THE MOMENT
Fred's impatience simmered while he waited. He assumed the demon's extended absence was a negotiation tactic; but, that didn't mean it wasn't working. Finally, after an hour, a plume of sweet, red smoke erupted in mid-air and Fred jumped to his feet. The fact that it wasn't the demon he tried to bargain with didn't surprise him; the spindly, red-skinned man had said he was going to 'escalate the issue'. However, Fred assumed he'd meet Satan himself, or at least someone that looked more demonic than a man with a skin condition in a suit.
But, once the smoke cleared, Fred found himself in the company of a pale teenage girl with long, snow-white hair and glowing red eyes. It was her mysterious eyes, along with appearing from nowhere, that sold Fred on her Hellish credence.
"Hello, Mr...," the slight pause would have been imperceptible if she didn't also choose that moment to give him an amused smirk. "..Fredrickson. My name is Rhapsody; I'm sorry to say that we cannot accept the bargain you're offering. But, we would still like to work with you; do you have anything else in mind?" Fred shook his head, he wasn't going to give up just because a different person told him no.
"So, what's the point of escalation if you're going to tell me the same thing that other schmuck told me?" He held up the ancient, red-leather book he found to remind her he had it. The demon offered to take it with him to help plead his case; but, Fred wasn't an idiot. He wasn't going to let the book out of his sight. "I read this book cover to cover a dozen times. There's no rule anywhere in it that specifies I have to own what I'm trying to trade. Thanks to this, I know how Hell works and you have to follow written contracts TO THE LETTER!" he whined.
"That may have been true in the past," Rhapsody nodded. "But, Hell is always evolving to serve the needs of our clients. That book is outdated by quite a bit, there are new rules and regulations in place; particularly when it comes to trading things on behalf of others. That was abused too many times and we no longer honor 3rd party deals."
"Well, isn't that convenient?" Fred grumbled while looking into her glowing red eyes.
"Not really, no," Rhapsody shook her head. "But, Ms. Sharp insists that the client's well-being takes priority in all our deals."
"Who the hell is Ms. Sharp?" Fred asked. But, he shook his head as soon as the question left his mouth. "Who the hell are you for that matter? I want to talk to someone in charge, where's Satan?"
"Ms. Sharp is the founder and owner of Sharp Development; I am her daughter," Rhapsody said. "You are talking to someone in charge, Hell is operated by Sharp Development. I can bring Satan in if you'd prefer to deal with her; but, Satan works for me. And, no one from Hell will honor the deal you're trying to arrange."
"I thought 'the client's well-being' was supposed to take priority!" Fred found a new angle to work from. "I need to make this deal!" Rhapsody grinned.
"Technically, you're not a client until we make a deal," she answered.
"NOTHING IN THIS BOOK SAYS I CAN'T MAKE THIS DEAL!" he brought the book up and held it inches from her face. Rhapsody sighed and peered around the book at him.
"May I see it?" she asked with an open hand. Fred placed the book in her hand eager for her to realize the truth. She took the book in both hands and opened the cover. Her eyes glowed brighter as the pages began turning themselves. The sheets magically flitted over one after the other and she was done reading it in less than a minute. She closed the book and returned it to Fred with a nod.
"You're right," she said. "There's nothing in that book that says you can't make this deal. But, don't you think it's kind of disingenuous to try and do business based on loopholes of things not specified?"
"Disngenous!??" Fred laughed. "YOU represent HELL!"
"I admit, it has a certain reputation that Sharp Development is trying to improve," Rhapsody nodded.
"I don't care! I want an easy life and you're going to honor my deal!"
"Mr. Fredrickson...," Rhapsody replied with a flat voice. "...I can see this is something you're passionate about; but, Hell is unable to offer you any 3rd party deals," Fred deflated. But, reinvigorated in the next instant when she continued. "However, you've struck a particular chord with me. There is no rule that says I can't make a private deal, after all."
"Yes?" he asked with hope in his voice.
"But, I need you to understand what you're asking for. You're deliberately pushing a non-existent loophole to try and get your way. You're trying to cheat, not only Hell; but the proper owner of the soul you're trying to trade away. Are you comfortable lying your way to an easy life?"
"I don't care about any of that," Fred shook his head. "This book doesn't specify-"
"I got it already," Rhapsody interrupted him. "I can't accept that soul, period. Not for Hell, not as a side deal; but, you've made a case for yourself, and I just want this interaction to be over. So, here's what I'm offering. You give me that outdated book so I can dispose of it properly and you get a nice easy life."
"Now we're talking...," Fred said. It wasn't that he was trying to get rid of someone else's soul; he just didn't want to give up his own for the life of his dreams. And once he made a deal, he wouldn't need the book anymore. "But, let's get specific; what do you mean by 'easy life'?"
"You won't have to worry about money, or food ever again. You'll be able to do anything you want all day, every day. Do you accept?"
"Yeah, see? That's all I wanted; it wasn't that hard was it?" Fred chuckled as he shook Rhapsody's hand and handed the book over to her.
"You've been more trouble than I'd have liked," Rhapsody nodded. "You're kind of an ass." But, as Fred watched her, she seemed to start growing suddenly. His hands felt odd as if his fingers were stuck together. And, he became acutely aware of more and more body hair. He was too distracted by the strange sensations that it took him an extra moment to notice she insulted him. He wanted to defend himself; but, an unexpected sound came out of his mouth.
"BARK!" Confusion rushed through his mind and he tried to voice it. "BARK! RUFF!" Rhapsody smiled at him as a plume of red smoke began to grow around her.
"Someone will be along shortly to take you to a nice pound where I'm sure a very loving family will adopt you and give you the life of your dreams," Rhapsody said. "You really should have been more specific. But, alas, there was no rule that said you couldn't be a dog for your easy life."