Something is reading over her shoulder.

She holds very still.

A gnarled hand clutching five battered tarot cards emerges from over her shoulder, and a voice like cracking branches gives the order: "Choose."

"...why?"

"It is the Law."

"...what. Since when? Law from where? Who wrote it? Who are you?"

"Since the beginning of time, when the Creator set down the Law of Shadopolis. We were created with the Law, its natural opposition."

"What's Shadopolis? What do you mean, natural opposition? I didn't ask when you were created, I asked who you were. Also I'd love to know why you're sta—crouching? On me."

"The new world. My world. We were created to oppose the Law. That is our purpose. That is who we are."

"If you oppose this 'Law' then why are you helping it along by making me choose whatever according to it?"

"Have you never obeyed a law that you hated?"

"...good point. So what is this Law?"

"It is the code that determines how my universe Is and Was and Shall Be."

"And it says you have to sit on my back and ask me to pick a card?"

"Not in so many words, no, but it leads inevitably to this conclusion."

"...care to elaborate?"

"No."

"Wow, so helpful. Is there anything else you can tell me about this Law?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me?" she asks, once it's clear the thing's not gonna elaborate.

"No."

"Why not?"

"The Law constrains me on some matters."

"What matters?"

"A great many."

"I asked what the matters were, not how many they were. Not that that would've answered that question, either."

The creature lets out a sigh. "Stalling."

"Stalling what?"

"The Choice."

The thing on her back has a smile in its voice. It smells of burning leaves and cracked asphalt.

"There's a time limit?"

"In a sense."

"What sense?"

"You have until you run out of questions."

"Really. Is that so." She doesn't giggle, because giggling at an evil shadow demon is unseemly, but. Running out of questions is not a thing that will happen anytime soon. "And what happens when I run out of questions?"

"Then I will choose for you."

"Of course you will. And what happens when you choose? Or I choose, for that matter? Please don't say 'it depends on the choice,' I'm asking if there's a general thing or something."

"You will awaken in a new world, possibly in a new body."

"What." Pause. "Your world? The one with the Creator and the Law and stuff?"

"Yes."

"When you said the Law existed since the beginning of time, was it the beginning of the time in your world?"

"Yes."

"Is it younger than mine? How long has it been around?"

"I don't know. Eight hundred years, give or take."

"...huh. Okay, that's just weird. Now, run out of questions, does that mean you have to answer all my questions, then?"

"No."

"Okay... are there any rules about you and questions I might ask, and if so, what are they?"

Because this shadow demon thing is being suspiciously helpful. Relative to what she'd normally expect, at any rate.

"I am obligated to answer any question about the Choice truthfully. I am not obligated to tell you what questions to ask."

"...well you're terribly helpful! Can I get pen and paper and write down questions and answers?"

"No."

"Not even if you're holding onto me all the time to make sure I won't run away?"

"Yes."

"Can you grab me pen and paper?"

"Yes."

The shadow stretches.

"...will you?"

"No."

The shadow sounds almost amused.

"Is there something I could say or do that would convince you to get me pen and paper so I could write down the questions and answers I make about the Choice?"

"I'm not required to answer that question."

Sigh. "Fine. Memory it is. So when I choose a card, I'll be transported to this world—Shadopolis place. Can my Mum come with?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's surprising but pleasantly so, I'll figure out all the nasty details later. Has it—never mind." (Has it occurred to you that maybe if you don't look and smell like an evil demon you might convince people to more readily accept making uninformed choices? is not a good question to ask an actually evil demon.) "So, as to the actual Choice, how does choosing affect—well, anything, really? What does choosing mean, how is choosing any one of these cards different than choosing another?"

"Different cards are different sacrifices for different kinds of power. They will control your status and strength in the new world."

"I see... So what does—no, that'll be a stupid question." She taps the first card from the left. "What does this one do?"

"It represents the sacrifice of your ability to express emotion, in exchange for precision and grace in all things you do."

"...that sounds like a crappy exchange, are all of them this crappy, this isn't a question, let's see. What exactly do you mean about this sacrifice? How does it come about, is it something wrong with like my muscles or my ability to actually express emotions, neurologically? Could I learn to act and express them like that?"

"Primarily, you would lose the capacity to naturally translate your emotions into body language. Though you would still feel happy, your mouth would not smile for you: you would have to deliberately, consciously direct your mouth to form a smile. This extends to every part of your body language: you would have to laugh deliberately, cry deliberately, and so on, and so on. Naturally, your conscious mind does not know innately how to smile or laugh or cry in a genuine way. Therefore, without an enormous amount of practice such expressions will be seen as fake by those around you."

The shadow smiles with its eyes. "In other words, you cannot genuinely express your emotions: you can only 'act happy' or 'act sad.' Those around you cannot know your actual emotions: they can only know what you choose to show them."

Sadde—

—doesn't actually look terribly bothered by that. "Alright, that's reasonable. And when you said grace and precision, that means... what, exactly?"

"Actions you take will be performed as you wish them to be performed. You will never trip, stumble, or otherwise function at less than your best. You do not have 'off days' anymore. If you can do what you attempt, you will do it."

"That's underspecified. Does that mean literally anything I can do? If I can, say, come up with a plan to take over the world and eliminate all creatures like you from it, will I be able to do it no problem?"

"No. You are still constrained by your actual skill level. You simply never underperform: whatever ability you do have will always apply to its fullest extent."

"Yes, I'm presuming coming up with a plan to take over the world is a thing I can do given enough time." Pause. "Because it is. So, supposing it is, does that count as an endeavour I will automatically succeed at? Supposing I need resources or knowledge for that but could come up, given time, with a list of the necessary resources and knowledge, would I automatically succeed at writing that list?"

Why, no, Sadde isn't cocky at all.

"If you have the capacity to write a plan to take over the world that would be successful, then you will be able to write one without flaws. The gift does not grant you additional skill - only the flawless expression of the skill you do have. Furthermore, you will not necessarily have the capacity to execute that plan, much as carpentry is a different skill from architecture."

"So if I have the acting skill to convincingly act like my expressed emotions, I'll be able to effectively overcome the sacrifice, won't I?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"...what are the practical obstacles to the implementation of that plan?"

"That level of acting skill is difficult to achieve, particularly if you are beginning from 'how do I smile.' "

"Will I also forget my current acting skills as they are?"

"No."

"But I presume the instinctive knowledge that props it up will be gone, alright. This looks tempting. Is there anything else you can tell me about this card?"

"Yes."

Sigh. "What else can you tell me about this card?"

"I am not required to answer such a broad question: such questions tread into the category of 'telling you what to ask.'"

"Of course. Let's see, you said something about my choice affecting my status and strength in the new world. What did you mean by that?"

"The cards determine your social class in the new world: for example, if you choose the Hanged Man, your family in the new world will be wealthy and powerful. As for strength, each card grants a different kind of power in the new world, wether that be precision, youth, magical competence, etcetera."

"Wait, family?"

"Yes?"

"...how exactly am I going to arrive to Shadopolis?"

"You will have been born there."

"Oh. That—okay. How does that work? Will I appear as a newborn with my memories or?"

"No, you will still be the same age as you are now. Only you will know that you came from somewhere else: as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you have always lived there."

"...will I have the memories of the alternate life I supposedly lived there?"

"No."

"Is there a way to get them? And if there is, what is it?"

"No."

"Right. So what status do I get from that card? What's my family like?"

"You will be from an upper-class family who are rich and powerful."

"Can you elaborate? How powerful and rich, where do the riches come from? Hmm I'm gonna need to ask about what society's like, too..."

"They are all very powerful and wealthy, but the source of wealth is not the same in all cases. They might be leaders of a criminal empire, or well-respected in the community."

"...is that chosen at random?"

"No."

"How is it chosen, then?"

The shadow grinds its teeth inside its lipless mouth. "You choose it."

"Is that so. Is there a list of options, or is my imagination the limit? And if there's a list, what is it?"

Yep, she's getting the hang of it.

"There is a list. It is a list of options for family background."

"You don't say! What are the options in the list?"

"A criminal family, a dignified family, a dark family, and an honoured family."

"What can you tell me about the criminal family?"

"They are the wealthiest of the families, and will provide you with an extra bodyguard, as well as a higher personal allowance per week."

"What else can you tell me about them?"

"They are comparatively not well-respected."

"What are all the things you can tell me about them that are relevantly different from the other families, including the nature of their criminal activities?"

"I am not obliged to answer that question."

"No. You aren't. What is the nature of their criminal activities?"

"I do not know."

"What is the composition and size of the family? As in, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, et cetera."

"I do not know."

Hmm... "Is the reason you do not know it that any of those details is at least partially up to me?"

"No."

Is it smiling? It's definitely smiling a little. It's hard to tell without a mouth.

Then again, maybe she should be happy that she can't see its teeth.

"...but is any of those details at least partially up to me?"

"No."

If it had lips it would definitely be grinning.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Because I enjoy denying you things that you want."

The 'smile' still hasn't gone away.

...well, that's better than the alternative in her head, namely 'I have thought of something you should ask that you're not.' In fact, she really doesn't care. "Is it one specific family or are there a pool of possible families and I'll be dropped in one?"

"The latter."

"Randomly?"

"Yes."

"Hm. How about the dark family?"

"What about them?"

"What does 'dark' mean?"

"Involved in the occult."

"And what is the occult?"

"The supernatural, particularly those aspects of it that deal with demons."

"What are the supernatural aspects of the new world? Creatures, demons, magic, et cetera?"

"There are us. There are those chosen by the cards. There are those who belong to the world. And there are the Creator's creatures. Magic is commonplace, and there are many types of demons."

"How many other people are chosen by the cards?"

"Some few. I need not tell you how many."

"Hmm. What exactly does the dark family dabble with? Does its money come from that dabbling? How does it come from the dabbling? Is it known to be dark? Actually is the criminal family known to be criminal? How rich is the dark family?"

"Half-demon magic. I do not know. As before, I do not know. Yes, yes, very."

...mental note: do not ask many questions in a row. "What's half-demon magic?"

"The power of demonic blood, intermixed with that of mortals. The inherited powers of half-demons."

"You're so helpful! Is there stigma associated with using half-demon magic? How much of it, if so?"

"Yes, and it's strong enough to be inconvenient: however, it's mostly found in the lower classes of society."

"That's unexpected. What exactly do the lower classes think of it? And the upper ones?"

"They think of Lilim as corrupt, greedy, dangerous people. Some of them are."

"What are Lilim?"

"Those of the Hanged Man card."

"I'd thought people wouldn't know we were from another world?"

"Yes."

"Sooo... how can people think of Lilim as anything if they don't know who's Lilim?"

"I didn't say they wouldn't know that you were Lilim."

"...what did you mean by 'those of the Hanged Man card'?"

"Lilim."

"What does 'of the Hanged Man card' mean?"

"You're repeating yourself."

"Am not! The very first time you used the phrase 'of the Hanged Man card' was when you said they were the Lilim, I had never used it nor asked about it."

"Stalling."

"I'm not, I'm asking a question relevant to my choice. I'm gonna rephrase it as, are you using the word 'Lilim' to refer to members of any of the families someone who chooses the Hanged Man card could end up in?"

"Yes."

"Is every member of one of those families a person who picked a Tarot card from one of you?"

"No."

"Alright. Ummm, what families have I not asked you about yet?"

"The Dignified and Honored families."

She schools her face not to show her glee that it actually answered, she had been half-expecting it not to, good. "What's a Dignified family?"

"They are known for modesty and refinement. You will be expected to be modest and refined as well. However, their good reputation should ease some of the Lilim stigma."

"What do you mean by modesty and refinement, and why are they known for that?"

"They are careful with their reputation. Cautious of scandal. Etcetera. You will be expected to know ettiquette, keep up with politics, and generally keep up a dignified public persona."

"And the last family?"

"An Honored one. Politically influential and well-known, with a good reputation. Not as well-regarded among the lower classes as the Dignified family, but much more well-connected."

"What's the political organisation there like, anyway?"

"I don't keep track of mortal politics."

"I mean, is it a monarchy, is it a democracy, how many countries are there, this kind of high level thing. Being politically influential means very different things under these different forms of government."

"The city is the city. There are no countries in the city, and no single ruler."

"...there is exactly one city in the whole world?"

"Yes."

"Just how large is this world? ...is it, like, a round planet like the Earth, or is—" She cuts herself off. She's not about to invide a mathematician's answer.

"Larger than your planet. Yes and no." 

"What do you mean?"

"It is a round planet, but it is not like the earth."

"In what way is it not like the Earth?"

"In what way is an apple unlike an orange? The differences are many."

"Okay, why is there only one city in the whole world?"

"The whole world is a city."

"...and it's bigger than the Earth? How many people are there?"

"I have not counted."

"Of course," she sighs. "Are there more things to know about this card?"

"Yes."

"Are all of these things related to the family I'll end up in?"

"No."

"Are some of these things related to the family I'll end up in?"

"Yes."

"Are there things I can choose about the family that we haven't talked about yet?"

"Yes."

"Are any of those things any aspect of the composition of the family?"

"Yes."

"Are there things I can choose about the family other than what we've already talked about and aspects of its composition?"

"No."

Hee!

"Can I choose family size? Or at least nuclear family size?"

"No."

"Can I choose family members?"

"No." 

The shadow rolls its shoulders with a sound like snapping wood. 

"Can I choose aspects of these family members?"

The shadow sighs. "No."

"What aspects of family composition can I change, then?"

"Their demonic bloodline."

"...aha. What bloodlines are there?"

"Umber, Grathas, Annique, and Blood."

"What are the differences between them?"

"Umber demons are shadowy creatures, strongly attuned to demonic magic. Grathas demons are hulking, wolflike abominations. Annique demons are metallic and attuned to lightning. Blood demons are the weakest of them all, and must feed on other intelligent species to survive."

"How does each bloodline affect the families?"

"All of them bear some legacy of their particular bloodline: for example, Lilim descended from Grathas demons have golden irises, while Umber bloodlines have purple hair. They also carry some of the innate strengths and weaknesses of their progenitors: Blood Lilim are incapable of using demonic magic, while Annique descendants are totally unharmed by electrical discharges."

"What are all the weaknesses and strengths of these bloodlines?"

"Umber and Grathas descendants are only able to call upon their bloodline powers for a limited time, but are able to take their true demonic forms - which are more powerful than the skills of the other bloodlines. Umber descendants have six limber tentacles in their demonic form and gain improved magical aptitude, while Grathas descendants become monstrous wolf-humans that are extremely physically powerful. 

Blood descendants are incapable of wielding demonic magic, and shunned as lesser by other demons, but are naturally telekinetic and highly intelligent. They are also slightly more charismatic than most. Blood descendants are unbothered by cold, but suffer more strongly in the heat. 

Annique descendants are obvious to others due to their metallic skin and hair, but are naturally extremely agile and immune to electrific discharges. They can throw bolts of lighting short distances, and anyone who attempts to lay hands on them without their consent will experience a serious shock." 

"Are there any other details you can tell me about these families and bloodlines?"

The shadow rolls its eyes. "Yes." 

It can rolls its eyes as much as it wants she will drain it of everything it knows.

"Are the details you can tell me about these families and bloodlines related to the weaknesses and strengths?"

"Yes."

"What other weaknesses and strengths do Umber descendants have?"