Devil's Advocate

An Eye for an Eye, pt. 1

There was a hint of worry in her tone that felt purposefully, and steadily inserted. I told her "That will depend on you. At least, I presume you are to be my client, miss...?"
"Oh, of course. I am Ilene Berger. As in the Bergers from the Low Hill sheep corral."
"I don't think he actually knows about that, hon." Estelle kindly, and correctly said for me.
"He doesn't?" "I don't think so." "Ah, right, I suppose we are a long way from Cicia. Either way- Yes, I do need your help."
I chuckled playfully, hoping to maintain the pleasant tone both women brought into the room. Though already I felt the anxious undertone they tried to mask. Despite being safely seated, Ilene still squeezed Estelle's hand tightly.
"Then, that will depend on you. You have a right to confidentiality, not a duty. I won't be sharing anything that happens here, but if you want miss Estelle to be present, I won't object."
Ilene sighed in relief, breathing out more air than I thought a person could hold, while Estelle patted her hand as if she expected this outcome.
"Thank you." My client responded.

I let the silence linger for a moment, finding it a good medium to dissipate the tension in the room. At this point in my career, most Warlocks that came to me were also at least passingly familiar with the power dynamics they have embroiled themselves in. If not before signing their contract, then after re-reading it a dozen times to try and find a loophole. Thus, when I tried to steer the conversation back to the reason for Ilene's visit, I decided to do so in a calmer, less confrontational manner.
"So, you mentioned coming in here from Cicia? That isn't exactly near here."
"Oh, you're telling us!" Ilene chuckled heartily. "Yes, it took us a good few weeks to get here."
"We're from the Gold Fields, in the South of the country." Estelle added, prompting Ilene to confirm "Right, so we are. Just past the border with, ehm, Thravelan or, ah-" "Thrua'valamh." "Right! I just can not get that right for the life of me- Too many A's in a row. Anyhow, those Elven woods, you know the ones."
"Uhm, Ilene dear?" Estelle said somewhat carefully.
"What? Oh, I know he's not from around, but he must know them. It's enormous, after all."
This time, I was the one who decided to carefully interject. "It's alright, really. I think Estelle might be referring to my own Elven heritage, but I admit I am hardly fluent in that language. My mother has tried, but that pronunciation remains a struggle."
When she maintained her flustered silence, I pushed the conversation onwards. "Either way, that means you have travelled just about the breadth of the continent to meet me. I can't imagine someone doing that for a trifling matter. What can I help you with?"

The answer to that question was as outlandish as it had been expected. "Truth be told, I would like to see again. If at all possible."
"Then let's first try to determine how possible that will be." I said. At that point in time, I hadn't explicitly dealt with Patron-inflicted bodily harm before. I had no doubt in my mind that the entities I typically dealt with had the power to reverse whatever was done to Ilene. But would they be obligated to do so? That, I believed, depended entirely on the nature of her pact.
"Would you say the damages you suffered were primarily due to an insufficiently explained side-effect of your pact? Or part of a trade that your Patron has not come through on?"
From the way Estelle glared at me I could tell I had made a mistake even before Ilene managed an uncertain "I'm sorry?"
Ilene's reaction took me by surprise. In error, I decided to clarify.
"I just need to know what exactly you agreed to, in order to assess this case."
Estelle's lips pulled themselves into a thin sneer as the warmth she initially brought into the room dissipated.
Similarly, the colour drained from my would-be client's face as she no-doubt regarded her options. It was clear that the only thing keeping them seated was the several weeks it had taken them to reach me in the first place. Of course, I had no idea what I'd done wrong. Which was no insignificant part of the problem.

My confusion, great though it was, had to come second to my client's clear discomfort. I softened my tone as I tried to come back into their good graces.
"Apologies. I was under the impression that- well, that hardly matters. Let me rephrase: Would you be willing to tell me what happened to you? In as much detail as you need to."
Ilene nodded, and Estelle calmly sat down again.
"I'll try. For starters, though: I didn't 'agree' to anything. I was robbed."