The far east side's filtration system's air duct is broken. There is a hole in it, leaking out into space. It's not the only one of its kind, but it is the latest. There are summoners already working to fix it. Adana wouldn't be much help. She keeps tabs on it, though - and she does the math in her head. After quite a lot of math, she realizes that with how much oxygen has already been lost, and with the cap on how much their hydroponics can produce...
Shuttles aren't due for another two months. There have been petitions for them to show up sooner, with supplies and extra O2 containers and places for refugees. They have been denied. Favoritism towards one colony over another would breach international treaties of fairness. Without it, they will probably reach the point where they don't have enough oxygen to support everyone. In such an event, administration might be forced to pick a district to - to stop breathing. Respectfully, with a thousand apologies, with all of their last wishes followed and all children evacuated from the area. The resulting casualties would be heroes. But dead they would be.
This is unacceptable.
Adana's a summoner, she does not have to stand for this. Fairies would be completely useless in the situation, and every summoner and their mother is summoning an angel to convert unnecessary items into plants or oxygen. She hopes it will be enough, she honestly does, but she's done more math and doesn't consider the percentage of it working high enough.
But there is another thing she could summon. Something that could just make air, or better yet - a space station or lunar colony that isn't lacking in as much funding as her pathetically run-down home of Bartalamos. She finds design specs from the space station Harmony, tweaks them a bit to shove aside the focus on 'science' and more on 'habitation' and adds lots and lots of places for hydroponics. She checks it over, twice, deems it to be better than Bartalamos, and then - then she is going to summon a demon.
Demons have a certain reputation about what they will trade their abilities for. To put it succinctly: a person's soul, or - certain sexual favors. Adana isn't sure if the soul thing is even possible, but she is not going to take the warnings lightly. She locks herself in her room with her specs and hammers out which is a better option: getting raped or losing her soul or possibly both, or hundreds of deaths.
Not a difficult choice.
She draws up the summoning circle shortly after, hands shaking. She is thinking of how to bind the demon to not speak unless it's about the contract, but then there's an announcement over the comm. It is about how every person on this colony has a duty to their fellows, and that if in the event that there must be a - Adana can't help but call it a slaughter - to save the lives of everyone else on the station... Then that is their duty, and they will be remembered.
Adana skips trying to bind what the demon says. She hasn't summoned a demon before and hasn't needed to with the angels or the fairies she's kept to, and looking it up would waste valuable time. If she's tempted out of her soul, fine, it's worth it, she'll give it up in a heartbeat if it means someone's mother or brother or uncle can keep living. She is careful about making sure the daeva can't get out or do anything that is not part of a contract they set. Nothing that she cannot get legally, nothing that is not hers - other lists. Other things, that she can't give up, that go into every summon.
(There is no clause that says, 'You cannot demand I have sex with you' or 'You cannot demand my soul' - Adana doesn't dare, not when the demon might say no.)
She finishes the circle. Then, shivering - she sends out the call to summons.
ask_nicely
"... Well. Is there anything you would like to do while you're here, or should I return you?"
from_scratch
"Man, I wish you'd summoned me a century and change ago, but now, nah, I'm good."
from_scratch
"Not exactly, but I would've wanted to get on a phone. Or possibly an airplane. They're dead now though."
ask_nicely
Right, that is a subject that he doesn't want to touch, got it. She nods.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped."
Adana sounds like she honestly means it.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped."
Adana sounds like she honestly means it.
ask_nicely
She nods. "Then if there's nothing else - may I put you back? I will probably summon you again, but there's no reason to keep you from your home in the meantime."
Also she wants to be sure that he can be put back safely. If he goes back and can't hurt her, then - then she supposes she can summon him for non-emergency situations. It might be a more long-term play, but at least once-summonings won't kill her and gives a net helpfulness. She knows who he is now, she doesn't have to worry about picking up demons that are terrible. So, no getting raped.
Also she wants to be sure that he can be put back safely. If he goes back and can't hurt her, then - then she supposes she can summon him for non-emergency situations. It might be a more long-term play, but at least once-summonings won't kill her and gives a net helpfulness. She knows who he is now, she doesn't have to worry about picking up demons that are terrible. So, no getting raped.
from_scratch
"You may. It has been lovely to meet you." He tucks the data stick into the pocket of those ludicrously perfect-fitting jeans.
ask_nicely
"Likewise," she says with a smile. "Thank you for your help. Have a lovely trip home!"
And then he is gone.
Right?
And then he is gone.
Right?
ask_nicely
Well, that means she can flop into a chair and shudder with relief. She is - she is not dead. She is in the same condition she was in when she summoned him, as far as she can tell, with an added space station and several hundred lives saved.
That is definitely a net gain.
She doesn't think she will make summoning demons a habit, but - perhaps just the one. Space stations are useful things to have, after all. There are probably other ways for an altruistic summoner with a helpful demon to help people. Adana will have to look into it.
That is definitely a net gain.
She doesn't think she will make summoning demons a habit, but - perhaps just the one. Space stations are useful things to have, after all. There are probably other ways for an altruistic summoner with a helpful demon to help people. Adana will have to look into it.
Here Ends This Thread