scouting

Dantalion

but you can't be free

After the meeting at the Refuge, Danta has been true to his word about visiting a certain establishment. Some of his reasons have even been genuine; he does want to see what the House of Midnight is like, and how it compares to the Dusklight. And he also wants to see if the Flood might be kind enough to help out the Grounds with this whole shitfuckery Safrin situation.

But also he just thinks Sunjata is hot, and hopes he's feeling a little DTFy. For now, though, he ducks into the House, pulling down the hood of his coat and tugging the scarf from his nose and mouth; it's cold as all fuck outside, and if the place had been any further Danta might have been at risk of arriving a little stiff, and not for any intentional reasons.

Honestly, though, King's End is looking pretty civilised these days, and it's making Danta's feet itch with the urge to make the Grounds catch up.

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

He is true to his word, meeting Sunjata at the House of Midnight. The space is warm, fires enveloping the space in the building so that when Danta enters, he should be met with a brunt of heat. It’s Sunjata’s goal, to make sure the space stays warm and inviting, even if one didn’t participate in the rooms and spending a night with someone else, perhaps they’d at least enjoy a bite to eat and a drink.

Either way, the second that Dantalion arrives, Sunjata’s made aware, and with the warmth he doesn’t need to wear any jackets or sweaters right now – simply appearing before the Ground’s new leader in nothing more than a pair of jeans, boots, and a navy blue short sleeved shirt. “Hello Dantalion.” He rumbles with his thicker accent, the smile he greets him with is bright, even if a bit lopsided because of the scar, but he reaches out with a hand to try and guide Dantalion toward the bar and food, through the slightly smaller crowd than there had been during Leafchange, but still busy enough. “Glad you could make it. Are you hungry? Do you want a drink?” He trails off, waiting to see what the Ancient might prefer, while also allowing him any choices within to take a seat and relax and warm up.

Even the spaces by the fireplace are open, most people wanting to sit a bit further away from the radiating heat.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

"Hello, half-god," Danta chimes back in return, busy allowing some very fetching workers to relieve him of his coat, scarf and gloves, leaving him in a black, oversized sweater and dark pants. Only the rings glimmering on his fingers and the bright downy feathers braided into his hair provide a hint of colour, and he allows himself to be guided and welcomed into the bosom of the House of Midnight.

"Does the host of the establishment provide such a warm welcome to all of his guests?" he wonders; it probably won't surprise Sunjata that he decides on a place near the fire, sinking down onto the loveseat and savouring the nearby lick of flames. "A drink would be divine," he purrs. "I'll have whatever you're having."

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

There’s something about the way Dantalion has called him a half-god (both now and in the past) that really strokes his ego. And he can’t help the shift of a smirk that blooms on his face as he guides the Ancient and fresh new leader of the Hollowed Grounds further into his brothel, toward the warmth of the fireplace and the smell of food, the promise of drinks, and the barely there hint of everything else from this spot in the House of Midnight.

At his wondering, though, Sunjata hums a soft laugh and pins Dantalion with a knowing look the second he takes a seat by the fireplace, “only the important ones.” A wink is sent his way, shrugging out of the sweater to reveal the sleeveless shirt beneath it, almost as if he’s expected that the Ancient would pick, quite literally, the hottest seat in the house. It’s easy enough, however, to take the seat beside him, his lightning scarred hand raised to gesture to the bartender to get two of his usual, a drink that luckily doesn’t take too long.

He opts for something a bit sweeter, his usual for this time of year, and they’re met with two glasses of a smokey and sweet whiskey old fashioned. “Usually I get it on the rocks, but seeing as I’m not a fan of Deepfrost, I try to indulge where I can.” He takes a sip of it, lets it burn down his throat, and turns his steel gaze back over to the Ancient from the licking flames of the fire to see what this meeting was fully about – aside from the request of helping out in the Grounds.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

If Sunjata plays his cards right tonight, chances are Danta will call him all his favourite things and then some. Bobbing his eyebrows in response - he's very happy to be considered one of the House's important guests - and shifting to make room for Jata beside him, the Ancient stretches an arm across the back of the loveseat and savours the way the warmth from the fire soaks into his skin.

"They say you can drink whiskey hot," he remarks as their drinks arrive, Danta accepting his glass and giving it an experimental sniff, nodding approvingly. (As if he has any sort of high standard when it comes to booze). Taking a slow sip to savour the first taste of the alcohol, his sharp inhale only makes it burn even sweeter, and he tips his glass to Sunjata in a silent toast.

"I thought it was only polite that I paid this place a visit, since you helped to set up mine," he murmurs, rolling his glass between his hands. "And maybe I'm enjoying scouting out the competition, too."

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

Sure, he could drink it hot, but… “What, and start sweating before I even feel the effects?” Which unfortunately isn’t as often these days, but that was half of the fun. Warming up from it. And if it was already hot it kind of made the point moot for him. “Maybe I should look into spiked ciders.” He muses idly, letting a soft chuckle leave him before he toasts Danta in turn and takes a sip of his drink, feeling the burn on his throat and the comfort of the spices within it that make it feel festive.

His steel gaze focuses on the blonde as he lowers the glass, humming a note of understanding before his polite smile starts to tilt a bit wolfish. “Well, the rooms here will change depending on what the participant wants.” He murmurs, gesturing with his other hand to the upstairs, before his head tilts a little. “So if you want to fuck on the beach or in a mountain lodge with a bed of furs, it can be whatever you want it to be.” Something he’s quite proud of, truthfully.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

"I suppose you have a point. Besides, there are other, much more pleasant ways to start sweating in a place like this," Danta concedes, hiding his wolfish smile behind another sip of whiskey. It goes down much easier this time (that's what she said...?) and he relaxes further into his seat to hear the Flood spill all the beans about the House of Midnight.

And honestly? Colour him impressed and then some. "Shut the fuck up," he blurts before he can help himself, the crooked slant to his smile bleeding into something delighted. "Let me guess - you call in a favour from Daddy Frey for this?" Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the Maverick is already jealous, so why not rub it in, Jata?

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

A rumble of a chuckle leaves the Flood’s throat, lifting his glass in a small mock toast of agreement to Dantalion’s statement before he takes his own sip. It goes down just as the first had, enough to bolster him in bragging over what his brothel could do, a glimmer of pride flickering across his scarred face before he ends it with a roguish smile.

The blurt sparks another chuckle of laughter and Sunjata’s head tilts slightly as he nods. “Of course I did.” Why wouldn’t he? He was one of their demigods, it simply just… Made sense, right? “They would’ve helped me make it into whatever I wanted it to be, and I had plenty of options, but the room shift seemed… Optimal. Beneficial for everyone.” And a part of him thinks that maybe if he decided when he stepped in, he could show what Korofi was like and try to relive that feeling  of living in the past a little bit longer.

But that’s a thought when he gets a bit more drunk, of course. For now, he’s content to brag, content to wear that wolfish grin and sip his whiskey, practically waiting to see if Danta could top it despite knowing that the Maverick couldn't.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

Groaning, because words like optimal and beneficial are all well and true and good, but he really doesn't know if that's how Frey would describe them. "It's fucking hot, is what it is," he mutters with a good-natured roll of his eyes, hiding his smile behind another generous sip of his drink. Of course he can't top it, and so he rolls the glass between his hands and lets himself gaze lazily across at the Flood.

"Well, the Grounds is in the process of building a nice permanent bonfire to keep my brothers and sisters and I nice and toasty during Deepfrost. At least we don't have to worry about turning to stone for living there," he drawls. "And I'm going to try to chat up Flora, get some good Torchline liquor for the Dusklight." No magical changing sex rooms though, sorry Jata.

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

Dantalion’s comment and the roll of his eyes have a rumbling chuckle leaving the Flood’s lips. He lounges in the meantime, humming a note of agreement and offering a knowing glance. “It is.” He agrees, meeting that lazy gaze with one of his own. He remains silent while Danta offers his own information over the Dusklight, something of which Sunjata can understand – wanting to make the region a better place for the people that inhabit it.

It's not unlike what he wants to do for King’s End, despite having to start small and work his way up, trying to tame an entire region. It was a lot of work. “I might visit more often if that’s the case.” He flashes a crooked smile – even though deep down he doesn’t know how often he’d find himself down there, given the memories and the attempts to block it out for his own heart’s protection.

As for Flora and the liquor, a crooked smile blooms back on his face. “One thing I’ve noticed that really picks up business is importing from all over the place.” When he had so many different bars to run, keeping the stock in rotation certainly brought participation numbers up.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

It was a lot of work, and though Dantalion will never say it out loud, not in a thousand years, he does feel as though King's End is actually in a better position than the Hollowed Grounds right now - and no, he's not happy about it. "Mmm," he says, brows slightly furrowed, companionably slouched with Sunjata in the loveseat. "You got history with the Grounds, or something?" he asks, lazily tipping his head towards the other man.

Beyond the VlamVloed, of course - Danta has visited the bar enough to know who used to own it, and it makes Sunjata all the more attractive and the Ancient all the more envious. Give it time though, he supposes. "Either way, visit often enough and I'm sure you'll see some more changes. I'll make sure of it."

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

Sunjata’s equally as comfortable, if not a smidge too warm now that the alcohol starts to burn in his system. And while he doesn’t feel it just as much as he would if he weren’t a demigod, it’s still a comfortable feeling that loosens him, limbers his body, takes away all the little lingering pains that his many near deaths have caused.

It also loosens his tongue a bit when he snorts in response to Dantalion’s comment. “I spent a lot of time in the Grounds with my husband.” The one that was dead and gone now, the one that had destroyed him so much that he can’t even look at his own patron god. “Hard not to look at it and not see him there.” A casual shrug given before he exhales a soft sigh as the conversation shifts easily – something sweeter on his tongue that he latches onto it.

“Unrecognizable would be best for me, but I don’t want to be the determining factor. Don't worry, though. As much as I have a bittersweet relationship with the Grounds, I still said I would help if you needed it with... Whatever this Safrin shit is going on.” A wink is sent Dantalion’s way before he takes another sip of the whiskey.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint

Dantalion

but you can't be free

There's no such thing as too warm for Danta, so rather than feeling uncomfortable by the heat generated between them and by the alcohol, he gravitates towards it. "Ah, I see," he drawls, not needing to ask any further details - the fact that he's not heard of or seen a husband in the time since he's known Sunjata tells him everything. And it doesn't matter to the Maverick, whether Sunjata's love story ended in animosity, mystery or death - he's all about the now.

"Don't you worry, you won't be," he adds with a wolfish smirk - he'll stroke Sunjata's ego (among other things) all he wants behind closed doors, but out here he's a little more invested in the Grounds. "Your help would be very much appreciated," he informs the Flood. "Maybe I can tempt you back to take a look at some of the Inner Quarter. Whole place needs updating, but we can start there."

'cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

SUNJATA

the flood

with every breath and every intake
tip toe further away

Thankful that Dantalion doesn’t ask him to elaborate, Sunjata’s content to remain sunk down in the love seat, sipping from the liquor in his glass (enough to drain it) and have him leaning forward to set the glass onto the little coffee table equivalent. And his attention returns to the Ancient when he makes his joke, lips quirking in a small playful smile.

The confirmation that he wouldn’t be changing things too drastically solely for him has him humming a soft laugh. The consideration of heading to the inner quarter does give him pause and he regards the other man curiously for a few long moments. “I haven’t seen the VlamVloed in a while, perhaps it would be good to check in.” Not that he planned on doing anything with it, but for the sake of ensuring something he created continued to thrive, perhaps the ensuing memories would be worth that little confirmation.

further away from this mistake
i'm no savior, i'm no saint