Lac'nala shook her head. Too many people had bothered her in the Gloomwood, so she had come to the Norwood Forest, so that she could have a bit of peace. Of course, it wasn't nearly as dark as the Gloomwood, but it was wild, and gave her plenty of room to dance.

Which she was in the very midst of doing. Her dance was a graceful but silent one, as she twirled, spun and kicked her way through the forest. Her hair spun out behind her, and her dress flared beneath her waist, revealing her shapely legs and feet.

A soft clapping issued from behind her, and a man sat on a fallen tree nearby. His voice was smooth and mellifluous, and he had a soft smile on his face. "Beautiful, simply beautiful. You're a terrific dancer, Lac'nala. I was very nearly brought to tears by your performance. But...." He pushed off from the log, tossing his tophat into the air, his hand shooting out lazily to catch it as it fell. "I'll bet I can do better."

He set his hat on the log, then stripped of his outermost suit, a stripped golden shirt underneath. He gave her a winning smile, and began to almost glide through the clearing. His entire body seemed full of some energy, almost thrumming with a pure and untapped will for life. He seemed almost to move in slow motion, his arms moving through the air as if conducting an orchestra. After a moment, he stopped, and chuckled softly. "I guess I was wrong. I'd have to say yours was much better."

Yaksha took one quick look around, then folded his hands, all the warmth and kindness draining from his eyes, turning them almost into black holes, deep and empty. His smile has transformed from one that was soft and inviting, to a predatory and dark growl. An aura of almost suffocating darkness and apathy came off of him, as if he sweat pure evil. His eyes glinted with pure malice, and his lips peeled back into a sadistic rictus. "Okay, enough crap. You hate the gods, don't you? You want to kill an immortal. And I can help."

She raised an eyebrow as he began clapping, and then shook her head as he started trying to dance. She snorted, and settled gracefully against a tree, her back lining against the trunk as she stretched lazily.

She looked up at his last statement. "I doubt that you can help me," she said, and shook her head. "I'll ask for proof, but right now I'm relaxing, and having myself a bit of a good time," he said.

Yaksha shook his head, and sighed. "You want to kill a god, and I do too." As he spoke, his body seemed to melt and morph, until an undeniably evil figure was before her, hovering only a few inches off the ground. His legs were almost nonexistant, just an amalgam of bones. "I can get you everything you need to take the gods down..."

She laughed uproariously. "You? Get me everything I need to kill a god? If you've got it, why don't you go do it yourself?" she said.

The next part came out as a hiss. "I don't want your help. They will fear MY name, NOT yours. They will fear the name of the Death Seeker, and tremble and quake in fear whenever it is spoken ANYWHERE in this world."

She waved a hand. "Good day to you. You are a pompous ass, and I have no time for pompous asses." With that, she turned back to dancing, her graceful dance seemingly uninterrupted from earlier.

Yaksha snorted. "I could kill a god. I just don't see why I should. And of course they will fear your name. I will help you, in the most sneaky and untraceable ways. No one will ever know I assisted you in your goals." He watched her dance once more, simply sitting on a rock with his legs crossed, his face as impassive as any critic's.

She sighed, her eyes closing. "You know, you can be very persistent. But here's the thing. What's in it for you if I accept your help? What price would be paid and by whom for the aid you offer me? Because I'll tell you this. You'll be staying away from me. If it involves me paying a certain price, you can forget about it."

She shook her head. "You know, a lot of people wouldn't trust you simply because you DIDN'T name a price at first. But I'll give you a chance. What is the price to be paid for your help?"

Merely continued watching, not saying a word. After a minute, he uncrossed his legs, and shifted. "No cost. I just love to see entropy at work. Just knowing that the gods are mortal would cause enough chaos that some real Cute can go down. What I ask is simple." He rose from the rock, smiling darkly. "I'm doing you a favor. In return, you'll owe me, provided there comes a time that I need assistance." He smiled wryly, and extended his hand. "All I want is your word that you won't forget who helped you."