"I'm not sure it couldn't have been handled more gracefully but the end result is definitely one of the better you could expect."

"Well, an apocalypse does sound like a mildly inelegant method of setting up such a system." She pauses thoughtfully. "And somewhat underachieving in its aim given that humanity obviously survived. Uh, no offence. But that's simply how most of my non-human colleagues view an apocalypse."

"Well, in the long run they mostly seem to have adapted. The plan, I hear, was to win the war against the angelic forces and then enslave all of humanity and have the combined payoff of all of their souls. But that number was finite and now it's not; it's almost convenient enough that I'd suspect someone planned this."

"You did mention that the angelic forces failed to show up, which certainly makes a war a little difficult if one side is missing." She thinks for a moment. "Are you absolutely certain that it wasn't planned? It is rather convenient."

"I'm not certain, no, but it was before my time. My boss is one of the devils who's convinced angels are in fact real but he sometimes has trouble with the concept of 'flat space' so I'm not sure how much I should trust him."

"Thankfully my boss has managed to figure out flat space. Although he still occasionally manages to attempt something that he should know won't work. Lack of understanding of that concept does...perhaps lean towards a person less likely to have a proper grasp. Potentially the angels do exist and are unable to manifest themselves on your plane? I rather think they'd have less reason to do so than demons do?"

"Perhaps," she shrugs. "Whatever the explanation may be, no one's seen or heard tell of them. There are a few religious extremists living in bunkers who are sure the angelic forces will come anytime now but mostly people have gotten over it."

"...Well that seems like a complete waste of time that could be better spent being more productive or enjoying themselves. Religious extremists always did leave a sour taste in the mouth..."

"We're agreed there. I'm curious, though, what exactly is your world like with respect to this?"

"As a rule, religious zealots are not in fact aware of our existence. And frankly, those that are are far too interested in quoting Latin phrases at us and throwing holy water. The ones we have to watch out for are the people who've actually realised there are ways to kill some of us. And it isn't using a language high-level demons helped evolve."

She nods. "So the picture I'm getting here is—you just operate in secret and do—what, exactly?"

"Quietly rule the world of course," Jim says. "Seventy percent of all big business is run by demons, eighty five percent of politicians have some kind of deal going on. Although as a rule, demons who deal with politicians are considered scum even by our standards."

"And is there anything demons want as a rule that means you have to stay secret, or is it just that if people knew they'd panic?"

"People are, on the whole, irrational. And even if we...don't mean any...immediate harm to people, we can be quite an intimidating concept. If they have any grand plan, I am not at this time privy to it. Which leads me to believe it doesn't exist. My boss would forget board meetings if I didn't remind him."

At that she smiles a bit. "Seems like some things are constants of the multiverse, then."

"Either that or they're trying to avoid board meetings and pleading an inability to remember such 'trivial' details of mundane business."

"Which would be reasonable, I have a high tolerance for boring and even I find those to be pushing it."

"I don't disagree, but his last PA didn't keep him well organised enough. The board apparently started getting a little prissy about him skipping meetings. I don't want to have to field those phone calls."

"Oh, definitely, I don't let my boss miss any meetings."

"I'm not entirely sure whether or not he fired him or...well. Ate him," Jim muses. "But I do know he is definitely not employed anywhere in the business world I am aware of..."

"And yes. 'Let' is certainly not a word that comes into it when my boss decides that board meetings are not something he is attending."

"What does your company do, if I may ask?"

"We're mostly a holding company these days with a minor manufacturing division , although we are historically the parent company of seventy percent of the companies we hold stock in, and hold majority share in the other thirty percent of them and as such Mr Apollyon sits on the boards of them all. And the companies are diverse. Everything from tech to pharma."

"I see. And if 'let' doesn't apply, how did you solve the problem where he misses meetings?"