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Feb 4, 2015 12:26:00 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 4, 2015 12:26:00 GMT -5
He always ate at the little outdoor cafe in downtown on his lunch break. It was just something he did out of habit anymore. At first, it had seemed a lively place where he could get both entertainment, great food, and the perfect eyes's view of the station's front door. But he'd been doing it for so long, now, it was just second nature to come here. So when he called his mother and invited her to lunch, he didn't take much thought when he invited her to the same cafe. Though he was sure his mother would have preferred a much more outstanding restaurant, there were times when she would have accept certain things, such as having lunch with her son at a less than glorified cafe. He took his usual spot by the railing the surrounded the outdoor eating area and raised his umbrella up just a bit to keep his range of vision clear from the yellow absurdness. As per usual, the lunch time waitress, a cute young girl, probably college age, who always had her strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and a slight blush to her cheeks, served him. He ordered his usual, a latte and a scone and in return, was handed his usual daily paper. The whole ordeal was second nature to him. If even one of those motions was different, it would throw off his whole day. Zander wasn't normally a routine freak but lately, it seemed it was what made his days go faster. Granted, he loved his job as detective but things had slowed down this month and he found himself behind his desk, thumbs pushed into his eyes as he groaned about time going backwards. When the waitress returned, Penny was her name, Zander informed her he had a guest joining him and the blush and smile instantly disappeared from his face and he saw the typical signs of envy. He wanted to roll his eyes and sigh but he held strong. After all, he was meeting with the Demon Lord of Envy. He supposed he could at least act like a demon for once. Elizabeth Sterling
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Feb 4, 2015 21:32:35 GMT -5
Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Feb 4, 2015 21:32:35 GMT -5
When Zander had called and invited her to lunch Liz was more than happy to join him, even when he told her the place. Sure, the Demon Lord of Envy would much rather be in some lavish restaurant but she could more easily create envy in a quaint café that would probably never be graced with her presence if not for her son’s invitation to meet there. So Liz walked into the café in clothes that was probably too tight for such a place and gained her several looks‒all of which made her smirk widely. Her eyes scanned the area quickly before she spotted Zander outside and she made her way there.
Liz opened the door to the outdoor eating area just in time to hear her son explain to the waitress that he was meeting someone and she almost grew giddy when the girl’s demeanor changed. The girl was envious over the person he was meeting with and while Liz might have merely been his mother she couldn’t help but take some joy in the moment. She decided then that she would play it up because she certainly couldn’t resist and it wouldn’t even require the use of the Demi God at this point.
With little care in the world Elizabeth strolled up to the table, carefully grabbed the girl’s arm and looked her in the eye, “Green is a good color on you, darling.” that earned her a weird look Penny, who wasn’t wearing any green. “Zander dear.” she said before she slipped into the seat opposite him. She eyed Zan before she looked back at the waitress with a smirk, “I’ll have what he’s having.” she thanked Penny and watched the girl walk away before he attention turned back to “She’s cute and clearly likes you… I would say you should ask her out if she didn’t think I was your date and was absolutely green with envy right now. That and the pesky human thing.” she said smoothly. Then her smirked faded and was replaced with a genuine smile reserved for very few people, “This is a nice place. I can see why you like it here.” she added softly.
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Feb 4, 2015 22:42:43 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 4, 2015 22:42:43 GMT -5
Zander put his latte down and frowned. "I didn't invite you to lunch to discuss my love life, mother." he said, taking a bite of his scone. This time, when Penny returned with a latte and scone for Liz, Zander didn't even look her direction which immediately invoked a hurt expression as she went back inside. In truth, that was the truth. He hadn't called her for general chatter. Lately, he'd been monitoring the local demon population and became suspicious when they began to whisper. Using insiders, he quickly found out that another Demon Lord had made his way into the city. He had a hunch that his mother hadn't even been aware. When he determined that they were, indeed, alone and out of ear shot, he started. "So, with my position in the police force, I have multiple informants I use to multiple things and a few of them happen to be demons. Through the grape vine, they told me that another Demon Lord has made his way into the city." he told her, looking at her over the edge of his latte, seeking for a reaction on his face. Zander honestly didn't know how his mother felt about the other Demon Lords. She had never introduced him to them. In fact, he had a hunch that she kept his existence very secret. After all, she'd left him at the house nine times out of ten when she wasn't around. Regardless of how she felt, Zander knew he needed her help in nipping this particular problem in the butt asap. If the local demon population found out there was another Demon Lord in the city, it would probably mean even more trouble for the voodoo Queen and, though Zander was just complaining about having nothing to do, really didn't want to deal with the chaotic aftermath that would ensue.
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Feb 5, 2015 18:43:25 GMT -5
Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Feb 5, 2015 18:43:25 GMT -5
Liz’s smile faded quickly at his frown, he was being serious today. She loathed serious talks but she supposed she could muster up some sort of seriousness and stop a smirk from crawling across her face. “Not even a how are you? Fine. Clearly this one is important so proceed.” she said, just before her latte and scone were dropped off by the waitress. Liz someone managed to keep her face trained on Zander rather than shifting a smirk over to the rather hurt Penny. When he started she looked down at her scone and picked at it, waiting for the good part to this. And then it came. Liz’s head popped up and her eyes met Zander’s “Another Demon Lord? Really? And apparently one not living quite as low key in the sin department as I have lately.” She mulled it over for a minute, taking a sip from her latte while she decided how to approach this one. She had a few options really. She could get the hell out of New Orleans, ignore the problem entirely, or help him. She supposed helping him was really her only viable option so she sighed as she set her drink down. “Two things… One, why does it matter if there is another Demon Lord in town? Worried about the havoc it might wreak? And two, if you can give me any clues to which one it might be I might be able to help you. It is possible that I will able to nip your problem in the bud myself depending on who it is.” she said casually.
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Feb 5, 2015 19:02:30 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 5, 2015 19:02:30 GMT -5
He flinched when she mentioned living low on the Sin department. That was probably because she really didn't need to thanks to him. He honestly didn't even try it anymore. It just seemed to follow him where ever he went. It was hard to tell which Demon Lord had moved in because New Orleans was already awash in sin. Narrowing it down would be almost impossible. Almost. Here, he smirked. Just because he didn't divulge in the life of a true Demon, didn't mean he didn't know how to work the ropes. He was perceptive partially because of his intelligence and partially because of his training on the force. In the last week, he'd taken a few sick days and traveled around the larger parts of New Orleans, meeting with a few demons and just wandering the crowds. He was looking for a rise in a particular Sin. Sure, there was the usual Greed, Wrath and Lust but there was one that stood out from the others, if only slightly. But Zander was able to pick it up easily. "I've already figured it out for you. I'm surprised, really. The demon world, me included, had assumed he'd dropped off the face of the earth. He certainly had remained in hiding a lot longer than you had, mother." Here, he paused for dramatic effect, taking a few moments to take a bite from his scone and a sip from his latte before finishing, his green eyes catching her own. "It's Asmodeus, Demon Lord of Lust. He also has a Demon Royalty with him, a woman named Lilith that also works off of his craft. Although, besides his identity, I have no idea why he's here. I expected the Demon Lord of Greed or even Wrath but Asmodeus? Doesn't seem to fit..."
Penny did not return. Instead, it was another waitress, an older woman who treated Zander like any customer. She set his check down on the table with two mints, one for the both of them before she wandered off to help another table. Zander slipped a $50 onto the table before he paused, frowned and replaced it with a $20. He was still working Envy without even thinking. The woman surely would have taken the fifty and gloated over it back in the kitchens to all the other staff and it would only spark more Envy. Though he paid, he had no intentions of ending his lunch break so early. He continued to drink his latte. "What kind of help are you offering? All I want is to keep a war between the Voodoo Queen and the demons non-existent. Too many innocents could get hurt in between."
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Feb 5, 2015 20:02:33 GMT -5
Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Feb 5, 2015 20:02:33 GMT -5
Elizabeth waited as he dragged out the reveal, with anyone else she probably would have rushed this along but she was letting him have his dramatic effect. When she finally got the answer to who it was she grinned devilishly into her latte but she trained her face back into a straight one before she set the drink back down. “Asmo and Lil back together again? The world is in for some serious trouble.” She laughed to herself. “Lucky for you their sons aren’t here with them or the world would be in some real trouble.” She shook her head. She mulled over her thoughts for a couple of minutes with a few bites of her scone before she spoke again “As for why he’s here, who knows? Maybe Lilith has opened up some sex trafficking business or a strip club knowing her and he’s using lust to draw people in… Maybe he is just enjoying his time on Greek Row. I’m sure I can find out.” She shrugged her shoulders.
When the bill came, Liz grinned at the change in waitress. Apparently Penny was scared off or too busy glaring a hole into her head from some spot inside the café. Either way this amused Liz highly. She watched as her son put down a $50 dollar just to replace it with a $20. “Slowing down on our use of envy are we?” she noted casually. She finished off her scone and turned to her latte but when he mentioned innocents and she almost spewed her coffee out. By some miracle she managed to swallow her drink before she started laughing. “Innocents?” She chuckled more before she realized he was completely serious and her laughing ceased. “Oh… This was serious. Why do you care about human lives?” she questioned with a raised brow.
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Feb 5, 2015 22:03:49 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 5, 2015 22:03:49 GMT -5
He didn't like that answer. He frowned into his latte, swirling around the last few drops before drowning it. If anything, he was hoping she'd say he wouldn't be a problem at all but instead, she made it sound like he was the worst of them all. He felt his heart pound in his chest and his hands clenched into fists. Sons? The Demon Lord of Lust had sons? He quickly shook the thought from his head. He didn't even want to imagine what that was like or what that could mean for the city of New Orleans. Did his sons inherit his influence? He ignored what appeared to him as her own mind talking out loud. It wasn't until he switched the bills that her voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up at her with a raised brow. "No need to try so hard." he said absently. "It seems to follow me everywhere. I don't even need to work for it." he waved his hand towards the inside of the cafe as if to indicate Penny. "I feel like it's a curse." his voice grew harder when she laughed and he stood up abruptly, a sudden anger overcoming him before he quickly regained his composure and sat back down, not daring to look up at his mother. "Innocent demons, mother." he let out a sigh. "Just because I work with humans doesn't mean I consider them my equal." Did he really believe she would believe him? Did she know about his preference for humans? When he'd gone to Harvard, he hadn't been living with her for years. It was fair to say she had no idea about his change of heart or the fact that he considered them his friends. When he'd moved here and closer to her, he'd stopped making and hanging out with human friends. In fact, he'd become sort of a recluse. But he also didn't discredit her intelligence. There was a possibility she knew more about him than he knew. Either way, he wasn't going to be the one to admit it to her. Whether or not she was his mother or not, she was still a Demon Lord and he wouldn't put it past her to get rid of him if he wasn't on the same bandwagon as the rest of the demons.
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Feb 5, 2015 22:35:08 GMT -5
Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Feb 5, 2015 22:35:08 GMT -5
Liz’s eyebrow quirked up sharply as he jumped up and she realized her laughter over the loss of innocent lives was probably not the best approach to her son considering he was going soft. Liz’s eyes rolled practically to the back of her head at his defense. “Demons can handle themselves perfectly fine, Zander. And the loss of few for the benefit of the many is not enough to call off a war. However, despite you trying to hide it from me, I know you aren’t thinking about Demon lives here. You care for humans and while I might consider their lives meaningless you do not.” She stopped and finished off her latte then, giving her time to decide where she was going with this before she proceeded. She might be a Demon Lord but she was also his mother and though others might question the lack of her manipulation tactics in his life a failure on her part she wouldn’t change who he was. She wouldn’t cut him down for her selfish benefit either. She decided to set her feelings‒or lack thereof‒towards humans aside this time. “I know you see me as the Demon Lord of Envy but I am capable of caring from time to time. I am sorry for laughing at your worry for innocent lives being lost in a senseless war and caring for humans isn’t the end of the world, I do not seek the end to them‒I just don’t see a need for them like you do. I will see what I can do about Asmodeus and Lilith and Loki and Ren are not likely to follow considering Asmo doesn’t even like them. I cannot promise that I can persuade them to leave New Orleans unscathed but I will attempt it. Does that sound okay with you?” she questioned as she pulled a cigarette out of her purse and lit it with the lighter that was pulled out for just a second before being returned to it's place. She took a drag and blew out the smoke so that it wafted away from them in the wind, “I am not quite as cold as you would like to think. I do actually care about your feelings.” she added evenly.
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Feb 6, 2015 18:58:37 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 6, 2015 18:58:37 GMT -5
He started, taken aback by her knowledge. He supposed, deep down, he had an inkling that she knew a lot more than she let on but to here it confirmed certainly put her in a new perspective for him. Zander had always felt independent, ever since he'd been able to walk. Liz had never really had to take care of him and she was hardly ever around, tending to leave him at the house. He figured out how to feed himself and passed his time by making friends with the neighborhood kids who all happened to be human. It wasn't necessarily that he was born with this feeling towards humans. It was cultivated on his growing up. Where ever he went, he found himself face to face with them and interacting with them. The more humans he interacted with, the easier it became to like and even understand them. He was sure that if he'd grown up in a demon neighborhood where all he had was demon children to play with, he'd be a completely different person today but as it was. And it wasn't that he didn't think she cared about his feelings. It was more he didn't want to reveal his feelings.
He gained control of his composure and returned to a business tone, seeming to not want to reveal any more intimacies between them. "I'm not asking you to ask them to leave. I realize that neither of us are in a position to do that but I want them to not cause trouble. With the Voodoo Queen already tense with her agreement with Demons, I don't want to further aggravate her." he eyed her, green eyes as bright as Envy itself. "You make it sound as if you're close with Asmodeus and Lilith. I didn't think you associated with the others."
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Feb 9, 2015 23:27:06 GMT -5
Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Feb 9, 2015 23:27:06 GMT -5
Liz quickly picked up on his desire to keep this from becoming personal and her demeanor quickly reflected that in return, she was nothing if not good at remaining impersonal. “I will see what I can do about them.” She said casually. “And as for my relationship with the others, I kept you from that. I did not wish to corrupt you for my own wellbeing so you were kept a secret. I gave you the chance to live your life without the persuasion of our kind, or as little as I could manage given who I am. None of them know about you and to assure that I haven’t maintained a close relationship with any of them since you were born, certainly not one that brought them near the house.” Her voice lacking feelings as she said it, “Prior to that though I was close with Lilith‒I helped her with her Adam and Eve problem‒and therefore I am close to Asmo. They are probably the only two I care about.” She continued to smoke as they sat there, “You have permission to tell whatever her name was that I am your mother by the way… Tell her I have an amazing plastic surgeon.” She waved it off without a care. She finished her cigarette and flicked it off into the streets. “Was that all you needed from me this afternoon? Lilith and Asmo remaining docile?” she asked with a raised brow.
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(Short... I know... I can add more if you need.)
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Feb 12, 2015 10:51:29 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Feb 12, 2015 10:51:29 GMT -5
Was it so hard for her to accept that every once in awhile, he maybe just wanted her company? No, Elizabeth Sterling was everything but a doting mother. Sure, she had been a good mother but she had never been a soccer mom. As a demon child, he was independent a lot quicker than human children were and didn't need her help. But, there were often times when he'd see human children at the park with their moms or walking hand in hand down the street. A less than demon side of him felt jealousy and sadness. But that was almost a hundred years ago. Times had changed. Not in a million years would he be caught walking down the street hand in hand with her now but moments like this, he just wanted her company.
But as soon as she mentioned the waitress again, his walls slammed up and he sighed, standing up. "No, we're done here." he ignored her comment completely about Penny. "I have to get back to work." Often times, he hated leaving Liz to her own devices. It worried him that she would start working again. In this new century, humans were good at making their own sin and it was surprising just how much of it was envy. She really didn't need to work, only situate herself around where it was happening and the others would be content. But everything he had done up till then was to protect her, whether she knew it or not. She may not have wanted to believe that the Demigod would take over but Zander wasn't taking any chances. If the Demigod were to fully take control of Liz's body, or even the other Demon Lords, he would have a lot more on his hands then the Voodoo Queen. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?" he asked her.
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Apr 2, 2015 14:41:38 GMT -5
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Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Apr 2, 2015 14:41:38 GMT -5
One of Liz's eyebrow arched at his question, there was something else but knowing Zander he wouldn't appreciate doing her dirty work. Even if he had been doing it behind her back for years already. It might be different if she were to ask directly but she was sick of being watched by a bunch of damn Angels that thought she had started up her craft again. She had found no need to, envy was one of the easiest sins to fall prey to and humans hardly needed her help at it. She learned to take residence where it happened frequently and her fellow demons asked no questions because they thought it was her doing. Liz would just have to suck it up and ask for his help with her little problem if she wanted to be free of the Angels careful eyes.
She sighed lightly and suddenly wished she had a drink in her hand, cursing her son mentally for bringing her to a place where she couldn't have one–maybe that was intentional on his part. She supposed she shouldn't be too annoyed when he had brought her into part of his world. That was how normal mother not possessed by a Demi God thought right? "Yes actually. Take a seat." She said gesturing towards it. When he was back in his chair she continued, "As you know I am out of the sin game. With the exception of that song but that was done at a low point and humans have it coming if they haven't realized what it does to them yet but I digress." She waved it off, "There are a few Angels keeping an eye on me to make sure I behave... They think I'm back in the business because of all the envy going on around here. I assure you that I had nothing to do with it, those four demons and the Voodoo Queen–as she calls herself–have plenty of that going on without my help. I hate to ask because I know how you hate it but I need your help getting them off my tail. I don't enjoy being monitored like a small child and if I have to have one more conversation with an Angel about the Demi God I might release if I keep it up I might end up killing them." She had been almost pleading with him, or at least as pleading as Elizabeth Sterling ever was. "Can you please help me?"
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Apr 5, 2015 16:26:55 GMT -5
Post by Zander Sterling on Apr 5, 2015 16:26:55 GMT -5
Can you please help me? Zander blinked at his mother. Did she just ask him for help? This wasn't something he was accustomed to. He had always seen his mother as independent and self serving, no matter the circumstances. She had taught him this very same thing when he was younger which had helped him disassociate a mother for things that he wanted or needed and, in turn, made him independent. And yet, here she was, completely serious and sitting casually in her chair as if they were having a normal mother/son moment. He should have expected his mother knew about his antics especially since he used her name but hearing it was a shock and he was honestly lost for words with her plea. He took a few moments to sort through the information she had given him. Angels were watching his mother, probably trying to find the source of the Sin in the city. Did they not realize there was another Demon Lord in New Orleans? Why was his mother the only target? It wasn't like Envy was really the more destructive Sin... He shook the thought away and moved onto the next one. She wanted him to work for her? He'd stopped "working" when he'd become a detective on the force because of the consequences that came with it if he were caught. The whole persona he had put around himself would be completely demolished and he'd have to start from square one again which included to moving to a new city. Normally, when he played around with Envy, he did small things, sometimes without even realizing it. But he had a feeling that if he needed to attract the attention of the Angels off of his mother, he needed to do something big and that meant putting his whole "life" on the line.
He sat back heavily in his chair with a sigh, realizing just how like his mother he really was when his first thought went to the fact that he wanted a strong drink. He refused to meet his mother's gaze, refused to see the plea in her eyes. It wasn't a way he wanted to know her. Instead, he twirled the knife on the table, spinning flawlessly on it's tip before it fell over and he started again. "So, you realize what you're asking, don't you..." he asked her, dipping a toe into dangerous waters. "I haven't dived into that part of me in a long time... That would mean I'd be bringing out my inner demon again..." Like all Demons, Zander was no different. When he put himself and his "life" aside, he could be just as dangerous and merciless as the rest of them. He'd hated that part about himself simply because of the damage he inflicted on humans, on his friends. So he'd locked it away by creating a persona and creating a "life" where he went to college, met friends and got a job in a new city. He was living a normal life and forgetting the sins of his past. And here, the one person he couldn't say no to, was asking him to do it again, to bring it back out.
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Apr 5, 2015 23:06:11 GMT -5
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Post by Elizabeth Sterling on Apr 5, 2015 23:06:11 GMT -5
At his words Liz frowned, unfortunately for her she did realize what she was asking of him and that was the problem. She wasn't one to ask for help ever–she had too much pride for that–and asking her son for help brought her to a whole new low, knowing how he felt about being a demon. The demon that was older than dirt itself realized it was wrong to ask her son to do such a thing and decided she could deal with the Angels on her own, even if that meant behaving. She really hated behaving but for the most part since Zander was born and even more so after The Accords her power of mental manipulation had remained unused. Perhaps being watched like a petulant child wouldn't be the end of the world.
The Demon known as Beelzebub's breathing faltered a moment as she worked to regain her composure, returning to the strong woman she almost always was. She hesitantly reached across the table to stop the hand twirling the knife and get his attention. A soft smile sat on her face, "Forget I asked, Zan." She sat back in her seat and the smile faded away from her features, replaced by something far more thoughtful. Her brow furrowed and remained that way as she spoke. "I selfishly asked that of you and as your mother that was wrong of me. I can handle the Angels and I promise not to strangle any of them in the mean time." She told him, her voice was lacking it's usual superiority and instead seemed passive–almost motherly in nature. "You locked away your inner demon to have the life that you wanted and I should know better than to ask you to put that at risk for me. Forgive me for considering it." She bit her lip and averted her gaze, admitting she was wrong took a great deal of work for her to do, especially to Zander. She decided to switch subjects to something far more pleasant or at least she would try to. Motherhood had never been her forte, at least not the emotional aspects of it anyway. "So outside of work and trying to stop demons from wreaking havoc, how have you been? I don't think I asked." She looked back at him, her brow went back to normal and her over all air of power returned.
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Apr 6, 2015 14:26:33 GMT -5
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Post by Zander Sterling on Apr 6, 2015 14:26:33 GMT -5
And there it was, the guilt trip. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it but Zander felt it like a bee sting. After all, his mother never asked him for anything. She stopped the twirling knife and he finally looked up at her. A mass of different emotions had crossed her face in a short amount of time till she quickly put pn her usual face. Was she hurt by his almost decline? He couldnt be sure. After all, she was the Demon Lord of envy. Wasn't she supposed to enjoy her job?
She changed topic and asked him a question but Zander barely heard her. He was already planning out this job for her. Getting away from the force wasn't that hard since he was a detective but his face was well known, even among the locals. He was going to have to get creative, especially if he was supposed to be grabbing the attention of the Angels. And he was going to have to find a way to bring out his inner demon; a part of him he'd been surpressing for a while now.
He wasn't even aware that Liz had asked him a question till he was shaken out of his revere by her expectant look. But Zander didn't care what she had asked.
"Do you want it done tonight or do you have something in mind already?"
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