"Ah, I understand. Very reasonable. I do not believe it impossible for you to master the art of speaking without spoken words - you seem to have had a skill for it with beasts already. Speaking in this manner with various sentient creatures takes practice, and many may be able to block your attempts - on that note, you may wish to learn how to do this yourself in the future. Shielding your mind is a useful skill."
Pyr nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement about the threats he would be 'willing' to face - her assumption was not misplaced, truly.
"That is a solid proposition, well done. I wish to note that your assumption is sound, and that it is my own personal circumstances that complicated matters. As I have mentioned - I am already under a Contract of sorts, and so I must still work within its confines while negotiating with you. It may seem strange, but it is far easier for me to interfere with other-realm influences. Ah, now then."
He rolled over the proposal in his mind a few times, considering. While he was certainly being far more lax than any demon had right to be, he did still desire a proper trade for his time and effort.
"I will say this is perhaps on the upper limits of what a 'bargain' might be considered, as I am greatly extending what I consider 'reasonable' for the sake of the bonds of friendship I have accepted from Aya. I only say this to warn you it would not likely be possible with other demons - I am an outlier in all ways, and would not want you to have mis-formed opinions on what is permissible with the vast majority of my kind. You are asking for something that, for both of you, is of rather great value - naturally this inspires an answering desire for value in return. And as I warned before, a bargain is not binding - either side can choose not to uphold their end, and would fear only what consequences the other party might enact. You...should realize that this puts you at a severe disadvantage, being the mortal. There is often a considerable power imbalance inherent to these negotiations, and it is rarely in the mortal's favor. I ask you keep this in mind should you ever negotiate with others."
Being one who had never truly had reason to negotiate with mortals, this experience was quickly becoming rather eye-opening as to why demons had such poor reputation in most realms. If most mortals were entering into negotiations without truly understanding all the rules and nuances, they were ever at a severe disadvantage that they likely didn't realize until it was too late. Pyr had always found the concept of demons being considered duplicitous rather odd, as there was perhaps no other being so firmly bound by their word - now he was realizing it was likely due in large part to a difference in perspective. Clearly what demons often saw as being shrewd and clever, mortals instead considered dishonest and misleading.
In any case, the truly difficult part was next - what might balance the scales against Aya's month-long safety from potential otherworldly attacks? It wasn't that Pyr thought this task particularly difficult or onerous - on the contrary it would likely be interesting, even enjoyable. The point was the value Loretta placed on this task, which was in actuality rather high. It was a bit troubling to think of something a fairly mundane mortal might be able to give him of similar value.
Ah. Fairly mundane. But not entirely. Loretta had a connection to a dragon, after all.
"Explain to me the nature of your connection to your dragon, please."
