Cora sighed at the black cat. "A Frankensteinian masterpiece, you say?"

At this point, nothing about the In Between or its many strange inhabitants seemed to surprise her anymore.

In dark tones, Cerberus murmured, "My sweet, might I propose that we return the pieces of this creature's disembodied souls to their rightful owners by severing him into thirds? The head for the cat's soul, the body for the man's soul, and the tail for the witch's soul. It is a rather ingenious idea, wouldn't you say?"

Luna hissed in outrage. Noctis glared as though he wished Cerberus dead.

Cora shook her head adamantly. "Absolutely not, Cerberus! How could you even suggest for us to take part in such a gruesome act?"

He arched a sardonic eyebrow. "Do enlighten me, then, Cora dear, how are you planning to sort out these walking, talking aberrations? Beings as muddled as this black ball of fur and his fluffy white companion should not exist in any realm known to man, spirit, or demon!"

Noctis growled in protest. "How dare you describe us in such a repulsive manner! Luna and I are not aberrations! Your words are most hurtful, you red-eyed heathen!"

A pensive look settled over Cora's face. "You know, Cerberus, perhaps you were on to something, after all. I apologize for writing you off in such haste. Although, instead of partitioning Noctis' physical form into three parts, I wonder if it would be possible to remove the individual pieces of Theodore and Circe's souls from his feline form and then somehow return them to their rightful homes in a less, ah... bloody and violent manner?"

Cerberus's crimson eyes grew wide. "What you're suggesting is an extraction and transferral of souls. Such a complex and demanding task would require its handler to have a very firm grasp over the inner workings of dark magic."

Cora wrinkled her nose. "Like... a witch?"

"Yes, like a witch."

"Then, it appears we must find a witch who would be willing to do this for us!"

Cerberus rolled his eyes. "Do you not see the fallacy in your proposition? The only witches powerful enough to execute this sort of spell are the very same ones who put it in place. I highly doubt that either of us would be able to convince the witchy ones to do our bidding."

Cora frowned. She refused to give up. "Surely, in a universe as vast and infinite as ours, there must be another otherworldly creature who might be able to perform this task for us? A demon, perhaps?"

Cerberus coughed. His cheeks pinkened slightly. "I do not know what you are talking about, my sweet! Demons are quite a different breed from witches, you know."

Cora took a step towards him. Suspicion flashed across her brown eyes. "I rarely see you blush over anything, Cerberus... I feel as though you are keeping something from me. Out with it, please!"

Cerberus averted his gaze. "No."

"Tell me!"

"Why would I tell you anything when there is nothing in it to gain for me?"

Cora scoffed in annoyance. "What is it with you and your obsession with forging deals and making exchanges?"

Noctis spoke up. "Do not trust him, Caroline! He is a fiend!"

Luna seemed to second this statement with a fervent mewl of her own.

Cerberus bared his fangs in a toothy smirk. "Well, I am a demon, after all. Perhaps... we could make another deal, then? In exchange for the information that you so covet from me?"

She eyed him warily. "My soul is already bound to yours in debt. What more do you want from me?"

He giggled wickedly and tapped at his cheek with a clawed finger. "A kiss. Right here."

Now it was Cora's turn to blush. She stammered, "What? How c-could you request such a thing from a lady? I-I am most offended—"

Her flustered demeanor only seemed to entice him further. Cerberus' feral grin widened. "But I know just the demoness who might be able to help us resolve that frazzled puss' state of discord. I cannot guarantee that she will answer my call, but I could try to summon her for us..."

"Truly? Swear that you are not lying to me, Cerberus!"

Cerberus bowed his head in a most gentlemanly fashion. As he tilted forward, Little Cora nearly toppled over his shoulders. He hoisted her back in position.

"I swear on the Flames of Belphegor that I tell the truth."

Cora glared as her cheeks continued to burn. "Oh, very well! I suppose a sisterly peck on the cheek is not too much to ask in exchange for... this demoness you speak of!"

Noctis howled and lamented, "Oh! Oh! Oh! This is a most terrible idea! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?"

Cora shuffled towards Cerberus. His crimson eyes were transfixed on her every move. Cora stumbled over her own feet. His hand reached out to catch her, to steady her. He didn't remove his hand right away. Cora glanced up at Cerberus. Their faces were mere inches apart.

Oh, goodness gracious. Why had she never noticed how very attractive he was?

The shape of Cerberus' heavy-lidded eyes were slightly downturned, and, despite the blood red coloring of his pupils, their soulfulness emitted a dreamy, almost sensual, aura that suddenly captivated her. His nose and cheekbones were perfectly sculpted, and he possessed a strong, defined jaw that made him unmistakably and beautifully male in her eyes.

Cora's heart beat wildly as she closed her eyes and leaned over to brush her lips across Cerberus' right cheek. Her touch upon his skin was featherlight, but it sent an unexpected jolt of pleasure throughout her body. Her eyes flew open as she leapt away from Cerberus.

His cheeks were flushed as well, and he was grinning like a loon.

Cora cleared her throat and attempted to gather her wits about her. "There. I-I did it. Can you please fulfill your end of the bargain now?"

Cerberus sighed dazedly, happily. "Hmm?"

"You said that you might be able to summon a demoness? To help us?"

"Oh, yes," he grunted in distracted tones. "I did say something along those lines now, didn't I?"

She nodded. "You did."

Suddenly, Cerberus' demeanor shifted. His frivolity and mischief faded in an instant. A taut, focused bearing took its place. He closed his eyes and held out his hand palm-side up. With a flick of his wrist, an indigo colored flame appeared upon his palm. After muttering a strange guttural-sounding chant under his breath, Cerberus clenched the flickering flames in his fist and thrust it to ground at full force. The fire burst in a shower of bluish sparks and smoke.

When the smoke cleared, a woman with a strikingly voluptuous figure appeared before them. She was beautiful in a mesmerizing and somewhat frightening way. Her long devil-black hair trailed down to the floor like spilt ink, and she possessed a face that appeared as sinister as it was sweet.

Her golden snake-like eyes glimmered like jewels as she cooed coyly in Cerberus' direction, "How very lovely of you to call upon me, Cerberus. It is so good to see you again after all this time..."

Cora couldn't help noticing that the demoness was looking at Cerberus as though the hellhound was a midnight snack that she might want to nibble on. For some reason, this thought didn't sit well with Cora. She scowled.

Cerberus glanced at Cora, then to the woman, then back at Cora again. His eyes narrowed shrewdly. If possible, his fanged grin grew even wider.

With a smug, knowing smirk, he draped an arm around Cora and announced to her in unabashedly gleeful tones, "My sweet, I am pleased to introduce you to Nahemah. She happens to be a succubus who is rather well versed in the dark arts, and I know her very, very well."