresser, took his phone and looked for Carrie's number feeling a strong uncertainty.
The phone rang three times before a slightly nervous, but firm, voice answered:
"Hello? Lief?"
"Carrie," he tried to make his voice sound as casual as possible, "How did you get home? I hope you haven't skipped your practice."
"No, no! I practice every day, I swear!" she replied immediately, the enthusiasm and a twinge of anxiety evident in her voice, "The method your little sister taught me is very useful!"
Lief smiled a little; despite the danger it implied, Carrie's simple ambition was refreshing.
"That's good, I'm glad to hear it," he congratulated her sincerely before addressing the real reason, "Look, actually I'm calling you about a matter. I need to ask you an important favor."
"Sure! Tell me, whatever you need." Carrie's acceptance was immediate.
"You see, I have to go out of town for a commitment on Christmas Eve and probably Christmas morning. Leaving these three girls alone at home makes me... a little uneasy."
He felt deeply guilty saying it.
Leaving a kind girl and, despite her psychic powers, fundamentally innocent, in charge of his peculiar family was an act of desperation.
But there were no other viable options.
Frank would be busy with his own family dinner. Jennifer and Maria had commitments with their relatives. Airam didn't even have a physical body that could interact in the real world.
And considering it well, Carrie was his only reasonable option.
At least, thanks to her telekinesis and her growing control, she had the ability to protect herself if something got out of hand.
"Do you have time that day? Would you be so kind as to come and help me take care of them? I will pay you well, of course."
There was a pause, and then...
"Of course I can! I would love to help! Don't worry about payment, I would love to spend time with your three sisters."
"Sigh... Great. Then it's settled," sighing, Lief felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, "When the time comes, I'll tell my mom to pick you up."
After hanging up the call, he put down the phone and dropped back onto the mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The trip to the Underworld, the Christmas Gala, the fugitive human soul... this season was destined to be anything but quiet.
He closed his eyes, and with a thought his coins appeared.
[Coins: 48,151,899]
________
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