It wasn't terrifically often that Lucius found his work finished before supper, so he was quite pleased with the opportunity to spend the evening relaxing. Given that he spent most nights tapping pen to paper as his meal went cold, it was a welcome break from routine. Today, though, he'd managed to finish up the day's docket of essays before dusk, and he'd managed to finish proofreading them
just
before the sun had crept below the horizon. That meant he had the night off, and he could spend it
however
he chose. Some night-reading was in order, Lucius decided with a smile as he set his pen aside. Oh, and he'd just bought that primer on Western languages! What a treat, he'd
finally
be able to crack that open and actually
read
something for once.
So he got his soup, he got his curdbread, and he set them down on the side-table next to his favorite armchair. Then he got a glass of wine, too, because he really did this
far
too infrequently, and prepared t-
Someone knocked at the door.
Lucius shut his eyes and sighed through his nose, halfway through sitting down. Then he stood up, smiled, and made his way to the foyer! No sense in letting one
minor
interruption spoil the night! He'd just take care of whatever his visitor wanted and begin his reading.
Someone knocked at the door again. Bit
impatient,
apparently.
But it was only a few moments more before Lucius reached the front door, and he opened it with a smile. "Hello! Is there-" He blinked at nothing, then he looked down. Oh. His guest was quite a bit shorter than he'd expected, some squat, robed figure, their hood pulled up and their form almost wholly concealed. But no matter, no matter at all. "Is there something I can help you with?"
His guest seemed to perk up, and from beneath their hood, he could see glittering white teeth bare in a grin. "Aha! Yeah, one second!" She -- for that kind of bubbly, chirping voice could only be a young woman's -- reached into one of her robe's pockets and pulled out a letter. "I've got a-" The smile seemed to vanish as she thrust it up at him. "A what's-the-word. A commission for you!"
Lucius blinked down at her and narrowed his eyes.
She was silent for a moment. She pushed the letter towards him a bit more insistently. "Ah, sorry. That means, ah. 'A thing I want you to write.'"
Lucius leaned in just a tad, his smile long since faded. "Yes, I'm quite aware what a
commission
is, my dear. I, however, do not
accept
commissions. Have a lovely night."
He began to shut the door, but his insistent visitor jammed a leg in his way and waved the letter with a bit more urgency. "What! But hold on, ain'tcha that famous writer?"
Lucius sighed and opened the door a bit, if only so her leg wouldn't get wedged in its way. "This is the residence of Lucius Manson, yes, and while you may be
speaking
to him, I hope you're not so bold to assume-"
"Oh!" That seemed to catch his visitor off-guard, but she took it in stride. With a shake of her head and a shrug, the insistent caller laughed. "No, no, no. See, the commission isn't for
Lucius
." Her tone took on a note of smug superiority, and instead of trying to push the letter into Lucius' hands, she waggled it in front of him.
"It's for
Scratch
."
Lucius' eyes went wide, and his blood ran cold. "Get in!" He hissed after a moment of silence, opening the door just enough for her to squeeze in. After she'd done so, tittering all the while, Lucius poked his head out, looked to see if anyone had bore witness to the exchange...before
shutting
the door behind him.
...And
bolting
it for good measure.
His visitor had apparently made herself quite at home, because the first thing Lucius saw when he turned around was her robe, discarded in a pile on the floor. With a little huff, he picked it up and folded it. Oh, of
all
the things that could've happened tonight, it had to have been
this
.
"Hurry up, Scratch! We've got
business
to discuss!" She called from the sitting room, and from the loud,
obnoxious
sounds of her lips smacking, Lucius realized he only had a few moments more before his curdbread would be gone!
"Just
what
do you think you're
doing-
" Lucius squawked as he turned the corner, furious already. Then his ire sputtered to a halt.
Perched in his armchair, dipping a piece of curdbread in his soup and gleefully flipping through his book, was the most
strikingly
attractive young lady he'd ever seen. Her skin was smooth and pale, but with a touch of peach-blush just under the surface that spoke of warmth. Her green eyes glinted with mischief, set above a button nose and a cute, dimpled smile. Her blonde hair was cut short and charmingly tousled, and-
Well, there was no easy way to say it.
Her breasts were
enormous
. More than enormous, they were
distractingly
massive on her slender frame. The rest of her was thin and lithe, and then she had these two fat, jiggling
tits
jutting out. The simple, white dress she wore was stretched to the point of
scandal
by her bust, and they seemed almost
preternaturally
perky.
Oh, and she had horns, wings, and a tail, too, but those
tits
had Lucius' jaw dropping.
She looked up from the book and grinned at Lucius. "Finally decided to show up, mm?"
"Buh."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. Oh!" She hopped up from her seat, fluttering to the ground slowly. "Beg your pardon, I didn't even introduce myself! Rude." With that, she dipped low into a curtsy, bowing just enough to give Lucius an even better view of her ponderously deep cleavage. "Mariana, prima veles of the Seventh Legion of Hell."
"Pleasure to meet you," Lucius murmured, gawking rather indecorously at her chest. Before he straightened up and went pale in the face. "Hell?! Wait, wait, wait, what's this commission for if it's coming from
Hell?!
"
Mariana straightened up with a bounce and a giggle. "Oh, re-*lax!* It's not anything serious! Here-" She plucked the letter from thin air and offered it to him. "Open it up and read it!"
Lucius hadn't been able to see it before, but goodness if the wax seal on the envelope didn't menace in Stygian black. A seven-pointed star seemed to glow in its center, and as he took it in shaking hands, he wondered if it was really wiser to even
open
the damn thing over casting this literal devil out.
Then Mariana's breasts pushed up against his back as she fluttered over his shoulder, eager to see her delivery accepted. "C'mon, open it, open it!" She chirped, bouncing against him in her glee.
Lucius couldn't help it at that point. He was only a man, and it was
only
a letter. With a gulp, he broke the seal and -- after confirming his face hadn't melted off or suchlike -- took the missive from the envelope. One small relief was that it was written in Southern script over Infernal, but he supposed that it'd be easier to refuse a request matter in the latter over the former. Doing his best to focus on the letter instead of the precocious devilette squirming against his back, Lucius read.
Msr. Lucius Manson, known otherwise as Scratch,
It is our sincere wish that this letter finds you in good health and good fortune, whether the source for either or both be Infernal or no.
We must beg your pardon for the unusual circumstances of our correspondence and the inquiry conveyed therein, but we were compelled to contact you such that we might announce -- or at the very least offer up -- our patronage. It shames our character and your penmanship that we first doubted your talent, but having just finished Love In All Manners Baroque, we now see that yours is a tongue touched by the Muses.
It is owing to this that we humbly request the chance to support your future endeavors, with but one stipulation upon your next work. Make no mistake, we thoroughly enjoyed the way infatuation bloomed lustily into adoration in Love In All Manners Baroque. However, we did selfishly wonder how the work could be further enhanced if Baroness Jaunteton was possessed of more immediately Devilish qualities.
In the interest of keeping things shorter rather than longer, we would be overjoyed if your next novel featured a romance between a Human and a Devil.
Sincerely and with the Utmost Adoration and Appreciation,
Her Carnal Majesty, Queen Jesebella Liliana Carmilla, Voluptuary of the Northern Spires, Dread Empress of Mesmeric Sense
Lucius downed his glass of wine in one gulp and went to pour himself another.
"What-" Mariana fluttered behind him, hands balled up into fists. "Hold on, you read the letter, didn't you?!"
"Yes, I read the bloody
letter
." Lucius hissed, replacing his drink. Down it went, with yet another in its place. "Pray-" He whirled about to shrug grandly at Mariana, wine bottle sloshing. "What's the
protocol
for refusing a Devil's request that you write
pornography
for her?! Can I use
paper
or do I have to use
vellum
made of a
black goat's skin?!
"
Mariana's eyes went wide, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. For a moment, she was silent. Then she leaned in and smiled wide. "