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Autumn comes when you're not yet done with the summer passing by
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 2:31:52 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Sept 4, 2022 2:31:52 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【What a night to be out and about~】 ▋▋ 【Main Hall→His Room→Main Hall】 ▋▋ 【5A8D88】
The little purple demon crawled up onto the back of his chair, which didn’t really please Cyr, but he said nothing. An argument broke out between the little demon and the tall woman, but it quickly simmered into quietness. Bez hopped up, cheerfulness taut on her face, and wandered into her room. It was as if a bubble had burst, and the gravity that had gathered them all here suddenly set them loose. The tall woman, Vivian, trailed after her. The white haired one, Myut, also got up and returned to his room. Cyr’s eyes flicked back to him, watching him leave. Myut. An interesting name. The small purple demon, Ino, also climbed down from the back of the chair and returned to his room. The angry little demon, Eris, seemed content to stay put, however, shooting another glare his way.
Cyr sighed, leaning back in his chair now that someone else wasn’t occupying it. His eyes swept over the room. He was the only one who hadn’t said his name. Not that it bothered him much. Perhaps it would be fun to be a little mysterious.~ Cyr felt his mind begin to wander. Now was not the time, but he really couldn’t help himself. How would it go? Leaning against the wall, letting himself loom just a little over the other. Watching his throat bob prettily. The tip of his tongue, perhaps, poked out just slightly, as if hesitating to wet his lips. Asking his name in that low voice~ Or perhaps the woman? She’d take the lead. Her hand would ghost over his bicep, catch his wrist, force him to turn towards her. She’d push his shoulder and demand it. She did have such a pretty mouth… Even the little purple demon~ who knew what he’d do? Hook a finger through a belt-loop and look up at him? Settle a dainty hand on his lower chest and beg for it with those large eyes?
Cyr shook his head. They were in a serious situation. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about romantic interludes and playful flirtations. Even though he was missing the last night of the gala. The one that was always the best--the rowdiest, the drunkest, the most handsy night. And he was here, sitting on a chair, instead of drunkenly getting himself ready for another night of debauchery before he was debachelored. Cyr sighed, but his sudden moodiness was interrupted by Bezabelle’s voice. Asking him for a shirt.
“What,” he called out teasingly as he crossed the room to his door. Hers was across from his, next to where the door had opened up and spat everyone out. He didn’t like the thought of her being so close to the front, but he knew she could handle herself. She was strong and smart, even though he couldn’t help but think of her as small and delicate and important to protect. Cyr dug through his suitcase, which had been haphazardly filled--probably by the guards--trying to find a clean shirt for her. He’d packed enough for two weeks, since he seemed to go through shirts here like wine. He tossed all his already worn or stained shirts into a pile in the corner, and spread out the three he still had that were clean, not including two t-shirts from earth he’d packed just in case. So he brought Bez a black button down with a long line of small ivory buttons, and also a paint-splattered navy t-shirt with a stylized cityscape sprawled across it, sharp, jagged words stamped across the chest in English. ‘Crunchy Steven.’ He wasn’t sure exactly what that meant to the humans, but he liked to snag those shirts with strange sayings whenever he could on Earth. Whichever one she didn’t pick, he tossed back onto his bed. They were both large enough that they’d probably come down to her knees. It was a charming look.
When he returned to his room to drop off the other shirt, he took a few minutes to sort the rest of his things into the wardrobe. If the guards had thought to bring them their things, certainly they were going to be here for more than a night. Best to not let his things get too wrinkled.
It didn’t bother him, the open door, as he slipped off his rumpled shirt and dropped his pants, changing into a loose pair of flannels. For politeness’s sake, he pulled on an undershirt--a tight white tank-top. No need to run around the main room without a shirt. The little purple demon’s head would probably explode. He also grabbed one of the books he’d brought with him. There was little downtime at the gala’s, but this year, he’d decided perhaps it would be wise to fill any quiet moments with distractions. And these books had been his favorite when he was younger. Pilfered from Earth or gifts from humans he’d encountered there.
Cyr curled up comfortably in his armchair again, one leg under him and one leg hooked over the arm of the chair. He read for a while, fingers tracing the worn, annotated pages of the novel. Other demons flitted in and out. The little angry one, Eris, vanished into her own room, and the banging that followed attracted Bez and Val. Cyr glanced up, watching a sheet fall over the doorway. Perhaps a clever idea. The conversation within became muffled. He shook his head. Seemed like Bez knew the little angry girl too?
Exertion sounds from the other side of the room then caught his attention. His eyes quickly took stock of who was still out, and he slowly rose with a catlike grace that contradicted his size. Seemed like it was coming from Myut’s room? Cyr crossed to sit at the large table that took up the middle of the floor, catching a momentary glance of the white haired demon working out on his own in his room. Well, that would help explain why he was so fit, wouldn’t it. Cyr settled down in the chair, occasionally letting himself get distracted from his book. Before long, however, the tall woman approached him, distracting him properly.
She proposed an arm wrestling competition. Cyr smirked up at her. She was quite pretty. She had to be a pride demon, though judging by the tilt of her head and the set of her jaw. Cyr agreed. Her cocksure attitude was just as attractive as the slender but solid curve of her hip. So they arm-wrestled. He gave it a good fight, but he wanted to see what she’d look like if she won, so he slowly gave way to her. But she saw through that, apparently, and whacked his arm, demanding they go again. The second time, he could feel her giving it her all, but he remained firm until she slaked slightly, then pushed her hand down. She frowned and glared at him.
Was there no winning?
When she stalked off, Ino approached, stealing her seat. He smiled slightly wanly. What did the little demon want? Just to talk about exercising. Apparently he liked to run, but he was impressed by Cyr’s weight lifting. Cyr let his gaze wander over Ino’s shoulder, where he could still occasionally see Myut moving around, but then it snapped back to the smaller demon’s face, and he smiled. He could still feel all that energy wavering off the other, but it seemed he was trying to remain polite this time. Cyr relaxed slightly. In return, he let himself become a little flirtier, playfully responding, letting his gaze linger over the smaller demon’s fine-boned features. He really was quite pretty.
After Ino seemed sated by their discussion, he bid his leave, though he lingered nearby. Cyr went back to his book. He was almost finished with it when another distraction appeared in the doorway to Myut’s room.
Cyr felt his mouth go slightly dry as he watched the white haired demon wipe his face with the bottom of his shirt, showing off his abs, which gleamed lightly with sweat. He couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped his chest. Damn. He could feel his heart twist in his chest. Why did it always betray him in situations like this?
Not too long after, he couldn’t help but trail behind when Myut wandered over to stare at the fire, tea-cup in hand. After some sleuthing, he discovered that the lack of hot water had the white-haired demon down. So he took it upon himself to knock on Eris’s wall and ask her to heat the water. Which she did, after some snappish complaining. The soft, dreamy look the greed demon gave him, the steam from his freshly heated tea wreathing his face, made Cyr’s heart twinge. He wanted to see that face more. How was it that someone could be so fit, but still have such a pretty face?
Their eyes met for a moment, but then Cyr jumped slightly as Myut made an anguished sound. There were no books on the bookshelf. None at all. Before he could really remember that all the books he’d brought were fantasy romance, with damsels in distress, mythical creatures, and strong men with big swords to save them. Some of them were from earth, and others from hell, but they’d all been well worn and well loved over the years. They were like comfort food to him now, he couldn’t help it. Some of them still sported scribbled writings in the margins that pined for that sort of romance. ...maybe he should have pruned those ones out before he brought his whole little satchel over to Myut so he could take any if he desired.
Thankfully, his bashfulness over his books was quickly distracted by watching Myut’s long, slender yet firm hands caress one of his books. He almost missed the demon’s thanks, the claim that he owed him now. Cyr shook his head with a faint smile. “Really, I’m not keeping score,” he murmured. And if he was, he’d probably owe Myut, considering how he couldn’t help but steal glances of him whenever he was nearby…speaking of which, his eyes traced Myut’s back as he strode away, back into his room. Cyr returned to his own room as well, managing to hide his grin until he was putting his satchel back into his suitcase. He covered his face with his hand, feeling giddy. It went so well! He hadn’t realized how fast his heart was beating until just now, when happiness overwhelmed him. Everything else could be terrible, but he had this for now, and that was enough.
He needed to figure out what else this demon liked so he could bring him more gifts.
Cyr returned to the sofa, now that it had been vacated. It seemed some of the others were retiring properly to their rooms, perhaps, to sleep, and it felt too strange to be peering directly into someone else’s bedroom. Without permission, at least. Cyr felt himself nodding after a while, hardly able to focus on the words on the page. The fire had died to embers, and the only light in the room were the half-dimmed ones above. Once he’d finished, he looked around, as if emerging from a deep sleep, to realize that he was alone in the main room. Everyone else had gone to their rooms. Perhaps to bed. He should as well. Cyr shuffled off to curl up, enjoying a fitful sleep, full of uncomfortable dreams of half-whispered, unintelligible words. He woke to the same half-dark he’d fallen asleep to.
When he lumbered out of his room to check on the others, see if anyone else was awake or in trouble, he spotted Bez’s head backlit against the sputtering remnants of the fire and the soft moon-lit glow from the windows. He joined her on the couch with soft words. He could tell she was worried, even if she kept a cheerful attitude up. He understood that. So they just chatted quietly about nothing and everything. Her new beau. Everything that had happened since the last time they talked. As it turned out, she knew everyone here. But yet, he couldn’t convince her to tell him more about the white haired demon. He’d just have to figure it out on his own. Tragic. After some more quiet conversation, he left her again, with a last reminder that he was always there to support her if she needed it, as she had done for him in the past. He couldn’t tell if she smiled in the dark.
After another restless sleep, Cyr woke and tried to fix his hair in the bathroom. Which was made far more difficult by the fact that he had no mirror, and the sink was far too small to stick his head into. Eventually, he came out, hair wet, still wearing the tank top and soft pants he had been the night before. Today seemed like a comfort over beauty kind of day, after all. Some of the others were already out, and he offered them smiles as he crossed the room to look out one of the windows, into the pretty little garden beyond.
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Twink Connoisseur
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 2:32:59 GMT
Post by anthemum on Sept 4, 2022 2:32:59 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【You know, I don’t know if I want to settle in…】 ▋▋ 【Main Hall, His Room, there and back, finally sat between his and Myut’s rooms】 ▋▋ 【9e2b9e】
As the others began to leave the gathering, Ino hopped down easily, his heels clicking against the ground. He headed back for his room, trailing his hand over the back of the chair the large demon – who still had no name – sat in. Inside, he began to fold and arrange his clothing in the wardrobe provided, but over time, something made him stop. Did he really want to settle in here? Get comfortable? Something about that thought made him uneasy. He still did some rearranging, moving his herbs all into one bag, tucking his treasures in the bottom of another, covered in worn clothes. He still had a few clean and mostly clean outfits left, which was a relief. He considered removing his boots, but left them on for now.
Trying to do more unpacking than that still made his stomach twist, and he found himself chased into the main room instead, watching as the tall demon crossed to bring Bezzie a shirt. His eyes trailed him, but he shook that off. He didn’t have a chance.
Instead, he explored the main room, starting with the locked door in the corner. He tried the handle again, poking at the hinges, tentatively testing if it was illusion, or easily breakable. He then drifted to the windows, surreptitiously trying to pop a pane out, seeking out drafts, weak spots (he found none). Eventually, he just drifted around the rest of the room. He flopped over on the couch, examined the fireplace, avoided the large painting, and was just considering hopping up on the table when a loud banging startled him upright, his arm hairs standing on end. He looked around – the wrath, Eris, was adding a sheet over her door.
Bez and Val headed over, and Ino started in that direction, but hesitated. The little wrath didn’t seem to like him, and Ino was somewhat afraid of wrath demons in general. Maybe it’d be better not to engage. Instead, he sought and found another distraction.
Tall demon and Vivian were wrestling, and the tall man was fucking it up. Ino snickered when he made the grave mistake of letting her win, and his eyes sparkled with mirth when Vivian just got more upset when she subsequently lost. The tall demon looked lost himself though, and as the woman stalked away, Ino took her place.
“It’s not your fault, you know. She’s mostly definitely Pride. The tend to be like that, I doubt she’s actually mad.”
Cyr – he finally learned his name in the conversation that followed – turned out to be fun and easy to talk to. Ino hadn’t quite know what to talk about with him at first, but he’d gotten a nice chat on the topic of working out. He still thought the tall man was one of the most gorgeous demons he’d ever seen, but he could respect that Cyr wasn’t interested.
Or was he? As he’d talked, he’d gotten some distinctly flirty tones coming from the other man. But at the same time, he knew what’d seen in his eyes earlier that day. It was…confusing, to say the least.
After that, he’d just ended up lounging in the main room. He’d taken a seat by one of the windows, staring at the garden, trying to imagine the festivities they were all missing. No one came to let them out, and he sighed a bit, imagining the faint strains of music. In these wide open rooms, he couldn’t even read…
Something a little exciting finally happened when Myut emerged from his room. Ino hadn’t taken much notice of the man earlier, but now…wow. He was also tall, and very strong. His white hair looked soft and curled elegantly, and he had a face as finely shaped as Ino’s own. His bigger structure, though, made him unable to do delicate, and Ino sorted through words as he watched him. Whimsical? No…Exotic. Maybe even outright Regal?
While he was staring though, Cyr had already gotten up, approached, and learned that the handsome demon wanted tea. Tea sounded like a good idea, actually…Ino stood and headed into his rooms. He had ingredients for a lovely tea with him, though he still had to compose it. He gathered some flowers, a few of the leaves, some mint for better flavour, and then he had to dig around for another bag because he’d left the one with Cyr. He’d hurried through it, but by the time he emerged, Myut had already gotten hot water from somewhere, and Cyr was talking to him, and Ino felt oddly awkward butting in between them. With a little sigh, he put the tea away. He could drink it some other time.
Of course, while he was distracted, he missed something else. Myut’s cry had him hurrying to the door, and the watched as the white-haired demon despaired at the lack of books. Cyr came to the rescue before Ino could even consider giving up his secret. The tallest was looking at Myut like a puppy waiting for a treat. It was oddly endearing, and the petite demon just leaned against the doorway to his room, watching them.
As night fell, the fireplace spontaneously ignited at some point, and that’s where Ino ended up. He sat close enough that the heat hurt, but at least this close, he couldn’t see the portrait hanging above the mantle. He stared into the hypnotic flames, letting his mind wander for a long time.
Eventually, he decided it was time to give up and sleep. He murmured a goodbye to Cyr, though the other didn’t seem to notice him. Inside, he was faced with a new problem – washing. Ino refused to sleep without it, but there wasn’t much in the little rooms. Still, he made it work. He stripped down, finally kicking off his heels and instantly becoming several inches shorter. He took a bit of cloth and, dipping it into the cold water, carefully wiped his skin down. It still wasn’t much, and it wasn’t pleasant, but he eventually emerged, now in soft shorts and a lacy tank top. Shivering, he padded over and got into the bed.
The mattress was soft and the quilts thick and warm, but despite that, Ino couldn’t sleep. He was too stressed, too keyed up, the dark maw of the door gaping at him right across from his bed. He lay still for hours, trying to coax sleep to come. He counted jackalopes and ran through social networks and in the end, stared at the ceiling before eventually giving up. He went to his case, digging out the hefty history tome he hadn’t been able to leave behind. He could read a chapter or two, calm his racing thoughts…
When he stepped out, though, he saw that he wasn’t the only one awake. He lay the book on his nightstand, promising to put it away later, before going to see who it was.
It was Bezabelle, but somehow, friendly banter turned into breaking his own heart. He’d just made a joke, and somehow…somehow Bezabelle had known.
Talking about it hadn’t helped like he’d hoped, though. Recounting how he’d felt safe and content only to have it torn from him had only renewed the deep ache he still felt. And all the while, the subject of their conversation had stared down at them, and Ino glared into his eyes when he declared he’d never loved Abadeer.
Because that was all he had left for defense, at this point, his words and his actions after he’d let the prince see all he was and still been thrown away.
Even if it was a lie.
Even if he’d wanted to stay.
He’d left her quickly, before he broke down into full on tears. She hadn’t followed him, and Ino appreciated that. He wasn’t ready to share this grief with anyone, just yet.
Sleep eluded him though, and so he lay quietly, breathing steadily as he listened to Bez and Cyr speak. Apparently, they knew each other better than he’d first thought… Neither spoke loud enough for him to really hear their conversation, but their soft murmurs were something to focus on. Something better than the thoughts in his head. Eventually, exhaustion claimed him, and he finally fell asleep.
Morning felt a little better, even after restless dreams full of mocking laughter. Ino woke early and headed to the bathroom for another miserable wash. Afterwards, he picked his clothes for the day, unsure if he hoped someone would look into his room, or if he hoped that no one would. He settled on slim black pants and a dark shirt hemmed in red that softly covered his palms. Fixing his hair and makeup took longer, especially when the mirror he knew he’d brought with him turned out to be gone. Eventually, he’d given up and set a glamour instead, checking his power reserves and finding them healthy.
Then he’d emerged, somewhat hoping he’d find coffee.
He did not, but he found Val, snoozing away on the sofa. He shook his head, wondering when the sloth had ended up there. He flipped off the portrait before padding back, his feet still bare and quiet against the ground. After pacing a bit, he sat down on the ground between his and Myut’s room, taking a few deep breathes before folding in half at the waist. He might not be able to run, but he could stretch at least, and keep his body limber.
Slowly, he focused on his breathing and lost himself in the familiar routine. With his eyes shut, some of the remaining ache in his chest faded away. Impressive flexibility gave way to outright acrobatics, as the envy stood up on his arms, moving his legs into different contortions before bringing them straight up, then down, arching his whole back. By the time he entered the last part of his routine, his feet finding the floor again, he opened his eyes, feeling much calmer, and ready to face the day.
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 2:53:33 GMT
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Post by faddedfox on Sept 4, 2022 2:53:33 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【Snuggles ~】 ▋▋ 【Couch > Eris's room > everywhere > couch】 ▋▋ 【4169E1】
Valramir glanced at everyone that introduced themselves and his eyes lingered on Cyr. He didn't actually introduce himself. Interesting. He wondered why. He'd seemed pretty open the couple of days they did chat and trade trinkets. Valramir wondered briefly if the demon was hiding something or wanted to remain anonymous for a reason. He doubted that would last very long though. They were in pretty tight quarters after all. They were all bound to get into each others space at some point. At least he had his aura to try and keep anger a bit more manageable so people didn't try to kill each other. The drama was fun, but he didn't want to get stuck in here with a group of dead demons. And he knew them on some level. Well except Cyr, Viv, and Meu who he hadn't much interacted with over the years.
And in the midst of his mind wondering, he realized he was no longer the center that made the dragons orbit. They'd all gone off into their own little corners. He gave a little pout. He'd liked having everyone sitting around him. His eyes wandered over those that opted to remain in the main room doing their own activities. The arm wrestling match between Viv and Cyr was fun for a moment as was poor Ino's attempts at trying to get close to Cyr and then to Meu. It was kind of strange. Ino had always displayed a certain confidence at other parties. True he still dazzled and was very beautiful and manicured, but there was something... missing. Valramir couldn't quite put his finger on it but he didn't seem the same. True, he wasn't friends with Ino, but they'd talked at various parties before but then he'd gone missing for a while. He hadn't heard any news about the demon and now here he was. Something must have happened during his absence.
He might have gone to him and asked, but then something else caught his attention. Eris and Bezzy had gone into Eris's room and she was starting to make a racket. He tilted his head to the side before he stretched and slowly got to his feet. He ran a hand through his hair before he sauntered over to Eris's room as well, his too big sweater already drooping off his shoulder. As one would expect, he was the most disheveled and underdressed demon among the lot, not that he cared too much. Besides the disheveled look could be sexy too.
Valramir stepped through the door and nearly got hit with a piece of... plaster? He glanced up and saw Eris was busy hammering away at the ceiling just above her door, the nightstand beneath her wobbling a little as she balanced herself. More dust particles and pieces started to fall on him and he quickly moved giving a little cry of "Ahhh, Erriiisss,". Valramir hurried out of the way then and flopped down on the bed beside where Bezzy was sitting. "The hell you doing? I am pretty sure we can't burrow our way out of the room."
"Making a door. Otherwise there'd be no point in setting traps, right?"
"So, you're going to put something to hang over the door? How do the holes figure in?" Bezzy asked then.
"I'll make a deep enough hole and shove a sheet in there to hang over the door."
"And the traps? What are you thinking for those?"
"And a trap for who, the guards? That will go well," Valramir interjected. They were all stuck here so setting up traps for each other only seemed like it would make things worse. " I don't think anyone would cross you," he added as he stretched and pulled her pillow closer to snuggle into it.
Eris sucked in her cheek. "I haven't decided between putting something to trip on, or just sharp things on the floor. I don't want random demons in my room." she retorted then. The three demons remained quite for a moment and Eris continued to dig at the ceiling.
Suddenly, Bez jumped up with a grin. "Oh, I have an idea." She rushed out of the room and he and Eris shared a confused look. Bez returned shortly with a handful of safety pins which she offered up to Eris. Eris's eyes seemed to flash with excitement.
"This is why you're my favorite."
Valramir smiled then. Bezzy was always so helpful and indulgent of them. Of course that was her nature, but still. When Eris began to finish up her make-shift door, Valramir sat up with an excited grin. He forgot he hadn't told Eris and Bezzy about his adventures from before they all got dragged off into this corner. Now was the perfect opportunity to brag. For a sloth demon, he was damn proud.
"Bezzyyyyyyyyy, Erissss, I forgot to tell you what I did yesterday! Bezzy, you'd be so proud," he grinned and moved over to hug her around her waist and rest his head against her. He was also rather clingy to those around him and sloths didn't easily let go as Meu found earlier.
"Oh? That sounds like trouble! Tell me everything!"
"I tooootttallly effed up the guards. It reminded me of how I brought down Izrah a peg for you, Eris." he chuckled. He immediately launched into the details of his romp through the castle, putting guards to sleep and making them shirk their duties.
Bezzy smirked as she started to play with the strands of Valramir's hair. "Any particular reason why?" She asked him then. Valramir shrugged and closed his eyes, enjoying how her fingers felt.
"Just 'cuz I was bored."
Bezzy laughed at the answer. "Only you could come to the Prince's gala and be bored."
"That sounds like fun. I might have set some drapes on fire... but I got caught." Eris pouted as she too came to sit on the bed beside Val and Bezzy. Bez wrinkled her nose at the information.
"Who's drapes?"
"Remember that guy from earlier? His. And A couple other dumbasses who didn't lock their doors."
Bezzy looked concerned then. "Not that poor Envy that you were arguing with when I left to find a snack?"
"Noooo. The weaselly pride demon. He knocked me off a chair."
"How rude of him. He deserved it then." Valramir tsked, slowly getting more and more sleepy though he tried to keep his own eyes open. He was far too comfortable in Bezzy's lap and Eris's bed.
"Ah, that bastard." Bezzy raised her chin in a smirk. "Well, it is too bad you got caught."
"How'd you end up here? They really did a number on you. When we get out, point out which ones did it," Eris growled and socked her palm with her fist. "I bit one of mine, and stabbed another. I'll teach yours a lesson too."
Valramir managed a small nod, barely catching the conversation. "What they did to you.... horrible. Totally... undeserving," he mumbled. And then everything went dark for Valramir.
When he woke next, Valramir found Bez had left. He was still in Eris's room but Eris was now curled up against him and fitfully asleep. He smiled softly. She looked so sweet when she was asleep. He looked over at the door and saw she had finished making her door and there was no sound coming from the main hall. Was it night time? Must be. Everyone would be sleeping then. Perfect. He felt rather rested now and since everyone was knocked out, he could begin his own investigation about their new 'home'.
Valramir very slowly extracted himself from Eris's arms as not to wake her. Once out of the bed, he started to look through Eris's things. He wouldn't take anything and she should be used to him looking through her stuff by now as he'd done it on more than one occasion. He saw some of the odd trinkets she'd stolen from other demons. They were pretty, but nothing important. He carefully and quietly exited her room so he didn't step on the things she'd set up to stop other prying demons. And it seemed he was right; it was night time. Excellent. And it looked like Viv's room was next. He entered her room then and took a quick glance around. Empty.
Hmm. He moved quickly start going through drawers and found she had everything neatly put away. It felt eerily empty even with things set nicely in their places. He could find nothing of interest. Boring. He shook his head and left the room and glanced at the next door. Bezzy's room. He didn't glance inside. He assumed Viv and Bezzy would be sleeping and he didn't want to interrupt anything if they were up to something. Bezzy would open drawers for him anyway if he asked. So he turned away to the next room across the main area. Cyr.
He crept over and took a peak in. Sleeping. Good. He entered the room and began to rifle through his things. He found a few nice little trinkets as expected and one thing in particular that grabbed his attention. A necklace. There was power in it. It wasn't a simple sparkly. He very carefully caressed the air around it so he wouldn't move it or touch it. He didn't know what the necklace did, but he knew it was dangerous. He glanced at Cyr then. What was he doing with an item like this? Who was it for? Who'd given it to him? Was this a reason why he had been ambivalent about introducing himself? He'd have to watch Cyr more closely.
Curiosity sated for now, he closed the drawer and backed out of the room. Ino's room next on the list. He smiled softly as he looked over the sleeping demon. Even in bed he wore a cute outfit. It was riding up on his body and certainly made the pride demon a sexy little thing. If he didn't fear waking him, he would have caressed him idly, but as it was, he had other things on his mind. Upon closer rifling of things, mostly clothes, he saw a book Ino was reading but nothing much else telling. There was no evidence about why Ino had changed or about his absence from the galas. Valramir wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but he'd hoped for something he could use.
Last on his list was Meu. He grinned a little. He was sure he had a lot of fun and curious things. The best for last it seemed. He eagerly entered the room then and opened up a drawer to start looking at some of his delectable collections of stuff. He certainly did have a lot of pretty shiny things, and they were all different; no one was the same.
With Val's careful footsteps, Myut did not stir as the white-haired demon snuck into his room. However, Meu's sharp hearing did not fail to pick up on the nearby rustling of his things being moved, and that had him groggily opening his eyes and propping himself up on his forearms to try to see what was going on.
Pupils narrowed sharply as his eyes adjusted to the light level, and a low, sleepy growl rumbled in his chest. "What do you think you're doing." Meu threatened, though it wasn't quite that intimidating considering the demon was still partially grogged down from being just awoken. Val tensed at the words. He couldn't help the involuntary shiver the deep voice gave him. Myut certainly had such devilishly good tone of voice and made Val think of ways to hear more of it directed at him, whispered into his ear.
Totally not what he should be thinking after being caught red handed looking through the man's treasured items. Or was it? He got up slowly as if he had every right to be in the room and had done nothing wrong at all. He offered a smile as he moved closer. Myut cocked an uncertain eyebrow as he watched Val looking ever so confident and at home here in his room. Mew wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. A little aggressive, a little uncertain, and mostly confused in his still sleepy state. "Heeeyy, mostly wondering if you wanted a bit of company. You look lonely," he cooed, and knelt on the corner of the bed.
The soft, melodic voice that came from the Sloth demon was rather pleasant to hear, but Myut did his best not to be swayed by it. Why was this demon in his room in the middle of the night? It set Meu on edge. A befuddled and disbelieving look filled the greed demon's face as Valramir tried to play it off as just wanting to check in on him, see if he wanted some company. Hell no, of course he didn't. Wasn't Valramir just rifling through his things? He was trying to remember correctly.
Myut pulled his legs up closer to his body in defense as he felt weight at the end of his bed, a clear sign that the red-eyed demon was inviting himself into his bed. Meu might still have been partially asleep, but warning bells were going off with the uninvited proximity of another demon.
"No," His voice was deep and muddled by sleep. "I'd prefer if you left immediately."
Val pouted. He really wasn't making much headway with Myut, was he? It didn't seem like Myut liked him at all. He had only flirted with him to get the necklace. Other than that, Meu had been very cold to him.
"So mean," he said then. He managed to reach over and squeeze a retracting leg but his advance was not accepted.
Well, he wasn't going to keep pushing though he'd thought they'd at least get a little fun with each other. Myut was much stronger than him and he didn't want to test him too much. They were going to be here a while. Oh well. He sighed softly and pulled his hand away and started for the door, slowly. He glanced back at Myut on the bed. Why did he have to be so sexy?
"Night, Meu Meu," he sang, sending a blast of 'sleep' vibes. Maybe he'd forget the interruption or think it a dream. Valramir watched as the demon's eyes began to unfocused until he was out like a light again. With a nod he exited the room. It looked like his own room was left. He hadn't been in it yet. He didn't have anything of value beside some odd bits of jewelry and he was too lazy to unpack his things. He had other things to do. Much like Ino had done earlier that day, he started to test the walls, looking for weaknesses or some kind of spying mechanism. They had to be in this room for a reason which meant the prince or someone hired by the prince was watching them, looking for something. But what was the prince looking for?
"Val?" Val froze when he heard the voice. He thought everyone was asleep and he hadn't seen anyone in the room. He apparently wasn't going very good sneak. He looked over and relaxed when he saw it was just Bez on the couch.
"Oh, morning, Bezzy. What are you doing over here?" He walked over to the couch and knelt beside his friend. Bez rubbed at her eyes a bit, trying to decide if she'd actually fallen asleep. Judging by how easily she had stirred when she heard Val moving, probably nothing more than a light doze.
"Woke up a bit ago. Couldn't really get back to sleep, so I came out here." She looked exhausted. "What are you doing?"
"Just wandering, investigating things now that everyone is asleep. It is easier to miss things when there is people about," he explained.
"Oh? Did you find anything you missed?"
He debated a moment before he moved over Bez to slide between her and the back of the couch. It ended up with his sweatshirt pinned beneath them, pulling it more off his shoulder and chest but he didn't try to untangle himself. He simply slid his arm out of the trapping and pulled her against his chest to snuggle up with her. He rested his his head on hers and let his aura extend over her.
"Hmmm. Oh, nothing much really. No escape routes or dirty secrets and notes. Just the mundane," he answered. He yawned, his own aura pulling him towards sleep. "Just hold me and I'll help you get back to sleep, Bezzy. And you like Viv, mmm?"
"Mmmhmm. She's nice. Really sweet, and protective. Better watch out." Bez giggled, eyes already drifting toward shut, though not quite there.
"Oh, watch out, huh? What am I watching out for? She gonna steal my Bezzy away from my cuddle time? Can't have that."
"Mmm, you're right. That's not likely." She straightened just a bit, turning to glance at him. "How are you? Holding up okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Not used to having quite so much people around in close quarters but I'll be good. I don't think Myut likes me to much," he pouted. "But otherwise I'm good. You?" He asked and caressed her bruise gently. The sensation was not painful at all, but neither was it pleasant across the tender skin.
"Well, other than the bruise you're poking at, I'm alright. Not happy about being stuck in here for who knows how long. What makes you think Myut doesn't like you?"
"Welllll he doesn't flirt with me anymore. He's been very cold to me when I've tried to be forward."
Bez laughed. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be mean." She shifted position, snuggling closer. "I think you're getting too used to me, my dear Val. Myut is a greed demon, first and foremost. And an introverted one at that."
"Hmmmm. I suppose." He yawned again and nuzzled her again. "Well, nighty night Bezzy."
Bez thought she made some noise of acknowledgement, but she was already drifting off. Val was far too comfortable even or her restless mind to resist.
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 2:54:06 GMT
Post by Skwidge on Sept 4, 2022 2:54:06 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Might I catch a bit of a break, yeah?"】 ▋▋ 【Time Out → Hiding in His Room → Emerging From the Darkness】 ▋▋ 【97A33C】
When Bez stood with a cheerful look to her face, the words dripping from her lips quite the opposite, and made her way into her room, a small feeling of relief blossomed in Myut’s chest. That meant that he could also appropriately leave the small gathering surrounding Val on the couch without seeming rude. It seemed that everyone else felt the same way as Bez’s movement appeared to be the catalyst that broke the dam. Myut was probably among the first to return to the semi-safety of his room, and whatever everyone else did he could not care less.
The tallest demon among them hadn’t said his name, and Meu couldn’t help but wonder the reason why. He himself had not been particularly inclined to share, but he still had. He would have to ask later, he supposed. But for now, he had to go through the rest of his stuff and ensure everything still remaining was accounted for. Remembering that something was already missing irked him into a particularly sour mood, and a hard look was plastered to his face as he meticulously picked through his bags sitting on the bed. Only a few moments passed before Mew decided to continue this further in the depths of his room. He settled onto the desk against the wall, properly angled away from the door. His greed side didn’t like the idea of prying curiosities impertinently eyeing up his things without permission.
It took quite a while to go through everything with how slow and meticulous Myut was being, carefully examining each individual item with a trained eye, comparing each thing to what was on his mental list. By the time Myut had finished, he discovered two more objects missing. The guards had been very liberal with his things. A severe look that did not belong on his pretty features burned intensely on his face, fists clenched and teeth grinding under the pressure of his jaw. The second he got his hands on the dirty guards responsible….
It was an absolute insult, one of the highest offenses one could make against a greed demon. Losing these things set him off in a different way. A sharp ache reverbed somewhere deep within him. The fact that some plebian had purloined such precious things from him without anything in return… a dull but persistent gnawing grew slowly in intensity while Myut did his best to drown it out. It never worked, of course. He found his fingers trembling against the hard wood of the desk – when had they gotten there? A piercing pang knocked against his skull, causing his hand to shoot up in order to apply a counter pressure.
Suddenly, Myut remembered something. Dropping his attention from the desk and ignoring the creeping void of his sin the best he could, Meu came to stand by the side of the bed opposite the door, hands rummaging about on the sheets. Where had he put it again? Ah! His suit jacket. Fingers fumbled about in the pockets until they slid against cool smooth metal. He retrieved the object from the cloth confines and observed it carefully against his palm. The little necklace he had traded for earlier that day- well, it had been a while by now, hadn’t it? Nonetheless, clasping the little object and feeling the reassuring shape and feel of it seemed to soothe the irritation a smidgen; Meu didn’t know why, but it did. It was probably just the greed side feeling satiated where before it had felt emptiness.
In any case, the headache seemed to subside and Meu eased back enough to where the only thing remaining was the basic anger of his things being stolen. That he could work with. Depositing the cross back into a pocket (this time his trousers’) Mew stretched his arms out, linking his hands together and popping his knuckles. Exercising would be the perfect way to take his mind off things and work out his frustrations. He should probably clear off the bed first, that way it wouldn’t prove too distracting.
Once he had finished putting away his clothes, Myut stole away to the small respite that was the bathroom and its actual door. At least Abadeer had the decency to give them that much. It was rather cramped, though, so the greed demon had no desire to spend much time at all in there even if it had provided a barrier to the outside. Meu changed out of the wrinkled and dirtied suit he had been in, swapping out his fancy attire for a pair of rather plain charcoal grey sweats that were somewhat loose fitting and of a cotton-like blend. He matched it with a sleeveless, high-neckline black shirt that clung to his torso jealously, fitting just right in all the proper places.
Myut reemerged, taking a sidelong glance at the gaping hole that was the ‘door’ to his room. Tapping his left bicep idly with his right hand and pursing his lips a bit, the green-eyed demon sighed. He turned away from the doorway to stare at the opposite wall. It would be a little easier to focus this way if he were staring at plaster rather than the open unknown that lay past his door. People walking. Talking. Gawking. He almost shuddered.
He was still too pissed about his stuff, though, so it was time to get down and dirty. Mew would go down a list of the usual exercises he did, starting with squats and probably ending somewhere with arm and core strength implementations.
Meu had been busy exercising for quite a while now, and was currently doing pushups at the foot of his bed. Just as where he had started, he could not help but still be positioned enough to the side that he would be within view of the door. There just wasn’t that much room to spare. He was still turned facing the far wall so he could better keep his count. At least there was a window to stare up at. His breathing was rhythmic and exerted as he pushed himself up and down off the floor, swapping between one hand to the other and interchanging to both at other times. His form was impeccable, straight as an arrow and carefully aligned so he could yield the best tension results from his muscles.
At some point Bez had realized that she had not seen Myut in some time; She'd been busy, of course, flitting from room to room, conversation to conversation, but she still made note. But with how ill at ease Myut had been when they had all gathered for a brief chat, there was no way she wouldn't check in. So that was what she was doing now.
When she came to his room, he was already in the middle of exercising. Bez watched for some time. She was enjoying the exhibition and felt no need to make her presence known just yet, content to simply lean against the wall. She had changed out of her ruined gala gown, now wearing a black shirt with pearl buttons and a brown belt across the middle. The shirt belonged to Cyr, of course, which meant it reached well past her mid-thigh.
Myut had been minding his own business and counting reps. He had felt the mounting suspicion that he was being watched, though. So, finishing his set, the greed demon turned to look at the door and was startled quite badly to see Bez leaning there. He hadn't actually expected anyone to be there. Good thing he had paused, or he may have been so caught off guard that he would have crumpled in the middle of an exercise.
It was just Bez though, which provided some small relief. Still, though. "Uhh, how long have you been standing there?" He took in her cute oversized appearance, sporting some shirt he had never seen before and, judging by the size, one that clearly did not belong to her.
Bez had been able to tell the moment that Mew started to suspect she was there, as the tension in his well-defined muscles changed ever so slightly. It had taken him several reps before he turned, though. Bez couldn't help the giggle that slipped out when he jumped. "Oh, not quite long enough. You can keep going," she flirted, motioning her okay for him to continue with a wink.
At this, Myut let his jaw slack open a bit as he gave an amused laugh of disbelief to how bold Bez was. "Alright then..." He grinned to himself before turning back to stare at the wall as he started a new set.
"You're alright, Bez?" He spoke in a soft but serious tone. "I saw what they did to you." He grunted, a bit of anger threading through his words.
"I mean, I know you're you. You can handle anything. But sincerely, how is this affecting you?"
"I appreciate the concern, I do. But it was honestly my own fault for fighting back. Should have known better. As for the rest, it's... unsettling. I wonder why they are taking so long to tell us what's going on." She talked low enough that it wouldn't carry easily in the main room, partially watching, partially just letting her eyes wander. She didn't let the neutrally cheerful look slip from her face, however, in case Myut turned around sooner rather than later.
Unsettling was an excellent word for the situation, and Myut could not help but agree over how long they – whomever that was - were letting the little group stew in mystery. It was wildly unprofessional, if you asked him. Perhaps Eris was right and Abadeer was just delighting in messing with all of them, pulling them together for his amusement and that there was no real reason behind them being all gathered. But Mew doubted that, especially after learning they had all gotten up to something or other.
"I was surprised to see you of all people suddenly chucked into the room. I can't help but wonder what sort of mischief you got up to Bez~." He pumped himself up and down on the floor, elbows bending silently as he pushed his own weight.
Bezzie laughed, strolling over to the bed and plopping down on it. Now, Mew would be able to turn and look at her, if he so chose. And of course, she had an even nicer angle of his full form.
"Oh? Wouldn't you like to know~? Well, here's a secret," Bez crossed her arms, set her chin down, and pouted fiercely, "I don't know either."
She traced a finger on the bed, wrinkling the sheets in a formless pattern. "I'm hoping the information I brought you wasn't what got you in deep? Did you get to find out what it was about?"
Meu could hear her padding deeper into his room, ascending atop his mattress and taking a dainty seat thereon. He tilted his head so he could look at her from the corner of his eye. He was glad that she seemed to be, for the most part, managing just fine.
He gave a wry chuckle at her severe pouting face. That was interesting, though: she couldn't think of anything in particular to pinpoint what had gotten her in trouble. That was not the case for Myut.
At her next question the greed demon couldn't help but laugh. "You could say that." Myut answered for both questions. He didn't seem particularly bothered by this fact, though. He flashed Bez a reassuring grin before elaborating.
"Yeah, it had to do with some content I was already looking into before you gave me that little tidbit, so certainly don't feel bad. It just egged me on all the more to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, that led to some dark corridors and dusty shelves," Myut was also sure to speak in softer tones, not particularly endeared to the idea of anyone eavesdropping. "I ended up in the same kind of trouble as your Vivian demon." Meu smirked teasingly up at the little gluttony over how buddy-buddy she had been with the gorgeous demon. She certainly was having her fill.
"Well, that's two among us going where we weren't supposed to be. What, the gala didn't provide enough to keep you occupied," she teased.
Myut playfully scoffed in response, "I could ask you the same. After all, you're here too." He flashed her a charming, cheeky grin. "And why didn't you introduce yourself earlier? Don't tell me you already know everyone here~." Honestly that was likely the case, though. Bezabelle got around, so he wouldn’t be surprised in the least.
"There are getting to be fewer and fewer strangers in Hell. I know a good amount of the demons at the gala as a whole, in some capacity or another."
Myut gave a wry whistle at the revelation of the female demon knowing so many. He gave Bezabelle a half glance as he let his weight fall with gravity before pushing against it again. "I don't know how you've done it, Bezzie. I can barely handle three people at one time, let alone a whole party of 'em." Myut turned his gaze down to the floor as he rested his forearms against the carpet, shifting his weight so that he was lifting his lower half and suspending it in the air for a bit in order to work on his core and arm muscles.
"I'm having such~ a great time so far." Meu spoke derivatively and sarcastically, tone otherwise rather quiet as he focused on keeping himself upright.
Bez's brows raised a fraction, surprised as Meu held his entire body weight on his forearms. Impressive!
"Liar~ it's not supposed to be a good time. Otherwise they wouldn't have taken us from the gala. On the bright side, you don't have to deal with a whole gala. Just me and five others. And there's a nice little tidbit I think you're missing."
"That's true." Myut had a bad habit of always looking on the lesser side of things. Just five strangers, rather than a whole castle of them. …Myut would prefer the castle. At least then they wouldn't be bursting at the seams in their little cage.
He stopped, suddenly lowering himself all the way to the floor before getting up fully. He dusted off his hands, closing the gap of a few steps between he and the bed. "Oh?"
As Myut approached, stopping just before where she lay near the foot of the bed, Bezzie rose to a partial sitting position. Her right leg was tucked under the left, and her left leg swung over the edge of the bed to brush Meu's lower thigh. She leaned back to rest her weight on her arms, looking up at him.
"I wonder," she started, once again pulling her favorite tease with Myut, "what would you be willing to give me for the information?"
Meu leaned forward on the bed, resting his knuckles on the mattress with his arms in a wide stance. As he let out an involuntary chuckle at Bez's words, his chin dropped ever so slightly until he was looking down at her leg. He shook his head with a grin. Even in this situation; Bez was always a little businessman. She must have taken after him at some point during their unusual friendship.
"Depends. I don't have a whole lot on me right now, but you're free to look through my trinkets if you'd like." He motioned towards one of the bags laying on the desk, a few items spread out onto the surface of the little table-like structure.
"Unless you're looking for something else~."
When Myut had leaned over her, his arms on either side, Bez took a moment to just enjoy the closeness. She watched his face, his lips as he spoke.
"Oh, I suppose I can take it easy on you for now. Just this."
With how close he was, all she had to do was lean forward. Her kiss was lingering, hungry, and ended too soon. Bez stayed close, her voice low so as not to carry.
"By my estimation, you have at least half the demons here at a disadvantage. You hold the cards, my dear Mew."
Bez almost did him a great disservice by only asking for a little kiss. To some extent he certainly enjoyed their time together, oft uncommon as it tended to be, but, perhaps this was for the best. This wasn’t really the time for this sort of thing. As her soft, delicate lips did their best to ravage his in a few passes, Myut couldn't help but grin, lifting a hand to cup the back of her head so his fingers could slide against the silky but somewhat mussed texture of her currently red hair. He could gladly pay this sort of price with Bezabelle.
There was an ever so gentle pressure behind his palm, making a tiny attempt at encouraging her on, but for the large part his fingers were loose and gentle so she could easily pull back when she had decided to take her 'fill'. It didn't really seem to be enough for either of them, leaving more to be desired, but that was how it was with the gluttony sin. He was far from immune to its effects.
The kiss had almost distracted him out of their current situation and into one reminiscent of somewhere far more comfortable and intimate. Almost. It was good that it was just a short kiss. Myut was admittedly still very uneasy, and as much as he was tempted to feed little Bez a bit, he would not have been comfortable doing so. Besides, if he wasn't careful, he would have to deal with a jealous Vivian. Now that would be uncomfortable.
In any case, Bezabelle had promised him some secrets, and that was what he was most interested in. After all, he wouldn't want to distract Bezzie from letting the cat out of the bag.
However, when she said that he was holding the cards, Myut responded with a half-hearted but playful scoff. "It certainly doesn't feel that way to me. ...But I will admit that the vote of confidence makes me feel leagues better than I had been doing." Meu chuckled, using the back of his index finger to gingerly trace his touch over the rise of Bezabelle’s cheekbone, an appreciative look taking up residence in his attractive facial features.
Myut then broke any built tension by ruffling her hair, messing it up again with a cheeky grin. A serious tone juxtaposed it as he spoke quietly and sweetly back to her, "Come and find me any time you're in need, for whatever matter, however small." It was the least he could do for a friend.
Bez leaned into the touch, enjoying both the sensation and the attention. Then, wrinkled her nose as he ruffled her hair like a child's.
She tsked at him before tussling her own hair back from her face with an impatient sweep of her fingers. "Only if you promise to take advantage of your situation here." She pushed off the bed, turning when she was halfway to the door. Her eyes glimmered with mischief that she didn't feel; a small use of her powers, but she felt it necessary. "After all, you never know how long the game will last."
Her reaction only seemed to delight Meu’s humor more, but the smile dropped from his face as he watched her retreating from his bed, surely off to cause some more trouble. His aura remained congenial, however, feeling somewhat reassured by the mischief he could see gleaming in her eyes. At her final words Myut simply gave a playfully dismissive wave of his hand and a halfhearted shrug. ”I’ll promise to try my best, at least.” That would be the best he could offer on that regard. He gave Bez a final wave as she disappeared out the door, though whether she saw it was of little concern to him.
It had been a nice little break, but Meu wasn’t feeling quite satiated yet. He still had a set or two left and far be it from him to miss out on his full normal routine.
By the time Myut was finally wrapping up, the rooms had descended into darkness. He hadn’t quite registered the passing of time or its extent other than the windows, but it was properly dark now. It didn’t bother him in the least – he had done what he set out to do, regardless of how lost he had become in it.
Myut tilted his head this way and that, relishing in the cracks that followed. He had worked up quite the sweat and luckily had also blown off all that pent-up steam. Physical exertion was definitely something that always helped Mew to get out of his own head, and it had proven especially effective this time around. Prior to exercising, his mind had been a jumble, but now it was feeling just blank. It would be good to continue to fill his time and mind with some more distractions, just to be safe.
Mm… finding something to read sounded particularly appetizing in that moment, but none of the books he had brought with him were really calling out his name. If he remembered correctly, there had been a bookcase by the front door? He hadn’t taken that good of a look beforehand, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate into the matter further. And what better way to sit down and enjoy a tome than with some tea?
As he pulled one arm in front of him with the other in a stretch, Meu gave a little teary-eyed yawn. His body felt good, but he had been at it for a while. It would be good to sit back and relax. Grabbing a small bag from the desk to his left, the tall white-haired demon took a few steps from where he had been standing. He tossed the bag onto the bed and came to a stop at its side, leaning his lower back against the mattress.
He stood in clear view of the door now, one hand rummaging through the dark pack while the other lazily fell to the flattened line of his stomach, fingers gripping the black cloth of his shirt. He peeled it off his lower abdominals in order to lift it up and absentmindedly wipe his face down. Once he was done, it fell back into place against his torso and the greed demon fully turned to better angle himself before the bed.
It did not take long for Meu to find the little tin hidden within the depths of the sling he was searching, and he swiftly pulled out one of the little bags of cinnamon tea therein. To go with it was a rather intricate and delicate looking Chinese porcelain cup. Disappearing from view of the doorway, Myut found his way into the bathroom again. He was not paying much attention as he let the mug fill from the tap, resting neatly in the sink bowl. A sudden but not unfamiliar discomfort irritated at the skin below one of his pecs, and Myut tried to adjust the now-drying sweaty shirt he wore in attempts to allay the itch.
No matter what he tried though, nothing seemed to do the trick.
A look of severe irritation harshened his features before Myut suddenly ripped the shirt up over his head to toss it harshly against the doorframe of the bathroom. That felt a little better, at least. Far less constricting. Mew loosened his waistband just a bit to match. He would have to figure out a way to clean himself down later now that he was a sweaty mess, but that was a problem to figure out once he returned with a book safely secured in his grasps.
His cup was now full enough, but only as a broad hand wrapped around the cool porcelain did it suddenly occur to him that the material was indeed cool. It was not hot. A slight look of exasperation tugged his lips along with a raggedy sigh – no hot water, of course. How much worse could this get?
There was no way in Hell he was letting the precious little teabag go to waste. That went against his very principles as a greed demon. Perhaps he could see about heating it near the fireplace or something. In any case, it was time to go see about that bookcase. So Myut emerged from the depths of his room, cup of tea water in one hand while the other lay in the pocket of his now lower-hanging sweatpants.
His chest was completely bare and free from the obstructed view of any pesky shirts, and it would not be difficult in the slightest to get an eyeful now that he was under the brighter artificial lights that hung on the wall of the main room. Strong shoulders, built arms, defined pecs, tight abs, and flat stomach were paired with a teasing trace of the deep V that hid below the waist of his sweatpants.
Meu didn’t seem bothered by the change in air temperature as he re-entered the main room from the comparative stuffiness of his own. He moved to the fireplace without thinking it through too much and stood before it, enjoying for a moment the warmth that brushed against his chest. He was running several glances between his cup and the fire, eyes narrowing a bit as he tried to calculate a way in which he might be able to actually produce tea. Nothing was worse than tea that hadn’t actually been steeped, and while Myut would drink it if he had to, he’d try everything he could to avoid vaguely flavored cold water.
It seemed that while he was making his way over to the hearth, he had attracted the attention of another. Cyr watched intently as Myut passed, bringing with him an aura of body heat and exertion. He slowly shut his book and stood, glancing around before strolling over to stand by the demon in front of the fire. ”Unless you have fire-proof gloves,” he said, ”I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
As Myut gazed into the swirling flames, he gave a low chuckle at Cyr’s comment, suddenly finding the demon standing beside him. Now that it was growing later into the night, the white-haired demon seemed to be a lot more comfortable since there were far fewer people milling about. ”Yeah, I was thinking the same. Was hoping for maybe a set of tongs, but I wouldn’t dare risk the fine china.” Meu’s lips adopted a disappointed little pout, dark brows scrunching as he ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He looked despondently down at his cup; it was looking like he was going to be out of luck. He should have thought this through a little better, but how was he to know Abadeer would cut off their access to heated liquids?
”Mmm,” Cyr mused, glancing back at the sheet-draped door to their right. ”You could always ask the little wrath demon, perhaps she’d heat it up for you?” he suggested, giving the cup a sympathetic look.
At this suggestion from his olive-skinned companion, Meu stiffened ever so noticeably, fingers tightening around the little handle of the cup. While it was true that wraths did have power over fire… the idea of the rabid little squirrel chomping her fangs at him was certainly not ideal. Myut gave a shudder at the very imagery, hoping to pass the motion off as perhaps being from a cool draft of air. ”Ah…” He trailed off, not quite sure what to say in response so as not to give away his utter distaste for the pocket-sized demon thus far. She had seemed to have calmed down a bit, at least. Or he hadn’t seen or heard from her in a while. Maybe. It could have been that he was tuning any of her noises out.
He hated the idea of interacting with her, though. Especially to ask for a favor. But… was it worth it? Do it for the tea? He looked down at the sad little bag just floating around in his cup of cool water….
Cyr turned his head to study the other demon, a small smile playing amused across his face as he saw Myut’s predicament. ”She is a piece of work, isn’t she,” he said lowly, holding out his hand. ”I’ll ask her for you, if you’d prefer. Then at least you’ll be there to pull her off me if she goes for a stab, huh?”
With this offer, a reaction of surprise took up residence on Myut’s face as he quickly turned to look up at the taller demon. He needed to confirm with his own eyes that he had heard and understood correctly. He had not been expecting the black-haired demon to offer to ask for him. A soft swirl of emotions tumbled around in his chest in that moment. Namely uncertainly. Was this guy being serious? After a quick glance-over, it didn’t seem like this demon was ingenuous in any way, shape, or form – and Meu couldn’t help but like his shape and form. The man had an easygoing and confident little smile to his face, seeming amused himself at the idea of how they would go about heating the tea. But he also seemed to take the wrath demon with a pinch of salt, as proved by his following words.
Cyr’s comment elicited a genuine laugh from Myut.
”You’d do that for me?” Mew gave Cyr an impressed and semi-meaningful, semi-humored look as he handed over the cup. ”Don’t break it.” Myut teased, but there was a bit of a serious thread to his words. Though, somehow, to him that non-threat sounded hollow to his mind. What did that mean? The idea of Cyr breaking his precious cup… actually didn’t bother him that much. That was a bit new. The green-eyed demon was extremely grateful at the idea that Cyr would go ask in his stead, so he supposed that was a sort of trade in itself.
Perhaps his tea would have a chance after all.
”I’ll keep an eye on you.” Meu flashed him a fanged grin, tilting his hand to indicate for the tall demon to lead the way. Myut would hang by.
Cyr grinned. ”Anything for you,” he teased with a wink, cupping both hands to take the china from the other demon. ”I’ll guard it with my life,” he teased back, but he did hold it with care. That wouldn’t go over well, would it. He quickly turned as the white-haired demon grinned at him, swallowing back a wistful sigh. Damn he was hot. But now was not the time.
Tentatively, Cyr tapped on the wall next to the small wrath demon’s door. Or, at least he assumed she was a wrath demon. What else could she be? It took a few attempts at knocking before a small head, her cheek smeared with paint, poked out from behind the sheet. ”What do you want,” she snapped.
”Oh,” Cyr said, putting on a winsome smile. ”We were wanting to make some tea, but there’s no hot water. Since you’re the strongest one here, we were wondering whether you’d be able to heat it up for us?”
Eris glared at him. ”Don’t patronize me,” she snapped, but then seemed to reconsider. ”I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” she said after a beat, holding her hands out for the cup. Cyr gingerly passed it to her, and within a few minutes he carefully took the now quite hot cup back, presenting it to Myut proudly. ”Here you go,” he said, setting it down on the table. ”Just for you~.”
Meu had cocked an eyebrow when he saw the angry demon poke her head out, face covered in paint. What had she been up to in there? He blinked a couple of times before changing his gaze back over to Cyr as he spoke with her. Myut didn’t want to attract her attention, after all, and if he was caught staring he was sure to get an earful. Or to lose an ear. Likely the latter. No thanks.
Instead, he occupied himself with gazing over the dark, messy locks of the other demon, tilting his head ever so slightly as he mused silently to himself. It wasn’t long before Cyr was returning, though, and a very, very hopeful look filled Meu’s face, like an excited puppy. He was swift to take a seat at the table, pulling the little cup to his spot and delighting in the fact that steam was now rising from the surface. A very comforting, rich smell of cinnamon filled the air around them, and Myut carefully wrapped his hands around the mug as soon as it was cool enough to do so. He relished in the warmth filling his hands, closing his eyes halfway and giving Cyr a distracted, dreamy smile.
”I owe you.” He purred, eyes fixating on the tea as he lifted the rim of the cup to his lips to blow a few soft breaths of air to aid in cooling the liquid before taking a sip. As soon as he had swallowed, though, those same pearlescent green orbs flickered back up to meet Cyr’s golden gaze. With a self-assured grin, Myut voiced proper appreciation. ”Thanks.” His gaze was already gone in the next instant as he looked over toward where the door was supposed to be, suddenly remembering his original quest. His eyes sought the bookcase.
A look of horrified distaste filled his face as he stared at the bookcase, utterly empty. Mew pushed himself back in his chair, angling his head back in disbelief and frustration as he tilted his elbows up into the air, covering his eyes with his hands and inhaling a sharp breath. ”Are you serious,” the white-haired demon growled.
Cyr sat down, leaving a chair between them, and affectionately watched Myut enjoy his tea. That soft smile… Cyr wanted to see it more. How could he be so fit, but still have such a cute face? Cyr sat on his hands so he would keep them to himself. He was being polite now. ”It’s no problem at all,” he replied, unable to tear his eyes away from the other’s mouth. ”I’m happy to help,” he said, flicking his eyes up just in time to meet the other’s.
Cyr looked away quickly, feeling warmth creeping up from his throat. They quickly flicked back when the other let out an anguished sound. ”What’s wrong?” he asked in a soft voice, holding out a hand to soothe him, though it lingered in the air between them. ”Is there something else I can help you with?”
”That,” Myut began, gesturing widely at the bookcase off against the wall, ”Is a crime against humanity and devildom.” The well-muscled demon crossed his arms, still leaning back against his chair with a slim pout. Tilting back forward to the table and resting his chin in his hand, propped up by his elbow, Myut gave a foiled blow of air from a puffed cheek, quickly seeking solace in his tea again. He looked back up at Cyr when the other demon voiced his concern, finding himself surprised once again. This demon offered his help so simply…. What did Cyr want in return?
”I had been hoping to find some new material.” He tilted his head momentarily in the direction of the bookcase to gesture over what he was speaking about. His fingers flexed out of response to that familiar ache for material desire.
”Oh,” Cyr said, glancing over at the bookcase. He hadn’t even noticed it was empty. ”Well, I have a few books if you want to borrow them?” He suggested. ”I don’t usually bring any with me, but I guess I’m lucky that I did this time.” He got up and returned with a small satchel of books. They were all soft-backed, with well-loved pages worn from years of being thumbed through. Cyr flushed a little. ”They’re not really that great, but I like to read them when I’m bored.”
Some were human fiction, and others were demon, but they were all adventure romance stories, involving mystical creatures and suave men with big swords. ”They pass the time alright,” Cyr said, sheepish now.
Myut still looked wickedly appreciative. Man, this demon just kept hitting homeruns on catching Mew off guard. The tall demon had momentarily disappeared to return with a little plethora of written treasures, which Meu eyed with great interest. This guy…. Meu gave a very fulfilled little cat-like grin, pawing through the offered books with a languid though critical eye. Force of habit.
They weren’t exactly his favorite genre of books, that was for sure, but he was desperate, and besides that he found himself… strangely interested in what Cyr read. Myut squinted at this discovery and blinked for a moment before his expression brightened, hand carefully cherishing the tome he had picked out at utter random. These had seen some extensive use, which perhaps spoke of quite a bit of sentimental value. And Myut was all about value.
”Mm, at this rate…” He trailed off for a moment. ”Let me know if I can be of any service,” he promised, allowing his thumb to gently tread through the softened pages as he revered them with the utmost care. He didn’t seem to take note or mind any sort of the embarrassment that came from the other demon – everybody liked what they liked. The fact that he’d share with Meu in his time of need was more than enough to gain the greed demon’s respect and good-will.
”And what can I call my dear hero?” Myut asked, not looking up from the pages he was leafing through.
Cyr couldn’t help but feel a little pleased as the other flipped through the books, looking interested in them, at least. In retrospect, he probably should have pruned out the ones he’d written in when he was younger, but ah well. Now he was too distracted by watching Myut’s hands thumb the pages. They were long and dexterous, but firm… Cyr didn’t tune back in to completely catch what the other was saying. ”Really, don’t worry about it. I’m not keeping score,” he said softly, and as Myut asked after his name, Cyr gave him a warm smile. ”You can call me whatever you like~” he flirted teasingly. ”But my name is Cyr.”
Mew gave a nod of recognition as Cyr finally got to introduce himself. ”Cyr~.” He voiced, liking the way the other’s name rolled off his tongue. ”Well, Cyr, thanks. Truly.” Myut looked up at him, tipping the book he held in his hand at the other dark-skinned demon. And with that, Meu took his little cup of tea in one hand and tucked the book carefully under the other side’s muscled bicep. As he rose, he gave Cyris a final nod before he turned and walked back to the quiet and kind-of privacy of his room.
At hearing his name slip past the lips of the other demon, Cyr couldn’t help but turn a bit pink as he stared up at Meu, managing to catch his gaze once more as he tucked one of his precious novels under an arm and turned to leave. Cyris watched him slowly walk away, tongue poking out to swipe his bottom lip.
Cyr waited until he was back in his own room, tucking his books back into his suitcase, before grinning to himself, overwhelmed at just how well that had gone~. They were stuck in some shitty hallway thanks to the Prince, but at least Myut was there. Cyr couldn’t help but imagine their next encounter. How would it go~ he rubbed his face with a hand, trying to compose himself again. He hadn’t realized how fast his heart had been beating throughout that. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to impress someone that badly.
He’d need to figure out what else this demon liked so he could give him more gifts.
Myut returned to the darkness of his room, terribly happy to have his little cup of tea to enjoy with a new book. To be sure, the content of the book was certainly not his favorite, what with it being fantasy, but it had come from Cyr, so, he would still appreciate it for that reason. It was also new – something that he had never read before. Therefore, it wouldn’t be an absolute waste of time. Not like he had many options here, anyway. Maybe being stuck here with this as his only reading route would give him a new appreciation for the genre. Myut couldn’t spend his time researching or discovering, so this would be as good a time as any to try something new.
Before he could delve into the book though, Meu decided it would be good to wipe himself down and clean off the residual sweat left from his workout. That certainly wouldn’t be very comfortable, especially if he was going to be getting into bed eventually. So the greed demon placed the book and his still-hot cup of tea on the edge of the desk where his other things were and proceeded into the bathroom, which he closed the door behind him. He would be quick about it so as not to waste the precious hot water that Cyr had procured for him.
Meu glanced around for a moment before finding a small towel to use. He turned the faucet on, looking displeased as, oh yes, that was right, there would be no hot or even warm water to do this task with. A grumpy look filled the greed demon’s face, but he resigned himself to his fate, running the towel under the cold water before ringing it out and then smoothing it against his skin. He realized halfway through that he should probably grab a change of clothes again, and he paused to toss the rag in the sink and make a pitstop at the wardrobe outside the bathroom.
He grabbed from there a pair of sleep pants which he had been using the past few nights, so it wasn’t new but it wasn’t dirty either. Myut didn’t bother to select a shirt, figuring that would be a waste of time; it would be easier to dry off without one. Returning to the bathroom and ensuring the door was securely closed, Myut’s deft fingers untied the string that fastened his sweatpants around his waist, letting the clothing drop and stripping himself of any remaining coverings. He retrieved the rag from the sink and resumed his ministrations.
The cold certainly was very unpleasant, so Meu was very ready to return to his hot cup of tea now that he had finished with that task. The warmth of it spreading in his hand made him shudder pleasantly, and he scooped up the book with his other hand, using his foot to hook a chair leg and pull it away from the desk. He took his seat, pulling the book open and beginning.
It didn’t take too long for Myut to discover something very interesting, however. As per usual, the content wasn’t extremely engaging and Myut could only enjoy it to such an extent. But as he smoothly progressed through the first handful of pages, something caught his eye. On the margin of this page here, there was a cluster of words scribbled in neat handwriting. Oh? Mew’s eyes widened with curiosity as he suddenly straightened from his previously slouched and semi-uninterested position against the back of the chair.
Now, what was this? While Myut couldn’t care less about the romance genre, seeing as he had never experienced romantic inclinations himself, viewing what he could only imagine was Cyr’s fine handwriting making comment to the passages was entirely new and fascinating. Was this how most entities viewed romantic relationships and experienced pining? What sort of demon was Cyr, actually? From the little snips and tidbits he was finding, he supposed maybe envy? Or perhaps was he akin to gluttony, like Bez? No… he seemed far too regal and reserved to fall to the whims of that sin, at least from what Myut had observed thus far. He really just didn’t have any good guesses. Cyr was becoming more and more the riveting puzzle.
In any case, getting to see and experience in a secondhand sort of way the manner in which these emotions affected a person and their point of view gave Myut a renewed appreciation for this genre. Perhaps he would be able to do some research and discovering after all?
Myut sat at the desk for quite some time, glued to the little book in his hands. He wasn’t quite sure how much time had passed, but his back was growing a bit uncomfortable pressing against the chair like he was. Carefully rising from his seat, Meu did his best to try to discipline himself to stop looking at the little pages and actually focus on what he was doing and where he was going. He slid the seat of the chair back under the desk, and gave a big, involuntary stretch as he finally straightened from his crunched-up position. He also didn’t remember when he had finished his tea, but he was glad he hadn’t forgotten about it while being so engrossed in reading Cyr’s notes. It would have been a shame if it went to waste.
It was growing rather late, though, and Mew was admittedly backlogged on needing to catch up on his sleep. Was it nearing almost forty-eight hours since he last dozed? While it wasn’t unheard of for the greed demon to binge on occasion in his library back home, this situation was an entirely different animal. And Myut admittedly liked his sleep. The stress of the day suddenly weighed down on him, and he dragged his feet back to the bed that he was calling home for now. What a sad notion….
Sneaking under the plush covers, Meu gave a mopey look at nothing in particular as he snuggled in. At least their lodgings were decent. Though, Mew couldn’t help but imagine that if Abadeer had worse rooms in his beautiful home, they would certainly be shoved in there. He was honestly surprised they weren’t all just pushed into a closet together. Now that was a horrifying thought. Meu grinned to himself sleepily at the idea, too tired to really engage with the personal space issues that would come with that circumstance. To drowsy-him, it just seemed funny. He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment before letting his head fall to the side and his orbs focus on the outer room that lay beyond the doorway.
It looked like he was set up across from Eris’ room. It didn’t matter how tired he may be, at that realization he prickled quite a bit. At least there was a sheet over her door. Hmm… that was right, he had noticed that earlier when Cyr was asking the little wrath demon about heating tea. Normally he might think of trying to get similarly creative, but honestly he didn’t have anything to pin a covering to the wall with. How Eris managed to do it, he had no clue. Besides that… Myut wiggled poutily in his comfortable sheets; these were his. He wasn’t about to give them up for a makeshift door that he likely couldn’t make last anyway. Perhaps, if he was fortunate enough, it would not be that big of a deal. In any case, he was too tired to think about it anymore.
The little book Cyr had lent him was still clutched gingerly in Myut’s fingers, close to his resting form. He had originally been planning to read just a bit more before heading to bed, but the strength of his drowsiness had caught him off-guard. He didn’t get the chance to put it away before sleep came to claim him.
Several consecutive hours passed before Myut stirred from his dreams. He winced slightly as something rough poked at his upper ribs, blinking sleepily awake with a frown. Shifting his arms enough to prop the sheets away, Meu glanced down to see who the offender was. He blinked again, seeing the small novel that he had been so taken with earlier. He didn’t remember falling asleep with it though? Regardless, this was no way to treat a possession, especially a borrowed one at that. It luckily looked okay, but still Myut cradled it in a hand like an injured bird. He was very fortunate not to have squashed the poor novel while he slept – he couldn’t imagine that would go over well with Cyr. He had been nice enough to entrust Meu with it, so it certainly deserved better than this.
Lifting his upper half from the mattress, Myut turned to stretch and lean toward the nightstand that was settled next to the somewhat large bed. Hooking a finger around the handle to the little drawer inset onto the piece of furniture, he dragged the nook open to safely deposit his newly-acquired – but just borrowing, he reminded himself – treasure. It wouldn’t do to get his sin attached to it, because he had absolutely no clue what Cyr would want for it, nor what would be an appropriate trade for something he was only interested in a part of. Besides, Mew had a good enough memory. Maybe Cyr even had more like this one? He would have to ask to see some more of them, and soon, if the eager speed he figured he’d get through the pages was accurate.
Anyhow, now that Meu was up and it seemed rather quiet in the main room, he figured that he should maybe go look around a little bit. Taking a cautious peek out the door from within the depths of his room, the white-haired demon confirmed that there was no one else out and about. That was relief. He would have hated the idea of being forced into a late-night, or was it early morning now, conversation. If the very dull light coming in from the window was any indicator, it seemed like a new day was begun to dawn. Looked like it was five or six in the morning? Still too early, the very-recently-awoken Myut thought to himself. He’d probably slink back to bed once he was done.
For now though, he wanted to see what, if anything, their abode might be hiding. Ideally some sort of hint as to what they were doing there, since Myut didn’t have any hopes for a way to get out. After all, even if he did manage to find something, what would he do then? Get caught again, obviously. For better or worse, they were trapped here. Myut could only hope that today someone would bother to tell them what was going on. He couldn’t imagine another day of sitting around, twiddling his thumbs with no clue what to do next, surrounded by all these strangers. He’d rather they just get on with it and kill him if that was going to be the case.
Unfortunately, just as everyone else, Mew didn’t find anything interesting whatsoever. He checked every corner and even eyed up the one door they hadn’t managed to get into yet. He was almost tempted to try to pick it, but it would be far too troublesome, plus he didn’t really have the proper tools to try. Myut was finishing up his fruitless search by where the front door was supposed to be, throwing a sour little look at the empty bookcase again. What was the point of having this piece of furniture here if it didn’t have anything in it? What a waste of space. Abadeer could have put something interesting here, like a statue or something. Or even nothing. It really got on his nerves.
With a sigh, Myut abandoned any further attention to the bookcase, since it obviously didn’t deserve any, and he started making his way back to his room. However, just as he was passing by Ino’s bedroom, something happened to catch his eye which caused him to pause. Ino himself seemed to be asleep, but there on his nightstand, laying all unguarded and massive in its glory, seemed to be a rather large tome of one sort or another. Myut had to stop himself before he suddenly walked right in to investigate. How awkward would that be? And inappropriate. Poor demon was sleeping, after all.
As much as it greatly piqued his curiosity, Meu would have to wait to ask Ino about it in the morning. He didn’t even know what it was, after all. Luckily that also meant that his sin of greed wasn’t absolutely smitten just yet, so Myut could manage to be gentlemanly about it rather than improperly enamored. He’d just have to remember. No problem, right? Meu definitely didn’t have a million other things on his mind already, and certainly he wasn’t starting to fall asleep again after getting only a little bit of rest.
Meu returned to his bedroom and slunk back under the covers. Hopefully he would be able to pick up a couple more hours before everything became chaotic and confusing again.
Myut snoozed away deep under the covers of his bed. It was especially comfortable and he was quite warm due to his own body heat flourishing over the cool of his sheets once more via his bare chest. Meu did not hear when Val entered his room, and it was not until he heard the telltale noises of his things being rifled through that had him groggily opening his eyes and propping himself up to try to see what was going on. He found a naughty also-white-haired demon standing in front of his desk where his things were stashed.
This caused Myut’s pupils to narrow as his eyes adjusted to the light level and his mind processed through what was going on. It had him giving a low, sleepy growl questioning after what Valramir thought he was doing. He could see the silhouette of the other demon stiffen as the audio met his ears. It seemed to do the trick, more or less, as it seemed the offending demon was turning to face him. However, Meu had not been expecting the confident little sashay the red-eyed man did to the end of his bed. Val said some nonsense or other about worrying Mew was lonely, which had him raising an uncertain eyebrow, having him already question if he was remembering correctly what he had literally just seen.
Then little Val had the audacity to hop up onto his bed, crawling forward a little ways like this was his long lost, beloved childhood home and he was going to come in for a good reunion snuggle. Myut may have been half asleep still, but with the weight shifting at the end of the bed, it had little warning bells snapping at him in his mind. He would put a swift end to this, he hoped.
”No.” Meu answered, voice especially deep with the sleep that still clung jealously to him. He made it clear that he didn’t want Valramir hanging around for a moment longer.
It looked like Val was pouting, but it was a little hard to tell at this angle. The sloth demon said something or other about Myut being so terribly unkind. At the same time he reached to grab at Meu’s retracting leg, which almost had the greed giving a warning growl again. It seemed that he had made himself clear, though, as Val retreated off the bed and seemed to be leaving. Mew carefully watched the other with hesitant displeasure, ensuring that Val truly was withdrawing from his domain. The green-eyed demon simply gave a steady and somnolent look back at Val as the other demon turned back for one last glimpse.
"Night Meu meu~" Valramir sang, aiming a wave of drowsy vibes towards him. That singsong voice had caught him a bit off-guard, but Myut was more focused with the fact that Val was indeed leaving. So he didn't mind hearing the silly nickname. Val didn't have to put too much effort into lulling him back to sleep, for as soon as the effects of the Sloth demon's power touched him, Meu already found it very difficult to keep his eyes open any longer. He turned back onto his other side, nestling his head a little deeper into the pillow. His discontent and vague unease swiftly melted into fuzzy dream feelings, and he fell asleep once more.
Myut awoke rather seamlessly, having felt especially rested (thanks to Val). He took a moment or two to stretch in bed before letting his feet hit the rug covering the floor around the bed. It felt like something had happened last night, but he couldn’t quite recall what that was. He then stood, making his way to the little water closet attached to his room. After finishing in there and wiping his face with more cold water on his little rag - yay - he reemerged to come to a stop in front of the wardrobe. Myut pulled the wooden doors open and didn’t think too much about what to wear. Probably something more comfortable over his fancier attire.
Donning a simple navy blue T-shirt with a large grey stitched ‘X’ against the chest pocket and pairing it with casual trousers, Meu swapped out his socks for a fresh new pair. Ah, unfortunately Mew didn’t really feel or see the need to wear shoes, so his little foot stockings would be in full view. Which wouldn’t be a problem for any normal demon, except Myut loved odd socks, delighting in them as his guilty pleasure, hidden behind footwear and pantleg cuffs. In this case, though, he didn’t have anything comfortable to wear over them as he hadn’t brought any slippers of any sort. Eh; no one would probably notice or care anyway.
The greed demon happily slipped on some striped sockies of a crew cut and made his way out the ‘door’. They had bands of hot pink, black, cyan, and lime green colors. A cheery little pleasure, which honestly was very important in these sorts of situations. Speaking of little pleasures, as Meu emerged from his room, he found a surprise to his right.
He hadn’t expected Ino to be set up against the wall between their two doorways, but as soon as Myut had crossed the threshold to his, there he was in all his small, refined glory. With his eyes raising in astonishment, Myut looked rather impressed at how lithe and flexible the little demon seemed to be. His own body certainly couldn’t move in the same ways that Ino’s was.
Mew caught himself watching for a little while as the other skillfully arched his back, contorted his body, stretched his legs, and overall showed off rather impressive ability with his body. The greed demon gave a soft, subtle, and appreciative whistle as Ino finished off his yoga in a bridge position. ”I wish I could get my body to move like that.” He grinned charmingly as he leaned against the door frame.
Ino opened his eyes to find Myut right in front of him, just prior to the tall demon commenting on his flexibility. He blushed a little, carefully lowering himself to the ground and sitting up, resting his hands on his knees. ”I’m sure you could if you practised~” he answered, sweeping his eyes over Meu’s body. ”You look pretty strong already, you just have to work on the stretching part. How’s your balance?” he stood up now, quickly brushing down his pants and tugging on his shirt. It was a little embarrassing to have been caught like that, but Ino hadn’t been sure if his room would have enough room. Plus he had gotten so into it that he hadn’t heard Myut’s footsteps… ”How long were you watching me?” he asked.
Myut tilted his head, bringing a thoughtful hand up to his chin. Ino was probably right, it he worked on stretching, he might be able to limber up a bit. As it stood now, though. ”I’m just sturdy.” Meu chuckled, watching Ino as he brushed down and rearranged his clothing to sit properly against him once more. He certainly did have some nice outfits. ”Besides my basic stretches, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
As Ino asked after how long he had been standing in his doorway, Myut crossed his arms comfortably while leaning a bit more of his weight into the door. ”Not too terribly long, don’t worry.” He flashed him a reassuring grin; Meu wouldn’t know why the other demon would be particularly self-conscious, considering how gorgeous his lithe body was, but the purple-haired demon’s tone had sounded a bit uncertain.
”Ino, was it?”
”I can show you, if you’re interested,” Ino offered casually. ”Although I’m not much of a teacher. But I know the basics… I was a beginner at one point.” It had all started with a form of dance Ino knew his mother would hate, but the flexibility had transferred over. But Ino hadn’t fallen in love with yoga until he’d taken to sneaking into human classes, where he learned it was more than just stretching and contortions… though that was all a bit too intimate to tell to this virtual stranger.
As Myut reassured him that he hadn’t been eyeballing him for too long, Ino gave a light-hearted response of, ”Ha, good~ I didn’t mean to block the way, but I was hoping it was too early for anyone to need to come this way. And that guy-“ he waved towards Cyr’s door, ”-Was up later than me, so I think he’ll stay sleeping. And yes, I’m Ino. You are… Myut, yes?”
Meu nodded at Ino’s offer to show him the ropes, ”Sure.” Sounded nice enough, especially since it would likely come in handy in the future – overall it would be good for his physical health, so Ino had him on the hook. ”We’ll have to find a time to do it.” They would have plenty of it, he was sure. He didn’t mind the smaller demon, though. Or probably anyone in a more one-on-one setting, to be honest.
Mew blinked his understanding as Ino apologized for taking up the space along the wall, to which the exotic-looking greed demon shook his head. ”You’re not in the way.” He said simply; there was plenty of room to move around the little demon if need be. ”Distracting, though, yes~.” His tone was hinting at playfully suggestive as the white-haired male flashed him a good-natured smirk. ”You must be more hardy than you look; how long have you been in practice?” Ah, and it seemed he had also remembered the other’s name correctly. In turn, Meu gave the affirmative when Ino double checked his moniker.
Ino smiled back. ”Give me a bit to think of some beginner-friendly poses. Are you interested in the controlled breathing and mediation-y kind of stuff too, or just the stretches?” he popped up onto his toes as he spoke. ”We could see if the beds and furniture are movable. Or maybe just host a yoga class for everyone out here. Ha~” he laughed, soft, picturing trying to convince the small angry girl to give yoga a try. He imagined if he uttered the phrase ‘it might calm you down’, he’d end up on fire. He laughed again when Myut called him ‘distracting’.
”My pleasure~,” he teased. ”I do try~.”
He had to think about the answer to Myu’s question regarding how long he had been doing his stretches. ”The yoga is a fairly recent thing, only a few years,” he said easily. If Mew wanted more information, though, he’d have to ask for it.
Myut shrugged, not quite sure if he had a preference for stylistic choices. ”I suppose I’d be interested to try both, but I like the looks of the stretching much better.” That had been an indirect compliment to Ino, who made it look so appealing.
”Moving furniture would be no problem. Don’t know how much help it will be though. There’s quite a bit of it.” Meu himself hadn’t really felt too cramped doing exercises in his own room, but granted that was because his sets didn’t require a lot of space. Or, well, probably because more-so there was no way in Hell he’d feel comfortable doing them out in the open with so many eyes watching. So he wouldn’t complain about a lack of space regardless.
Myut simply nodded at Ino’s response on how long he’d been doing his contortions. Stretching an arm up and over his head, Mew gave a morning yawn as he straightened up off the doorway. ”Well, let me know.” He shrugged before walking off to investigate the small little palm-frond looking tree in the corner of the room.
”Okay, I’ll teach you a bit of both. And also see about the furniture.” Ino told him, leaning back on the door while watching him go. Once Myut had walked off, Ino disappeared back into his room, as without his heels he was even smaller than yesterday, and he didn’t quite like the feeling.
-
Once Meu neared the small potted plant, he grabbed a chair from the table and dragged it over so he could take a nice comfy seat while he analyzed the greenery. It looked to be an overworld plant, and he hadn’t had the proper time to give to admiring it as of yet.
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Autumn comes when you're not yet done with the summer passing by
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 2:56:26 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Sept 4, 2022 2:56:26 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"We need to make a plan, we need to make it happen, and we need to leave these other schmucks behind."】 ▋▋ 【Baby Jail → Her Room → Window Sulking】 ▋▋ 【AA5F77】
Eris lingered at Val’s side for a time, watching the other demons leave. She was pleased that the tall woman demon had conceded to her argument, but less than pleased to see Bez flit off. Perhaps they could talk later about such things as escapes and revenges. Eris laid her head down on the cushion near Val’s head. Now that most everyone else had left, it was easy to let herself drift into her mind, drowsily considering her options. First thing, of course, would be to establish some privacy. If she was going to plan an escape, she couldn’t let those other demons catch wind of it and get in the way. Or worse, rat her out. But how. Certainly the stupid prince wouldn’t give them any building materials, or anything large enough to cover the door without inhibiting movement. Perhaps she could break down that bookcase? No...the others would notice that too easily.
There was a bed in the room, perhaps she could use one of the sheets to cover up for now, until she could find a better method. Yes...she could make some holes to anchor the sheet in. Put some traps on the other side in case someone decided to bother her while she was trying to sleep. Excellent idea.
With that, Eris hopped to her feet with a sudden surge of energy, darting off to her room to start making plans. It didn’t take long to strip the bed and find the densest sheet. Then all she needed to do was drag her nightstand closer and balance atop it, one socked foot on tiptoe, the other extended out behind her for balance, like a very angry, very destructive little ballerina. Before she could get to work hammering the spiked heel of a shoe into the wall, Bez appeared. Eris’s face split into a large smile. Perhaps Bez had the right idea? And soon enough, as she started working away at the wall, smashing her shoe into the same spot over and over until it punched through, dragging out dust and plaster with it after every strike, Valramir appeared as well, and she inadvertently sprinkled his snow white hair with off-white plaster. Whoops. He looked up at her, and right into the continuing rain of dust, before protesting and flopping over on her bed.
Perfect. The whole gang was here. She didn’t even snap when Val asked what she was doing.
"Making a door. Otherwise there'd be no point in setting traps, right?" she replied simply. It was true. What good were traps when one could just look down and see them? So focused on her task at hand, moving on to the next hole, about six inches right of the last, which required her to hang on to the door frame with the pads of her fingers while dashing the wall with her other shoe-equipped hand,she hardly paid mind to the interrogation that followed.
She did glow slightly when Val mentioned that it wasn’t likely anyone would bother her. So she had made it known well enough that she shouldn’t be messed with. As it should be.
She was almost done making the holes, but before she could hop down to grab her sheet, Bez jumped up and darted out of the room. Eris glanced over at the bed, where Val was still reclining, but he didn’t seem to have an answer either. That was, until Bez returned with a handful of safety pins. Eris felt excitement burble up in her chest, and the expression she shot the gluttony demon was electric with excitement and adoration.
"This is why you're my favorite," she said, climbing back onto her perch to drape the sheet across the doorway, using her hair-pin to wedge it as far into her self-made holes as possible, and then using the safety pins to secure it in place. And then Violà, they had a nice barrier between themselves and all those other annoying demons. After climbing down and making sure the sheet was perfectly secured, Eris hid the rest of the safety pins in the drawer of her nightstand, idly listening to Val detail his devious exploits. He was always so clever. Especially when he’d helped her get all that territory. Which was, of course, why they’d have to bring him along when they escaped. It would simply be wrong to leave him behind.
Eris proudly shared her own exploits flopping over on the bed beside Val with a grin. They chatted idly about how they’d ended up there as Val drifted off between them.
Bez laughed when she promised to teach those guards who’d hurt her a lesson. “You know what,” she said, “I don’t even really know. I just saw you guys getting grabbed, and Viv too, and then...” Eris frowned slightly as Bez shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m not a fan of any of it.”
Eris shook her head with a growl. “It’s just wrong,” she said, her gaze wandering to the wall. “He has no right to keep us all locked up in here. It’s not fair.” She let out a hissing breath. “I bet he’s watching us now. I bet he thinks it’s funny.” She felt her energy spiking again, rage burning hot against her gut and in the back of her throat. She could just spit fire, thinking about it. So she busied herself some more, chatting to Bez as she unpacked her things, pulling out all of her sharp hair pins and shoving her clothes into the bottom of the armoire. She still had plenty of clean things, being that her Mother knew her penchant for making a sorry mess of herself after a fight, and they always came prepared for at least four or five stocking-tearing, silk-burning brawls. Somehow, Bez didn’t seem as uneasy about all the strangers as she did. Well, Bez had always been a bit of a socialite, hadn’t she.
Despite her desire to talk about a potential escape plan, Eris decided to leave it for the next day. She needed more time to scope things out before she dragged her friends into this. And looking at Bez closer...she’d really taken it on the chin, but that didn’t make the bruises any easier to deal with. So she let Bez out before she finished her trap. Val was snoozing on her bed, so she decided to leave him there as she carefully removed her painting supplies and laid them out on the little desk. Then she pushed her suitcase over to the doorway, planting it right in the middle. Then she scattered her sharp jewelry over the floor like chicken feed. If anyone tried to sneak in with the light off, they would trip over her suitcase and fall right onto all those sharp pieces. Perfect.
Eris stood at her window for a few minutes, staring out at the early evening sky, which glowed red and ominous. The windows wouldn’t even budge, as if they’d been made as part and parcel with the wall, and had never been meant to open from the start, despite the latches and lips that decorated them. Outside, she could see a few wandering hedges and beyond that, the vista of the valley that sprawled around Abadeer’s palace. Who cared? She’d always hated trying to paint landscapes anyway. They weren’t fun. She liked single object paintings, with one focal point and a plain background. Like Val, who was sprawled comfortably across her stripped bed, completely asleep. One of the nice things about Val was that he hardly moved when he was deeply asleep, and that made him the perfect subject to paint. So Eris took out her brushes and set up her little folding easel and got to work, clumsily outlining Val’s soft shape, the fluffy shock of white hair, his loose sweater, the way his hands curled up in his sleep. While the end result was difficult to parse, to say the least, she was still proud of it. She knew who it was supposed to be, and that was what mattered. Who cared what anyone else thought?
Eris was halfway through a second piece, one of that stupid weasily demon who’d knocked her off her chair, from memory of course, when there was a knock at her door. Or...the wall beside her door. Was it Bez? Eris brushed her hair back from her face again, which left yet another streak of colour across her cheek, and carefully pulled back the sheet slightly to peek through. It was one of the big male demons. Behind him, she could see another one of the big ones. She narrowed her eyes at them.
Apparently they wanted her to heat tea for them. What was she, a butler? She curled her lip to snap at them, but the big one kept talking with that simpering smile on his face. ”Don’t patronize me,” she finally snapped. He was just saying she was the strongest because he wanted something from her. But to be fair...she was the strongest, and perhaps it would be wise to make that point to these two large demons, who probably thought they could win in a fight against her. It would be wise to make sure they knew enough to keep their distance. So she took the cup, resting her knee on his suitcase as she focused a slow, steady heat from her hands, until the tea was steaming. She handed it back to the large demon, and then stared at the two for a few moments as they turned away, her eyes narrowing again. The big one had given the cup to his friend, but no thanks for her. They were just mooning stupidly over each other.
Eris scoffed and withdrew her head, glancing over at Val again. He’d slept through the whole exchange. Eris smiled fondly. So reliable, Val was. Perhaps she should sleep as well. It took a few minutes of digging through the ball of clothing at the bottom of her armoire to decide what to wear. A loose shift with an empire waist, white cotton with stupid pink ribbon on it. Her mother had insisted that she looked charming in it. Not that she could tell now, since there wasn’t a damn mirror in this place! Even in the bathroom. With the door to her room obscured, and no sense of modesty, she left her bathroom door slightly open as she carefully inspected herself for wounds. She splashed a bit of water on herself, gently nursing the scratches and bruises she’d acquired throughout the day and rubbing off the paint from her face and fingers, before dressing. She pulled the covers back onto the bed, tucking Val in, and then curling up in his arms comfortably. As much as she didn’t enjoy being touched, she did like feeling the closeness of another’s heat, feeling their heartbeat, their warm breath. It made her feel more alive.
It didn’t take long for her to drift into a restless sleep. When she woke, light streamed in from the windows, and Val’s depression in the bed was long gone. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, her hair a cloud around her head from the way she’d tossed and turned. Eris took a while to choose her most functional set of clothes, a pair of leggings and a long tunic that she always brought with her, even when it wasn’t appropriate to wear it. Here, it seemed apt in case she needed to run. She didn’t however, have an apt pair of shoes, so she remained barefoot, gingerly stepping over her trap and through her sheeted entrance, back into the main room, looking like she’d just emerged from the woods after several weeks of lone wilderness survival, the bruises she’d sustained the day before already turning yellow, her hair a bird’s nest, and an agitated gleam in her eye. She avoided the others, instead investigating the windows and the fireplace, which was in full flame again, but to no avail. Even the fireplace’s chimney was grated, and it was far too high up to reach up into and jimmy loose. Damn. They’d need to get creative to get out.
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Twink Connoisseur
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 3:01:05 GMT
Post by anthemum on Sept 4, 2022 3:01:05 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【”My parents will never let me live this down…”】 ▋▋ 【Main Room → Her Room → Rinse → Repeat】 ▋▋ 【009874】
Still bristling from having to back down in front of the wrath demon, as soon as Bez left Viv did too, catching up to her girlfriend just as she got into her room. “What are you doing?” she asked, then proceeded to put together the pieces herself.
Torn Dress. Bedroom. Luggage.
“You probably want privacy, hah…”
“Not necessarily,” Bez looked over her shoulder with sparkling eyes. "And besides, we don't have much privacy anyway, even if and when we did want it."
Viv nodded a bit, considering the open door. These rooms were wide open, easy to see into. She didn’t really like the idea.
Meanwhile, Bez was digging through her trunk, sounding annoyed. Viv stepped over to help, and soon saw the problem. Everything – quite literally, it seemed – was dirty, rumpled, stained, or any combination of the three.
Bez clearly indulged to her heart’s content at the gala. Viv noted, blushing deeply and passing off the small lacy scraps of fabric she’d found, trying not to think about what it was and how it might look. “Ohhh, I have nothing to wear." Bez was saying, and Viv set about solving the problem.
“Maybe you can ask one of the others? Some of the tall ones might have extra.” She’d have offered her own outfits, she was tall enough for it, but her mother had made sure her suitcase contained nothing but gowns, knowing her daughter far too well. Viv picked up one of the dresses, examining it, scratching at a stain with her nail. “I think I can get these stains out. Ino said we had sinks.”
"Thanks, but I don't know if it's worth the bother. Unless we're going to have some kind of formal dinner party at some point. But really, thank you for the offer." Bez answered, still looking at her bags. "What really pisses me off is how they jammed everything in my bag like trash." As she spoke, she pulled out a small box, then tugged the night stand over so she could hide it on top of the wardrobe. Viv watched the process curiously, turning pink when Bez once more gave her her attention.
"Just a warning, Eris has light fingers, especially when it comes to anything shiny. Better to have it out of the way. Though, if I can reach it, she can." Bez huffed a sigh, grabbing a brush to work on the knots in her hair.
Viv watched, her fingers itching to go and take over. She’d been worried, she wanted to say something, and eventually, the dam broke. The tall demon walked over, wrapping the shorter woman in her arms and holding her tight.
“Oh,” Bez tensed momentarily, then relaxed against Viv, absently patting her back. "Are you doing alright? This is kind of a lot, isn't it?" she sounded like she was trying to comfort Viv.
Viv’s arms trembled but she stayed composed, still just holding her. "Shouldn't I be telling you that? You’re the one who got beat up, my poor Bezzie," she rocked them a little, back and forth. "I hope you're not hurting too much…"
"Mmm mmm. Not much at all. My own fault really. If I hadn't resisted, I'm sure I would have been able to walk in nicely like everyone else seems to have."
Viv didn’t seem to like that. "When I find out who did this to you, I'll clock them in the face. Serves them right."
Bez gave a low chuckle. "I appreciate the sentiment. I do, but I probably couldn't even point them out for you."
Viv nuzzled her neck. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
"The situation is ridiculous, but I'll be okay." Viv nuzzled her neck and Bez could no longer resist. She pulled away just enough to kiss Vivian, a deep kiss that left Viv breathless and left them both smiling. "And in any case, you're here with me."
Viv was flushed and red when they broke apart, but she had eagerly participated in the kissing. "I'll keep you safe from now on," she promised, adjusting her arms to be more comfortable.
"Don't forget to take care of yourself too, alright?" Bez said, brushing a bit of hair back behind Viv's ear.
“Okay, I will.” Viv leaned in, resting her forehead against Bezabelle’s. “I’ll keep both of us safe.”
Bez finally relaxed, staying close and warm in Viv’s arms. She even seemed reluctant to pull away, which made Viv very happy.
"Well, I think it's time I took your advice and got out of these torn clothes." She lowered her voice and added, "But it is a shame that there's no door."
"I can guard," Viv offered immediately. "Or we can use the bathroom door, or the wardrobe..." If there had been a hint, she had completely missed it.
"Oh? The wardrobe? I didn't peg you as being that adventurous, my dear Viv,” Bez’s voice was now distinctly flirty.
Viv blinked a few times. “No, like…use the doors to block the view?” she explained, eyebrows arched, the light pink on her face showing that she was starting to catch on.
"Well, I was thinking about blocking a view alright, but more like--," Bez pulled Viv close, whispering dirty things in her ear until the pride demon was bright red.
“The…the doors…the sound…” she protested weakly.
Bez looked pleased with herself. "It would be worth it. You'd be worth it." She caught Viv's eyes for a moment, then sighed, "but, I suppose I can wait." She winked, pulling away again.
Viv was able to compose herself once Bez drew away. “I…I’ll keep that in mind…”
Because it wasn’t that she wasn’t interested…but it was intimidating, almost scary.
Bez smiled but shook her head, "Just keep in mind that we're together, now, even if it is here."
"Yeah..." Viv smiled a bit, then went to Bez and kissed her warmly.
After that kiss, even Bez was starting to look a bit affected. She cupped Viv’s cheek gently, then headed for the door, calling out to Cyr.
Viv’s eyes followed, wistful, and she gave a dazed smile before she wandered into the neighbouring room. It was hers indeed, and her mind full of the redhead, she began to unpack, deftly setting aside the cases of jewelry, laying out the long ballgowns. At least these were mostly clean. She could wear a few of them again.
For the time being, she put away her intimates and accessories, all the while looking for creative places to stash the jewels to keep them from Eris’s wandering hands. Once the many cases were hidden, she finally emerged, finding a place to sit. From her vantage point, she had a good view of both Myut and the tall demon, and she watched them for a while, thinking.
Growing up with an older, bigger brother had left Viv with a strange impulse - the impulse to beat up any tall buff guy she came across. Well…not beat them up, but challenge them, at least. Test her strength against theirs.
It got to the point where she buzzed with it, Pride’s compulsion taking her over, and she crossed to the tall demon, asking (more demanding) that she arm wrestle with her.
The asshole let her win.
Then he had the gall to win for real, smiling all the while.
Viv stormed off, most certainly not pouting, but once she was in her room, she cooled off fast. She’d have to apologize for that.
Later, though.
Instead, she got the jewelry back out, having the sneaking suspicion some of it would be gone. With each piece she found missing, tension wound tighter…how many were gone? She wondered if there was a Greed among them who could help. She’d have to ask Bezabelle, who was flitting from room to room. Viv let her girlfriend have her space.
Slowly, with her free time, Viv found herself re-hiding the jewelry, hanging up the gowns carefully. After that, she just hung around, demon-watching, exchanging a few words with the others here and there.
In the evening though, she didn’t fancy the idea of sleeping alone, instead going to see if Bez wanted company. She did, but the thing she wore – so pretty and showy and barely there – almost made Viv spin on her heel. Her own nightgown was filmy white but not translucent. Tied in a modest empire waist, the fabric drifted and flowed on the slightest breeze.
Viv wanted nothing more than to run around pretending to be a ghost in the human world with it, a desire she expressed to Bez.
Slowly, they settled down. Viv found a place to put her hands that wasn’t too intimate, and it felt like in moments, she was asleep. It had been a long day and she needed her rest.
She slept deeply through the night, missing Bez leaving and all the conversations that followed. Come morning, she barely woke at first when Bez got back into bed. As morning went on, she slowly woke up, content to lay in bed with her girlfriend, enjoying the peace, enjoying the quiet. It was with great reluctance that she got up, heading into her own room to brush her long hair and change into a new dress – red this time, for power and confidence.
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Sass Synthesizer
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Day 0
Sept 4, 2022 15:20:06 GMT
Post by sneilley on Sept 4, 2022 15:20:06 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Tonight, I can't find the off switch."】 ▋▋ 【The Secret Time Out Room】 ▋▋ 【CD5c5c】
Bezzie went to freshen up, hoping it would stop some of the pitying looks. Vivian followed soon after, apparently not realizing Bezzie's intentions until it became obvious Bez was getting ready to change. Bez discovered she had little that was still wearable. Everything was stained from various activities during the gala, especially since most of Bezzie's activities had involved too much drink. Even worse, whomever had put her clothes in her bag stuffed them in like so much garbage. It was all horribly compressed and wrinkled. Viv recommended borrowing a shirt from one of the taller guys, but it was a while before Bez followed her suggestion. Even with the limited privacy, Bez couldn't resist taking advantage of being alone with Viv.
After some time, Bez pulled herself away before more happened, not wanting to make Viv too uncomfortable, and called out to Cyr, "Hey, Cyr? Can I borrow one of your shirts?" She winked at Viv, then went to grab the offered shirt, picking a black one with nice buttons and thanking him.
By the time she returned to her room, Viv had wandered off. Bez striped, tossing the ruined gown into a corner, then cleaned up as well as she could from the small sink, shivering at the cold water. Feeling a bit more refreshed, she changed into the black shirt, belting it with a long, thin brown belt. Some of the more obvious bruises got a bit of concealer, and she lightly freshened up her makeup using her small pocket mirror, but stayed light with her attempts. The harder she tried, the more obvious it would look.
Bezabelle took her time before going back to the main room. Perhaps it would be better to hang her clothes up? Hopefully some of the worst wrinkles would straighten out on their own. When she returned to the main room, Cyr was reading and Ino was snooping here and there, checking doors, windows, objects. Bez watched him, engaged in small talk if someone else started it, but mostly just waited in her own thoughts. Then Eris popped up, disappearing into her room. The banging noises started up not long after, and Bez figured she should go check out whatever Eris was constructing. It was sure to be interesting.
Val joined, and they heard Eris's plan for a makeshift door cover, then chatted a while. Bez popped out to grab some pins to assist Eris with attaching the blanket, then stayed for a while longer.
She spent a bit of time in the main room, sitting near the fireplace. Ino and Cyr were talking at the table. Both were acting so in character she had to roll her eyes. The flirting was obvious, but she wasn't sure about how serious either party was. Still, it gave a pleasant background as she wandered to the window trying to figure out where in the castle they might be.
Once she gave up, the conversation between the two winding down after some bragging by Cyr and some flattery from Ino, Bez found herself wandering to Myut's room. She had not seen Myut in some time. She'd been busy, of course, flitting from room to room, conversation to conversation, but she still made note. And with how ill at ease Myut had been when they had all gathered for their first brief chat as a group, there was no way she wouldn't check in. When she came to his room, he was already in the middle of exercising. Bez watched for some time. She was enjoying the exhibition, and felt no need to make her presence known just yet, content to simply lean against the wall.
It took him a few reps to notice her, he started, and she encouraged him to continue, selfishly of course. Bezzie couldn't help but enjoy watching how his muscles moved. They talked for some time, catching up on what had happened since they met at the gala, checking on each other's well-being. Bez ended up sprawled across the other's bed as he continued with his exercise. Then, a small exchange. Information she had guessed at based on observation and prior knowledge in exchange for a kiss that definitely left the taller demon hungering for more. With that contingency set up, Bez departed.
The rest of the evening, Bez ended up doing little more than moving from one somewhat comfortable spot to another. She chatted, mostly with Viv, about topics that were as benign as possible. She watched the other demons discreetly. Bez could not help but ruminate over what she would do with each, if only their resources weren't so sparse. She began to wonder how she had managed to end up in a room with so many demons who prefered to sit and read. So much better than attending the last night of the gala.
Of course, she also avoided thinking about why circumstances were what they were. No, this was fine. Surely they wouldn't just be here indefinitely. To avoid going stir crazy, Bez departed for her room. She wiped the back of her neck with cold water. It was only minutes before she returned to the main room. Solitude was only going to grate on her nerves.
When Myut's tea situation began, Bez had just emerged. She watched with interest, trying to figure out what the greed demon was doing and why he looked so disgruntled. Before she could decide, Cyr set down his reading and approached Meu. It took Bez only a moment to reach her conclusions about the situation. Her eyes narrowed momentarily. Just as I thought. Still, she sighed, shrugged, and resumed a pleasant expression, perching on one of the arm chairs and watching the two interact. She giggled at the interaction with Eris and Cyr, tried to look as though she wasn't watching Meu's eager delight, and got up as Meu disappeared back into his room with his new acquisitions. Maybe Cyr would get that book back. Maybe.
Slowly, everything started winding down. Each of them began settling into their rooms for the night. Bez did the same, pleased when Viv asked to stay with her. She inwardly cursed the lack of a door. Having no privacy would very likely keep things gratingly chaste between them, which, on contemplation, was probably why Viv felt comfortable enough to ask Bez about staying. Bezzie wasn't going to let her off completely, of course, but the situation was what it was.
She washed up, changed into an outfit that was definitely more lingerie than sleepwear, laughed at Viv’s joke about wanting to run around the human world pretending to be a ghost, then offered Viv the pick of which side of the bed she wanted. It wasn't long before they settled in snugly.
Then Bez woke, tensed, breathless, and confused. It took her several moments to remember where they were, who was with her, and why they were there. She still felt the scream that had escaped her lips as she woke from the nightmare. From the way Viv was sleeping soundly, Bez assumed she hadn't actually made a noise. It was all just a dream. Just a dream. Right. She contemplated getting up, but didn't want to wake Viv. She couldn't handle questions right now. She simply stayed still as was possible, trying to get her breathing to slow, her heart to stop racing. It was a long time before her lungs stopped heaving and screaming for more air so she could flee.
By the time she felt back to normal again, she was wide awake. Bezabelle spent what felt like ages trying to get her brain to settle, to close her eyes and drift off. Eventually, the urge to toss and turn was getting hard to ignore as anxious thoughts dominated her mind. Bez was going to wake poor Viv if she stayed. She got out of bed, pulling Cyr's black shirt back on but leaving the belt where it lay. The ivory buttons caught the moonlight as she fastened them. She repressed a sigh, moving out to sit on the couch and watch the fire. Hopefully the mindless activity would occupy at least some of her mental space, and keep the pure unease at bay. She was exhausted from the day, which only made the lack of sleep more frustrating.
Bez had been sitting in the main room for some time with no luck. Maybe if she stole a blanket from somewhere, she'd be cozy enough to fall asleep? It was unlikely. She didn't bother to stir, simply staring into the fire and willing her mind to go blank.
A voice, unexpected in the quiet room, called her name. Bez started, looking back to see Ino coming around the couch. She put on a cheerful face with effort, only managing to hide the pure exhaustion on her face by using her abilities to imitate a good mood with perfection. Still, Ino was close enough when he called, it's possible he would have seen something of her previous expression even with the flickering of the fire.
She covered by answering his question about how she was as he sat. Her voice was low as well, but still chipper, as she made up an excuse. They joked a while, then the conversation turned serious. Ino opened up a bit more about what had happened while he was gone. He was definitely hurt, grieving, and there was not much Bez could do for him. Eventually, he got up to return to bed.
Bez was alone again, her thoughts swirling in a new direction but no more restful. And the fire still flickered. And Bez still avoided looking up at the massive portrait, at the figure staring down at her.
Bez was not sure how long it had been since Ino went back to bed. She had tried closing her eyes, but her brain wouldn't turn off even enough for a doze. She was miserably tired. This time, she heard someone else coming. She was able to slip back into a cheery persona before Cyr came around to join her. He had found a new, obnoxious pet name for her and she made her displeasure known.
"Bez-bug? What am I? A five-year old? I'm fine booger-butt, how are you?"
They chatted about Viv, thoughts about the situation, Cyr's interest in Myut. All more light and teasing than the previous conversation though more serious things still hovered below the surface. When he asked for insights on Mew, Bez found herself sidestepping, insisting he sink or swim on his own. Sometimes, he frustrated her, though she couldn't pinpoint why. She hid it, mostly, and the conversation shifted back to her, to his willingness to help. It was sweet, and she answered appreciatively, and Cyr too headed back to bed.
Now she had more to contemplate, but exhaustion truly was taking hold. Her thoughts weren't coherent. Bezabelle felt as though she had only just closed her eyes, though she couldn't recall any dreams this time. Something was bothering her, and it took a moment to understand what it was. Someone was moving around in the room, slowly and quietly. Bez opened her eyes to see that the front room was brighter. It was past daybreak. She popped her head up to peek over the back of the couch, until she could identify the snooping figure. Oh.
"Val?"
He seemed to be the only one stirring at this point. Bez rubbed at her eyes as he approached, trying to decide if she'd actually fallen asleep. Judging by how easily she had stirred when she heard Val moving, probably nothing more than a light doze. He asked about why she was out on the couch.
"Woke up a bit ago," she lied. "Couldn't really get back to sleep, so I came out here." She didn't bother trying to hide the exhaustion on her face now, as she had been all night, and all evening before that. She'd already been caught for one. For two, she was too exhausted even to try. It must have been evident. Soon, he had slid behind her so she could lean comfortably against him. This time, his aura was welcome, soothing after Bez's restless night. They talked for some time before both drifted off.
Once again, Bez woke with a start not long after, but this time everything felt so muted, muffled by Val's aura. He still seemed perfectly comfortable, but Bez was getting a crick in her neck from how she'd fallen asleep. Besides, her bed wasn't empty either, and that held at least some possibility as well. She stumbled back to her room, the sleepiness thankfully sticking with her. After shedding the shirt and clumsily hanging it back up, she slid back under the sheets, taking full advantage of Viv's warmth. This time, nightmares didn't interrupt Bez's sleep.
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