WE GOT DEMONS UP IN HERE

[periphrasing]

It’s around noon when Peridot performs the summoning. By all traditional, dramatic accounts, this might seem an unorthodox time of day to be cracking the barrier between realms and calling upon the infernal forces of hell itself, but, hey. She’s only human, after all; she has a job, a schedule to keep, a sleep pattern to maintain…

Frankly, if you ask her? Anyone who risks doing their demon summoning in the middle of the night while exhausted, just because of tradition or for the ambience or whatever, is probably a clod who deserves to get devoured by an incubus.

No. Peridot is much more pragmatic than that. That’s why she’d woken up this morning after a solid night’s sleep and decided that today, at last, would be the day to act. She’d had herself a sandwich, changed into her work clothes, made sure to hydrate properly AND gone to the bathroom AT LEAST three times before she had gotten settled in to start with her preparations, gleefully determined to put her plan into motion.
Soon enough, the pentagrams had been drawn out, the lines double and then triple checked for accuracy. Incense and candles were both lit, ceremonial items and offerings laid out in the proper arrangements according to all the books. And the whole time that she’s working, in spite of the preciseness of her measurements and the thoroughness of her research, Peridot is achingly aware of the riskiness of this endeavor she’s about to undertake. She’s confident in her theories, and in her own abilities as a summoner, but…

A double summoning. It’s a concept often muttered about among all the scientists at the extradimensional research department which Peridot is employed at, but it’s rarely ever attempted. Too risky, everyone always says. Too many variables, the spells too wordy and complex and the demons… to unpredictable. Managing just one is a struggle for many of those who delve into the dark arts.
But not for Peridot. What can she say, she’s always looking to push the limits of her field, and pulling off such an allegedly impossible feat seems like the biggest and most impressive limit to break of them all.

And all that ambition has led her, at last, to this point. Everything is ready. She seats herself across from the pentagrams, spell book laid open on the floor in front of her, a sticky note with the names of the demons she has selected for this experiment stuck to the edge of the relevant page. She’s practically shaking with excitement, has to take a breath to center herself, focus on the moment before she starts to read aloud.

Ancient words from a lengthy passage. Peridot pronounces every one of them clearly and accurately, and then calls forth through the void for them: Jasper and Lapis Lazuli.
She sits quiet, stock still, and waits for the response.

Comments

[periphrasing]

Holy shit, do these guys think they're vampires or something? "You're not getting any more of my blood," Peridot interjects loudly.

[mirrortide]

"Well, if you're not going to offer your blood you better at least offer sex. There's no way you're providing enough energy for both of us at the same time. We do have to eat too, you know."

[stompadour]

"Hah," Jasper scoffs, "there's no way she could have us both at once. Look at her, she's a weakling."

[periphrasing]

For a second, it seems like Jasper's hit a nerve, as Peridot's face scrunches up into this angry scowl that both demons will quickly become familiar with.

But Peridot is no greenhorn when it comes to demons; she brushes the comment off with a "tch," folding her arms over her chest and puffing up defiantly. "I'll have you know that I have never engaged in coitus with ANY of my summons, and I do not intend to start now. And just so you know? I've summoned literal succubi before."

[mirrortide]

"You don't want to give us more of your blood, you're not putting out enough emotional energy and you don't plan on having sex. Quick question, how exactly do you plan to sustain two summons?" Not to mention the fact that her rules have bound both of them from finding sustenance elsewhere too.

[stompadour]

"Never?" says Jasper, squinting at Peridot extremely skeptically.

[periphrasing]

"Never," Peridot reaffirms. "And if you'd bothered to listen to my terms properly before agreeing, you'd already know that you have my permission to go out and feed on emotional energy elsewhere, if necessary. Just... don't kill anyone or take anyone's souls. I can actually get in trouble for that."

So basically, feel free to go out and seduce a bunch of strangers.

[mirrortide]

"I've never been summoned by such a killjoy before." Seriously, what is wrong with you, Peridot?

[stompadour]

Apparently in agreement, Jasper gives a rough little snort of laughter at Lapis's remark. "We're supposed to feed elsewhere, huh? You want to observe that, too?"

[periphrasing]

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor!" says Peridot, throwing her hands up with exasperation. If getting her to raise her voice was a goal, they've both succeeded. "I'm basically giving you free reign to go wherever the hell you want, as long as you check in when I call you!"

THIS ISN'T GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN AT ALL.

[mirrortide]

"Hey, if you want to study us, shouldn't you really go the full mile? What kind of a proper research would it be if you didn't have first hand experience in demon sex?" Also while Lapis does appreciate the whole getting free reign thing, she doesn't want to have to actively hunt down meals?

[stompadour]

Jasper steps forward, smirking, looming. "You could take notes if you wanted."

[periphrasing]

To be perfectly fair, it's not hard for Jasper to loom when she's literally twice Peridot's height.

Peridot subconsciously takes half a step back, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "Both of you are out of line," she growls in warning.

[mirrortide]

Lapis flares her wings a little, joining in on Jaspers' looming. Peridot might be warning them, but there isn't an actual threat yet. Lapis takes a careful step forward, hooves clicking on the smooth flooring.

"You said you wanted to learn, didn't you? What better way than a hands on approach?"

[stompadour]

Jasper relents a little. She's still not happy about this, but she's more inclined to back down in the face of authority -- even if that authority is very, very small -- than Lapis is. She cocks her head to the side, watching Peridot for a second, and then she frowns.

"She might just be one of the ones who doesn't want it," she observes. "Still... it's not very fair if she won't do anything."

[periphrasing]

Jasper's deference does a lot to bring Peridot back down and remind her that she's the one in control here. She glances at her, and then straightens her stance, taking on a more confident tone.

"I'll admit, it... Never really occurred to me that a demon might not actually like the free range idea," she huffs quietly. "Very well. I'll try to provide more blood as recompense instead. You'll have to be alright with animal blood for the most part, though. I can't keep feeding you both from my own body." She will literally exsanguinate and die.

[mirrortide]

Lapis relents when Jasper does, mostly because if she doesn't have anyone backing her up, she'll undoubtedly be the first to be unsummoned. Not that she looks particularly happy about it. "Fine. Not pig though." Because Lapis literally has any say in what kind of blood she gets.

[stompadour]

"I don't dislike it," says Jasper, still frowning, "but it's the principle -- isn't it?" She glances at Lapis for agreement. "You're the one who's summoned us and you're not giving up anything."

it's about MANNERS peridot

[periphrasing]

Jasper gets the full force of Peridot's incredulous scowl. "I'm trying to compromise with you now! What the heck else do you want from me!?"

[mirrortide]

Actually, Jasper is right, now that Lapis thinks about it. She's silent though, because if Jasper wants to barter for better wages, Lapis won't interfere. It's probably better if she doesn't? They'd probably try and undercut the other.

[stompadour]

Jasper scowls back. "You're talking about it like you're -- feeding a hound, or something. It's impersonal." Which normally isn't something Jasper is terrifically concerned about, but in a summoning like this, where there isn't any real contract and they haven't even been selected for their skills...? "What do you sacrifice for this?"

Of course, it's not as if she or Lapis can actually do anything about this, at this point -- they were both too eager to agree to the terms of the summons in the first place, which Jasper understands was exactly Peridot's plan -- but that's not going to stop her from making her objections known.

[periphrasing]

"Impersonal? You think I'm being imper-- I LITERALLY TRIED TO ASK YOU PERSONAL QUESTIONS, and you kept dodging them!" Peridot all but squawks, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

[mirrortide]

"It's not quite that. Usually summoners give up part of themselves for the summoning. It's tradition. Blood is commonly given, but it's also part of the binding magic. Usually summoners offer something else too." Lapis' tail sways back and forth. "Questions are one thing, but they're also sort of what we're here for according to your own request of us."

[stompadour]

Thank you, Lapis.

"Exactly. Asking us questions isn't a sacrifice for you, it's what you want."

[periphrasing]

Scowl intensifies. She points accusingly at Lapis. "Hey! Don't lecture me about how summonings work. Summoning is literally my job." She folds her arms and sticks her nose up arrogantly, scoffing: "Besides, it's not my fault that the two of you were so eager to one-up each other that you jumped on a deal without bothering to negotiate the terms. You only have yourselves to blame for that."