Perfidia - Acting skill

"Mr. Waringcrane!" she said, rising with courteous gesture and broad smile. Her hip bumped her desk; she stumbled slightly. (Tactical. People preferred to deal with devils they thought they could outwit.) "Perfidia Bal Berith, but call me Fidi. So glad ya made—Oh."


***

Perfidia nodded sagely. "Me too, lemme tell ya. Been saying to myself for centuries: Once I get enough in the bank, I'll skip town and head back to Hell. But I've been stuck in Cleveland since 1868." The truth of the statement was incidental to why she said it. In an instant she became the tired old veteran, an image of the desolate future that awaits all bright-eyed youth when they totter into the real world.

***

[1] Spirit of Eternal Negation