black licorice

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

A dark laugh leaves the butcher as Charlie speaks, inclining his head slightly as she takes the heart from him. “It has been an age since I’ve had a heart.” He drawls, before his smile sharpens again. “But, it is a delicacy, and you, darling, did most of the work.” The praise is easily offered as his dark gaze watches with appreciation to see her saw through the muscle, tearing away a clean bite, and another shiver of delight threatens to run down his back – held back by the way his tail flicks to reveal his delight instead.

As she hands it back, he sits back, sharp teeth carving through it easily as he growls into the iron and muscle, allowing the warmth to spread through him and the blood to drip and make quite a fucking mess of his nice outfit. It’s fine. He devours enough of it to leave the last bit for her, offered back with that look she’d been hoping to see – a face darkened by thick blood, split apart by a too bright, too sharp grin.

Blood coats their victim like a glaze and gravy and Astaroth slips down just a bit to start utilizing his teeth and hands to tear and pull flesh and muscle, devouring just as a vulture might.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

"How many in the Grounds would know the difference between a human heart and the heart of, oh say, a bear?" Raising her eyebrows suggestively, Charlie's tail sways back and forth. "And if they see a well-dressed man like you, eating a rather unusual cut of meat from across the room, what of it?" She wonders suggestively.

"Shame about the weather." The priestess laments as if the pair were passing the time over a few horderves. "I like how it feels against my skin when it's fresh." That was one of the reasons Charlie wasn't always shifted after she'd made a kill; as a tiger or fyrhund, she lacked the requisite fingers to appropriately douse herself in the fruits of her labour. Alas, too much fire would give them away, and without her jacket, she'd once again be in need of Asta to heat her up.

Hopefully the Grounds had a good laundry service.

"You are an utterly wonderful man." Charlie gushes as she accepts the final bite. Lifting it to her lips, she blows a small stream of fire onto it. Not enough to attract attention or even to cook the meat. Only to char it just enough to add a bit of smoke to the flavour.

Helping herself to the man's other cheek, Charlie crawled down the length of the man's body, where she tugged at his belt, loosening and then removing it so that she could pull down his pants. Pushing aside his penis without much interest, the priestess lowered her head toward the inside of his leg and bit down. "Mmm!" Stifling a laugh, Charlie wiped a touch at her mouth where one last spurt of blood had splashed at her face from his femoral artery, painting her cheeks and lips with her favourite shade of red.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

“Very little, if I had to make an assumption.” Astaroth murmurs after swallowing down the bite, chuckling after at the idea of a strange cut of meat. Perhaps it wouldn’t be surprising, given that he very rarely – if ever – hid his traits. The tail occasionally, but the horns easily remain on display time and time again. If needed, they make a decent weapon. And at times, others might think he were simply Attuned. How amusing the thought becomes.

Humming a note of agreement as he rips into the flesh and muscle of the man’s chest, Astaroth takes his time to carve piece after piece using his teeth, rising and swallowing to answer politely, because he knows the rule of how rude it is to talk with ones mouth full. “Shall we plan to do this again in a warmer season?” Where the warmth of Longheat might coat their skin, and she may be able to witness him in a few less layers, with no threat of turning to stone.

As it stands, he flashes her a charming grin for her compliment. “And you are an adoring, perfect partner in crime.” He trills to her, quite content in the tag team they’ve had, even as Astaroth moves off to the side and takes more of his fill while she works toward the legs. The blade returns, as he starts to carve through the man’s arm. A gift for Danta, perhaps, if they have something to carry it in.

Her stifled laugh has his dark gaze lifting toward her, barking a little laugh as he reaches up to wipe it away in tandem, a little wink accompanying it before he withdraws after having certainly smeared the red all across the edge of her lip and part of her cheek.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

"Well then, perhaps it won't have to be an age before you taste one again." The blonde chirps, already storing away the idea for later. No doubt she'd be able to find her way into the Dusklight's kitchens and swap out whatever Asta ordered one night? Chef's Special, enjoy, xoxo. "Nothing beats fresh, though." She laments, and in her mind, the waiter that she flirted with to allow her entrance to the kitchen is suddenly bleeding out in one of the sinks that the meal she sends out to Asta might be as fresh as the one they were currently enjoying.

"Mmm, yes." She agrees instantly, licking at her lips. "I suppose the Wilds are fair game...?" In her mind anywhere was fair game so long as you were clever, but then, she'd been away from the world for long enough that she was inclined to get a better lay of the land before employing more of her old tricks.

Where the blood on the butcher's face seemed to darken his eyes and contour the hard line of his jaw, emphasizing the handsome predator that he was, the same couldn't be said for Charlie. Quite how, or if, the priestess made herself look monstrous would have to be seen, for despite the blood streaked across her face, the blonde looked as bright and radiant as ever. "I'd never thought to hide a blade like that." Charlie murmurs as she nods toward Asta's foot as she tugs at a bit of tendon before sitting up and once more blowing a small stream of fire across her food.

"Do you have one in all your shoes?" A man as well dressed as Asta surely had several pairs, she assumed.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

“It pains me to have it so infrequently.” The butcher laments, before he shakes his head with a small sigh, nostalgic as he is already despite the freshness beneath them. In fact, the thought of it and the tone of his voice has him leaning in to snatch another bite to mull it over as he saws at the arm, at least until the tendons are torn and he can utilize his strength to pop the arm out of the socket.

Nodding despite the darkness and the moonlight, Astaroth flashes her a grin as he grips the arm. “Unfortunately they are not that populated. However, a few can be found.” And perhaps that makes the chase that much more worth it with the possibility of missing out. The work that went into it would surely be satisfying to come to fruition.

She’s bright as can be, and he feels illuminated by her bloodied appearance, chuckling as he tugs the arm free and plants his hand to keep from losing his balance, placing it on the bed of undisturbed snow for the time being, before he shifts around to the other side. “In each and every one of them, darling.” He hums, before he starts carving into the arm again. “The placement varies depending on the footwear, but it is quite easy to have a cobbler make adjustments to fit one. A little hidden compartment so you never need be without.” It was from his Whitebrim days, of course, but certain habits died hard. And despite how unlike Whitebrim he was these days, the cannibalism and the survivability remained ingrained.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

Charlie watches the butcher saw at the arm, making no attempt to help him. There was some primal in the act; if Asta wanted it, he needed to be able to take it, not that Charlie thought there was ever any risk of him failing to do just that. Besides, she always enjoyed watching someone else exercise skills that were so finely honed.

"What about all those skyships? Surely they must...crash every now and then...?" She flicks her tail. "We used to pay local guilds to organize hunting parties. They would offer prizes so that they'd get a good turn around, but importantly, a vast turnout." Charlie explains. Sucking on her lower lip to remove some of the blood, she takes a small bite of muscle before continuing. "Some of them would go missing, but of course, hunting can be so dangerous." She continues, nodding solemnly despite the twinkle of mischief in her blue stare. "The winners would receive large chunks of raw gemstones, and we...well, we would have fun." Whether such a thing would even be possible in Caido's current day and age, the priestess didn't know. Then again, she couldn't imagine that things had changed so much that lives couldn't be bought for the right price.

"Mmmm, we love fashion with purpose." Charlie purrs, eyeing the butcher and wondering what other methods of torture and delight he might presently have hidden on his person. "Even on heels?" The priestess wonders, glancing down at her own foot. It would be a small area to work with, but if the cobbler was as good as Asta said, surely they could figure something out.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

He works at the other arm as he listens, humming a thought regarding the skyships – having never heard of one crashing, but he hasn’t been here long enough to know whether or not it was a common occurrence. “Oh, perhaps?” He pauses in his sawing to consider it before he glances over at her as the grin starts to form again. There’s a momentary stop of his attention to the arm as he plucks another small piece of tendon from the man’s chest, devouring it down.

“That sounds incredible, truthfully.” His gaze lights up with all of the potential, wondering if something could be done just like that here, but ties may end up coming back to the Grounds should anything go awry or wrong. A thought to bring it up to Danta at some point crosses his mind. “I was often the one to corral groups that had ran off course in their travels toward the Climb.” Which had been difficult when he’d wanted nothing more than to tear into one but having to wait day after day until they made their great entrance into the heat of the Climb. Then, he was allowed, but the few times he had slipped early on, Astaroth had paid for it.

Shaking his head of the memory and pulling the arm from the body, he shifts a little to place it amongst the other, admiring the work they’ve done as he dips his hands into the still warm blood pooled into the man’s cavern like it were nothing more than a warm bowl of water. “It could work. Or… I have seen ones that you can safely keep strapped to a thigh?” More her style, perhaps, if she enjoyed wearing dresses and the like. He pauses to look up at her, running the blood through his fingers to see which direction she preferred.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

"We could always start spreading rumours of untold treasures in the Climb. If we're all shifted, how would anyone know who was an ancient, and what was just a regular fyrhund?" Charlie suggests offhandedly. Clearly she needed to know more about how things worked if she was going to be able to orchestrate the sorts of rituals she had before.

"Oh?" Tilting her head, finding Asta's history fascinating, the priestess listened with rapt attention, finding herself constantly craving more of the man's story, however sombre and poisoned she knew it was.

Blinking thoughtfully, Charlie tries to imagine if a dagger attached to her thigh would be the sort of thing that would work for her. Crinkling her nose slightly against the way the blood on her face was beginning to dry, Charlie shrugged. "Why not try both?" She concludes, before reaching her hand alongside Asta's to wet a finger, before rubbing it on her lips like a balm.

"I don't suppose there's any way we can get him home without being seen, is there?" They both needed their coats and having not planned for this particular outing, they were both likely far less prepared than they might otherwise have been. Still, it seemed a shame to leave the rest of what was perfectly good meat to freeze in the snow.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

“I will shift my research into the Climb to see what people know and what they don’t.” He assures her, already filtering it in his mind to try and see what they could and couldn’t get away with. And while he may not indulge in the orgies that Charlie has so very much promised, he certainly does indulge in the blood and feral hunts of it all. And who knows, perhaps if he’s sated enough by it, he could be convinced to try it. Or maybe the muzzle Danta had gifted him may come into good use.

Ahem, anyway. “Days of travel to get groups of four or five into the mouth of the Climb where the rest laid in wait. It was nearly torture.” He drawls with an accented, high pitched whine, before he shakes his head, dark hair falling from where it had been so carefully combed back around his horn to fall into his bloodsoaked face when he flashes her a grin.

As for both, well, Astaroth’s grin brightens and he straightens a bit, pausing with the warm blood cupped in his hands before he hums a thoughtful sound. His jacket is already ruined, where was the harm in the ruining it further? The cup of blood in his hands lifts to coat the outside and up against his neck like a scarlet turtleneck. “I know just the place.” A gift for her that he mulls over (because as I’m finding out, Astaroth’s love language is gift giving and he imparts it onto everyone he cares about).

“We can wrap it within my coat if we can get cleaned up in the meantime? Perhaps that fire of yours can be of use.” It had helped them immensely to get here, and with the inside of Astaroth’s coat free from a majority of blood, it would likely do wonders to keep it hidden away for the items within. They would just need to hack and fold him into smaller portions.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

Charlie was keen to cater to whatever various needs those who attended her rituals had; perhaps when they weren't so pleasantly swollen on violence and carnage, she'd ask the butcher about his preferences, both sexually and in general.

Tugging her coat beneath herself so that when she leaned back to sit down, it wouldn't be directly on the ground, Charlie curled her tail around her feet as she listened. The whine in his voice coaxed a silent laugh from her, though no doubt had they not been perched around a carcass, she'd have laughed a good deal more loudly. "That sounds like the worst. And not very efficient." Everyone knew that people worked their best when they were satisfied and happy about the work that they were doing.

"Oh?" Sitting up and making no attempt at all to hide her eagerness, the ancient positively beamed up at the older man. shut up he's so cute

"Oooh, smart." He really was the whole package; handsome, clever, murderous, and thoughtful? Of all those who might have come along to reawaken her, Charlie was suddenly quite certain she'd waited all those centuries precisely so that she could live at the same time as the Butcher and the Maverick.

"I'll try not to burn your clothes off." Charlie promises with a grin, not meaning the warning as anything other than a genuine vow to keep from singeing Asta's shirt as they went to work.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

“I agree wholeheartedly, my dear.” Astaroth chimes to her, fully content and comfortable now with the full sensation in his stomach and the taste lingering in his mouth. One that he hums with content as he tilts his head toward her with a knowing look and a wink over the place – remembering to point it out the closer they get to the Dusklight. It’s in the Inner Quarter, after all.

He offers his options while she considers them, and with the confirmation of this is the plan, Astaroth utilizes a few moments of time to hack the body into more moveable pieces, shrugging out of his jacket and cleans up the majority of his hands within the snow, biting the inside of his cheek against the sharp burn of the cold of it but worrying little for how pink they turn with the promise of fire.

“I trust you, darling.” Once the body is collected in the jacket, each piece accounted for, Astaroth moves to stand once the suit is tied off to keep all the parts hidden. Opening the first few buttons of his shirt to keep the blood along his neck from ruining more of it, he waits for her to start the flame, delicately maneuvering himself within it (and utilizing some of his own to dry off the blood until it flakes away into nothing), before he starts to help her clean up in turn.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

Able now more than ever to properly appreciate the moniker Asta had earned for himself, Charlie watched with rapt approval as the once strong and exuberant young man was reduced down to rounds of thigh, arms, and scattered organs.

Already having gleaned that the butcher's trust was likely not something he handed out to just anyone, Charlie preened appropriately in response as she breathed fire near to his hands to keep them warm as he cleaned. Letting the flames sit upon the snow in order to melt it and make things that much easier, Charlie too rinsed and scrubbed to make herself as presentable as was possible given the time constraints and resources on hand.

Glancing at the bloody imprint where the body had lain, Charlie tilts her head before sending her flames to reduce the snow to water. It wouldn't hide things completely, but certainly, once things froze over, the majority of the blood would have seeped into the ground below.

"I'm so full I feel like we might have to roll home." She laughs, peering up at Asta. "Need me to carry anything?"

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

// standing, stomping in the damage and the ruins of a slip of tongue //

It certainly isn’t something he just hands out – so the fact that she preens in such an appropriate response as they work to clean themselves up, Astaroth finds it reflected in his own grin that he beams to her, working away the blood and any other evidence that might cling to his skin. Between the water and her flame, they’re mostly put together – enough that it wouldn’t be suspicious, and with no evidence remaining of the man left behind that wouldn’t vanish before eyes set on it anyway? Well, as far as Astaroth was concerned, it was a perfect crime.

Chuckling to her comment, the butcher picks up the makeshift bag out of his jacket (ruined now, but he can mourn that later), he flashes a grin to her question with a shake of his head. “Not at all, dear, I can do the heavy lifting.” It takes a great deal of work to keep the purr from entering his accented tone, but he manages it well enough. “A flame to keep us warm until we’re within the confines of the Inner Quarter would do wonders, though.” He knows she’s capable of it – she’d done it on their way here after all.

And with her guiding their way back, late enough for no visible eyes, the bloodied pair makes it back to the Dusklight without a single problem.

Astaroth

// with tragic consequences, i think that we've all made our gravest mistakes //

charlie

Crinkling her nose adoringly up at him, the priestess nods. Had he not already been literally shouldering the fruits of their labour, she'd have reached up to wrap her arms around one of his. Alas, their meal and differences in height put it out of her mind for the time being, and instead, she merely bathed them each in flames as they sauntered back toward the Last Whisper.

Only once they're inside the Dusklight does Charlie allow her flames to dissipate, and if any of the brothel's patrons are interested in the pair who have just entered, they keep their musings to themselves. "That," Charlie gushes as she shrugs out of her jacket. "Was the best evening." Pocket-sized compared to Asta, the priestess nevertheless lifts her arms up to him. Whether he bends forward or whether she's left hugging his chest, Charlie won't mind either way.

"Maybe next time you can be the bait." She whispers, before tilting her head back to laugh with delight.

Walked in and dream came trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!