"Please excuse me for a moment."

Laudon exits the cave to get some fresh air. He leans against a nearby tree and closes his eyes, inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly. He does this repeatedly until his nerves eventually settle, his pulse no longer racing. All of this because Maggie is around.

When Laudon opens his eyes again, he internally scolds himself for the conversation that had just taken place between him and Maggie. He scolds himself for having gotten too comfortable being in her presence. He scolds himself for having told her stories that not even Hell's most trustworthy know. If Lucifer were around, he would do more than give Laudon a lecture about why it is dangerous to let your guard down when interacting with humans.

Laudon refuses to admit it out loud, but from the moment that Maggie struck him with her powers, he has felt... different. His thoughts, his actions, his emotions—they have all changed after meeting the not-so-human girl. He has secretly contemplated booking an appointment with the specialist to get checked out as well, just to make sure that everything is still working how it should. Better to be safe than sorry and dead from negligence.

"Nice to know you didn't run off and leave me here alone," Maggie says after Laudon returns. This time, he puts more distance between them. "I still have questions for you to answer."

"You always have questions for me to answer." Laudon rolls his eyes. "What now?"

"You know, it's really fucking irritating how you have an attitude with me. I'm in Hell having a conversation with Satan's spawn while waiting for a 'specialist' to show up to 'examine' my soul for defects," Maggie says, looking exasperated. "Of course I'm going to have questions! Better get used to it since I'm apparently stuck here for the rest of eternity."

"Respectfully," Laudon mutters, "I don't think I'll ever get used to you."

He gives Maggie his signature cold stare, wondering if all humans talk this much. Or maybe this is simply how Maggie responds when nervous and upset. Unlike Lucifer, Laudon has not had the opportunity to be around humans long enough to study them and how they might react when put in such a complex situation. Though, thus far, Maggie has proven to be wildly entertaining. Laudon has never been attacked by a human before. His time spent with Maggie has been both frustrating and exciting, another fact he refuses to speak out loud.

"And I'm pretty sure I'll never get used to you either," Maggie retorts, matching Laudon's attitude. "Back to the exam. For the thousandth time, what do you plan on doing to me and how bad is it going to hurt?"

"I'm going to have your blood drawn and tested. If you are something other than human, the blood will tell me everything that I need to know," Laudon answers. "Whether the test hurts or not, that all depends on how well you behave with the specialist. The more compliant you are, the quicker the test will be over. The less compliant you are, the longer we'll be here."

Maggie breaks eye contact and, unaware of Laudon's perfect hearing, mumbles something about her birthday coming up, and how she wishes that she could go back in time to undo the mess that she has made. She wipes her eyes before the tears fall. Laudon looks on in silence, and from somewhere deep within him, he feels sad for the poor girl.

Such a foreign feeling, he internally acknowledges, because for as long as he has been alive... he cannot recall a time when he had felt such a way towards another living being.

"I had big plans for this summer, but now I'm never going to see my friends again. I'm never going to see my family again." Maggie pauses, taking a minute to gather herself. She then straightens her posture, not wanting to look weak in front of her captor. "This whole thing feels like a nightmare that I can't wake up from." Maggie's tired brown eyes meet Laudon's once more, and this time they contain a new rage that Laudon hadn't known humans were capable of holding. "And it's all because of you. You ruined my life. You ruined everything."

An uncomfortable silence creeps its way into the cave and nestles itself between them.

At the same time, Laudon experiences another crushing wave of discomfort upon processing Maggie's harsh words. That discomfort has a name, and it goes by remorse. Yet, who is truly at fault for the way that things have turned out? Laudon never encouraged Maggie to do the ritual. He is aware that she is pointing the blame at the wrong person. Neither wishes to be where they are right now, but it is much too late to turn back. They have no choice but to see this through until the end.

If not, total chaos will rain down upon Holloway until nothing and no one is left standing.

"Once the ritual has been initiated, by no power can it be undone," Laudon lies. His father is strong enough to cancel out the soul-binding spell that had been cast due to the faux ritual, but for Maggie's sake, the less that Lucifer knows about the unique girl, the better Laudon feels. "Something you need to understand, Maggie Brumfield, is that all of our actions have consequences, and whether we like it or not, those consequences must be dealt with if ever we wish to regain peace and normalcy."

"Regain peace and normalcy?" Maggie scoffs. "If you're trying to make me feel better, it isn't working."

Heavy footsteps abruptly sound off from outside, interrupting the conversation.

Entering the cave is its owner and, at one point in his life, Laudon's other babysitter—Myrlande. She is a beautiful woman who stands at an intimidating height, has unnaturally long limbs, and dark brown skin. She greets Laudon with a kiss on each cheek, speaking to him in a language only they can comprehend.

Walking beside Myrlande is a massive beast that is stacked with muscle and covered in short, dark fur. With a head shaped similar to the ancient saber-toothed cat, its teeth are long and thick, and its claws are equally as formidable. The beast shares the same color eyes as Myrlande and Laudon, and when they fall on the petrified face of the girl currently sitting on the examination table, they somehow get even darker.

"Myrlande, this is Maggie, the current bane of my existence," Laudon says, quickly getting introductions out of the way. "Maggie, this is Myrlande, the specialist you've incessantly inquired  about."

"I have been so eager to see in person the tiny girl who miraculously struck my darling boy." Myrlande gives Maggie a look over, then smiles. It is clear as day that Maggie is something other than human. Myrlande can feel it in the air. "At first glance, you look completely harmless. I cannot wait to see what secrets your sweet blood holds."

Taking Laudon by surprise, Maggie hops off the examination table and clutches her chest with both hands, panting harshly while breaking out in a light sweat. From the looks of it, she appears to be having a panic attack. Laudon has read enough about Ederial and God's toys that, by now, he ought to be an expert on them both. Keywords—ought to, since there is always something new to be learned.

"No one is out to harm you, Maggie." Laudon raises his hands in submission, trying to prove his point after Maggie cowers into one of the corners of the cave, Myrlande and her pet steadily closing in. "Please cooperate."

"Fear not, child. Atiko will not harm you unless you try to harm me," Myrlande says to Maggie, referring to her beast. "He is here for my protection, not your torture."

"I-I don't care. Just please... s-stay back!" Maggie eyes the exit. Laudon slowly moves to stand in front of it, as if he can tell what she is thinking. "I don't want to do this. Please don't make me do this," she pleads with Laudon. "I'm so scared."

"Maggie, I..." Laudon sighs, shaking his head. He has shown too much sympathy towards this girl. Showing any more will have others questioning his loyalty. Is he out to protect Hell's interests or this girl that he has known for less than forty-eight hours? "Myrlande, please act quickly."

Laudon steps back and chooses Hell.

"I promise to be swift, child." Myrlande inches even closer to Maggie, one hand carefully reaching towards her. Then the glowing happens. "Ah! How fascinating." Myrlande takes several steps back, hesitant about being on the receiving end of Maggie's strange powers. "I would like to see what the child can do." Myrlande snaps her fingers at Atiko. "Play."

Following orders, the beast launches forward to attack. It all happens so fast that Maggie doesn't have time to raise her hands and defend herself. She is yanked from the ground and thrown across the cave. Her body meets the rock wall with a harsh smack, knocking her unconscious. Laudon emits a loud, disapproving growl before racing to catch Maggie as she falls. He barely reaches her in time, then acts on reflex while checking for a pulse and broken bones.

"I would have gotten her to cooperate," Laudon snaps at Myrlande. "What you did was completely unnecessary!"

"My apologies, little prince." Myrlande laughs, unconcerned. "But you also saw her glowing hands. You are deranged if you thought I was going to chance it and let her strike me. At least now it will be easier to get a blood sample from her." Myrlande orders Atiko to retrieve Maggie, but Laudon threatens him away. "You are holding on to that girl as if you actually care for her," Myrlande teases, though part of her grows troubled with the sharp shift in Laudon's demeanor. "Do you?"

Laudon says nothing while rising from the ground with Maggie still in his arms. He carries her back to the examination table, scowling hard at Myrlande.

"I would have taken Atiko's head had he killed her," Laudon speaks calmly, making his threat all the more terrifying. "Hurry on with the test before I change my fucking mind and end you both."

Myrlande bows respectfully. "As you wish, my prince."