the world at large

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

It’s perhaps too early for any patrons in the Dusklight, but that doesn’t stop Kiada. No, if anything, the harpy slips on through the doors with a bag on her side and a cage draped with towels, feeling surprisingly chipper for the awful sensation the creature in the cage puts off. She’s quick to set it down, along with her bag, hopping up on one of those scarlet stools and quite literally starts to make herself at home.

And once she’s accomplished that, a very loud and dramatic clearing of her throat, and a playful greeting that she’s sure Danta would appreciate from their interactions with one another. “Honey, I’m home!” She calls out to the empty bar, amusement practically vibrating from her skin.

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

Indeed, the only patrons in the Dusklight are those who neglected to go home the night before - or those who call the place home. Danta is one of the latter, of course, so when honey comes home, he's there to greet her. Sidling out from the backrooms at the familiar trill, he leans comfortably against the doorframe behind the bar for a moment to admire the vision that is the lady before him - and then he promptly notices the towel covered cage and the dread pouring out of it.

"Ew, no," he says, flapping a hand at it. "No no, that's bad for business." Clearly he doesn't feel responsible for it, despite the fact that it's absolutely his problem, and it's with a wrinkled nose that he approaches the cage and carefully peels back one of the towels. "Gods," he mutters. "You always bring the best gifts."

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

The second that he’s within view (and admiring the one she offers him), a bright fanged grin is shot his way. “Bad for business now, but in the long run?” She shrugs a shoulder, slinking out of the stool to approach him and try desperately to avoid the sense of discomfort, in favor for going perhaps a bit too over the top with it. Even his comment sparks a soft laugh in the face of his muttering, flashing him a grin.

“Only the best for you, darling.” Avoiding the cage like it harbors the plague, she reaches for her bag to retrieve a glass terrarium where she’d been carefully ensuring the flora within survived, the edges of the glass cold and condensed from the heat of the Dusklight. “I even ventured to Halo to bring this back for you. And I didn’t turn to stone.” She shifts her weight onto one of her legs to slightly pop a hip out as if for emphasis that collecting all of this was a long and arduous task.

Which, while it was arduous, it hadn’t been that long. But the harpy can certainly play the part.

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

"But in the long run what, exactly?" Danta scoffs; alright, she's got a point in that once they know no void creatures can get in, business will likely pick up. But for now, gross. "I suppose I ought to make a miniature zoo for these things while we are collecting them," he mutters, about to grab the cage before Kiada is producing yet another addition to the creepy menagerie.

"Well look at you," he purrs admiringly, not that he gets anywhere near the fogged up enclosure or whatever bullshit is lurking inside. "And what delights have you brought from Halo, might I ask?" Tilting his head, he beckons for her to follow him into the Backrooms where he can find a place for their dread crow and friend.

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

“Keeping the riff raff out, of course.” Kiada responds chipperly in the face of Dantalion’s scoff, offering nothing but a bright grin at odds with the dread pouring from the stupid four winged raven. The idea of a zoo, though, while collecting has her snorting lightly. “Like the world’s worst attraction.” Kiada muses, before pulling out the frostbloom, watching it condense in the heat of the Dusklight.

Regardless, Kiada trails after him toward the backrooms. “It's a corrupted frost bloom.” She offers easily, before finding a shelf in the back room to set it onto, while she watches him find a place for their terrible raven. It’s the first time she’s been back here, but the stack of letters don’t go unnoticed – the Harpy drifting in further to pick up a few, blatantly shoving her nose into whatever Dantalion’s got going on. “The bloom will need to be watered and the bird fed. Judging by this stack, looks like you could use some help?” She asks, waving a letter for emphasis as she leans against the desk. “I've got the free time if you're hiring.”

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

"Mm, you can say that again," Danta mutters, holding the birdcage at arm's length, not that it makes a bit of difference given the proximity. "And I don't know about keeping all the riff raff out. Some of it can be quite entertaining." With a flash of fangs, he leads her and the corrupted flower fuck thing into his office. The creatures absolutely won't be staying here, because Danta struggles to concentrate on boring admin work without the hanging aura of dread, but it will do for now.

"Everyone always has something to say about my letters," he croons after he puts down the birdcage, coming to stand by Kiada with folded arms and a rather smug expression. "I've made a point, whenever someone mentions them, to ignore them for another few days." Which answers half the question, he supposes. But is he hiring?

"You would like the position of official letter opener, would you?" he drawls.

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

His joke and flash of fangs sparks a bubbling laugh from the Harpy, an amused grin reflected on her face. “How about not the icky deadly kind?” She suggests, while her demeanor clearly says she’s got nothing wrong with the kind of riff raff Danta has suggested.

She promptly makes herself at home while he sets the birdcage down and joins her. Kiada’s boldly hopped up onto the desk, bracing with her arms and lets her legs swing below her as she looks up at the Maverick, a playful grin tugging at her face.

“Hey, I’m not judging. You’ve been busy with the region’s quest.” She shrugs, head tilting so her dark hair spills over her shoulder as he muses over her offer, her dark horns glinting with ruby in the lowlight of the backrooms. “Consider it a secretary position? I already have ties to Halo’s Wardens if you needed something more diplomatic.” She could flaunt her connections all she wanted, but the truth of the matter was that she was bored. “I’ll take whatever, honestly. Even if it’s something you—” she reaches up to prod him in the chest with a playful grin, “— don’t have time for.”

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

Making a noise that neither approves nor disapproves of the icky deadly kind of riff-raff, Danta nonetheless figures he and Kiada to be on the same page (roughly). Not minding at all for her making herself at home, he lets a hand flutter dramatically to his heart at her... remark? Compliment? He's not sure but he'll take the latter. "You're right," he gushes. "I really have been busy, haven't I?"

Tilting his head to admire the pale column of her neck, Danta raises an eyebrow and resists the urge to snort out a laugh. "Now I'm not saying no," he drawls, stepping a little closer into her space (all the better for her to prod him in a few moments), "but I feel as though secretary is a little beneath your skillset. Are you sure?"

As for not having time, he can certainly make some for the bewitching young woman in his office right now, dread pigeon or no dread pigeon. "How is it that we've never gotten close, you and I?" he wonders.

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

“Mhm,” Kiada hums, lip quirking in amusement at the dramatic hand that covers his chest. Soon enough, though, he steps into her space and she looks up at him with bright iceberg eyes leaning back onto her hands slightly while her tail starts to curl around her leg. “And what might those skillsets be?” She asks out of pure curiosity, because perhaps it would be better to have some kind of mediocre title to hide all the other things she can do.

As for his next question? A smile spreads across her face, all fangs and teasing as she rolls her shoulders and tilts her head this way and that as if to give him a little bit of a show. “You’ve been busy.” She says again, a playfulness to her tone. “And I have someone at home.” But she watches him curiously and with all the open coyness she can when she continues. “I do, however, love to frustrate and tease, and there’s no harm in looking or being looked at.” Her voice drops a little and she peers up at him, stretched out again as she is as if to in fact let him look.

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

More than happy to play metaphorical kiss-chase with the distance between them, as Kiada leans back, Danta leans in, his own tail flicking lazily at his heels. "I've heard tell," he says with a sly smile, "that you are quite the force to be reckoned with. I just thought you'd be more interested in that sort of work than filing papers. Not that I can afford to say no to someone dealing with my mail." The pile of letters behind where she sits is testament to that.

"If they're at home, they don't need to know what happens here," he points out, cool blue eyes drinking in every part of her that she wants to put on show, admiring the soft slope of her cleavage, the way she moves in the lantern light. Of course, Danta prefers to look with his hands, and he grumbles a touch and rolls his eyes at her following remarks. "You can have a job as Master Cocktease, how about that?"

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

He’s good at coaxing her ego, and it’s clear in the twist of her lips and the shrug of her shoulders that she doesn’t intend to deny it. “If that kind of work shows up then I’ll be happy to help. In the meantime, I can be quite skilled with a letter opener.” She can’t help the way delight spreads across her face in the twist of her lips as he follows her back and she properly does frustrate him.

“I’ll wear nice things for you, how’s that?” It wouldn’t be that weird, right? After all, he worked out of a brothel. She was simply fitting the part. So much so that she chimes a laugh when he grumbles and gives her a title, sitting up rather abruptly and playfully eager to get into his space, nearly touching him. “Master Cocktease, skilled with letter openers.” She huffs another laugh, clearly delighted that he’s considering it.

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA

electing strange perfections
in any stranger I choose

Kiada plays him like a fiddle, and whether it's for better or worse, Danta enjoys being played. Hearing her out, watching the delight play across her pretty face, feeling the heat where she's close but not quite close enough... it's with a hiss of both acceptance and playful annoyance that he finally steps away from her, taking a moment to straighten out his shirt on purpose.

"Fine," he says. "Secretary, even if we both know you are a cocktease underneath it all." Smirking, he gestures to the letters. "If you are eager to start now, all of those could probably do with a look. I will even be kind and allow you to do it out at the bar, and not in here with that thing." Waving a hand towards the birdcage, Danta is already wrinkling his nose and inching out of the office.

Dantalion

you knew who I was
with every step that I ran to you

the rot will always be there, under the surface, waiting for your mask to decay

you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous

He steps back and her grin grows a little bit more resigned, even if internally she’s beaming at the prospect. She sits up more fully, legs swinging underneath her as her tail unhooks from her leg to sway not unlike a cat’s might as she surveys him. “Sounds great to me.” She murmurs, twisting to collect the stack of letters.

Once half of those are in hand, she finds the letter opener, slips it between her teeth, and collects the rest of the letters before hopping off the desk to leave the crow of dread behind, trailing after Dantalion. She immediately finds a spot at the back of the bar, and gets to work rifling through the multitude of paper, making piles based on importance and which need a response to, content to work away the day.

- FIN <3333

the things you've done, come to you in the night

and whisper 'you lied, you lied'

KIADA