The Spider was there and she was everything she was described as and more.

“I am Llyr” The demon spoke with respect and gave her a small bow.

The Spider had quite the reputation and one should not anger her.

“Uh’huh?” she uttered with boredom in her tone.

“Greetings, Jorogumo” Llyr continued, calling her with the name the locals had given her.

“May I present you with a token of good faith.” he spoke and conjured a blue agate from the void. It was a rare, natural stone he had brought back from his own world before it had died. It was time for him to let it go.

“Just call me Yami” the demon spoke, eyeing the stone approvingly as her fingers did a small dance.

Slowly she turned her attention from the stone to the visitor; “I see you know my favourite colour… What is it you seek?”

“I have heard you are familiar with many Underworlds where souls are taken…” he began carefully, trying to judge her mood.

“Mm, yes… Especially the dark ones, those are my favourites. ♥” As she spoke, her arms snaked around with such fluid movements, Llyr couldn’t help but follow them with from the corners of his eyes.

“But you are stalling. Cut to the chase.” She rested one of her hands on her knee.

“I’ve come to you, because I want to find the valkyrie that took someone.”

One of Yami’s left hands twitched on the armrest; “Someone important to you, I venture? How borish…”

“Yes… She took her in a wood half a world away from here, some time ago… I need to find her”

It had taken the demon a good while to bury himself so deep the Clan could not find him, and then look for the Spider. Rumours of her entwined like a spider’s web, but choosing the right thread to follow to lead to her had been difficult.

“Ahh, that valkyrie” she spoke dreamily, familiar of the events that had transpired.

She knew her??

“Finding her would be easy through her husband.”

Yami’s arms seemed to each have a mind of their own as they moved.

“Her… husband?”
“Yes, go through him and you’ll find her… But really why bother.”
“…?”

This demon… she spoke as if she was dreaming, as if nothing touched her, as if nothing mattered.

“You already know she was taken by a Valkyrie… so just forget her and go straight to the gatekeepers.”
“I can not pass through the gate if I am not dead.” And Llyr wasn’t planning on dying anymore.

The Spider tilted her head to the side, not making eye contact with Llyr, “Who says you need to pass? You could just talk to them.” She played with her hair.

Llyr was silent. He had been so focused on actually waltzing in there with the Valkyrie and bringing Tanith back, that he had not realized he didn’t have to go in before he had all the information he needed, and knew exactly where she was.

However,” Yami continued in her monotone, “I cannot guarrantee either of them being co-operative… the older one perhaps, if he is in a good mood. But the other one is… boring.” she mumbled out the end of her sentence, falling back into her own thoughts.

Llyr bowed slightly again; “I thank you, Spider. You have given me what I needed.”

And with that, he left, his claws tapping on the floor of her lair.

How dull, she thought.

But she had gained a new gem into her ever growing collection, and it was otherwordly, too.