FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 6: On the Rocks

11:00pm, The Alghul Villa

Aisha stared at the man sitting across from her, scrutinizing him with sharp, dubious eyes. He gazed back at her without a single glimmer of concern. Several moments passed like this before Caster, who had been leaning on the bar, stood up and walked around the counter, taking a seat beside his new Master and turning the seat to face her with one leg crossed over the other. She turned her chair as well, though not to the same extent. Her scowl solidified at his sudden attempt to control the situation.

"Oh?" A smirk danced across his wry lips, "You don't mind, do you? You can't expect me to just stand there forever after all."

She looked away from him and took a long sip of her wine, perhaps the only positive thing to have come from her servant so far.

"You are very right, Caster. I... apologize for my behavior."

This was a lie of course, but she needed to get the conversation on track.

"Oh, it's fine, dear. Sensible people tend not to be very fond of me."

Aisha found herself unnerved by the illogical yet hyper-intelligent nature of the creature now sitting next to her. He knew well that his little act earned the ire of his Master and yet he maintained the ruse. He seemed to openly invite her hostility with some kind of glee.

'What an insolent creature!'

-is what she would've liked to say, but she could assume that this familiar was a powerful entity, and she knew that she needed to learn to work with him if she wanted to have any hope of victory. Even now, it was already a war of minds: two cunning individuals attempting to manipulate the other. Though angry, she couldn't help but feel some excitement at the idea of earning the service of Caster by slowly pulling him under her thumb.

Patience would be key.

She pushed her anger down and allowed her face to fade to as much of a neutral, business-like expression as she could muster, attempting to make clear that the past moments were now behind them- not that she had forgiven him in any capacity.

"I am Aisha Alghul, head of the Alghul mage family, and your Master. As you have already seen," her words strained somewhat as she recalled her embarrassment, "I specialize in necromancy. I am also the one responsible for organizing the war you are now taking part in."

His smile grew as his eyes narrowed, "You organized this war?"

"Is that so hard to believe? Is it because I'm a woman that you doubt my capabilities?"

He laughed, "Of course not, of course not. On the contrary, the best mages of my time were powerful witches-"

Aisha cringed internally. 'Witch', in her line of work, was usually an insult. An insult often applied to her by various sorts of people who she called fools.

"-It's just interesting to have a Master with such a deep understanding of the war's machinations."

Caster turned to the window, and his expression shifted somewhat. With his free hand, he gestured to the fourth wall, "Do you see the lights out there, Aisha?"

She looked out the window-wall and saw what Caster was referring to. The city lights below were flickering sporadically. Her brow furrowed.

"You did that, you know."

Aisha turned back to Caster with a certain level of awe, understanding Caster's deeper meaning, though she couldn't tell whether he had intended for her to pick up on it or if he had implied it for his own amusement.

Her head turned with both curiosity and concern, "What do you know that I don't?"

He clicked his tongue, "You do know who I am don't you?"