1st Floor Entrance Lobby
@Queen of Aces@Dark CloudEmpusa saw that fraction of a moment when Lilithβs lip curled, before that delightful false smile flashed. So what she had heard was probably true--the little Morningstar Maiden supposedly thought she was βall grown upβ now. How wonderful!
βYes, well, I see youβve been quite busy yourself; so not noticing my growth would be different...Seiji, wasnβt it? Lovely to meet you.β Lilith said, but by the time the albino and the blonde glanced in his direction it looked like the Japanese boy had already approached the twin humans. Empusa watched with a hint of satisfaction as he successfully introduced himself and shook the other young manβs hand.
The elder sister helped the little devil up as Empusa stepped back, and the Svartalfar allowed one of her own fangs to peek out. The male Luciferian huffed with an upturn of his chin--ah, good to see the classic Pride genes were as strong as ever. Too bad that, much like his sister, he had not yet perfected his emotional control. Empusa giggled as her bright green eyes met Dexterβs own wavering, unsure gaze.
βNo I donβt
need help!β The horned youth crossed his arms as he edged away from the busty blonde. βI believe if we had met I would have remembered!β he told the demoness, before he gave a slight bow. βDexter.β Oh, interesting. It was subtle, but the fact that he bent his neck at all was a pleasant surprise. This one might be fun. And was that a
real smile tugging those little dimples in his cheeks? Adorable. βNice to meet you--I guess!β He turned and coughed into one hand as he tried to hide his cracking voice. Empusaβs forked tail wriggled back and forth under the long waistcloth at the back of her hips. She heard Lilith start to speak to someone else, and took full advantage of this lapse in attention to her precious little brother.
βEmpusa, of House Svartalfar.β Her voiceβs volume went down as she took one of Dexterβs hands in both of her own--holding it tantalizingly close to her bosom. Thanks to the slight height difference between them, she could give him an intentional eyeful as she leaned in slightly. βItβs a
pleasure to meet you, young master Dexter. Please, forgive any
rudeness on my part.β
She let the moment linger as she stared into his eyes. As it stretched on, in the background a half-demon kicked the door closed behind her. Empusa didnβt know this child either, but she could feel the seductive charm of an Asmodean. A moment of worry for Seiji passed the back of her mind, but she kept her eyes on Dexter the whole time. Another young demonness of lust, though Empusa wasnβt familiar with that oneβs House. The aura felt like halfway between a puppy ready to play, and someone excited for a very
different kind of play. Another human girl, this one so innocent Empusa almost felt bad for whatever circumstances had caused her to end up here.
And thenβ¦
@ZAVAZgggEmpusa let go of Dexterβs hands and stood straight, raising her chin as she turned on one heel. She wasnβt done teasing him, not by a long shot, but
this took precedence for the moment. Of the Demons gathered here so far, they were certainly all dangerous in their own ways. However,
that was a different story. The Svartalfar saw Seiji react to the presence as well, though it seemed many of the other humans were slower to detect it. Again she felt a small twinge of pride in her Contractor--his mind was twisted in all the right ways, even if he didnβt let it show. But, as the smells it stirred up and the song of its essence began to fade, it seemed the creature intended no harm. Empusa acknowledged them with a nod of her head, and a short wave. Yet another interesting development--Had Mistress Gelloβs influence even spread to the progeny of the Old Ones?
The blonde demon turned back to Dexter, but Lilith had returned from her other conversation. The white-haired seductress grabbed her brotherβs hand and stepped between him and Empusa. Even not yet at the full peak of her power, she had a fine glare for the forgemaiden.
βNo, Iβm not sure youβve met her. She only sees us whenever thereβs a grand event, so youβve probably seen her in passing.β The princessβs tone turned measured and cold. βDonβt worry though, Iβm sure weβll have time to get reacquainted very well, wonβt we, Empusa?β That look could light the fire under old man Volundrβs kiln. When Empusa grinned at Lilith this time, all of her fangs were on display and her own eyes lit up with neon fluorescence. When she spoke, her voice vibrated with an undercurrent of barely restrained excitement--the kind of excitement one feels when they live for the genuine thrill of the sport, no regard for victory or defeat, and see the other team walking onto the field.
βOf course! And may I say,
Little Lili, you have flowered
wonderfully!β She couldnβt wait to see how the potential here unfolded--nor to see Seijiβs own blossom like the red heat on unshaped steel. Then, she saw Lilithβs gaze move in her Contractorβs direction. Empusa calmed herself, flipping her hair over the opposite shoulder, as the elder Luciferian spoke again.
βDo you want to tell him, or should I?β
βAh, he knows more than he lets on.β The blonde giggled again, genuinely unconcerned. βHeβs probably still trying to case this crowd. Iβm so proud of him, you know--he used to be like that one, over there.β She indicated the shrouded, memory-hazing demon that still lay hidden in plain sight, save to some of the more perceptive members of the household. βNot, you know, otherworldly and terrifying--well, maybe--but unnoticed in a crowd.β
βI-I can speak for myself Lilith!β Dexter seemed to have recovered his wits now, and yanked his hand from his sisterβs grasp. βStop speaking for me! S-stop treating me like a damn child! I-Iβm eighteen!β And yet, when he too caught onto the presence of the shrouded one--and that very strong, predatory intent in the wolf-girlβs eyes--the son of Luciferβs knees shook.
βAra ara~β Empusa said with her own
predatory energy, holding one dainty hand near her lips as she smiled. βIndeed, youβre only a little younger than Seiji! I hope the two of you get along well!β
But little Dexter couldnβt take his eyes off the fuzzy, intensely thirsty-looking demoness, and Empusa realized he had somehow been caught in a charm. How odd, the other demon didnβt seem to have cast a spell or done anything intentionally. Had he...lost control of one of his own abilities, perhaps? What exactly was his power? If she remembered rightly, Lilith could cast curses with blood as a medium, but Luciferβs tree had many other powerful abilities. She laughed as he approached the girl, and immediately set to making a fool of himself.
Speaking of Lilith, though, her reaction to her brotherβs rebuff was
so cute. It seemed that the little girl Empusa remembered wasnβt quite so far gone after all, eh? Before Empusa could tease her about it, though, the Asmodean demifiend latched onto Gelloβs niece and demanded to know where the Mistress kept the food.
βHell yeah we do! My auntie apparently made sure we got two fridges with restock spells so we have food and booze for days! Come, come, let us drink together! To celebrate a new beginning! Or, whatever fancy people say, I donβt know I just need to be less sober for these new people.β The Luciferian told the other girl where all the things were in the building, and Empusa shook her head. They hadnβt been given all these nice things when
she was under the Headmistressβs tutelage. Lord Lucifer was letting her get away with more, it seemed.
Other new demons and humans alike were mingling, and the Svartalfar saw Seiji nearly lose his composure as another boy entered. Empusa let out an unladylike βsnrrkβ of her own, before she saw another of the Seven Families enter.
@blackdragonβGreetings, friends. I see we even have some morsels--I mean, mortals, here.β The girl laughed, with both of her mouths. The lower one flicked a few crumbs here and there. βIβm Phagora, late of House Gula of Gluttony. It is truly a pleasure to meet you all.β Empusa approached, with a slight curtsy so as to repay Phagoraβs own etiquette.
βWell met, Miss Phagora. You may not remember me--Iβm Empusa, daughter of Volundr of the Svartalfar. My Contractor--the Japanese boy, over there--is Murakami Seiji. You just missed Liβl--Miss Lilith, and I believe one of Lord Asmodeusβs demifiends. But Iβm sure everyone here will get to speak to each other at some point. Youβre all going to be stuck together, after all!β She smiled brightly, both honestly glad that she didnβt have to do this shit all over again, and eager to see how many fuckups this little group would get itself into.
@MetalWeightHoly shit, is that a furry? Seiji didnβt know why the wolf-woman, of all the things he had seen in LITERAL HELL so far, made the back of his neck prickle. No, wait, yes he did. She had
that look in her eye. Like Empusa on Valentineβs Day. The human boy shuddered. She seemed to be looking around the room for someone, but as the Japanese youth returned his concentration to the other humans he didnβt see her engage anyone.
Rather, he
tried to return his concentration towards the other humans.
@ZAVAZgggAgainst his will, his eyes locked onto IT. He smelled rot and decay. He felt air like the last gasp of a corpse tickle his skin and cling to his clothes like cigarette smoke. White, like the burial shrouds of his grandparents--like looking at a photograph through static he remembered seeing them before they were taken to be cremated--and there were too many hands, too many
joints! Seiji watched it stop, and stare. He stared back. Adam, Sasha, Rosie, and Starla might have noticed the way his hand curled and twitched over his chest. But, despite being held over his heart rather than his hip or some kind of belt, Seijiβs movement was not the movement of someone experiencing chest pain or fear. It was the movement of someone going for a weapon. The only one that might know that subtlety for what it was would be Adam, who went for his own weapon, though Seiji himself was unaware of anyone elseβs past. The Japanese youth picked up on the similarity of their reactions, and looked at Adam with a raised eyebrow that said βyou seeinβ this shit too?β
Lilithβs scoff brought him out of the trance, and stopped whatever he had been about to do as she spoke to the group of Contractors.
βIβm sorry, but this is merely my Auntieβs summerhouse she spruced up for us, since she was chosen by my father to host us. Butβ¦β
While the white haired succubus--was she a succubus? Was that a general term for female demons or a specific type?--prattled on, Seiji tried to listen but also noticed something that made his expression fall. The girl in the white sweater dress looked hurt, as she turned her eyes down and started to slink away. Oh, crap. It was the eye-roll, wasnβt it? She probably thought he was trying to be a jackass to her or something! He started to go after her, but almost immediately she ran into the wolf-woman, and Seijiβs prey-sense screamed at him that road led to bad places.
Lilith strode quickly away from them, headed towards Empusa who seemed to be holding hands with that little red guy. For half a second, Seiji wanted to know what was going on there, but when he saw the other devilβs flustered face past the Svartalfarβs bare shoulders he sighed.
Better him than me, for now.He noticed, before he turned back to the others, that Lilith waved at the THING. Seiji tried not to think about it. Still, he had learned something. Lilith, that was a name from Middle Eastern demonology, right? So when she talked about her father, she meant Lucifer--the original fallen angel himself? Or just a demon who had the same name? Regardless, it meant this Gello who owned the home wasnβt just an educator, they were related to a top-dog royal family. And Lilith was quite proud of her heritage...the boy wondered if getting on her good side would be like trying to talk to the popular kids at school. He had never quite managed that back then.
That loud one in the overcoat proclaimed hunger, and acted like Lilith should somehow know where things were kept around here. Maybe she did, if Gello was her aunt. That wolf was about to eat up the poor sheepish girl, and Seiji patted himself on the back for that analogy given how soft that white sweater looked. And the door opened yet again, as another prospective housemate arrivedβ¦
@DezuelSeiji did a spit take that he only barely reigned in from becoming snorting laughter.
He wore a coat, black as night, that draped over his shin-high black boots, and the wind rustled his
black cloak. Under the robes, the young man wore a tight
black shirt and
black pants. The newcomerβs eyes swept those who had gathered here before him. Then he closed them momentarily, clearly pondering and brooding over something deep. Slowly, dramatically, his eyes opened once more and seemed to be filled with questions that didnβt have answers.
@Chris488Seiji elbowed Adam, and nodded towards the new guy.
βYou should go shake his hand, man. I would, but Iβm afraid the edge would slit my wrist.β But Adam seemed to be thinking of something else, and turned away from the group.
"I'm going to look around." The guy seemed oddly focused...If Seiji had been the one following those two girls up the stairs, he knew exactly where his focus would be. But if Adam was ogling asses, he was either really good at hiding it, or doing a pisspoor job of it. Meanwhile, Sasha stood by herself, attempting to avoid the attention of these fiends. Seiji thought she looked absolutely lost, and after she glanced nervously back and forth several times, she followed that girl in the white sweater to take someone's luggage up the stairs.
Now that Seiji thought about it, he didn't
have any luggage, did he? Empusa had told him not to worry about it. Well, he supposed that with her ability, maybe she just intended to make everything he needed...He could probably get by with that. He patted the pocket of his blazer to assure himself that the
real important things were still in their proper place. And they were.
He sighed. He looked around. It was either go back to Empusa, and probably be stuck with her until--Hell, what were they actually waiting for anymore?--or go talk to...
Seiji gulped. He seemed to have two choices, since everyone else was heading up stairs. The
edgelord...or THAT. The human weighed his options...
Moments later, he stood side by side with the unnamed being shrouded in cloth. Both of them looked blankly ahead as they watched the ongoings of this strange house party.
@ZAVAZggg"So...How's it goin' dood?" he asked the abomination, while continuing to stare straight ahead.
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