'"Yes, d-dear."

"So I notice that in this plan, you don't get to see me kill a guy. I'm not signing anything where you get to make me kill anyone. And even if something comes up where I do it anyway? I don't have to let you see.

"You wanna see me kill someone?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't say n-no to seeing that."

"Oh, it's not a gift, it's a trade offer. How much do you want it?"

"Nowhere near as much as I want a week with you, but I'd offer some ho-hostages."

"No, I'm not playing for some of the hostages. We figure out something you want enough to let them all go with no followup funny business where you go catch more people later, or no deal. You have my attention and you will lose it the second I think you being able to get my attention is hurting people more than it's helping them."

"Perhaps if I got to ch-choose who you would kill."

"Oh, I was thinking you, was that not clear?"

The terrified man really really can't pull off a chuckle, but his body gives it its best try anyways.

"Well I am n-not so eager to d-die as to accept that offer j-just yet."

"Well, you can keep me on the phone a bit longer if you want to read off your proposed contract or come up with an alternative offer."

The hostage can read the proposed contract. May and Lianelle would be left in Sakir's care for a week, during which Sakir would abstain from causing permanent harm, with magic or otherwise, to either. Lianelle would be forbidden from using her champion abilities during that week, and May forbidden from using her magic. At the end of the week Sakir would abdicate, allowing May to gain the Spring and resurrect Sakir with a similar clause prohibiting permanent harm to Sakir.

"You wanna define 'permanent harm'? - this also only really makes sense if you and me are the last ones standing."

There's a definition of permanent harm further down - it's a pretty reasonable definition and covers, among other things, injuries, disability, ongoing magical effects, or unrecoverable trauma. Temporary infliction of any of the above during the week in question would be permitted, but it would have to be confined to that week (except for the trauma, which can last longer but should not be so extreme as to count as a disability).

"As for the remaining summoners - the pair of you contributed to two of them and I got three - well, one of the three I have leashed but he can be disposed of whenever n-necessary. Leaving just us re-remaining."

How does it adjudicate cases where she could play it safer on the unrecoverable trauma but is in genuine uncertainty about some trauma's recoverability?

...how is she talking through this guy. Magic, presumably, but - what if she wants to let the lady hear her but not the guy - "Leashed, you say."

She would have to refrain from trauma when she is uncertain about the recoverability.

There's no response when she asks her question while preventing the guy from hearing what she said.

And a tick of backlash, quickly swept away by where she's touching Lianelle. Ah fuck. "Leashed, you say," she repeats, letting the guy hear her and not the supervillain.

"Yes d-dear."

She turns so Lianelle can't see her face. "What does that mean."

"It means he'll do what I want him to."

"With one of those contracts or something else?"

The man hmms awkwardly.

"Something else."

May glances down at her notes on the contract proposal.

"Anything else you want to cover before I give this a think?"

"W-would you like me to release my hold on this man l-long enough for h-him to beg if he w-w-wanted to?"

"Wow, you are deeply fucked up. I'll call back unless I decide I can just assassinate you, bye." She hangs up.

"Well, she doesn't seem good at all."