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[arbitratus.insanejournal.com]

WHO: Ate & Andras
WHEN: Tuesday evening
WHERE: Ate's apartment
WHAT: Puppy chow
WARNING: TBD


Andras crossed the busy street and turned a few heads, but only because of his good looks. No one noticed the large hell hound by his side, invisible to the mortal eye unless you were the giant wolf's target. Donatien, the wolf, in his full form was as large as a bear but because he was from hell came with his own set of powers, able to shape shift his size to fit into whatever environment was there. Andras enjoyed this feature, it was handy for traveling. The wolf's name, Donatien, gave away a great deal about Andras' past if someone knew their history really well but luckily not many did.

He arrived at Ate's apartment and wore a black leather jacket and dark jeans. To get Andras' interest was hard. Once you had it, to keep it was even more difficult. But he had a soft spot for D and he couldn't turn down the chance for the wolf to get some munchies. Andras wasn't like other demons. He didn't kill for sport, everything he did was with purpose. But that didn't mean his pet should suffer.

He rang the bell and waited as Donatien wagged his tail.

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[recklessate.insanejournal.com]

Ate was pretty sure this was the guy who'd tried to steal her puppy. It sort of looked like him, but it was hard to know because she'd had to chase him down and then he was all lady, I don't know what you're talking about and then all Oh god! Please no! Please stop! and then with the crying and curling up in the bathtub and bleeding everywhere. Humans were hard to read.

Well, not all humans. Ate's type were easy to read. Ate liked them arrogant and reckless, that was her perfect prey. Nothing fitted her more perfectly than the ones that thought they owned the whole world. Silly silly men. Didn't they know yet that she was inside all of them, that Ruin would bring them down one by one?

But this one wasn't like that and already it bored her. She could feel so little of her own reckless folly inside him and it became dull. So she poked him a bit with the knife and tossed a finger or two to the puppy. (The puppy had been alive for more than a month. That might have been a record for Ate and dogs. She never exactly meant for them to die, but as cute as they were she sometimes forgot to do things like feed them, or remember not to leave them somewhere.)

The doorbell rang and Ate grinned at the man, bouncing up to her feet. "Your new friend is here," she told him cheerfully, leaving the bathroom and puppy to chew on fingers.

Ate answered the door with a cheerful smile. She didn't really have any clue who this guy was supposed to be, but Ate was sick of disposing of bodies. "Hi there, sugar," she said, pulling the door wide open. "Come on in." Her stilettos - baby blue and stained with blood - had left dark red prints across the wooden floor from the bathroom

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Andras looked at Ate, and then leaned to the side and looked at the trail of blood that she tracked across the floor. He smiled at her, "Thank you... lovely place."

The wolf was sniffing at the floor, nose rubbing in the blood that was stained there, ready to go for his meal but Andras said in a stern voice, "Donatien. Manners." and gestured to Ate. The wolf looked at Ate and growled viciously, showing razor sharp teeth that were coated in saliva.

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Ate shrugged at what may or may not have been an actual comment, but the apartment was no Olympus. She hadn't managed to get kicked out yet and the building was nice enough that Saint George lived upstairs. Ate figured George cared more about homes being nice than she ever did.

"Cute dog?" Ate suggested, tilting her head to look at the beast. "You want a drink or something, or do you just want to take the guy?" Ate gestured towards the kitchen and the bottles of alcohol lined up along the bench.

"Last time I met one of you demons," Ate added conversationally, "I got tortured." She didn't sound overly concerned about history repeating itself though.

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Andras shook his head, "He'll eat him here, less explanations for me to make." he nodded at the wolf who scampered off. "Milk if you have it." Andras didn't drink alcohol, he allowed himself few vices, booze was not one of them.

The puppy's yelp was heard and Andras yelled, "Just the mortal, D!" and a sharp scream that was abruptly cut off with a crunching noise then sounded.

"I'm unlike other demons.. though you sound like you might have enjoyed it." he didn't care much but wanted to know if she was something that might prove useful, "What are you by the way?"

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"Milk?" Ate asked with a frown, going to look in the fridge. She searched around and found a carton, pulling it out and then sniffing it. Yep, still good. It must have been bought somewhat recently by George for coffee. "It's your lucky day, cupcake," Ate said, finding a glass and pouring it for him, walking back over to hand it over.

"Don't eat my puppy!" Ate turned to yell after the wolf-thing, not that she thought it would actually listen to her. She moved to sit on the table, watching him with curiosity. "I tortured his girlfriend first, so apparently it was payback."

Then she smiled, sweet and light. "Ate," she told him, "the Greek goddess of delusion, infatuation, and ruin, for a start anyway. And how about you, sugar?" Ate cocked an eyebrow "Who are you, other than tall, dark and handsome?"

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Andras took the glass of milk with a murmured thanks and happily drank it. It was good for bones you know. And kept the mind clear. More bone crunching sounds came from the bathroom but it just meant that the body was being disposed of.

"His own fault for having a girlfriend." Andras did not believe in sentiment except when he could exploit it. He was fairly laid back and for a minion of Satan very rarely got his feathers ruffled.

Huh. A Greek. New York was overrun with them. He took another gulp of the milk and smiled with fire in his glittering blue eyes, "Andras, Marquis of hell. It's a fancy title that means 'no one special.' I deal in problem solving. Occasionally I make dreams come true. Depends on the day." his tone was light but he was dead serious.

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Ate grinned at Andras' comment. "See, that's what I told him," Ate said, swinging her legs gently as she sat on the table. Her dress - short, tight, and the same blue as her shoes - was mostly untouched by blood except for a few dark spots here and there. "If he didn't want to play with his toys, he shouldn't have left them lying around. That's just bad pet care." Not that Ate was one to speak about pet care.

"A Marquis? They're screamers as a rule," Ate informed him, because this was important life information she'd gathered. "Making dreams come true? Sounds like we're almost in the same line of work there, sugar."

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Andras took another drink, "Only if you touch me in the right way." he said with a wink. His eyes lingered on the hemline of her dress, the way it moved with every swing of her legs.

He raised his brows. A Goddess of delusion, ruin, etc. and she made dreams come true? "Really.. how do you work?" he was always curious on how other immortals operated. It was just fun to.. research.

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"Isn't that always the way," Ate agreed, her eyes on his, watching as he watched her. "I think you'd probably hold up better than they did though."

"It was better back in Greece, of course," Ate began, "but I can still make it work on some of them. Arrogant men are best, I can get inside them, make them think that all that want in the world is little old me. To them, I am their dream. They'd happily waste away if I asked them to." Ate's smile was dark and pleased. She didn't mention how very difficult that was to do now, how near impossible to completely own a man like that these days. At the height of her power she had gods and emperors ready to throw themselves in front of wild horses without a thought just because she suggested it, but now all she was was a suggestion in their heads, a little niggling idea they couldn't kick. "I prefer the hands on methods with them these days though," Ate told him, and then thumbed behind her towards the bathroom. "Humans tolerances interest me, at least in short bursts. Hence the man in the bath."

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Andras looked unimpressed, in fact, he looked mildly displeased. "I prefer letting them decide. People. Not just mortals.." he set the half finished glass of milk down and folded his arms on the table as he looked at her, giving her a smile that was so friendly that only someone she trusted could have worn it.

"Take you for example." he shrugged a smile, "Anything you want these days that you've had trouble getting?" that smile turning boyish for just a second, "Though it's hard to imagine anyone denying you anything.."

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"They always decide," Ate told him simply. "I can't force anything that isn't already a little worm inside their skulls." She shrugged. "That's what I am, pumpkin. I'm human nature at it's most self-destructive."

Ate considered that, unsure of this demon's angle. Demons were, in some ways, just like daimons: slippery and wily things. She accepted that flattery he laid on her though, even if it was empty. She didn't care - she liked hearing that people couldn't deny her, even if it wasn't true anymore. "Nothing comes to mind," Ate said, and when she paused to consider she could hear the crunch of bones from the bathroom. "Why?" she asked him sweetly, batting her eyelashes and putting on a sugary voice, "would you get it for me?"

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Andras smiled like he was charmed when in reality her sugary tone did nothing for him. "Of course. Anything you wanted." and then added, "But... you'd have to give me something in return. It's just the way the deal works." and he gave her a look like hey what're you gonna do, it's the fine print.

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"Like I already said, pumpkin," Ate said, crossing one leg over the other slowly as she watched him. "Haven't currently got anything I need. What are the usual deals you do? And you can't have my soul, Christian," Ate said with amusement at the very idea. "I'm pretty sure your Hell is off-limits to that."

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Andras drank some more of the milk and then made an ehhh face, "I don't really care about souls. You'd be surprised at how shockingly little you can do with them. I deal more in.. solving problems. Man loves his mistress but can't get out of his marriage. Another wants to become the head of a company. Woman that's barren wants to be able to conceive.. anything can be done for a fair trade. I normally just.. collect favors."

He smiled and raised the glass to his lips, "Can never have too many friends that owe you."

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"Favours are dangerous things," Ate said, leaning in toward him a little from where she sat on the table, her smile one of dangerous amusement. "I like to know what I'm getting into when I'm getting into it."

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Andras finished the milk off, setting down the glass. He grinned at her, "Now where's the fun in that?"

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"The fun," Ate said with an easy smile, "is the part where I haven't suddenly agreed to live the rest of my life on a leash licking your shoes or something."

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Andras shook his head, "That wouldn't be of any use to me. The only way you'd be on a leash licking any part of me is if that was your thing."

He leaned back in the chair and raised his hands as if to feign innocence, "Like I said, I'm not like other demons. I never lie for one. My deals are ironclad and you can even state specific terms such as 'will not include bondage or shoe cleaning'." he grinned.

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"You never lie?" Ate repeated, and her look of doubtful amusement was obvious. Weren't those demons all about lying? Hades knew, Ate lied all the time. Sure, sometimes the truth was useful and fun, but why keep it undiluted?

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"Never." sure he might twist the words but he never lied. After centuries of doing the demon thing, it got boring. He shrugged, "It's more challenging. Anybody can lie to get what they want.. but it's much more..." he sucked in air through his teeth as he narrowed his eyes, "..gratifying to see the results with the truth." after all he was a demon. His deals ruined almost everybody that made them and it was fascinating to watch them dance into their own personal hell with their eyes wide open.

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Be a goddess of delusion, Ate couldn't see how that was more gratifying but let the demon have his fun. She smiled at him and shrugged. "Whatever gets you hard, sweetpea." She ran a hand through her hair and asked, "you're not worried about revealing all your secrets to the little Greek you just met? My kind hate your kind as a general rule. That Christ dude fucked stuff up for us big time."

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He shook his head, "Not at all. Who'd believe you?" he grinned again.

He shrugged broad shoulders, "Hate me all you like, I don't blame you. My boss and brethren don't care much for you guys either. But I really don't see pantheons. Everyone is a person. Everyone has a price. That's all that matters." he did deals with mortals and immortals across the pantheons, why limit his possibilities.

He gave a lazy smile, "I might worry if you tried to kill me but.. it would ruin our nice time and ruin your nice dress."

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"I don't really care about the whole Christian/Greek thing all that much. I prefer your side to the other one though," Ate had to admit. "Much more fun." Except for George. But that was different. Redcrosse wasn't like a real saint. He was... well, he was hers.

"Such a businessman," and it was hard to tell from her tone exactly how much of it was teasing and how much was simply statement of fact.

"Well, I'd just slip the dress off first," Ate told him with a smirk.

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Andras simply said, "They can have their uses." the best thing about the other side was their compassion, it clouded their judgment, it made them want to save others, it made them cross a line with their good intentions which is what the road to hell was paved with.

Andras shook his head, "I wouldn't want to anger any boyfriend.." he looked at her and furrowed his brow, "I assume you have someone special." he unabashedly let his gaze rove over her form, "Otherwise it'd be such a waste."

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Ate always enjoyed when men looked at her like that. Part of her power was just being an attractive woman. She stood up from the table, approaching him but keeping a couple of feet between them.

"Fiancé actually," Ate told Andras as she slowly looked him up and down, enjoying the view. "But I wouldn't say he's that special." Finally her eyes met his again and her smile was dark and playful.

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Andras didn't move a muscle, just let Ate come closer. "Fiance?" he said in an impressed tone, "Must be special enough to get you to agree to marriage."

He held her gaze and smiled, "Let me guess, a nice strapping Greek God?"

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"We only met ten minutes ago," Ate reminded him, eyes on his and lips turned up into a small smile. She lifted a finger then to trail it lightly across his shirt just below the collarbone. "I'm not sure you know what it would take for me to agree to anything."

"It's possible he's Greek," Ate agreed, not really all that interested in talking about Moros right then and their little play marriage. "It's possible he's something else. It's even possible there's no fiancé at all and every word that passes my lips is a lie."

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Andras was pretty sure he was beginning to get an idea on what it would take to make Ate agree to something. He didn't even flinch when she touched him, just allowing her to do as she wanted.

He carried on like this was a perfectly normal conversation, "I'm relatively sure that while you tell beautiful lies from those luscious lips.. that this fiance is not one of them." he smirked.

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"Maybe not," Ate grinned, not moving away at all. She didn't know if the demon was uncomfortable, but she also didn't much care. "Maybe it's Zeus and he's about to come banging down the door to murder whoever might be touching his little lady. That could be fun."

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Andras didn't reveal if he was comfortable or not and still stayed in the same position, just watched her. "It's not Zeus." he knew enough about the Greeks to know that. He raised his brows and pointed out with a small smile, "And I'm not touching you." quite the contrary, she was touching him.

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No, not Zeus. Daddy never paid Ate the attention she deserved. The last time he'd truly paid her any attention had been the day he'd thrown her from Olympus by the hair. Stupid daddy.

Ate grinned brightly at his last comment. "That's very true, sugar," she agreed, and then moved back to sit on the table - a slight bounce in her step - and recrossed her legs. "You're a very well behaved little demon."

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Andras watched the hem of her dress ride up when she sat down again and then looked at her, "Sometimes. Depends on what I want to do."

He stood up from the chair and put one hand on either side of her, flat on the table. "Sometimes I can behave very badly." He leaned in close and grinned, "Thanks for the milk."

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Ate grinned right back at him. "Anytime, pumpkin," she said. "Don't forget your puppy."