Red silk folds rippled around her lightly tanned skin as Petra reclined into a velvety white love seat in her elegant two-piece pajamas. She was propped up on one arm, with a heart shaped green sucker bobbing in and out of her mouth by way of her free hand.

A clear screen hovered in midair feet from where she lay. Her eyes scanned the lens with a devilish grin curling around her sugary lips.

A bald man, her escort, stood like an obedient servant near the doorway of the all-white room. His eyes studied his mistress, but whenever her gleeful gaze flickered towards him he pretended to have been staring into the opposite wall.

"You're dying to ask." Petra gave a girlish giggle and rolled over onto her back on the white love seat. Her head and long train of black hair fell back over the edge of the cushions as she looked playfully towards her rigid, on-guard escort.

He looked straight towards the opposite wall instead of at her upside down grin and the way that her red silk pajamas were falling forward just enough to show a glimpse of her slim stomach.

"I'll tell you. Since you're too shy, always too shy." Petra giggled. "Kim Namjoon of Noon Mool is coming for a visit today. And he's bringing me a present." She gave a girlish squeal. "He really knows the way to a girl's heart."

Then Petra delicately rolled backwards off of the white couch and landed with an effortless spring in the ankles onto her bare feet. She pivoted and walked towards her bald, mute escort, with that devilish grin still playing about her ruby red lips.

When she stood in front of the short bald man, a proper laugh escaped her as she saw the hint of a black ghostly gleam shifting over his eyes.

Petra clapped her hands together two times in enthusiasm. "I just love getting what I want."

____

Shae's hands wrapped a little tighter around Joon's stiff arm, and they walked into the meeting room.

Blinding white light met them. And more white: walls, ceiling, floors, hairy rug, elegantly curled armchairs and sofa, empty picture frames of all shapes and sizes hanging rom the walls. All of it was a sterile, perfect white.

All except for Petra. She slid from the sofa where she'd been reclining, her silky red pajamas fluttering around her slender frame, vibrant red like fire but free-flowing like water. Her long black hair was twisted into a messy knot on the top of her head, and both her lips and her fingernails were coated with a ruby red. Her eyes were sharp, delighted, beautiful and terrifying.

Shae swallowed.

"Come in, come in. Do take a seat." Petra gestured to the sofa upon which she'd just been reclining. Her eyes fluttered over Shae and Joon as they walked forward in response. Once standing in front of the sofa, Kim Namjoon let Shae's arms unfold from his, and he stretched out a hand for her to take as she sat down in a careful and ladylike manner.

Joon didn't sit.

"Did you forget that you were expecting company?" Joon asked, his eyes flickering to the silk pajamas Petra so shamelessly wore to receive them. He already knew the answer.

"Of course not, I've been looking forward to this treat ever since the gala. Oh, and what a time that was! I've been DYING to ask you--how did you punish your escorts after the fact? Such naughty girls." Petra clicked her tongue, but her tone of voice was more excited than disapproving.

Kim Namjoon didn't mean to betray a hint of surprise in his face at the question, but he did.

"You don't KNOW, do you? That right after Hoseok knocked you out for those dreadful five minutes, he tucked tail and ran off to board the same ship as your dear, sweet escorts? I'm most certain they all left together."

Joon scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"Ah, math is something that I'm good at, Joonie boy." Petra slid forwards and let her hands fall collectively onto the front of his chest. He kept his arms folded, guarded, but he didn't push her away.

Petra went on beneath her smile, "Hoseok plus one. Did you ever sort out who his white flag escort was? No?"

Lilith. Joon was determined not to let the recognition show on his face. "Didn't we come to discuss a deal? Not idle gossip?"

Petra's thumbs curled into the front collar of Joon's midnight blue shirt, caressing the fabric between her fingers. "We did indeed."

She gave Joon a push. He let himself slide backwards into the sofa next to Shae, bracing one hand off of the armrest as he did so.

"Shae, dear, would you join me a moment?"

Joon's heart skipped a beat. She just addressed Shae by her name.

Ever-accommodating, Shae rose to her feet and stepped forward.

With each movement, Petra studied Shae. Joon watched Petra watching Shae, and this alert attention was more unnerving than anything Joon had prepared himself for up to this moment.

Without asking for permission, Petra took one of Shae's hands and pulled her out towards the middle of the room, then lifted Shae's hand above her head and began to make the nervous young woman twirl slowly in a circle. One turn. Then Petra's hand fell away, and Shae's to her sides.

Petra reached out and pinched her fingers around Shae's chin, tilting it from one side to the other, clicking her tongue. Again, when she spoke, her voice was far from disappointed, "She's a fine specimen, Joonie."

"What does this have to do with why we are here?" Joon was gripping the armrest of the sofa hard to keep himself calm.

Petra ignored him, asking in a mock-innocent tone, "Have you seen the rest of her? All that pale skin underneath this pretty little dress?" Petra's eyes flickered over Shae's face, over her makeup. She noticed a smudging of color was stronger in one cheek than the other. Petra also saw that the lips had been freshly re-painted. She was willing to take a leap.

"I see you were making some quick work of her before our little chat." Petra folded her arms and turned to smirk at Kim Namjoon. "You naughty little tease. What's a girl to do?"

Joon growled, "Come here Shae." His anger wasn't at her, but it came out in his voice nonetheless.

Shae was about to eagerly oblige, when Petra put up a small-yet-undeniably strong hand and braced it against Shae's shoulder. "No. Stay right where you are. I like that he can see you from here better."

Petra walked behind Shae. Like spiders, her fingertips crawled up and braced against the tops of Shae's shoulders. A strange sensation of numbness crawled into her legs. She didn't know how or why, but her legs at Petra's touch had been paralyzed into place.

Petra began to lift the hem of Shae's dress. Just slightly.

Joon tried to stand--but the sofa had suddenly become flypaper, and by some magi-tech unseen he was stuck in the trap.

This trickster bitch. "STOP IT PETRA. THAT'S ENOUGH."

Stop, she did not. Petra pulled that white dress over Shae's head, leaving a translucent white slip behind.

Petra walked around circling Shae again, but this time her eyes were watching the look on Joon's face.

Shae had closed her eyes, as if willing herself to escape her present reality could make it so.

Petra plucked up the side of Shae's slip just a moment, then let it fall and sway about Shae's frame like a heavenly ghost.

Petra said in earnest, "She is quite a pretty thing after all. No wonder you were--"

"WHAT IS YOUR POINT GOD DAMMIT JUST GET TO IT ALREADY."

"I like it when you're angry." Petra smirked. "It makes me...." She trailed a finger along the lines of her devilish smile. When Joon didn't even notice the gesture, his eyes watching Shae and his face burning, Petra let out a, "Pffft."

Petra stretched her spidery fingertips over Shae's shoulders again, and movement returned to Shae's legs like the feeling of numbness tingling out of and fading from limbs. It was mildly painful.

"Ah...." Shae opened her eyes and stumbled towards where her dress lay across one of the armchairs now, then made quick work of filling it with herself.

"You're no fun," Petra whined in Shae's direction. "I wanted to make my new pet squirm."

"I am nothing to you, Petra, and this meeting is over unless--"

"Oh Joonie, I wasn't talking about you. Though I do adore you. No, I meant Shae." Petra smirked in Shae's direction like an obnoxiously knowing older sister. "My new Satoor Ai pet. I'm excited to try her out."

"E-excuse me?" Shae stuttered.

Petra reached out a hand and grabbed one of Shae's wrists, then lifed her hand palm-up and began tracing the lines in her skin. "Limitless power, no? Who needs Mysterium mines when they can have you?"

Shae didn't understand what Petra was saying in the slightest. Her face said as much, too.

Petra's head fell back in a loud, petty laugh. "Oh my God, she doesn't even KNOW! Oh, you're good at keeping secrets, Joonie boy, but I didn't know that you were THAT good."

"Who's been feeding you such ridiculous lies?" Joon asked.

Petra waved her hand carelessly. "Oh, please. No need to pretend anymore, the cat's already out of the bag. You two can make up about it later." She waved a hand carelessly between where Shae stood holding her arms tightly into herself, and where Joon still sat plastered to the love seat.

"Who told you this, goddammit?"

Petra cuckled. "Alright, alright. It was your delicious friend Kim Taehyung, if you must know. He's been helping me so graciously to prepare for this grand little meeting with you two, and his stories about Shae? WELL. Talk about fascinating."

Petra gave a satisfied sigh.

"So now I have two new pets--you, and Shae.

Joon was processing the implication of Petra's words about Tae, and he didn't like what they added up to. He growled, "Interesting how you think you can just decide to do as you please without any formal contracts or...."

Petra gave a deliciously devilish laugh. "Oh, Kim. Nam. Joon." Suddenly, Petra was behind Shae and curling her fingers delicately around Shae's pale throat with one hand. With the other, she snapped her fingers, and an electric spark of black fire flickered to life. As she spread open her palm, the black spark fluttered and bloomed into a large grey-and-black blaze. She inched the flame closer to Shae's face.

"I have the Mysterium you want. I also have the technology to harvest energy from your precious Satoor Ai--which I'm assuming you don't, otherwise you wouldn't even be here in the first place." She grinned wickedly. "And without that Mysterium, give it a few months more, according to the detailed stats provided by precious Taehyungie, and dear Noon Mool turns to chaos. So the fact that you came here under the arrogant notion that this was a negotiation is quite precious, my dear. So precious. But no. No no. I can be your savior, Kim Namjoon, but I only help people that I like. Give me what I want, and I like you. Betray me, and you can forget about your people destroying each other out of their own want and chaos. I'll make sure to take on the job myself--and it won't be painless, I can assure you of that."

The flame still flickered close to Shae's face, the terrible warmth of it glowing over her skin and causing her to sweat.

"But no matter how this situation plays out, this lovely Satoor Ai is mine. So you might as well be smart about it and choose the route that gets you what you want."

There was a long, heavy silence. Joon was thinking, preparing his words oh so carefully.

He finally asked, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Shae heard the give in Joon's voice, and it made her heart sink with dread.

"A simple trade. I keep Shae here from now on, and you get an endless supply of Mysterium for the rest of your days, Joonie boy."

He replied flatly, "But our crew needs two escorts for the Ganche Games. I can't just hand her over to you in the meantime."

Petra's hand holding the black flame snapped shut, the blaze disappearing. Her fingers slipped away from around Shae's throat and instead held her own chin as she thought. "You have a point, as I'd like you and Tae to both be there, but you can't exactly manage that if you're short an escort. And to find a new one on such short notice is a tricky thing." Then Petra nodded. "Alright, the Satoor Ai stays with you until then."

"Why not for good? If we're part of your alliagnce, you can come and go from Noon Mool as you please anyway."

"True. But I don't like the idea of leaving my most valuable pet in a pit of handsome young men. It makes me nervous."

Just wait. I'll give you a real reason to squirm, you bitch.

"So after the Ganche Games, she'll come to live here with me. But don't worry--I'll still let you come visit her every now and then. As long as you're a good boy."