Near Las Vegas, Nevada

Marnin sat on a rock nearby as A used the phone to call Praetorius. He absentmindedly watched a scorpion limber across the dirt under his feet, and he watched it with interest. He wasn't much of a talker, so it was most likely better that A was in charge of the mental warfare. Not that he wasn't perfectly capable of it himself, but given the juxtaposition of both servants, Marnin could handle the physical aspect instead.

He looked up and inspected her carefully. Her body, her mannerisms, her speech pattern. She was incredibly interesting. He hoped she would be as worthy a servant of Edo Edi Essum and Non Compos Mentis. He couldn't help but be skeptical. She had better prove herself worthwhile.

She had shown Praetorious pity, of which Abyssi Marnin did not seem to take notice of.

All in all, he was much more powerful then she. 'A' was of the same build and form as Praetorious; gaunt and inhuman, but perfectly killable if maimed to a point. She did not want to incur any amount of wrath from the supposed 'Right Hand of Essum.' Hm. And where did that leave her?

Oh well.

'A' flipped the phone shut and turned, smiling unpleesantly at her partner.

"He's all yours. I trust you can create a sticky situation for him like you did with the altar boy. Good work, with his placement, by the way." The compliment was sour, unnecessary and insincere. But she said it to continue her facade of humanity.

She practiced that facade often, as if grasping for some age-old semblance of self. Something lost to time...

The warm, euphoric feelings which her Shadow felt at having put a dent in Praetorious's mind were beginning to subside. He had succeeded rather quickly in his mission, and already, he was moving on.

Eventually, 'A' decided, the tasks would have to become harder. The bar for The Game had not yet been set, but Praetorious's skills as a player had indeed been measured. Her rival did not seem to take much notice of the things she said and the things she did. She tried to drop clues.

How long before Praetorious took notice?

"He's all yours. I trust you can create a sticky situation for him like you did with the altar boy. Good work, with his placement, by the way."

He wasn't amused. His way of showing it was a blank stare into her eyes. Her words hung in the air with a bitter taste, and he didn't care too much for it. Yet, he thought for a moment on her words. She seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit. Tormenting Praetorius was coming natural to her.

"He's all yours."

Yes. If Praetorius was to be broken, he had more than a few ideas. More than a few ideas to force him to have emotions again. It would take some time. While he prepared, he would need to keep Praetorius running. Stretch him thin.

"I'll need that phone," he said, extending his hand.

'A' could see a hint of apprehension in Abyssi Marnin's eyes.

It did not truly bother her, so she flipped the phone to him casually, tossing it through the air. "Have fun with that, you." 'A' wanted to go do things on her own, she was growing antsy already. Just like Praetorious, there was a 'Shadow-A' within her, but it hungered for the Game, not the Ritual which Praetorious took part in.

"I'm going...into the city." She shrugged her shoulders. She essentially assumed Abyssi Marnin could read her mind. There were hundreds, thousands of people within Las Vegas. Anyone she could play the Game with now would be easy to find. 'A' smiled to herself as she walked off. Shadow-'A' also smiled, her golden-irised eyes glinting.

'Let the Games begin.'