The blonde woman's smirk widened slightly, like she was enjoying every moment of this: the subtle fear in Alice's words, the flicker of concern in Sóley's eyes…she seemed to be feeding off of their unease.
"All right then," she began, stepping closer to Alice with slow, graceful steps. "Here's my offer…"
Alice tensed even more, no part of this felt like a 'deal' now, it felt like a trap.
The woman now stood towering over her, making Alice feel even smaller than before. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her courage up. "G-Go on then…what is it?" she forced out, eyes fixed on the woman's. There was no mistaking it now; this wasn't just a simple ‘request’, she had an agenda…
The woman leaned down, her breath hot on Alice's face as she leered down at her. "It's simple…" she began softly…
Alice could barely hold back a shiver now, the woman was leaning so close to her she could feel the cold coming off her in waves. She kept her hands clenched into fists on her lap, refusing to show weakness now.
Sóley tensed beside her, every muscle rigid as a stone as she watched the scene unfolding with a look of wariness and…almost anger?
The woman just continued, her voice low and soft like silk.
"You do a favor...for a favor."
Alice's breath caught—what?! A favor for a favor? That sounded far too vague, and dangerous.
Sóley, however, had already seen this coming. "No," she snapped immediately before Alice could even respond herself, as if sensing the trap in those words just as fast as she did.
The woman chuckled again at Sóley’s sharp refusal…her smirk never fading once throughout all of this while Tenzing remained silent beside them still unreadable but watching closely now too…
"Ohhhh?" The blonde woman purred lightly upon hearing Sóley's reaction, like it amused rather than offended her somehow…
Alice’s throat tightened, Sóley was right, but damn it, they didn’t have a choice.
The woman watched the silent exchange between them with undisguised delight, like she was savoring every second of their hesitation.
Finally, Alice forced out: "...What kind of favor?" Her voice wavered only slightly before steadying again.
The blonde woman tilted her head slightly as if considering for just a moment before answering in the same slow tone now...
"Ah, it's nothing too complicated, dear," she replied smoothly, watching Alice closely like she was savoring every moment, almost like a predator would a trapped prey.
Alice forced herself to swallow around the lump forming in her throat, forcing herself to remain still under the woman's gaze.
"Just something small, really…" the woman continued, her smirk somehow widening even further.
Small? Alice doubted that anything the woman wanted was 'small'.
Sóley, though? She seemed to have reached her limit at last, she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"Just spit it out already!" she snapped angrily, a new edge to her normally cool voice as she glared up at the woman.
Alice winced slightly at Sóley's sudden outburst, but didn't dare look away from the woman standing over her.
The woman just smirked again, almost like she was enjoying Sóley's anger as well.
Gods, she seemed to be getting off on this.
"Ohohhh~ Someone's getting impatient now, are we?" she purred, a hint of mockery in her voice.
Sóley just glowered harder, but didn't back down for a second.
Alice shifted in her seat, still feeling like a rat being played with by a cat. "…What do you want...?" she repeated quietly, refusing to let the woman see any signs of weakness.
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The woman let out a small laugh at Alice's quiet words, but it was more mocking than anything.
"Oh, it really is so simple, sweetie," she purred, her smirk never fading.
Alice tensed at the condescending tone—she hated being called 'sweetie' by this woman.
Sóley shifted silently beside her, her hands clenched so tight into fists her knuckles had gone white.
"All you have to do is retrieve something for me." the woman finally answered.
Something. Alice didn't like the sound of that at all—knowing this woman, it would be some nearly impossible task or something dangerous beyond belief.
Sóley shook her head with a scoff. "...And what exactly do you want us to retrieve? Where?" she snapped.
The woman's smirk only deepened at Sóley’s sharp tone, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Ohhhh~ So impatient," she mused, stepping closer, too close again, until Alice could practically feel the cold radiating off of her like an icy breath against skin. "But fine…if you must know..."
She paused for dramatic effect before leaning down slightly to meet their gazes directly now too...as if savoring this moment before finally revealing what it was all about:
"...I need something that belongs to me."
Alice stiffened instantly, Sóley wasn't much better off either judging by how wide-eyed she suddenly looked beside them both right then either way though really...
Because this? This didn’t sound good at all.
The woman studied their expressions, clearly relishing in their unease, before continuing:
"Something that was taken from me."
Alice's heart was pounding faster now, this was sounding worse by the second. The woman's words were almost like a cold whisper around her.
Sóley seemed equally on edge, her hands trembling slightly in her fists now.
"Something very...personal."
The woman stepped back, her smirk finally fading slightly as she waited for their reactions.
Alice's pulse hammered in her throat, personal? What the hell did that mean?!
Sóley looked like she wanted to punch something. "Just say it already," she snarled, jaw clenched tight enough to crack stone.
The woman let out a soft chuckle before answering:
"...A certain relic."
A relic? Alice's mind was swimming now, this woman wanted them to retrieve a relic of all things?
Sóley's eyes darkened slightly as she clenched her fists even tighter. "What kind of relic?" her voice was as sharp as a knife, dangerous.
Again, the woman let out that irritating, soft chuckle before responding:
"A special kind."
Alice tensed, of course the woman would be vague about it.
Sóley, however, had had quite enough of this vague, cryptic BS at this point, and clearly said as much with the way she snapped:
"What the hell is a 'special' relic?"
The woman just smirked again, clearly enjoying Sóley’s mounting anger.
"One that's very precious to me."
Sóley seemed a split-second away from jumping at this point, her entire body was tense like a coiled spring ready to snap.
"And where are we supposed to get it, exactly?" she gritted through clenched teeth, her words sharp as daggers.
The woman tilted her head slightly, that annoying smirk never wavering.
"Oh, that's the simple part."
Alice felt a shiver run down her spine, she had a feeling there was no simple part here after all.
Sóley wasn't buying it either; she let out a low, sharp scoff before demanding: "And where, exactly, is that..?"
The woman just chuckled again, enjoying the game far too much, before finally replying:
"In a place called the Polar Night Palace."
Alice felt her heart skip a beat—the Polar Night Palace? Wasn't that some kind of ancient fortress far, far to the North?
Sóley, on the other hand, was practically shaking with pent-up anger now.
"You've gotta be joking," she hissed, her eyes flashing. "You want us to go there...for a measly 'relic'?"
The woman just chuckled again, she really was getting too much enjoyment out of this.
"Oh, I'm serious. Perfectly serious."
Damn it, of course this woman was dead serious about this.
Sóley didn't even try to hide her anger anymore, her eyes practically glowed red with it as she snapped: "That place is a frozen death-trap! There's no way we'll make it there, much less back..."
The woman's smirk widened at Sóley's words, she seemed to enjoy watching her frustration.
"Ohohoooo~ Are you so sure about that, dear?"
Sóley looked seconds away from punching a hole through the woman's head at this point, but forced herself to stay still for Alice's sake, gritting out:
"...How can we, no, how the hell is Alice supposed to survive there?! That place is a frozen wasteland!”
Thank Goodness Sóley was still thinking about Alice's well-being even now; it made her feel slightly better about all this mess.
The woman's smirk only widened even more at Sóley's angry response.
"I'm not asking you to do it alone, you know."
Sóley tensed further, more than ready to snap back with some sharp retort, but Alice managed to speak up first.
"Then...who else will be with us?" Alice asked, her heart still hammering.
The woman tilted her head slightly, that infuriating smirk never leaving her lips.
"Ohhh~ That's where the fun begins."
Alice and Sóley both tensed, they hated how this woman loved to drag things out like some kind of twisted game.
Finally, after a long pause (just to be extra annoying), she answered:
"...Someone very...special will join you on your journey."
Sóley’s eyes flashed dangerously, but Alice had a sinking feeling they weren't going to like whatever came next.
Alice’s stomach twisted—another person? Who?
Sóley wasn't even trying to hide her disgust anymore. "Oh, fantastic," she sneered, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And who might this 'special' someone be?"
The woman's smirk grew wider, she was enjoying their reactions way too much for comfort.
"You'll see."
