cause and e f f e c t ;

Certainly, Asmodeus had a little more to be doing aside from sitting calmly within a humble Chinese restaurant, gazing at all the interesting trinkets lining the walls. And almost just as certainly, he would rather be occupying his precious time with something other than, though perhaps this was one of those few moments in his life when he could afford to dawdle like he was. For once, Leviathyn wasn't trailing his every move; instead the man was sleeping elsewhere, awaiting faithfully (albeit unconsciously) the return of his King. Oh of course, on several occasions even had Asmodeus explained to Lev that Asmodeus was no longer his King, but instead his consort, though the other would hear nothing of it. Quite stubborn the demon could be, and Asmodeus really hadn't the patience nor the time to spend correcting his endearing actions. Instead, Asmodeus merely took such things as compliments and left them be where they lie.

After all, once a King of the Outer Planes' mind was made up, there really was no changing it. Asmodeus had seen this himself in one of the many commanders under his rule; Levistus was one, to be sure, that had a will as cold and strong as steel. Such was one of the many reasons Asmodeus had, after several thousand years of leaving the latter to his icy prison, to reinstate Levistus as Lord of the Fifth Layer. It was difficult, though he searched long and hard, to find a suitable replacement for the previous Lord, and eventually decided that his betrayal wasn't of nearly as horrible a consequence as the other Lords had made it. Still... such matters were extremely complex and inconvenient. He had plenty of others to deal with, he certainly didn't require rebellion of his own subjects.

Regardless of such thoughts lingering in his mind, Asmodeus allowed a talon-like nail to trail across the clear glass of his beverage. Of the two places on this Plane that served Asian cuisine, there was most definitely not a place like the Imperial Jade; though Asmodeus' tastes were far more refined, he'd taken to their creative alcoholic drinks rather quickly and held fast. No other beverages could hold his interest as well as the one before him. They called it the Shanghai Sunrise. Interesting title for such a sweet drink, as he had seen Shanghai, and it seemed a tad more bitter to him. As bitter as aluminum after-taste in a sweet, cold soda drink.

Ah, how he missed the days of Earth. Humans were quite trifle creatures, toying with things that were far beyond their capabilities and yet somehow they still remained. Though with this war spreading onto the First Layer, Avernus, Asmodeus could no longer remain behind the gated walls of Malsheem. Nessus provided more than adequate guard from the other Outer Planes and whatever wars may reach them in turn, as first one must pass (preferably alive) the first eight layers to even have a sliver of hope of reaching Asmodeus. Though with Mephistopheles missing for quite some time now, there was no telling who might turn up missing and begin to cause the walls around Nessus to crumble as a result. Such was the other part of why Asmodeus had decided to venture to the Inner Planes on his own; with Mephistopheles missing, Cania was in something not too short of civil war. Many who had already deemed Mephistopheles incapable of ruling Cania had run with his disappearance, claiming the demon had gone his own way and left the realm under his command in peril, leaving those who dwell within to their own fate.

Asmodeus may not understand everything that goes on within the Outer Realms, but he certainly knew Mephistopheles enough to know he didn't disappear for that reason at least.

"More tea yes?" he heard to his right, and his thoughts drifted back to his surroundings. His gaze shifted to the Chinese woman next to him, and he smiled slightly. "Yes, that'd be wonderful, thank you."