"Hm..." The pencil, held in place by a black-gloved hand, stopped as it thought about what it had just written. "Maybe I should tone it down a bit..."

She sighed and leaned back, her dull golden eyes fixed on the clear skies above. "This world may not be the most inspiring place for this composition," Lala mused aloud, tapping her blue lips with the pencil.

"And yet, here you are again, despite your seemingly 'gloomy' disposition," said a sweet, seductive voice behind her.

Lala's face darkened with a frown, and her shoulders stiffened as soon as she heard the voice. "This is none of your business, Belial," she snapped, trying to shut her notebook as calmly as possible. "What do you want now?"

A low chuckle. "It's good to see you as well, Lala."

A ravishing red-skinned beauty sashayed into her view, clad in an exquisite white dress crafted from the finest quality arachne silk money could buy. Belial's crimson eyes glimmered with the mischievousness that the lower members of her species were so renowned for as she looked down at the dullahan.

Belial let out a languid yawn, her purple leathery wings stretching in the warm air in an almost sensual gesture. "I'm here because you have failed to fulfill your duties yet again."

Lala grunted, bringing her knees up to her chest. "There were matters of far greater importance I had to tend-"

"Humbaba appeared before the Senate."

The pencil between Lala's fingers snapped, and her cowlick twitched.

"Ah, well, d-did he now?"

Belial smirked, reveling in the reaction her uttered name had invoked. "Yes, he did," she continued, her pointer finger twirling as a tiny ember winked into existence just above its tip. "And this time, he had supporters too."

"Were they... ?"

Belial shook her head in relief. "Thankfully, he was the only divine beast present, apart from the Chancellor, of course."

Lala let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that is... good."

Belial replied drolly, her eyes twinkling in the green flame that grew brighter with each passing moment. "Oh yes, it is quite good," she said. "Would you like to hear what he had to say?"

"Yes."

"Well, then you should have gone to the meeting," Belial chided, her skin glistening in the firelight. Despite the heat, she showed no signs of discomfort. "You're the only dullahan besides Nicholas, whoever shows up with any regularity, and your unique perspective is sorely missed when Humbaba comes around."

"Hm," Lala grunted as she pushed herself up to stand. With a few stray flower petals now dusted off her trench coat, she looked at the older devil with a steely gaze. "I guess I was wrong in assuming you found me irksome."

"I've been hearing you call yourself a 'Herald of Death' and spouting off about how you'll be there to witness my demise for centuries now," Belial sighed, "and it's getting a bit tiresome after the fiftieth time."

"Only two," Lala corrected, her tone exasperated, "Is this all you came here to do? Chide me like I'm some child? If so, I've got more important matters to attend to."

"Tut, tut," Belial muttered, snuffing the flames growing over her arm with a sweep. "This doesn't exactly show me that you're not acting like a child. Everyone else seems taken in by your little act and too scared to confront you. So what's so important that you had to miss a Senate meeting?" She tossed her wavy pink hair to the side, her expression stern. "Tell me, what is it that you deem so important?"

Lala gazed at the elderly devil with an ever-darkening expression. Belial thought it was a bit too severe. "It could be related to my species' special position on the Far Side, but I've been feeling a divergence lately, one that wasn't there before."

Belial sighed in exasperation. "You've been throwing that term around a lot lately. I'm beginning to think you don't even know what it means and are just trying to sound more mysterious."

"Two peculiarities have piqued my interest on the Near Side," Lala continued, disregarding the older devil entirely, "I have monitored them for a lunar cycle, and now I intend to explore them further."

Belial gave her an odd look. "And what may the nature of these two oddities be?"

"Unknown," Lala answered dully. She pondered for a moment and then took off her head.

"You always do this at the most inopportune moments," Belial groaned, her clawed hand covering her face in exasperation. As she spoke, shadowy tendrils extended from the open wound in Lala's neck. "I'm glad I'm not squeamish - otherwise, I'd be in trouble."

"What is known is that both have attracted the attention of something that either brought them to this world or is keeping them rooted. Lala neglected to mention that she may have been dramatizing their circumstances, likely for her amusement. The shadows swirled around her and coalesced into a solid form, taking the shape of a curved blade that hung at her side."

"You're always so ambiguous, it seems," Belial observed. "So you plan to travel to the mundane world, where your power will be greatly weakened, for what purpose? Two peculiar individuals who may or may not have supernatural benefactors. Meanwhile, there are pressing matters here that are more relevant to our cause."

Lala's lips twitched in amusement. "You underestimate me - I'm very well aware of Humbaba's push for us to terminate our alliance with humans and retreat to our borders."

Belial huffed and folded her arms. "Given your extensive knowledge, it would be best if you remained on this side of things. Even if you investigate a few oddities, what impact will it have on the greater context?"

"Call it a hunch," Lala replied, her gaze drifting to the other side of the river that meandered through the vibrant field of flowers. Her trusty scythe materialized in her free hand. "But I strongly believe they may prove useful in the days ahead."

"Are they human?"

"Yes."

"If we were to use them," Belial stated matter-of-factly, "their contribution would be minimal, and, likely, they would only make matters worse."

"We shall see."

Belial nonchalantly twirled a lock of pink hair around her finger as she mulled it over. She finally shrugged and conceded, "Alright, I'll take your word for it."

Lala almost dropped her head in disbelief. "R-Really? Erm, that is to say," she cleared her throat and composed herself, "Is that so?"

Belial smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You're on the Senate for a reason, Lala. Your predictions are rarely wrong, even if you tend to present them in a rather convoluted and overly-dramatic manner."

"I merely wish everyone to understand the gravity of my-"

"Will you just take the backhanded compliment without complaint?" Belial groaned though the smirk grew into a toothy smile, revealing a small set of fangs. "You might want to pack away the scythe and drop the whole 'Grim Reaper' act, though. Those things tend not to encourage trust, so they told me."

"I am a Herald of Death and expect to be treated as such!" Lala pouted.

"... If you weren't so competent where it counts, I would have dragged you back to your homeland kicking and screaming if I had to."

To be continued!