Dragon Keeper
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Day 1
Sept 4, 2022 20:46:25 GMT
Post by faddedfox on Sept 4, 2022 20:46:25 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【Mnnn.... what are we doing? *yawn* ooh, defacement. I mean painting. And naptime?】 ▋▋ 【Bedroom >Main room】 ▋▋ 【4169E1】
Sloth waited a moment after he fled to his room to see if Myut would end up coming after him but he didn't. No fun. Maybe he should have snatched an item just to get him to come back into the room, but maybe he was teasing the other demon too much. He seemed much more reserved than many of the other demons he had interacted with. And he was far more used to Bezzy and Eris. They were used to his antics and Bezzy of course indulged him and he indulged her. They were far more intimate and touchy and he realized that not all demons were quite so open with their personal space. Ah well. Maybe another time. They were all bound to get laid at some point this week since it was literally the last week alive for one of them. Maybe.
Valramir still wasn't convinced that their prince of hell would just kill someone that ended up framed and potentially let the real plotter loose once more. And even if he did, plots of murder weren't exactly uncommon. There was something else the prince was looking for. Valramir yawned as he stretched, his wings extended on either side of him to get some blood flowing through the appendages he hardly ever used. Once all stretched out, he flopped down on the bed with a groan. The bed was actually pretty soft. Much nicer than the couch. Within moments, the Sloth had fallen fast asleep.
When he woke next, he was curled up, his wings covering him in an attempt to keep warm. Why was he cold? He blinked bleary eyed trying to remember the events before he had fallen asleep. He looked down and noted he was still naked, save for the damp towel he'd sported. Oh. Well. That explained why he was cold. He uncurled and stretched against his pillows before he slowly started to roll towards the edge of the bed, lazy to actually get up. At the edge, he made a mental note to lift himself up. Instead, he rolled right off the bed. "Ooph!" he grunted. That hurt. Valramir ran a hand through his mused hair and yawned again. His aura was certainly making motivation a bit difficult today, wasn't it? He needed to see what was going on, hell what day it was even. Had he slept through the day? No. His towel was still damp which means it had to have only been a couple of hours.
Valramir's eyes started to unfocus again but he startled himself awake when his wing reminded him he was laying on it painfully. He grabbed the edge of the bed and after a couple of attempts made it up into a sitting position. He must be hungry. He had to mingle with the others to influence them and feed off some of their essence or he was going to knock himself into a comma. He sighed and after a bit of convincing got himself up to his feet. He barely got the motivation to pull on a loose red shirt that slid down his shoulder and a pair of pants before he shuffled his way to the door. His wings flared out to catch himself at the same time he gripped the doorframe before he toppled over and fell flat on his face.
The sloth looked up and saw everyone crowded around something. There was paint. That had to be Eris's paint. And there was Eris with a pint brush. What was everyone painting? He smirked. He could just imagine if a human walked into a scene like this; demons just sitting around painting in complete harmony. If he wasn't tired, he would have started laughing at the childish silliness of the moment. "What are you guys painting?" he asked as he started to zombie his way over to everyone. He didn't lift his foot high enough as he got closer and ended up tripping himself and he reached out to catch himself and ended up falling over Bez's shoulders and chair, forcing the smaller demon forward and messed up her artwork. Ooops.
"Oh, sorry Bezzy. Didn't mean to do that," he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled her head. She smelled like soap. She must have used the bath too. She smelled good. He hummed and let himself go limp and use the chair and Bez as support.
Bez yelped in surprise as a weight suddenly crashed into her from behind. Her hand pressed against the picture, smearing everything she'd been working on. A familiar voice spoke at her ear. "Val!" Bez laughed, feeling his weight settle. He didn't seem inclined to pull himself up, instead, clinging to her like a, well, a sloth. "Whatcha doing there? Have a nice trip?" He nuzzled against her and she leaned into the embrace and reached up to muss his hair, getting a bit of paint in the white stands. It was at least kind of accidental. "Oops, sorry. Are you gonna join in?"
Val smiled and gave a soft chuckle at her silly joke. "It was great. I got you," you replied. Maybe not his greatest comeback but he was sleepy. He didn't move away even as she smeared his freshly cleaned hair with paint. He turned his gaze down to what everyone was working on at the invitation then. His eyes lit up then. "Ooh. Fun." He tried to reach out while still laying on Bez and the chair but it put him too far away from everything. "Nuuuuuuuuuu," he whined but in the end allowed himself to slide into the seat beside her so he could actually start painting. It mostly consisted of making colorful swirls, designs, and lines on the edge of the painting.
His aura reached out to the others in a heavy weight then trying to drag anyone and everyone towards sleep, even as he yawned and started stretching himself forward on the painting. Unfortunately for his design, it was still wet as he lay on it and resulted in the paint transferring to his shirt, hands and the right side of his face.
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Day 1
Sept 4, 2022 20:59:38 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Sept 4, 2022 20:59:38 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【Blink back to let me know】 ▋▋ 【The Baths】 ▋▋ 【5A8D88】
Cyr had allowed himself to melt into the warmth of the water, drowsing. All the thoughts that previously raced through his mind now wandered sleepily, twisting in strange, but not confusing ways. The sound of the door, however, nudged him out of the gentle reverie, and he blinked several times, scanning the area. What had made that sound? It wasn’t Bez, she was still propped up above the water against his shoulder. As he lifted his head up, the back of his neck twinged. Perhaps sleeping upright in a pool had not been the best idea for his spine?
The bleariness evaporated from his eyes as they settled on the white haired figure at the mouth of the room. When had he gotten here? “Well, hello,” he said with a yawn, gently displacing Bez from his shoulder so he could stand and stretch his crooked spine until the segments all popped back into place, though his muscles still complained about their poor treatment. “Come for a dip?”
After his long stretch, he turned halfway back towards Myut, a light smirk curling across his mouth. Bez splashed in the water beside him and he glanced her way as she clambered up to her knees. Looked like nap time was over. He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, hand drawing along his chest familiarly.
“Oh, don’t tease,” He scolded playfully, laying an arm around her waist. His gaze cut back to Myut, who had obviously been made uncomfortable by their casual touch and perhaps their lack of decorum as well. Pink tinged his face. What a cute demon, eyes averted. So shy. It made a man just want to devour him. Or perhaps that was just Bez’s influence pressing against his side. The sleepy recuperation, and the echoing of the water throughout the warm, fragrant room had pressed those worrisome thoughts from before out of his mind. And the way Myut stood there, half-frozen, made him want to play a little. They deserved a little fun, didn’t they?
“The water’s warm~” he replied, watching the white haired demon idly. “You’re welcome to join us, you know.” He nudged against Bez with his side. “I’m sure Bez doesn’t mind her nap being interrupted too badly, hm?”
As he spoke, Cyr watched the lightest of emotional flavours flick across the white haired demon’s face. What was he thinking? Sourness, trepidation, something slightly softer but still inscrutable. Frustration?
Bez replied, a teasing reproach in her tone. "Of course I mind," she scoffed. "You think I'd just be okay with our little," she let out a short chuckle, "nap being interrupted?"
Her teasing earned a chuckle and another bump of his hip. Perhaps, if he had thought there was a genuine chance that Myut would join them, he would be more upset. But from that caught-in-the-act look that had frozen across his face when Cyr first looked over, he knew that undressing for an audience was more than the little greed demon could bear. (And he couldn’t deny that, had the roles been reversed, those bright green eyes on him, perhaps a little stage fright would have crept up the back of his own neck. That mingled desire to show off and impress, to be admired but to do things right.)
A little smirk curved Myut’s lips, and their eyes met briefly. “Mm, no thanks. You’ll find I don’t share well.”
Cyr felt his heart quicken unexpectedly. What did that mean? Was that some sort of…invitation? An admonishment? Cyr’s lips parted as he rolled the sentiment around in his mind. The click of the door behind the vanished demon brought him back, and his gaze flicked to his compatriot.
“Bezabelle!” he exclaimed in equal parts complaint and question. Had she heard that the way he had?
Bezabelle just giggled. "Greed demons are always fun to tease."
Cyr watched her gaze quietly at the door for several seconds. Her eyes wandered his way, and Cyr held her gaze as that unfocused little smile flashed into something sharper, more mischievous. He didn’t have time to parse her playful words before she’d drawn closer, planting a kiss on him. For a mere moment he could feel something almost...heavy emanating from her, heady like a rare steak, still flush with the vestiges of electricity. Just as soon as it claimed his senses, however, it was gone, and Bez had twisted around.
She slipped from his grasp for a moment, but the way she’d perched on the ledge gave him enough time to recover from the surprise and snag her by the waist again, pulling her back before she could get away. “What a little thief!” he cried out teasingly as he recovered. With her under his arm, he began to climb out of the pool, despite her protest.
For a lust demon, he was in general, fairly in control of himself. It was easy enough to pass about teasing glances and playful touches. But to receive them, especially beyond their usual sphere of contact, and with...whatever that was that he could feel behind the gesture…? Perhaps the stress of the situation, or the high of teasing the greed demon, or even her lover, had left her pent up? Or maybe her gluttonous aura had twisted things around enough to make them what he wanted to feel? Either way, his heart still raced as he towed Bez out of the water.
Once out, he returned to where they’d left their towels. “Thieves get put in burrito jail,” he told her, setting her down but keeping a firm grip on her until he’d wrapped her up in a fluffy towel with perhaps an ounce more gentleness than usual. Despite the disquieting onset of those sudden feelings, which lingered still, he knew he’d hurt her. Which was why he couldn’t. She was small and, though she’d protest it, she was delicate. And he was nothing if not careful to keep up that gentle, playful look and hide his internal tension. He even spent a moment drying her off before letting her go to grab his own towel.
She huffed in reproach as he dried her. Complaining that she wasn’t finished yet. “Oh, so greedy,” Cyr replied, smiling down at her as he straightened to towel off. “Won’t your girlfriend arm-wrestle me into submission if she catches us?” he teased, grabbing another small towel to rub his hair dry. “You can’t go stealing a poor, defenseless demon’s breath like that,” he said, casting her another look. Now that he’d tuned into that channel, he could still feel it--her eyes. Was that a good thing? She had a lot of energy to give, and the nature of her indulgent wantonness fit neatly against his desire to be known, but Bez...what was she? Partner in crime? A listening ear? Little sister? Oh, she would hate that.
“The expectation of fidelity between demons is such a joke. We do what we want with who we want.” Bez still sounded indignant. “Including poor defenseless demons. Isn’t that enough?”
Was that it? Though a genuine smile flicked across his face as he turned to pull his clothes back on, his thoughts lingered on her words. Fidelity. Perhaps that’s what was so wrong with him. That desire to have--and to belong to--one person in entirety. It was less tiring that way, right? More stable, more….romantic? But that was against his nature. Bez was right. Though, perhaps cuddling in the pool had been a bad idea, considering the way they tended to play off each other. What he wouldn’t give for some wine.
Mostly dry, though his hair had fluffed into a half-damp mess, thanks to the humidity in the room, and dressed again, he turned his eyes back to Bez, tilting his head.
She had her back to him, pulling her makeshift outfit back on. After she’d dressed, but before she could turn again, he crossed over to scoop her up from behind, holding her back to his chest firmly, despite her loud yelp. “You’d make a better lust demon than I do,” he teased, resting his forehead against the place where her trapezius quietly faded away into her hairline. Heat radiated from her. He could feel her heart, and the way she shifted ever so slightly as she breathed. It truly was not fair. “Maybe we should swap, huh,” he added, but it had lost the playful lilt for just a moment as he began to walk.
He carried her back towards the door. “Let’s return to the land of the dry~” he murmured. As they had been drying off, there had been some sort of awful racket out there. Who knew what was going on. He paused to open the door, shifting her weight in his arms, and then hesitated there in the doorway. They were talking out there, loudly, but Cyr wasn’t sure whether he was ready to breach back into that. There was some sort of eternal sleepiness to this room, despite the continuous sound of water gurgling.
He cleared his throat softly, standing there in the threshold. “You know,” he said, sounding slightly puzzled. “You can just ask for what you want.” He laid a soft, tentative kiss against the cup of her ear, near the base, and her hair tickled his cheek. “I can’t give you everything, but…” he trailed off. This was a bad idea. He needed to think on this when he wasn’t still electrified by her energy. He swallowed hard and set her down on the thick carpet that lined the hall, leaving the thought unfinished.
She turned to him, but his eyes didn’t focus back on her until she rested her small hand on his sternum. "Is that a promise? Then I'd like at least one more kiss. The last one was too quick."
He studied her face. Soft, earnest, anticipatory. What was he doing? But he wanted this, right? This attention...and it wasn’t like anything that happened here would matter in a week...right? It couldn’t hurt, as long as he was careful. Though restraint when Bez was around had historically proven difficult. But he’d said...he had to go through with his promises. Reneging now would hurt her too.
“Alright,” he said, tongue darting out a bit nervously. Throwaway flings were much easier, even if they always felt like eating stale popcorn. Here, he wanted her to like him. He wanted to do good. That foolish anxiety rippled against his spine. He took her face gently. It was so small in his hand. His thumb traced the comma that cornered her mouth. Why had he said that? Why was he doing this?
Because he wanted to? And he knew it, and she knew it, and it was what she wanted too. So he kissed her softly, as if she were made of sugar, his fingers carefully holding the edge of her jaw. He’d watched her wrap other demons around her finger and laughed about it with her later. But it seemed she could play him just the same. And she was right. A little indulgence never hurt anyone. Just a little. He let go, searching her face for approval as he straightened slowly again.
Her expression was full of triumph. "I knew it. I knew that you wanted me too, despite your little checklist." Her voice was gentle, though reproving. Her eyes flicked over him for a moment, and then she turned, out the door and down the hall. He remained standing for a moment, eyes on the plush fiber of the carpet. The chaos out there had seemed to settle somewhat, though Bez’s voice had now joined the throng. He wasn’t...he didn’t...maybe he should take a proper rest. Have a bit of a think. A certain anxiety plagued his brow. His nature rarely ruled him. But that obfuscation made it so much more difficult to know...to understand...what was it that he wanted? Why was he always the main actor in his own dissatisfaction? Why couldn’t he be more like Bez?
Unease and resentment burned like salt in his throat. Yeah. He needed to lie down. He entered the main room, casting a vaguely curious glance at the group gathered. It seemed they were defacing the painting of the Prince. Myut was there too, looking focused on his art. Where had those paints come from? He crossed over, keeping the couch between himself and the group, then headed for his own room wordlessly, wishing for a door to shut. He stripped his briefly donned clothes again, down to his underwear,and crawled back into bed, stretching out under the covers with a long sigh. At least this bed was nice to his aching back.
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Sass Synthesizer
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Apr 12, 2024 10:10:41 GMT
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Day 1
Sept 4, 2022 21:02:54 GMT
Post by sneilley on Sept 4, 2022 21:02:54 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Unfortunately for everybody, I will keep doing whatever I want."】 ▋▋ 【Baff time→ Finger painting session】 ▋▋ 【CD5c5c】
As Bezabelle drifted deeper into sleep, she instinctively cuddled more closely into the form she was leaning against: Her hand coming up to Cyr's chest, her chin curling down to meet it, her legs coming up to brush against his. Any longer, and she may have ended up in his lap. However, all good things must come to an end. Cyr began to stir, each movement bringing Bez further out of her doze. Her initial, semi-conscious impulse was to pull closer and resist being woken. Instead, Bez was firmly displaced. Rude. With no choice but literally to sink or swim, Bez came back to awareness.
Oh, that's right. She and Cyr were in the baths with Myut. No, wait, Myut was new. And Cyr was standing. He asked the white haired demon to join them. As Bez looked around Cyr and caught the look on Mew's face, she realized they had been "caught." A smirk played across her lips. She could use this. Myut looked acutely uncomfortable with the scenario he seemed to have walked into. Why not make him more uncomfortable.
Bez pulled herself up to her knees on the ledge, still only coming just up to Cyr's shoulder. She pouted,"Oh, what a shame to be interrupted." She draped her arms around Cyr, one hand trailing suggestively down his chest. Her voice turned as sultry and steamy as the room. "And right in the middle, too. Tch."
“Oh, don’t tease,”Cyr draped his arm around her, and though the gesture was casual, Bez couldn't help the surge of desire. She forced her attention back to the room's other occupant.
“That was the intention, but…”
Aww, Meu was embarrassed. Bez couldn't keep her smirk from returning. She'd have to make it up to him later. Maybe...
“The water’s warm. You’re welcome to join us, you know.” Cyr bumped Bez, but her attention remained centered on the white haired demon. “I’m sure Bez doesn’t mind her nap being interrupted too badly, hm?”
Cyr seemed to be trying to bait the white haired demon as well. Bez didn't think that Myut would join them, but she couldn't resist laying it on thick, anyway.
"Of course I mind," she scoffed. "You think I'd just be okay with our little," she let a short but meaningful chuckle escape, "nap being interrupted?"
“Mm, no thanks. You’ll find I don’t share well.” The words weren't directed at her. Myut seemed to have eyes only for Cyr as he delivered his refusal. Then he turned and left without bothering to look her way.
“Bezabelle!”
As soon as the door clicked shut, Cyr scolded. Bezabelle couldn't help but giggle at the admonition. "Greed demons are always fun to tease." She stared at the door for a long moment, lost in thought. Then her attention turned to Cyr. He was still holding her, his arm clasped around her waist. Her eyes fixed on his features.
Her tone was soft, happy and dreamy as she said, "I just remembered," her smile turned mischievous in an instant, "lust demons are fun to tease too." Bez pulled him close before he could catch on, sneaking a kiss. It was something she hadn't dared before, the simple act sending a thrill through her. Then, she attempted an escape, wanting to find out whether that strong grip would loosen in surprise or tighten to keep her close.
Bez managed to slip away, but only for a heartbeat. She had no hope of outpacing those long arms.
“What a little thief!” Cyr exclaimed, his tone light and teasing.
But instead of gathering her up to exact his revenge, or perhaps something sweeter, Cyr tucked Bez under his arm and got out of the water. As much as Bez had wanted Cyr to catch her, she didn't exactly want to be treated like a potato sack. Or worse, a child. To add insult to injury, Cyr had the nerve to call her a thief.
With a breathless laugh that Bez could not quite repress, she retorted, "I am not!"
“Thieves get put in burrito jail.”
She scoffed at his intention to put her in 'burrito jail,' but relented to stay still a moment, if only because of the firm hand holding her in place. She watched his face, frustrated by the gentleness there. If only she could read his mind, to see whether his thoughts actually matched his expression. She thought he'd want more, but…
"You don't have to be so patronizing," she huffed, "After all, what if I wasn't done with my thieving?"
"Oh, so greedy,” Cyr grinned, getting a towel to dry himself off. Bez raised an eyebrow as she finished towelling off. She had to resist the impulse to stick her tongue out at him. “Won’t your girlfriend arm-wrestle me into submission if she catches us? You can’t go stealing a poor, defenseless demon’s breath like that.”
It seemed he was determined to stay obstinate. Then he brought Viv into the conversation, hitting a sore spot he probably did not even realize was there. She turned slightly, using drying herself off as an excuse to hide her face from him. Bez tried to inject cheer into her tone, to mirror his teasing words as she huffed again.
“The expectation of fidelity between demons is such a joke. We do what we want with who we want.” She flashed a quick look at Cyr, “Including poor defenseless demons. Isn’t that enough?”
He was already pulling his clothes on and Bez couldn’t help but sigh. It was no fun being naked alone. She began dressing as well, turning away once more and trying not to seem pouty.
Bez let out a startled yelp as Cyr grabbed her, lifting her small form effortlessly. He had her back pressed against his chest, strong arms gripped around her waist. She could not really look at him this way, so she couldn’t read his expression. Was he just roughousing?
“You’d make a better lust demon than I do.”
He teased her once again, but this time it felt different as he nuzzled against her ever so gently. She gave a light gasp at the touch, just below her hairline, his breath soft and warm.
“Maybe we should swap, huh.”
His tone was oddly gentle as he finished out his comment about them swapping. Was this.. real? It was such a sudden switch, and not one she had thought would happen anytime soon. Bez half expected Cyr to laugh and tell her he tricked her. But, no. Something about this was different. All too soon, it seemed the moment was ending.
“Let’s return to the land of the dry.”
“I suppose, if we have to.” Her tone was just as soft as his.
He hesitated at the door. There was obviously something interesting happening in the other room, but though she stared straight ahead, Bez’s attention was fixed behind her.
"You know, you can just ask for what you want.”
More soft words, another gentle kiss. Bez could feel her heart racing despite the careful control she had over her breaths.
"I can’t give you everything, but…”
Just ask? I wonder just how serious he is about that.
Bez was determined to push at least a little farther. He set her down and she turned.
"Is that a promise?" She laid a hand on his chest, looking up at him, "Then I'd like at least one more kiss. The last one was too quick." She waited, letting him make the first move, already testing to find his boundaries.
He hesitated just long enough that Bez wondered if he would kiss her at all.
“Alright,” he agreed, nervously.
Another pause, filled with tension.
And then the kiss, hesitant and sweet. She wondered if he thought she would shatter, wondered what he would do if she suddenly pulled him close and kissed him fiercely. No, it was likely too early for that. She didn't want to scare her quarry. After all, she had been trying for this next step since their second meeting. Hell, she wouldn't have refused him on their first meeting. All too soon, the moment was over.
She searched his face for a couple long seconds. There was anxiety there, tensing his features. A genuine smile curled her lips.
"I knew it. I knew that you wanted me too, despite your little checklist." Her voice was gentle, though reproving. She studied his face for a reaction, then turned and walked down the hall. Bez allowed herself one last look back at Cyr before she opened the door, stepping into the chaos that was the main room.
"Well, well, well! What do we have here?"
A quick look around told her all she needed to know. The painting from over the mantle was missing, now residing in its new spot on the table. There was paint everywhere. Was it enough paint? Definitely not!
Still exhilarated from Cyr's kiss, Bez flounced over, examining what had been done so far. Eris was full on finger painting, making art in her usual abstract yet unfocused way. Ino had gone for turning Abadeer into a more cartoonish version of himself, complete with a pet snake. Myut, surprisingly, was also joining in, finger deep in multiple colors. And Vivian, last but certainly not least, was adding a vibrant flower crown to the princess' hair.
Bez was definitely excited to fill in all the gaps. She asked Eris's permission to use her paints.
Eris looked up with a wide grin. “It’s not a party without Bezabelle!” she crowed, pushing her supplies towards the Gluttony demon, causing some to tumble.
Bez grabbed paint and started with a long streak of red across the bottom of the painting, right at the feet of the pair, followed by a line of yellow further up. Soon, the bottom of the picture was consumed by an ombre of flame, some tongues of fire reaching up to the elbows of the depicted royals.
Mixing complete, Bez regarded the painting a moment, her expression slowly becoming more serious. She grabbed for a bit of brown, and started roughing out the form of a noose hanging loosely in Abadeer's hand. Hmmm, perhaps I should have stuck with something lighter? Bez pondered. She didn't stop though. It was too late. Besides, she'd never been able to stop herself from going a bit too far.
Bez yelped in surprise as a weight suddenly crashed into her from behind. Her hand pressed against the picture, smearing everything she'd been working on. Probably for the best. Now the loop of the noose looked like little more than a wet turd dribbling from the Prince's fingers.
A familiar voice spoke at her ear. "Oh, sorry Bezzy. Didn't mean to do that,"
"Val!" Bez laughed, feeling his weight settle. He didn't seem inclined to pull himself up, instead, clinging to her like a, well, a sloth.
"Whatcha doing there? Have a nice trip?"
"It was great. I got you." He nuzzled against her and she leaned into the embrace and reached up to muss his hair, getting a mix of brown and orange paint in the white stands. It was at least kind of accidental.
"Oops, sorry. Are you gonna join in?"
"Ooh. Fun."
He stretched toward the painting, making a dramatic yet tired noise as he failed to reach it. He was smushing her in the process, but she just gave a lightly scolding, "Val!" and a laugh. He scooted instead, joining her in her chair, halfway sprawled in her lap. As he slumped into the painting, his aura settled over the gathering like a heavy blanket. It was a bit stifling, really, but Bez didn't mind. She was done painting anyway.
She gave a sleepy yawn as she said, "Hey, you're gonna… get paint everywhere." She put her arms around his waist, intending to pull the sloth back upright, but instead found herself snuggling into his form, nestled just below his wings.
It seemed it was high time for another nap. [/color][/div]
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Day 1
Sept 4, 2022 21:08:34 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Sept 4, 2022 21:08:34 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Why is it always me???"】 ▋▋ 【Observation Room --> The Lion's Den】 ▋▋ 【739ac5】 Amos stood, watching, with a heavy sludge of dismay settled in his lungs. Why was it his job to deal with this? These demons were beyond unruly. Not that it surprised him, trapping a group of demons together in a small room like that was a recipe for destruction, especially after the chaos these particular demons had already wrought. The little wrath certainly seemed to be the ring-leader of wanton destruction. As long as she didn’t start setting things on fire…
“Has anything else happened while I was gone?” he asked the boy seated in the observation room. The charms used to display what was going on in the rooms were simple enough, but at this magnitude, two in the main room, one for each bedroom, and one in each of the other rooms, though the majority of those were still dark, they must have been quite expensive. Abadeer seemed to be quite serious about this situation.
As of now, whatever chaos that had occurred in his absence had long since finished. The painting had been torn down and defaced and the demons seemed content to nap amid their mischief.
He tore his eyes from the projections and turned to the boy. He was young, though there was a solemn set to his face. Probably one of Abadeer’s personal servants, since Amos rarely saw him around. Well, they were in this together. The boy looked back at him with a stoic nod.
"Nothing too crazy has occurred since your peek into the room. Just destroying the painting." The boy said, before adding that the demons didn't seem to interested in finding out who the killer was so far.
Amos sighed softly. “I appreciate your hard work,” he said, pulling a cinnamon bun wrapped in a napkin from his pocket and putting it on the desk. This would be a long week for his partner, holed up in here, watching that nonsense all the time. “I can’t believe they would be so...bold,” he said, reaching to the display that showed the defaced painting. It rippled slightly at his touch.
He tipped his head as he turned back to the boy. “Which one do you think did it?” he asked. “Any suspicions so far?”
"Thanks," the boy said softly, nibbling at the pastry with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well my first thought is always wrath but I am not sure that is the case here. Ino's collections of poison is troubling. I feel like Ino may be up to something. But there are a lot of missing links. I think we need to…. Add some pressure to this crucible. What do you think? You were actually in there with them."
Amos chewed on his bottom lip. “Truly? I’m not sure. The wrath seems very aggressive, but is she clever enough to enact such a large scale plan on her own? She seems more reactive than premeditative.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “One of the others has to be a ring-leader, right? None of these seem to have both the motive and the skill to work on their own, except the envy...” He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time or the place to speculate like that. They were here to observe. And speaking of…
“Some pressure? I fear it would lead to an explosion more quickly than you think. The glutton and the wrath especially seem to delight in agitation.” He turned to study the other. “What did you have in mind?”
He leaned down as the surveillance guard explained a plan to sow discord amongst the demons, and possibly unearth some information at the same time. He hadn't thought much about the greed demon so far, that one seemed fairly polite compared to some of the other troublemakers. But if the boy thought it would work...
As the afternoon dragged on, Amos got the summons to bring food for the detainees. Which meant he had to go back in there. And take the painting too while he was at it. No need to let them deface that any further, at this point, they’d probably have to burn it. He would be doing them a favor, as he couldn’t imagine Abadeer would be very happy to see such a mockery of himself and his wife.
The sun had drifted low enough to gleam through the windows of the boys’ rooms, casting long shadows into the main room. Amos sighed as the serving shuttle rattled merrily alongside him. The guard who had given him the orders had seemed rather unhappy about indulging their detainees, but apparently someone thought they deserved to eat well. The silver shuttle was stacked full of platters--roasted and breaded meats, canapes, rices and noodles, thinly sliced and and delicately arrayed vegetables, tureens of stews and sauces, and pitchers of light, refreshing drinks. No alcohol, however.
He entered the room cautiously, the door melting away behind him as soon as it snicked shut. Between the rattling sounds of the dishes, and the distinctive sound of the door, he was sure he’d captured the attention of any wakeful demon, and he didn’t particularly care for that. All he needed to do was get the plates off the cart and onto the table, and remove the painting, and he could go. No need for the little wrath whelp to attack him again. Though this time he had replaced his sword at his hip with a large stick in case he needed to do any defending.
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Day 1
Sept 5, 2022 5:44:00 GMT
Post by faddedfox on Sept 5, 2022 5:44:00 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【Umm... accused of assassination attempts but fed like kings? I missed something.】 ▋▋ 【Main Room】 ▋▋ 【4169E1】
Valramir hummed contently as he slept. He felt at peace and he was getting filled with all the energies in the room. It was an amazing feeling. The ache in his back didn't really register since the rest of him was pretty comfortable where he was. Something was laying against him too and it was soft and warm. He didn't want to wake up from it just yet. He wasn't dreaming, but it was still a refreshing nap. At length however, a noise in the room and a change of energies roused the sloth demon. Valramir opened his eyes a sliver and noted the pretty guard had returned to them. Oh. Was there another announcement?
He yawned and stretched on the painting he'd fallen asleep on and blinked wildly as he took stock of the situation. Bezzy was still in the room with him. She was sleeping against him and the source of the warmth. The others weren't around but he could feel their energies in his core. A slow smile spread on his features. He'd put everyone to sleep. Win-win for Sloth. Also explained why he was started to feel all charged up and ready to go for the day. He would be far more energetic for a while until he needed to replenish again. That worked for him since that meant he was going to be more active now during this critical week. He could rest up after this was all over with. Maybe he could drag Eris, Bezzy and Viv home with him for a sleep over. It would be nice to have one of the boys over too. He enjoyed his time with Bezzy and she was always fun in bed and he'd always have a special place for her, but it had been a while since he'd had a male demon to play with.
Totally unaware of the paint on his face, hair and clothes, he turned a little to see the guard had entered with a tray of food. "Ohh Bezzy. Food," he said and poked her cheek to wake her. Bez woke abruptly, at a loss for a moment about where she was. Ah, she was coddling with Val, so that explained the sudden nap.
"Food? Hmm," she glanced around. "Speaking of which, what is that, five for Sloth? Nice!"
"I think that's 6," he winked.
Bez gave the sloth a squeeze and laughed. "Maybe so."
"You were tired. Did you at least sleep well?" He asked as he started to stand up to see what food the other demon had brought. He may have just fed off demon essence, but it was always nice to sink one's teeth into something physical, and there were lots of flavors to explore.
Bez paused and thought about the question. "Possibly. It's always hard to remember. Thanks for the forced nap," she teased, sticking out her tongue. Valramir grinned and leaned forward to nip her tongue before pulling away and walking over to the blond guard that now stood by the table with the cart. He looked skittish, or maybe it was just Valramir's impression. Valramir opened up one of the tops of the covered food trays and his brow arched in surprise. This food looked and smelled absolutely amazing. It wasn't drivel. But why were they being fed so well? It was almost like they were still guests of honor at the party.
"Ah, our squishy blond guard! What's this? A feast for kings... for criminals? My, if this is how Abadeer treats potential assassins, I'm afraid what he'd do to friends," he chuckled and quickly moved over to Amos and draped an arm around his shoulders. "Say, what's the catch for this lovely meal, hmm?" he asked then. There had to be a catch somewhere. No one would feed criminals this well unless it was their last hoorah. If he remembered rightly, they still had 6 days or maybe it was 5, before one of them would be executed.
Amos recoiled slightly, a hand firmly resting on his stick. "Er," he said slowly, surveilling the others. "Let me take out the painting you all defaced without trouble?"
Oh interesting. He hadn't answered the question and hadn't removed Val from his person. He wondered how far he could push this guard. Could he make it 7 for 7? Seven was a nice number. "Oh sure, I don't care much about the painting," he grinned and glanced at the stick the man had grasped in defense. He leaned in close to man's ear, he smelled nice. But he wasn't keen on having that stick used on him. "You know I'm the only one that can slow or entirely stop Eris and the others from jumping you, right? Besiideess I abhor violence." He reassured. He added more of his weight to the man, not caring that Amos seemed reluctant. He wondered if he could drag Amos down with him, maybe get him to forget his duty a bit. Amos seemed to be unsure whether to move away or to prevent the sloth demon from falling over. He cleared his throat.
"Thank you for your....er...conern," he said, leaning away a bit more. Cute. Amos thought he was concerned about his safety! He glanced at Bezzy and gave her a wink, knowing she would indulge him.
"Yes, of course. Why don't you come sit with is, have a meal...?" He asked, pressing his influence on Amos as he subtly started to pull him towards a seat. Amos dragged his feet, trying to resist the sloth's weight against his arm.
"No thank you," he said, turning his face to the door. He really didn't want to stay here any longer than he had to.
"Oh, come now! I bet they have you working yourself to the bone. Take a load off. Reellaaxx" Amos pressed his lips together.
"I can't."
"Yes you can," Valramir sang in his ear. "You're tired... aren't you?" He said and let himself drop, aiming to bring him down with him in a sloth hug.
"I...I'm not," Amos replied, stumbling again, trying to hold him up. Val didn't make it easy for him. He was just dead weight.
"We've got nice beds and company. I could snuggle you, keep you safe from mean ol' wrath."
Amos sighed, slowly lowering Val to the ground. "I just want to take the painting and go. Enjoy your food."
"Booooo you're no fun." Valramir said and gave a pout as he was set down on the ground. Dang. Amos had far more will than he'd given him credit for. And he still get the answer he'd wanted. Oh well. Maybe next time. Valramir got up off the floor and started to pat himself down. Only then did he realized he was covered in paint. Oh. He'd just taken a bath too! He touched his face then and felt the roughness that meant paint had dried on his skin. He chuckled lightly at the silliness of it. He'd worry about cleaning it up later. It didn't much matter after all. Valramir reigned back his aura from the others and contained it into his body again. No reason to keep the others asleep now that there was Amos and food. This would prove far more entertaining. He grabbed a plate of food then to start munching away. He wondered how the others would react. Amos had been lunged at last time after all.
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Day 1
Sept 5, 2022 5:47:02 GMT
Post by sneilley on Sept 5, 2022 5:47:02 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"When it comes to making trouble, the more the merrier!"】 ▋▋ 【To the feast!】 ▋▋ 【CD5c5c】
Once again, Bezabelle found herself waking confused and disoriented. She was snuggled against someone, this time in a chair. Between the white hair covered in paint, the wing poking into her face, and the slowly retreating aura, Bez was able to connect the dots. That, and Val was actively poking her cheek.
"Food? Hmm," she glanced around. She could see most of them slumped here and there, but there was someone notably absent. Bez wondered if she should check in with Cyr or if it was too soon. Regardless, "Speaking of which, what is that, five for Sloth? Nice!"
"I think that's 6," he winked.
Bez gave the sloth a squeeze and laughed. "Maybe so."
"You were tired. Did you at least sleep well?" Val asked.
Bez paused and thought about the question. "Possibly. It's always hard to remember. Thanks for the forced nap," she teased, sticking out her tongue. Val made as if to nip her tongue and Bez pulled back with a laugh. Then she had the chair all to herself again. She settled back more snugly, enjoying the rich scents of the food. It smelled like quite the spread. And even better, dinner came with a little entertainment. Their Mouse had returned.
Val moved over to the guard, pulling his usual act of flirting by clinging to the other party. Amos seemed to weather it well enough. At least he hadn't fallen to a slumbering pile on the floor yet, even if he did look acutely uncomfortable. Bez noted he was now carrying some kind of baton at his belt. Good, the lesson from last time had stuck. He was treating them with more respect.
Apparently Amos wanted the painting. Hmm, Bez wasn't sure that she wanted to let him take it. After all, they had all worked so hard on it. It was now an actual work of art, not just some stuffy portrait. The guards would probably just get rid of it, and where was the fun in that?
Val mentioned her, looking her way with a wink, and Bez did her best imitation of Eris and gave Amos a feral grin and wave. Whether under Val's influence or no, she’d do what she wanted. Hopefully that much was clear. Speaking of which….
Bez laid a possessive hand on the frame of the desecrated painting, her smile still decidedly dangerous. She hoped Amos wouldn't jump straight to using his baton on her, but if he did, she was sure he'd learn another unpleasant lesson.
"He's right, you know, little Mouse. It would be no fun to just let you have it. I don't like the thought of you taking off with all our hard work just like that. Mmmm, I don't like that at all. But… what if we were to offer you a trade instead?"
Amos looked exasperated. Maybe after this he’d just go back home instead. It would be better than continuing to deal with this rogues gallery. Especially this one, with her mocking grin and that terrible lilt to her voice. "I’ve brought you food, haven’t I?” he responded, plainly irritated and also somewhat distracted by the other trouble-maker who was currently crawling out from under the table to join the fray.
"I could just leave you all alone for the rest of your stay, is that what you want?” Val’s aura hadn’t made him fall asleep, but it certainly made him seem tired and grumpy.
Bez rose, circling toward Amos, coming close to cutting off his path to the door, but stopping a couple steps short. No need to come off as aggressive. That was Eris's job.
"Actually, that's my point, dear Mouse. Look at all this delectable food! It's almost a shame to waste on us dangerous criminals, isn't it? It's you guards who actually deserve it. And you especially, Amos, for dealing with us. Isn't that right?" She watched him for a breath, but continued on before he could respond, "This is my proposal: stay long enough to properly enjoy some of this feast for yourself. Then, take the painting with no fuss from us. And if you behave, I'll even make an effort to keep the wolves at bay while you eat with us."
She stuck out a hand, looking innocent as possible. "Deal?"
Amos looked less than thrilled. The oddly...benign request seemed more out of place than any of the other far more outlandish things that could have come from her snide mouth. She wanted him to stick around. Obviously she wanted to press him for more information, but she'd be disappointed to know that there wasn't much more.
"I suppose I could linger for a little while," he said warily, looking at her hand. "But if they start getting rowdy," he added, eyes cutting to Eris, who was now standing on a chair behind Bez, doing her best to look intimidating, "I'm going to leave with or without the painting."
He didn't particularly want to eat, though. But he could stand here until she was satisfied, that didn't sound too bad.
To her surprise, Amos agreed. He only looked at her hand, declining to shake on it, but Bez was pleased regardless. He looked behind her, and Bez realized that Eris had woken as well.
"Fair enough," she replied. Bez half- turned toward Eris with a grin. "You see that? Seems to me like someone's being much more respectful this time around."
Wasting no more time, Bez went to the food and grabbed two plates to start. She called out to any who hadn't roused yet, "Food's here! Everyone better hurry up; I don't intend to hold back!"
She quickly filled a plate for herself, getting a sampling of as much as her plate could hold, and maybe a little more. It was all in danger of toppling if she wasn't very careful. Then Bez gave Amos a long, thoughtful look. She decisively dished out helpings of select dishes, each portion generous. She set the plates at the two chairs nearest to the door, then offered Amos the seat at the end.
"There, come sit. I'll protect you from all these big bad demons."
Amos reluctantly sat, not looking thrilled about the patronizing tone the gluttony demon had adopted. His stick thunked against the side of the chair as he folded his arms, finally letting go of its hilt. Was this the same sort of game the sloth had been trying to play with him when he hung onto his shoulder and tried to drag him down? Joke was on them, he was too profoundly uncomfortable to do anything questionable. There were no cracks in his exterior for one to wriggle into. Even if there were, there wasn’t really anything he could do for them. He had no information, no agency to let them go, and no intention to free them. They were all being watched now, afterall, and if he had the urge to just open the door for them, the guard on surveillance would certainly sound the alarm and they would be apprehended again.
Amos stared down at the food in front of him. That being said, having a little bit to eat wouldn’t hurt terribly, would it? And it would keep the gluttony off his back. Amos took a few small bites, watching the rest of the table as he did so.
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Website Destroyer
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Day 1
Sept 5, 2022 13:46:12 GMT
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Post by Pieluver on Sept 5, 2022 13:46:12 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"The little rat man has returned...how annoying."】 ▋▋ 【Bez's right hand】 ▋▋ 【AA5F77】
Somehow, so abruptly, time had leaked through her fingers. Paint had as well, and now her palms were covered in flaky colourful scabs. The carpet smelled musty. She cracked one eye open. What had woken her? What had sent her off to sleep. Well, the latter was certainly Val, she could recognize the lingering grogginess of his handiwork anywhere. As for what had woken her....Bez's voice? She lifted her head and then ducked again, nearly bashing it on the underside of the table. How'd she end up down here? And who was Bez speaking to?
The voice that replied sounded not quite familiar. Bez flexed her hands, irritation flaring within her. Was it one of those awful guards? Indeed, when she crawled out from under the table, her eyes met with the sniveling little man from earlier. How peevish. She hauled herself up onto the chair, standing to stare over Bez's head at the insufferable man before them. His eyes kept flicking between her and Bez, whose words were flecked with amusement. She had some sort of plan, apparently. And Eris knew better than to interject and mess up whatever it was that Bez wanted to do. Anyway, his uncomfortable squirming and the way he quietly rested a hand on his little stick were amusing.
She seemed to want him to stick around. Which would be a mixed bag, seeing as he was annoying, but perhaps he could be useful? Eris puffed herself up, glaring at the man, as if that could encourage him to shake the hand that Bez proffered. His little comment made her smirk. Rowdy, ha, that was an understatement. If she wanted, she could be a lot worse than rowdy. But for now, if it was what Bez wanted, she would play nice and be good. Maybe she could trip him before he got up to leave. The grin she offered Bez as the other turned to her was full of teeth. Yes, they could subdue the foolish guard, make him do as they wished. She'd taught him a thing or two about manners.
Eagerly, Eris hopped down from her chair and flipped the defaced painting off the table, sweeping her painting supplies back into her bag, sliding them beside her door before dusting her hands off, sending little flecks of colour fluttering to the floor like confetti. Then she hurried to grab a plate and stacked food onto it gleefully. Eating was one of life's joys, especially when the food was free and a gluttony demon was nearby. Once her plate was full, she settled down on Bez's other side with a smug, cat-like look at Amos, who was staring unhappily down at the plate Bez had made for him.
Then she cast her eyes around the room. With Amos taking up one seat, there was one too few for the group. How exciting! Who would be left out? Would they get upset? Oh, she hoped so...
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Day 1
Sept 5, 2022 16:12:58 GMT
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Post by Skwidge on Sept 5, 2022 16:12:58 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【”God DAMMIT, Valramir!”】 ▋▋ 【The Table】 ▋▋ 【97A33C】
It was not long before nigh everyone was accounted for, almost magnetically attracted to the mischief from Abadeer’s ex-portrait. It had followed as Viv, Bez, and Valramir in that order. It was a tad ironic and a glob of unfortunate for their captors, as they now seemed to be bonding even closer together because of their shared animosity toward the Lord of Hell. Or at least that’s what Myut would assume at face value were he an onlooker.
To be honest, he was on edge with all seven – scratch that, six, as Cyr was not to be found – having gathered round, but everyone’s focus was clearly on the painting and not on him. Thus, Myut could easily blend into the ‘crowd’, so to say. He’d also need to start forcing himself to get more comfortable, because this was his decided fate for the next six days. He couldn’t avoid them all forever. But damn if he didn’t want to try.
Nevertheless, he took the arrivals in stride as he himself was too busy focusing on the task at hand as well. He only looked up to realize the rest had flocked to the table when he heard them speak, which was why he hadn’t seen Cyr, their missing seventh. Was he still in the baths, or had he already walked by unnoticed? There was no way to tell.
Vivian had been the only one to ask the trio as a collective, which resulted in a welcoming nod from the greed demon. The more the merrier, as each unique touch would make this item one of a kind – something he, as a collector, could appreciate. Besides, Viv and him were cool. She had shown herself especially useful, and after getting to spend a bit of time with her he had decided that her presence was acceptable at longer lengths. At least thus far.
Bezabelle obviously was welcome anytime in Meu’s books, and even though there had been a bit of tension between the two of them in the baths, all was already forgiven. It was certainly starting to get crowded in the confines of the canvas, though. He easily allowed himself to be pushed out, leaving whatever possibly remained of his background untouched and instead watched Bez for a short step or two as she introduced a lot of vibrant red into the mix. She was quick to turn the hue into engulfing flames. That was a bit more appropriate for the dreary reality of Hell.
Myut had decided that he had had enough even before Valramir joined the fray, falling onto Bez and causing her to smear some of the work that had been done. The other white-haired demon was just scooting over onto the chair to join in when Meu rose to dust off his hands, smudging the bits of whatever wet paint remained along his digits. ”Well, that’s that.” He finished, verbally indicating that he was going to take his leave, as it felt a bit uncouth to just leave without saying anything. It was good timing, too, as Valramir seemed to begin pushing his powers around.
That worked for him, though. It was an even better excuse to leave. Myut had no intention of sleeping out in the open or near others, and after covering a yawn with his wrist he slipped away to the safety of his room. He’d need to wash his hands first, but, thanks to Val, his bed was calling out like a siren’s song. One that was becoming increasingly difficult to resist. And by that he meant he might succumb to sloth where he stood.
He quickened to wipe the stainable material from his skin under cold running water, which aided in keeping him awake long enough to make it to the mattress. Not long enough to change or get comfortable beneath the sheets, though. He fell asleep with his back facing the door.
There was a soft, distant sound of commotion that pricked at Myut’s subconscious. It took a while for it to grow loud enough, now mingled with voices, to have him blinking slowly awake. He groggily lifted his head, letting it lilt to the side just a bit in its heaviness as he tried with difficulty to hone in on the mysterious syllables and scattered cacophony of sound filtering in from the main room as he fully came to.
”Kings… for criminals…. Meal, hmm?....”
”Let me take out the painting….”
Mew sat up, blinking once more to shed the remaining sleepiness from his form. His attention snapped to as he recognized the voices now. It sounded like Amos had returned. The Greed listened in now to catch the conversation.
”I just want to take the painting and go. Enjoy your food.”
Seemed like Amos had arrived with a meal for them, which, odd, but it was the perfect opportunity to catch the guard and speak with him. However, so far, it did not seem like Amos had any intention of lingering. Damn, if only Val hadn’t sent them all to sleep. Meu could have been ready. A loud boo from Vir followed then, and a new voice joined the conversation.
”He’s right, you know. It would be no fun to just let you have it. How about a trade?”
Ah, that was Bez’s voice. She seemed to be distracting Amos enough to have him linger around a little longer. Knowing Bez, she would likely get her way as well. It truly was unfortunate that he had not been out first to greet their little guard. Meu arose from the bed to wander over to his closet. His casual clothes had wrinkled in his sleep, and if he wanted to sit Amos down for a little talk of business, he’d prefer to look sharp. And regardless of whether Bez convinced the lackey to stay or not, Meu still wanted to present himself well with his attire.
Bezzabelle had turned their little art project into her own bargaining chip, which was exactly what Myut would have planned to do if he were in her shoes. It seemed that she and Val were doing his dirty work for him, though, which was very favorable seeing as he had missed his own opportunity to do so. It was a shame, though, as all in the same moment he both grew giddy and yet had to dash away his hopes at the idea of using that painting for his true ends rather than having to produce value out of thin air to goad the guard into working for him. He would have to bargain legwork for legwork, as he had initially planned, it seemed.
After dressing properly, adorned in a black button-down paired with a white tie and a sharp pair of wine-colored trousers – the matching blazer he did not bother to don – Myut emerged from his room just as Bez was supposedly airing a promise to safeguard Amos. Whether that had been a coy joke or not, well....”…I’ll protect you from all these big bad demons~”
“Ah, I believe it’s the little wolves in sheep’s clothing that we should be looking out for, hmn?” Mew interjected, speaking with wry affection in his tone as he addressed Bez teasingly, looking her way as he neared the serving tray laden with a variety of delectable-looking dishes. Amos had by then taken his seat. The Greed intended to claim the seat across from him without hesitation, so he was swift and largely uncaring in the selection of the foods that would weigh upon his plate.
With body language that was well at ease and markedly unbothered, Myut slid into the opposing chair, eyes focused down at his plate for a moment while he appreciated what their keeper had brought them. He simply gave a humble and pleased crick of his lips – a smile – at the mousey-blonde. Meu didn’t bother to indicate the food in any other manner, as he figured Amos had already heard an earful from the other three in the room about it. There was no need for the Greed to parrot the same words at him.
Meu intended to take Amos’ side in a genuine manner, quite unlike Bez had, and shield him off from the others. He would have loved to take up the entirety of the guard’s attention and keep him from the remaining demons, but that simply would not be realistic, nor particularly smart. After all, there was no need to make himself appear suspicious to the other six. Being ‘open’ about his intentions would give him the security of supposed trust in the midst of the confined demons. For now, though, he would need to wait for a more opportune time during dinner to begin that conversation with Amos.
So, instead, he inclined his form toward the guard before speaking up. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here again so soon. But it’s fortunate – you’re just the person I wanted to talk to.” Meu flashed an easy and naturally charming grin, leaving his greeting at that for now, hoping that the boy would take the bait and catch interest. Myut’s eyes danced down to his plate once more as he grabbed a forkful of food to bring to his lips.
Amos was sat uncomfortably, poking at his food with a fork, as the group grew. When the greed demon sat across from him, he glanced up to find the other looking at him with distinct focus. What did he want? The guard glanced down to his plate, and when he looked back up, the other was leant forward, focused even more intently on him. Amos looked back, wary.
“What do you want?” he asked, slightly confused by the warm smile that had crossed the other’s face, but the other had already looked away, towards his plate. What on earth was going on here? Perhaps he needed to clear up that he knew little more about the situation than they did, and there wasn’t anything he could do for them. They needed to sort that stuff out on their own.
In the meantime, Val had realized quickly enough that he was no longer the center of Amos’ attention, since Bez of course was magnetic and called all that attention to herself. Boo. But still, he had to give her props. She got Amos to stay while his own antics had not. He preferred to think that his influence at least helped make Amos more pliable to Bez’s whim. He looked up when he saw Meu emerge from his room and grinned. He liked Meu. He was fun to mess with. He gave him a lot of delicious reactions - some he didn’t expect from the demon, and he wanted to see how else he could push his buttons. His initial intention had been to get into the demon’s pants, though he’d come to the realization quickly enough that Meu wasn’t interested in him. He certainly would love if the two of them eventually had a fling, but now the goal was just to mess with him. How far could he push him without even really trying? The game was on.
Valramir moved then to sit beside Meu and watched as he interacted with the guard, quirking an eyebrow. Meu wanted to see Amos? He wondered about what. He began to nibble on his food while he sneakily brought one hand beneath the table and reached over to the other demon to suggestively squeeze his knee. He was doing his best not to grin and outwardly give himself away.
Meu gazed upon the poor lookout who seemed proper on edge, what with how he voiced his suspicions on Mew’s intentions with him. The guard looked, well, guarded. This was likely to be rather difficult, especially with the growing number at the table. With an even toned and gentle voice Myut answered him, “Ah, I was hoping that I could get your assistance with a personal need. I’d be sure to reimburse you well for it, of course.”
He paused for a moment to gauge Amos’ immediate reaction before grinning once more and adding, “Normally I’d offer you a drink to settle into any business talk, but,” he motioned back toward the serving tray laden with the grand feast the blonde had brought to them, “You’d know out of the best of us that we seem to be a bit short on the stuff.”
The Greed had indeed done a cursory look-over in his swift movement to procure a plate of food for himself and had found that their little guardian had brought nothing for them to imbibe themselves with. That was certainly for the best, knowing how rowdy and rambunctious everyone was without any alcohol helping things along. So, Mew had hoped to find a little humor in the situation and hopefully help Amos settle in better at the dinner table with the simple fact that he was speaking to the guard like a normal being.
“No immediate rush, of course. I wouldn’t want to put you off your food with speak of even more work than you already have. If you’re willing to humor me, that is.” The white-haired demon laced his fingers together nonchalantly, keeping his olive-hued gaze light and unimposing, with his lips in that same good-natured smile. Meu was just about to return to his food and give the guard some time to think on it when he suddenly felt a bit of foreign pressure around his knee. A startled look flashed across his face for just an instance as his body gave a sudden jolt of surprise. Eyes immediately narrowing, his chin dipped diagonally down to the side toward Val in a sharp gesture, a sour, almost faintly pouty look tugging down on his lips.
Clenching his jaw, he spoke in a low but still polite voice, his whole attention now focused on the little troublemaker who had seated himself right next to Meu at some point in time. This dinner was just getting worse and worse for the two of Amos and him. “Valramir?” He questioned through a forced smile, not quite trusting himself to look fully at the Sloth beside him, lest his courteous manner be shattered.
Val looked over at him as innocent as, er, a demon could look. "Mmm, yes?" He asked and fluttered his eyes. "You were having a nice discussion. I didn't want to… interrupt," he purred as his hand moved higher up on the inside of his thigh. This was fun. He loved that face. Poor Mew was trying so hard not be phased.
Amos watched warily as the greed demon spoke. Those were the buttery words of someone who knew how to convince others to give them what they wanted. Nice on the ears, bad for the arteries. A personal need. What did that even mean? Amos poked at his food as he sized the greed demon up. His eyes were clear, and though the look on his face seemed composed, there was an unwavering focus behind those nonchalant little actions.
All of a sudden, however, that mask slipped and the other demon’s head whipped around to the sloth demon sitting next to him. That little creature was very handsy, it seemed, not just with Amos, but judging by the way Myut stiffened, anyone he could get his hands on. He couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic for the other as he spoke in a low, but still well-mannered voice.
Amos did not speak, but his wariness softened somewhat as he watched the other. Perhaps he could linger for a moment longer and see what the greed demon needed.
Meu listened with exaggerated patience as Valramir’s voice blossomed into being. It was slow, far too innocent, and soon purring. The Greed’s orbs flickered over just in time to see Val’s eyelids fluttering coyly, words dripping sweet as honey. The taller of the two was about to do a double-take upon seeing the… colorful state the other was in, but with Valramir’s ending statement filtering through his ears, he had no time to do so as a different reaction took over his body - Val’s little comment had been accentuated with an extra touch.
Val’s initial not-so-innocent-but-still-tempered touch took a sudden, dangerous turn. Myut felt the other’s slender fingers slide up the inside of his thigh. It had caused his knee to jolt upward and bang loudly against the underside of the table. Half wincing and half twitching his eyebrow, Myut’s previously unoccupied hand crashed down on top of Val’s wandering one. His strong and comparatively thicker fingers curled harshly around the flesh of the other’s small hand, muscular grip crunching down on it.
With his jaw sorely clenched, nose ever so scrunched, and smile definitely starting to frown at the tips, Meu admonished him in a strained though quiet voice, hoping not to draw any further attention to the two of them. “I think these hands should be focusing on their meal,” his tone threatened, “and not me.”
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Day 1
Sept 5, 2022 16:14:14 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Sept 5, 2022 16:14:14 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Beadhead is not sexy after 11 am"】 ▋▋ 【The head of the table】 ▋▋ 【5A8D88】
Cyr lingered in the place between, vaguely aware of the chatter and giggling outside, but letting it wash over him like soft, cool waves. If it could replace the weird guilt that simmered low in his belly, that would be nice. Eventually, as the ache in his back faded and the voices outside dwindled, he drifted off too, unaware that a certain demon had aided his easy slip into slumber. His dreams, however, were not so easy, twisting and turning restlessly with the tension that still lingered inside him. The worry, the shame, the confusion.
When he woke, having tucked himself into a small ball in his sleep, arms tangled up with his legs, Cyr lay for a moment, blinking blearily at the midday sun that shone through the window. Where was he? What was going on? He sat up slowly, stretching out his tense traps with careful precision. Outside, he could hear voices again, and a strange…metallic sound? Oh, silverware on plates? When did they get plates?
Cyr stumbled through the process of getting dressed, still perhaps half asleep. When he emerged, clothes rumpled and hair badly mussed, having somewhat dried while smooshed against his pillow, an odd sight met him.
“Wha…?” he breathed softly. Bez was the first person he spotted, sitting across the table, looking pleased as a cat with cream. He quickly averted his gaze. Amos sat next to her. And Myut was across from him, blocking his view of Bez’s other side, but he could guess. Eris, most likely. And Val next to Myut. Apparently doing something the Greed demon did not like, as when Cyr began to lumber over to investigate the food, Myut jerked in conjunction with a loud thump. He looked up quickly, only able to see Myut’s jaw bulging slightly as the other turned his face to the Sloth demon and spoke too softly to properly make out. Not that it was any of his business, right? Meu didn’t owe him anything.
Cyr awkwardly picked up a plate and began filling it with food. Nothing really stood out to him on the trolly, but food was food and it would be nice to have a warm belly after his disorienting nap. Once he had a fair selection of food, he surveyed the table again. There weren’t many options. Perhaps the end would be nice. He didn’t fancy sitting next to the little wrath demon, but it was better than sitting across from her. And….he didn’t want to accidentally make eye contact with Bez. It would be….awkward.
So he carried his plate over, keeping his head down, and settled down at the far end of the table. He poked at the food on his plate as he quietly listened to the conversation thrum around him, though he couldn’t help but sneak a glance over at Myut. He looked really nice. Suddenly self conscious, Cyr tried to smooth down his hair. Why hadn’t he thought to try and put on some new clothes? Or at least brush his hair. He was out here, looking like a horrible mess in front of everyone. What was he thinking?
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Day 1
Sept 6, 2022 0:14:27 GMT
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Post by anthemum on Sept 6, 2022 0:14:27 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【”Look, I didn’t want this to be difficult”】 ▋▋ 【Joining the Table】 ▋▋ 【009874】
Viv woke up slowly. At some point, it seemed, she’d stumbled into her room to wash paint off her hands. Beyond that…she remembered nothing. Before she could step out, though, she first had to panic. She’d fingerpainted on a picture of the prince. That was prime disrespect. Definitely not good if she wanted to prove her innocence. On the other hand, none of them had really abstained…maybe there was safety in numbers? Bez hadn’t been a ringleader, at least. Her girl was a lot of trouble… and Viv wouldn’t have her another way. At least her dress had survived the impromptu arts and crafts.
The pride demon stood and stretched, regulating her breathing. She could smell food, real food, just like what they had served at the Gala. She stepped out, and her eyes sparkled with appreciation. Oh, Mal would have loved this sort of feast.
There was just one problem.
While she’d been waking up and calming down, the seats around the table had become filled. There was nowhere beside her girlfriend for her to sit! Vivian considered her options. Bezabelle sat with the guard on one side and the wrath on the other. Vivian certainly wasn’t going to go up and argue with the guard, not when she also had to keep Bez out of trouble.
At the same time, the wrath…Viv didn’t feel like starting a fight before she got to eat. And wraths (or most of them, at any rate), loved the opportunity to start a fight. She eyed the open seat, but it didn’t appeal to her.
Then, the sloth, maybe? She considered him, going to pick up a plate of food from the meal delivered to them. She then walked up to Valramir, bending over to speak close to his ear.
”Would you mind moving?” she asked softly. ”I would like to sit across from Bez”.
There. Start off polite, no need for a fuss, right?
Valramir pulled his attention away from his fun for a moment when Vivian came to his side. Move? Why would he want to move? He was having too much fun teasing Myut. The man was still holding his hand to stop him from moving up. It was a little tight, but not uncomfortable. "Move?" He asked lazily, drawing it out, "I don't want to move. Why don't you go sit on Bezzy? That's what I do."
Vivian wasn’t impressed. “Bezabelle is petite, there’s no way that would work.” she frowned. “Besides, you moving isn’t a big deal, is it?” Although the other’s hand was certainly in a position, and she eyed it. Were these two together? No, the Greed demon looked far too uncomfortable. So she was helping an ally too, if she managed to get the sloth demon away.
“It is a huuuggeeeeeee deal,” Valramir answered and started to… melt into his seat, sliding down a little and hog up more room. Getting a sloth to move was like moving a mountain. He certainly didn’t look like he was going to move himself.
“Why so?” Viv tapped her foot on the ground, impatient.
“Because. I am cozy. Myut is here,” the annoying demon grinned. “And it is effffooorrrtttttttt to move.”
“So…if I move you…you’ll move?” Vivian quirked an eyebrow, looking over the sloth demon. She was a little taller than him. He didn’t look like he weighed that much. But he was slumping, which would make it more difficult…
Val blinked at her. He didn’t want to move but if she really dragged him off the chair, well that would get her what she wanted. “I suppose,” he answered. “Though I’d still rather just sit here. I mean you could sit on me if you wanted to,” he mused. Then he’d get to play with more than one demon, though he doubted Viv would tolerate the teasing well. She’d probably elbow him in the face.
Viv barely considered it, before coming to the same conclusion, noting that grabby hand. She’d definitely elbow him in the face. Instead, she placed her plate on the table, moved the empty chair a bit closer so that there was less of a gap, then grabbed the sloth under his arms, trying to see if she could slide him over.
“Nooooo,” the sloth grumbled as Viv started to slide him. He clung to Myut’s hand, and Vivian shot the Greed a glance to help her out here.
Myut seemed to understand her, because he was already trying to shake the sloth demon off, frowning, then getting up altogether to help her drag the sloth away. With Myut’s height and bulk, the job was quickly done.
"Noooo" the sloth whined again before Vivian unceremoniously thrust him over to the other chair. The momentum ended up with Val falling off the chair. "Ouch.." he grumbled.
Viv sat down primly, drawing her plate over before her and sending the pouting sloth’s plate to his new place. Then, she began to eat daintily, sending Bez warm looks, Amos warning ones, and occasionally spinning her fork in her fingers in case the sloth decided to try something.
Viv had good reflexes.
If Valramir tried to touch her, he’d soon learn why that was a bad idea.
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Day 1
Sept 6, 2022 0:14:38 GMT
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Post by anthemum on Sept 6, 2022 0:14:38 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【”Aw, no seat for little old me?~”】 ▋▋ 【Well, he’ll find a seat one way or another】 ▋▋ 【9e2b9e】
Ino woke up to noise and legs all around him. Belatedly, he registered the smell of food, which mostly made his stomach flip as he dragged himself upright. The envy had passed out and rolled under the table, and though he’d been registering the sound for a bit, only now did he fully wake up. First, he reached up, brushing his hair back and making sure his glamour was set.
Face fixed, he began to crawl towards the open seat. He was glad it was a wide enough table that he wasn’t being actively kicked. Fate had other plans though, and someone sat down before Ino could escape. With a huff, he changed direction, and squeezed through the gap between table leg and Cyr leg, giving the lust a saucy smirk as he did so. He then spun around, examining the situation.
No seats, which found his jealous core and kicked it right in the balls. Had no one thought to save a seat for him? No, but they’d seated the guard, who had been keeping them trapped, and how could they, how could he be better that Ino and—
He had to stop. He wandered over to the food instead, looking at the options. Rich, meaty things, which he rarely liked, but surely there had to be something here he could eat? He ended up with a modest serving, a piece of steamed white fish, a little sauce, and some steamed vegetables on the sides.
He looked out again; still no chairs. He couldn’t let on how it bothered him though. Maybe he could squeeze in the corner between Val and Cyr? He looked at his plate again, then at Cyr. Or…just maybe…he could eat in two kinds of ways.
The dainty envy sauntered the short distance to Myut’s side, and carefully placed his butt in the Greed’s lap, scooting back, opening his eyes wide, shining with violet.
”Myut…” he pouted, ”There aren’t anymore chairs. Can I sit here instead? I’ll be careful…” This had better fucking work…
Myut tensed up immediately as Ino sat down, so Ino made sure to stay still, blinking at the Greed demon with wide, innocent eyes until…
“I am not feeding you.”
Ha! That wasn’t a no. Myut didn’t seem thrilled, exactly, but he hadn’t done anything like shove Ino off, which was always a plus. He was looking at Bez to help him though, but with a quick glance, Ino was reassured that Bezabelle was caught up in a scheme of her own. Time to put the rest of his plan into action.
“Of course not. I’m a grown demon, I can handle myself~ Thank you for this, though, I hope I’m not a burden. You seem strong enough to handle me~” Ino smiled up at the Greed as he spoke, before carefully adjusting himself on the other’s thighs. He could be quite a tease, and squirm and wriggle about, but he already knew Myut wouldn’t be receptive to that. But perched here, so intimately close, he had a great view of the table. His eyes brushed over the gathered demons lazily, lingering on Cyr. Cyr liked this Greed. Logically, Cyr wished he could be so close. Hypothetically, Ino would be able to feed his nature by this little stunt…
A small smile graced his lips and he ducked his head, eating his fish and vegetables carefully. He didn’t want to spill on Myut. On the other hand… “This fish is so flaky and soft, Myut, would you like to try some?” he offered up a forkful.
To his delight, Myut accepted the food, elegant mouth closing over the hovering fork. "You're right - exceptionally good.” the Greed said. ”It's lucky I've got my own plate filled, otherwise I'd be tempted to devour everything you've got."
Ino's eyes lit up and he took a small bite himself, an indirect kiss between the two of them. Was Myut playing along with him? Maybe... The white-haired was smart, then, and gorgeous to boot – no wonder Cyr was intrigued. He moved his tone into a playful lilt, peeking up at the larger demon through his feathery lashes. "You can have it, Myut~" his lips caressed the other's name like the sweetest of fruits. "After all…I did offer~" He lifted and offered up more fish.
All the while, his violet eyes were locked on Cyr at the end of the table. Their eyes met, and he let the corner of his mouth quirk into the tiniest smirk, before softening it into a friendly smile. He caught how the Lust’s jaw bulged, as his envy flared, and Ino had to stop feeding Myut to lift up a drink of water, to hide his bliss as his nature was sated, refreshed after his uses of glamour. He wasn’t even using his influence, this was all Cyr. His desire to be in Ino’s position. His desire to command attention. To be dainty and flirty and wanted.
Oh, that was an interesting little tidbit to know.
Ino drew his eyes over the table again, before bringing his fingers up to touch the baby hairs at the back on Myut’s neck as he readjusted his seat with a small sorry. His focus returned to Cyr right as the demon dropped his fork. The Lust crawled under the table to get it and stayed there, instead of coming up to rejoin the meal.
Ino's smirk made a reappearance.
Interesting…
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Day 1
Oct 20, 2022 3:48:20 GMT
Post by sneilley on Oct 20, 2022 3:48:20 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"The deal keeps getting sweeter, and I intend to win it all.】 ▋▋ 【Spreading mischief around the table.】 ▋▋ 【CD5c5c】
Victory. Bez could feel her own growing satisfaction as Amos relented, first to sit, then to eat. Little did he know, it was only the beginning of her plans for their little Mouse. The longer he sat there, the more fun little ideas bubbled up in her mind. For now, though, it seemed those would have to wait. Drama was building at the table already and everyone was only just settling down to eat. “Ah, I believe it’s the little wolves in sheep’s clothing that we should be looking out for, hmn?”Bez could hear the tease in Myut's tone, and she looked up with a fond grin off her own. Myut sat across from Amos, his demeanor and words shifting to those of pure Business, and Bez had to shake her head. Of course Mew would already have plans for their little guard. Amos was suspicious at best, but Bez had little doubt Mew would win him over in the end. And perhaps that would make the Mouse more receptive to other propositions down the road? One could hope. Speaking of other propositions, it was Val who took the seat next to Meu. Bez had the perfect vantage to see Val shift in his seat enough to let his hand wander. Myut, of course, was startled, and the game of scolding and teasing began. There was a sudden bang from under the table, with Myut's hand disappearing as well, and Bez could imagine exactly where Val's wandering mitts had gone. Bez couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her lips mid-bite. She ducked her head, trying to muffle it and keep her current mouthful of food from making a second appearance on the table. It would be such a shame to waste the tasty bite. Meu and Val. An odd pair. But too odd, Bez mused. Their natures and personalities would and had already proven to clash. Val was enjoying the teasing, but Bez didn't think much would come of it. At least in the short term. Cyr was the next to join the table, and Bez couldn't help but analyze his expression. There was a lot there, but the most obvious was that he was avoiding looking her way at all. She suppressed a sigh of annoyance. She should have expected any progress with Cyr would be one step forward, two back. It was frustrating all the same. She noticed a glance or two directed at Myut as well. Cyr looked like a puppy that had been kicked, sulky and resigned to his fate. He sat down at the end of the table, making it hard for Bez to continue observing without being obvious. To her great pleasure, Viv emerged at that point. Bez gave her a warm smile. They seemed to reach the unfortunate conclusion at the same moment that none of the seats nearest Bez were available. Viv seemed to quickly decide on her own solution, approaching Val to speak with the sloth in low tones. Bez had to repress another laugh. She could already imagine how this would go: an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Val would be determined to give Vivian a hard time. The whining and resistance and slumping began, but Vivian got an unexpected ally in Myut, and the sloth was bodily dragged into the adjacent seat. She sat down victorious and Bez gave her a wink. Bez knew how much Vivian liked her, but it was nice to be reminded. Then there was movement down by her feet. Ah, Ino! And there was no seat left. Whatever would the little Envy do? Bez returned her attention to her plate, knowing this was bound to be interesting. Ino filled a plate of his own, then made his way directly to Myut. In true Ino fashion, this was bound to spark drama. Bez took one peek toward Cyr and decided she didn't want to be directly involved if possible. At least not yet. Instead, she turned back to Amos, who had only picked at his food to this point. "Well, that won't do. If you intend to take the painting, I would like to make the most of our little deal. Dig in, eat up. Don't be shy!"Amos’s mouth twisted into a frown as the gluttony demon turned her attention back to him. He could ignore the scuffling squabbles easily enough–there were simply too many big personalities in such a little space, which he was used to–but this girl… Indeed, the moment she opened her mouth, unpleasant words spilled out. He cast the girl a baleful look, pushing his food around the plate with his fork before taking another reluctant bite. He didn’t mind the food so much, but it was annoying to be told what to do in such a condescending manner. He gave her a look, but at least relented to eat a bit more. She’d count that as a win, if a small one. Bez leaned toward Amos, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Well, what do you think of all this? Picked out your supposed assassin yet?"Amos cast her another side-eyed look as she leaned closer, leaning slightly away. He gazed at her for several moments after she spoke, weighing his options. “It’s not up to me,” he said at length, stabbing a bean with a single prong of his fork and holding it there. He turned his attention to it, flipping his fork over a few times as he studied it. He recoiled as Bez leaned forward, trying to keep enough distance. What he thought someone like Bez could do to someone like him was a different matter, and one that sparked her curiosity. Was he… afraid? That had possibility. His answer, of course, was disappointing, and the single bean that he held at the end of his fork grated on her, just a bit. Just eat it. Why not just eat it?She could guess, though. After all, their handsome guard was a Pride. It had to be a power thing. He turned the question back to her, and she laughed. Even if she had been seriously considering the question, there was no way she would tell him. But… “To be perfectly honest… I don’t believe anyone has done much investigating to this point.”So far, being direct had only raised his guard. Bez casually examined her fingernails, hoping to draw him in by seeming unperturbed. Her voice still low, she added, “If you were interested, perhaps I could try to get things started a bit. Our little group here is stubborn enough that I doubt much will happen on its own. No doubt you have noticed the stubborn streak yourself?”she eyed him. She laughed. For the first time, he turned his head completely in her direction, lowering the fork with a soft clink against the plate as she spoke. Her eyes were not on him, so thankfully it was unlikely that she would see the weariness that momentarily drifted across his features. When her eyes flicked up, he turned his face away again, resting his head on one hand as he looked down at his plate. “What do you want?” he replied, exasperated, using the rim of the plate to remove the bean he’d stabbed from his fork, then pushed the plate away, his eyes flicking back to her. “What is it you think I can give you?”Really, he shouldn’t care about what they did or didn’t do, one or more of them would take the blame in the end anyway, but… The bean stayed on the plate after all, the remaining food pushed away. Bez tried not to be annoyed. She really did. What was with Pride demons anyway? She had to remind herself that she did still have the upper hand in a manner of speaking. He was here and talking to her, even if he wasn’t eating. Perhaps she could get him to indulge her further. It was possible.
“Oh no, no, no, my dear Amos. It’s not about what you can give me. It’s what I am offering you. A chance to get us actually investigating! And as long as you are in here anyway, you can even participate in the discussion. I have the perfect idea to start it off! What do you say? Are you interested?”
Amos felt particularly suspicious about whatever it was the girl wanted, but at this point, would it be worth saying no? They’d already pushed him to this point, and she hadn’t done anything overtly threatening. If trouble started, he could just get up and leave. Up until that point, he should entertain it. (And desperately hope there was a nice raise in his future.) “Alright,” he replied after a long moment of consideration. “Let’s see it, then.”
For a beat, he just stared at her. She met the stare, not aggressively, but not backing down. After a handful of seconds, her brow raised in an unspoken question. Then he agreed. Finally! Bez clapped her hands together in eager anticipation. This was going to be fun!
“Alright everyone, I hope you’re ready. Our brave guard here has just agreed to a game! So, we’re going to play Liar. Everyone familiar with the game? No? Well, here are the rules: We’ll go around the table. To start out, the person to your right asks you a question but we can switch it up after a round or two. Answer with truth or a lie. Anyone but the questioner can call out 'Liar!' if they think you are lying. If you are lying, the question asker picks a punishment. If you're not, those who called 'Liar!' get the punishment. If you say you're telling the truth, but everyone unanimously still thinks you're lying, you still get the punishment. However, before the vote is final, you are allowed to argue your case. Let the game begin! I’ll start!”
Bez turned her attention back to Amos, a wide, devilish grin adorning her face. Her eyes, however, narrowed harshly. “So, A-mouse, first question: What did you discover that made you suspect an assassination attempt was imminent?”
Amos's wary expression immediately turned to a frown when the Gluttony demon looked his way again. He crossed his arms loosely over his chest, staring unhappily at her. "I was only called over later, I wasn't privy to the original chain of suspicion," he replied at length.
Val sat up more and watched Amos. "I think.... you're telling the truth."
"Hmm...I think truth" Ino leaned forward, lacing his fingers together under his chin. "He doesn't look like a captain or anything like that. Unless he was the one to discover the evidence, I suppose~"
"I suppose it ultimately doesn't matter, right?" Meu smiled congenially, giving his masked answer of 'truth' in this way.
Cyr looked around, somewhat alarmed. "Uh...truth?" he said.
Vivian paused, then voiced, "Truth."
Eris wriggled unhappily in her chair as the others spoke. She banged her little fist on the table and gestured past Bez at the awkward guard. "He's obviously lying!!" she half-yelled, her face growing slightly ruddy. "Don't let him get away with spouting whatever he wants!"
Bez watched, disappointed, as each of them gave a half-hearted verdict of "Truth." Were they that intimidated by this silly little Pride? His answer had been careful, but there was room for argument. It was unfortunate that she had been the questioner, or she would have personally enjoyed poking holes in his statement. He was concealing information that she would love to get her little mitts on! She concealed her annoyance, lazily watching the table through her lashes under sleep-heavy eyelids. She didn't have to feign the tiredness. The previous night had been rough.
Thankfully, Eris came through. The rage was clear in her voice and the slam of her fist. A smile bloomed on Bez's face, bringing energy back into her posture. "Ahh, I was wondering if anyone would call you out." She winked at Eris. "It's no fun if everyone believes you, after all. Well, Amos? What do you have to say? Is it completely the truth? You have no idea what this plot is?"
Amos sat quietly for a moment, seeming to consider his words. "Well," he said at length. "All I know is that there was another individual who was apprehended in an unrestricted area with contraband on him, who self-immolated when we caught him. He didn't seem to be working alone." Amos pressed his lips together. "You all were subsequently deemed suspicious in the resulting investigation, but I don't know why. Beside the...uh...obvious wrongdoing."
"Well, well, well, isn't that interesting," Bez said with a smile. "With that in mind, would anyone like to change their verdict to liar? If not, poor Eris would get the punishment!" Bez turned an eager grin toward the Wrath.
"O-ho! So you are lying. Omitting knowledge is a form of lying." Val sang, tapping a long tail against the back of his hand. "And I put such faith in you," he mused.
Bez grinned at Val. However, as much as she appreciated the commentary, no one else seemed interested in switching their verdict. She sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately for dear Eris, the second vote has to be unanimous. Therefore, Eris, your punishment will be..." she gave a dramatic pause, then her grin widened viciously, "you and Ino must switch seats for the rest of this round."
Ino gave Bez a bit of a dirty look and waited for Eris to come over before he gave up the best seat in the room. Eris's expression was equally as dour as she unfolded her legs and stood, circling around the table behind Cyr to stand beside Ino. When her eyes turned to the white-haired greed demon, her expression turned somewhat baleful.
"Don't be weird," she commanded Myut, looking profoundly pitiful.
Ino slid off Myut’s lap, waving a goodbye before skipping to Eris' vacated seat. He elbowed Bez as he settled. Bez responded with a light bump with her shoulder, grinning without remorse. Meanwhile, Meu's look almost sent her into a giggle fit. Betrayal of the highest degree, quickly disguised.
"Lovely~!" Bez clapped her hands together for emphasis. She was amused by all the dramatic reactions to the punishment. It was a good one, in her humble opinion. "Well, now, luckily or unluckily for you, Eris, now it is between you and Meu to decide who is the Questioner and who gets to lie-- I mean, answer!" She winked.
The look Eris was giving him had him shrinking back into his chair. "Worry not." He muttered down at her, staying as stock-still as absolutely possible. His appearance and posture hinted him to be just as gruff and gloomy as she, breaking down a bit of his otherwise gentlemanly mien.
Eris nervously perched on his knee like a sparrow ready to bolt. "I....I'll ask a question," she said, her voice uncharacteristically shy, her hands tucked in her lap. "Um...what's the most valuable thing you have with you now?" she asked, looking at Bezabelle because twisting to look at the white haired man would be too weird.
"Ooh," He mused, giving a slight nod of approval at the question.
Bez thought he looked absolutely rigid in his seat. He was likely trying not to let even a breath waft in the wrong direction, lest he set off the little, literal spitfire in his lap. Probably wise, all considered.
"With me, that would be the little vial of ink I've kept-" there was a slight hesitation, just a hitch in his sentence really, before Meu continued, "for a little while now. It's got a rather high latency for spellbinding in absorption and the potential for transmutation into healing and/or regeneration. Quite the story of my acquiring of it, and certainly worth no measly sum in any currency. I thought to bring it for barter since quite the many would want their hands on something like this for protection, whether that be their person or their territory. Comes with plenty steep cost though, as all such manner of things do." At this revelation he did give a bit of a wry, knowing grin. "Very tiny amount of it, though."
Bez watched Myut's face, and his white-knucled grip on the chair, with a grin. She leaned forward lazily to rest her chin on her palm. "Truth. Probably."
Val grinned at the two. "Booo, boring. Truth."
"Truth" Vivian nodded.
"If I say lie, can I get my seat back?" Ino teased. "But no. Truth, I think," he winked at Myut.
"Truth," Cyr said his eyes flicking from him to Bez before dropping back to his plate.
Amos, not one to be the odd man out, also said "Truth."
Bez sighed. "Boooring~! At least try to make it seem possible you're lying, Silly Meu." She stuck her tongue out. "Well, that means it's Viv and Val! Give him a good one."
Viv seemed to consider, then popped out with a real gem of a question.
"What's one secret you'd never want anyone outside this room to know?"
"Oh my," Val mused, his lips sliding into an easy grin. "Now that's an interesting question. I'm a pretty open book, as Bez and Eris can attest too. I don't have secrets in afraid."
"Liar," Vivian didn't hesitate.
Bez laughed. "Unfortunately, Viv, since you asked the question, you don't get to call out 'Liar'," Bez said cheerily. "I, on the other hand, pronounce you a Liar!" Bez's eyes narrowed, and she pointed accusingly at the Sloth.
"Yeah, I don't believe you either." Meu grinned benignly.
Eagerly following Bez's lead and riled by Myut's response, Eris pointed at Val too. "Yeah!" she agreed. "You're definitely lying." Luckily for Myut, she did not leap up on her chair.
Cyr nodded. "Everyone's got secrets," he replied.
"Well, Val. Time to fess up! You're lying, aren't you?" Bez raised an eyebrow, as if daring him to claim it was the truth.
"Oh boo," he mused as he leaned back and stretched. He didn't actually seem surprised to be called out, though he was half-heartedly pretending at betrayal. "Sold out by my dearest friends," he scoffed with feigned hurt. "I suppose even an open book has a few hidden stories."
"Alright, Viv! He confessed so you get to pick the punishment." Bez rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
"Let... let Eris put whichever colors she likes in your hair."
Val blinked. He just laughed and reached up to tug at his hair which was still mostly clean from the shower, save a few marks. It was his face that was covered in paint on the right side from when bed fallen asleep while painting. "Okay," he mused.
Eris did not hesitate to hop up and shuffle through her things, retrieving a pot of magenta paint. She had been shy earlier to sit in Myut's lap. Not so with Val, she sat down right on him and gave him a bright purple streak reminiscent of Ino's, a smug smile on her face as she did so.
Val chuckled and held Eris's hips so she wouldn't fall off. He didn't raise a fuss and smiled in turn. He reached up to touch the new streak and looked at the paint that stained his fingers. "Pretty color. Hey, Ino! We match!" He chuckled.
"That's my look!" Ino joked, running his fingers through his dyed hair. "Don't get used to it~"
"Hmmm, personally, I think he needs more color. It'll show so nicely with that raggedy mop of white hair, won't it!" Bez stuck her tongue out at the pair. "Even so, Eris, once you're done, you'll need to return to your Punishment." Bez winked at Meu playfully. "That's in effect until the end of the round for you, my friend."
Eris puffed her cheeks out unhappily. Bez knew Eris was hoping that her lap hopping would go unnoticed. What Bez did not know was whether she would resist her reminder. Eris looked at Myut, then looked at her purple-smeared hands for a moment before skittering back to her room to put her paint away, leaving streaky purple handprints on her bedsheet-doorway before returning to gingerly sit on one of Myut's knees, as far away from him as possible. Darn, not as fun as Bez was hoping, but she wasn't going to object.
"And now, Cyr, you get to ask Ino a question." She peered around at Cyr with a smirk, flapping her hands to hurry him along.
Cyr turned his eyes to Ino. Bez thought there was something there. Something... jealous? Ah, wait, probably Meu. Ino had to be eating this up! Cyr seemed ready to get a bit of revenge as well.
"So...what's the deal with that poison, Ino?" he asked, his voice light and casual.
The question, however, was a harsh one. Bez's eyes flicked to Amos, and she raised a brow, as if to emphasize that investigation was taking place after all. He should be proud of her! Though Bez knew that was unlikely. Prides tended to focus on their own accomplishments. Oh well.
Ino's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, and Bez's smile faded. The slight tension there, just barely visible... hmmm. Bez had seen this, just rarely. Another demon may have shouted, or punched Cyr for daring to go after a sensitive topic. But Ino simply tensed and moved on. He was probably pretty pissed, though. There was definitely a good amount of tension between him, Cyr, and Myut. Bezzabelle was enjoying the undercurrent of drama immensely.
He took a short breath, whether to drain the anger or to think up what to say, Bez wasn't sure. She leaned in toward the Envy, ready to soak up each word and analyze the meaning behind it.
"It's called heartbird," he began, splaying his fingers across the table. "But I don't think you want the chemical ID of it, do you, Cyr? It's a metabolic accelerant. I'll be blunt, at high doses, it can cause heart failure. At a low dose, though, it makes drugs and alcohol hit that much harder and faster. Doesn't do much for sex, though, I'm afraid." he smirked a bit, dropping his head into his palm. "If our guard will bring some wine, I'd be glad to demonstrate its effects. Can that be arranged, Amos?"
Bez was gradually getting more and more distracted as Amos resumed pushing a bean around his plate. To his credit, he did take another bite or two, but that poor abandoned bean....
He straightened, choking a bit as Ino asked a favor. "Why..." he said between coughs, "why do you have so much?" He shook his head. "No one's overdosing on stimulants in this place."
"The low dose wears off in a matter of hours. That, and I do have friends to share with. Sorry Bezzie, I didn't have it on me that time we were hanging out~" Ino teased. He then turned his attention back to Amos. "You really can't think of a single reason a demon might want a faster, more intense high? Hell, I bet Cyr would like being able to get drunk off 2 drinks instead of... how many can you normally take, anyway?" He tipped his head to the side.
Cyr blinked. "I don't prefer to be drunk," he replied, glancing at Bez.
She just lifted her glass in salute, though sadly, it contained no alcohol. But perhaps with Ino's request, that could be fixed. Still, Ino would feel her wrath as well, at least until the alcohol appeared! "What! Ino! I'm disappointed. You have had this the whole time and never once shared! That is beyond rude," Bez pouted. "How long have you had this stuff anyway? No, wait, more importantly, when can I try it?" Her attention switched to Amos, her tone turning petulant. "He's right, you know, Amos! We need alcohol right now to try this out and confirm his story! Otherwise, I'm calling Liar!"
Amos frowned. "No alcohol," he replied, feeling a bit prickled by being bossed around so much.
What a grouch.
Ino relaxed just a little bit. "Hey, no, you obviously believe me if you want to take it! You can't call Liar just because we can't get drunk!" He laughed, eyes bright.
Viv chuckled a bit, "Conditional Liar, if we can't test it. Sorry, Ino."
"Ugh. So rude."
Ino sounded more amused than concerned. Bez had to wonder where the tension had gone. Why hide it? She supposed for a similar reason to why he generally hid things. Envies were all about appearance, in quite a few ways. Ino especially tended to play things close to the chest, and he was quite practiced at it.
"Hmmm," Val mused as he slumped in his chair. "Sticking with liar."
Eris tipped her head slightly. "I think it's the truth," she piped up, folding her arms over her chest.
Meu shrugged as though nonplussed about the whole ordeal. "It sounds reasonable enough, though. I also think he's telling the truth." He nodded after Eris in agreement.
"Val, Bez, I thought we were friends," Ino pouted in their direction.
How dramatic. He was definitely putting on a show, wasn't he?
"Myut, Eris, you have my thanks." He bowed his head to each in turn, then turned his attention to Cyr. "Though I do disagree with the conditional Liar verdicts. I was fully happy to prove it if I had the materials to do so~" he teased.
Val offered an innocent grin. "We are. I was just curious what the punishment would be. I don't really know whether you're lying or not. You never indulged me," he mused.
Cyr glanced back and forth between Viv, Val and Bez. "Why don't you...kiss the person to your left?" he suggested.
Bez's eyes lit up at the Cyr's pronouncement. Her eyes flitted around the table, resting first on Viv's discomfort as she gave Val a quick peck. Bez blew her girlfriend a kiss and winked in encouragement.
Then, the main event, as Val took full advantage. Val's smile immediately turned into a cheshire cat grin. There was a mischievous light in his eyes. He accepted Viv's kiss without fuss before he turned to Cyr.
"Well, well. I hope this means you wanted to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you," he purred. He reached over to bring Cyr's face towards him before he leaned in to give him a passionate kiss.
Cyr had been distracted by watching Bez until his face was redirected towards Val's. He was obviously not prepared for the lusty kiss, but he didn't pull away. Cyr was enjoying it immensely, if Bez had to guess. Bez didn't blame him. She knew how surprising and wonderful Val's kisses could be. Bez couldn't help a small, excited gasp, her hands coming up to either cheek. She was and was not surprised that Cyr engaged so willingly. It felt good even for her. She was excited to see where it may lead for her dear, obstinate Cyr. When he was released, paint from Val's hair now smeared across his forehead, Cyr looked rather dazed.
"Gorgeous," he cooed to him when they separated and touched his lips. "That was nice. I would love to see where more of that goes, should you be game."
Bez forgot for a moment, that she was also technically included in the punishment. As was....
"Well, Amos?" She said as she turned, adopting an innocent, almost shy smile. The expression looked innocent, perfectly so as she was using her abilities. She would let their little Mouse take the lead on this one. At least at first...
Amos turned to look at her, deeply displeased by this situation. He didn't do anything! Why was he being included? Reluctantly, he leaned over, offering her his cheek the way the tall girl had kissed the sloth demon.
Bez thought it was cute how he believed that she would let him slide by with just a peck. Bez rested a couple fingers against Amos's chin, leaning closer. At the last moment, the pressure of her fingers sharply increased. He could pull away if he really wanted, but her nature would mean that any bit of desire would be very hard to resist indeed. Her kiss was gentle, soft, but also hungry and persistent. She would not be the first to break off, and she was going to make it hard as possible for Amos to realize that he should pull back.
Amos's eyes went wide as his face was pulled around, and the girl kissed him searchingly. He grabbed the table to hold his balance as he was pulled closer. And the kiss didn't seem to be ending. Unsure what to do, it didn't seem to even occur to him that he could be the one to pull away for several moments until he needed to breathe. Abruptly, he pulled away, breathing heavily, his face red.
It was a good thing he pulled away, because Vivian was ready to frisbee her plate into the side of his head. Her fingers had even curled around the edge just so, ready to send it flying if the kiss had continued any longer.
Bez watched the red- faced guard as he pulled away, pleasure and amusement written on her features. He sat back, but she stayed close, still leaning in. "Consider that punishment for failing to answer this round, Amos. Perhaps next time, you won't forget, hmmm?"
She readjusted, looking around the table, as if in her book, the moment was forgotten. It wasn't, but she was great at pretending. "Now, let's see... next is.... Ah, I think it's you and me, Amos. Hmmmm, since I already asked you at the beginning of the round, why don't we make it your turn, hmmm?"
Meu did allow a little whistle of awe/approval and a sly grin then, seeing as how the guard hadn’t put up a fight and perhaps even enjoyed himself a little?
"Ooo" Ino hopped up. "Round is over, so Eris can have her seat back. That okay, Myut?" He asked again once he made it to his side.
Eris was more than happy to propel herself out of Myut's lap and hurry back to her seat, tripping over the food cart in her haste, causing it to rattle angrily.
"Yes, please." Myut answered swiftly, moreso for the fact that it would mean Eris would be removed.
Ino sat himself in Myut's lap carefully, looping an arm around him. "Thanks for believing me~" he murmured. "You look like you know something about plants, so I guess that makes sense. Plus you didn't have kiss Eris, hmm? Though it seems to have worked out." His eyes drifted to Val and Cyr. "I wonder if he'll take him up on that... lust demons need to feed somewhat often, right?"
Myut angled himself a bit more comfortably so his arm could more easily reach the table, and it just so happened that it guarded Ino's side closely now, almost nestling the boy into the crook of his elbow. The Greed demon simply nodded at the thanks the smaller purple-haired one gave him, and offered a wry grin at the half-tease in mentioning kissing Eris.
At Ino's mentioning curiosity over Cyr and Val, Myut bristled a bit. "It's not any of my business," he drawled in response, fingernail tapping harshly at the wood of the table to betray his displeasure/annoyance.
As the surprise of the kiss wore off, Cyr's eyes darted towards Myut, who was looking at Ino. He promptly looked away, his expression looking as if he'd just swallowed a lemon.
Amos, on the other hand, was still quite flustered, a bit red. He stammered a bit before he finally was able to form proper words. He didn't know any of these demons very well, it wasn't like he could just come up with a good question. Or even a very useful one. "H....how many people have you kissed?" he blurted.
Bez laughed, full and unreserved. She really had flustered their cute little guard, hadn't she? She didn't mean to be rude, really, but with having just kissed him, it hilarious to see him continue to focus on the subject. She had definitely gotten to him. A small win, but one she would savor.
"Oh, Amos. No, sorry, I'm afraid you'll have to ask another question. I don't know the answer to that one. I lost track years ago. I'd have a hard enough time just answering how many people I've kissed at the gala! So no, try again."
This flustered Amos further. Off guard, he struggled to straighten out his thoughts. "Er...well....if....um..." he struggled hard to form a proper sentence. Finally, he cleared his throat and calmed slightly. "Alright," he said, not making eye contact with anyone. "If...if you could switch lives with anyone in this room, who would you pick?"
"Ohh, that's better. Hmmm." Bez knew her gut impulse, of course, but she held back. Why not have some more fun?
Bez took a long moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she regarded the demons around the table. "Let's see. I have to think about this one." Suddenly, she whirled dramatically toward Amos, pointing at him. She may as well tease him a bit more after all! "With you, there is the benefit that you get to come visit with our lovely group quite often for now. But, you also have to take ridiculous orders from stuck up higher-ups, and you seem clueless about where these orders even come from half the time. I also don't know much about your life. Yet. So, no thanks, hard pass."
She stuck her tongue out, then moved on to look to Eris beside her. "Eris, on the other hand, is a load of fun, a wonderful painter, and gets in the middle of so much drama! Though as much fun as it is to have lots of enemies, I don't know if I could keep up your zeal." Bez shrugged.
"Oh Cyr," she sighed, looking fondly exasperated, "you mentioned once I'd make a good Lust, but the whole mess you've got going on, and the necklace thing…." She shook her head slightly. "Though, you do have a lot of fun opportunities, no?" Bez raised her eyebrows suggestively. Then her focus shifted.
"Dear Val, as much as I appreciate your troublemaking and love napping with you- forced or not- I don't think I'd be able to handle feeling so sleepy and sloth-y all the time!"
"Viv, now you're a temptation. I do know your family somewhat by reputation, and that fantastic motorcycle of yours! Not to mention you're also ridiculously gorgeous, so that's a big plus. Still, I am having far too much fun getting to know you better in all sorts of lovely ways. Don't think I'd be willing to give that up!"
"Then there's Ino, the center of delicious drama. Also, apparently the owner of poison slash not-poison that I desperately want to try." She pouted dramatically. "Oh, the secrets I could learn. Especially about…" She wriggled the fingers of both hands a moment, then laughed, unable to suppress it.
"Then there's Meu! All those contacts and connections and sources! Your wonderful collection of rare items and books and plants. Not to mention all the opportunities you have to get more! Whenever I visit, your home is just," she raised her shoulders, wiggling in her seat in excitement, "so cozy! Alright, that settles it. I'd pick Meu!"
Vivian seemed pleased by Bez's description, if the smile and blush were anything to go by. Pride demons thrived on this sort of thing, and Vivian took a deep breath, letting it sink in. "Truth".
Ino, meanwhile, smiled also, before dropping his gaze to his plate, taking a few more bites of fish.
Val was still smiling smugly. As Bez assessment of his life, he just chuckled. "You'd make a great slothy." He and Bez often sloothed around anyway. "But truth I suppose."
Eris grinned. She liked the thought of Bez as a greed demon. All those things... "Truth!" She agreed.
Myut flashed Bez a wry smile as she announced to the table that her choice of swap would be him. "Good; I'd have called you a liar if you had said anyone else~" He joked openly, mirth clear on his features.
"Truth, obviously." Ino folded his hands. "I'm not about to be the only dissenter~" He joked.
"I will." Cyr said a bit stridently. "I think that's a lie."
"Oh? Unfortunate, my poor Cyr, unless you can convince everyone else to change their answers, you've just earned a punishment." Bez said with a wink.
Cyr was nonplussed. "Oh dear," he said, resting his chin on his hand. "What do you have for me?"
"No, no. Not me! Amos, the pleasure is yours," Bez declared, inclining her head graciously.
Amos had, again, stopped paying attention. "Eh?" He asked, looking up when he heard his name. "Um...do twenty push-ups?" He suggested. Good enough, right?
Ino snorted. "Why don't you also ask him to sit in his chair and breathe a little while you're at it?"
Cyr laughed, but Amos didn't find it so amusing. "Well...fine. How about..." His eyes flicked around the table a little helplessly. "Switch shirts with Ino then."
Meu pressed his lips together against the laugh that threatened to spill out, so only a 'pffft' came out against his huge grin.
Ino sputtered. "It's not going to fit him! He's massive!" He complained. He pulled his shirt off and balled it up, tossing it to Cyr. It smelled faintly of peaches.
Cyr caught it, looking somewhat reluctant. "I won't force it," he replied, pushing his chair back as he stood up to undo the buttons on his dress shirt before tossing it over. He'd only worn it for a little bit, but it had been mixed in a bag with other things he'd been wearing, so it smelled a lot like him and a little like wine and amber. Indeed, the shirt didn't fit over his shoulders, so he left it there around his neck like an overlong scarf.
Ino slipped on Cyr's top, only doing the first few buttons. It hung on him like a dress, and he swore softly, rolling up his sleeves until he could use his hands again. The large shirt softened him, making him look younger, more innocent.
Ino's swap had Meu laughing again with a congenial air. "You look like a wee babe." He commented through a genuinely amused smile.
Bez almost groaned at Amos's first suggestion. It was so awfully boring! Ino beat her to it, objecting with a similar complaint. Which, of course, led him to get roped in with Cyr to a much more amusing punishment.
"Ohh, look Ino, now we match!" she exclaimed, modeling her own overlarge shirt a la Cyr. "Well, first round is officially done! Now, I think to be fair, everyone who didn't get to ask a question yet will get to ask for this next round. As a bonus for having to wait, you'll get to ask of anyone at the table! Myut, I believe you are first!"
"Eris?" He gave a measuredly small non-threatening smile, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"
Eris tipped her head slightly, her eyelashes darkening her cheeks as she considered his question. "Worst?" She asked, kicking her legs back and forth slightly. She chewed on a fingernail as she considered this. "I killed one of my neighbors once. Well, I didn't exactly mean to, he kept pushing into my territory so I hired an escort to seduce him and make his wife leave him, and while he was distracted I pushed his border and burnt his home. Not my fault he was still in there."
"Hmmm," Bez pretended to muse, tapping her chin to add drama. "True." When it came to that sort of thing, there was no way the Wrath would lie. She was far too territorial and proud of it.
"Truth," Cyr agreed.
"True," Ino said, staring at Cyr.
Well, not his face, Bez noticed. Ino was looking a bit farther down than that.
"Hmmmmm," Val answered. "Gonna have to say liar, Eris, dear," he sang.
"Hmmm, you think she's lying, Val? Why is that? I may be willing to change my answer."
"You shouldn't," Viv murmured to Bez, before sitting up. "Truth."
Val gave a Cheshire cat grin. "Well, we've done a fair share of fun things I would at least consider is worse than that little mistake," he mused.
Eris waved her hand in the air dismissively. "He asked me the worst thing I've done, not the worst thing we've done," she replied, though she looked rather self-satisfied by his acknowledgement. "Doesn't count if I had help."
"Ah! So you admit it! It does to count. Even if you did it with someone else, you still did it. He didn't ask the worst thing you did alone. I'm definitely changing to Liar!"
"I will too," Cyr piped up.
"Any other takers? How about you, my dear?" Bez asked, looking to Viv. "She did just admit to doing worse with Val, after all!"
Viv nodded along. "Okay, yes, lie." She said.
"Yes, lie~" Ino piped up. "How about you, Myut? You haven't voted?" He asked, looking up at his 'seat'.
"It was Meu's question, no? So I think that just leaves Amos! Any thoughts, Mr. Detective?"
Amos looked around. "Sure, it was a lie," he agreed.
"Aaah! Looks like a bad time to lie, Eris. You've earned another punishment. Nice!" Bez proclaimed, perhaps just a little too loud, and rubbed her hands together. "What do you got, Meu!"
"Oh boo," Eris said, turning her gaze to Myut with an expression that surely did not say 'punish at your own risk.'
"At least you know we won't be swapping seats~" Ino joked.
Val gave a smug grin, looking surprised and quite satisfied.
"Am I allowed to pocket one for later? I'd like to have a get-out-of-jail-free card in case I make a mistake and rub you the wrong way in the future."
Eris puffed out her cheeks. "You'd better not do any sort of rubbing," she retorted grumpily.
"Nothing of the sort; ideally...." He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows with a bit of an uncertain squint, "Hopefully not."
Eris crossed her arms and looked entreatingly at Bez. "Tell him it's not allowed!" she asked, pointing at said 'him.'
Bez laughed, shaking her head. "Much as I want to say yes, sorry, Meu, but Eris is right. The punishments are just for the game. Not some vague long-term commitment. Now," she flapped her hands playfully, "come up with something entertaining, or lucky Eris here will get away Scott free."
Myut let out a puff of air and stuck his tongue out a bit. "Fair, I felt like it could have been a bit of a reach. Worth an ask." He shrugged unchagrined. "Alright, Eris can tell us about her most embarrassing social encounter. No lies allowed."
Suddenly, Eris went from indignant to bashful. "Well one time when I was a teenager and still living with my ma, she arranged an event thing and there was this guy there who had a really nice engraved pocket watch that I wanted, so I was trying to get closer, but I didn't know that Ma invited him cause she wanted us to..." Eris made a vague hand gesture. "You know, and so went I went for the pickpocket he uh...thought...um..." her face was turning an unfamiliar light pink as she thought about it. "So I had to set his tie on fire to get away. And he still tries to talk to me when he sees me." Eris had to sit on her hands so as to prevent herself from clapping them over her face and hiding, but her eyes didn't leave the table as she spoke, except to bashfully glance Bez's way at the end of her explanation.
Bez looked aghast. "Eris! How could you not tell me this sooner! Can you imagine just how much drama we could have caused with this guy? You have such an advantage over him. I bet he would do whatever you wanted if it came to it. Oh, what fun you could have!"
That was enough to make Eris hide her face. "Nooo," she replied. "It's too embarassing. I don't wanna see that guy again."
Val chuckled and leaned forward on the table. "I could always put him to sleep for you. But I do agree with Bezzy, you could have so much fun with him."
"C'mon! Just one con or trick or prank, or anything really! I would settle for demanding a really elaborate favor!"
Eris peeked through her fingers at her two friends. "I'll...I'll tell you later," she said at length.
Bez gave her a searching look, then her brow raised and she smiled, "Deal. Now, moving on! Who's next? Let's see.... Ino, have you asked anything yet? I think it is you."
Ino sat upright, looking around the table carefully, considering his options. He tipped his head back, smiling at Amos. "Oh, hello~" He chirped. "My question is to you. Why do you work for-- no, why are you loyal to Abadeer?~"
Why wouldn't they just leave him alone. Amos sighed, rubbing his face. At least this was an easy question. "He's the Prince," he replied, straightforward. "That's why."
"Why does that matter to you?" Bez interjected, unable to resist.
Amos frowned more. "It's my job to serve the Prince," he replied, sounding a little annoyed.
"So what if it's your duty?" Val asked. "You're still a demon. Loyalty... is rare. You have to have a motivation beyond 'duty', something you get out of it, so until you really answer. You're a liar."
"Yes, what makes you care about your little job, A-mouse?"
"Protection? Prestige?" Myut offered him some outs that would make sense.
"Unless you're doing it for free, I need to say liar," Viv said, folding her hands primly.
Amos's eyes cut to the other pride demon in the room. Ah, she was a Lacerta, rich already, she wouldn't understand what it was like to be a lesser Pride demon, scrabbling for scraps among the rabble. When your success teetered on a finite resource above a harsh and unforgiving landscape, you did what you could, you did it well, and you did it without complaint. "My family, actually," he snapped. "Not all of us were born wealthy."
Viv straightened her back, eyes flashing. "If you need a better job, I can put a word in with my father," she shot back, gracious in the worst way possible.
Amos half-lifted his chin. "I'm perfectly happy where I am," he snapped back, bristling slightly.
Oh dear. Things were starting to get a little testy. Val steepled his fingers as he allowed his aura to ease into the air around them and to dull some of thr sharpness between the two pride demons and to hopefully help Amos loosen up a little.
Viv settled quickly, casting a worried glance at Bez.
Bez felt Val's cooling influence, but she ignored it with little issue. After all, she was not worked up; she was simply amusing herself at Amos's expense. Her eyes drifted half-lidded, her head supported in her hand as she watched Amos. A crooked smile graced her lips. "Oh, family you say? What, did your mommy and daddy get you the job? Couldn't snag it on your own merit, hm?"
Viv sucked in a sharp breath.
Perhaps Val's aura would have worked, if Bez's next words hadn't wound him tighter than a ten day clock. The veins on the back of his hand twitched as he lowered it under the table. "Ha," he said, standing up slowly. He was tired of this. His face didn't change, unlike before when his emotions had very clearly flickered across. Of course, he'd let himself get sucked in by this circus. But really, what did it matter. He could just leave. So that's what he turned to do.
Meu stirred beneath Ino, leaning forward and taking the Envy with one muscular arm, the other swiping off a place clear for him, and placed him seated on the edge of the table. Amos had already begun walking away from the table, and Mew was quick to step up behind him. A large hand came to rest very softly at his far shoulder, though there was no pressuring pull to it. Rather, he made touch to encourage him on to the door. "Ah, I do suppose the night grows late. I'll take his punishment since he's retiring." He smiled charmingly back at the rest of the group while his touch on the mousey blonde's shoulder now gently compelled Amos towards the door.
Ino, now on the table, sat with his pupils blown wide, mind hazy with lust.
Amos's anger flicked to confusion when he was touched. Which of the large ones was this? The greed. What was he doing? The greed hadn't bothered him before, and honestly, seemed content to mind his own business for the most part, which was an admirable quality. But why exactly was this one steering him to the door? Yeah he wanted to leave, and sure he'd initiated going, but he still had things he needed to do. Like get that damned painting. And those airy words. The greed certainly wanted something from him.
"I don't have anything valuable on me, if that's what you're looking for," he said in a low voice as he carried on towards the door after a moment's hesitation.
"What do you think I am, some sort of brute or pickpocket?" He clicked his tongue down at Amos, "No, no. I still need your help with that proposition, and if making sure you get out with as little fuss as possible gives that a better shot~." Myut reassured him in an equally quiet murmur. They were nearing the door now. "Unless you didn't actually want to leave just yet?" Removing his hand from his shoulder, the Greed angled a suggestively joking sort of half smile to the younger demon. Clearly Amos didn't want to have anything more to do with this lot, but hey.
As Amos came to a stop in front of the spot the opening to the outer world would usually appear, Meu placed a hand protectively on the side of the wall to the left of Amos, being sure to guard him closely in case anyone else was going to try to stop him. Their conversation should remain private in any case. "I can see if I can get that painting for you too; that's what you were after in the first place right? It'd be easier with less people."
The demon spoke to him in a soft, low voice. Ah, right. This one had asked about a personal matter before. As he stopped in front of the door, which certainly wouldn't let him through with the demon right there, he half turned to look at him, only to find the other leaning close, an arm half-caging him in-between the wall and the taller man. What in the Hell??
"Uh...er..." he said, his mouth going a bit dry. The painting. Yeah, the painting. he swallowed, nodding as he leaned back against the stone wall, away from the other. "W...what did you...er...what was it you needed from me?" he stammered, eyes darting to the arm that was rather close to his head. Of course, he could slide down the wall away from him, but that would put him back in the line of sight of those other nasty-mouthed creatures. At least this boy was nice.
Meu was almost as equally surprised to find Amos suddenly so close in proximity when he turned around to face him. Mew found himself abruptly gazing down into those piercing emerald greens, only half listening as he awkwardly cleared his own throat, swift to drop the arm so he wasn't cornering the poor boy like some sort of small prey item. He took a partial step back for good measure as well.
"The other guards don't know how to behave themselves." He started seriously, voice still low and quiet. "They took some things of mine without asking. That's a definite no-go for Greeds, you see. I want my stuff back." He pocketed his hands and eased his body language, careful not to let the anger boil through. "Badly." He clenched his fists in his pockets, pressing harsh crescents into his palms with his fingernails all while carefully trying to manage his facial features. "But as you can see, I'm in a bit of a pickle here and can't quite take care of that myself."
Thankfully, the other stepped back, though he continued to pin him down with that searching gaze. Amos frowned slightly. The other guards were stealing? "Um.." he said, straightening his shirt, now that he had a little space to himself. "If you provide a list of missing items I can launch an investigation and return your things to you." What a bad look it would be for the guards if it turned out one was stealing. Or more than one. "I'm sorry that happened," his previous frustration with the gluttony demon was all but gone, replaced by an earnest look.
"That. I can do. Vivian is also missing some items." He lifted a thumb to point back in the direction of the table to accentuate his point, "I'll take care of a list promptly, then. Let me know what you want in return." There was that suave smile once more, though it was genuine in its delight at the revelation that Amos would help him out. He hoped it showed as much.
The guard took it a step farther, and even apologized to Meu. Sincerely. That helped to instantly soothe the bitter sting that had stirred deep in his nature. Now, only the stinging in his hands remained. Amos' words caused Myut's looks to soften. Crossing his arms comfortably and non-threateningly, Meu took a few showy, though small, steps back to indicate he was placid and had no intention of trying to make a run for it when the door opened. He still remained protectively close to Amos in relation to the others still seated at the table, though. He hoped it would be far enough from the door for Amos to feel comfortable leaving.
"Let's talk about that later," Amos replied, relaxing more once the demon exited his direct surroundings. Granted, the greed's things probably weren't any safer in here with some of the other contenders milling about. And to boot, who knew which one was the true culprit. But he could do this small niceness.
He turned back to the wall to request to be let out, only for a hand to reach through what seemed to be solid stone and grab him by the front of his shirt, yanking him through with little ceremony.
Bez could hear bits and pieces about the murmured conversation between Myut and the guard. From what she was hearing, she assumed it had something to do with business. The threads were wrapping tighter around their little guard. Bez was sure he was already involved with their little group much more than he had anticipated. All the better.
Still, she was ready to move on as soon as the guard was literally yanked out of the room. His playtime may be over, but they still had a game to finish! "Hmmm, there he goes after all. Well, shall we finish? Got a good question to end the game, Val?"
"Actually, wait, no! Who all called liar? Ino, you get to pick some punishments! If I am recalling right, Meu even volunteered to join in getting punished. Such a masochist." Bez winked at Meu.
Eris sat quietly, engrossed in the new entertainment.
"Oh dear. Looks like we fell for a punishment... though I still think he lied, he did have motives beyond "loyalty, "... Alright then, what is our punishment, dear Ino?"
"You three will go to the baths and wrestle. One of you three must end up in the water~" He steepled his fingers, eyes bright. Hmm... "Someone should go to supervise too. Cyr? You're already dressed for it~"
A look of distaste filled Meu's features as Bez announced he'd get to join in the punishment. "I had meant if Amos ended up getting one with a unanimous verdict." He walked to the head of the table, crossing his arms and looking none too happy about what Ino decided they were going to do.
Ino's words made him frown a bit more. "Ah," he said as he stood as well. "Looks like you're getting a bath, Val."
Val blinked, then gave a pout. "Nooooo" he whined. "Wrestling without getting off is just a chore. And I took a bath already," he intoned, forgetting all the paint on him currently. "All that effoorrtt." He stood slowly then. He knew he wasn't going to get out of it after all. "Fiinneeee."
Vivian flipped her hair, a little annoyed. She looked to Myut.
Bez wondered what may be going through her mind. Deciding how to take him down? He was the biggest threat, after all! But, they could also just go after the Sloth for an easy victim. This was shaping up to be quite entertaining.
"I'll come along too, this'll be fun~" Ino announced, slipping off the table and skipping ahead.
Viv moved forward, carefully avoiding being first, and moved to be behind the sloth, looking at him analytically.
Bez popped up as well, a huge grin on her face. "I'm coming too! No way I'll miss out on the fun."
Meu sighed. He saw Vivian looking back at him, and he gave a slight nod of his chin. He followed slowly behind the rest, entering the steamy room with a disdained look.
Val sighed, "So what are the rules for this punishment?"
Vivian shifted lower, strength coiling up her muscles, setting her feet before she launched forward. In two steps, she was right behind him. They were around the same height, so she twisted down, driving her shoulder into his back--he was a demon, he could take the hit--and hopefully bearing him to the ground with her own weight.
Val gasped initially in surprise. His wings snapped open however to counterbalance. He managed to catch his foot and twisted around away from Viv and let her stumble forward without him. He grinned then.
Cyr quickly hurried past Ino and Bez, moving to stand near the pool slightly off to the side in case someone got hurt, his eyes fixed on the tussling pair like a hawk.
Viv caught onto Val, using him to catch her balance. Now she was the one closest to the water, which wasn't great. She brought her arms up and prioritized moving away from the water first, her smile wide.
Val glanced back at Meu when the other demon inched towards his back. He'd have to keep an eye on him. "Wary of Lil old me?" He poked, trying to get Viv to charge at him again.
"I mean, I didn't expect you to hold your own. Last time you were just a rag doll~" Viv taunted, but she did get closer.
"Mmm I suppose I should lead with, 'don't underestimate me,'" Val answered. Viv didn't lunge yet but Val started to try move to keep both demons in his line of sight.
Viv turned, angling so Val couldn't get a good lead on Myut. She came a little closer, a tempting target.
Meu, on the other hand was persistent in staying behind Val's back. "Come on, we don't have to make this so difficult, yeah?"
Val's gaze flicked back and forth, trying to keep an eye on both demons. Myut was getting dangerously close, as was Viv. He couldn't back into a corner since they circled with him and kept him in the center. Then, Val lunged.
Viv got her hands on Val's shoulders and gripped hard, keeping him in place. She let Val force her a step back to stretch him out.
Bez had rushed to the pools, not willing to miss even a moment of excitement. By the time she got there, outpaced by her fellow demons with much longer legs, Val already seemed to be in trouble. It seemed Viv and Meu had an understanding. With Meu flanking him and Viv's fighting prowess, Val wouldn't stand a chance unless he fought very smart. Regardless, Bez knew what side she was on.
"Go, Viv! Get 'im!" She laughed, clutching to the doorframe excitedly. Once Viv had a grip on him, Meu pounced swiftly to secure Val's feet by the ankles, large hands closing easily around them in an ironclad grip. When Viv gripped him, Val in turn grabbed a hold of Viv. Viv let go of Val and grabbed the sloth's wrists, squeezing hard to try to force his hands open. Val's grip slackened. Meanwhile, Myut pulled his arms in close to his body as he stood, attempting to lift Valramir from the ankles and throw off his balance even further. Viv pried up and away, forcing Val's hands together and gripping them tight.
"Ack!" Val cried out when he suddenly found his legs getting lifted. He tried to grab onto anything, not liking the feeling of suddenly not being on the ground. The swinging certainly didn't help.
"Ready?" She asked, starting a light swing. "1...2..."
Myut provided ample power to bring Viv's light swing to a full force throw, "3!" He finished, making sure to really launch Valramir so he'd go clear into the water. It'd be super awkward if Viv stumbled at all and the Sloth demon ended up smacking into the stone floor mere inches from the pool.
Viv released Val, then whooped as the sloth demon went flying. They were both strong enough, he should make it in fine.
Val tried to grab onto Viv but she slid from his grasp. His wings expanded out to try and catch himself but he was not a flyer they were thin and not used to the effort. He hit the water then, his right wing smacked the side of the pool and momentarily stunned the sloth as he sank. After a moment he made his way back up to the surface. He coughed from inhaling water and shook his head. "Ugh... you win," he mumbled.
Viv laughed a little and waved. "Sorry Val!"
Meu gave a little sigh of relief. He put a hand in one of his pockets, glancing over a now very soaked Val. "Take it up with Ino if you've got any objections. All good?"
"Hurts a bit," he admitted. He scrubbed at his face and hair to get most of the paint off now that he was in the water. When it was mostly out of his hair, he inched out of the water. The wing he smacked shook a little when he bent it but it was just strained, nothing broken. He let it droop a little. Val pouted a little and looked up at Cyr who was their "referee" "Kiss it better?" He teased.
Bez watched in delight as the match concluded, giddy as a child watching entertainers. The fight, two against one, was practically decided from the start. Not that Bez was surprised. Val had seemed a bit overconfident. By the time he was in the air, Bez was already in motion.
"Cyr! Get 'im! Get Meu!" She, on the other hand, had her eye on a particularly lovely Pride demon. Bez jumped, intent on latching onto Viv's slim, athletic form as she called out, "Viv, catch me!" With Viv's proximity to the pool, and Bez having both momentum and surprise on her side, Bez had high hopes they would end up making their own splash!
Viv shrieked as she was launched forward, spinning to try and catch her balance. She failed, going over the edge. What started as a shove became an embrace as she dragged Bez down with her, not letting her get away.
Bez felt the Pride's arms wrap snugly around her. Then they were in the water.
Viv surfaced, sputtering and laughing. "Bez! I'm in a gown!" She then planted a kiss on her.
Now it was Bez's turn to not let Viv get away as she deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck.
There was quick, calculating look from Cyr, then he surged forward, quick on his feet despite his size, aiming his arms low around the other's waist so he could bowl Meu over into the water.
There was no way Cyr would have been able to stop Cyr anyway, who was bigger and, like Bez with Viv, had the advantage of forward motion against a stationary and largely unawares object. His body turned just enough in reaction to be caught somewhat sideways, Cyr's arms wrapping around his waist and the two of their large bodies being flung into the pool.
Cyr twisted a bit so he'd fall first and Meu's head wouldn't get dunked. Okay, yeah, this was a little bit fun. He surfaced, shaking his wet hair, and gave the white haired demon an apologetic grin. "I have trouble saying no~" he said as he released him.
Meu had been expecting to get a face full of water as Cyr took the both of them towards the depths, but Cyr had somehow managed to alter their positioning so that he broke surface first. What little grip he had around Mew’s waist lightened markedly, and Myut was able to get his feet under him and avoid getting his head wet. That was a huge relief, as he had been a bit concerned about gulping water and inhaling it through his nose, not having had enough time to properly prepare himself. How considerate of Cyr, he smirked.
The Lust resurfaced, letting go fully of the shorter Greed with an apologetic smile and a cheeky comment. “Oh? Good to know.” That playful smirk reappeared, and Myut chuckled despite himself. The lower end of his white tie floated between them, and Myut lifted two heavy, sopping-wet sleeved arms to comically whip his hands back and forth a little as though he were drying himself of a few stray drops of water. He grinned stupidly as he did so, making it clear he was making a joke of it.
“At least everyone else has to suffer being fully-clothed too,” He made a cheeky show of glancing down at Cyr’s bare chest before sliding his gaze back up to the other’s face, “Mostly~” He smirked, noting Ino’s poor shirt wrapped around the back of Cyr’s neck.
That single look was more than enough to make Cyr sink back into the water, a pleased flush crossing his face. He backed up a little ways, only his eyes above the water, watching as Myut created waves, making a beeline for the girls.
Ino was laughing, his eyes bright as he watched the chaos. Now everyone was going into the water. After a moment of thought, he strolled over, offering a hand to Eris. "Shall we?~" He asked.
Eris had been cheering on the fight, a wild grin on her face. Her expression suddenly grew a bit shy, however, when Ino approached. But then again, he had been her partner in crime earlier, and seemed fairly trustworthy. "Yeah," she replied, grabbing his hand, tugging him along towards the water.
Ino followed, laughing, and jumped into the water, right between the two other couples, curling up for a nice big splash.
Val's wings drooped a little more. Cyr didn't even bat an eye and launched passed him to meu, and everyone else grabbed a counter part. Now he was the only one out of the water. He pulled off his wet icky shirt and sat back to watch the others, not willing to go back into the bath just yet.
Meanwhile, Eris, who had made as big a splash as was possible with her little body, paddled over to where Val was sitting by the side of the pool. "Come back in!" she said holding up her arms for him. Her fire didn't quite work underwater, but she could heat up her direct surroundings, turning the water to a pleasantly warm temperature.
Val perked up when Eris came to him. He smiled. "Alright. Since you asked," he mused and slid in again. "For prison this is much like a vacation."
"I'm not complaining," Eris replied, wrapping her arms around Val's neck and kicking with her legs to stay afloat as she watched the others gambol about in the water. "We'll just have to get out when it stops being fun," she said in a low voice in his ear.
“BEZABELLE,” Mew suddenly roared with a laugh, turning and bouncing on a foot to launch himself toward the two femme demons busily wrapped up in each other’s arms. “Don’t think Viv can save you now!”
Viv, ever the hero, dropped Bez in the water so she could get in Myut's way, arms up, ready to get his head wet if he tried to go after Bezzie. Her eyes were sparkling brightly, fighting had put her in a good mood for now. "Wanna reconsider?" she taunted.
Bezzie's eyes narrowed. She moved around to Viv's side, hands on her hips, though underwater. "Save me? I don't need Viv to save me. I could take you on my own." She put her fists up dramatically, biting her lip in mock concentration. "But..." She put a hand on Viv's shoulder, "with us together, you don't have a chance!"
With the two of them so neatly packaged together, he grinned, spreading his arms wide before tackling the both of them into the water.
Viv shrieked again, unable to hold against the much larger man in heels in the water. She swam back, sputtering again, unable to contain her laughter as she immediately splashed Myut in revenge.
Bez squealed, unable to flee in time as Myut dunked them. She popped back up with a dramatic breath, filling her lungs enough to bellow, "Meu, you fucker!" She joined Viv in splashing, aiming for his head to make sure the Greed was drenched as possible. And if others got caught up in her watery assault, even better!
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," He spoke dismissively at Bez's comeback and their splashing, "You asked for this." He grinned brightly, narrowing his sights on Bezabelle once more so that he might grab her and fall backwards into the water with her.
Once again, Bez was pulled down, putting an end to her splashing. This time she was better prepared. She'd get back at Meu, on way or another! As she dipped back under, Bez wriggled free of Meu's arm. Then she braced her feet and waited. As soon as Myut's head breeched the surface, Bez popped up too. She spat a stream of water at him, then ducked back down and swam toward Val and Eris.
Time to move this game along!
"Eugh, Bez." He responded, grossed out. The greed shook the water from his hair. He let her swim away and instead started making his way to the edge of the pool.
Bez popped up, aiming to splash the pair as much as possible. "Gotcha!" She stuck her tongue out. "Well, since everyone is here, Val, you got the last question?"
Val managed to close his eyes before the watery onslaught came at him and ran a hand through his hair to smooth the wet strands back. "Ah. I totally forgot. My question was for Amos, but he's gone now. Shame. Hmmmmmm what should I ask, and who?" He mused and tapped his lips as he looked around at the demons. "Meuuuuuu," he called, "what is your goal with Amos? You seemed quite chummy with him."
Val stopped Meu with his question and he turned to face the Sloth. "Those other guards stole my shit, so I need someone not-in-this-room to get them back before I never see them again. Who knows where they'll be in six days' time. They took some of Viv's stuff as well." He nodded toward the tall lady to corroborate his story.
"Can confirm." Viv nodded, making her way through the pool, her skirts swirling in the water. "Truth for sure. If I don't get those back, my da might actually get angry."
"True," Cyr agreed.
"Wait, they stole stuff?" Eris asked, using Val to crawl out of the pool, shaking herself off before darting away.
"Truth," Ino said from where he'd floated.
Bez swam around Val's back as Val asked his question, then set her hands on his shoulder and her chin on her hands. She peered at Myut from behind Val. "Hmmmm." Bez listened as one by one, everyone said 'truth.' Eris started hurrying off, likely to check on her own precious hoard. And Myut was probably telling the truth, but... was it the whole truth? Probably. But that wasn't a fun end to this game!
"I say lie! I doubt that's all you want with our handsome little Mouse. Like Val said, you were getting quite cozy back there. Trying to sweeten him up, hmm?"
"Bez, you'd know best out of anyone here that the way I do my business is catered to the situation. What else would I do with him?"
"Mmmm looked to me like you wanted to kiss him at the very least, " Val mused and arched an eyebrow at his friend.
"There was a definite... tension in the air. And the way you drew him aside, Meu! Even my heart was fluttering. What must Amos think about what you really want from him? Can you honestly say you would just stop at getting your stolen trinkets back if you could get a bit More from our cute guard?"
Ino snickered a bit, eyes flicking over to Cyr.
Cyr had waded over to the edge of the pool and hefted his dripping self up to sit on the ledge, watching the exchange. He could feel Ino's eyes on him. "We can catch him and tie him up for you next time if you want, you know," he said with a lazy smile. "Though I think the little thing might prefer Bez."
Bez laughed, picturing Amos's startled look when she had kissed him.
Meu let out an exasperated sigh, letting his head dip back against the water. "Come on. Look, this is exactly why I'm being so nice. You're all menaces - the last thing I need is a hog-tied guard who wants nothing to do with me; he's so skittish I barely got to ask what I needed to even with all the pomp and circumstance. How else are we supposed to interact with the outside world if not through him? Bez, you already know how I feel about that sort of stuff anyway."
"Right now, it isn't what I think that matters. I already called you a liar anyway," Bez giggled and stuck her tongue out. "The real question is whether anyone else will back me up and call you a liar too! So, any takers?" Bez asked, looking around expectantly. She was met with silence and negative responses.
"Ah, it appears like you're the odd one out this time, Bezzy dear," Val mused. "Let's see.... since you know everyone best, your punishment is to impersonate someone in the room until someone gets it right. Not their sin, but them personally. Like mannerisms and things they'd say."
Disappointment flashed over her features. It was betrayal! Pure and simple! Kind of. Not really. She was just being a "menace," and her gamble didn't pay out. Val's punishment, however, made her eyes light up. That could be quite fun, and it definitely played to her strengths. Plus, it was a golden opportunity to either stir up some drama or some embarrassment, if she played it right. Val was right, she did know each and every one of them Quite well.
She thought a moment, then had a devious idea, one that should suit her purposes quite nicely. Now, she just needed a volunteer.
She waded over to the edge, kneeling on the ledge so she was higher out of the water. "Hey, Cyr? Mind coming over here to help me? I need a prop."
Cyr heaved a sigh. "Don't involve me in this," he protested, even as he slid back down into the water and waded over to her. "What do I need to do?"
"Just stand there," she patted the water. Then, taking him by the shoulders, adjusted his position just slightly. "No, actually, about there. Perfect!"
Bezzabelle cleared her throat emphatically, making sure she had everyone's full attention before she started. She held her posture just so as she angled toward Cyr, who stood barely a handspan away. Bez knew she could perfectly immitate her target's voice if she wanted, but for this, she decided she would get a better effect if she approximated. She pitched her voice lower, but the slow, gentle cadence and the pleasant tones would be dead on. Even the precise pronunciation and the way the demon in question moved as they spoke would be accurate to the highest degree. However, Bez took the liberty of being dramatic as possible as she cupped water in her hands, holding it up toward Cyr and looking disturbed as she said, "Mmmm... My tea is cold. A shame too. It's a rare blend with roots from the Ivory coast and leaves from a Himalayan village that has since disappeared to time. What a waste. Unless.... You can save it Cyr, if you will consent to... kiss me." She leaned forward, eyes fluttering closed, as she went in for a kiss.
Cyr promptly went bright red at the first words. "Shameless," he scolded as she leaned forward, an embarrassed pout on his face as he fended her off with a splash, backing off just out of her reach.
By the end of it she had Meu just as flushed as Cyrus. "Oh, how cute." He deadpanned, giving a slow, fake clap. "What a performance. So glad I got to witness that." Face utterly bereft of any mirth, though admittedly still quite pink, Meu turned and hefted himself out of the pool. "At least this means we're done now." He spoke, facing the far wall toward the door. As he began making his way toward the exit of this situation, he cupped his hand in order to run it against his sopping wet clothes in attempt to wring them out somewhat.
Val chuckled as he watched the scene. "Oh, such a sore spot for you. Mew mew," he teased.
Viv frowned. She tried not to glare at a lust, but a little of that slipped through anyway. She climbed out of the water and started to wring water out of her skirt.
Ino let out a soft laugh at the impersonation, then turned to the target. "Do you really collect rare teas?" He asked curiously.
Meu heaved a hefty sigh as he heard Val's comment, coming to a stop. He waved his hand as though dismissing his prior huffy attitude, turning back to face the group. "Nah, not gonna lie, she had me in the first half. But what was that ending, Bezabelle?" He puffed out a cheek and blew air to help relieve any lingering tension or resentment.
It was then that Ino spoke up, with a laugh. "Yeah," Meu shrugged, "it's one of my personal interests."
Cyr retreated further from Bez, still wary and pulled ino's wet shirt from around his neck. He didn't warn the envy demon before tossing it in his direction, though.
"Well," Cyr said as he hauled himself out of the water again for the third time that day. He paused a moment to shake the hanging droplets out of his hair before pulling off his sodden pants so he could wring them out, "If we're done here, I am going to go sit by the fireplace and dry."
Val was amused by the events of the game all in all. He arched an eyebrow when Cyr then decided to strip. He too pulled himself out of the water and shook off, extending his wings a moment. "Mind if I join you, Cyr? I promise to behave. Mostly." He said with a fanged grin. "Cuddle party."
Ino was smack in the head by his wet shirt, unexpected enough that he wobbled, flailing on the spot to catch his balance. He whipped back to look at Cyr. "Fuck you, this is mine now!" He shouted, pulling the oversized top closer around his body. He absolutely did not let his gaze linger. He ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed. "I have a few tea ingredients with me too. Do you only collect for rarity? Or taste and effect?"
Myut was just about to slip out the door when he heard Cyr's voice pipe up. He turned to give the man his attention, and found himself quickly startled to see Cyr stripping his trousers off. Mew swiftly averted his gaze. The discomfort and distaste at the prospect only darkened when Val excitedly invited himself over to the Lust. He caught the tail end of Ino's next question. He didn't like that he felt he should awkwardly linger for Ino's sake or to be polite. "Flavor." He responded flatly, pushing the door open with a shoulder and exiting.
Ino wilted, just a little, before pulling himself together. He stalked out the room.
Cyr scanned the room for a moment before looking back at Val. "Alright," he said putting his pants over his shoulder before going to raid the shelf for towels. He put one on the top of Val's head before wrapping another around his waist. Then he sauntered out.
Val grinned and pulled off his own wet clothes and left them on the floor before accepting the towel Cyr gave him. "Thanks." He wrapped the towel around his waist and followed after the lust demon.
Bez watched as each of the dramatic reactions unfolded. Cyr was right, she was shamelessly enjoying herself. She tried not to look amused and utterly pleased with herself. She tried. Though she was able to keep her face fairly passive, glee still shone in her eyes. Meu was pissed, that was certain. It had been a while since she had made the Greed this grumpy! And both were cherry red. Yes, she had picked her targets well. Hopefully it would serve one of her long term goals as well.
Cyr backed off, looking wary, then turned to get out. Val and Cyr were going off together, surprisingly. Bez was bemused but pleased that Cyr had gone for the suggestion! Meanwhile, both Meu and then Ino stalked off alone, looking stormy. Bez made her way toward Viv at the edge of the pool. Cyr's mentioning the fireplace, and subsequent stripping out of his clothing, had given her another idea.
When she reached Viv, Bez pulled herself onto the underwater ledge and stood so she and Viv were face to face.
"You know, I had a thought, and I wanted to know what you thought of it." Bez leaned forward, one hand on either side of Viv's hips, as Bez whispered in Viv's ear, "Why don't we follow Val and Cyr's example? Let our clothes dry by the fire, and go snuggle up in my room?"
Viv turned bright red at Bezabelle's closeness, quickly distracted as she wrapped her arms around her warm wet girlfriend.
"I...uh...I..." she stammered, entirely flustered.
Unable to resist, Bez snuck a kiss. Not a long one thus time, just a quick peck, then she moved to Viv's side and pulled herself out of the pool. She went to the towels, stripping with no concerns about who was still in the room and pulling the towel around her. After grabbing another for her hair, she grabbed a couple towels for Viv, padding back to her with a casual grin as she held out the towels.
Viv was even redder than before, somehow. She checked that they were alone before pulling off the sopping wet gown, quickly wrapping herself in the towel. Underthings could wait until she had replacements. She then took a towel for her hair and wrung out the dress before making a beeline for her room, knowing Bez would follow. She had to change into something dry before the mischievous girl followed her into her bathroom...
Bez indeed followed, stopping by the fireplace to deposit Cyr's wet shirt. She paused to wink at Cyr and Val, then disappeared into Viv's room.
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Cutie Creator
Greedy Buttons
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Day 1
Oct 23, 2022 23:06:30 GMT
Post by Skwidge on Oct 23, 2022 23:06:30 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【”See? Who’d want to be sociable when you’re left to deal with people like these?”】 ▋▋ 【This damnable table.】 ▋▋ 【97A33C】
Meu had been hopeful upon the arrival of Vivian, bending over to whisper something in Valramir’s ear; perhaps she could distract him enough that the Greed could detach himself. He could not hear what they were speaking about until Valramir responded. Move?? Yes, please move, he thought to himself, suddenly looking upon Vivian as though she were some savior come to deliver him. He did his best not to stare directly at the two of them, lest his hopefulness come across too blatantly, but he did watch them out of the corner of his eye.
The two exchanged some more words that he couldn’t catch until Valramir whined out an answer about it being ‘too big of a deal’. The little Sloth slid down into his chair, taking Myut’s hand with him on the journey. Mew was extremely unimpressed. It was at this point that he attempted to release Val from his grip, only to find that the other was holding on just as defiantly. Myut was this close to fully attempting to crush the other’s hand, but he chastised himself. It wouldn’t do to make such attempts at the dinner table, no matter how much he disliked the little Sloth’s antics. Viv was still trying to work her magic as well, after all, so he could be patient for a little longer he supposed.
It seemed that bit of patience would be rewarded, as Vivian hooked her hands under the sloth’s armpits and made an attempt to slide him across to the empty chair.
Unfortunately, the Sloth’s little ironclad grip became even more annoying as he attempted to use the Greed demon as an opposing anchor. Meu tried to shake the boy’s fingers off but found him to cling like some foul grippy glue. A soft frown placed itself upon Myut’s lips; he was quickly growing tired of this. If only he had some sort of lighter – then he could attempt to burn off the creature like the little leech he was.
Myut would not be helping him in the slightest to prevent this eviction. So much so, that if Valramir still tried to cling to him as his island, Myut would simply get up and use that same grip to pull him vertically by the arm over to the empty chair. He was done playing nice now, damn the consequences of gathering the attention of the others.
Between the two of Greed and Pride, Meu indeed rising from his seat, Val’s fingers finally slid free of his hand as Vivian grabbed him under the armpits and tugged, throwing him with enough velocity that his ass slid right across the seat of the empty chair and straight onto the floor. Meu’s lips turned down in a relieved frown, though the end result had almost elicited a chuckle from him; served Val right. He didn’t even seem particularly bothered by the whole thing, just giving another pout at the fact that things didn’t go his way. What a menace. At least now, two seats away, he would behave himself. Or so Myut hoped.
”Thank you,” he tilted his head to murmur quietly to his goddess, who pertly bumped the Sloth’s plate over to the demon with her own, beginning to eat with perfect etiquette. Meu was really starting to like her more and more. She was becoming an invaluable ally. He’d be sure to pay attention to do her some favors should the opportunity come knocking.
No sooner, it seemed though, had Myut finally managed to free himself from the clutches of one nefarious being than for another to suddenly appear ready to pounce. Why him? The Envy had slid so smoothly into his lap that Meu almost couldn’t believe it. It had startled him for sure - he had absolutely no idea how to react to this. Why did Ino think- How friendly had he- Ino’s weight was-. Mew barely managed to save face by not spluttering, but he had gone rigid in reaction to the smaller demon occupying his space like this. It was like an unwanted cat in your lap. The Envy felt far too fragile to really… just pick up and manhandle like he had with Val. Like a treasure to revere and respect - quite the difference to the trash raccoon Val felt like. Besides, he didn’t have anything against the dainty purple and didn’t want to ruin face - his or Ino’s. ”Myut… there aren’t anymore chairs….” More pouty lips. Gods this nightmare was going to be the end of him yet. But Ino had said that he’d behave himself….
This is probably what Myut deserved for being too friendly and sweeping the boy earlier. Maybe he could just pretend like Ino wasn’t there. Yeah. Hopefully that would work. ”I am not feeding you,” he relinquished with a perplexed face, easing his tensed muscles, though he was still a bit on edge. He glanced over to Bez with a look of discomfort and mystery. Why was he at the center of these sorts of things? Maybe she would have an answer. Maybe if he looked enough like a pitiful puppy she might help him out to boot.
Alas, she did not pay him any mind, and Ino responded appreciatively, carefully adjusting himself on Meu’s thighs before stilling. Mew seemed to ease slightly after that. But, well…. Well, it was impossible to ignore Ino as Myut had previousy hoped to. His weight was just far too heavy, both on his lap and on his mind. At least the Envy was keeping his word and behaving himself. The praises and flattery and gratitude had not landed on deaf ears, however, as Myut graciously accepted them with a charming nod to acknowledge Ino's sincerity. He would not, however, adjust in any way due to the presence of the little demon in his lap. He would not be sitting on eggshells concerned over the comfort of the other being. If the little lilac didn't like the ride, he could get off.
This did make things complicated for dealing business with Amos, though. …Honestly that hope was flung far out the window thanks to all the commotion going around the dinner table. Meu would be lucky to get the guard to himself; he was so sure that Amos would find an excuse to just up and leave at the first possible moment, and Myut didn't think that the guard would be too eager to return to their humble little abode any time soon. It was a bit cumbersome to speak over Ino's head, so he figured he should just let it lie and hope for the chance to catch him again soon. Hopefully he had presented up a tantalizing enough offer to reel him in again later. Myut was sure he had, should Amos have the wit to pick up on the possibilities for favors to be exchanged. The Greed wanted his stuff back. Badly.
With a rather deep exhale of a sigh, carefully silent to be in breath only and not in vocality, Mew let his gaze fall across the table again for the first time in a while. He hadn't paid it much mind at first, but Ino had mentioned all the seats were taken, so that meant everyone was accounted for and present. He took a headcount to surmise the state of the other demons.
Mew's gaze seemed to falter when it came to Cyr, and for a moment he found himself hesitating to move on from the Lust demon. The large man looked so terribly disheveled, hair a mess – clearly just roused from slumber. What was that impression Mew had felt just now? Endearment? It was then that the little demon in his lap piped up and the spell was broken.
”This fish is so flaky and soft, Myut, would you like to try some?”Meu found an offering leveled at his lips, and, well, despite any personal discomforts, his nature was eager to accept anything freely offered. Thus, before he could even think much of it, the Greed already found his lips enclosing around the cutlery to accept.
A small hum of appreciation vibrated through his body as he gave a roguish grin. ”You're right - exceptionally good. It's lucky I've got my own plate filled, otherwise I'd be tempted to devour everything you've got," he responded, suddenly unable to resist leaving some suggestibly tricky words in a tease to the smaller demon in his lap. He was eager to see in which direction he would untangle them.
Ino's lips curled up into a matching smile, and he responded through a blink of feathery lashes. ”You can have it, Myut… After all, I did offer~” Meu found another forkful at his lips. Well, he hadn’t exactly expected that reaction. The Greed foresaw a verbal response and then intended to leave things at that. Meu, once again due solely to his sin’s nature, accepted, though he was more interested in returning to his own food all things considered. The fish was delicious though, so if Ino insisted on giving him little tidbits here and there, he wouldn’t complain he supposed. Respite from this occasional attention lasted only so long as Ino paused to take a drink for himself. He was back to proffering shortly thereafter, though. One such instance of cutlery occurred again after Ino repositioned himself a bit, fingers grazing over the small hairs on the back of his neck. Myut did his best to ignore the touch, though naturally it caused a shiver to go down his spine.
However, the sudden clattering sound of a fork hitting the floor startled Myut from any further offerings. It had come from Cyr’s side of the table, and the tallest among them disappeared under the table after it. With a pang of worry, Mew had almost jumped up to help with the fork, despite being at literally the opposite side of the table. Damn, what was wrong with him. He ‘tsked’ quietly at himself, quickly occupying his eyes elsewhere. Luckily, Bez spoke up then.
A game of truths? This should be especially intriguing. After all, they were all demons here, right? So surely they’d not all be bold-faced liars, correct? Myut could not help the little smirk that pressed against his lips at the irony. But that was what made the idea of this game so interesting – parsing through the information for half-truths or tackling any little shred that someone would offer up would ultimately prove useful for the larger, far more dangerous game they were playing outside of this one. Besides, they lived too long not to have a little fun, to not live a little dangerously.
”Let the game begin!” Bez announced giddily, turning to Amos to start things off with a bang. She asked Amos what it was that signaled this crime to be an assassination attempt. And just as Mew had been suspecting, this was indeed a unique chance to dig up whatever they could from someone who would be otherwise tight-lipped. He was impressed with Bez’s ingenuity.
Unfortunately, Amos still proved to be locked at the lips. He didn’t even answer the question, instead explaining that he hadn’t been in a position to know what was happening early-on in the investigation. That was truly disappointing. If Amos wanted them to start piecing things together and building up a suspect list, they were going to need to get as much information about the supposed crime as they could get their hands on. Their little bailiff wasn’t particularly aiding in the idea of encouraging them to start turning their wheels. Nevertheless, Meu had no intention of getting on the guard’s bad side, so even though he believed that there was no way Amos could actually be in the dark about this, he smiled congenially. ”I suppose it ultimately doesn’t matter, right?” he answered after Val and Ino’s similar verdicts of ‘truth’, though his not quite worded as outrightly as theirs.
The rest of the gathered demons followed like dominoes, each agreeing that they didn’t think anything much of what Amos had said. More disappointments. Now it wasn’t just Amos who wouldn’t play along, but the rest of them were completely stepping over this golden opportunity as well. Meu had carefully crafted his position with the guard to where they already had an at-least-neutral relationship, so it made sense for the Greed demon to tread carefully, but the others had already teased or given their guard a hard time. Why were they changing their tunes now? It was certainly mildly frustrating, to say the least.
Luckily, Eris breathed life back into the situation by suddenly slamming a fist on the tabletop and roaring loudly at the others, ”He’s obviously lying!!” At least he could count on the short-fused Wrath to be just that – explosive. Meu kept his face stoically clear, nary giving even a molecule to betray his approval. Bez instead did that for him, grinning as she got the chance to grill Amos further.
The guard was a little more forthcoming this time around now that he had to defend himself. So there had originally been someone else sneaking about, caught, and even went so far as to end his own life because of it. Amos didn’t give them any tidbits in the explanation that would tilt an inkling towards assassination, though. But since the supposed ‘assassin’ hadn’t seemed to be working alone, the rest of them had been roped into this as well. Myut wondered for a moment what Sin the little criminal was adhered to, as it may shine some light into personality and or motive. That would be a question he’d need to remember to ask eventually.
Bez redirected their focus on what to do next, and that was whether or not any of them wanted to amend their original ruling. Even though, as Valramir had so succinctly put it, Amos was omitting information, no one changed their adjudication. So little Eris was left alone to face a punishment.
”You and Ino must switch seats for the rest of this round.”
It took Myut less than a fraction of a second to realize that this involved him as well. Woah, woah, woah. Why was he being punished as well? A careful look of disdain mixed with sour, comical betrayal flitted upon his features as his head shot over to Bez upon her announcement. He almost wanted to grab Ino's arms and root him to the spot, but, alas, he allowed the little envy to slide off his lap without a word.
The look Eris was giving him had him shrinking back into his chair. She threatened him with a warning not to do anything weird. "Worry not,” he muttered down at her in response, staying as stock-still as absolutely possible. His appearance and posture hinted him to be just as doleful and gloomy as she, breaking down a bit of his otherwise gentlemanly mien.
Ino meanwhile took his new place next to Bezabelle, clearly none of the three pleased with this development. To add insult to injury, Bez announced that it would be between he and Eris on who next would face the chopping block. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one’s perspective, the little Wrath girl decided that she would ask him something. That meant he didn’t need to come up with anything on the fly, thankfully.
”Um, what’s the most valuable thing you have with you now?”
”Ooh,” he gave a slight nod of approval at the question, musing aloud, though he dare not grin despite the delight of getting to show off his nature. Normally he would have perhaps laced his fingers together with a thoughtful hum or brought his hand up to his chin in thought, but his fingers were currently too preoccupied with death-gripping the seat of the chair so that no ‘mistakes’ would be made.
”With me, that would be the little vial of ink I've kept-” well, best not tell them where. He redirected his statement a bit here to cover the break in his sentence, "For a little while now. It's got a rather high latency for spellbinding in absorption and the potential for transmutation into healing and/or regeneration. Quite the story of my acquiring of it, and certainly worth no measly sum in any currency. I thought to bring it for barter since quite the many would want their hands on something like this for protection, whether that be their person or their territory. Comes with plenty steep cost though, as all such manner of things do.” At this revelation he did give a bit of a wry, knowing grin. "Very tiny amount of it, though,” he downplayed, ensuring a bit of safety over such a thing as though it wouldn't really be worth any of their time.
”Truth.” Came the unanimous verdict, much to Mew’s relief. He ignored Bez’s quip about that being boring, but there was obviously no way that he was going to risk getting any sort of punishment from these people. Not if he could help it. So, on they went to Vivian and Valramir. The she-demon was the one to ask the question, and she posed a pretty intriguing one, ”What's one secret you'd never want anyone outside this room to know?”Val could go several ways with this, but, much to Myut’s disappointment, he dodged it completely by replying that he was an open book. No secrets? Well that just couldn't be right. Especially if he was picking around so sneakily at night. Viv snapped immediately at this, calling him out on his noncommittal ‘answer’. Bezabelle also piped up similarly with her own display of disappointment. Valramir would have had a better chance lying here regardless of whether or not he truly held no secrets. Myut couldn't blame Viv for the automatic response even though she was the questioner. ”Yeah, I don't believe you either,” Meu grinned benignly. The remaining demons, sans Amos, followed suit in their judgements, to which Val responded without much concern at all to the fact that he’d have to face something of Vivian’s choice now. In stark contrast to her clever question, the punishment that she doled out on their sleepy sin was quite the opposite. ”Let Eris put whichever colors she likes in your hair.”While nothing particularly spectacular, it did get Eris off him for a while, which he was deeply grateful for. He grinned at the resultant mimicry of hair color on Eris’ behalf, eyes sliding over to Ino to see his reaction. Classic of an Envy, he regarded them with some jealousy, teasing the others in a continuation of the good-natured atmosphere that had been going on. It was boring. They could be asking risky questions. ”Eris, once you're done, you'll need to return to your punishment," Bez reminded the whole table, winking at Meu playfully while she did so. At the aide-memoire that Eris must return to his lap, an instantly frowny pout scrunched Myut’s face up as he crossed his arms. Damn Bez’s sharp memory. Eris at least had the good sense to take care of her wet paint beforehand – had she gotten his clothes stained, that would have had them genuinely butting heads. He would not have been so meek and avoidant of the wrath demon any longer had that misstep occurred. Eris perched upon a far knee like some tattered sparrow, and Meu resigned himself once more to his fate, his brief respite now unfortunately having come to an end. Bez, their ever vigilant and oh so helpful game master then announced it to be Cyr's turn, and, honestly, Mew couldn't have been more eager to hear what the demon would have to say. Definitely not because of the rich baritone with which he'd undoubtedly speak. ”So… what’s the deal with that poison, Ino?” His voice was innocent but his intent was anything but. Damn! Mew had not expected that question, let alone from Cyr of all people. The Greed almost whistled in delight and schadenfreude. My my, he was impressed with Cyr. It was of Meu's particularly greatest interest to know more of Ino and his poison since that seemed the most dastardly and likely path to a culprit for this attempted murder. Myut would definitely keep in mind that it was the Lust who had given him such an opportunity. All eyes were on Ino as they waited for his response. He revealed the name, nature, and applications for the poison, one which Meu was generally familiar with. Meu supposed it made sense to bring said poison to the biggest event known especially for its debauchery. Still, Ino was an Envy, not a Glutton. But there was yet no motive Myut could think applicable to the Prince. He would need more information if he wanted to iron out that particular wrinkle. But Ino seemed to be handling himself well under the spotlight, and even offered a little test drive should Amos humor him with some wine. Fat chance. There was a reason the guard hadn't brought any alcohol, so to suggest he bring them some for the sole reason of getting an even more severe high.... The guard did not answer such right away, though, which surprised Meu. Instead, he swallowed some food wrong and started choking - it was enough to elicit a feeling of pity and protectiveness in Mew over how naive the guard's response had been. With a concerned look thrown over Amos' way, Meu tensed his muscles, ready to come to the rescue if need be. Their guard got it under control, though. “Why do you have so much? No one’s overdosing on stimulants in this place.”No one overdosing? Well, overdosing was the correct word. Using, certainly, but no one foolish enough to accidently overdose. Yes, that was true; but why was he asking about the vague ‘other’ or overdose, when it was a moot point regardless? Asking this had nothing to particularly link back to the ruler of Hell. If anything, Amos’ basic statement of overdosing helped Ino's case – it insinuated that other demons were using it and that it was not intended solely for the Prince. Perhaps Amos should have rather mentioned specifically if it was being used by others at the party. That would have at least given Meu more information to decide if Ino was the one he should narrow his focus down to. Just as Meu had been parsing together, Ino explained that he had so much on him in order to share with more demons and to keep the party going longer. That made enough sense. It was then that the little purple-streaked demon turned to Cyr to validate the scenario he had provided. However, Cyr informed them that he didn’t actually like getting drunk. That was an interesting tidbit; one he hadn’t exactly been expecting, but one that seemed very valid to Mew, since feelings were dulled behind drunkenness. Meu hated being drunk as well, so his opinion of Cyr only raised further. Bez's excited voice returned, accusing Ino of having not shared. Was it weird that Ino had not had any set aside for Bez, who knew everyone very well and was known for indulgence? Perhaps. But Bezabelle chirped for alcohol to be brought right away, and it was then that their guard made it clear that was a no go. Any terseness in the air dissolved with the laughs and banter provided over the current verdicts. Most were calling Ino a liar. Meu shrugged as though nonplussed about the whole ordeal. ”It sounds reasonable enough, though." Was that what the Greed truly thought? Well, it certainly wouldn't do to put the Envy on alert towards him. Eris took the attention for a moment, declaring that she believed Ino to be speaking candidly. ”I also think he's telling the truth," he nodded after Eris in agreement. Ino expressed his distaste for Bez and Val’s slight betrayal, to which Val responded that he was actually more interested in Ino receiving a punishment than whether or not he had a preference about the poison. To this point on punishment, Myut gave a small, involuntary grin. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t also terribly intrigued about more penalizations, but playing that way would not work out best for his end goals. Establishing important connections over receiving a momentary instance of glee and pleasure was far more prudent for the severity of their condition outside of this little game they were playing. After all, a much larger game was at stake, and Myut ran marathons, even if a little chaotic euphoria was delightfully tempting. Ino then turned to he and Eris, giving a small bow of his head in thanks to which Myut acknowledged nonverbally with his eyes. It would be time for Cyr to announce his punishment now for Vivian, Bezabelle, and Valramir, and Mew switched his gaze to intently watch the larger demon. ”Why don't you... kiss the person to your left?"Being at the end of the table, Meu obviously knew he was safe from any harassment, but he could not help but still glance quickly over to the others to confirm what fates awaited them. Viv was quick and instantaneous to execute, giving a little cheek peck to fulfill her requirement, even though she was clearly uncomfortable. Meu couldn’t blame her – Val was a menace. And speaking of menaces…. Val didn’t seem to react to Viv’s kiss at all, too busy instead focusing on Cyr with that dangerous little grin of his. Ah, that was right. Cyr was to the left of the Sloth. Had that been what he wanted when he suggested the punishment? He was a lust demon, after all. But there was also Bez and Amos, and everyone seemed hellbent on tormenting their poor custodian here. Thinking of this reasoning instead of the other possibility, for whatever reason, was far more palatable to the vague prickly feeling that had somehow, sometime, resurfaced. Wherever or whatever it was coming from, it was annoying. To willingly encourage that sort of behavior from Val, though, was just asking for trouble. Meu’s fingers rapped along the wood of his chair as Val pounced, not able to take his eyes off the two. Though Cyr looked dazed by the end of it, he had physically responded in turn to embrace the boy in some way. A wet purple adorned his forehead now, and Meu was lost somewhere between feeling amused, bemused, and that uncomfortable emotion from before. Especially with Val’s next comment. ”I would love to see where more of that goes, should you be game."That made Meu lose his appetite. He wasn’t smiling anymore. Interest completely shattered, the Greed moved on to see what Bez was doing with their poor guard. Their poor, poor guard. He would have offered his other knee for Amos to retreat to, but, besides the fact that he’d never take him up on it, it would have been little shelter in the face of the others’ doggedness. The blonde tried to get away with what Viv had pulled, but that stunt wouldn’t work twice. Especially not with Bez. Poor naïve lad. Myut carefully kept his face neutral so as not to upset the guard, but he wanted to grin at Bez’s antics. Especially when the guard finally pulled back a few moments long later with an absolutely cherry red face. Cute. Meu did allow a little whistle of approval and a sly grin then, seeing as how the guard hadn’t put up a fight and perhaps had even enjoyed himself a little? ”…I think it's you and me next, Amos. …Why don’t we make it your turn, hmm?”Before that started, Ino piped up reminding the table that since now the first round was officially over, Eris could swap seats back with him. ”That okay, Myut?” The Envy asked politely, to which Meu swiftly responded with a, ”Yes, please.” Moreso for the fact that it would mean Eris would be assuredly removed. At that the Wrath launched off her precarious position on his knee and hurried back to her seat. She tripped on a leg of the food cart along the way and filled the room with a momentarily angry, rattling metallic sound. Meu would have found that funny if he wasn’t absolutely abhorred with the little creature and was instead too busy feeling leagues of relief that Ino was replacing her. Ino lowered himself daintily into Myut’s lap, looping an arm around him. Meu allowed Ino to get comfy once more, not seeming to be particularly plussed by the extra arm contact it came with. In fact, Myut angled himself a bit more comfortably so his arm could more easily reach the table, and it just so happened that it guarded Ino's side closely now, almost nestling the boy into the crook of his arm. ”Thanks for believing me. You look like you know something about plants, so I guess that makes sense. Plus you didn't have kiss Eris, hmm?” The Greed demon simply nodded at the thanks the smaller purple-haired one gave him, and offered a wry grin at the half-tease in mentioning kissing Eris. Yes, very fortunate things didn't play out that way. He didn't want his mouth ripped off or anything, after all. He presumed it would be similar to acquainting one’s mouth with a garbage disposal. ”…Though it seems to have worked out." He was talking about Cyr and Val now. ”I wonder if he'll take him up on that... lust demons need to feed somewhat often, right?"Although the Envy’s voice was soft and for all intents and purposes well-meaning, Myut bristled at the unpleasant thoughts the question stirred. It reminded him similarly of what had happened in the baths earlier. "It's not any of my business," he drawled in response as though it didn’t matter, but the way his fingertips tapped harshly away at the wood of the table while he said so betrayed his displeasure and annoyance. Thankfully Amos was swift to distract him from that. He seemed especially good at that, and Meu only liked him more for it. He stammered adorably before he managed to recover and blurt out the first question that came to his mind, which was very clearly still wrapped around Bez. “H...how many people have you kissed?"Bezabelle laughed richly from her belly, and that paired with the guard’s charming bemusement had Meu flashing a genuine grin. He managed to save himself from laughing, as clearly Amos didn’t need any added help on behalf of becoming embarrassed, for he turned bright red when Bez revealed that she could not actually remember the number and that he’d have to come up with a quick replacement for his inquiry. The guard kept his eyes glued harshly to the table as he cleared his throat after some small babbling. Damn, how intriguing it would have been for Amos to have met his gaze then. Myut wanted to see what was racing through that mind of his, wanted the chance to better his standing by offering some solace and non-judgment, but at the same time the Greed also wanted to revel in the blonde’s shy horror. The boy made it so tempting to just devour him. Myut wanted to know. Wanted to hear the emerald-eyed boy admit aloud whatever it was that he was feeling – the Greed didn’t even care what that may be, as long as he was confessing. Luckily the question Amos asked took over Myut’s interest before his sin could. ”If you could switch lives with anyone in this room, who would you pick?"The Gluttony demon indulged them all by going down the list of everyone gathered, explaining a little about each one. Amos had the freedom of the castle, but he was shackled to orders and seemingly clueless, so he was a no go for Bez’s tastes. Eris was rambunctious and a fun magnet for drama but had too many enemies. Cyris… she mentioned something about him being a bit of a mess. What did she mean by that? Myut tilted his head with curiosity, but Bez didn’t share any secrets, finishing that, although Cyr had plenty of fun opportunities, she didn’t like that he had to deal with that necklace either. As for Val, he had nice naps and knew how to make some mischief, but Bez didn’t like the idea of feeling drowsy all the time. Viv received nothing but praises, Bez only skipping over her for the fact that she was having far too much fun discovering the Pride. Ino was always in the center of something or other and had some tasty secrets. Again, Bez teased just the cusp of something interesting but then pulled back. Instead, she chirped Meu’s own name as he was the last in the list. She readily flattered him, which quite tickled his fancy. He was proud to hear that she liked everything that he had amassed, which scratched his Greed’s itch nicely. It was reassuring to hear such positive things from her, whom he considered his friend. Myut flashed Bez a wry smile as she announced to the table that her choice of swap would be him. ”Good; I'd have called you a liar if you had said anyone else~" he openly joked with mirth clear on his features. Everyone else seemed equally pleased and announced that they had believed her to be telling the truth. Well, that was until Ino joked with, ”I'm not about to be the only dissenter~"”I will.”Ehh? What was this? Cyr openly stood against the group verdict, willingly offering his underbelly to the pack of wolves around him. What was the point of that? Should Meu be offended that Cyr wouldn't think him worth the time of day to switch lives with? Nah. He could care less, especially as this seemed to be more of a personal matter for Cyr. He didn't even try to give a reason of debate on why he thought Bez might be lying. Why so eager for punishment...? It definitely made things exciting again though, with another penalization to go around! He wondered what Amos would give him. This seemed to catch Amos off guard so he offered the bare minimum of a punishment. ”Um...do twenty push-ups?" A deep and true laugh shook Myut's chest. Twenty? That was it? He'd be doing thirty times that as a single set for fun later. Ino echoed his thoughts exactly with the following retort to Amos, ”Why don’t you also ask him to sit in his chair and breathe a little while you’re at it?”Meu gave a low, quiet chuckle at the snarky comment so as not to be caught agreeing with Ino against the guard. Amos certainly wouldn't like that. And that was proven very true, since, in the next instance, Amos turned against the envy demon and forced him to be tangled up with Cyr’s replacement punishment. "Switch shirts with Ino then." That was a much better backup punishment, and Meu pressed his lips together against the laugh that threatened to spill out. Instead, a soft ’pffft’ slipped through his huge grin. Ino complained about the massive size difference, and Myut was very tempted to tell the Envy to say ‘R.I.P.’ to his precious shirt, as that would be exactly what would happen to it – ripped in half. However, he figured it better not to send a jab at the poor boy in this instance. Cyr, being quite the benevolent gentleman, announced that he would not be forcing Ino's small top against his built form, and it instead safely adorned his throat like some scarf. Ino's swap had him laughing again with a congenial air. "You look like a wee babe." He commented through a genuinely amused smile, meaning no ill-intent with the comment. With Ino right there in his lap, however, Meu soon picked up on the muffled scent from Cyr’s shirt. Oh. A faint sweetness from some aged vintage mixed with a soothing scent of leather and faintly… smokey pine, was it? Balsamic? No, mixed it was the smell of amber. Then there was the actual smell of Cyr, though he couldn’t detect it very well. Mew definitely did not mind this development. He kept a tight leash on himself, though, and didn’t think much more on it. The aroma was pleasant – that was all. He’d enjoy it while it lingered. No need to get acquisitive about the shirt, or worse, press his face closer to Ino to satiate curiosity. After Bez commented about she and Ino twinning, she announced that they would be switching askers so that everyone would have a chance to play each role. It was his turn. That would do nicely. It was difficult to narrow down on a question, as he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear some entertaining stories or ask something more pertinent to their situation. Perhaps something in between? ”Eris?" he gave a measuredly small non-threatening smile, ”What's the worst thing you've ever done?" He wanted to see if he could reveal how violent and explosive this Wrath could truly be. Perhaps she was someone they should be putting up higher in their lists of suspects? Regardless, as a wrath demon, she was sure to have something interesting to spill. The demon in question busily nibbled away at one of her fingernails, clearly deep in thought. What a detestable habit. ”I killed one of my neighbors once without meaning to… I pushed his border and burnt his home. Not my fault he was still in there.”Voices from around the table filled the space again, with every verdict tipping truth except for Val’s. It was a good thing that Meu didn't have a say in this. He had seemed to tactically position himself in this way, as he would have said liar instantly. There was no way that was the worst thing she had ever done. Come on, he was expecting something more like mass hosticide or torture. She was very short on the details, making it sound more like an accident that she committed murder than an intended intent for revenge. There was absolutely no way this nasty little thing would consider something so easy to be her 'worst' act ever. But perhaps that was on him for not asking it more specifically. Good on Val for speaking up on their shared opinion in the matter. Maybe he could use his other head after all. It might get the Sloth in a bit of trouble, but Myut was glad he wasn't the only one thinking this about Eris. Perhaps the others were just being cautious, but that would hardly get them anywhere. Val and Bez discussed it further with the temptation that she might change her mind. According to Valramir, he and Eris had gotten up to plenty of mischief that he considered worse than what Eris had come up with. Eris tried to defend herself on the notion that the question was restricted to only something she had done. But that only caused Bez to pounce. ”Ah! So you admit it! It does count. Even if you did it with someone else, you still did it. He didn't ask the worst thing you did alone. I'm definitely changing to Liar!"And in an instant the tides had turned. Everyone suddenly flipped on Eris. Myut had been surprised that everyone had been swayed over to he and Val's side. That was a first for their game. That meant he had to come up with a punishment for Eris - something he hadn't initially been expecting to do. "Am I allowed to pocket one for later? I'd like to have a get-out-of-jail-free card in case I make a mistake and rub you the wrong way in the future."”You'd better not do any sort of rubbing.” Eris retorted, gaining an aghast look from Meu. ”Nothing of the sort. …Ideally.” Now he wasn’t quite sure. After all, he couldn’t predict the future. He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows with a bit of an uncertain squint, ”Hopefully not," he spoke with a tone of yuck factor. No, if he could help it he would very much like to continue avoiding Eris as much as possible. This wasn’t enough for Eris, because she quickly implored Bez to make it clear that asking for a future favor wouldn’t be allowed. ”Much as I want to say yes, sorry, Meu, but Eris is right. The punishments are just for the game. Now come up with something entertaining, or lucky Eris here will get away scot-free.” . Mew let out a puff of air and stuck his tongue out a bit. ”Yeah, that’s fair; I felt like it could have been a bit of a reach. Worth an ask," he shrugged unchagrined. ”Alright, Eris can tell us about her most embarrassing social encounter. No lies allowed." This story consisted of the time when Eris was still young and her mom apparently had tried to set her up with a beau. Which Eris could not fathom whatsoever. She had unknowingly tried to steal a nice pocket watch, which resulted in the two of them being too close for Eris’ comfort. The Wrath had to set his tie on fire to get away, and the lad apparently was still interested in her to this day. Bez and Val chattered animatedly about this discovery, demanding retribution for Eris keeping this event a secret from them. The fiery little lass seemed to give in, saying that she would talk to them about it later. With tasty morsels safely secured for future consumption, Bezabelle returned to guiding the game. It was Ino’s turn next. Unfortunately, Amos got picked again, and picked on again. ”Why are you loyal to Abadeer~?"Amos seemed to quickly grow tired of this, and he gave a short, clipped answer. ”He’s the Prince.” His answer was direct, and swift, which meant that it was unlikely to be a lie. Not that it gave them anything to work with. ”Why does that matter to you? What makes you care about your little job?” Bez pressed with aid from Valramir. Myut was starting to get antsy that the others might push their guard too far and scare him off, so he spoke up, ”Protection? Prestige?" He offered up some outs that would make sense. In fact, Amos actually looked pretty young. Was the status and roof all he needed, and that was why he followed Abadeer? Amos, however, wasn’t placated by any of Meu’s offers, and instead barreled right ahead, snapping at Vivian’s question about doing things for free. “For my family, actually; not all of us were born wealthy.” Family, huh? That brought back some old, not unpleasant memories. He could certainly commiserate with wealth not being given but needing to be gathered. And with the way Amos was growing testier by the second, Myut believed him to be telling the truth - though not that it would have mattered since the Greed would have taken his side regardless. Unfortunately, Mew wouldn't get the chance to voice his opinion as the others drowned him out with the chance to pounce on this new information. ”If you need a better job, I can put a word in with my father." Meu wasn’t sure if Vivian’s offer was more or less insulting coming from one Pride to another. Amos lifted his chin in a bit of haughty defiance, informing them that he was perfectly happy where he was, and that he did not indeed need any of their help. He was bristling like a little pinecone. Myut could feel the pressure of Sloth suddenly seeping into the air. Unfortunately, Val was of little help, though Myut did appreciate him reading the room and trying to aid in the situation with his abilities. For Bezabelle was incorrigible - damned that he loved her for it though. It just made Myut's careful little dance trickier. But perhaps this also could come to his aid. ”Oh, family you say? What, did your mommy and daddy get you the job? Couldn't snag it on your own merit, hm?" That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Amos rose slowly, his face now barren of any emotion. He turned to leave. This caused Meu to stir beneath Ino and lean forward before he took hold of the Envy with one muscular arm, the other swiping off a place clear for him, and placed him seated on the edge of the table. Amos had already begun walking away from the table, so Mew was quick to step up behind him. A large hand came to rest very softly at the guard’s far shoulder, though there was no pressuring pull to it. Rather, he made touch to encourage him on to the door. Hopefully this way it would keep the others from jumping after their poor guard. ”Ah, I do suppose the night grows late. I'll take his punishment since he's retiring." He smiled charmingly back at the rest of the group while his touch on the mousey blonde's shoulder now gently compelled Amos towards the door. Hopefully his offer to take Amos' place in the game would placate the other six demons. Amos was confused by the touch, suddenly on the defensive as he hesitated for but a moment before continuing toward the door. "I don't have anything valuable on me, if that's what you're looking for." His voice was low and quiet, keeping the matter between them. Mew looked offended. ”What do you think I am, some sort of brute or pickpocket?" He clicked his tongue down at Amos, ”No, no. I still need your help with that proposition, and if making sure you get out with as little fuss as possible gives that a better shot~" Myut reassured him in an equally quiet murmur. They were nearing the door now. ”Unless you didn't actually want to leave just yet?" Removing his hand from his shoulder, the Greed angled a teasing and joking sort of half smile to the younger demon. Clearly Amos didn't want to have anything more to do with this lot, but hey. As Amos came to a stop in front of the spot where the opening to the outer world would usually appear, Meu placed a hand protectively on the side of the wall to the left of Amos, being sure to guard him closely in case anyone else was going to try to stop him. Their conversation should remain private in any case. ”I can see if I can get that painting for you too; that's what you were after in the first place right? It'd be easier with less people." Myut watched as Amos turned to look back at him, only just realizing then how close the two of them had become. The white-haired demon was equally as surprised as Amos, suddenly realizing that his own posture might come across as a little aggressive – he had halfway caged the guard against the wall with only a handful of inches separating them now. Mew found his gaze abruptly falling into those piercing emerald greens, only half listening to Amos’ mumbles as those same eyes darted to behold the muscled forearm right beside his face. Myut awkwardly cleared his own throat, swift to drop the arm so he wasn't cornering the poor boy like some sort of small prey item. The little guard bobbed his head up and down swiftly in response to Meu’s mention of the painting before he leant back against the cold stone wall. Meu also took a tiny step back. Cornering the boy hadn’t been his intention at all. What was it that Amos had stuttered out just now? Oh. What it was the Greed was after. That pulled his mind from the distracting little responses coming from the mouse. ”The other guards don't know how to behave themselves," he started seriously, voice still low and quiet. ”They took some things of mine without asking. That's a definite no-go for Greeds, you see. I want my stuff back," he pocketed his hands and eased his body language, careful not to let the anger boil through. ”Badly." He clenched his fists in his pockets, pressing harsh crescents into his palms with his fingernails all while carefully trying to manage his facial features. ”But as you can see, I'm in a bit of a pickle here and can't quite take care of that myself." “Um… If you provide a list of missing items I can launch an investigation and return your things to you," he responded, straightening out his shirt. ”That I can do. Vivian is also missing some items." He lifted a thumb to point back in the direction of the table to accentuate his point. Amos took a moment to straighten his shirt before softly adding, "I'm sorry that happened." the prior frustration on the guard seeming to instantly disappear to be replaced by an earnest look. The sincere apology had surprised Mew. It helped to instantly soothe the bitter sting that had stirred deep in his nature. Now, only the sting in his hands remained. Amos' words caused Myut's looks to soften. Crossing his arms comfortably and non-threateningly, Meu stepped back a bit to indicate he was placid and had no intention of trying to make a run for it when the door opened. He still remained protectively close to Amos in relation to the others seated at the table, though. He hoped the few small steps would be far enough from the door for Amos to feel comfortable leaving. ”I'll take care of a list promptly, then. Let me know what you want in return," there was that suave smile once more, though it was genuine in its delight at the revelation that Amos would help him out. He hoped it showed as much. "Let's talk about that later," Amos replied, form clearly relaxing as soon as Myut had backed off. It was then that their guard turned to face the wall, and suddenly a hand shot through the solid rock and, Myut assumed, grabbed him before pulling him through the ‘door’. ”Hmmm, there he goes after all. Well, shall we finish? Got a good question to end the game, Val? Actually, wait, no! Who all called liar? Ino, you get to pick some punishments! If I am recalling right, Meu even volunteered to join in getting punished. Such a masochist." A look of distaste filled Meu's features as Bez announced he'd get to join in the punishment. ”I had meant if Amos ended up getting one with a unanimous verdict." He turned and walked back to the head of the table, crossing his arms none too happily while Valramir spoke up. There was no way Bez would let him off the hook now that she had made that announcement, though. But Val had voiced an interesting theory - he had wondered if Amos was related to their Prince. Perhaps… Myut thought quietly to himself, though it seemed like it would be a bit of a stretch. Nothing wrong with keeping an open mind, however. ”You three will go to the baths and wrestle. One of you three must end up in the water~ Someone should go to supervise too. Cyr? You're already dressed for it~"Meu was looking even more severely unhappy with Ino’s revelation. Val wasn’t keen on it either, as he whined that it would be an overly efforted chore. Viv looked equally annoyed as she turned to look back before giving Myut a signal with her eyes. He gave a slight nod of his chin. Hopefully she’d be willing to work with him against Val; that’s what he had assumed the look had been about. It was then that Valramir audibly accepted his fate, ”Fiinneeee." ”I'll come along too, this'll be fun~" Ino chirped, landing on his feet before skipping ahead into the room, following Val. Bez was quick to agree with a huge grin on her face, scampering after Ino and Viv. Meu let out a sigh as they excitedly skittered off to the baths. He followed slowly behind the rest, entering the steamy room with a look of disdain. Valramir had boldly entered first, so he was the closest to the baths by default. ”So what are the rules for this punishment?" Ooh, that was a mistake of him to ask. Vivian had already eased into position to attack, and she wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. With two steps, she was driving her shoulder down into the unsuspecting Sloth’s back. The boy let out a gasp of surprise, stumbling forward but managing to catch himself and twist away to Viv’s near side. Vivian had snatched onto his shirt, though, using him to recover before her forward momentum had her careening straight into the floor after that forward attack. Positions had changed and Viv was now closest to the mouth of the bath. She made quick work to ensure that she moved away from it first, putting her arms up in a defensive posture. How was Meu supposed to find his way into this mess? The only way he could think of would be to attempt to come in behind Val and hope Viv got the message that he was trying to aid her. But Valramir was quite aware of his surroundings, a stark contrast to his normally lackadaisical attitude. Meu was immediately discovered as the Sloth glanced back toward him during his approach. He was still far busier with Vivian, though, and that would ultimately lead to his downfall. The two tangled taunted at each other, Vivian hoping to keep the shorter demon’s attention on her so Meu could get closer. The three made a slow dance about each other, but Meu was persistent in staying behind Val's back. ”Come on, we don't have to make this so difficult, yeah?" Perhaps he should try getting close enough to trigger Val to turn and focus on him. That would give Viv an opportunity for a blind spot. There was no need, however, as Valramir suddenly lunged forward at Vivian, sealing his fate as the muscled femme grabbed onto his shoulders and rooted him to the spot. Once Viv had a grip on him, Meu pounced swiftly to secure Val's feet by the ankles, large hands closing easily around them in an ironclad grip. While the two wrestled at the front, Myut pulled his arms in close to his body while he stood up, attempting to lift Valramir from the ankles and hopefully throw off the boy’s balance. Ideally it would aid Vivian in getting a better grasp on the wrists, what with how focused the Sloth was with keeping his grip around her arms and not paying attention to what was going on behind him. It was a success, and the Pride moved hands from shoulders to wrists, and the two taller demons took a step to stretch poor Val out between them. ”Ready? 1...2...," Viv began, starting a light swing. Myut provided ample power to bring Viv's light swing to a full-force throw. ”3!" he finished, making sure to really launch Valramir so he'd go clear into the water. It'd be super awkward if Viv stumbled or something and the Sloth demon ended up smacking into the stone floor mere inches from the pool. The painted demon made a last-ditch effort to save himself, reaching to grab at Viv just as they were throwing him, but alas, it was to no avail. Meu watched as the boy’s wings expanded out to try to aid in the trajectory and catch himself, but that did not work either. With a splash, he hit the water. Vivian laughed, throwing a light-hearted apology at the boy while Meu gave a little sigh of relief in knowing that this punishment was now over and that his clothes were no longer in danger. Val coughed up some water as he resurfaced, ”Ugh… you win.” He didn’t sound too happy about that. Myut smoothed his tie with one hand while he put the other in one of his pockets, glancing over a now very soaked Val. ”Take it up with Ino if you've got any objections." He made sure not to near the pool in any way, shape, or form, lest Val start to feel a little splashy, but Myut had heard that loud leathery smack when one of Valramir’s wings had seemed to take a gnarly kiss with the floor. ”All good?" ”Hurts a bit," the other white-haired demon admitted, but it didn’t seem to bother him in the least as he began scrubbing away at the paint in his hair and on his face. Meu trusted it and allowed his focus to wander elsewhere. Namely, the sudden shout from Bez. ”Cyr! Get 'im! Get Meu!" Dammit, he should have known better. Bez. Such a troublemaker. He ought to have high-tailed it out of there the second Val had hit the water, but he had not been expecting the neutral party to suddenly turn feral, all under Bezabelle's mischievous command. He didn't have time to spin around to try to find Cyr by the time it registered in his brain that Bez had meant to out his poor clothes with that call to arms. There was no way he would have been able to stop Cyr anyway, who was bigger and, like Bez with Viv, had the advantage of forward momentum against a stationary and largely unawares object. Meu’s body turned just enough in reaction to be caught somewhat sideways with Cyr's arm wrapping around his waist. The easy strength in that arm which half-tugged and half-carried him had Mew feeling a bit like a football. His eyes quickly clenched shut and he held his breath in preparation to get utterly soaked, but surprisingly, when they made their splash, Cyr had altered his position sometime during the fall so that the dark-haired demon was beneath him as they broke the surface. For a moment there during gravity they had a bit of an embrace before Cyris loosened his grip and pushed Myut up enough for him to somewhat catch himself before his head got dunked under. The Lust, however, went fully submerged before he popped up a moment later, his locks absolutely dripping, ”I have trouble saying no~” The hands that had still been lingering around him finally let go, but Meu was too distracted to notice, busy appraising that apologetic smile. Matched with his prior comment, Cyr came across as a little cheeky, but sincere. ”Oh? Good to know,” that playful smirk reappeared, and Myut chuckled despite himself. Normally he would likely be pissed, especially had it been anyone else that had tackled him, but Cyr came across as harmless fun. Meu’s clothes were probably more or less fine – there was no use crying over spilt milk. This’d be the only way to wash them while they were here, anyway. At least there were no harsh chemicals to ruin the thread. It was just uncomfortable as hell. The lower end of his white tie floated between them, and Myut lifted two heavy, sopping-wet sleeved arms to comically whip his hands back and forth a little as though he were drying himself of a few stray drops of water instead of being utterly saturated from his neck to his toes. His lips curled into a stupid grin as he did so, making it clear he was making a joke of it. No hard feelings. A good thing he hadn’t been wearing the matching blazer indeed. His dress shoes were probably toast, but he tried not to think about that. ”At least everyone else has to suffer being fully-clothed too,” the Greed made a cheeky show of glancing down at Cyr’s bare chest before sliding his gaze back up to the other’s face, “Mostly~” He smirked, noting Ino’s poor shirt wrapped around the back of Cyr’s neck. ”BEZABELLE,” he suddenly roared with a laugh, turning and bouncing on a foot to launch himself toward the two femme demons busily wrapped up in each other’s arms, ”Don’t think Viv can save you now!” As Viv and Bez whipped their heads towards him, the Pride demon dropped Bez so she could put up her arms in a defensive position. Bezabelle, meanwhile, defiantly moved to the side of Viv so she wasn’t hiding behind her. She said something about not needing Viv’s protection but with the two of them together he didn’t have a chance. That was cute, since it was precisely because they were so close to each other that made this so easy. Honestly, it was already win enough just to interrupt them. Meu was already thoroughly wet, so he didn't really care if he got his head dunked under at this point. The Greed spread his arms out wide before tackling them both into the water, hoping to send all three of them under with his weight. Worse came to worse, Viv would end up holding him too and then he'd have ample opportunity to tug at Bez's cheeks in revenge. Luckily, his plan worked, and with a shriek, the two ladies got dipped below the waves with him. Viv resurfaced laughing and splashing water at him, which didn’t bother the white-haired demon in the slightest since he was now invincibly already-wet. Bezzie’s head popped back above the water and she bellowed back at him, which only made the Greed smirk with self-satisfaction. Mission accomplished. Now both of them were sending splashes at him, which only caused him to grin deviously again. ”Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively at the women’s attempts at retaliation before continuing, ”You asked for this.” His devious smile turned into a bright, innocent grin as he narrowed his sights specifically to Bezabelle so he might grab her once more and fall backwards into the water again. Down she went again, putting a stop to that splashing nonsense in the process! Unfortunately, she wriggled out of his grasp and surfaced sooner than he. As a result, a few moments later when Meu also got his head above water, he was met with a stream of condensed spray right in the face as the Gluttony spat water at him. ”Eugh, Bez," he responded, looking thoroughly grossed out. Myut shook the water from his hair as she quickly made her escape back into the depths. He let her swim away and instead started to make his way to the edge of the pool. He was ready to get out of these clothes, and, unfortunately for the rest of them, had no intention of stripping here. Before he got too far, Bez reminded them that the game was still afoot, and Val’s question caused Meu to pause half-lift at the lip of the bath. ”What is your goal with Amos? You seemed quite chummy with him." Myut finished lifting himself out of the water and took a momentary sit, shaking a water-logged shoe over the pool to hopefully keep the water mostly contained there and not make giant puddles on the floor as he left. ”Those other guards stole my shit, so I need someone not-in-this-jail to get them back before I never see them again. Who knows where they'll be in six days' time. They took some of Viv's stuff as well," he nodded toward the tall lady to corroborate his story, which she did. This seemed to be enough for most of them as they wrote it off as truth, but Bez and Val were determined to pick on him. ”I say lie! I doubt that's all you want with our handsome little Mouse. Like Val said, you were getting quite cozy back there,” Well, Myut wasn’t opposed to also setting things up between he and Amos to where they could work closely together on this unfortunate situation to the point where he wouldn’t even be considered a suspect anymore. But he wasn’t about to tell them that. ”Trying to sweeten him up, hmm?" He shook his head with a bit of a humorless chuckle, ”Bez, you'd know the best out of anyone here that the way I do my business is catered to the situation,” If she meant ‘sweetening him up’ by making their guard feel comfortable with him, then sure. But he knew that wasn’t what she was trying to get at, what with that teasing tone. ”What else would I do with him?" he countered. Valramir piped up then, only egging Bezabelle on. ”Mmmm looked to me like you wanted to kiss him at the very least.” ”There was a definite... tension in the air. And the way you drew him aside, Meu! Even my heart was fluttering. What must Amos think about what you really want from him? Can you honestly say you would just stop at getting your stolen trinkets back if you could get a bit More from our cute guard?" Now Cyr and Ino were in on it - the Envy with a snide snicker and the Lust with a long-winded comment, ”We can catch him and tie him up for you next time if you want, you know. Though I think the little thing might prefer Bez." Meu let out an exasperated sigh at the barrage from all fronts, letting his head dip back so he could stare at the ceiling, ”Come on. Look, this is exactly why I'm being so nice. You're all such menaces - the last thing I need is a hog-tied guard who wants nothing to do with me; he's so skittish I barely got to ask what I needed to even with all that pomp and circumstance. How else are we supposed to interact with the outside world if not through him?” he pouted crossly, ”Bez, you already know how I feel about stuff like that anyway.” Myut never instigated sexual encounters. If that happened to be the price to get his hands on something he really wanted, then so be it, but he had never been interested in such things outside of business. Empty and pointless, though admittedly enjoyable on the rare occasion, it never did anything to satiate the void, so he never really bothered with it. The closest he’d probably ever gotten was a friendly tryst with Bez a time or two - or four - and that was only because they were close and it satisfied her, no strings attached. He definitely didn’t mind pleasing her or feeding her nature. That had just ended up being an occasional dynamic between them as close comrades. She had always been the one to initiate, though, and he easily enough just went along with it. ”Right now, it isn't what I think that matters. I already called you a liar anyway," the Gluttony giggled out. Well no, he had been trying to get her to change her mind before she reinforced weird ideas in the others’ heads. ”The real question is whether anyone else will back me up and call you a liar too! So, any takers?" Fortunately enough, it seemed that she hadn’t done any such damage as no one else changed their opinion to side with her. Valramir swiftly dished out the punishment he had waiting for her. ”Your punishment is to impersonate someone in the room until someone gets it right. Not their sin, but them personally. Like mannerisms and things they'd say." Unfortunately, this didn’t end up being any ice to his ire. Bez was far from through with him. Worse yet, she roped Cyr into her nonsense again. At first it was mostly tolerable, but by the end of it she had Meu just as flushed as Cyrus. The audacity. The sheer insult of it. Cyr really had put it best: Shameless. ”Oh, how cute." Myut deadpanned, giving a slow, fake clap. ”What a performance. So glad I got to witness that," clearly sarcastic and with face utterly bereft of any mirth, though admittedly still quite pink, Meu hefted himself up from his seated position. ”At least this means we're done now," he spoke as he turned toward the door. As he began making his way toward the exit, shoes squelching comically loud with each step, he ran his hands against his sopping wet clothes in attempt to wring them out somewhat so he wouldn't drown his room's pitiable carpet. They weren’t quite done with him yet, though. Valramir called out teasingly, ”Oh, such a sore spot for you. Mew mew." Meu heaved a hefty sigh, as he once more came to a slow stop a few feet from the door. No, no. The Sloth was right. He shouldn't be letting himself get so visibly rattled by this, especially since it was just a prank from Bez. That was to be expected of her - so terribly naughty. It was all fun and games until you ended up as the butt of the joke, though. He waved his hand as though dismissing his prior huffy attitude, turning back to face the group with a much more resigned and regal look. ”Nah, not gonna lie, she had me in the first half. But what the hell was that ending, Bezabelle?" He puffed out a cheek and blew air to help relieve any lingering tension or resentment. It was then that Ino spoke up with a laugh that Meu easily overlooked. After all, it wasn't actually him they were laughing at. It was Bez's ridiculousness. The little lilac had asked if he really did collect teas. ”Yeah," Myut shrugged, ”One of my personal interests." Myut had been standing around in wet clothes for a while now, and it was starting to get cold. Having figured he had done enough to save a bit of face in lingering and responding, Mew was just about to slip out the door when he heard Cyr's voice pipe up. The tall, white-haired demon turned curiously to hear what he had to say and was startled to see Cyr stripping his trousers off. Mew swiftly averted his gaze. How Cyr didn't mind in the slightest utterly baffled him - the others were right there; it was like inviting trouble. But maybe Cyr wanted some trouble. How brazen. The discomfort and distaste at the prospect only darkened when Val excitedly invited himself over to the Lust. Hell no, he was getting out of here before Val decided to do anything uncouth, or worse, turn his attentions on Meu himself. He caught the tail end of Ino's next question. Myut didn't want to have any more conversations right now. He didn't like that he felt he should awkwardly linger for Ino's sake or to be polite. ”Flavor." He responded flatly and probably a little harsher than he intended to before he pushed the door open with a shoulder and exited. He wasted no time in making a beeline to his room.
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Day 1
Oct 24, 2022 0:43:59 GMT
Post by Pieluver on Oct 24, 2022 0:43:59 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【"Red's not my colour."】 ▋▋ 【Head of the table】 ▋▋ 【5A8D88】
Cyr’s jaw bulged ever so slightly. He wasn’t usually the type, but he’d inadvertently caught Ino’s eye for a moment after the other sat down, and the searing frustration in his heart told him this was on purpose. What better target for an Envy demon than a hapless and disgruntled lust demon. He turned his face away, but he couldn’t stop himself from listening to the flirty exchange. He couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking back just in time to catch Myut accepting Ino’s fork, his mouth curved into a somewhat playful smile, much unlike his usual wariness. Cyr swallowed hard, staring.
He dropped his fork abruptly as the Envy demon continued to try and feed him, and it clattered across his plate and then down to the floor, where it bounced once with a sad thunk. Quickly he ducked under the table, his face burning with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. Myut didn’t belong to him, he had no right to be angry. Especially considering how he’d been behaving earlier. But he still felt so….so…angry. No, it wasn’t anger, it was a bitter sort of resentment. Why was it so easy for some little thing like that to get attention? To just flounce around and touch people and flirt without worrying about anything at all. It really wasn't fair at all.
Cyr surfaced again, keeping his eyes averted from the display to his right. Instead he bent his ear towards Bez, who was bickering with Amos. Poor guard. Though he wondered what would happen if he could sum up enough energy to allure Amos into letting them out. Though, if he did that, there would probably be other guards lying in wait to capture them again. He sighed moodily, his thoughts wandering.
He vaguely listened to the flow of conversation until everyone started piping up. What? What were they doing? Playing some kind of truth game? He looked around, feeling somewhat alarmed. "Uh...truth?" he said, eager to get the attention off himself as he ducked his head and stared at his plate.
Struggling with his emotions was hard enough, having to do it in front of a bunch of other people, whether they were looking at him or not, was worse. Especially since apparently he was transparent enough that the Envy demon knew how he felt about Myut, and had decided to take advantage of that for himself, what other emotions was he accidentally broadcasting for the others to take advantage of?
It was hard to say if Bez was being mercurial, or if she was doing something nice for him when she made Ino switch spots with Eris, but he felt his body relax just a little. He pointedly ignored Ino sitting next to him, his gaze finally settling on Myut, who was looking profoundly uncomfortable with the little spitfire sitting gingerly in his lap.
He listened quietly to Myut's answer to the question. He tipped his head, fascinated by the description of the item. It wasn't a nice jewel or a weapon, interesting. "Truth," he agreed with the others, his eyes flicking from Myut's face to Bez's before quickly returning to his plate.
Then, Viv asked Val about secrets, and his evasive answer caused everyone to promptly answer that it was a lie. "Everyone's got secrets," he agreed with a quiet nod. He didn't know much about Val, but at the very least, his motivations for causing trouble with the guards provided some suspect about his interior life.
He watched quietly as Eris painted Val's hair, leaning away slightly to avoid any fallout. He didn't want to get covered in paint. His eyes did momentarily flick to Myut, who seemed a bit relieved to be temporarily released from Eris's presence. A faint, fond smile formed on his face, but Eris was quickly chided to perch back on his knee.
And then it was his turn. Cyr finally turned his eyes to Ino. It was his turn to ask a question, huh? He wasn't a petty person, he never had. But maybe it was Eris's presence, or something else that was stoking his ire. He wanted to make the little Envy demon squirm a little. And Ino had made it so easy. The game had been so light so far, but he could fix that. "So...what's the deal with that poison, Ino?" he asked, his voice light and casual.
He took pleasure in the way Ino's eyes tightened ever so slightly. Did he know it was his own fault?
He half tuned out Ino's longwinded response. He didn't actually care that much about whatever the poison was. After all, he had a cursed necklace that couldn't have less to do with him, so...He tuned back in when he heard his name. Getting drunk?
"I don't prefer to be drunk," he replied stoically, his gaze flicking to the one person who seemed to always want to get him inebriated. Losing control was not one of his favorite passtimes. And, for an incubus, even at his size, it could be a dangerous one. He preferred the pleasure of a light buzz, or a bit of tipsy merriment.
The jury was mixed on whether Ino was telling the truth or not. Personally, it sounded like a bit of a lie to him, but also, how would Ino have been able to poison the Prince? He was always surrounded by a carefully curated group. He...definitely didn't know that from staring after the tall, handsome man so often. Ino probably did want to kill someone though. It was just a question of whom, and that person was none of his business, honestly.
Though, it would behoove him to not make enemies with someone who could absolutely murder him as easily as an unattended drink. Cyr made an internal note to never accept anything Ino offered him. And maybe he should make light overtures of amends after this.
In the end, it was Val, Viv, and Bez who called liar. He'd really only wanted to make Ino squirm a little, he hadn't thought of a punishment at all. Although...his eyes drifted past Bez, settling on the nervous guard beside her. There was something that could be a little fun, and he was sure Bez would thank him later. A bit of a smile curled his mouth. Yes, that would be a good punishment. "Why don't you...kiss the person to your left?" he suggested.
His plot had a little bit of a backfire, though. He had been distracted, waiting for Bez to distress Amos, but Bez was looking back at him. As were some of the others. Beside him, Val purred: "Well, well. I hope this means you wanted to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you."
Ah, he had not been diligent enough in his counting to evade the consequences of his punishment. Oops. His eyes fell on Val as the other guided his face, his lips still slightly parted with bemusement. He could feel the lust radiating off the other even before he bridged the gap between them, but it was almost enough to short circuit Cyr's already frazzled system. The trepedatious cant of his shoulders immediately dropped as he gave way to the other's mouth, reaching up to hold on to the place where his slender shoulder met his delicate neck. He couldn't help it. It felt good. And he was wired to respond. He could feel the paint from Val's hair smearing cool across his forehead. It stuck for a moment as the other drew away, and Cyr leaned back, feeling rather dazed.
"Gorgeous," Val cooed as they parted, and touched his lips. "That was nice. I would love to see where more of that goes, should you be game."
A faint pink brushed Cyr's cheeks, but he just blinked slowly at Val, still processing. Perhaps he should have said something, but he didn't. Sloth demons, after all, had a penchant for being pillow princesses. To boot, despite his loose, baggy clothes, it was quite clear that Cyr could probably circle his waist with both hands, considering his boyish, delicate figure.
And while some demons might be into it, he wasn't a fan of his partner falling asleep in the middle of the action.
While he was mulling this over, and recovering from his surprise, Cyr's eyes flicked to Myut. Great. Ino was back on his lap, running his annoying mouth. Cyr's expression immediately soured, and he looked away quickly, looking as if he'd just sucked on a lemon. All thoughts of making amends with the Envy were now gone. Perhaps he should issue a warning. While he didn't prefer to hurt his partners, if Ino wanted to play hardball, he could. He wasn't going to be an idle feeder for the Envy's amusement.
Turning his attention away, Cyr tuned in to Bez and Amos's conversation. Amos was clearly flustered, and Cyr was disappointed he'd missed the big show. He'd have to ask Bez about it later. Bez was laughing, a clear, unrestrained sound. Her voice was full of that gentle condescension of speaking to an annoying child or rubbing someone's incorrect thought into their face. Very Pride of her.
Another question. Trading lives? Cyr's eyes flicked to Bez as she seemed to mull it over. She spoke at length, going over each person in the room. A faint smile curved his lips. Cute. Everyone seemed clearly flattered by her analysis, which was quickly deemed truth.
But why would Bez tell the truth? In a game she made up about telling lies? To boot, Greed demons lived on their own for the most part, collecting hordes and then fighting to protect them from others. Bezzie liked to be in the limelight, drawing all the attention in the room. She was a mastermind, carefully drawing attention where she wanted and tugging at the whims of others until they folded to her. She'd done it to him before, and indulgently, he couldn't deny that he'd let her do it again.
Anyways, he could just see her telling his parents where to shove it and going off to amass power in the way only Bezzie could. She had no scruples and she'd wield the power he had expertly.
It would be easy to just go with the others and agree that she was telling the truth. Indeed, "I'm not about to be the only dissenter~" Ino joked.
"I will." Cyr said a bit stridently. Whether it had to do with what happened after their bath, or from Ino's misbehavior, but he was feeling self destructive. "I think that's a lie."
"Oh? Unfortunate, my poor Cyr, unless you can convince everyone else to change their answers, you've just earned a punishment." Bez said with a wink.
Cyr leaned back and stretched slowly before leaning on the table again. There was no way he could get everyone else to change their minds, of course, and he wasn't going to waste his breath on it. "Oh dear," he said, resting his chin on his hand. "What do you have for me?"
Bez redirected him to Amos. Right. He was having trouble remembering that the guard was in the room. The guard seemed to be having equal trouble remembering to pay attention.
"Eh?" the man asked, looking up when he heard his name. "Um...do twenty push-ups?"
Ah, impressively insipid. Ino snorted. "Why don't you also ask him to sit in his chair and breath a little while you're at it?"
Cyr couldn't help but laugh, covering his mouth with a hand. Ino was supremely annoying, but that quip was pretty funny. Not that he was mad about doing a few pushups, could be an excuse to show off a little, get some eyes on him.
Amos, suddenly quick to respond, switched the punishment, however. "Well...fine. How about...Switch shirts with Ino then."
Well, if he wanted eyes on himself, that was one way to do it. He smirked slightly as Ino sputtered. He watched as the little thing pulled his shirt over his head. He was objectively fairly pretty, with that little, fit build. No, if he spent any more time thinking about that, Ino would know. He caught the shirt with one hand, undoing the buttons on his dress shirt with the other as he stood. Ugh, this thing wouldn't fit on him at all, Ino was right. "I won't force it," he said as he shrugged out of the black shirt. He'd only worn it for a little while, but since it had been in a bag with other, worn things, it smelled vaguely of amber and wine, and distinctly like his body. A benefit of being a lust demon, it was rare to find someone that didn't like his natural aroma.
Now two demons were wearing his shirts. Would he ever get either of them back? It was kind of annoying how good it looked on Ino, his petite frame accentuated by the long shirt, making him look somehow both cute and wanton. Meanwhile, Ino's shirt didn't even fit over his shoulders, so he left it around his neck like a straggly scarf. The others teased Ino, and Cyr sat down, crossing his arms over his chest to continue watching the game play itself along. Somehow, that hadn't scratched his maudlin itch at all. What he could currently feel however, was someone ogling him. It was not someone he wanted staring at him, unfortunately.
The next questioner was Myut, and he posed one to Eris. The worst thing she'd ever done? Cyr's lips pressed together just a little. She did seem like a dangerous little upstart, was Myut being strategic? He'd far and above prefer to not goad her at all, honestly. Eris didn't seem particularly agitated by the question, though.
She told a story about killing one of their neighbors, sounding quite proud of herself.
Everyone quickly claimed truth, until Val spoke. Then, just as quickly, with a little debate, everyone shifted the other direction. Cyr was not one to be left behind, and quickly changed his answer. Eris did seem pretty careless about those things. What on earth had she gotten up to with a sloth demon of all demons? You know what? He really didn't want to know.
Myut wanted to take a rain check on the punishment, which Eris pushed back on. His ears perked up after she started talking about her most embarrassing moment, though. Eris, in a situation like that? She really did seem to be the opposite of attraction, of love, of lust, with her acerbic, shapeless little body. What kind of demon would be interested in her? He smirked. He couldn't help but imagine the kind of poor sap that would follow after her with hearts in his eyes.
Then Ino needled in with a very pointed question for Amos. It quickly devolved into an argument before he could even put a word in edgewise. He half-lowered his eyes as everyone bickered. He understood it. He wouldn't mind having a job where he got to look at the Prince all the time, honestly. Something comfortable, away from his shitty parents, where all he had to really worry about was doing what he was told? Kinda hot.
This was the most lively he'd ever seen Amos. He was rather pretty, if a little bland. Maybe if he could sum up enough energy, they could twist him up until he let them go? He seemed to have a fairly weak and sensitive mind. Ah, but now he was leaving.
The table rattled a little, and Cyr's eyes flicked from imagining tying Amos up in a little knot to where Myut had just plunked Ino on the table. Ino was radiating the most shameless lust he'd ever had the displeasure of experiencing second-hand. Gross. Maybe he'd go put Ino up on the mantle later to get him out of the way if he liked it so much.
His eyes flicked to where Myut seemed to be having an intense little conversation with Amos, and his lips curled into a little frown. Mm, perhaps he really would have to tie Amos into a little knot. Granted, in his favor, the little guard seemed to be shrinking away from their nearness.
Whatever their exchange was, it ended with Amos making a quick exit. And then it was time for punishments. Ah, except he hadn't made a vote at all. Was now the time to bring that up? No, it'd probably net him a punishment, so Cyr sat quietly, not saying a word. If they realized he hadn't voted, he'd probably also get the punishment, and he didn't want to do whatever it was Ino cooked up. Bez or Viv? Maybe. Val or Ino, definitely not.
Well, looked like he'd be involved in this one anyway, as Ino named him the supervisor of the little three-way wrestling match he'd come up with. Not as sexy as one might think. Honestly it would probably just lead to Val getting dunked, since he was so much smaller. "Ah," he said as be stood. "Looks like you're getting a bath, Val."
Everyone somehow ended up in the bath room, and the trio managed to start fighting before he'd even gotten into the room. He quickly darted around Ino and Bez to get a little closer, just in case whoever fell in needed help. He really didn't want anyone to get hurt.
Just as he expected, the two larger demons quickly baited Val into dropping his guard enough for them to grab him and fling him together into the water. Impressive teamwork, honestly. His eyes followed Val into the water, and he was relieved to see him surface. Of course, he quickly stifled the relief with a flirty little line, but before he could process that, Bez was calling for him. Get 'im? Myut?
His brain ran through several calculations quickly as his eyes flicked to Myut. He could certainly do that. Would it be worth it? Bez was already angling to bowl over Viv. Yes, yes it would be worth it. And he could just blame Bez for it.
It wasn't hard at all to snag Myut, wrapping an arm around his waist, twisting on his heel as he reached the edge of the pool and falling backwards with Myut in his arms, lifting him up slightly to hopefully avoid completely submerging him. When he surfaced, hair sopping wet, he couldn't help but offer Myut an apologetic grin. "I have trouble saying no~" he said as he released him.
Especially when it came to enjoying a little bit of glancing contact with a gorgeous man.
“Oh? Good to know," Myut replied with a chuckle. Good, he wasn't mad. He lifted his arms and scattered water everywhere. Cyr closed an eye to avoid the little barrage, laughing again. Granted, his focus was more on the way the water had caught the ends of his hair, and dripped down the side of his neck tantalizingly.
He needed to calm down.
“At least everyone else has to suffer being fully-clothed too.” Myut's eyes flicked down to his chest. “Mostly~” He smirked.
The man promptly turned away to go get revenge on Bez, and Cyr hoped he didn't notice the way his face suddenly turned red. That single look was enough to make him sink into the water up to his eyes, trying to cool himself down. He was way to wrapped up in this little fantasy that only existed in his head, but he couldn't help it.
Nonetheless, he watched as Myut made waves on his way to ambush the girls. Viv and Myut fighting? He didn't think he'd mind watching that wet wrestling match.
He slowly rose again as the others roughhoused, wading over to the edge to haul his dripping form out of the water. he tried his best to wring out Ino's shirt, but whatever the material was, it wasn't great in the water. He scanned the group as Bez gathered control again. She was so good at commanding everyone's attention without even trying. A natural leader. He sighed softly.
Val's turn for a question. And he made the last question of the day a good one. What had Myut been doing with that guard? Cyr was quick to agree that he was telling the truth though, when he came out with the fact that some of his things had been stolen. Some of those guards did have sticky fingers. And Myut did seem like the sort to go to any length to get what belonged to him.
Eris ran off at that realization. Bez was the last to vote, and unsurprisingly, she decided to sow chaos again. Cyr couldn't help but join in on the teasing. Especially when he felt Ino's eyes on him, clearly wanting to feed off his envy. None for him today. "We can catch him and tie him up for you next time if you want, you know," he said with a lazy smile. "Though I think the little thing might prefer Bez."
Myut pushed back against their teasing. Cyr leaned back slightly, amused, but the last thing piqued his interest. "Bez, you already know how I feel about that sort of stuff anyway," he said. That sort of stuff? Was he not interested in sensuality? Good to know.
Cyr mused over this as Val doled out his punishment. Bez had to mimic someone until they guessed it. Well, that would be easy. Oh, but she wanted him as a prop. He did not want that. Whatever she was about to do, it would embarrass him thoroughly.
"Don't involve me in this," he protested, heaving a long sigh, even as he slid back down into the water and waded over to her. "What do I need to do?"
She positioned him just so in the water. they were nearly the same height with her knelt on the edge and him standing straight in the water. And then she launched into her impression, her voice low and slow, gentle but rich like satin. It was....uncanny, even for him, who'd had only a few small interactions with the man so far. Clearly it was Myut. That alone would be okay, but the things she was saying!
"Mmmm... My tea is cold." Bez said.
Cyr went bright red. Of course she'd do this. He already wanted to drown himself, feeling the others' eyes on them.
And then she said, "Unless.... You can save it Cyr, if you will consent to... kiss me." With that she leaned forward.
He took a quick step backwards, splashing her with an embarrassed pout on his face. "Shameless!" he protested, embarrassment squeezing his chest. The worst thing was that with her close parrot was enough to make him imagine Myut saying something like that for real. Would it be more effective to drown her or himself???
He retreated further out of Bezabelle's reach, attention flicking to the greed demon. He seemed angry. And also damp. Arguably, he'd been the one wearing the most clothes when they went into the water, and now he was dripping wet, and his voice too was dripping with scorn. It was true though. They were done now. Maybe it was time to make a hasty exist. Viv's angry eyes on his back didn't make him want to linger any longer than he had to. If he had let Bez kiss him, the Pride demon would probably kill him.
He waded away as Val, then Ino, piped up. Were they talking about tea over there? Not that he wanted to involve himself with any more conversation. He did have Ino's shirt, still, though, and he didn't care to keep it. So he pulled it over his head. He couldn't bring himself to warn the Envy demon, so he just tossed the shirt towards him. The wet smack it made was quite satisfying.
Then, he hauled himself out of the water for the third time that day. The way his pants clung to his legs was profoundly uncomfortable. "Well," he said, shifting to stand, shaking hanging droplets out of his hair. He still felt clammy and uncomfortable from his last bath, it would be nice to properly dry off. There was a fireplace, wasn't there? He could dry his hair and his clothes together, since they had limited clothing choices for their stay here, apparently, and he'd already lost at least one shirt, judging by Ino's angry shout. He stretched before pulling his pants off, though his damp underwear protected him from full immodesty. "If we're done here, I am going to sit by the fireplace and dry," he said as he wrung the pair of pants out.
The little sloth demon was quick to magnet to his side, requesting to join him. He could feel other pairs of eyes on him, and his eyes flicked over as Myut stalked off. Hm. Bez was over by Viv now, and Ino was getting out to skitter away as well. "Alright," he said to Val, tossing his pants over his shoulder. He remembered where the towels were from last time, and he snagged one, putting it over Val's head like a hood before wrapping a second one around his own middle. He'd be nice to the carpet.
Then, he sauntered out into the main room, gingerly avoiding the wet trails the others had left behind. He laid his poor wet pants by the fire before laying out his towel to recline on. Again, the sloth magneted to his side. He shifted to allow the other to sidle up close, skin against skin. He was quite warm. Idly, Cyr laid a hand on his back, tracing the place where his wings emerged with his thumb.
Not much later, Bez emerged with his shirt in her hands. She left it by the fire, and he murmured thanks to her as she winked. He was still unhappy with her, but not enough to do anything about it right now when he was settled so comfortably.
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Day 1
Oct 24, 2022 20:16:11 GMT
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Post by anthemum on Oct 24, 2022 20:16:11 GMT
꧁ ꧂ 【I'm too old for this】 ▋▋ 【The best seat at the table 】 ▋▋ 【9e2b9e】
Ino drew his attention away from Cyr only when Bezabelle made her announcement about the game of Liar. A non-favourite of his, to be fair. Ino had far too many secrets, and the forfeits could get rather crazy…only the young and brash really loved the game.
Which explained why Bezabelle had suggested it…and why most of the table eagerly went along with it.
He clicked his tongue a bit as Bezabelle asked the first question. Amos would now learn why he shouldn’t have agreed to play.
The guard tried to dodge, of course he did, but Ino wasn’t too invested in seeing him fail. Val voted for truth, and Ino did as well, leaning forward, lacing his fingers together under his chin. “Hmm…I think truth. He doesn’t look like a captain of anything like that. Unless he was the one to discover the evidence, I suppose~”
Had he been important, Ino would have seen him at some point. Ino did not, so Amos was either new, or irrelevant. Myut, meanwhile, gave a veiled little half-true, which was another good strategy. Cyr, meanwhile, had finally retrieved his fork but not his wandering thoughts. Ino smirked a little at his yelped answer.
It almost seemed like Amos would get away with the lie, but then Eris sparked up in typical wrath demon style.
"He's obviously lying!!" she half-yelled, her face growing slightly ruddy. "Don't let him get away with spouting whatever he wants!"
And it was a good thing she had, because the new information Amos revealed in turn was quite valuable. Self immolation…a wrath demon could do it with the right potion, but a charm or a spell was far more likely. Was it willing, or did someone else hold the trigger? Was Abadeer okay?
Who among them could command an ally in such a way? Who had that knowledge? And what the hell did Bez mean, him and Eris had to switch seats? He gave her a dirty look as he moved, she of all demons should have realized that he was trying to feed! Unless he’d really been that subtle about it…he didn’t pat himself on the back just yet, only elbowing Bezabelle when he sat beside her, swatting at her shoulder when she tried to bump him back. Poor Myut looked like he’d been asked to handle a wet, mangy raccoon, fresh from a pile of slimy trash, while Eris looked particularly small, almost cute when she sat so carefully, a bird ready to take flight. She had to ask the question too, and she got a particularly interesting one, raising Ino’s opinion of her higher.
His interest was quickly caught by Myut’s explanation. The substance sounded incredible, and he had a good idea of what it was. He flared up with interest, wanting to ask Myut all about it, its uses, how he’d obtained it, what he’d want to trade it for. Ino also beat the scholarly side of himself back with a stick. That wasn’t the sort of question Ino would ask, and Ino could not ask it, despite his intrigue. "If I say lie, can I get my seat back?" Ino teased. "But no. Truth, I think," He said, then winked at Myut. Maybe, if they got close, he could one day ask Myut all the academic questions he desired. For now, he settled back, snorting at Bez’s disappointment over the 100% truth verdict, and then turning his attention to Viv and Val.
"What's one secret you'd never want anyone outside this room to know?"
It was a good question, but Val was a tricky enough demon to get around it. No one deviated from the obvious verdict, but Viv seemed to flounder with her punishment.
Not that Eris painting Val wasn’t hilarious. The little wrath seemed to take her inspiration from him directly, painting Valramir’s bangs a bright magenta.
"Pretty color. Hey, Ino! We match!" Val called to him.
"That's my look!" Ino joked back, running his fingers through his dyed hair. "Don't get used to it~"
The happy little moment was ruined by Bez insisting Eris return to sitting on Myut, which Ino still found unfair. Cyr was next, and Ino barely had a second to get a cold shiver up his spine before the lust demon spoke.
"So...what's the deal with that poison, Ino?" he asked, his voice light and casual.
Ino's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, and he almost flipped Cyr off under the table. How fucking dare he?
But at the same time, he'd been waiting for this opportunity. He just hoped that he could sell it. This had to be perfect--neither overacted, nor too casual. He took a short breath, showing how nervous he was, because who wouldn't be nervous when accused of attempted murder because they had poison on them? Briefly, he considered telling the truth, but that would include admitting he hadn't had the gut to go through with this, so no.
Also it was a shit alibi in the first place.
"It's called heartbird," he began, splaying his fingers across the table. "But I don't think you want the chemical ID of it, do you, Cyr? It's a metabolic accelerant. I'll be blunt, at high doses, it can cause heart failure. At a low dose, though, it makes drugs and alcohol hit that much harder and faster. Doesn't do much for sex, though, I'm afraid." he smirked a bit, dropping his head into his palm. "If our guard will bring some wine, I'd be glad to demonstrate its effects. Can that be arranged, Amos?” he drew the attention of their checked out guard.
"Why... why do you have so much?" that demon answered, utterly failing to be useful. "No one's overdosing on stimulants in this place."
A lifetime of practise kept Ino from bristling, let him paint a teasing smile across his face. "The low dose wears off in a matter of hours. That, and I do have friends to share with. Sorry Bezzie, I didn't have it on me that time we were hanging out~"
That line was a bit of a risk, but he had to explain. Neither too much, nor not enough. The perfect balance to be unsuspicious with his disclosure of information.
He turned his attention back to Amos. "You really can't think of a single reason a demon might want a faster, more intense high? Hell, I bet Cyr would like being able to get drunk off 2 drinks instead of... how many can you normally take, anyway?" He tipped his head to the side, addressing the lust. No hard feelings either, that was important too.
Cyr just blinked at him with his pretty eyes. “I don’t prefer to drink,” he replied, with a glance at Bez that Ino read as warning off the gluttony. He’d been utterly wasted when Ino had found him in the rooms, though. Lie? A strange lie though. Or the effect of a glut…?
Meanwhile, Bezabelle was scolding him,
"What! Ino! I'm disappointed. You have had this the whole time and never once shared! That is beyond rude. How long have you had this stuff anyway? No, wait, more importantly, when can I try it?"
Ino mostly ignored her, until she switched her attention to begging Amos for alcohol. "He's right, you know, Amos!” Of course he was. “We need alcohol right now to try this out and confirm his story! Otherwise I'm calling Liar!"
Amos frowned. "No alcohol," he replied.
Ino relaxed just a little bit, laughing, his eyes brighter that they should be.. "Hey, no, you obviously believe me if you want to take it! You can't call Liar just because we can't get drunk!" Please let this work.
Viv agreed with Bez, and so did Val.
“Ugh. So rude.” Ino responded to them. They didn’t seem to be taking their accusations seriously, at least.
Meanwhile, Eris and Myut vouched for him, earning his thanks.
"Val, Bez, I thought we were friends" Ino pouted in their direction, playing it up that he was unconcerned. It seemed that his explanation was...plausible.
Plausible was unideal, but simultaneously, it hadn't been called as a lie. Especially since the only lie had been in an undertone, that the purpose he described was why he had brought it.
"Myut, Eris, you have my thanks" He bowed his head to each in turn, then turned his attention to Cyr. Based on the question, if Cyr got to pick, his punishment wasn't going to be fun. Under his glamor, Ino was very much afraid.
"Though I do disagree with the conditional Liar verdicts. I was fully happy to prove it if I had the materials to do so~" He teased.
And then Val spoke, and Ino felt his blood run cold. "We are. I was just curious what the punishment would be. I don't really know whether you're lying or not. You never indulge me "
Indulge me. Indulge me indulge me indulge me
Ino felt his heart crack, a source of companionship and understanding gone. Hadn’t they talked about this? Hadn’t Ino told Val that he couldn’t deal with sex? Hadn’t Val understood, promised Ino patience and warmth, had let him think that maybe it could be okay? Was this the lie, or that? The answer felt obvious. In the baths, Ino had been sleepy and vulnerable. Here, he was fully awake and focused and he couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t ally himself with someone who’d hold a grudge because he’d said maybe to sex and then changed his mind. Couldn’t risk Val turning on him if he were ever so stupid as to rely on the Sloth demon in any real way.
People were kissing. Everyone was especially invested in Val-and-Cyr, and even more so in Amos-and-Bez. It let Ino gather himself up, sweep his broken pieces under the trenchcoat of his persona, and launch back into acting.
“Ooo!” The threads of envy from Myut reminded him of something very important. “Round is over, so Eris can have her seat back~” he hopped up, heading over. “That okay, Myut?”
“Yes, please” the Greed answered swiftly, so Ino sat himself in Myut's lap carefully, looping an arm around him.
"Thanks for believing me~" He murmured. "You look like you know something about plants, so I guess that makes sense. Plus you didn't have kiss Eris, hmm? Though it seems to have worked out" his eyes drifted to Val and Cyr. "I wonder if he'll take him up on that... lust demons need to feed somewhat often, right?"
For all the soft curiosity in his voice, Ino was very much bringing that up on purpose.
He relaxed into the arm around him, though, enjoying the half-hug where he could get it, grinning back at Meu’s face at the idea of kissing Eris, noting down his bristling when he wondered about Cyr and Val. And at the other end, Cyr was looking at them, expression sour. Ino let the passive envy flood into his power reserves and smiled, pretending it was for Myut when it was all to himself.
Bez was continuing to torment Amos, forcing him to reassign her question, and then entering into an impressive bit of showmanship and flattery. He accepted her commentary, dropping his gaze to his plate, taking a few more bites of fish with no appetite for them. That really was his reputation…and he’d hold off on judgements until the others spoke up about this one.
…how far would Bezabelle go to get his secrets? He needed to be more careful around her.
The question results in a flood of truths, and Ino dutifully followed along. "Truth, obviously." he folded his hands. "I'm not about to be the only dissenter~" He joked.
“I will” Cyr said, and Ino looked over, openly shocked. “I think that’s a lie” the lust was continuing, and Ino wondered what had gotten into him.
"Oh? Unfortunate, my poor Cyr, unless you can convince everyone else to change their answers, you've just earned a punishment." Bez said with a wink.
Cyr seemed somewhat unruffled by that. "Oh dear," he said, resting his chin on his hand, and Ino now watched the back-and-forth with interest. "What do you have for me?"
"No, no. Not me! Amos, the pleasure is yours," Bez declared, inclining her head graciously.
Amos had clearly stopped paying attention. "Eh? Um...do twenty push-ups?"
Ino snorted at that. Had Amos ever looked at Cyr? "Why don't you also ask him to sit in his chair and breath a little while you're at it?" he snarked. His humour even got a laugh out of Cyr, which was pretty gratifying.
Too bad Amos didn’t appreciate the sass "Well...fine. How about..." His eyes flicked around the table a little helplessly. "Switch shirts with Ino then."
Ino sputtered when he got roped in. "It's not going to fit him! He's massive!" He complained, but he already knew no one would help out. He pulled his shirt off and balled it up, tossing it to Cyr. It smelled faintly of peaches.
Cyr caught it, looking somewhat reluctant. "I won't force it," he replied, pushing his chair back as he stood up to undo the buttons on his dress shirt before tossing it over. Ino’s shirt didn't even fit over his massive shoulders, so it ended up around Cyr’s neck like an avant garde scarf.
Ino slipped on Cyr's top, only doing the first few buttons. It hung on him like a dress, and he swore softly, rolling up his sleeves until he could use his hands again. The large shirt softened him, making him look younger, more innocent.
At least it smelled nice.
“You look like a wee babe,” Myut told him, so Ino, the pinnacle of maturity, stuck out his tongue.
“Ohh, look Ino, now we match!” Bez got a wink and a smile for that.
Wrapped in the painful familiarity of a too-large shirt around his slender frame, Ino seemed declawed, resting in the crook of Myut’s arm as the Greed interrogated Eris. Her story was fantastic, and Ino thoroughly enjoyed the audio backdrop, “True,” to his primary activity of ogling Cyr’s abs. Damn, you could grind spices on those things. Were they real? Or just incubus sexiness at a logical extreme?
Eris got called a liar, and Ino smirked at her. "At least you know we won't be swapping seats~" the envy joked. Myut would not punish himself again. Though he did tried to bargain for a freebie…Ino already knew Bez would never agree.
The punishment story was even better, and he muffled his giggles into Cyr’s sleeves.
“Ino,” the envy tuned back in right on time, “-have you asked anything yet? I think it is you."
Ino sat upright, looking around the table carefully, considering his options. There was Cyr, but Ino didn't really want to needle him further, that could be dangerous in the future. He couldn't afford to accidentally create an enemy. There was Bez, he could pull something out to really make her squirm, but she'd get back at him one way or another. Perhaps teasing Eris? Though she was a wrath...
The answer came to him when he couldn't crane his neck further, so he tipped his head back, smiling at Amos. "Oh, hello~" He chirped. "My question is to you. Why do you work for-- no, why are you loyal to Abadeer?~"
The answer should help them all plan, truth or lie.
Amos seemed annoyed, though Ino wasn’t surprised. Only an asshole would ask the question Ino had asked, knowing his colleagues, and perhaps the Prince himself, might hear the answer.
"He's the Prince," he replied, straightforward. "That's why."
"Why does that matter to you?" Bez interjected.
Amos frowned more. "It's my job to serve the Prince." he replied, sounding a little annoyed.
"So what if it's your duty?" Val asked. "You're still a demon. Loyalty... is rare. You have to have a motivation beyond 'duty'… something you get out of it, so until you really answer. You're a liar."
"Yes, what makes you care about your little job, A-mouse?"
"Protection? Prestige?" Myut offered from behind Ino. He seemed to be trying to give the guard an out.
Viv looked like she was thinking hard. "Unless you're doing it for free, I need to say liar" she said, folding her hands primly.
That seemed to get to Amos more than anything. "My family, actually," he snapped. "Not all of us were born wealthy."
Viv straightened her back, eyes flashing. "If you need a better job, I can put a word in with my father" she shot back, and Ino drew in a breath, reaching out to see if he could catch threads of envy.
Amos half-lifted his chin. "I'm perfectly happy where I am," he snapped back, bristling slightly.
Val tried to intervene, but Bezabelle couldn’t be stopped. Her eyes might be half-lidded, her head supported in her hand, but a crooked smile graced her lips. "Oh, family you say? What, did your mommy and daddy get you the job? Couldn't snag it on your own merit, hm?"
"Ha," was all Amos said, standing up, clearly meaning to leave. Unfortunately, Ino was rather distracted as Myut suddenly grabbed him, lifting him as though he weighed nothing, setting him lightly on the now-cleared table. Ino’s mind clouded over, because if there was one thing the petite envy loved, it was being manhandled. He was watching Myut, but not in any meaningful way. Just…those legs, those arms, that torso…
All of Myut was dreamy as he threatened-flirted-bargained with the guard, until the other was unceremoniously dragged through the wall. Ino straightened up, blinking. Punishments, right.
"Alright then, what is our punishment, dear Ino?"
Punishment…
He needed to get Viv, Myut…and Val. Eris and Cyr hadn’t voted, but he let it slide. Ino had one demon that he was gunning for when he announced his revenge.
"You three will go to the baths and wrestle. One of you three must end up in the water~" He steepled his fingers, eyes bright. Hmm... "Someone should go to supervise too. Cyr? You're already dressed for it~"
Val whined immediately, then immediately made a comment about getting off. Ino bounced on his toes happily to hide his stony feelings. He’d been an idiot to think the Sloth would care about anything else.
"I'll come along too, this'll be fun~" Ino announced, slipping off the table and skipping ahead. His smile slipped off his face as soon as he was ahead of the pack, but was back on as soon as he entered the baths. At least watching the fight was entertaining, as Viv and Myut ganged up on Val, like he’d hoped they would when he remembered their cooperation over the chair. He half turned away as Val hit the water, hard. He hadn’t wanted him hurt, but…
No. No mercy.
What got him to turn back was Bez’s shout, and he saw the way Viv and Myut were forced into the waters as well. He couldn’t help it, he laughed, his eyes brightening at the chaos. Now everyone was going into the water…he looked around, then strolled over to Eris, stretching out his hand. “Shall we?~”
“Yeah,” to his delight, she grabbed it, pulling him along, and both petite demons leaped, aiming for a big splash. Everyone was laughing now, smiling and flirting, and Ino just floated, keeping out of the way, doing what he did best—storing information for later.
Bez declared the last question, and Val targeted Myut, asking what had happened at the door. Evidently, it had been interesting to more than a lust-struck Ino. The tale sounded plausible enough… "Truth," the envy said from where he'd floated. Briefly, he considered saying lie just to end with a bit of fun, but he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Knowing Val, he'd lose his pants or something in the process. Besides. Cyr could just tell them if Myut felt lust towards the guard.
It seemed, at least, that Bezabelle was on the same page and took the road not taken, accusing Myut of lying and ending up with the punishment. Which was surprisingly un-lewd…although, that could be for any number of reasons.
Bezzie chose to mimic and mock Myut, dragging Cyr into her act in the process. Ino couldn’t help but snort, though. In his opinion, it should have been Cyr begging for the kiss. “Do you really collect rare teas?” he asked Myut curiously, clambering out of the pool, meaning to join the taller demon.
“Yeah. It’s one of my personal interests,” Myut said, right before Ino was hit in the face with his own shirt. He wobbled, flailing on the spot to catch his balance. He whipped back to look at Cyr, balanced on the pool's edge. "Fuck you, this is mine now!" He shouted, pulling the oversized top closer around his body. He absolutely did not let his gaze linger. Fucking lust demons and their eternal need for attention. He was sure Val would be happy to provide.
He took a breath and turned his attention back to Myut, hoping for a smooth recovery. Ino ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed. "I have a few tea ingredients with me too. Do you only collect for rarity? Or taste and effect?"
“Flavour.” Myut said flatly, then marched off before Ino could approach. For just a moment, Ino stared after him, wanting to reach out, call him back, but the message was clear, and just as well. They were all enemies here. Ino didn't need to make friends. Only potential allies.
He still stalked out of the pool, tension wiring up his frame, and would have slammed his door if he had one. Instead, he nearly stumbled, coming up short as someone was already there, a demon even smaller than he.
"Eris?!" His voice snapped a bit as he stood in the doorway, still dripping wet.
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