[Training] King of All Creation

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

Hotaru ends up in this place entirely by accident, and largely due to shift-sensitive nostrils. Of course once she'd happened across the jewels, gems, and...viscera(?) she hadn't been inclined to leave, so she had made herself comfortable so to speak. No sitting though, she isn't keen on ruining her dress with whatever sticky substance is underfoot.

She'd intended to wander around and then find her way back out given the jewels hold no appeal to her as they might have in a different land with a different currency. Until...well. Some creatures simply have unfortunate timing, and after the hunt in Halo, Hotaru isn't exactly feeling charitable.

Sitting on a particularly large deposit of stone and ore, Hotaru lords over the unfortunate beasties that sit at her feet, the glow of her hair strangely ominous when reflecting through so many shades and shapes of jewels to cast the entire cavern in a transient gold hue. "Bite your right leg. Break the bone," she orders firmly, arms looped around one leg against her chest and the other dangling over the edge of her perch as if watching the ocean - but instead the sound of snapping bone echoes in the cavern, and the swamp rat screeches around a mouthful of its own limb. It's morbid and cruel, but Hotaru needs to know the extent of her commands when they lie at odds with the victim's natural behaviors, and this is by far kinder than doing it to some stranger.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

Of course, he’s still sore – it wouldn’t go away in a day, or many, but he finds that the warmth of the Climb does wonders to soothe his sore, old bones and he finds himself back along the familiar stretches of volcanic rock. There’s work to be done, evident by the handcart tugged along, and while his body aches and still attempts to recover, well, he figures if he’ll be in pain he might as well be useful with it.

So collection is the initial course of action for the butcher, until – unlike Hotaru – Astaroth is very inclined to inspect and look at the gemstones sparkling throughout the cavern. Alas, as the cave mouth begins to open into the large expanse that makes up the Soulfire Reach, the butcher hears a feminine voice, and while being certainly intrigued, he isn’t exactly up for being taken by surprise.

It’s a horrifically delightful view, though – a stunning woman with a crown of gold and sunlight, looking for all the world like she’s simply enjoying the breeze, while ordering such dark terribly wonderful things to occur to the scuttling that happens beneath her, watching the rOUS squeak its pain and follow through. It sparks that sharp toothed grin on his face as he makes his well known entrance – a somewhat stiff bow of greeting as he steps through, having abandoned the cart by the entrance for the time being. “What a marvelous show, darling. I hope you don’t mind an audience?” He asks, stopping a decent distance away, grin bright and pale against the light reflected from both her hair and the streams of magma illuminating the cavern.

Awaiting her answer, he stands up straight backed, perfect posture, and clasps his hands together in front of him, nothing more than a tall (ironically just as tall as her boyfriend, albeit far more impeccably dressed) watcher of the show.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

The man's approach is concealed by the screech of pain that tapers as the rOUS silences itself back into dead-eyed patience, awaiting her next command while her thrall still wraps around its pitiful, unimpressive mind. Oh, but if it isn't made up for by a far more impressive candidate. Hotaru's eyes shine in the light of her own skin, golden glints of predatory shine that are there-and-gone in the turn of her head, revealing the more lasting intrigue and blatant appreciation beneath.

Straightening in a luxurious curve of her spine, Ru settles her cheek on her bare knee and smiles in silent beckon. A lure, a siren song; come, we won't bite. "Never, I always perform better with an audience," she assures, voice sweet as sugar. She releases her leg in a slow stretch, planting both palms and lightly swinging her way down from her perch. Casting a dismissive glance back at the sad creature, she tightens her magic cruelly around its small, shallow mind, and orders, "Stop breathing." It obeys immediately, though its body thrashes weakly, fighting against her order in the vain hope of clinging to life as every organ and system begins to shut down. Hotaru doesn't watch until the end, redirecting her gaze to the newcomer with a smile like an angel, the scrabble of nails against stone behind her filling the otherwise quiet cavern.

"I would have offered you the kill, but you clearly have far finer taste than rats." It's a blatant compliment when paired with the slow drag of her eyes over his clothing and composure, the seamstress in her purring with appreciation. Somewhere behind her the sound of death throes ceases. Approaching with a hand outstretched in a manner clearly implying he should kiss the dainty bones of the back of her hand - presumptuous and confident as always - Hotaru looks up at him with no small amount of delight in her smile. "You are a delightful find. What should I call you?"

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

His arrival is easily accepted, and the butcher’s grin widens a hair of a fraction in response to her siren song – we won’t bite - which is a shame, considering he finds himself kind of hoping she does. Ah, but the answer is reassuring as it is a boon, added with the clear charm she’s bewitched him with when it comes to the compulsion over the rat. That is the true siren song, as he steps toward her, allows her all of the time in the world to appreciate his attire just as he appreciates listening to the death throws of the rOUS as it succumbs to whatever magic she’d managed to sneak under her belt.

A deep chuckle escapes him, a long forgotten Halovian accent on his tongue when he speaks. “I have always had a preference for larger beasts.” He very nearly trills, dark eyes giving her an impressed look over as well as they meet and she offers her hand, and Astaroth without missing a heartbeat – and being the gentleman that he is, swiftly takes it and presses a kiss to the back of her hand, before straightening back up to reveal those sharp, pearly teeth once more. “Astaroth. And whom might you be, my dear?” Trailing off to allow her to interject with what her name might be, Astaroth remains in that precise posture, peering down at her in devilish charm.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

As if he could thrill her any more, the Halovian accent sneaking between otherwise regal vowels is like an old friend that burns through his lips and into her veins through the skin he kisses. "But of course - the greater the beast the more satisfying the hunt." Or perhaps that's simply the Monster Hunter in her taking control of her tongue. Though he is a rather impressive beast, and she'd be inclined to tame him instead of slaying him at this point in time.

"Hotaru," she shares on a purr, fingers tightening around the side of his where he had raised her hand to his lips as if implying she is the one who has snagged him despite the imbalance of their physicality. The glimpse of sharp teeth makes old scars tingle, and she doesn't resist the desire to step closer. Tilting her head up to accommodate for the difference, she uses her grip on his hand to bare his inner forearm more so she can touch the fingertips of her free hand to his wrist, flirting with the cuff of his finely tailored top. "I must ask, can you satisfy your bloodlust with a willing participant, or would you be overtaken before you could stop yourself?" It's bold and horrifyingly forward, but the dark intrigue in Hotaru's eyes has no qualms with such taboo inquiries. "I wonder which is stronger - your bloodlust, or my will?" And maybe it's the dissatisfaction with her previous broken toy, or maybe it's the memory of Ascended teeth in her soft spots, but Hotaru craves to find out.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

“Precisely, darling.” Astaroth practically purrs, ending on a sigh of another gentle laugh. Easily trapped within her hand, the butcher remains in his perfect posture, eyeing her as her name is aired and he repeats it on a tongue dripping purely of old fashioned Whitebrim. But she steps closer and Astaroth’s gaze continues to track her face, even as her hand adjusts his arm to flirt with the cuff of his silken shirt. It’s a bold move from her and that’s what keeps him from breaking this contact where he otherwise might have, preferring to be touched as little as possible – aside from the one who’s touch is most comforting Danta.

His horned head cocks at her question, grin twitching into a smirk for whatever game this might be, the light from a surge of flowing magma behind him casting dark shadows of pronged antler-like horns against her still golden face. “Where is the fun if not to be taken over? To be one’s primal self?” Astaroth hums at first, keeping that smirk on his face as the butcher regards her more as a playful opponent now rather than a beautiful face with a dark mind. “However, I will let you in on a little secret of mine,” bending just enough not to hurt his torso more than it already is, Astaroth’s grin is still just as sharp as it nears her. “it isn’t so much the blood as it is the hunt.”

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

They're a delightfully compelling study in contrasts, and the shadow of his horns and impressive height upon her face only serve to illuminate the inconceivable expansion of delight in her expression. He is no monster under the bed, not to her.

"Oh, where have you been hiding all this time?" It's a sigh of a thing, longing and delight wrapped up into one, and though she doesn't read lust from him she nevertheless marvels at the parallels of their darker delights. "You can't hunt me, darling. Some prey is too big even for you." There's a wickedness to her smile that frames itself as comforting when indeed it is challenging, even patronizing. He has no idea the sort of force he has beneath his fingertips, though she'd be delighted to show him. Hotaru is not in the business of stealing away consent, but her skin itches with the desire to wrap her magic around his neck and pull him down to her level, to force him to take what blood she'll give him and abandon all desire of hunting and stalking.

"But how about a wager?" Turning his hand back over and releasing it, Hotaru brushes her palms down her dress as if sweeping away imagined dirt to better present herself while proposing this deal. "You cannot hunt what doesn't run. But you can try your hand against me if I can do the same - in good faith, of course." Those words are merely that - words - even if they agree, for his bloodlust may make the issue moot, but that's all part of the thrill.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

“Unfortunately, a gargoyle of stone for quite some time, darling.” He answers easily, though it might ring a bell for any conversations Hotaru has had in the past with the Theocrat of the Grounds (if it had even come up before the clothes had come off, but that’s another story). The grin is still aimed at her and seems to silently say would you like to bet?

Ah, but then she says the one of the most beautiful things he hasn’t heard in some time. A wager. A deal.

And the Butcher of Whitebrim perks immediately despite the way she disconnects their touch, allowing him a moment to straighten back up, fix the cuffs and lapels adorning his frame. “A deal, mm?” He considers her for a moment. “I’m afraid I’m not quite at my best at the moment – a shame, I know – but perchance you may be up for a spar and then, regardless of the outcome, grant me your company for what I have truly come here for?” Not that he was complaining about her being here at all, but distractions were distractions, no matter how stunning they may be.

As if expecting the answer, that very same hand outstretches to allow her the chance to accept the deal, all while he bends just a fraction toward her in even further expectation.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

Oh, Hotaru scarcely forgets anything. It's her mother's brain you see, and she could never taint the woman's memory by not keeping such a gift honed to a fine and lovely point. The subtle widening of her eyes is not realization but intrigue, thrilled to find new pieces to a puzzle she'd thought she knew the count of. "Then how lucky of me to find myself alive in the same time as your freedom," she compliments smoothly, as if the revelation was little more than an admission of a favorite color.

Not his best? Hotaru has to laugh, charmed and pleased to be, because it makes him all the more interesting. Hotaru loves interesting things. She eyes his hand, and smiles when she does not take it. "You can have that for free, out of the kindness of my heart. Because this is hardly a compelling wager, hm?" Lifting her own hand so it hovers next to Astaroth's, she proposes a truer one. "We shall spar, and I will assist you with your task regardless of the victor. However." There is no height to lend her a shadow to cast, but the backlight of her own golden splendor highlights the way her pupils shrink into inhuman shapes, a thread of gold bleeding the heterochromatic color away. "If I win, you must show me your bloodlust another day. And if you win, I will owe you a favor - just one, but with allowance for everything aside from treason or individual harm of anyone I am fond of." One golden brow rises, aware her wording implies she's fine with harming someone she knows so long as she is not affectionate toward them. Which is...most of Caido, really. Surely her own measly request is far from equal to her offering, so why not shake?

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

“How lucky, indeed.” Astaroth charms, precisely before the idea of deals and games are afoot – undeterred by how she doesn’t take his hand but instead offers her own with her own set of terms. And what a little vixen she is, as she lays out her claims and he considers the options with a snort, head cocking lightly as his dark gaze takes in her fully this time, seeing what kind of creature lingers under the surface.

He does not take her hand yet either, instead, teeth gleaming impossibly sharp, he wagers a better one for her, if she’s giving him that much freedom. “I accept the portion of your terms should I be victorious. However, given your generosity…” His teeth click sharply as he figures out how to best put it, before the grin is on full display once more. “If you win, I shall show you my bloodlust today and you shall have a chance to utilize that magic with it.” Nodding his bearded chin briefly toward the corpse of the rOUS, his hand remains extended, not taking hers and allowing her to take his for what he assumes to be the last and final bargain of this deal.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

They chase each other's tails, intrigued and invested yet delightfully, frustratingly slow. Weaving threads and snares while attempting to subvert the same in return. It's merely the crossing and placing of pawns at this level - nothing so complex as Hotaru's best conquests and longest-laid plans - but it's been so long since she's had even this much that she is willing to sacrifice more from her side of the field to try and entice him.

Her own grin is not nearly so fanged and impressive, but her canines are too long to be human and her eyes shine like gold coins in her own solar flare. "You have a deal, handsome," she purrs as she slips her hand into his and shakes firmly, some echo of promised strength rearing its head. 

Without missing a beat, all her features go as dark as she can make them - hair black like soot, eyes like ink wells, skin tone deepening and the light of her hair becoming an eerie trick of the light against blackness as she pulls on his hand with all of her demigod strength and lifts a knee to try and drive it into his abdomen while she has control of his arm.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

Oh and entice the Valkyrie does – because Astaroth is pleased as can be to have this playful and dangerous dance, so much so that when she agrees and takes his hand, the shake is a deal made with relative ease on both accounts. She’s strong, though, he notices that immediately within the grip she harbors, and he’s left wondering if that was a subtle flex.

Regardless of what it is, though, magic envelopes her and changes her, and he watches it before his very own eyes, distracted in the way she likely hoped that he would. She pulls on his hand with her strength and he’s left a fraction on the backfoot, leaning down just enough to where she lifts her knee to try and drive it into his abdomen. It doesn’t get that far, thankfully, his height truly coming in handy here despite her strength, but it does drive into his thigh sparking a huff of a sound to leave him that breaks into a dark, delighted laugh.

It's his turn to utilize his own abilities, snapping his fingers and shooting fire at her feet to try and push her back and release her hold on his arm, tail snapping behind him like an excited feline.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

moral of the story is, i will gut you if i need to

i will carve my way out

She’s getting faster with the transformations, but this is the first time she’s ever tried to use her appearance manipulation for something closer to camouflage. It makes it harder to concentrate on sustaining her magic as she fights - and that’s exactly why it’s so exhilarating. Her stamina and concentration alike are put to the test as her knee lands low and fire sparks near her feet, forcing her to bounce back on the balls of her feet like a prowling cat as heat nips and stings at her bare ankles. 

Hotaru doesn’t stop moving. Couldn’t if she tried, restless and hungry for violence. Claws half-shifting - a muted ivory in the blood-dark cavern, beyond the influence of her magic - she lunges back toward Astaroth with a swiping swing toward his hip. There’s no need for weapons here, and certainly no desire on her end. She wants to make him bleed with her bare hands. Just a little, of course.

with only my teeth

HOTARU

so play it out, i'm wide awake, it's a scene about me
there's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay

There’s the thrill of the chase, thrill of the hunt, and the thrill of the fight. It’s the latter that the butcher endures right now as they challenge one another – as flame sparks out and nips at her bare feet and ankles and he attempts to get her to let go of his arm. It works, too, because the sudden breath of air between them with how she hops back gives the butcher a moment to relish in it.

That’s when he sees the claws, though. Grinning impossibly sharper, the Ancient accepts the lunge despite being more than ready, two orbs of fire dance around his palms as they embark on their primal tango – claws swiping at his hip, snagging on the fine pants he wears but leaving his skin relatively unharmed as he dives back. “You’ll have to do better than that, darling.” Comes the deep purr, the fire swirling into whorls of ribbons, lashing out toward her partially shifted hands.

Astaroth

and if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me