"You're as delicate as an iron rod, you romantic brute!" The surge of contradictions wasn't something I understood.
"Even a roadside pebble is more considerate and pleasing to the eyes than you!" But Elfriede's rant steadily approached my bottom line.
For all intents and purposes, I had no need to let others diss me unreasonably, had I? "There's no space left in your brain besides research and fights!"
Okay... now she'd crossed that line. Yet before I could counter her ridiculous statements, I felt the room turn upside down, tumbling somewhere at random.
Elfriede had lost control, making me wonder if we'd crash into a nascent star or rather the stony beach of yore?
If that beach still existed to this day, of course. While nausea infected my thoughts, my face was watered with tea and cookie crumbs.
There was also the occasional furniture smack conjuring a twitching smirk upon my scaly features. "Must I remind you, the idea was yours?"
I had never been smitten with the opposite sex. The most I'd sought were some flings as I found I'd keep higher levels of control for prolonged periods that way.
This only did my research well... Given my recent experiences, I started understanding certain reasons and outcomes, but it wasn't at the level of complete realisation.
"No you mustn't! Hundred years of pursuing, immeasurable hours of contemplation on how to better please, countless priceless gifts and what are the thanks?!"
Part of me was happy the youth cavorted about elsewhere, the other part busy with calculating the odds of me remaining intact.
"The sentence: You don't interest me... How can you be so cruel?!" I... didn't quite remember that part. Sure, I wasn't the warmest Eternal in all of creation, but such foul play?
Yet at the same time, there was no denying that one wrong sentence would empty my stomach regardless of race and worsen my chances of survival...
After all, the heat produced by stars wasn't something I'd survive in my current state. Moreover, off-limits locations were damn many.
Keeping my temper in check, I was eventually rewarded with a steadier saloon where things no longer doused me, crashed into me or smacked me left and right.
"Coming back to the negotiations—" "Of course you want to. Heartless bastard. Even as a father, certain things won't change. How does the saying go? A leopard won't change its spots?"
Using the break to empty the pitiful amount of tea left in the cup and gobble down some not yet soaked or crushed cookies, I waited for better times to come.
"How did you even survive? The war back then spanned across all realms, dimensions and worlds. There was no escape, for no race! It even shattered the old order, granting universal regress to us all."
Then she squinted her sparkling brown eyes and asked seriously, "didn't your people die? I know as long as one Eternal survives, the rest will all find back to reality. So you...?"
"Indeed, some deem us cockroaches for that reason. However, I don't know the answer to your question. Never died in the first place. None of my people land in Spice's hands either."
Diving deep down the memory lane, I remembered falling into some devious scheme of what must be considered pretty early on.
In any case, everything was water under the bridge by the time of my resurgence and I had effectively other things to do than waste more of that precious commodity.
"The Just Federation won't be happy at all..." "What was that?" "Nothing." I was pretty sure I heard something important, but the finality in her voice made me understand she wouldn't offer more.
Each piece of information had its price, after all. "Don't think I'm oblivious to your reasons." Elfriede finally showed intentions to seriously approach the negotiation.
But not in the direction I hoped she would. "The short answer is no. There is no World Tree Sap left at all. Even Great Tree Sap is not up for discussion."
"I need this resource, Elfriede." She remained adamant, offering some explanation instead. "With Hell and Abyss bound by a peace treaty and the Powers of Light on the warpath, we are bound to deliver resources.
As the frontlines are far away and logistic support is seldom worth the cost, there is not much we need to contribute except for strategic resources not measured by money alone.
Additionally, have you forgotten our inclinations? You're essentially part of the Powers of Darkness, while I'm rooting for the Powers of Light. Trade at such a delicate time..."
I didn't like the direction this was heading towards. Not one bit. Elfriede laboriously worked her mouth off some more before switching the topic entirely.
It was hard keeping track of all her sentences. "You've seen the state we're in. We can put up a front, but to con you is difficult, is nay impossible.
Then there are outside forces either believing us easily offended, too rich for our own good or simply stupid creatures who can't even take care of our precious home. Or opportunists—"
We were constantly losing track of my objective. This simply couldn't continue. "First, let's return to the fragment of Álfheimr you care for so deeply.
Second, the reason as to why your people regress doesn't concern me one bit. I'm running out of time and patience, so you either state your terms or risk worse."
This was as much of a naked threat as it was a bluff. In my current state, rolling out the heavy guns would break my neck. But she wouldn't know, would she?
Indeed, Elfriede's face underwent a million changes. It pained me to embark on this path, but my deadline was too demanding.
At most, I could make it up to them once this was all over. I was even prepared to add some more threats, seeing they had this much of an impact.
But she beat me to it. "No more. You've turned into a worse dick, Thoth." I winced. "You win. I once bathed in the World Tree's grace. So take my blood and be gone!"
The last sentence was little less than a pained hiss. Nonetheless, it was the only solution. So I acted upon it, collecting enough blood for my purpose and weakening her greatly.
In fact, the injury I inflicted upon her immortal body was so far-reaching she could no longer host the saloon in the vast expanse. We returned.
To the place she called home, the same place I was about to be cast out from. Suddenly, the contract anchored onto my essence dimmed.
The pain inflicted upon me was but secondary. My head was emptied out. The next time I found a semblance of lucidity, I was already running along some corridors.
And Elfriede on my heels...? It was hard to tell. There was so little seeping through the cotton wrapping around my essence that undoubtedly was the contract...