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+---- Thread: I told you, you were brave (/showthread.php?tid=10170)
I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
Tension relieved from his shoulders over the days of being in Torchline, it miraculously hasn’t returned despite the return to his normal day to day. It’s colder here, but the fire that they keep stoked in their rooms helps keep the lingering reminder of the humid warmth they’d had in Torchline, and as it stands, the butcher has returned to the status quo.
The status quo meaning that he’s the watchful security keeping tabs on the main section of the Dusklight, content to lean against the wall with his cane in hand, dressed in a fine dark grey suit with a dark, burnt orange silken shirt beneath it, looking every inch impeccably dressed and all that much more intimidating for it.
Scanning the crowds and groupings, his gaze drifts back toward the bar where he’d seen the Maverick not too long before, only to find it empty of the blonde — which has him continuing to glance around in search for the establishment’s proprietor.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-23-2024
It is back to business as usual, as it happens, and Danta means it in every sense of the word. It might not be as stiflingly hot and humid as it was in Torchline, but Longheat still reigns supreme across all of Caido, and doesn't the Dusklight know it. With more flesh on display even than the brothel is accustomed to on its main floor, as people drink and dance and cavort, Asta will have plenty to keep him occupied, such that it isn't too surprising that the Maverick has been able to slip out from under his radar.
Having been cooped up in his office to review all that needs to be done to complete their rage room, he'd been blessed with a round of shots and a new cocktail to try when he'd emerged, and now the Dusklight's proprietor is taking full advantage of being able to enjoy his own party. Dressed entirely in black tonight - unusual for the Maverick but undeniably sleek, he's been speaking with what happens to be a tourist to the region, deep in conversation with her.
At some point that conversation has migrated to one of the small tables just off the bar - he's intrigued by the idea of someone holidaying in the Hollowed Grounds, it's true, but he's also very interested in the slope of her breasts beneath her sheer shirt, and the way she's cozied up next to him, her hand on his thigh beneath the table, sliding inexorably inwards.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
There are a surprising amount of blondes within the Dusklight tonight, and a large amount of them wearing very little. Not that Astaroth’s gaze lingers on any of them — seeking out the tale tell signs of the Maverick, the butcher’s gaze drifts from person to person, groupings to groupings, then to couples to couples.
And that’s when he finds that shadowy alcove, Danta dressed in sleek black that does manage to hide a fair amount but not the blonde hair swept back, the glittering diamond horns atop his head, nor the woman quite comfortably curling up against him. And while he knows that it’s the status quo for the Maverick, discomfort and annoyance starts to spiral in his gut.
It’s unreasonable, he chastises himself. The Maverick owns the brothel, after all. He should be able to participate, but gods the fact that everything between them is so new and fresh that there’s a shocking amount of insecurities that flare beneath the butcher’s skin.
Arms fold across his chest, cane tucked into his elbow as he turns his attention away, perhaps giving the chance for the Maverick to turn her down as he had the woman that had boldly come up to the butcher a week or so ago, it’s after a few moments that the butcher’s dark gaze shifts back toward the couple with a hard set to his jaw.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-23-2024
Unaware of the storm brewing across the room, Danta and his catch of the day don't take long to begin canoodling and then some, the Maverick absolutely taking advantage of his status as owner of the Dusklight to enjoy some of her greatest pleasures. Shifting to let his hand slip up the woman's shirt and doing absolutely nothing to prevent her own explorations of his body, soon enough he's rising to his feet with her, lips pressed to her ear and his gaze mischievously on one of the more private alcoves on the main floor.
It's fine, right? He's merely offering her a chance to sample some of the Grounds' hospitality, and since he's the proprietor of this fine establishment, it'll be on the house as well. So saying, if Asta does nothing to stop the Maverick, it will be with the tourist tucked snug under his arm that he ambles towards said alcove. They're clearly intending to do more than chat.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
He does make the mistake of glancing over precisely at the worst time for him, as it turns out. Because then he’s seeing the trajectory of her hands on him and Danta’s own in turn, oblivious to the fact that he’s standing right there. Not that they had talked about it, of course. He’d thought he’d be fine with it.
He’d thought wrong, evidently.
The reasonable part of the butcher’s mind says to do nothing, to let him have his fun and it’ll be fine in the end. The other part of his mind sees red, and he wonders precisely what her hands might look like should they be missing from her body. And it’s a thought that vibrates louder and louder as the moments pass, as Danta rises with her with the clear intentions of doing something else.
He starts to move, then, still warring with himself whether to get involved. His feet seem to be following his rational part of his mind, though, even if his height certainly cuts a shadow dark enough to maybe catch the Maverick’s eye. He doesn’t look to see if he notices, though, because with the cane clicking against the floor, the butcher marches toward the bar, announcing that he’ll be doing paperwork to the bar staff in case they need him (paperwork is suggestive, seeing as it might be diagrams of the best and worst ways to tear her apart), and if a bottle of whiskey is slipped from the bar, well, he won’t admit it.
He just knows he doesn’t want to stick around to be able to see whatever shadowy alcove the Maverick has found. Doesn’t want to try and pick out the sounds he’ll make in between the ones the rest of the Dusklight provides. And so he vanishes, tail lashing behind him as he departs to his office.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-23-2024
Whether or not Danta sees the butcher turns out to be pretty irrelevant - the worst part, of course, is that he very well might have been aware of his presence, but given that they've never had a conversation about such behaviour, he doesn't think much of it. Either way, with his mind soon very much focused on the lovely lady at his side, he disappears into the alcove and soon the Dusklight is left with very little responsible parties. (Not that Danta really counted to begin with).
It's naturally some time before the Maverick emerges from his extracurricular activities, and longer still before he goes to find Asta. He'd asked after him, of course, soon after sending his lady friend on her way, but hearing that he's gone to do paperwork, he figures it's best to leave the butcher to his boring real work for a while.
A while, though, soon turns into too long and I'm bored, and so Danta slips away into the Backrooms to go and ra-tat-tat-tat at Asta's door, calling out a greeting from the other side. [say]"Are you done being a real person? The barman won't talk to me about anything interesting."[/say] Read: the barman keeps doing his job too.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
Oh, and it is a long time. Long enough for his paperwork to consist of diagrams in excruciating detail of just how he might completely disfigure and aptly butcher said offender, even if they hadn’t talked about their proclivities elsewhere, only to burn the evidence with the snap of his fingers, leaving a pile of ash forming higher and higher on his desk.
That, and by the time the tapping at his door arrives, the butcher has gone through at least half of the bottle of whiskey. He doesn’t get up to answer the door, but Danta would find it unlocked regardless if he tries to open it. And in lieu of any pleasantries, he’s greeted with the roughly accented “[say]I am quite busy, as it turns out.[/say]” Busy thinking of any multitude of ways to slip away and go on a rampage, but now too drunk to actually enact such dark thoughts.
“[say]Perhaps someone else can distract you for the night.[/say]” It burns as it leaves his lips, dripping in a touch of sarcasm he can’t bite back, and should Danta open the door he’ll be greeted with Astaroth leaned back in his chair, the bottle at his desk, feet propped up on the edge as he watches the fire with the crystal glass of whiskey cradled in one hand, with his desk quite dusty with ash remnants.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-23-2024
Hearing nothing to tell him he can come into the room, of course Danta twists the handle of the door and peeps in regardless, the first few buttons of his shirt undone and his blonde hair ruffled in a way that absolutely suggests someone's fingers have been running through it. [say]"Busy, huh?"[/say] He flashes a fanged smile and steps inside, stretching his arms above his head. [say]"It looks like it. You having a party without me?"[/say] He reaches out to brush a finger across the ashes staining Asta's desk, eyeing up the half a bottle of whiskey as well.
[say]"Oh, but you are my favourite distraction,"[/say] he says with a dramatic sigh, perching on a clean bit of the desk and leaning back on one hand to pout at the butcher. [say]"Come on, are you sure I can't tempt you to come out and fuck with people? There's a group of guys out there who keep trying to wear the lampshades. It was funny the first couple of times, but they could probably use someone to frighten them back into line now."[/say]
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
The Maverick drifts in and it has his jaw setting tighter as he swirls some of the whiskey in the glass, the ice clinking against the sides. “[say]I wouldn’t dare to.[/say]” Have a party without him, though it seems Danta harbors no issues in having his own without the butcher. He leaves that perfectly unsaid, though, keeping his tongue quiet through quite a lot of focus, as it turns out.
So much focus that as the Maverick sits on his desk, the butcher glances at him to see the dramatics, downing the glass of whiskey with too much ease. “[say]Am I?[/say]” He asks, voice a touch too rough and quiet to be playful and encourage more of the conversation.
As for going out and fucking with people, he really couldn’t be less interested in it, and it’s noticeable with how his tail sweeps against the floor and flicks his annoyance back and forth, casting a too long shadow that warbles with each flick. “[say]Would it have killed you to shower first before coming to see me?[/say]” He asks, dark eyes focused on the fire and very pointedly not responding to the offer Danta’s laid out.
He’s too drunk, for one, and two? He’s more in the mood of pure murder rather than simple antics.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-23-2024
Danta's smile fades by degrees, to the point where he takes most of Asta's responses to be quite rhetorical, the Maverick stiffening as he realises he's getting the equivalent of a cold shoulder from the butcher. [say]"To... shower...?"[/say] he repeats, glancing down at himself and sniffing at his open collar as if to check and see if his scent is the cause of the other man's behaviour. And sure he's a little ruffled, but no more or less than Asta has seen him at other times in the Dusklight, and he certainly can't detect a particular stench on himself.
[say]"Are you... is everything okay? Have I done something to fuck you off tonight?"[/say] Well, despite being about as oblivious as it gets, at least Danta has the foresight to come right out and ask it, lest they continue simmering over it for the next however long. [say]"They said you were doing paperwork so I thought I'd leave you to it for a bit."[/say]
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-23-2024
“[say]To shower.[/say]” He says with all the confidence in the world in the face of Danta’s confusion, leaving him to decide whether or not it was a scent thing or the fact that he’s all ruffled specifically by someone else’s hands. His legs slip from the edge of the desk, boots landing heavily on the floor as he reaches for the bottle to pour another knuckles worth within the glass, before he pops the cork onto the bottle. It’s about that time that Danta decides to cut to the chase.
His gaze flits back toward the Maverick, but he doesn’t answer immediately, formulating his response as he rummages through the drawer to his side, withdrawing the pipe already laden with tobacco, slipping it between his lips as he lights it, wondering if the heavy pull he gives it will help calm him down. “[say]I was under the impression that if you wanted to go and fuck off with someone else it would not be directly in front of me.[/say]” His tone edges into more Whitebrim territory as the curse slips from his lips, blanketed by the smoke that falls from them in turn.
But he looks away from Danta shortly after, as if chastising himself enough about it to ignore the fact that looking at him in his ruffled state hurts. “[say]But seeing as we never talked about it, I figured I would keep to myself for the night lest I react poorly.[/say]” Hence the fact he’s downing the bottle down here by himself, rather than intending to have this conversation that Danta has opened the door to. So he places the pipe back between his lips if only to metaphorically bite his tongue.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-24-2024
Left fidgeting somewhat uselessly as Asta shifts into action - sitting up properly at the desk, the whiskey, the pipe - Danta rakes a hand through his ruffled hair as if to neaten it somewhat (not that he'd noticed or cared what kind of state it was in before right this second). But as the butcher finally speaks, it's with a genuinely bewildered frown that he regards the other man. [say]"Wh-- I own a brothel, Asta. And it wasn't directly in front of you - last I looked you were working and across the room,"[/say] he protests.
Asta is turning away, though and the Maverick finally starts to understand why he might be in trouble here, though it doesn't dampen down his confusion any. They hadn't talked about it, no, but he's beginning to think they should. He also thinks that he's far too sober and Asta is far too not to chat about it right this second. [say]"You never cared before,"[/say] he points out. [say]"Even when..."[/say] Taking a deep breath, he tries again. [say]"Even when it was pretty obvious what was between us. I didn't think you'd care, given how often I prefer to blow off steam compared to you."[/say]
RE: I told you, you were brave - Astaroth - 09-24-2024
It’s the confusion that really sticks it’s barbs into him and Astaroth has nothing really to respond with aside from a “[say]yes, you do own a brothel,[/say]” because that was a fact. As for the comment made of whether it was directly in front of him? He huffs a sound that’s a humorless laugh, smoke billowing from his lips in a haze that blots out his face momentarily. Evidently he’d been so caught up he hadn’t noticed the way the butcher had slipped across the room before the blonde and his partner for the night had vanished.
But, he isn’t sure whether he can bite his tongue again if it continues, so he flashes Danta a smile — one that has all sharp teeth on display and a touch too toothy to be genuine, one that the Maverick would know to be a mask as it quickly slides into place. “[say]It’s fine, just forget about it.[/say]” He starts to say, popping the mouthpiece of the pipe back into his mouth, looking away from Danta as the bowl of the pipe glows a vibrant red and orange as he drags off of it, letting the smoke mingle in his mouth as he hears Danta continue.
And while he’d rather continue this mask of silence, there’s something specific about it that has his gaze drifting back over toward the ruffled Maverick. He very pointedly does not respond to the latter tidbit, about how often they each preferred to blow off steam. “[say]I did not mind before because it was only pretty obvious. And any time I thought perhaps admitting such things meant that you would hide away, I figured it was for the best.[/say]” Because Danta, you weren’t mine back then. “[say]Call it petty jealousy. I would just prefer it if you did not do it while I was in line of sight. Otherwise I do not care.[/say]” His hand lifts, gesturing loosely, he turns away again, taking a large sip of the whiskey to try and continue to soothe those dark, murderous thoughts, or how he still does care, even if he’s trying really hard to be rational about it.
RE: I told you, you were brave - Dantalion - 09-24-2024
The butcher's laughter, however void of emotion it is, already has Danta questioning his memory of what had happened; not that it matters ultimately, with how the other man clearly feels about all of this. [say]"Yeah, because it's that easy,"[/say] he quips at Asta's brush off - if either of them could forget about it then they wouldn't be in this situation. He can already feel himself trying to get defensive about it, despite hating the obvious upset in the tension locking the butcher's shoulders, in his expression and the way he keeps avoiding Danta's gaze.
Otherwise, I do not care. [say]"I don't really believe that,"[/say] he says, a frown softly knotting his brows together. [say]"I... I'm gonna go and take that shower now. Don't go anywhere?"[/say] He makes himself phrase it like a question despite the parts of him that want it to come out like a demand. Awkwardly clearing his throat and rising to his feet, he wipes the ash off his hands onto his dark pants and makes a swift exit from the office.
The Maverick is absent for barely ten minutes, clearly not wanting Asta to get the impression that he's gone and fucked off with anyone else in the meantime; when he returns, it's with still damp hair curling around his shoulders, his wine red shirt left open, and his dark jeans hastily dragged on. [say]"I'm sorry,"[/say] he says, clicking the door shut and circling around to the fire and where Asta has seated himself, rubbing at the back of his neck. [say]"I really didn't know it bothered you."[/say]