Trixie sat on the balcony of her new room, overlooking the expansive gardens of Emerick's estate. She had a nice view of the shed where the orc brothers were setting up shop, as well as a lovely little hedge maze with a lovely little pond in the middle of it. She made note of the location for future romantic encounters.
'He's really got you wrapped around his finger,' Lamya commented telepathically. Unless Trixie expressly allowed otherwise, she was confined to the ring and could commune with Trixie alone. It was somewhat eerie, having the demon's commentary run through her head, especially since Lamya seemed privy to a good number of her thoughts.
'I'm not wrapped around anyone's finger!' Trixie denied.
'Then what's with the gown?' Lamya pointed out. Trixie colored as she looked down at herself.
She wasn't sure if anyone else had been quite as spoiled, but new clothes had been given to each of the children the day after their arrival. Thanks to this fact, Trixie was wearing a lacy black negligee so sheer it covered next to nothing but emphasized her figure nicely. Beneath that was a risqué set of panties that, again, highlighted all her feminine virtues but left most everything exposed and easy to access.
"It's part of my strategy!" Trixie exclaimed out loud without really thinking about it. "Besides, I'm allowed to dress sexy if I want too! How do you even know it's for any special reason? This gown is very comfortable, I'll have you know!"
'Sure it is,' Lamya snickered. 'oh, by the way, you might want to dial back the exclamations. There's someone at the door.'
Trixie wasn't offered a chance to reply before a curt knock sounded at the door and it opened, revealing Jacoby. At once, she felt self-conscious about her attire, having intended it for a very different recipient. His indifferent and somewhat condescending stare didn't help.
"Lord Emerick has returned," He announced. "He sent me to inquire where you intend to receive him."
"Uh…" Trixie really wasn't sure what to say or do at this point. She had assumed Emerick would come see her personally, and things would go from there. While she certainly hoped it would enhance later activities, she hadn't been lying when she insisted that her lingerie was meant to act as part of her strategy to keep him unsettled during negotiations. It seemed the scheme was backfiring on her.
"As I understand you two have… business…" his brow rose as he spoke, "To see to, I would recommend the study, though I would ask you refrain from any promiscuous engagements while you are there. There are many delicate and irreplaceable objects within, and I would hate to see them destroyed in a fit of tomfoolery."
"Right," Trixie replied. "No sex in the study. I'm right on that." She tried to pretend not to notice his eye roll.
"If you'll follow me," Jacoby stepped out the door, "Or would you prefer to change into something more… comfortable?"
"No, I'm fine like this," Trixie replied. "Do you always wear sunglasses, even when it's dark out?"
Jacoby ignored her and struck a brisk pace down the hall. She practically had to run to keep up, which was somewhat annoying. She had taken great care to be pristine for negotiations, and at this rate Jacoby would have her a hot and sweaty mess before they even started.
It had been three days since they came to the estate, and Emerick hadn't been there even once since they arrived. Instead, she was forced to contend with Jacoby who was considerate enough towards the younger children but held Trixie and the other teens to much higher standards. He had wasted no time appointing himself the responsibility of telling her everything she could ever possibly need to know to run the grounds and 'encouraging' her to apply that knowledge. He'd had her running laps, checking everything and everyone, assigning them duties to keep the house and grounds clean and orderly. Things were still tumultuous, but she felt like everyone was starting to settle in.
Everyone but Titus that was. She winced as she recalled his accusatory and outright hostile behavior. After making an ass of himself when Rathus tried to encourage him to thank Orval for his assistance, the sensitive young man had locked himself in the shed and refused to come out. Rathus had insisted Titus would get over it soon enough, but Trixie wasn't as convinced.
"If you will wait inside miss, I'll fetch Lord Emerick." Jacoby opened a door and waved her in. "Oh, and please remember there are children sleeping. If you could mitigate any excess noise, it would be much appreciated."
He left without allowing Trixie a proper chance to retort, shutting the door behind him. She was left staring dumbly at the solid wood as she processed the implications of his flowery insinuations.
'Jealous much?' Lamya chuckled in her head. 'That's a man in need of a little 'tomfoolery' if I've ever seen one.'
'No kidding,' Trixie snickered. She refused to say as much, but in that moment she was grateful to the demon. The comment helped her feel a little bit more at ease.
'You're welcome my dear,' Lamya beamed. Trixie rolled her eyes, then jumped as she heard the door click. She quickly composed herself as Emerick stepped through the door.
"Sorry I've been away so long," Emerick smiled sheepishly. "Things have been a little hectic, and it took longer to sort out than I expected."
"Is this going to be a frequent thing?" Trixie folded her arms. "You putting me off I mean. I get it, you're a busy guy, but you can't be busy all the time! You have to sleep at some point."
"Sleep? Who has time for that?" He chuckled. "I haven't done something so indulgent in four days now!" She couldn't tell if he was joking, or if he was serious. That said, he looked fresh as a daisy. There were no outward signs that he was in any way fatigued. "Oh, by the way, you look lovely tonight."
"Thanks, but you're not off the hook," Trixie pretended to dismiss the compliment, though she was inwardly gleeful about the praise. "We still have business to discuss."
"Of course," Emerick nodded, taking a seat opposite her. She had taken the liberty of claiming the large, comfy chair behind the desk she was certain belonged to him, hoping to get under his skin in some way. To her disappointment and frustration, he didn't seem in anyway perturbed.
Staring her in the eye, he set a hefty sized document on the table in front of her, then leaned back in his own seat. Curious, she pulled the papers closer and started investigating.
'What on earth am I looking at?' She asked Lamya. Trixie didn't want to admit to even a little ignorance in front of Emerick, not over such an important matter. The future of herself and her family were on the line, and how she conducted herself could very well make or break the course of their lives.
'A very, very detailed contract,' Lamya replied with some amusement. 'I would encourage you to read everything in its entirety, wouldn't want to be blindsided by any hidden clauses now.'
'You're much too excited about this,' Trixie huffed.
'I'm a creature of chaos, am I not?' Lamya retorted. 'Besides, in case you'd forgotten, for demons, the intricacies of contracts are something of an art, if not a way of life when dealing with you mortals.'
"I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of writing an initial draft," Emerick pulled her attention from her inner dialogue and the imposing papers back to him. "Feel free to review it and note any concerns. We can begin bartering and negotiations from there."
"Oh, joy," Trixie forced a smile before returning her attention back to the monster contract. As she read more and more, she felt more and more lost.
'My, my, he's thorough, isn't he?' Lamya tutted. 'Deary, you are in way over your head here.'