F01-OP Blackbook, Grand Opening

[Telrenya 0]

‘Castor.’ His words were few, but his smile was sweet. Telrenya followed that lead. Fumbling over her tongue while she fished for the correct way to present herself was only going to drown the mood that seemed to rest in the air so effortlessly. Like a thick fog surrounding them, she had little choice but to breathe in.

Their hands met and the music infected them. Slowly, for her. Her movements were unpracticed. Feet not unsteady, simply unconfident as they shifted her to and fro in time with the heavy beat. Her partner, on the other hand, carried himself seemingly effortlessly. She was silently grateful to be able to follow his lead.

The longer their bodies fell in time to the pulsing rhythm, the more natural the motions felt. Estelle may have never set foot in a nightclub, but Telrenya was a graceful fighter, light on her feet and quick to adapt. The lines began to blur. The fingers that curled around her inhibitions began to slip. Much like her partner, something like instinct took over in a way that might have surprised her if her mind would have spared a shred of self-scrutiny. There was no room for it left.

Lysette’s tantalizing voice danced across the chorus just as Castor pulled her into a spin. Her arm extended briefly in flourish, then the momentum pulled them back together.

”You’re very good at this.” She praised, letting out a genuine chuckle that dispersed any bit of nerves that may have remained. ”I don’t suppose you do this sort of thing often?” She asked, her lips settling into a playful smile. Not that she knew of any other masquerade ball venues in Aincrad, but the sentiment for the general party-goer was there regardless.

@Morningstar

[Jevi 0]

A short glass, heavy with the scent of alcohol found her before any company did, but was she truly expecting someone to just fall into her lap? Just like the crab boil, the airship, every other gathering she stepped out of her comfort zone to attend.. hoping she could find someone to interact with. A friend, a potential lover.. hell, just someone to help keep her on her feet and not lock herself in her shop  in her home again for days on end until she decided to try again. Rinse and repeat.

The rum burned as it trickled down her throat. She continued to turn the glass upwards until the ice collided with her lips, and, just as soon as she had gotten her drink, her cup ran empty once more. 

Looks like she needed a new one, a change of scenery sounded nice too. She was getting tired of watching people trying to slow dance to an vivacious, dark-pop melody. Leaving her empty glass for a sever to retrieve, Jevi rounded the dance floor. Knees peeked from the slits in her pants with each, slow step. Still eyeing the couples who were currently engaged with one another, despite her disdain.. was it possibly jealously? Not that she would admit it out loud.

Slowing to a halt before reaching her destination, she caught a glimpse of a familiar mess of green hair (@Hirru). Though with the mask adorning his face - and player-chosen name inconveniently hidden from her gaze - she could not be certain if it was her friend. Besides, he held another woman in his arms at the moment (@Vanta), it would be rude for her to interrupt such an intimate moment. Hurried steps carried her the rest of the way to the bar. Less people watching, more drinking. That sounded like a good plan. 

The watering-hole seemed much less occupied, many allowing the liquid courage to carry them onto the dance floor, or into amatory conversation with another. One individual remained at the bar, not engaging with any others. Fiery orange from the top of her ginger head to her high heels. Jevi was no good at reading others, so she could not tell if the woman preferred to be alone, or if they were sitting in the same boat; out at sea with not a single fish biting. 

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, standing in a space close enough to the woman to engage in conversation, but far enough away so she would not have to retreat if she turned down her offer for company. "Another Dark and Stormy. Extra stormy." she would address the bartender over her shoulder. "Are you waiting for someone? Or is your date at the bottom of a bottle too?" she would ask with a small smirk. "I'm not too.. great at these things. But trying to get out there more, meet more people, ya'know?"

"Sorry." the woman apologized as she took a sip of her newly acquired drink and sat it down on the counter, before reaching a hand out in greeting. 

This was a masquerade.. she wanted to make new friends but.. should she stick with the theme? Keep the mystique? Maybe a little of both. A nickname? Her name was already short enough.. what was it that Adelyte called her?

"Name's V."

@Mari

Edited 7 hours ago by Jevi

[Hirru 0]

She is rather apologetic and heavily analytical, but not in a way that that was arrogant, nor concerning.  It only took her a few moment to, not only figure out that something was wrong with the jade player, but to also find the closest way to alleviate the situation.  There were few factors that were being followed, but those were probably detailed within her mind. 

The hunter shook his head ever so slightly, but took the glass anyway.  The drink from before didn't warm him anymore than what he thought it would, but the hand that held that glass towards him was.  So too was this hand; warm behind the cool glass.

"No, thank you.  You distracted me from my own mind."

He replied before letting the glass touch his lips.  Nice and cool, though the sensation really made him feel the heat in his ears.  Letting the glass trail off to his cheek to feel a little bit more, before letting it settle back to chest level.  

"My apologies to you, for taking care of me so close to helping you.  Though saying that, the way you went through that detailed observation was.. impressive.  Not only my complexion, but how and where to get the freshest water to alleviate my issue.  Have you been observing everything in this room?"

He would ask as a joke, not really thinking that it would be a serious thing.  He was starting to let the combinations of Mack and Freyd show before Mari's words seemed to creep into his mind.

Quote

"You'll be okay...because you're Hirru.."

That's right.  He just needed to be himself, even behind the mask.  A small smile would form from behind the mask.  He did not notice the players moving around him.  Tonight, he was there to be distracted.

"Ah. sorry.. I was just about to exit for a moment.  Get some air, if you will."

He said before letting his other hand lay open, in a gesture to accept hers, if she so wished.

"Would you care to.. escort me there?  I'm sure I can handle, but I would like someone to talk to."

@Vanta

Edited 5 hours ago by Hirru

[Simmone 0]

Ph till after work

[Mari 1]

A slow blink as cerulean eyes raised to meet with emerald green - glistening just so under the flickering lights of the club. Mari hadn't expected anyone to approach her - Mari never really considered herself much of a looker. Tired circles beneath her eyes, freckles spotted all over her body. Wide hips, and a short stature - but...maybe there was some kind of allure to that, she guessed. Oscar seemed to enjoy it, as did Lancaster. Still...Years of neglect from an ex husband were not so easily wiped from her memory.

Then there was the curse of the orange crystal - ever the mark of sin floating over her head...

But here, she was not Mari.
She was not A Pker.

She was jut another lonely soul finding answers at the bottom of a crystalline glass. 

"Mind if I join you?"

Mari waved a hand toward the free seat beside her with a quick rise and fall of her shoulders. "Not like anyone else is." Mari said quietly, finishing off her glass. Mari paused. Listening to the other woman order a drink. Dark and Stormy? Rum?  Mari signalled at the bar-staff, holding up two fingers - the man nodded and gave her a drink just like her dark haired partners. "Neither." Mari replied as she circled the rim of her glass with an index finger. "It seems anyone I hang out with gets paired off with someone else." She lifted up her cup and paused just before the drink hit her lips, realizing she probably sounded bitter, or jaded. "Ah! Not that its a bad thing, I mean... It's not like I want to dance with just anyone." 

Two large gulps of her fourth drink, head buzzing. Cheeks reddened. "My hus-husband is...." Mari tilted her head, "I don't think he'd come here. Honeshtly...only reason I'm here is caush I am familiar with the host....like you... I figured maybe...I should meet some people, or shomething."

A pause as the woman introduced herself as V. "V...huh..." Should Mari use her name? Not like she had anything to hide.  "Mari."

@Jevi

[iris 0]

@Sinnamon

with a scoop of her hand, sin led them into the backrooms.

— and the anticipation through the walk was fucking killing her. iris had actively tried not to make eye contact with anyone else that might’ve seen her, and couldn’t keep her gaze off the floor as they shuffled through staff-only areas. embarrassing. it was times like these that her inexperience was showing, in spite of her desire, underlining the underlying tinges of a personal regret and fear. 

she could only hope that sin would not notice.

not that it lingered for long. when iris was introduced to sin’s office, she had been blown away by how pristine everything seemed to be kept. an educated guess from someone beyond her was that it had been untouched since it was decorated; iris just thought the furnishing choices were exuberant. luxurious. unaffordable and expensive. but sin left her little time to ogle the furniture. it was a fair motive — iris would’ve preferred to be entertained by her companion rather than the room. 

but the way she was forced into the chair took the wind out of her. sin gave her a look dangerous; iris gulped, knowing to stay put. she simply slid off her fur shawl as sin busied herself in the silence, iris too self-conscious to have noticed what the other woman was doing. the only thing staving off her bubbling dread about her self-insecurities was curiosity: iris wanted to know where things would go from here, never mind her reticence.

so she got comfortable, hands abiding to the shape of the arm rest. and just as quickly as they’d slid into a lull, they’d jumped back into the height of it — loud music, a large glass of whiskey, and suddenly —

— iris found herself straddled by sin.

she’d taken in a whiff of the alcohol as its cork was pushed out the decanter with a pop. smoky, fragrant and intoxicating; iris wasn't sure if it was the scent of fermentation or the kiss deep thereafter that got her drunk on the mood first. perhaps it had been both at the same time. and though iris wasn’t sure how it tasted to sin, she was starting to learn that it was even more delicious a drink, for certain, when she tasted it on the lips of her partner.

and her unintentional squeals had only been masked by the music, motions drowned out by the reverberations of the stereo through the floor. iris shivered under every trace of sin’s nails across her frame, craning back and forth as she was willed to expose more skin to her instigator. and, to ground herself (or to beg for more — forgive iris for not being able to tell the difference in the heat of the moment!), her own fingers tore again upon sin’s back, having risen from their displacement upon the latter’s hip and waist. with every surge she felt, drained of sanity and deprived of oxygen, her consciousness was pulled from a hazy fold in a minor act of rejuvenation. each fresh grip from then came with renewed strength and desire.

all that from iris, but in the battle of tongues, she had been losing graciously, feverishly accepting all sin would do to her. because in that mix of flesh and skin, lips made warm and numb, all iris wanted was to melt into her aggressor. and she wanted to be indomitable, as a right she knew she was familiar with, but iris only found herself a lone victory when it came to a nip on sin’s lower lips, however slight. then, she found herself chasing them through her teeth as sin pulled herself away.

iris was weakened, almost slack. from her eyes welded shut in indulgence of that kiss, barely anything was made clear in her vision. so when the clash of light and shadows assaulted her vision, it was only then that she remembered they had donned masks at the beginning of the night. now, revealed, iris was only culpable in her expression, shifting her eyes to the side as she held sin close by her hips.

“Iris.”

“sin,” she whined back, only sparing her partner a glance, but gasping at the roll of sin’s hips against her groin. she knew full well where she had meant to be teased at — what she didn’t know was sin’s secret to being so damn accurate.

“Sorry if you wanted to remain anonymous. I didn’t wanna call you Bambi all night.”

iris' chuckle came out breathy, the woman leaning in subconsciously as she braved herself for eye contact. "i suppose i could only go by an alias for so long after all?" but she shook her head. "i don't have a problem with it. you're already doing so much..."

but sin could do more. in fact, she did so, to iris’ horror. and now, even with their best intentions in mind, iris’ inexperience was definitely showing, called to front and center, because she was rendered completely still, flustered, while watching sin’s performance a feast for the eyes. she wasn’t sure if she should reach out to touch her while sin worked her body, or if iris was meant to start shedding pieces on herself just as well. the agony of indecision only ripped at her own self-control, and undoubtedly, iris found herself licking her lips, subtly chewing on the inside of her cheek after —

fuck. those undergarments. lace, like sin been planning for a night like this all along. was this a honeypot operation and she herself the first fly?

(but then why did it look — no, feel so good at the same time?)

lust doesn’t leave her gaze as her eyes trailed up sin’s body, iris mentally undoing the buttons faster than sin can work them. and sin’s voice is breathy, showing signs of effort to keep iris under her spell.

"you know, all of this has a price."

(oh shit. 100% a honeypot. girl a bitch be broke.)

she’s afraid of her own voice as she considered her col off the top of her memory: enough for a small apartment. okay, maybe two rooms in a small apartment. look, it wasn't much. but it was an allowance distributed by her connection chain and she was sure to receive more in the coming days and it was up to her to decide what to do with it regardless if it pertained to work.

her heartbeat hammered in her throat as she wondered about if she could afford it — then sin dived in the kill. the tension warring beneath her skin is palpable: iris shivers and feels the pinprick needles on her skin as the cold air stung against her from her want. 

sin was tantalizing — is still tantalizing even now. iris desperately wanted to reach underneath that shirt and glide her hands across that perfect sun-kissed body, getting her revenge on being put through the motions and ringer by making sin vocalize for her… but the thought of being held liable for a sum she could not afford held her back.

the wait, excruciating, was enough for sin to grow impatient. it showed with how fast she left iris’ domain once more. and, for the first time in a long while, iris became reacquainted with the definition of the word 'frustration'. her hesitation showed further when sin ordered her, grip on iris’ wrists and motioned towards her ribcage, and iris' fingers refused to flex smoothly in exploration, only held steady upon warmth with the slightest touch.

“I’m starting to think you don’t want me,” cooed the performer in her ear. “I’m putting in all this work just for you and you haven’t even tried to cop a feel."

iris swallowed.

"w-well, that's..."

"You can touch - I’ll let you. Break the rules, baby.”

sin returned to the offensive — iris followed, gingerly. while iris is outlined with confidence, her frame set to sin's two palms, iris' stemmed all contact with her snaking fingers from the brush of her nails, rolling flat and smooth and electrifying across sin's skin. she rolled her hips back in tandem with her partner, then realized how badly she needed a taut grip on sin for herself to achieve satisfaction with the way they operated together. that was enough a reason for her to start braving her desires to mold sin to the shape of her palms.

they're in the middle of it when sin comes to collect.

"I'm very expensive," sin reiterated. and for once, iris was given no buffer to protest nor speculate through — "I need you to fuck me up. Make it so you’re the one I’m thinking about when it’s the middle of the night and the mood strikes."

oh.

"Make it your name I fucking scream."

oh.

the proposition itself was enough to stun the woman back into silence and inhibition. sin straightened her back, and right before her hands were about to lay on iris' collar, her client murmured an almost unheard, dismissed yet shocked, "that's all it costs?"

her grip on iris' dress remained unyielding. sin closed the distance between them.

“Stop being so shy and fucking give it to me.”

(she had never known of her fang and claws until she had learned of hunger, only vaguely aware of how starved she was made to be until now. harsh, she pulled sin in, hands cupping the face of her victim before she registered her own insatiability. iris pressed their lips together in captivation and doesn't let go. a hand to the back of sin's head ensured she stayed there, while her other worked to indulge in her most base desires, wonton of restraint.

iris wasn’t sure whose voice overtakes the other's in volume. wasn’t certain if the music was successful in drowning their cries out in midst the throes of ecstasy, especially when her greed had overcome all of her regular thought processes. iris hadn’t realized just how fast they were plunging into things until the base of her thumb threatened to push that lace underwear down past sin's hips. it was then, only then, with her middle crossed over her index —)

(... well. you get the idea.)