Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

He doesn't answer immediately.

"I said untie me."

"I will, my dove," Osmond says submissively, but with a hint of restraint. "But I need to be very clear with you. I do not support your plan. I will not support your plan. You are the love of my life. My muse. My everything. But…"

"But what?" Maria argues. "You promised me when we got together you'd do whatever I wanted. I think Barns is going to make a mistake with this horde. Thirty thousand undead, Osmond? That's one for every citizen of our kingdom and THEN some. What will we even do with another thirty thousand people? Our resources won't last forever, and the daily quests aren't going to support a doubling of the population. Oh, and not to mention - going outside the barrier is certain death!"

Osmond's inner world is a whirlwind. He knows to choose his words carefully, lest he incur even more of Maria's ire.

"I hear you, Maria," he says, his voice as delicate as a glass rose. "I hear everything you say, always. It almost hurts, my love. How much I cling to your every word, and your every desire."

"You hear me, but you don't listen," she criticizes. "This Apocalypse Reset experiment is over. We lost. The crab is dead. What part don't you get, you miserable demon? Survival should be our only goal now. Just as it was before we ever surrendered to that 'hero'."

Osmond takes a while to respond - long enough that Maria becomes visibly infuriated by the time he finally speaks.

"You have changed since we met Barnie," Osmond reflects, his quivering voice afraid to rise above a whisper. His fingers trail along Maria's hips wistfully as he pauses all other motion. "I saw a side of you I'd never known before. You were willing to compromise. You went beyond your own perspectives. You did things you disagreed with for the benefit of our common cause."

"Yes. I was blinded by a boy and a crab who seemed destined to succeed with everything they set their minds to," Maria snarls. "And now that I have seen Nazakiel in action, I know how stupid a dream it was. I'm embarrassed to have ever entertained the idea."

"Nazakiel -"

"Defeated us BOTH," she interrupts. "In seconds. Or did you forget? We were less than children before him, Osmond. We were a sand castle on the beach, and he is a tsunami."

Osmond slumps his shoulders. It hurts - not just because of the conversation, but because how much he agrees with her. It's easier to agree. To yield to common sense. To give in to his lover, his Princess - his Master. It's what she expects. It's what he has always done.

"Maria. Barnie has changed me as well."

"Made you a better lover, maybe, but a much stupider man."

Osmond presses his hand against Maria's chest. He's not just firm, he's unyielding. His fingers dig in just enough to make her inhale sharply. He stares into her, into the fire she's trying to stoke, and smothers it with something she's never seen before - absolute refusal.

"Before Barns, I was the Demon Lord in possession of the aspect of Gluttony, ruler of Dimartino and the creatures of the apocalypse that resided here."

Maria blinks, unsure of where he's going with this.

"I am also your lover, Maria. You are my life. You are my soul. I am nothing without you. That was true before Barns, and it remains true. Always."

He pauses for just a moment. She waits for him to speak, though her face betrays her reaction.

"But now, I am more than that Demon Lord. I am Osmond. Oz. Ozzie. I am someone who doesn't deserve a thing that they have. Not you. Not the respect and trust Barns has placed upon me. And I - "

"Don't you dare say it," Maria hisses, interrupting Osmond's flow.

"Shut up, and don't you dare interrupt me again."

His words stun her. Her mouth hangs open as she stares at the half-naked demon hovering inches above her.

"Maria, I won't entertain a single one of your thoughts if they involve betraying Barns. I am loyal to him. I am loyal to you. He would never make me choose between you and himself, and I will not let you make such demands of me."

He continues.

"You may have lost your faith - in him, and Dimartino - but I will never. If we fight to the very last man, and all that remains of Dimartino are you, me, and Barns - I will still have the utmost faith in him. And if you still desire me, Maria, then you must accept this. I will not change my mind. This is not negotiable."

Maria sinks lower into the bed, yielding to Osmond's presence. As she and her lover's gaze refuses to break, the realization pours into her.

She'd lost control over Osmond.

Her puppet. Her benefactor. The Demon Lord that gave everything to her found his limit. And his limit is Barns. Of all people…of all things…

Maria weakens. The ropes, the BDSM, the rough play, the cattle prod - all of it.

What was it for?

Her left eye twitches.

To surrender control, even superficially.

To relinquish something she craves.

To punish herself.

But now, when she tries to wrest back control, she's denied by the one who was meant to enable her fantasies. She's willing to cede control to Osmond - but only on her terms. Could she accept this side of him?

"Osmond."

The demon's eyes widen as he looks down at his lover. He waits for her words on razor's edge. Words that would either spell the end of their relationship or signal the beginning of a new chapter. With Maria, it's hard to tell until she speaks. It always is.

She breathes in. Steadies herself. Fine. If she can't control him, she can control the conversation. She lifts her chin and speaks the words that will shatter him.

She plays the only card she has left.

"Barns had his way with me when I first went to Dimartino to meet him. He never told you. Can you still respect someone like that?"

Osmond's breath catches.

"That explains a lot," he says slowly.

"You'd give your mindless devotion to someone who sullied your Princess?"

Osmond smiles. "If it happened, you must've wanted it too. In fact, it makes me feel better."

Maria's head lurches back. Not the response she was expecting, by any means.

"If my hero can tame you, then so can I. So I say again, Maria. No. I am loyal to Barns. And you will be, too. Or I will leave you."

The room is consumed by silence so profound that Osmond isn't sure if the world just ended or not.

He tries to hide his fear. As best as he can.

And Maria makes her decision.

"You won't leave me," she growls. "You'll never leave me. I won't let you."

More silence. Maria is still pondering her next words.

"Because I will support your decision, and I will be loyal to Barns."

She pouts, turning her head to the side.

The Princess of Dimartino has been defeated in the one arena she once believed herself to be the supreme champion - in conversation.

"Well?" she smirks, fighting against her restraints. "You got what you wanted. Now finish dominating me, you stupid demon. If you think you're so full of conviction, prove it. I'll submit to you fully. But you better make this a night I won't ever forget."