Fantasy The Dying World Beneath (IC)

[Rustic]

Naomi warmed a little more at her companion's receptive response. It might've just qualified for basic decency but she still let herself feel a little closer to her for her encouraging words. Like the joke she had made implied, she had had many an unattractive prospect come before her, so maybe that only served to make what was happening now seem all the more sweeter. "Thank you," she said cheerily, her face alight with joyful grin. She had expected it to die down after a moment, but, seeing the other woman's reaction to her own response, she couldn't help but smile just a little more, just a little longer, filled with a feeling she couldn't quite describe, but she enjoyed, nonetheless.

It was after this Naomi had posed her question. She had anticipated it would take a moment to digest, no matter how her partner had felt about her asking, so with a silent breath she kept herself strong and even and waited for the quick response. She was pleased with understanding of it's importance, but more importantly she listened when prompted, absolutely enthralled by Xaira's feelings. As she was, she decided to take the opportunity to make use of the wine sitting on the table. She took the already prepared bottle and easily pouring out a glass as she listened. It took a little self-control for her to keep it steady as she gave a surprised, but bemused laugh to her last, more saucy comment, but with a practiced grace, she managed. By the time she had finished, with two evenly poured out glasses, it was clear Naomi was still thoughtful about it all, but she knew very well where her general thoughts were.

"I appreciate your candidness," she said, softly but firmly. In someone else's hands, the sentiment might've felt lukewarm at best, and damnably faint praise at worst, but as Naomi expressed it, she made sure it dripped with warmth and sincerity. She really hadn't expected such an unwavering and to-the-point response so early in the night, but she took the implications of it to heart. Even if her date was already a straightforward woman - and she had given every indication that she was - her heartfelt reply still was a step further than she had needed to take it. And that was a gift she wanted to make sure was treated like it was really worth.

"I'm..." she said uncertainly, blinking. It took her a moment to get her bearings - to maybe change her line of thought or to reaffirm her own thinking, but after that, she continued. "Well, you can probably guess, I have never really been alone a lot," she finally started. "It is true, at least in Deepvale, that succubi stick together. I am actually one of the youngest, so, I've always had plenty of sisters I could ask for advice. They all usually told me the same thing: buying the cow doesn't make the milk sweeter." She giggled a little at the ridiculousness as soon as the words left her mouth. "Well, one of them told me that, but they all had some sort of variation. The same idea, that love somehow isn't worth it. Accompanied by the horror stories they would choose to tell me. About a succubi who dedicating herself to only one partner and slowly withered away. About the incubi who spent so much of his life with one person that he realized when they were gone he could no longer live without them."

"When they would tell me those things, all I could ask myself was: what could be so worth chasing after, that so many people would all go through so much for it?" She paused. "I'm still not sure. I'm still not sure that's even why I'm here for. If I found a decent incubi and just..." she trailed off and pursed her lips. "That could be the end of it." She took a deep breath.

"But I want to know what it's like to be wanted. Really wanted. Not just... taken out of obligation, or because I'm easy enough to have, or because I can change to be what someone's looking for. And what it's like to give that to someone, too. To feel that for them."

Her gaze lidded a bit, all of this earnest talk briefly feeling a bit overwhelming. She delicately picked up the glass she had set out for herself and took a sip. She had been taught how to talk, sure, but she hadn't ever gone this on at this length about anything personal before. At least, not to someone she still had so many questions about. But maybe that was what already set Xaira apart from the others she had met. She was willing to put a lot into this right from the start. Maybe willing to put a lot into her. And Naomi wanted to match that effort, not just out of politeness. She set her glass back down, a little surprised at herself. That realization was when she really felt her heart flutter, in a way she definitely knew now was not just the nerves. It really put what she had said to Xaira last into a new perspective.

"All of that to say, anyway, that I do feel the same, if different reasons," she finally finished, pushing her hair back a little. She had the impulse to look away a little diffidently again, but remembering Xaira's previous encouragement, she quickly bobbed her head back up and looked her in the eyes again. That was, for a second or two, before she gave a sort of silly grin.

"We ask the easy ones next, right?" she laughed. Not behind her hand but openly, brightly.

DergTheDergon


Chase perked up a bit, happy the two of them were still fine with his prescence. At the question they both seemed to share, though, he waved off both of their concern. "I don't know. I'm sure it's fine, though!" Granted, it had already been Yakob's leftovers before he'd even poured anything else in there, which already made it a questionable venture, but anything he got was fine with him. Nothing he'd made could be that unmanageable. And if it could, that was something he definitely wanted to experience. In any case, he also gave a big smile to Fifer's offer. He wasn't sure he'd be interested in taking her up on it, even if he liked this game in the end, but even someone like him could still appreciate the thought! The two of them kept going, and there was still some obvious business he had to take care of, any. Specifically, the drink he still had on him. He bent his head down a little. At first, to get a sip, but on closer nose-based inspection, it was pretty clear that wasn't going to be viable. He was no discerning alcohol connoisseur like Yakob was, but even he could tell he wasn't about to sip this down. However, he was not put off by trying it, and without much fanfare, he picked up the bottle and tipped it back with as big a gulp he could.

Maybe the best thing that he could say about it was that he did get what he wanted - he did evoke a strong feeling of excitement. However, the type of excitement he experienced as soon as the liquid hit his taste buds was less like the feeling of stabbing the Wendigo and more like the feeling he had during that close call with the spiders. That was to say, this concoction tasted like a mistake. The alcohol in the mixture immediately became wildfire burning through his senses and whatever sweetness it was supposed to have didn't manage to impede it's motion any. Nonetheless, it had been made implicitly clear to him the first time he'd drank anything that the right thing to do in this situation was not to spit everything out in one, swift wretch. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was spit this stuff onto his new companions, anyway. So, a smile still on his mouth and tears already running down his face, he calmly put his cup to the side and put his head briefly in crossed lap, almost afraid he'd lost consciousness by just how badly this had offended his everything.

It was great. Not, like, tasty, but it had somehow managed to be awful in a way that was also awe-inspiring. Taste still permeating his mouth, his lifted his head up from his lap and quietly wiped his involuntary tears away. He didn't even realize something could be that awful, but that was why it was so interesting. That being said, he still lifted himself up quietly from the table and moved back toward the bar. There was probably nothing he could do to really 'fix' this drink in any conceivable way, but, he still decided to pull a lemon from the fridge. The taste still hadn't gone away, and, while it was pretty intriguing in just how vile it was, it was about time to take the edge off while he could still taste anything. Remarkably casually, he picked up a knife from his nearest pocket and soundly cut it in half. Then he went through the motions of cleaning everything back up; the knife, the counter, and the other half of the lemon, which he neatly wrapped in plastic wrap. He didn't know if the bar would care to use it, but he still did it anyway, since it was what was supposed to be done.

That finished, he waltzed back with his new half a lemon and his drink again, and that was that. The rest was kinda mundane comparatively, but that was fine! Whether that was because of the speed of the game, or the speed of the balls, or the speed of the alcohol, it wasn't sure, but he happily watched them dart their way across the board until one of them was about to win. It was easy enough to understand how it'd gotten down to that point, so he actually cared about the outcome once it came down to it. And once it was over, he clapped like he'd seen Fifer doing when he had come over. He wasn't sure if he was any closer to knowing if he'd like this game if he played himself, but it seemed fun to the two of them! Fifer seemed satisfied, too, as she suggested the three of them regroup tomorrow. That was really all Chase needed to hear.

"Hahaha, can't take it back!" he chimed happily, jumping up from his seat. What she said next, he could tell, was not toward him, so without really worrying about the rest, he quickly slipped fifty dollars onto the counter and hurried on out. He wasn't really sure what kind of alcohol he'd mixed into his nasty slurry, but it seemed like fifty would cover it and the lemon. Before he knows it, though, his thoughts aren't on that, but on where he was going next. The pool game hadn't actually been so long - both Gabriel and Fifer were pretty good players, even if he hadn't realized, so the board was cleared rather quickly - and, eyeing the clock on his way through the Guild Halls, an idea occurred to him. Had Yakob and Var actually left yet? If it had been Gabriel and Fifer, he would've assumed they were both already long gone, but those two seemed different. At least, around each other. Was it possible Chase could actually catch up to them? It seemed unlikely, but, considering the time, he knew it wouldn't exactly hurt to go and look.

Oh yeah, another totally good idea. Without worrying about any further about the consequences, he danced off toward the parking lot. Time to go headlight spotting!

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Persephones Grief

 

[Verdas]

With evident curiosity and wonder, Visuria had listened silently to Yseri's lesson about fauns. It would appear that they weren't as bad as she thought, if what the faun said about them giving back to nature was true. It was then that she felt a foreign emotion, one she'd never felt before in her life. One that made her have second thoughts about getting more meat, and uncomfortable about eating it in front of Yseri. However, her stomach still won out in the end, and she proseeded to get seconds.

She filled her plate up with a variety of sausages, meatballs, etc. Once she felt she had enough, she returned the place where they were seated. She was just about to stuff a sausage down her throat when the strange feeling struck her once again. Was this the so-called 'guilt?' Putting the meat down, she asked Yseri, "Um... D-do you mind if I e-eat around you? I-I mean... S-since you're an a-animal and all. Y-you've been turning r-red a lot and... Erm, I'm w-worried."

The ravenous plant was completely unaware that her talk of 'trees' and pollination was what caused the poor faun to blush to begin with. Thus, she simply looked at Yseri quizzically, with added concern and nervousness. She genuinely wished to know the root cause of the faun's sudden and mysterious changes in colour.

-—-—-—-

A familiar voice interrupted Caroline's monotonous browsing and refreshing, causing her to look up from her phone. "Oh, didn't notice you there, two-face." She said casually, waving a hand at Fifer in greeting while taking discreet glances at the bird's nest that was her hair. "And yeah, I'm waiting for Gabe. You know, Gabriel, the guy who never misses?" With that, she took a moment to look around, but the man in question was, un(?)fortunately, not here yet.

Letting out a sigh of disappointment, she turned back to Fifer, staring intently at her marred face. 'Dragons, huh? I bet their scales would make a lovely dress. If I ripped out their teeth, I could also make some nice pokies. And their eyes...' Daydreaming about the uses of a dragon's body parts in order to, once again, pass the time, she didn't notice how long she'd been staring at her fellow hunter. Snapping out of her trance, she coughed lightly before getting back on her phone.

DergTheDergon

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xaira found herself undeniably surprised as she watched Naomi’s reactions to her admittedlty non-eloquent responses. She seemed to be enjoying herself just as much as Xaira was, which caused Naomi’s grin to spread onto Xaira’s face as if it was contagious. Both women were clearly absorbed within the moment. A warmth began to form in Xaira’s chest that she almost knew Naomi felt too.


Then came the question. Xaira, at first, felt thoroughly exposed and a little nervous as to how Naomi was going to respond to her statement. After all, succubi normally opted to never devote themselves to one other person at any given time. However, after pausing to take in Naomi’s reactions, Xaira realized that Naomi was clearly and seemingly wholly entranced by her words. She watched as Naomi poured the two of them glasses of wine, feeling as though she might need hers after spilling her guts like this. She was impressed, and gigled a bit herself when, despite Naomi’s surprised laugh in reaction to Xaira’s snuck-in innuendo, the succubus kept even a drop of wine from spilling. Xaira found her mind wondering just what else such nimble hands could do for a moment, blushing, before she was brought back to the present moment by Naomi’s grateful remark. Xaira smiled. “I don’t see why one would be anything but candid while speaking to someone you see a possible future with,” she said, winking and smiling, then taking a sip of wine.


Then, it was Naomi’s turn. Xaira nodded slowly, her expression understanding, as the Succubus started her own heartfelt speech off with a very apt statement. Xaira could certainly guess that, and already had. As the Succubus continued, Xaira was utterly enthralled by every word that passed betweeen her lips. Xaira had not exactly close had ties with anyone like Naomi’s sisters, however, she still deeply sympathized with the idea that Naomi longed for a similar connection that she did. Xaira felt her heart thump in her chest as Naomi passionately monologued about desiring to feel wanted, and to give the same to another, not for any superficial reason but simply because they desire, assembly, all of her, not only the dime-a-dozen flawless body of a Succubus. At the end of her impassioned speech, Xaira’s eyes were wide and wet with tears from the sheer beauty and emotion she felt in those words, her mouth slightly parted as her breath escaped from it, taken away by Naomi’s words.


Xaira took Naomi’s pause as cause to take a sip of her own wine simultaneously with her potential lover, the alcohol numbing the overwhelming emotion yet only seeming to intensify the warmth she felt in her heart at this moment. A smile adorned her face as Naomi topped it all off by saying she felt the same. Xaira had a feeling that she not only felt the same about why she was here, but that the deep attraction to this woman’s very soul that Xaira felt was reflected in Naomi herself as well. However, she wanted to know for sure. The question was already on the tip of her tongue when Naomi askedf if it was tiem to ask the easy questions.


Giggling with her, Xaira then paused, a girn on her face as she licked her lips. “I wouldn’t call it easy, but there’s only one question on my mind right now after hearing you pour your heart out like that...” Xaira said, her tone sultry and low, leaning forwad and speaking in a whisper.


“You say you want to be.. Wanted. I can say without a doubt that right now, I want your everything … it’s like Cupid hit me with fifty arrows at once…. Do you… feel the same towards me, just as quickly?” If she did, it would be decided; the dragon had found a treasure greater than all the hordes of gold she could ever gather in her lifetime. She waited, her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding, for the answer.

Rustic

 

[DergTheDergon]

Yseri swore she noticed a smidgen of hesitation in Vesuria before she rose for more meat, which felt very out of character to witness. however, the Vorux, by her people's nature, only spent a mere few seconds in deliberation before all but sprinting back to the buffet, the Minotaur bouncer making sure to let her in since his boss had chosen to give her privilege. A few creatures in line looked disdainfully upon the plant-girl, but she seemed so blissfully unaware that they all redirected their attention elsewhere before long.

Smiling warmly and welcoming Vesuria back to the table, Yseri was about to ask the girl a couple more questions when she saw the petite viridian beauty do something that shocked her faun companion- she dropped her meaty treat just before she brought it fully to her lips! Yseri's eyes widenedd. Just before she was able to ask what was wrong, the Vorux interrupted with her own nervous question. Blinking in confusion at first, Yseri had an epitome a moment later, gigling while covering her mouth. "No no no, don't you worry. Dear, animals... eat other animals normally. It's... not an issue. You did realize my plat was full of meat too? It is... a little sad if you think about it but... I try not to. Besides, meat is delicous! How could I resist? No the uh, face reddening... it's nomrally called blushing, isn't a health concern or anything. it's a reaction to embarassment, which I felt due to your talk of... mating. Procreation is.. a rather uncomfortable topic for many, including me... also umm... I believe the "trees" you were told about were actually another word your mother used for umm... male reproductive organs." Her cheeks now scarlet, she added that last bit both to demonstrate that she was telling the truth and to begin educating her on matters such as this while they were on the subject. In retrospect, as she was attempting to explain, this may not be the sort of topic that's acceptable for an event such as this. It was quite late indeed to worry about that, however. "I-if youwish to be... further educated in... s-such matters I.. w-wouldn't be agaiinst doing so at a later date..." 'what in Pan's name's gotten into me?' She asked herself. She meant both literally educating her in such matters mentally, and, well physically, later on, the thought causing her to blush even more. Having never seen such a beauitful and natural creature before, it was difficult for Yseri to control such thoughts in a moment like this.

Verdas

 

[PanOtterPus]

Gabe simply chuckled at Chase's response and let the young man get on with it. If Chase was happy to risk drinking that then who was Gabe to stop him? Instead, he turned his attention back to their game. Though not for long - reputations as they were, the game didn't last long. He also knew his partner had let him win, but chose not to say anything. She was trying to be nice and he wasn't about to stop her. "I could go another mission, sure. As for the game? I'd love to... sometime." Gabriel gave his small smile and helped the others clean up before heading out and back to his apartment.

He spent the next hour or so cleaning his rifle, taking test aims, proceeding to do the same with his hang guns. He went about the monotonous business of preparing for bed, only to find that (as he usually found) he was unable to sleep. As such, he picked up a book, barely noticing the words on the pages, instead wondering about his mission tomorrow with his new teammate down below him. He eventually drifted off to thoughts of firing at a moving target.

The following morning, Gabe rose at his usual time, grabbed some toast and his guns, and headed out to his usual morning spot where he liked to sit and wait for missions to come up. This morning, however, he found his spot already occupied. "Mornin' ladies. Caroline, right?" He'd heard of the woman before - as he had heard of most Guild members - though this particular lady came with a rather particular set of warnings. Gabe almost flinched at the thought of the stories he'd heard regarding her "aiming" - if you could even call it that.

Unaware of the conversation that had begun in his absence, Gabriel could feel a rather odd sense of tenseness in the , though he had no idea where it was coming from. He was apparently unaware of the fake smiles on the girls' faces at each other upon his arrival...

DergTheDergon Verdas

 

[DergTheDergon]

The night before, Fifer similarly let chase simply do him as it were, her attention called back to Gabe and smirked at his words, her heart fluttering just slightly at Gabes last sentence and his small smile. Just managing to keep her cool, she spoke up challengingly. “Didn’t say you had a choice, hotshot,” she said, accentuating it with a wink. “On either the mission or the game.” Afterwards, as Fifer settled into a rather fitful sleep, she kept replaying that conversation in her head, over and over.

Upon hearing the words “two-face” come out of the woman’s mouth, Fifer’s good eye twitched, the woman feeling her body tense up. She was barely able to keep her fists from clenching, in all honesty. “Mornin’, butterfingers,” she retorted, smiling with a slight cheekiness to her grin behind the forced friendliness. Only more anger seeped through her as she said she was waiting for gabe. ‘Fuckin’ perfect… at this rate i’m gonna end up punching her right in front of him and he’ll start avoiding me,” Fifer thought angrily. “Huh, funnily enough me too,” she said, continuing in her forced tone. Fifer simply raised an eyebrow at Caroline’s next comment, trying not to think too much about her unsettling fixations. A fleeting thought passed where she felt that Caroline and Chase might get on quite well, but then Fifer realized that she liked Chase and would never wish having to deal with Caroline every day on him.

Upon seeing Gabe, Fifer rose from her chair much more swiftly than her lethargic self normally did in the mornings. The spirit of perceived competition for Gabe got her blood pumping, as it were. “Mornin’ Gabe,” Fifer retorted, smiling genuinely at him. She impatiently waited for Caroline to confirm Gabe’s question so that she could start working to get him away from Caroline.

Suddenly, the trio's phones all chimed the same familiar tone, and fifer immediately got out her phone, skimmed the contents of the guild app alert, and grinned. Perfect. She immediately tapped the sign up button. The notification told of an unusual monster sighting in London. The witness, who had reportedly been on a date with the target, claimed that one moment, he was a normal if perhaps unnaturally handsome-looking young man, and the next moment, he seemed to suddenly chang, his nose becoming like a dog's, markings and patches of fur appearing all over him. "Purebred Werewolf...the kind that don't have a form that can naturally blend in with humans... he's gotta be," Fifer muttered under her breath. "But I never heard of them being able to disguise themselves like that... the hell's going on..."

"Hey Gabe," she said, meeting eyes with the man in question and ignoring the gun-clumsy elephant in the room for now. "Think we should wait for Chase? Either way get in here ,you're definitely coming." Fifer smirked. She had a feeling that Caroline would definitely join in, and for Gabe's sake, she grudgingly began to mentally prepare herself to tolerate the girl for this impending mission.

PanOtterPus Verdas

 

[Verdas]

Visuria's face showed her emotions and thoughts like an open book, and shifted multiple times as the faun spoke. It went from showing understanding and relief one moment, to confusion the next. The part about animals eating eachother wasn't so surprising. Fungi consumed their own kind, after all. No, what was surprising was the realisation of just how ignorant she was. She had never even heard of the so-called 'male reproductive organ' before, and she was even more curious about how creating pros worked. Questions kept sprouting up one after the other, like weeds in a garden. Once again, she was completely unaware of the thoughts which passed through Yseri's head, which may or may not have included a certain 'venus flytrap.'

However, now that it was clear for her to eat, she immediately wolfed down everything in her plate, and within mere moments, there was nothing left. Had there been more, she surely would've forgotten about the questions she wished to ask the knowledgable faun sitting across the table, but fortunately, she was now quite full (though that won't last for long). "S-so, w-what does a m-male reproductive organ l-look like? D-do they look like t-trees?" She asked innocently, looking at Yseri expectantly. She also wished to know how to create pros, but all in due time.

——————

It has never felt so betrayed in its life. In fact, had it been sentient and capable of speech, it would have called foul. There was no gratitude for it's service, and the alarming speed at which the foreign voice stole the spotlight was astounding. In other words, Caroline's phone was completely forgotten at the sight of Gabriel, a man that she swears she didn't stalk. "Mornin!" She returned the greeting, waving at him with considerably more enthusiasm than with Fifer. "You look even better in person. I'm surprised you know my name, but yep, that'd be me!" She said, and was just about to approach the him when she noticed Fifer's SMG lying on the ground.

Walking over to it and picking it up, she carelessly waved it in the air for its owner to see. "Hey, two- Fifer. You left your gun here." There were two things that should never, ever come into her possession; those two being fully automatic weapons and explosives. Skipping over to Fifer and Gabriel, she was just about to hand the deadly weapon over when her finger slipped, pulling the trigger by accident, the bullet missing its owner's foot by a hair's breadth. "Whoops! Sorry. You're not hurt anywhere, are you, Gabe?" She apologised, though not to Fifer. Instead, she simply handed her the gun and frantically looked Gabriel over for injuries. Why would she care about the wellbeing of some two-faced bit- woman?

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus

 

[Rustic]

“I don’t see why one would be anything but candid while speaking to someone you see a possible future with." Naomi's smile could only break it's small, polite position and smile a bit goofily at her response. She had been taught to give very little away through her posturing, but she really couldn't help it - Xaira's boldness, combined with her overwhelming sincerity for what she said, was almost too much for her to handle. 'Endearing' wasn't quite a strong enough word, but it's the best she can think of in the face of the most . It was clear her date knew the right words to say without actually searching for them, and there was nothing more curious - and exciting - than that.

After she had started - and finished - speaking, she had gotten a little nervous about it, but As Xaira got in close, Naomi shivered, every hair on her neck feeling as if it'd stood up at once. It was intoxicating to be so close to such a lovely woman; not only in how she looked, but how she carried herself, the kind of person she was. The two of them had not known each other for very long, but she seemed to wear everything about her on her sleeve - not in a naive way, but in the way that only someone unapologetically bold could. She could only wonder: was this really what honest attraction was? It thrilled her to the absolute core.

Then came her proposal. A sentiment like that could've easily sent off alarm bells in her mind, but it was easy to see the difference. People who mistook their lust for love often did so distractedly - focusing on other... aspects other than what she was really saying. Xaira did not. Naomi had watched her as she had spoken. Her honest interest was as clear as day. Instead her offer, only made her shiver with an anticipation. This time, she knew that it wasn't just the expectation of a large reception, or something otherwise so easily explained away. This was honest to god what she was looking for.

"I do," she said, her heart just seeming to swell. But... it wasn't easy. She looked down to her painted nails reluctantly. She just... didn't want to be too hasty about it. Everything she had ever been taught had told her that she shouldn't let herself get taken so easily. But, then again, this also wasn't what her sisters' had told her she should be doing. This was something else entirely. Something many of them hadn't even experienced. She took a breath. Maybe this was something she could teach them. Something she could experience for herself. And, looking back up at Xaira, if she was a mistake, then, this would be the easiest one she ever made. Maybe one worth making.

She took her date's hand once again. They were already so close; she hadn't even realized. Still, she let herself get closer. She usually did not do this without being prompted, but, she wanted to be forward. She had already been so forthright - Naomi wanted to show her that she could do the same. With one deft movement, she leaned into Xaira's face and did what felt what felt right now: she kissed her. Gently, modestly, but earnestly.

When she pulled away, only slightly, her smile was uncontainable. It was all over her face - a giddiness she just couldn't contain. "I do," she reaffirmed, pushing her hair away again and giving a small, nervous laugh.

DergTheDergon


When Chase awoke the next morning, it wasn't as easily as the one before. He rubbed his tired eyes a little exhaustedly as searched for his phone to find the time. It had been an interesting night out last night, for sure. He hadn't found Yakob and Var in time to join them on their mission, exactly, but about the time he'd given up searching had been the time when the alcohol had kicked in. He hadn't drank very much, he was sure of that, but for whatever reason, whatever he had had had hit him like a freight train, and that had made the rest of the night afterward a bit of a blur. He remembered two things for sure, though - his father had been made well aware of whatever it was he done, and he hadn't been very happy about it. Not even his usual 'I'm mad at the way your life is going so I'm going to growl for thirty minutes in my boss voice to try and guilt you into not doing it again' sort of unhappy, but that sort of quiet, uncomfortable unhappy he got when he was worried about something. Though, for the life of him, Chase couldn't guess what he might've done to warrant that. His clothes were clean, he didn't have any new injuries beyond the bruises and scrapes of yesterday's mission... what exactly had gone on? He shook his head dismissively of his thoughts and continued to grasp around his room for his phone.

It didn't take too long for him to find it. Just as he really started looking for it, he heard it start to buzz in a very familiar way. He perked up when he heard it, and since it was near, he easily picked up the sheet it was hidden under and turned on the screen. It was a new mission, of course. He had a tone set specifically for that. Giving one last rub to his eyes, every part of him perked up as he read through the mission summary. A werewolf in London, huh? He couldn't help but laugh at that. He didn't spend too long reading through the details, though, before hopping down to the 'current participants' list. Just as he'd hoped, his two current favorite faces were shown as available. And a curious one. Caroline Haurer? He'd never seen her face like this, but he'd heard enough about her. Some people had even assumed they were siblings from the similar last names, and apparently, similar demeanor. He wasn't quite sure what people meant by that, but at the very least, he was now about to find out. He took one confirming look at the time it was posted versus the time it currently was and... oh.

Without delaying for a moment, he jumped up and out of bed and made his way down to the Guild Hall. Even in a hurry, he was not one for elevators, so he made a few bold maneuvers in order to get down the stairs in a timely fashion. He heard a few frustrated grunts and small, surprised gasps as he moved around people and hopped down from railing to railing, but within a minute or two, he'd made it to the bottom. Now all that was left was to actually make it to where they were waiting. He darted around a room or two, looking with no success at it's occupants, and when he finally came upon the room the three of them were in, he lept on up to grab the open door frame... only to be startled by a sudden shot to the ground.

He blinked furiously and fell back onto the floor. It was pretty clear what had happened when he sees that girl, Caroline, hurry over towards Gabriel, as if she'd almost hurt him. Except, he could see as clear as day the new indentation on the floor. He didn't really know what to think of that. Assassination attempt? She'd have to be a really bad aim to miss a shot at point black range. And, also, nobody seemed to be moving to restrain her or anything, so it probably wasn't that. Still, he moved into the room a little more warily than he otherwise had been planning to, a thinly veiled look of uncertainty and distaste apparent on his face. He confirmed his entry on the app, but instead of making some loud announcement as he planned, he simply moved close to Fifer's side quietly. Whoever this girl was, he wasn't about to let her threaten what he'd found here.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Verdas

 

[DergTheDergon]

`Yseri could clearly see the mix of emotions that passed, one by one, over Vesuria’s face, only making the Faun across from her more nervous about what she was trying to explain every second. Then, once she’d finished and her face was bright scarlet, a dread-filled thought floated into her mind and stayed there for a very long time. ‘What if she asks about… penises?! How am I going to-’ Unfortunately, before she could even finish the thought, to her abject horror, that worst-case-scenario fear came true. If her face could turn any redder at this point, it would, but thankfully it could not; it felt like any more and her cheeks would burst into flame.


“W-well, ah, err..” Yseri began, wracking her brain to word this carefully while not believing she was having this conversation. “It, ah, sort of looks like an upside-down tree, w-which is narrower at the bottom of the trunk. There’s a hole there to allow f-for uh, sap, let’s say, t-to...c-come out.” She felt her face growing hotter still sme how as she endeavored to answer her naive date’s question as best as she could. “A-also, the tree’s ah, crown, does not grow any leaves b-but is still.. Fleshy like the rest of it, a-and uhh.. h-hangs down.”


Yseri could feel appalled eyes on her as she spouted this drivel, but ignored them. Answering Vesuria’s questions in terms she could understand was her top priority. Still, she couldn’t believe she was giving someone who was, by her appearance, around her own physical age sexual education. Were all Vorux this sheltered? SureLY not. Either way, Yseri somehow gathered up the courage to ask the Vorux a very dreaded question back. “A-any more you wish to know?” Yseri had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that the girl was going to ask about procreation next, and found herself wondering in slight hysteria whether or not it was truly possible to die from embarrassment. She supposed she was about to find out, unfortunately.

Verdas

-


Naomi’s erupting smile was all but contagious for the Dragoness across from her, her own grin widening and staying that way as her chest warmed. She could tell her words were touching the succubus’ heart in ways that many would attest that such sexually-natured creatures’ hearts could never be touched. However, one could say the same about the admittedly often greed-and-mayhem-filled, ash-black hearts of Dragons; and yet Xaira’s eyes moistened as she heard Naomi’s heartfelt speech, it surprising her greatly with the wave of emotion it put her through. She’d never felt so deeply sympathetic before, in truth.


Xaira would soon learn that this Lilin was stuffed to the brim with surprises, however, and that it was time for… a lower part of her to moisten due to the bold course of action Naomi took mere moments after Xaira leaned in and asked her burning question. The Lilin leaned in herself to match Xaira’s own closeness. The words ‘I do’ sent a pleasant shiver down the Dragoness’s spine as simultaneously, her heart swelled with unprecedented warmth. Then, showing the dragoness, to her great surprise, that said warmth could be yet still amplified and then spread throughout her body in a magnificent way, Naomi’s lips met hers, sending a powerful spark of electricity throughout her body. From her lips, to the top of her head, to tips of her wings, to, of course, right between her legs, Xaira felt a powerful sensation that was more intense, more profound, than any kiss she’s shared with any other being she’s ever been with, which she’d lost count of ages ago. This woman was something special, that was for certain.


Clearly utterly entranced, her eyes were glossed over as Naomi suddenly pulled away. “The words weren't necessary … your lips said more closed against mine then open and flapping,” she said, giggling. Then, because she couldn’t resist, she leaned back in, and kissed her a little harder, a little deeper, than she had done herself. She wondered if Naomi could continue matching her boldness as she had done. If this escalated much further, it seemed as though their night together would stretch far beyond the end of the Gala… and Xaira was looking very much forward to that possibility.


Pulling away farther with a cheeky girn, she said, “that was absolutely lovely, and you’ve got guts, but I don’t think we should get too carried away here.” Xaira could feel eyes on the pair; a mix of ogling eyes that offended the onlookers' dates, and pairs of jealous patrons asking “why aren’t we getting on that well?” It was definitely time to stop, Xaira felt… for now.


“So, now that we know without a doubt where each of us stands, I guess it’s finally time for the easy questions. As for what to start with, hmmm…. Ah. I'm curious of your family. Do you and your sisters share living quarters? Are there… others that live with you?” She was quite curious about the lives of succubi; getting the real truth, mind you, not the scandalous rumors all revolving around promiscuity. Clearly, as Naomi was demonstrating every moment Xaira spent with her, there was far more to succubi than lust, contrary to popular belief.

Rustic

 

[PanOtterPus]

Gabe chuckled at Caroline's surprised tone. He saw it as his job to know everyone, so she was just another name with an unfortunate story as far as he was concerned. Gabe nodded at Fifer's response to the new mission, which had pinged on his own phone. He promptly pulled out the device and accepted the request. "Done and done. Sounds like we got ourselves another interesting one. Yeah, probably best to wait on our dude, he'd want in on this for sure."

As if the world believed he needed to be more awake, Gabe was shocked by the sudden firing of the gun. It took him a moment to register what was happening. So the rumours were true - do not give this woman a gun. Attempting to calm the girl's concern for his safety, he waved a hand. "I'm fine. The gun wasn't even pointing at me." Completely oblivious to her feelings, he couldn't help but think to himself how nice it was that a complete stranger was so concerned about his well-being. How charming.

A moment later, Chase arrived to the party. "Morning, Chase. How you feeling after your little drinking experiment?" He dreaded to think what it had tasted like, let alone what it must do to your body the morning after. He had had some pretty awful hangovers in the past, he couldn't even imagine what this one would be like.

DergTheDergon Rustic Verdas

 

[Halexia]

Tyra stepped outside into the sun, she instinctively pulled her hood up and pulled her cape tight around her, she knew the sun couldn't harm her, but being the paranoid little thing she was, she wasn't taking any chances, besides she never really did like the sun, the vampire side of her just gave her more of a reason to despise it;she looked down at her watch realising she was somewhat late, without really looking up she set off for the Gala at a sprint, literally bumping into a stranger "oh...erm excuse me, I apologise I wasn't really looking where I was going" she gave a nervous giggle "do you know if I am heading the right way for the gala, I'm a little lost I think"

PanOtterPus

 

[DergTheDergon]

Fifer held back a classic death glare in Caroline’s direction as Gabe approached, causing Caroline to seem to become instantly dead to the world. Clearly, she was one of those clingy fangirl types. Fifer hadn’t really noticed this about her before, however fifer was the type that tended not to notice many things until they became immediately relevant to her. In this case, she hadn’t noticed caroline’s Gabe obsession, or really much about her, until she found herself falling for Gabe in a similar way; meeting him in person. The man seemed to attract a lot of ladies to him. ‘Perfect… juuust perfect,” Fifer found herself thinking. The reverent way she talked to him even rubbed Fifer the wrong way, as she felt like Gabe was a humble sort who didn’t find being treated like a god, almost, to be all that appealing. Yet, he also seemed to be a friendly sort, not the kind of guy to brush fangirls like Caroline off, much to Fifer’s chagrin. Thankfully, smiling genuinely towards Gabe so as not to make him feel as though he had done anything to make her mad was easy, even in this situation. It seemed to her that Gabe was, if not oblivious to the tension between these two female colleagues of his, at least oblivious to its source: namely, himself. Maybe this was for the best. All Fifer had to do was hold her tongue, and likely at some point her fists, although she knew it wouldn’t be exactly easy. Reagrdless, Fifer smiled, still ignoring Caroline of course. “Yep, sounds like it.” She then nodded at his agreement to wait for Chase.


Suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere as these things always do, it happened. Namely, Caroline began to make her way towards Fifer’s gun. Well, tried wasn’t the most apt word per se: she made it there alright. The sight of this Ms. Butterfingers, as Fifer so aptly and chastising referred to her at all times, getting her slippery little mitts all over her gun, and, god forbid, far, far too close to the trigger for its owner’s liking, was enough to override the urge to lash out at the little minx for calling her “two-fifer.” She swore she’d come up with a similarly chastising nickname for that gun-clumsy girl someday… if she lived through her current course of action, anyway. Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the bullet leave the chamber, heading straight for her. She was still shaken up, not hearing a word said as she mechanically snatched the gun up, glaring at her after. “Never. Fucking. Touch. That. Again.” Fifer said with shaky breath, although a moment later, she realized that her words more than likely fell on deaf ears as she began to fume. She’d almost shot Fifer, not Gabe, not that she cared. It was half tempting to return the favor is it were, but if she did that she’d likely be sent to prison, for quite a while or even life depending on where the bullet hit, and expelled from the guild. So, she just barely put the gun safely away on her hip, then turned to gabe, ensuring that the only eye she had to spare could easily keep track of Caroline. “Yeah, it was real fortunate no one was hurt…” although, she almost had a thought that she’d definitely take a shot in the foot if it mean caroline was punished with mayhaps a nice suspension so that Fifer didn’t have to deal with her.


As if sent to protect just about everyone else in the room but Gabe from Fifer’s possible wrath, the only other person on her good side at the moment, namely Chase, then approached the group. He was suitably wary after what just happened, which made Fifer relax a little as he quietly moved towards her side. No loud entrance? Was it the hangover, or was Chase taking danger seriously all of a sudden? Maybe, Fifer thought, it was because he himself wasn’t in danger, yet she clearly was. Fifer was certain that, to every other member of the guild, she was just some ugly broad who was good at getting jobs done and that’s why anyone ever tolerated her. Hell, even Gabe, though she intended to turn around that perceived opinion of her of course. He certainly still acted aloof around her most of the time, and she didn’t think for one moment that it could be because he likes her. No, he isn’t the kind of guy to play games like that; she could tell. Still, he was being far too nice to her for her liking. Here she was, nearly having shot one of his partners up, and he didn’t look the least bit pissed. She sure as hell would be if it was him or Chase that got shot up. But, Fifer knew that it was because he was being nice, not because he didn’t care if she lived or died, so her annoyance towards him naturally faded both because of her feelings towards him, and her understanding of the situation.


Suddenly thinking about her shaken-up, likely hungover-as-all-hell second partner she then met eyes with Chase for a moment to give him a reassuring pat on the head, smiling at him for a second, as to silently affirm that she was okay. The smile was genuine, if just barely noticeable. She thought in passing that chase kind of felt like a little brother to her, in a way. Seeing that he was clearly at least a little wary of Ms. Butterfingers, whilst said Gabe Fangirl was busy trying to chat up her apparent favorite person, Fifer took the time to lean in towards Chase and whisper. “Keep an eye on her and tell me if she does something behind our backs that could be a concern… she might either accidentally shoot someone or not-so-accidentally try to take Gabe from us.” She let Chase do with her instructions and untrusting musings as he would, turning back to Gabe for a moment as she then heard another notification on her phone. She didn’t look at it as she knew it was Chase joining. Plus, she had a Gabriel to keep from slipping into the clutches of a madwoman. Granted, Fifer knew that many thought her a madwoman herself; that was a dark train of thought for another time, however.


Once Gabe noticed Chase’s presence, Fifer turned to look at him for his answer. Unbeknownst to herself, she began tapping her foot impatiently, eager to get her ass into the truck and moving. Chase and Gabe would both known that she didn’t like to waste a second of time if she could help it after gathering a good-sized team together like they had, and in this situation, she was particularly itching for something to focus on other than her animosity (and slight fear considering a certain recent event) towards Caroline. The more those thoughts festered, the closer she fell doing something that could get her expelled, imprisoned, or maybe killed by the broad in self-defense. Much as she hated to admit it, Caroline was well-known for her knife skills like Chase was.

Rustic Verdas PanOtterPus

 

[Rustic]

Naomi took a series of shallow breaths in between her small laughs, both at her own courage and at her partner's comment. She was exhilarated beyond belief. She was surprised with herself, and with her partner. It was rare that she even came close to feeling so... uninhibited. There was really no mistaking it; Xaira's enthusiasm was dangerously contagious. And that was something she already loved about her. She found herself further enlivened when there's sudden reciprocation on Xaira's part. Their lips meet again, and it takes everything in her to hold herself together while they do it and not just start laughing while they met. She was just so excited, so hungry for more that everything in her wanted to match what she was shown, and her wings fluttered in a way that showed just how pleased she was. Though, and their motions gradually slowed as she just let herself enjoy what she had and put aside her incredulity. When the two of them finally drew back, she was still clearly amused, but noticeably more mellow, like she'd finally gotten truly comfortable in this new truth. She composed herself again in an attemptedly poised way and started back amiably.

As she did, she subtly became aware of eyes on her again. Normally off-putting, but there was something unbelievably comforting to feel them now. It likely came with the dawning realization that she had to have not been noticing them before to only be aware of them now. Then came her companion's request. It surprised her a bit, though, she wasn't quite sure why. She agreed with the sentiment. Regardless, she kept her expression pleasant and neutral and rose her glass of wine to her lips. "That's fine," she assured, just over the rim. "That was more than I could've hoped for already." She smiled a little wider for a moment before, satisfied, she took a gulp or two of her drink.

When she had finished with it and set it back to the table, she had a new question to mull over. It was easy enough, and it was nice that she'd asked. If nothing else, Naomi was always in the mood to talk about her sisters. She considered it for a few moments, and then began to speak.

"Most of us do," she admitted, to the question of whether or not they shared quarters. There were not many succubi in Deepvale, but it was still rare for them to live alone. She could think of maybe one or two of her sisters who did; most of them preferred to share homes, usually three to five of them together. Always out, but always someone to come home to. It was nice.

"I'm currently living with my closest sister, Deliliah," she said. In this instance, it was obvious she meant in terms of relationship. It was well known that two Lilin might be able to be related, technically, but with the complicated way they conceived, it was incredibly unlikely, complicated to find out, and ultimately, irrelevant. In cities like Deepvale, being a succubi or incubi was enough to be family. Being on good terms was really all that mattered. "It is just the two of us now, but I used to live with many more of my sisters, when I was younger. In need of the guidance." So many of them - redundant to their stated purpose, but all eager to impress upon and teach a rare new succubi. She'd never minded.

She took a moment to look down at her glass, looking down as if remembering an old memory, before she finally continued. "They've since moved off, but we still live rather densely - and they insist on coming over, taking me out, having get-togethers."

She looked up to Xaira again, cheerfully. "They're lively, loving people," she said, confidently. She twirled her glass around a little contemplatively, her smile slowly fading into something more thoughtful.

"But you have no one to come home to," she said. It had the suggestion of a question to it, but it sounded more like a statement than anything. Maybe a confirmation of the fact.

"Where are you usually?" she finally asked, delicately. "What keeps you away?" What motivated people, if not their obligations to others? That was sort of what she was wondering, though, it wasn't something she implied or stated. Rather, it was at the back of her mind as she wondered of the answer, steadily reaching over to pour another glass.

DergTheDergon


When Chase had moved to Fifer's side, he'd really been hoping nothing would come of it, but in the end, it's something she noticed. When he noticed from the corner of his eye that she had begun to appraise him for it, he was hesitant for a moment to return her gaze, but he did decided to anyway. Then he was... surprised to see her looking at him rather cheerfully? Or as cheerfully as he would have expected Fifer to be looking at anyone, anyway. It was comforting to see that she was doing okay from this, though, that did not help him to feel much better, his face only moving from vague resentment to vague disappointment. After all, Gabriel obviously looked fine, but that was only because it seemed like he was oblivious to whatever was going on here. As if knowing this would not suffice, however, she followed up her hint of a smile with a small pat on the head - a telltale sign to him that he was doing something right. That made his whole attitude improve almost immediately. He wasn't quite how she intended it, whether she felt how he did or if maybe she just liked him (!), but either way, he was clearly thrilled just to be positively noticed, relaxing like a cat in the sun under her touch.

With that, he wearily pulled out his phone, though, fully anticipating that that might've been the end of it. He didn't understand what was going on, and that usually meant having to wait for a 'better time' to ask for answers. As he started to tap, however, he felt her at his ear. That was when he was really confused. The instructions she had for him, while vindicating, left him more unsure than he had been just before. If she was such a field risk, why were they even taking her? Especially if there was a worry she might do something intentionally. The question made him subtly grind his teeth a little. More than anything, though, the prospect of her trying to 'take' Gabriel away quietly took the breath from him. It was hard for him not to look up at her for confirmation about that. The idea that he'd been right - and that there was a chance that she could want to destroy this good team... it made him sicker than the hangover ever could. Amidst the confusion of his feelings about his subject, there was at least one bit of coherency: the lingering comfort of her knowing how he felt. He continued to stare down and tap at his phone, but he gave a small, enthusiastic smirk and bit his thumb thoughtfully, and decided to focus on the day ahead, and how he could turn this around.

Around the same time the notification rang that he was finished signing in, Gabriel seemed to notice his presence. Maybe because of the sound, maybe because he had finally finished up with Caroline. Either way, his question surprised Chase a little, and he looked up from his phone screen with a lingering look of being focused on something else. As he processed what had been asked, though, he shook off his remaining thoughts and returned to the moment. Though, that didn't make the answer came any easier to him.

"...Fine?" was what ended up settling on. He felt physically okay. He was still kinda woozy, and a little worried he might vomit, but he wasn't overly concerned about that. That came easily enough with working out too hard, and like all things, it passed. Though, he added, "I took something," in a distracted, neutral, and subtly unsure voice. He probably would've been hurting worse, otherwise, but he was pretty sure he remembered taking something for this eventuality. He blinked furiously as he thought about it. Not exactly totally willingly. He didn't like taking things. In any case, that wasn't something Gabriel had to concern himself with. He turned back to his phone, not even realizing how he'd answered might have been considered suspiciously terse, before his eyes widened a tad.

"But, like, a full-on werewolf guy?" he asked, looking up to Gabriel and Caroline, and then Fifer, questioningly. His tone had returned to what it usually was - blithe, unaware. "That doesn't sound right. This isn't a computer problem or something?" He looked back down to his phone, unsure, before shaking his head dismissively and turning on his heel absentmindedly. Whatever the answer was, he knew someone was going to explain it to him on the way. In his mind, it didn't really factor in that they might not be leaving right now. It seemed clear to him that they would be; they were clearly all set up. And if they weren't, someone would stop him. So he just started headed for the door, not really thinking about it.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Verdas

 

[PanOtterPus]

The towering form of Orthrus had become somewhat of a comfort for the more anxious guests. He had been making his rounds, helping those who asked or were too awkward to start a conversation with other guests, and generally keeping an eye out for trouble - which had already entailed one very unhappy participant in the form of Danto sulking in the corner. He had intended to meet up with Yseri to go over the expectations for the evening, but he had seen that she had been pulled aside rather early on. Good for her, he had thought to himself, seems even those of us who aren't involved as guests can find interest.

The evening seemed to be going rather well, couples forming here and there, even the grumpy vampire now walking - though reluctantly - around the room. As Orthrus was making another round, waving and nodding hellos as he went, he suddenly came into contact with another being. More accurately crashing into her. He hastily turned to his collision participant and began checking her over. "No harm done here, miss. Apologies, I wasn't really payin' attention either." He chuckled a deep, shiver inducing chuckle, running a hand through his red hair. Orthrus' black eyes began to take her in more fully, unable to pinpoint a specific species through his senses... A hybrid? How unusual. "Well," he began, snapping back to her question, "you're here. Welcome, m'lady, to the one place where yer guaranteed a match."

"I can show you around if ya like? Yer a little late so ya missed the speech, and most are already sorta makin' conversation, but I'm sure we can find ya someone." Orthrus waved a hand in invitation to follow, leading the woman inside. "Name's Orthrus, if ya didn't already know that is. Don't think I've seen ya around town before?" This in itself was unusual for the Hound. The only folk he didn't really see were those who had no desire to have anything to do with the world above. Or those who were avoiding detection for other reasons. Which just made him all the more curious about this woman.

Halexia

 

[Halexia]

"I'm Tyra" she replied her eyes scanning over the crowd of people "and your offer to show me around is appreciated, thank you" of course he hadn't seen her around until recently she had tried to keep herself to herself, people weren't really her strong point she tended to push people away usually "I don't really get out much, probably why you haven't seen me around" she was pleasently surprised at Orthrus being so kind and offering to help

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xaira smiled appreciatively when Naomi agreed not to get too carried away here, reciprocating her wider smile afterwards. “Thanks, just a little nervous about getting so intimate around so many people... but don’t get me wrong:. If we were alone right now, I’d be aaaall over you… this is way, way more than I hoped for too, trust me.” she added with a wink, wanting to make it clear that she simply felt uncomfortable getting very intimate with so many eyes watching the new couple. Xaira already felt, in a way, very close to Naomi, though as of yet they knew very little about each other, which oddly made Xaira feel a little self-conscious among strangers. She was used to acting aloof, calm and collected among the public, nearly emotionless. Being around someone she felt so close to among so many strangers made her feel… vulnerable, which in turn made her feel uncomfortable. This was something to be discussed later, when the pair was alone. But for now, Naomi had a question to answer so Xaira allowed her thoughts to pass right by as she zeroed in on the beautiful Lilin’ words and the movement of her soft, hypnotizing lips that the Dragoness could just barely believe had touched her own kissers just moments ago.

Her initial answer was expected, as it was a rather well-known fact that succubi and incubi tended to stick close together, most of the time. She was, however more intrigued at every moment as the sultry-yet-sensitive young Lilin continued speaking. Xaira knew that hearing of her living arrangements would be interesting, however, Naomi would notice a sadness in the Dragoness’s eyes, faint yet very much there. Naomi’s musings on how close all these “sisters” of hers still lived directed her Dragoness date’s mind towards the solitude she chose for herself all those years ago. The reason she’d come to this gala was that the novelty of said solitude had certainly worn off over the years. Xaira smiled as Naomi said they were loving people, though that sadness in her eyes only came further towards the surface of her gaze, still tuned in and filled with wonder for the most part.

‘It’s wonderful to hear that… especially since what you mostly hear of your kind from non-Lilin tells quite a different story unfortunately. Delilah especially sounds like a wonderful girl. I’ll have to meet her sometime.”

Then, it felt like Naomi’s following words hit her right in the chest. She paused for a moment, eyes wide in that bold assertion, but she was right. She averted her gaze downward for a moment, nodding solemnly before lifting her eyes once more towards her Succubus girlfriend’s- and yes, she already thought of the woman as her lover, having hit it off with her so well. Naomi was already hers, as far as she was concerned. “You got me,” she confirmed, solemnly.

Naomi’s questions were refreshingly bold. She really was full of surprises, and Xaira truly appreciated it. Besides, she’d actually been longing for someone to talk to this about more than nearly anything else lately. Plus, now that she thought about it, there were things about her current situation that she and naomi would have to consider should their relationship evolve into the long-term sort. “Well,” she began with a sigh, “depends on if I’ve got work or not. I’m a mercenary of sorts, I kill the nasty things down here so that they don’t terrorize folk. Giant spiders, hostile undead, y’know, the things that lived down here before we settled here. It’s fulfilling work but, well, if I’ve got a contract I’ll likely be traveling for days, weeks or even months until it’s done. In fact, uhhh, might be something wee’ll need to take into account about us. The other half of the time though, I’m living in my house on the other side of town. It’s nice, and spacious enough for us both to live in. If you wanna take a look after the Gala, I’ll take you there.” She grinned and winked, lightening the mood a bit with that flirty comment before getting to the rather heavy answer to naomi’s next question. “Anyway, what keeps me away from my family is… well, quite frankly, Dragon culture for the most part. We’re expected to move out pretty young- I did so when I was fifteen. Most Dragon parents, including mine, feel that once they’re done raising us, it’s our own life now and they don’t have any place in it. So, I haven’t talked, to my parents since I moved out. Just the way we do things, I guess. I’m an only child too, which is also common: more than one egg at a time’s pretty damn rare for Dragon births.” Xaira then waited for any follow-up questions and answered them candidly.

Meeting her eyes and perking up a little, she then said “Enough about me and my race though. I’m kinda wondering what you’ve been up to, ‘sides looking for a mate. What you do.” With great curiosity in her eyes, she leaned forward again and looked attentively into Naomi’s once more.

Rustic

 

[Verdas]

Visuria listened with rapt attention to the embarrassed faun's explanation of what a male reproductive organ was. The sight of the formerly calm and collected faun becoming beet red from what she now knew was embarrassment, and showing symptoms of the contagious disease known as stuttering, was surprisingly fascinating for the vorux who was soon to lose her innocence. "W-wow! R-reproductive organs are so i-interesting." She said, most likely planting the wrong ideas into the faun's head.

The vorux was quite happy when Yseri signed her own death sentence offered to answer more of her questions, as the answer unfortunately (for Yseri) only raised more. "S-so what's p-procreation? P-pros are p-people who are g-good at things, r-right?" She asked Yseri, as though intent on tormenting the poor faun further, albeit unintentionally. They had so much to talk about, including why sap came out of 'trees,' what 'venus flytraps' were for, if the meat felt as good as it tasted, the square root of 69, etc.

---

With a sigh of relief after confirming Gabriel was alright, Caroline then turns to glare at ol' two-face. She was loath to admit that her aiming was, quite frankly, shit, and blamed Fifer entirely for this incident. "Hey, two-fa- ahem, Fifer, can't you use a trigger lock or something? You should know to always use protection- oh right, you don't." She berated the hunter who was clearly solely responsible for causing a monster part obsessive psycho for accidentally pulling the trigger of a gun which she did not need to pick up at all, whilst making another jab at her rather unique facial condition.

But that wasn't important, at least not in said psycho's eyes, as her ears perked up at the mention of a werewolf. She'd been needing a new coat, and a werewolf's hide would do nicely (provided it not have over a million holes in it), not to mention she thought werewolves' eyes were absolutely beautiful, a must have for her collection. "A werewolf? For real?! I call dibs on it's eyes!" She practically shouted, calling dibs on something that no one would ever want. She then proceeded to gently lock arms with Gabriel, most likely getting too close for two-face's comfort. "You're coming too, right?" She asked him, now ignoring Fifer completely.

DergTheDergon PanOtterPus Rustic

 

[Halexia]

Alexander stood in the background, he was unsure of just how to get involved he had never been to one of these before choosing instead to hang around with the remaining of his kind, most of which were his family. He slicked his ear as the wind hit his fur, the fact that his ears and tails still showed bothered him, it was one thing he had never completely mastered the complete fox to human shift, and he hated the fact that he couldn't disguise what he was from anyone "well this is it Xander" he said to himself "mingling with others" he sighed and swished his tails, he wandered slowly and shyly amongst the others taking in everything, wondering if he should talk to people, if he should wait until someone approached him, secretly wishing he had stayed hidden in his secluded corner.

 

[Verdas]

There were many strange and wonderful creatures which stood out among their peers in the gala; a dragoness, a lilin, a dark elf, a white haired faun, an eldritch horror with tentacles for a face which no one in their right minds would date (except for Frank), and then there was Durendal, the glorified glowstick. It was her time to shine. The light coming off of her, though faint, was bright enough to be noticeable. Add to that her rather large, white feathery wings, and bright, glowing violet eyes, and she looked exactly like an angel, one of the reasons why the humans loved her back in the day (Deus Vult!).

Oh, how she missed her Roland. Out of all the warriors she'd served in her life, he was one of the greatest. The sheer amount of bloodshed was both delicious and beautiful. 'Alas, the lives of men are fleeting. Thou wert the greatest of thy kin, and thou shalt forever remain within my heart.' She was practically beaming at the chance to find a partner who could meet her expectations as he did, though she was unfortunately out of touch in these matter.

Having literally lived under a Dwayne Johnson for way over a thousand years, her knowledge and mindset was severely outdated. In fact, she didn't even know about the existence of vehicles such as cars and airplanes, or advanced weapons such as missiles and firearms. But she was renowned for being sharp, so she would figure that all out later, though she may need someone to shed some light on more strange topics. For now, she would focus on 'mingling' as the faun had aptly put it, in particular with a certain dark elf that had caught her eye. She could tell that she was a strong individual, and that was all that mattered to her. She could care less for superficial things such as looks, even if you were the love child of Voldemort and Two Face

Thus, confidently walking up to the dark elf with a glint in her eye, she curtsied flawlessly, before proceeding with the introductions. "Greetings, I am known as Durendal. Mayest I know thy name, dark one?" She greeted the elf, all the while wearing a polite smile which seemed perfectly genuine. She was well aware that dark elves were not the best creatures to be speaking to if she wished to have a lasting relationship, but hoped that the fact that she was actually a weapon of mass destruction might persuade them. A thieving, conniving, and backstabbing race of cave dwellers would be almost certain to shed some blood. Fresh blood which she desperately craved, not that 'blood packet' garbage which was lacking in both taste and excitement. After all, what was the point in drinking blood at all if it wasn't from your fallen (and horribly cut up) enemies?

PanOtterPus

 

[DergTheDergon]

Yseri shifted with great discomfort in her seat as she explained in an extremely embarrassing fashion, stuttering just about every other word."U-umm... I-I suppose they... would be interesting regarding y-your, erm... lack of p-prior knowledge, yes." Trying to sound intelligent while explaining to a grown woman what penises looked like certainly topped the list of things Yseri felt she'd never end up doing, not to mention the list of most embarrassing things she'd ever done.

Yseri had never felt so much simultaneous dread and joy for another's happiness before... this was one of those situations that made her question if she really was "too nice" as many of her friends and a few of her closest colleagues had told her many times before. The moment the dreaded question, mired in alarming and deeply unfortunate naivete, came forth from Vesuria's Viridian lips, Yseri felt as if she truly would die of embarrassment. But, seemingly both a miracle and a terrible, dreadful curse, she did not feel her consciousness fading, feeling physically right as rain but mentally as if she was shutting down, the Vorux female before her still patiently waiting for another explanation on an even more lewd topic than before. She wasn't quite sure that she'd even manage, to even get through to her about this or how she'd take it, but Yseri simply could not say no. It was often a boon, often a bane, and DEFINITELY a bane in this very moment. After taking a deep breath to center herself, she opened her mouth and spoke, as much as she wished she could just black out or something and not have to do this anymore.

"W-well, Pros are certainly a word for that.. but that isn't wh-what procreation means. I-it's just a fancy word for... conceiving children, wh-which before you ask are made wh-when.. when a male i-inserts their reproductive o-organ into a female's."

Of course, being the backbone-less faun she was, she just had to ask if there were more, in an even smaller voice than she used after the "tree' question. Just after she was explaining that the "sap" of males' "trees" was a fluid that fertilized the female to create young, she began to feel as if her brain was short-circuiting from embarrassment and confusion. After being asked if the meat "felt" as good as it tasted, she was done for. She literally fainted from embarrassment, her eyes rolling shut as she slumped back into her chair unconscious, not hearing the question about the square root of 69 or any others Vesuria may or may not have asked before she realized something was wrong.

Verdas

 

[PanOtterPus]

Gabe was a little taken aback at Fifer's strained warning not to touch her gun, though he could understand her protectiveness... sure, in this case she was almost maimed but, in general, gun wielders were protective of their tools. He found himself stealing glances at Fifer though, checking for injuries, though knowing they'd know about it if she was hurt. He didn't imagine her being the quiet type when shot with her own gun. The ping from a pone notification caught his attention then. Noticing the small whisper into Chase's ear, however, just piqued his curiosity.

Gabe nodded at Chase's chaste reply, taking it on the chin. "Well, that's good." He knew how it felt to have a hangover, it made people weary. "Doesn't look like a glitch to me, bud. We got ourselves something different once again." Practically feeling Fifer's impatience to go, he began to follow Chase, heading for the door. Suddenly he felt the warmth of another body clinging to his arm. Unsure how to react to the extension on his limb, he turned to Caroline answer her question. "Of course I'm coming. You think I'd miss a target like this?" He wasn't sure why, but he had a growing feeling of guilt, locking arms with another woman in front of Fifer. This just made him all the more tense, wondering what she must be thinking of him, especially since he usually couldn't give a rat's ass what people thought of him. How odd.

-------

Aeryn had been idly wandering the event, picking at a small plate of food she had picked up for something to do. It seemed no one had been overly inclined to approach her - probably fearful of the Dark Elf and her deft fingers possibly creeping into their pockets. Sure, the thought had occurred to her, but she wouldn't dare, not here. One man had actually turned a whiter shade of pale when she made an attempt at a coy smile. Apparently, according to Corvus, she looked anything but coy. Sighing, she had continued to wander.

And then it happened - someone approached her! She blinked at the woman... with wings? 'Well that's new...' she seemed to be getting that a lot today. Corvus seemed to stare in awe of her beautiful feathers, while Aeryn searched for words. She had to first figure out what it was she was being asked. "Uh, hi. Aeryn, and this is Corvus." She gestured up to the black feathered creature on her shoulder, who would be salivating if he could. She had heard of Durendal's kind before, though she'd never seen one in person before. In fact, she had grown up believing that they were the stuff of myth. However, here was living proof that they were as real as Aeryn herself. "I apologise if he's staring," she swatted at the bird, "He just seems to think your feathers are rather beautiful. And he's not wrong."

She wasn't sure what to say, this was the first time someone other than a greedy elf had ever approached her, and she was rather nervous - not that she'd let it show. So she stood, fidgeting and waiting for her new acquaintance to reply. To the bird. Wow, she was doing this wrong. They were here for her, not Corvus.

Rustic DergTheDergon Verdas

 

[PanOtterPus]

"Well, Tyra, I'm pleased to meet you now." Orthrus smiled down at the woman, walking them to the centre of the room - all the better to point out the main attractions. "Mind if I ask why? I know some folk down here tend to keep to themselves. Heck, there's a colony of elves who took over part of the tunnels they didn't wanna be here that much." He chuckled his houndy chuckle again.

Easily distracted as ever, he began pointing out little things. "That there's Yseri, she's runnin' this here event." He pointed to the faun, who looked a deeper shade of red than usual. "And over there is Danto, our resident old timey vampire - he's.... difficult. Best stay clear of him. Probably shouldn't say that about other guests, but you seem like a nice girl, not suited for him." He winked at her, as Danto glared a glare that would turn a colder man to ice. Luckily for Orthrus, beings from the underworld had a habit of being one extreme or the other - himself being hot enough that Danto's glare simply bounced.

"Lookin' for anythin' in particular, or just browsin'?" It didn't register with the man that this may have been a tad forward to be asking, he just genuinely wanted to help. His years doing his particular job didn't allow for much people skills, since it mainly involved chasing off the 'wrong sort'.

Halexia

 

[Halexia]

Tyra watched with keen interest as he pointed out each person in turn "I don't mind you asking" she said shyly "I'm a hybrid of two seperate creatures known for the hunt, vampire and wolf" she sighed "many people see me as a threat I tend to avoid conflict" she half laughed in spite of herself, and looked down "ironic huh?" the second question caught her by surprise, she hadn't really thought about what she was looking for if she was being honest "as for what I am looking for, I don't really know" she lowered her voice a little "I figured I would think about that when I got here" she cleared her throat nervously, she had taken the first step in coming to the gala but now that she was here she felt strangely out of place

 

[Rustic]

Once Naomi had finished answering her question, she had looked toward Xaira more thoughtfully. She'd been noticing the other woman's growing sort of discontent. It was carefully masked, but in her eyes, it was easy enough to see that the subject had seemed to make her, in some way, sad. And from what she already knew, it was easy to guess why. It was hard to really address in a way that would be comfortable for the both of them, but after considering it for a moment, she nodded.

"I'm sure she'll love that," she said warmly. She hoped it would offer her some sort of solace, to know that there were even more people eager to meet her. In the back of her thoughts, she couldn't help but giggle childishly about hearing the woman confused humans assumed was her sister, of all people, 'a nice girl'. It was just semantics, really, and Naomi was well aware the kind thing she had meant by it, but it still delighted her that it was usually what she herself was referred to as. Her sister was... well, her dragoness friend would probably better understand all of this when the two of them met. Which would be soon, she hoped! But she kept her face even, encouraging, and politely smiled as the conversation continued.

She listened in on the answer intently, looking at her through her exposition curiously. There were plenty of points of intrigue in her story; the fact that she was a mercenary, of all things, certainly was an interesting start, but almost all of it was harrowing, in different ways. Naomi could not picture herself going up against such terrors of the deep dark, the creatures only mentioned when parents' teased their children to ensure they would never venture out into the wilds too far, but it was quite the thought to imagine her companion had. She could only imagine the fearlessness it took to face such things - and, maybe a bit vainly, the sort of muscles it built. Those stray thoughts certainly weren't helped by her charming partner's suddenly stimulating implication, which obviously caught Naomi off-guard a bit. Both her eyes and her smile widened, and she had to take a moment to recompose herself. Still, it was not hard to recover, with a more serious subject matter following afterward. She swallowed hard near the end, but she again listened, taking everything in carefully.

When Xaira finished, she pursed her lips thoughtfully. Lilin barely had any real sense of a childhood, so it was hard for her to envision a reality where she had family that she just sort of... drifted away from like that. Even her sisters who she infrequently saw she still saw. It was hard to imagine just coming to a point, or knowing she would come to a point, where the people she had grown close to would just be gone. It seemed, well... brutal. In a way, it mimicked the fleetingness of life, but even that wasn't something she'd come to be acquainted with. But a dragoness who faced it everyday, who walked through life without people to attach her to it... the thought made her heart ache. She searched for words, something to say to it, but her throat tightened once she realized there wasn't much to say. Condolences seemed unnecessary and too pitying. The best she could do was to momentarily place her hand over Xaira's, to try and thank her in some way for sharing. To try and offer her companionship again for the time she'd gone without.

After that, though, she'd seen fit to move on from the subject. Delicately, she obliged. "Nothing quite as exciting," she conceded modestly, giving a knowing smile. She was still feeling a bit quiet and reverent from the tone of the thought she was leaving, but feeling her companion would appreciate a change of pace, though, she faded into something more casual again. "We - you know what we usually do for a living. That's the efficient way to live; for us, it can be dinner, and a show, and an income at the same time." Plus, lilin who were interested already knew the who's who of the business, who they should and shouldn't be calling on. It usually helped them to steer clear of any trouble. Usually.

"Not always glamorous," she admitted, "but..." She makes a sweeping motion with her right hand that is as much an emphatic gesture as it is one to gather up the right word. "...practical."

She took a moment to let the statement settle in and to gather more words. "I have not done that in years," she said firmly. "Convenient as it sounds, I always found it rather... exhausting. The performance. Being someone new for someone different every night." It took a lot to gather up the confidence and the nerve to make that work. To most it came naturally, but for her, it was too much to bother with.

"I can't even anticipate how I'll be received without the doublespeak. And then anticipating what someone really wanted, on top of that!" she added. She smiled, being a bit comedic in how she was exaggerating it, but even as a joke, she seemed a little exhausted from just having recalled it. In fact, she took a breath afterward, and sort of changed direction in how she approached the subject.

"Between what my sisters make, and the low cost of living for a lilin, I don't need to work," she stated. "But I do, if only do something different everyday. To feel like I'm contributing. In a library, actually."

Her mood seemed to improve even a little more as she broached the subject. "It's where I spent most of my time already, so I figured - why not make it a job? My sisters and I made a bet, actually, as to whether they'd accept lilin. Delilah and I won that one pretty handily, since by the time I'd asked, I already knew most of the employees personally." Really she wouldn't have had the nerve to do so otherwise, but her sisters had only thought to factor that in by the time the two of them had won out. She had felt a little bad about it, but considering most of them were not especially materialistic, none of them had had any hard feelings.

"The kids that frequent call me 'Miss Now', or the ones who don't, 'the lady with the pretty stockings'," she threw in with a chuckle, crossing her legs a little shyly. She couldn't help it, really; they were suitably gaudy, but also, she just really loved bat prints. They were awfully cute animals. Still; as she had finished, she paused, and gave way for Xaira to ask anything she might be wondering after everything she'd just said. Once they'd finished, she continued.

"I'm interested in the same thing, admittedly. What you do for a living seems so dramatic. Do you prefer to wind down in your free time, or are all of your interests equally rousing?" She tilted her head a little coyly, but in a way that faintly betrayed her actual, usual modesty. She didn't mind getting a little silly like this when her partner seemed to understand and accept her nervousness. It was nice. Maybe that was why she felt so free tonight to chatter on like she had? Though, that could've just as well been the wine. More to the point, though, was what she'd posed in such a way - could a woman living so fast live at such a speed all the time? It was so curious.

DergTheDergon

 

[Verdas]

Visuria was intrigued at the thought that children were created after the males inserted their reproductive organs into the female. Perhaps that was what her 'venus flytrap' was for. She was quite curious to learn how it worked firsthand (she did appreciate good 'meat'), and perhaps create some children for herself. She found young ones to be absolutely delectable. Figuratively, of course, as her name wasn't Cronus, though she did find young animals to be rather soft and tasty. Reproductive organs were interesting indeed.

There were so many questions yet unanswered, including the exact purpose of her 'venus flytrap,' and more questions regarding both types of meat. Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for Yseri, the faun had suddenly and inexplicably fainted, leaving the clueless vorux staring at the now unconscious faun, unsure of what to do. She had seen this happen many times when she strangled the life out of her prey with her vines, but Yseri was not prey, and she was actually quite faund of her.

Practically leaping off of her chair, Visuria quickly made her way to the faun's side, almost violently shaking her with both her arms and her vines, not realising that she was the one responsible for this. If embarrassment could kill, she would no doubt be a most lethal assassin. "M-miss... M-miss Yseri? A-are you alright?" She asked, her voice filled with concern. Her concern lasted for only a brief moment, however, as a (not so) brilliant idea popped into her head. Namely, resuscitation. Not that she even knew the term, let alone knew how to properly do it, but she had seen it in action, and it certainly seemed to work. Thus, the plant leaned in closer to seemingly plant (yo dawg) a kiss, though she was really just trying to make the 'miracle cure' as she called it, take effect.

Ignorance is bliss.

DergTheDergon