Battler rejects Lucifer's offer. (Favors -3)

Battler continued grinning for a while longer, then finally snorted and let out a laugh. "Ha, dammit, sorry! I can't keep it up!"

Beatrice's grin immediately fell to a frown. "Can't keep what up? Are you accepting Lucifer's offer or not?"

"By 'Lucifer,' are we still talking about that sexy babe we dreamed up, or are we talking about the red guy with the pitchfork from the story?" The young man shook his head and leaned back in his seat. "Sorry, but I seriously don't get it. I mean, who knows how much is on those credit cards... I wanted to play along with a mysterious blonde stranger for that, but I really can't if it means playing pretend like we're twelve-year-olds-"

"Battler, shut up." Beatrice spoke sharply enough to make him stop, although he still looked baffled. "Lucifer, return to your vessel."

... I could understand the witch's concern. Battler didn't seem to have any idea; he was still sulking a bit, as if unable to comprehend why the vibe in the room was suddenly so hostile, but anyone with magic affinity would be able to see. As the human casually denied Lucifer's existence, all of the playfulness had drained out of her. Without even a chance to defend herself, Lucifer's form had begun to grow translucent. Her teeth were clenched in a mixture of anger and pain, and she held her wrist away from me to stop me from seeing her hand. Silently, her form vanished.

"... Ah, I screwed up." Battler muttered and scratched the back of his head. "I don't get it at all, but I obviously hurt your feelings. I'm a man, so I'll apologize."

"Your apology is unnecessary." Beatrice spoke now with an impassive expression, locking her blue eyes onto his own. "Your understanding, however, is required. It seems your toxin is as powerful as I feared... That makes you a formidable opponent, but it makes our compatibility exceptionally poor. It is my fault for trying to summon Lucifer before you without following the proper steps. We will need to start at the beginning..."

I watched Beatrice head to the dresser beside the bed... Battler wouldn't see it, but from my angle, I saw a small smile play on her lips as she withdrew an ornamental stake with a dark horsehair-like tail at one end, a pointed tip at the other. It was a smile as one wears when greeting an old friend... or thinking of a private joke...

She approached Battler, holding the stake in both palms and presenting it for inspection. "This is Lucifer's vessel. If you begin with this, the summoning will be more simple. Now, I want you to focus only on this, and try to recall Lucifer's form again. Concentrate..."

The human guest still seemed less than enthusiastic, but he stared at the stake. He seemed less like he was trying to summon a demon with concentration and more like he was trying to solve the puzzle of what Beatrice wanted from it. He was deep in focus.

"Try to remember... Remember Lucifer... Remember her body... And most importantly, remember her pride... That pride you wounded..." Beatrice's smile twitched at the corners. "Try to think about what Lucifer would do if she were here-"

Realizing what was happening, with just a second to spare, I sprung forward and shoved Battler aside. That left me to catch Lucifer's retaliatory strike in the face. I suppose that was dumb... with his magic resistance, Battler probably would have survived the stake's temper tantrum, but for me, a true believer, it... hurt like hell...

Still, the mood was as dead as me in this one. By sacrificing myself, maybe I'd give Beatrice one more chance to convince Battler she was a real witch... Or, more likely, she and Battler were now arguing over what kind of trick she'd used to pull it off.