you can hear 'em like a ghost

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"And this is the Dusklight," Danta trills at last as they step into his establishment - one he has missed more than he can say, in truth. Beaming over his shoulder at Charlie, he gestures for her to follow him up to the glittering bar, passing through throngs of gamblers, addicts and exhibitionists on show to do so. "It's the seat of power for the Hollowed Grounds, and the best brothel in Caido in my humble opinion."

Offering for her to take a seat on one of the barstools, he gestures for one of the tenders to provide whatever Charlie would like - as well as a whiskey for himself. "Asta provides security, to keep grabby hands from getting too out of line," he continues, "and he lives in a room just through there." Gesturing down a corridor, he's sure his fellow Ancient will go to trouble Whitebrim's long lost butcher if the need arises.

"Apologies for all the snow, by the way. Deepfrost is a rotten season. At least there is a ball coming up."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

"Danta, this is incredible." The blonde gushed as the heavy doors were pushed open and the Dusklight's warm and garnet interior was revealed. Looking around with her mouth agape as if unable to take it all in at once—and honestly, for someone who missed 500+ years of advancements, the Dusklight was more than just impressive—the blonde nevertheless followed the Maverick toward the bar. Reaching for the seat and having to hop herself onto it, Charlie looked from far away like a child who had inadvertently wandered it. "Well, I'd love to be able to agree with you first hand. Are there many brothels around?"

Looking at the glittering bottles and recognizing very few of the particular brands on display, Charlie just shrugged. "Whatever you like best!" She said to the bartender, who, despite preferring topshelf vodkas, offered Charlie a stiff Shirley Temple which she accepted with a bright smile. "So no one uses dogs anymore?" She wonders before expertly corraling her straw with her tongue and taking a sip. "We just used to use fyrhunds." Still, it was good to know.

"Yeah, I absolutely hate it." The blonde says, though given her temperament, even her smile looked like a frown. "A..ball?" Blinking her large blue eyes, Charlie gives her head a little shake. "Like a sacrament?"

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Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Luckily for everyone in the Dusklight, Danta knows that if they get too close to Charlie they'll quickly realise that she is not a child and nor should she be treated as one, and he leans himself against the bar so they might be of at least a slightly similar height as they wait for their drinks. "You are too kind," he drawls, offering her a fanged smile for her trouble and nodding his thanks to the bartender as his whiskey arrives.

"There are a few of note," he says, racking his brains for the brothels he knows. "There's the Halenani in Torchline, but it isn't as popular as it used to be, I don't think. Then you have Mother Molly's in Stormbreak, which I've heard is delightful, and the House of Midnight at King's End. I know firsthand that it's worth a visit - they have rooms that change depending on your preferences." It's with cold eyes glittering with mischief that he sips at his drink.

"Mm, no, fyrhunds would get too cold," he reasons. "Though Asta has a shift like that, so I suppose it's the same kind of thing?"

As for the ball, he can't help but laugh at the idea of a sacrament, if only because his experience of such things are not nearly as fun as Charlie's. "More like a party?" he says. "There will be food, music, obnoxious outfits, dancing, that sort of thing. One of my council, Maea, is arranging it."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

Crinkling her nose in response, Charlie takes a moment to glance over her shoulder toward where several booths were tucked away behind luxurious bits of fabric. If she focused, she could hear not only moans, but the satisfying fap fap fap of a handjob. Beaming, she looked back to Danta, marking the names as he said them. "Oh! Maybe I'll try Stormbreak first. I made a friend who lives there. He was very eager to learn more about Dygra." Which, maybe in Charlie's mind, had been true. Mateo had been eager about something that day in Torchline.

"That sounds amazing! We should have the next orgy there!" She gasps animatedly, tail flicking. "When is the next one?"

Nodding as if she should have known better, not that Charlie had ever lived anywhere that she needed to plan for the cold, she only offered a quick—"Me too!"—when it came to Asta, before her attention was firmly caught by the idea of the ball.

Even if it seems like Danta is laughing at her, Charlie's cheeks stay rosey and plump as she listens. "Oh. Oh I understand." She didn't. "Is it in celebration of something?"

.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Is that so?" Danta croons, tilting his glass towards Charlie in a cheers of success at having (apparently) started to spread the good word about their goddess to the heathens in Stormbreak. "Maybe he will be at the ball as well, mm?" Bouncing his eyebrows at her and taking another sip of whiskey, he does admittedly tilt his head curiously when she mentions an orgy that should seemingly be in his calendar.

"Can I ask what it is you did, back before you were turned to stone?" he says, feeling as though he's missing some key pieces of Charlie's puzzle - pieces that might fit quite nicely in the Grounds, now that she's here. "Because we don't organise them officially, not here anyway."

As for the ball and the celebration, the Maverick can only give an honest shrug. "Being alive at Deepfrost? Your guess is as good as mine."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

"Dunno." Charlie said with a shrug, raising her glass cheerfully as well. "I didn't know about it to ask." Would Mateo be there, though? That would be fun. "Maybe I can convert him if he does come!" Eyes wide and eyebrows raised, Charlie is the picture of sunshiny optimism, which she tops off by sucking hard enough on her straw to have her cheeks hollowing.

"Wh—?" Pouting, adorably, Charlie takes a breath. "I was a priestess." For Dygra, obviously. "So I was in charge of all the normal things." Lifting one hand, Charlie begins to count off her duties. "Organizing the virgins, scheduling the hunts, planning and facilitating the orgies, making sure the blood pools were regularly emptied and refilled, procuring sacrifices—" Lifting her hand to cover one side of her mouth, Charlie winked. "—both animal and human." Pausing, the ancient's blue eyes search the Maverick's face, searching for and finding absolutely no sign of recognition or understanding.

What had happened since she'd been under?

"Oh. Well, survival is always a good thing to celebrate I guess." Pausing, she glanced down at the black silk dress she was currently wearing. "What do I wear? I couldn't find any ceremonial robes in Torchline, but I guess if this isn't a ceremony.."

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Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Maybe so," Danta says cheerfully; Charlie's mood is contagious in ways that suit the Maverick just fine, and he leans an arm against the bar to get more comfortable as they chat about all the ins and outs of Climb-life prior to them both succumbing to a big sleep. And no, alas, there is no recognition in Danta's expression - but there is a great deal of delight.

Reaching out to cup her cheeks, the Maverick inhales a deep breath and lets it out again. "You are just what we need here," he decides. "Though I'll have to warn you that the human aspect of sacrifices is rather frowned upon these days." His voice is low, and he rolls his eyes. "Animals work just fine, though. Although if they're volunteers, or if you're secretive enough about it...." He winks. What the Grounds doesn't know, the Grounds doesn't need to worry about.

As for what she wears, Danta steps back and gives her an appreciative look up and down. "I imagine formal attire could mean anything, given how long both of us have been under," he says. "Let's get you to a tailor - I bet they could make you something suitable. And we should get you to the Temple, too - I think you'd be of great use there, as a priestess."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

As Danta cups her face, Charlie has no idea if he means to kiss or admonish her, but either way, she looks up at him with large expectant eyes, seemingly content to deal with either. "Oh? Oh!" Her cheeks swell beneath his hands. "It was like that before too. About eating people, I mean." Pouting, Charlie lets her lower lip fully pucker for a moment. "But they taste so gooooooooooood." She whines playfully, before returning his wink in acknowledgment of how she might skirt certain social concerns.

"And...the orgies?" She implores, leaning forward as if she means to beg Danta to allow them should the Maverick turn her down.

Not minding her fellow blonde's gaze, Charlie swivels on her chair and strikes a pose: jutting out one shoulder, lifting her chest, and crossing one leg high over the other. "I'd love that! Thank you!" If it wasn't so much working hopping off the stool and then back on, she might have collapsed into his arms (or around his waist, more like). Instead, she simply reached across to give his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"So how long were you under? Were you a leader of somewhere before, too?"

.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Gods, I know," Danta hisses, his grin a feral thing, like a kid that knows he ought not do something but is planning on it anyway as soon as he gets the chance. Releasing her to tuck a lock of fair hair out of her face, he similarly lights up at the orgies, and this time he seems much, much more pleased to share details.

"No one is organising them at present," he laments, "so if that is something you'd like to take on, you are more than welcome. You can organise them from here if you like. Everyone in the Dusklight is already on board, I imagine."

With a catlike smile, he lets his other hand cover her own, leaving it sandwiched between his touch, and tilts his head at her questions. "Nothing nearly so grand," he says, a master of deflection, "and so it doesn't really matter nowadays. Come on - shall I give you the grand tour? All indoors, of course, so we don't have to fret about the weather. And if you see anyone or anything you like on the way, you can just let me know."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

"I will!" Charlie chimes immediately as if someone else might have been vying for the position as well. "I mean," She chuckles. "I absolutely will." Looking pleased as punch (since when does punch look pleased? or is it punch and judy, punch? anyway) Charlie slurps the rest of her Shirley Temple with an appreciative ahhhhhhh. Stabbing at the cherry at the bottom, she pops it absently into her mouth.

Giving his hand a little scratch with her nails, Charlie brightens. "Sure!" Either she hasn't noticed or doesn't care the way he evades answering her, but the priestess is so enthralled by this new world that it takes very little to distract her attention away at any given time.

"Ooh, but I already like everything." She gushes, hopping off of her chair before pulling out a perfectly tied cherry stem and dropping it into her empty glass.

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Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"I am so glad," Danta purrs, knocking back the rest of his whiskey and stepping back that she might hop down from her chair. Watching with open awe at her antics with the cherry (and fuck you if he has to subtly adjust his pants, because that's hot and he's not afraid to say or think so), he clears his throat and gives her a little twirl for good measure, before leading them onward.

"Then you'll just have to try everything," he gushes back to her with a wicked grin. Unlike with Everest where things were necessarily slow to account for questions, Danta feels able to take Charlie on a real whistle-stop tour of the Dusklight, cow-man included (and he has another man with him dressed like a milkmaid, which yes tell him more). They go through whips and chains and threesomes and orgies (albeit mini baby ones compared to what the priestess is used to), through gags and bindings and acrobatics galore, and that's just in the rooms that allow public entry.

"There are plenty of spare places to stay here, if you need to get on your feet again," he continues - or if she wants to stay and fuck forever. As if on cue, they pass a door set into a small recess with a delicate windchime hanging from the archway. "That's where Asta lives," he tells her through a stage whisper, reaching out to tinkle at the chime on purpose before hurrying them on.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

Tossing her head back and laughing with the sort of sparkle that has more than a few eyes looking her way as Danta twirls her on the end of one hand, no doubt there will be a handful of inquiries about whether or not Charlie was a new employee, and what Danta had thought of her interview.

"Twice, just to be sure." Charlie grins right back. As they pass through, Danta is quite correct to assume that the priestess requires no handholding. In fact, the only questions she has are about the more modern devices that are on offer, though quickly she understands their use and suggests ways she might incorporate them into group activities during the orgy she's already planning. "Great form!" Charlie calls encouragingly as they pass by a few rooms, whereas by others she just gives an energetic thumbs up.

"Imagine a massive line of those—" She whispers as they pass the room with harnesses hung from the ceiling. "We could all move together in the same rhythm." With a sigh that's as aroused at the thought, as it is disappointed in the changes in how their kind worships, Charlie quickly shrugs off her melancholy in light of optimism.

"Thanks! I really appreciate it. I probably will. It'll be nice to have all the company around, too." And not just for sex. Raising her eyebrows conspiratorily, Charlie's lips part at the sound, only to grasp hold of Danta's hand with a laugh as they scurry away.

.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

For his part, Danta is firmly of the opinion that the rest of the Dusklight would be privileged if Charlie had decided to join their ranks as a worker, and whilst he hasn't had the chance to interview her privately just yet, well, there's always plenty of time. Regardless, with the two Ancients only serving to spur each other on when it comes to the antics on offer, by the time they're hurrying away from Asta's quarters, the Maverick is already back on his bullshit impressed enough by Charlie to want to keep her at his side for a good, long while.

"Mm, if nothing else, the Dusklight is never lonely," he agrees as they saunter back through into the main space, the bar, and the clusters of people getting up to no good and then some. "So were you the only priestess around way back when? Or did you have a... a..." Gesturing as if wondering at the collective noun - harem? carnival? sex conga line? "Did you have others working with you? What was it like?"

Whereas some might need to hear the word of Dygra from Charlie's perfect lips, with Danta she's preaching to the converted, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i can make the badguys good for a weekend

Clever enough to realize that if all the ancients were like Danta and Asta, that the world would be a very different place, Charlie was similarly of the opinion that she'd quite like to keep the Maverick close at hand. Impressed beyond measure by the options the Dusklight was able to offer its patrons, and telling Danta as such as they strolled back, Charlie couldn't help but mentally bookmark the room number of the cow/milkmaid room when they past by a second time.

"Oh no, there was a hierarchy of us. Not to brag or anything, but I was prettttty high up." It was a brag of course, but Charlie felt compelled to mention it only because she took such pride in her work. "Those of us who were higher up were in charge of organizing and delegating. Every Ghost Moon for example, we'd have a huge festival. So we'd gather together all the dedicants and send them off to gather the sacrificial animals and build up the supplies of blood. They'd also get to make prizes for the games at the festival, like small vials of virgin blood, or getting to lead a hunt!" Sighing dreamily at the memory of hundreds of ancients flitting around, slaughtering, worshipping, fucking, and having fun, Charlie glanced up at Danta.

"Then the day of the festival, I'd be the one leading the sacrifices and the blood orgies." She explains. "There were three of us at my level. The other two would lead the altar worship, and the hunting."

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