Apparently, you don't know how to properly date? What does that have to do with anything?

You never thought that you'd say this, but... This part of things, setting up the diagrams and symbols while ominously chanting, lighting candles and ringing bells... It's actually pretty fun. It was just like when you'd first learned to shoot, the process of disassembling and cleaning a gun... Except that there was so much more to consider, and it drew on so many more of your skills to perform.

And at the end of it, instead of just aiming for a new high score at the range... You'd have a demon trapped in your circle. ...Well, honestly, you'd almost like to skip that part, but objectively - you knew it was a greater accomplishment than your marksmanship. You weren't a bad shot, but there were still much better shots than you - especially after you'd switched to air rifles, and needed to retrain all of your muscle memory.

You reviewed the instructions in the grimoire again, comparing them to the steps you'd already performed. First, the lines drawn in chalk as you chanted dark promises, forming ancient symbols to draw in and entrance a curious demon; a beacon to the infernal world and a trap in the mortal - though it would take an effort of will on the part of the demon and yourself to complete the passage, doubly so on your part to keep the demon enspelled.

You'd used one of the simplest options available, a basic pentagram suitable for the least of demons. With some minor variations to the chants, you'd be able to call up a specific demon, but... Well, you didn't have any reason to care about any particular demon, beyond what the offering would entice. If you were feeling cautious, you could reach for a more elaborate circle that could supposedly hold a stronger demon - but that would introduce a lot more room for error on your part. And besides, if you don't trust the instructions for the basic summoning, there's no reason to trust the instructions for the others.

Next, you'd inscribed the basic protections in salt; runes demanding that a demon obey you in the name of your lord Satan (allegedly), lest they suffer dire punishments for defiance. Apparently blood worked better, but since you weren't actually a Satanist, you'd opted for the more convenient substitution. Though apparently, the blood of the innocent worked best of all; you'd considered for a moment whether your own blood would be considered sufficiently innocent to use as part of the protections, but discarded the thought just as quickly. The book on protections had cautioned that blood was a ready medium for influence, and needed to be warded as well - that would more than negate any theoretical benefits from using "innocent" blood.

These first-tier protections were the demonic equivalent of politely asking for a summon's forbearance, however. It would, theoretically, cause them to pause for a moment and hear you out rather than immediately slaughtering you so they could run free - but they knew damned well that Satan wouldn't care if they crossed you, it was just you claiming you worked for the same boss. The second-tier protections were what would really keep you safe, if things went wrong. But the second-tier protections were a double-edged sword, because most things a mortal could use to fend off a demon were things that a demon really hated, making the actual negotiations a bigger problem... Usually, at least. If you could confirm the summoning and protections both worked, you weren't that fussy about testing the language. So you'd rather err on the side of safety.

To that end, you'd arrayed two solid circles of crosses drawn in silver ink, Buddhist exorcist talismans, and treasured mementos of Maya's finest moments. Taking pride in another should be anathema to an Envy demon. And if any of these didn't work, the second circle of protections should slow down the demon regardless. To avoid any indirect influence, you also laid down two more circles, one of powdered silver and one of salt. And all the while, you'd praised God and His works in hopes of empowering these things further - you didn't really believe, not the way Maya did, but hey... If demons were real, it wasn't impossible that God was too, right?

Theoretically, this should be fantastically oppressive to a demon, particularly a small fry like this. In practice, you still had a gun that really was against dorm rules in your closet, and you wouldn't hesitate to shoot it if it twitched at you funny. You didn't exactly care about your looks, but you still didn't want a demon to make you ugly.

Following that, you had set up scented candles at each of the pentagram's points, the fiery energy lending their powers to the infernal designs - counterbalanced by the pure fragrances that would gently dampen the power of the summoned demon. Metaphorically, doing this was the equivalent of asking Maya something after taking her hiking; a dick move, but more likely to inspire annoyance than genuine anger. Putting them in the candles was an additional level of plausible deniability, and was advised in a handwritten addition from a later author... Something that may well have been written by Ms. Devlin personally, actually.

As you laid the last candle, you offered up words of praise to Lord Satan (while stifling an eye roll), promising to promote his glory to all who would hear of how his power laid low those who dared to stand above you - the standard invocation for a demon associated with envy. A bit moot when you had no actual enemy to sic the demon on, but... Idly, you do wonder if that constituted a binding pledge on your part. At least theoretically, these chants were necessary for a summoning to work, so... Maybe there was something to them? Except demons were presumed fiction by most since before you were born, so clearly, other summoners hadn't exactly been holding up their end of the bargain. Ms. Meyers would probably have known, but honestly... This seemed like the kind of question that was safer to keep to yourself anyway.

And that was the end of the setup. At least in theory, all of this would "keep" for a few hours; whatever strange forces powered this infernal exchange would hang around for a time while you doublechecked everything, got your shit together, and readied yourself for your visitor. Not that you had any plans to take it any further than this, but... It would be useful the day you actually did.

You walk around the circle carefully, taking a few pictures of the core circle with your phone from various angles. You'd attach a few notes later pointing out the differences between this and rituals for similar demons; they'd be useful when you got your hands on more books.

Returning to the head of the pentagram, though, and reading through what was left to complete the summoning... You wonder if maybe you should just go ahead and try it out now. You'd done most of the setup work to begin with, and knowing if this thing worked would do a lot to assuage your concerns. You had a gun handy already, and if this thing actually summoned, like, Balthazor or something... Well, you'd already need a pretty big stroke of luck to begin with to find that out in time, right? Settling the matter here and now, it could well be the difference between saving Maya and losing her. You didn't have time for caution, not really; you just desperately wanted something safer that could tell you if this was the right road or not.

...All that was needed at this point was the invitation and the offering. A simple canned speech promising riches in return for a simple act of service - and the mutilated remains of a once-beautiful creature. For something minor like this, a songbird with a beautiful voice would do, and you knew of a petshop that would be open late. You hated to do it, but... Well, it was frankly the least vile offering you could find.

...You're wavering on whether you should take the final step when you hear a knock on the door. You look around the extremely incriminating room while desperately praying it's not who you think it is... No, scratch that, there's really nobody safe to see this, is there?