Lixi had been about to blurt out another round of pleading and try to explain to him again that she'd traded the promise to retrieve Shad's only belonging, but suddenly something clicked in her mind, and she calmed from her frantic state. Her eyes narrowed as she analyzed what Martin had just said, and she sat back on her heals. "Forgive me?" She asked the question more of herself than she did of Martin, though she could only assume he wouldn't know that, and so decided to continue quickly.

"Love... I've lived a miserable existence for over 4000 years now, by choice, because I refused to abide anyone thinking they have the right to forgive me, or demand that I ask for their forgiveness for my choices." Her words were smooth and calm, as the world around them. They were not spoken in anger, though the original thought that spurred her to say them had been a spark of long programmed venom against the idea of forgiveness. "You are the very first person in the last 3 of those 4 millenniums, who's opinion has any sway on the choices I make, but that does not mean I will beg for your approval over a choice I made, a deal I made, to keep myself and that silly little half blood from dying."

Lixi paused and dipped her head forward to stare at the sand for a moment. A heavy sigh slid out of her lungs, and her mannerisms softened to a more loving, gentle character as she looked back up to meet his gaze. "I love you, Martin. I would not offer or jeopardize you or anything that you care about. The only thing at risk is myself, and even then I'll be in less danger than I was sitting like a trapped rat in IronCity."

"As to what it was exactly that I'm now obligated to do, it will be tricky, but no more difficult and insanely dangerous and stupid as what we're already trying to do. The kokopeli was asked to give Joel something of importance to show his submission, so he gave up his only possession, and the source of his power. His flute. Joel now has it somewhere, likely in one of the lower realms. I need to retrieve it for him once all of this over. Only I am obligated in this, no one else, and I don't have to do it till after this is done and settled, and that only if we are successful and both myself and Shad survive." She frowned and looked more than a little distressed as she added inwardly, "Which is more than highly unlikely..." then finished the thought aloud with "...he may not even have survived this far if the demons saw through the ruse of the torture and knew he let us go."