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Faust looks terrible when he opens the door. Even worse than yesterday. You’d think a magically enforced nap would have done something for the bags under his eyes, but apparently it hasn’t. He freezes as he sees me.
“It’s me again!” I give him a wide, tight-lipped smile. “Thought I should try to cheer you up after that whole business with the poodle.”
“Oh.” He blinks. “Well, do come in.”
I consider inventing another rule about devils needing extra permission to enter dwellings, but that feels like overkill. I step past him, ducking to avoid losing my hat to the low doorframe. Faust’s study is cramped with bookshelves and papers and alchemical apparatus but surprisingly well organized. “Not much of an office they’ve given you, in return for all your scholarly achievements,” I remark. “Don’t you want more from life than this? There are all kinds of things out there I could show you.” The gold thread on my cape glitters more brightly.
Faust snorts. “You think a vacation would fix me? Whatever pretty parts of it you see, the world doesn’t change. I’ll keep striving, and keep failing, and it won’t make one iota of difference to anyone out there. Better to give up and finally have some rest.”
I manage to avoid any noticeable flicker in my grin. It’s not like he’s wrong, about existence. But winning the bet that way would hardly be a victory. And—he’s trying. It would be a shame to let that spark go out, when it could be turned to a truly important purpose. Allies in my quest are hard to find. Angels are entirely devoid of ambition, and humans have a hard time seeing the necessity of universal oblivion without craving it for themselves first.
“Really?” I prod, “I seem to remember you turning down an opportunity to escape this world quite recently.”
“Yes, well, I may have been persuaded otherwise by a somewhat higher power.” Faust looks almost embarrassed. “That’s the worst part, you know. If it was all straightforward suffering it would be easy to leave, but whenever I decide to end things some beautiful distraction or desperate hope has to tempt me to stay.” His gaze flicks to mine for a moment.
I let a hint of smirk creep into my expression. This might actually be fun. “Distractions? Hopes? Beauty is really out there, you’ve just never had the power to win what you desire. I would happily devote myself to rectifying this tragedy, if you would but let me. There’s quite a lot you can accomplish with someone like me at your service.”
He looks at me again, longer, with a guarded expression. “And I suppose you’ll get my soul, at the end?”
I sigh. I do need it, if I want to prove the Most High isn’t so infallible, and I’m not ready to give up on that yet. “I will, yes, but who knows how long you have til then? Maybe you’ll manage to avoid it entirely! And even if you do end up with me, you needn’t fear eternal torment; I’m not that kind of devil.”
Faust takes this remarkably in stride. “Even if you were, how much worse can it be? There’s nothing new left for me here. Smash the world’s shell!”
Still desperate to save himself before rescuing the rest of Creation. If only death really was an escape. He’ll need a more tolerable existence if he’s going to be any help in making that dream a reality. “I’m not something new?” I gasp in mock offense. “You really are underestimating my abilities. You have no idea of the things we could do together.”
“I’m sure you’re quite proficient in illusion,” he counters, “but so was that damned heavenly choir. I don’t need you to give me fleeting fancies that leave me mourning when they fade.”
I chuckle. “I assure you, you’ll get nothing but true pleasure from me. The angels don’t know what they’re doing with humans, but I have experience .” I throw in a wink. “And I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you’re satisfied with our deal. At least while you’re alive.”
Faust hesitates. He’s just slightly flushed, staring at the edge of his desk. Finally he looks up at me. “Fine. It’s not like I have anything to lose. If you can convince me it’s actually worth living, purely in a moment, without striving for something else, you’ll have my soul. Let’s do it.”
I smile and gaze into his eyes, which meet mine steadily. “Done.” This is going to be fun.