[SE] jingle around the clock

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

"Mm, just a little to the left," Danta is calling through an open window of the Dusklight, standing inside and far enough back so he can watch as a couple of Grounders adjust the ice sculpture of a naked woman so her breasts can simultaneously be enjoyed from within and without the brothel. "Perfect," he announces with a nod, closing said window to keep the heat in and moving to the doorway to pay the NPCs men for their help.

With that done, the Maverick turns to inspect the interior of the Dusklight. It's always very festive in his opinion, with its crimson and golden decor, but he's had bushels of mistletoe and decorative boxes of incense ordered in that they might decorate the tables further and entice patrons to indulge in the season more than they might already be doing.

It's midday so it's as quiet as it's ever likely to be, and so the Maverick adjusts the collar of the thick knitted sweater he's wearing, and gets to work.

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

Agreeing to feed the void critters had been a mistake. At the very least she should have worked out a deal with Kiada about taking turns. That might have made it easier to stomach entering the Maverick's office. But then again, maybe the only way to get the Void out of the air would be to burn out the entire space and rebuild.

Feeling somewhat queasy and out of sorts, Maea closed the office door behind her and scampered away from the accursed room like it might try to pull her back inside. Desperately searching for anything to take her mind away from anything purple, she hurried into the bar - and blinked at the boxes and bundles of greenery. Something smelled sharply of perfume, and she rubbed her nose against thr urge to sneeze. Her gaze then went to the owner, and pale eyebrows came up at the sight of him puttering about with decorations.

"Feeling festive, are we? I'll admit, I'm surprised." Curious, she came over to peer into the boxes to see what the source of the smell was.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

"Surprised? Why's that?" Danta flashes a fanged grin to Maea as she appears, the Maverick promptly holding up the mistletoe over their heads and leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Last Deepfrost was miserable. This time I have this fine establishment, and the Grounds has a bonfire to keep us all from turning to stone. What's not to feel festive about?" With a catlike smile to punctuate his point, he sweeps away to arrange some of the mistletoe around the booths.

The smell in question, of course, comes from the incense; a mix of cinnamon, cloves and citrus that might seem overpowering when condensed within a box, but will likely dissipate nicely once it's throughout the Dusklight. "Can you put some of those out?" Danta calls to Maea, busy trying to wrangle his mistletoe into place.

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

Make that two things to be surprised by. The kiss was so unexpected that it left her speechless. Blushing furiously, she was left standing with a hand pressed to the cheek as Danta fluttered off with the offending plant.
"Well, that's - you don't seem the type to care about traditions, is all," she managed to say, struggling to keep her thoughts from scattering like startled ningos. "It's nice, though. Glad to be wrong."

Glad too for something to do, she dug into the box and brought an armful of the insence along as she began to place them out on the tables. Dark skirts whispered around her legs as she went about, the red lining matching the decor of the establishment rather well.

"Will you keep this place open over LongNight?" It was not what she had meant to say, exactly. The least festive part of the season seemed a poor topic for conversation; not very cheerful. Call it a freudean slip. It had been looming like a dark cloud on her horizon for months.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

"Never had any traditions to care about before," Danta says airily, having successfully put the mistletoe where he wants it before moving onto the next booth. "Never had the time to consider them either, I guess." Still, today's Maverick is apparently full of whimsy and festive cheer, and while tomorrow's might be broody or spiteful, that's a future Danta problem.

As Maea follows after him, they make quite a successful pair, adorning mistletoe and incense across the main floor of the Dusklight whilst the naked ice statue glitters inticingly at them from outside the window. "I don't see why I wouldn't?" The Maverick tilts his head over his shoulder at his fellow Ancient. "It's just dark, right? And people tend to like getting cozy when the lights are out."

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

"Yeah? I hope you get to enjoy it now, then."

Making a trip back for more insence, Danta's comment had her feet slow. Expression growing distant, a light frown settled over her brows. "No... not just dark," she contradicted softly, gaze falling into the box. It was almost empty. "I don't know how bad it gets now, with the monsters gone... but I doubt it will be quiet."

Forcing her limbs to push past the urge to seize up and stop moving, she emptied the contents of the box and dusted her hands off once it had all been placed out. The air was already taking on notes of cinnamon and citrus, lending a homely feel to the bar that would no doubt make some people linger longer than they ought.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

Danta fully intends to, as is evident with his decorating, and once he's out of mistletoe, he returns to his box to see if he's left any other bits and pieces inside. At that point, of course, Maea is already tipping it out and proving that it's empty, the Maverick instead forced to turn and admire their handiwork. (Oh nooo.)

Leaning back against the counter, he's aware of the strange melancholy that has fallen over the pale woman - and he's heard bits and pieces from others about the monsters that used to roam the Grounds at Longnight - but honestly, in Danta's case, ignorance really is bliss. "Well of course it isn't going to be quiet," he says, nudging Maea with an elbow.

"This place will be a non-stop party." As it always is. "Listen, just find a warm bed and a warm body to curl up with for the week, and the time will pass so quickly you won't even realise it."

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

Nearly choking on that piece of helpful advice, Maea tried and failed to keep the heat from getting to her face again. Rather more frankly spoken than she was used to, it was only because it was Danta that she didn't raise a fuss; from his lips it sounded strangely like compassion.
"Mmh, that... might not be too bad," she murmured, nudging him right back with her own elbow. "Barring my ability to find such a thing, though, are you going to need any help at the bar?"

Leaning back against the counter, she gazed about the establishment. With the addition of green scattered about the booths and tables, the sinful character of the Dusklight gained an elegant if somewhat homely air that might fool anyone who didn't know what the selling point was. At least until they looked out the window - that statue left very little to the imagination. Not for the first time did she get a dizzying sensation of being out of place, as if she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and stepped out of her own life and into someone else's. The girl she once knew herself to be had no place being anywhere near brothels or bars, or the kind of men who owned them.

Yet here she was. Quietly envying the revelers soon to come flooding back in, who were able to drown their sorrows in drink and pleasure without a care in the world for what the morning would bring.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

At her remark - barring my ability to find such a thing - Danta can only flash her a fanged grin and gesture out at the Dusklight, as if to say he'd be very surprised if she couldn't find anything like that. Especially in his sort of establishment. But anyway, speaking of the bar, he turns to scramble over the counter (it's graceful if you squint a bit), popping up on the other side and starting to pour himself a drink.

"Mm, I might," he says conversationally, of needing help, and he holds up an empty glass to silently ask if Maea wants a drink as well. "People have been rumbling on about going to spend Longnight with their families and whatnot, so there might be a few extra hands needed. You any good at tending bar?" It doesn't honestly matter if she isn't - Danta isn't exactly a seasoned bartender either.

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

Catching his gaze, she responded with a light shrug. What could she say? Casual hookups wasn't her thing. It took rather a lot to even get her interested, let alone trust anyone to get close. If she did find herself in a bed somewhere, it likely wouldn't be with any of Danta's employees, no matter how pretty they might be.

Pretending that she didn't see him crabbing across the bar, Maea chose to hoist herself into a chair and made herself as comfortable as she could, with her feet dangling off the floor. The offer of a drink was accepted with a light nod; it was a bit early still, but she felt like breaking rules right now. None but herself would know or even care.
"Don't know about good, but I know my way around at least," she replied, resting her chin in a cupped hand while she watched him work. "I lived at the Vlam Vloed for a while, and picked up a few things in passing."

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

"Perhaps I should arrange one of those... gods, I heard the term once in Torchline... ah!" Danta snaps his fingers, "those speed-dating nights for you. Maybe you'll find a beloved to spend your time with." The Maverick might have smooched at the air for good measure if he wasn't busy taking a sip of his drink instead. (Probably for the best, to be honest).

Setting down his glass if only so he can prepare something for Maea as well, his eyebrows raise to hear that she's got prior experience in an establishment not unlike the Dusklight. "I never would have thought," he says, tilting his head and sliding her drink across the counter, only to take a seat at it as well. "The place has held up well, all things considered."

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

"That's very thoughtful of you," she laughed, catching the drink as it came sliding towards her. "But I don't know if I need it. I do pretty well just by keeping myself busy, right?" A vague gesture to herself indicated the difference between now and their first encounter. Not to brag, but Maea was rather proud of how quickly she had adjusted, all things considered.

Sipping carefully at the drink, she hummed in agreement. The burn of alcohol scouring her throat brought back memories that were not quite happy but not as bitter as she had feared.
"It didn't have much competition for a long time," she reflected. "Not sure how it's doing these days though... Sunjata isn't running it anymore, is he?" A glint of suspicion entered her gaze as she narrowed her eyes in thought.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Dantalion

innocence died screaming
honey, ask me, I should know

"You do," Danta agrees, gazing appreciatively over Maea's delicate form, because she certainly is a far cry from the girl he'd thawed out from becoming a bird's nest. "But if you're looking for something to make Longnight pass by more quickly, or to make it feel less..." he wiggles his fingers to indicate spooky, "well there's no harm in trying, is there?"

But if she isn't interested then he's hardly going to push the matter, Danta raising his glass in a silent cheers and taking a sip of his drink. "Mm, it seems to be doing alright, I think. Plenty of people in the Grounds want to drink without fucking." Boring if you ask him, but it doesn't mean those people don't exist. "But no, I don't think Sunjata has anything to do with it these days. He's busy with the House of Midnight."

AKA his friendly competition.

I slithered here from Eden
just to sit outside your door

Table base by Skylark

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

"Hmm, fair enough. I'll think about it." Raising her glass in a salute to his kind thought, Maea knocked back her drink and savored the burn as the alcohol began to hum through her limbs. It kept her trepidation at the idea of letting people in at bay, and smothered the inclination to rely too much on the Maverick for support. It would be a good way to get herself neck deep in trouble of a kind she wasn't good at handling.

Her huffed laugh came out hoarse, between the drink and a trace of bitterness she couldn't entirely erase. "Probably for the best. He had a habit of using his bars as hubs for underground activities. Spy networks, smuggling, you name it. At one point you could throw a rock in Halo and it would be common knowledge in Torchline or the Grounds at the end of the day." Impressive, but hardly something to encourage in a ruler of another region.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!