"Oh, so quick to jump to conclusions? That kind of bias certainly won't serve you well. And what I want is something that your friend here certainly has plenty to spare."

She turns to look at Lillian, an apology in her eyes.

"What do you want?" she asks, guardedly.

"Oh, just asking takes all the fun out of it - well, I suppose it'd be rude to continue prevaricating. A smidgen of blood. Certainly no more than a vial or two. You contain so much more than that."

“No. Not a chance.”

"...I don't think it'd actually hurt me?" She tries to think of magic someone could do with her blood - 

And, well, nothing that could hurt her.

It might effect souls, though, might change them or better them or even burn them - 

"What do you want it for?"

"Why, that would be telling, wouldn't it?"

"You don't know that it won't affect you."

"I think I would know if there was major magic that could be worked against me that way," Lillian says. "But I'm not giving anything away that'll hurt someone else." A pause. "And that includes by making them more palatable to this system's Judgement."

"Oh, you're an unusual one, aren't you," the devil says, clearly amused.

"There's got to be a safer way."

Every thing she's saying comes from pure worry. She just got Lillian, she doesn't want to risk losing her.

"It's no more blood than even a human could spare," the devil says in what is probably meant to be a reassuring tone. "But I'm afraid very few of us will be able to help you without recompense."

Lillian pauses for a moment, thinking, then, deceptively calm, "Is that related to what a certain devil was doing in the High Wilderness?" The more she thinks, the more she suspects - blood to exalt. A touch of the divine, which will destroy most souls outright, but some... That he's asking, they must not have gotten - any or enough - from her mother. She's not sure she trusts her mother.

She trusts the devil, trusts this system's Judgement, even less.

"You tell me what you want, you show me the souls you want exalted, and we'll skip the steps in the middle, how about?" she settles on. "But first: the one we're here to see."

"You can hardly expect me to keep your word," he says, mock offended.

Mildly, "We're at an impasse, then. And I suspect my word is worth more than yours."

Kim lets her take command, keeping a tight grip on her hand throughout.

"My lady, you wound me so," he says, hand over where his heart should be.

"How sad." She doesn't particularly look in the mood to play along.

He sighs theatrically. "Well, I suppose... But surely a compromise can be reached! A single soul to start, is all I ask. A down payment, of sorts."

She considers, then, "Very well. But I will judge this soul for myself."

He sweeps into a bow, then gestures behind him. "Right this way, my ladies."

Kim grits her teeth, but follows.

They're led through twists and turns, farther down into the bowels, where the devils don't bother with light. (Lillian starts glowing so Kim won't trip in the dark that closes about them.)

The soul is in a room, a little ball of light swirling about - 

That resolves into a memory of a girl.

She tilts her head, pulsing softly, and chirps, "Hi!" It's not quite sound, not quite a thought, more a knowledge of a voice that slithers into Kim's mind.

"A child? A little girl?" Kim sounds furious.

"The shape of the soul does not, actually, always reflect the person who held it last," the devil says, mildly, though he's eyeing Lillian's expression.

Fortunately for him, she's more focused on the girl.

"Hey there. I'm Lillian. Do you have a name you remember?"

"I got bunches! I like Louise best, that was this time's name! It's pretty. Lillian is pretty too! Are you a soul?"

"Pretty much! My soul is really big, though, so I don't need a separate shell for it."

"Cool! I don't like going in new shells, it feels bad, but the devils say I gotta if I wanna get bigger."

"That is the usual way of things! But I'm such a big soul, I get bigger on my own, and I could give you some of my bigness."

"Really? I wanna be super big! And glowy and bright!" She twirls, then a thought occurs to her. "Will you be my mama? Since you're helping me get big?"

Awwwwwwww.

"If you'd like," and then to the devil, "I'll exalt her, but she's not for this system's Judgement." This system's Judgement is not, oh, what's the phrase, long enough for this world to be having her anyways. (Lillian has never been furious like this before, and it burns in her chest).

"Surely you're not asking me to go against the way of things?" the devil asks, hand over his heart.

"If your superiors kick up a fuss, tell them that the Judgement" and a concept which is both a location and a thought, order perfect and eternal, "has claimed her, and if this system's Judgement cares it can send that one a message to complain." Lillian's sister is unfriendly enough to automatically side with her if she receives a complaint, Lillian hopes.

Kim watches, not really understanding what is happening, but gathering enough information to stare at Lillian, a little in wonder.

Lillian holds out her hand -