Getting The Tea On The Lord Of Dark Destruction

20250727

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

Sofia was previously seen here.

“Thank you for agreeing to this interview, uh, Mr Destroyer?” Sofia clicked her pencil and put on a bright smile.
“That name works as well as any.” The demon floating in the circle had a voice which inspired pondering on what, exactly, a peafowl screaming through laryngitis would sound like.
Ugh. At least it wasn’t nasally. She’d sat through worse.
Brushing this aside, Sofia breezily said “Now, I was hoping you could shed some light - er, pardon the phrasing - on your, ah, late compadre Ba’alzar, Lord of the Dark Destroyer?”
All the flaming eyes squinted. “Who?”
“Ahh…” Sofia shot a sharp look at the ritualist, who was hastily double-checking the runes. “He was pacted to you, wasn’t he? Until his death three days ago?”
“Three days… oh, are you talking about Robby? Robert Barker?”
“Robert… Barker.”
Alright, she’d rather assumed the guy hadn’t been christened Ba’alzar, but… this was still somehow a massive letdown.
“Ya high?” One of the demon’s etherial wisps marked out a line. “This high when he’s wearing those platform boots. Dyed his hair raven black and shaved off his eyebrows? Always put on a fake goatee to leave the house?”
“Y-Yes. That’s the one.”
Goodness. Definitely make a note of those titbits! Platform boots?
“Alright. What about him?”
Sofia firmly put her glossy smile back on. “I was hoping you could provide some, how to put this, character details.”
“Probably not. I didn’t really know the guy.”
Sofia quirked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t the pact process join your souls?”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like we chatted or hung out. Business arrangement. You know? I fed off his aimless ambition and self-loathing, he borrowed some of my magic. Getting to know each other wasn’t what we were after.”
“Mm. I see.” Sofia clicked her pencil again, her smile unwavering. “So, this ‘feeding’… did it allow you any insight into his mental or emotional state?”
“Well, of course. That’s part of the fun-” The demon paused as Sofia leant forward, her gaze sharpening, then gave an unearthly chuckle. “Oh. I see. Sorry, when you said ‘character details’ I assumed you meant personal trivia. But you want dirt, eh? And since I can smell some excellent offerings behind your friend there…”
“We have a policy of making sure sources which provide reliable and pertinent information are generously rewarded.” Sofia purred sweetly. Her pencil hovering ready.
“Well then! See, the guy’s favourite colour? No idea. But his darkest secrets? Those I knew well…”
Any experienced journalist could recognise that tone of relish, that gleeful preparation to spill vicious tea. Even filtered through an ungodly voice box.
Oh, this was going to be a scoop… Everyone would have to take the gossip column seriously after this!!

Prompt was “Favourite colour? No idea. But his darkest secrets? Those I knew well…”