[ME] touch me and you'll never be alone

charlie

As Kaisel plays bartender, Charlie leans against the bar while he pours; coquettish, casual, absolutely posing without looking like she’s posing. One elbow rests on the countertop; her hip kicks out; the deep plunge of her leather dress shifts just enough to weaponize gravity in her favour. Her tail curls and uncurls behind her like it’s tapping out a drum solo. When the drinks are lined up, she sweeps them into her arms with the casual grace of a tavern wench who's been training for Oktoberfest her entire life, beerstein-girl style, carried with impressive balance considering her heels could legally qualify as stilts.

Kaisel’s non-answer hangs in the air between them, but Charlie doesn’t blink. She holds his gaze with those bright, ferocious blue eyes; so sweet, so knowing, so utterly immune to being deflected. "No, silly," she chirps, wrinkling her nose adorably. Then, with the same tone one might use to point out an empty snack bowl: "I meant for group sex." She says it like it’s the casual center of gravity around which all parties revolve. Like she’s asking whether the music is too loud. Like this is the most sensible interpretation of the night’s itinerary.

"I’ve seen Danta on totally normal Tuesday nights," she continues brightly, shifting one of the drinks to her other arm without breaking eye contact. "Ending up in a puddle of people." She beams at him, sunshine and sinful innocence perfectly blended. "He really likes having sex. And hey, if cake is involved?" She gives a saucy little shimmy of her shoulders. "All the better."

Before Kaisel can object, clarify, or combust, she dart!s away in a flash of leather and laughter, disappearing into the crowd to deliver her drinks with preternatural speed and exquisite timing, leaving behind only the faint scent of perfume, the sway of her departing tail, and the unmistakable aftershock of Charlie being Charlie.

I did a double take, triple take
Take me to naked Twister back at your place

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

When you close your eyes, do you picture me?

She's not late and she won't admit to feeling weird visiting Flora's place when she hasn't seen the Queen since being cured - knowing that she played a role in that. It's easier to just pretend like she's been here the whole time, standing in the shadows, sipping on a cold drink as she watches the others gush and tease; although that's easier said than done when she has to step through the door, immediately greeted with the groups that have formed. 

Only a few are faces she recognizes, lingering on the birthday boy and Asta in their usual proximity then Flora and Charlie as others she vaguely knows, all locked in conversations she has no context for. But she doesn't let that dim her usual confidence, forcing her chin to lift along with the corners of her lips like she's supposed to be here (after all, she did get an invitation) despite her own lack of scandalous or festive clothing. 

Still, she skirts the party to deposit her gift in a subtle slip of deft fingers. The jewelry box appears on the table of gifts, a tiny velvet black bow on top, small enough not to draw attention as she strolls casually to the bar, propping next to Dantalion and Astaroth with a wicked smirk directed towards the man next to Charlie (Kaisel). "Did someone mention cake?" Her eyes turn to Danta, winking as she says, "It's not a happy birthday without cake." And definitely has nothing to do with her own sweet tooth, or the other implication the priestess makes. She's not sure she would mix friends and sex in that way, but not everyone here is a 'friend'.

Thalassa

When you fantasize, am I your fantasy?

Dantalion

be love in its disrepute, scorches the hillside and salts every root

"I have no idea," Danta whispers back to Astaroth with equal excitement, grinning to him nevertheless as they arrive among the braziers and the vast array of meats and other delicious additions on display, ripe for the charring. "A wedding train in the shape of an A?" he reasons, skewering a strip of steak and promptly shoving it into the flames to barbecue; having sated his bloodlust as much as is reasonably possible for a man with Danta's very specific issues, he's as satisfied as he's liable to get in that respect.

(In all others, though? When it comes to cake, group sex, and whatever other shenanigans he can hear under discussion? Time will tell).

He's just offering out the bit of meat for Asta to take a bite of, all suggestive eyebrows and an innuendo on the tip of his tongue, when Thalassa's voice reaches him, and he turns with a fanged grin for his fellow Ancient. "I have heard rumours about cake," he tells her, "but I haven't seen it yet. And honestly, the fact Asta is here with me means he's not going to be jumping out from inside it, so..." Disappointing, Asta.

Luckily, Charlie arrives with drinks aplenty to distract him afresh, Danta collecting one from the tray with a trill of thanks, knocking it back instantly despite what it might have been when Kaisel made it.

be there and just as you stand, or be like the rose that you hold in your hand

I'm like a titan that's risin'

He'd been playing into the gaps of Charlie 's words, like a course in mini golf that gives you options and only one grants you the coveted hole in one, but that becomes far more difficult when she seals all the options but one. His swing misses spectacularly, ball bouncing off a curb and rolling back to him, the blunt explanation leaving him utterly speechless and blinking. She doesn't just stop there though, no, she crystallizes everything for him with such superb clarity he can only stiffen in response, drink tilting back further and further as he empties it with all the hasty need of a man slaking his thirst in the depths of a desert.

She leaves before he can respond, which is just as well, because it's all still jumbled on the back of his tongue. His glass thunks against the table as he gets about to preparing himself another drink, less mindful of what he's putting into this one. He casts a glance back over his shoulder to where he'd left Flora, certain...almost certain at least, that she wouldn't. She and Sunjata have slipped out of view though, and it's only the new voice of Thalassa that keeps the itch in his hand from reaching to withdraw the parchment he has tucked away. Doing his best to recover from the creep of a frown, angling not to fuck up this night, after all, he lifts his gaze and offers Thal a smile. "Exactly, birthdays always need cake, and embarrassing singing."

Kaisel

Show you the harder the battle, the harder I fight

charlie

Charlie catches Dantalion ’s eye as he takes the drink, her grin slow and delighted, eyebrows bouncing with wicked promise. "There’s still time," she sings lightly of Asta possibly finding his way into a cake, as if discussing dessert rather than chaos, her tone all sugar and spark. She watches him knock it back, pleased as anything.

Then her attention slides sideways, landing on Kaisel with a private sort of gleam. She tilts her head, eyes bright and keen. "Embarrassing," she repeats sweetly, conspiratorially, "does that mean you sing as good as you draw?" The grin she gives him is just for him; quick, sharp, followed by a wink that lands like a secret pressed into his palm before she turns away again, already moving, already glowing.

And then the air changes.

Charlie feels it before she sees it; the sudden, low heat rolling through the room, intimate and unmistakable. Her breath catches, not startled so much as pleased, and her tail immediately betrays her, flicking back and forth with animated enthusiasm. When she turns, Frey is there near Flora and Sunjata, all molten presence and knowing indulgence, and Charlie’s smile spreads slow and sinful. "Oooh," she murmurs, her voice dropping into something huskier, richer. "I just knew your girlfriend would have something good planned." The assumption is immediate and wholehearted, her faith in Flora’s sense of occasion unwavering. She nibbles thoughtfully at her lower lip, eyes drifting back to the cluster of Asta, Danta, Thalassa, and Kaisel, humming softly to herself like she’s already arranging positions in her head.

I did a double take, triple take
Take me to naked Twister back at your place

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

When you close your eyes, do you picture me?

Sharp laughter falls from her lips, fangs catching the light with mischievous intent. "Oh. I would pay to see that." Her eyes flick playfully from Dantalion to Astaroth, silently threatening to help Charlie in making the Maverick's dreams come true. There are plenty of ways to combine Asta and cake, even if he isn't popping out of it like a bloody jack-in-the-box. 

Dark hair shifts like black waves as she turns to look at the man behind the bar (Kaisel), wondering when she'll get her own drink or if he's claimed the bar for himself. The added suggestion of birthday requirements earns him a raised brow, blue eyes glinting with amusement when Charlie takes a dig at his apparently lacking artistic ability. As someone who loathes hearing terrible singers, she flicks her tail, a teasing (and not altogether joking) grin forms on her lips. "If I hear one wrong note - " 

The warning is cut short, a pressure spreading through the room too fast for her to register. It's hot and intense, heating her body from the inside out, her mouth teasing open in something like a gasp. She can't make sense of the tingling sensations, of why her thoughts are drifting, molten and lewd when she'd been clearly focused on lighthearted violence. 

Her fingers tighten on the edge of the counter, doing her best to get a grip on her faculties before she does something embarrassing. "What the hell was that?" She looks to the others, wondering if they might be able to shed some light on the overwhelming pulse of desire.

Thalassa

When you fantasize, am I your fantasy?

we thieves and lovers will keep up our urges to sin, to sin
let your desire be simply acquired within, within

Leaving the thoughts of whatever his nickname could mean, he focuses instead as Thalassa arrives in a flare of wickedness that Asta can’t help but to admire, snorting as everyone seems dead set on cake. Watching Charlie and @Kaisel’s display has him even more amused, even as his arm tightens a touch around Danta’s waist, casting a glance over to him with amusement only to see the bit of slightly scorched meat offered to him – easily snatching it away carefully lest his sharp teeth nick a finger or two.

“Icing is dreadful to get out of fabric, darling.” He says it so casually, like it’s the verbal equivalent of brushing off a piece of lint from his shoulder. “But there may be cake of another sort awaiting you later.” Comes the quieter drawl, the wicked smirk that plays on his lips before the butcher’s glancing toward Thal again with a low rumble of a laugh and an affectionate glance granted toward Charlie’s comment.

Then, just like that, the party seems to change. The blood-soaked heat of the day shifts toward something else, something heavier and heady and the butcher is incapable of glancing over in time to spot Frey just before their departure. It’s a strange sight and one far different than he imagined they would look if he ever set eyes on them, sparking a heat that flares in his cheeks and his ears he isn’t sure quite how to stifle. Instead, his fingertips dig into Danta’s hip and he takes a long sip of his cocktail as if the burn from that might explain the burning in his face.

“If my information is correct, I believe that was Frey.” Glancing over at Danta for potential confirmation – and seeing just how alike the god had looked to the blonde at his side is astounding enough to keep him at bay. He's enough of a Dygra follower that the sensation of Frey affecting him is reminiscent of when Safrin had healed him, somehow feeling both right and wrong simultaneously. A strange loosening of the control over himself he isn't entirely sure how to feel. But it isn't his party and if Danta's enjoying the show, well, who's he to deny the simple pleasure Danta gets from this display?

Astaroth

if you want me all to yourself, then take on the leap

Dantalion

be love in its disrepute, scorches the hillside and salts every root

"You are all very lucky that I adore surprises," Danta drawls, glancing between Charlie, Thalassa and Astaroth as if they've all conspired to keep this sexy-cake-adventure from him on purpose. Leaning further into the cradle of Asta's arm, he discards the wooden meat skewer into the brazier to let it burn and collects another drink on offer, clearly considering himself to be far too sober, still, for this birthday celebration.

Of course, being sober means nothing when the air suddenly becomes charged with heat and sensuality, and Danta's tail whipcracks out automatically at the surge of vice and arousal that floods the party. He glances towards where the others' eyes are drawn, catching sight of what can only be Frey's sexual aspect, and although his gaze lands on the deity for a just second before they disappear again, it's enough to catch sight of them through the lens of his own desire. Shadow and blood and fire obsidian are there only for a moment, wrapped in the decadence of a silk suit, but it's enough to bring heat flooding through his body.

"Whatever it was, it was hot," he purrs, watching the space as if the deity might reappear if he wants it enough, before he's turning to bat the cocktail directly out of Asta's hands so he can draw him down and against his waiting lips. "Remind me to thank Flora for that gift later. For now, cake can wait." And other things certainly can't.

be there and just as you stand, or be like the rose that you hold in your hand

I'm like a titan that's risin'

Charlie's playfulness doesn't coax his attention from the glass and spirits he's mixing. Idle talk of cakes and singing would have normally earned an easy response, perhaps a demonstration, but he's still reeling from the possibility that there's going to be surprise group sex as a gift for Dantalion, the man who fucks around every Tuesday, evidently. Kaisel's gaze lifts briefly, flicking towards the Maverick, assessing for a moment as if he could find some truth by look alone that Charlie is just tossing out her usual wild ideas like words are nothing more than sparklers to be lit up and waved around.

Thalassa will definitely need to be making her own drink, he only ever meant to start the process, and has only lingered to remake his own, intending to get more drunk than this if there'd be dicks waving about. Sipping his new concoction, which is shit, but effective, he makes a face as he swallows it down. Sliding his attention to Thalassa as her threat begins to unfold, about to scoff back that happy birthday is perhaps the easiest thing to sing, he is also swept into the tide of sudden arousal. It's a familiar flare, especially when he can tell it ripples through all of them, and before Astaroth can provide his answer Kaisel's head is already whipping around towards where Sunjata and Flora were. She's there, the Doubletake, utterly nude and dripping with enough desire that it practically wafts like cartoon pie towards him.

It's an odd mixture of want and horror that rolls through him then. Though he knows that's Frey, especially as they depart, the afterimage of Flora nude and senusal at this party is one he can't fully shake, least of all on the heels of Charlie's tittering. "Yeah—surprise~" he huffs out with the saddest jazz hands imaginable, turning back to the bar to trade his glass for a bottle as Danta and Asta descend upon one another. The bottle's bottom drags across the table, neck gripped tight in the curl of his fingers, as he withdraws quietly from the room and wanders well away from the party into some dark and empty part of the house where he hopes the sounds of the orgy can't reach him. If he means not to ruin this night, which is still his goal, he'll need to remove himself from these festivities. He hopes whatever he grabbed is strong enough to numb the cold slither of surprise and hurt that settles in his chest, disbelieving that Flora would do this but unable to deny what's so plain.

---

Kai has fucked off to a very distant part of the house

Kaisel

Show you the harder the battle, the harder I fight

When you close your eyes, do you picture me?

Her eyes drag to where the figure flickers away, fingers still gripped against the counter as she calms the heat of her blood. She doesn't catch more than shifting features, a sense that she can't quite place, one that becomes more obvious with the answer Asta gives her. "Frey, huh?"

But Thal doesn't get a chance to respond, the party seeming to dissipate into secluded couples that she's not inclined to follow or intrude on. It leaves her with only a few people, including Charlie who looks more starved than she is, although perhaps not in the same way. Still, company is company, and Thal flicks her tail, propping a hand on her hip as she asks the priestess, "Should we go find our own cake? It seems everyone else is busy, and I was actually looking forward to something sweet."

Thalassa

When you fantasize, am I your fantasy?

charlie

Charlie watches Danta and Asta melt together with a knowing little smile, head tilting as though she’s admiring a particularly satisfying piece of art. There’s no jealousy there, no surprise either; just pleased acceptance, the sort that comes from having correctly predicted chaos and feeling smug about it. Her tail sways lazily behind her, the very picture of told you so.

Then Thalassa speaks, and Charlie’s attention snaps back with bright, hungry interest. "Ohhh," she says, grinning wide as she flutters her lashes at the other Ancient, all sugar and spark. "That is absolutely the best idea I’ve heard all evening." Charlie slips her arm through Thal’s with breezy familiarity, fingers hooking comfortably at her elbow as if they’ve done this a hundred times before. Her tail flicks with mischievous intent, curling briefly as she leans in close, voice lowering into a delighted purr.

"Come on," she urges, already tugging her along toward the deeper halls of Wildering House. "If the birthday boy is busy and the sex god’s already made an appearance, then I think all there's left to do is treat ourselves."

As they move, the house seems to notice them; candles brightening as they pass, a door creaking open ahead of them without being touched, the faint scent of sugar and spice drifting teasingly through the air. Charlie laughs softly, delighted. "Let’s see what kind of sweet trouble we can drum up," she adds, eyes glinting. "Just you, me...and maybe a few spirits ot lend a hand, mm?"

~FIN

I did a double take, triple take
Take me to naked Twister back at your place

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!