A Demon And an Exorcist Walk Into a bar [Somewhat Useful x Degu]

[Degusaurusrex]

September 20th​

“You, my dear, are cranky. When's the last time you had a good meal?” Morrigan lifted her head from the arm of the couch and waved an arm lazily at the other woman with a mumble, earning her a sharp smack to the back of her head. “Get up, you lazy succubus, and go eat! I can't stand how whiny you get when you're hungry.” With a grumble as she red skinned woman sat up, she turned to stare up at the other who had smacked her nearly senseless.

“You're in my house, Karina, not the other way around. If you don't like that I'm cranky, then get out. I'm not stupid, I was planning to go out after this show.” She waved black tipped fingers towards the television where a soap opera like show was playing, frowning and shaking her head. “Get out, I need to make sure that my illusion magic is going to hold steady before I leave. It makes it that much easier when you don't have someone pulling on your tail because they got curious.” She cringed. “Or the ones that insist I'm going to take their soul. I'm not Beelzebub, I don't do that!”

Realizing that the other woman had actually listened and she was only talking to empty air, Morrigan shook her head and made her way to the bedroom. It would be easy, and it would be fun. All she had to do was go to the bar dressed rather provocatively, feed off some of the desire there, and find a man worth going home with. Easy. Just find a dress and some heels and she was good to go.

Therein was the problem. Opening up the closet brought her face to face with many different types of dresses, even if a majority of them were all in the same color—Black. Different lengths, different styles, all the way from summer dresses to ones for winter. Pushing different pieces to the side until she was satisfied that something would work for her task, she selected a very short, low cut black dress with thin straps. A jacket would do well enough to keep her warm in the fall weather, and she wiggled into it before snatching up a pair of strappy heels to match it.

“Perfect.” The outfit emphasized her curves in all of the best ways, the heels giving her short stature some added height that would make her have to crane her head less just to look at people. Oh, how the tall men were a fondness of hers, the things that they could do.. Grinning as she ran a brush through her hair and looked in the large vanity mirror sitting on her dress, Morrigan inspected herself carefully to make sure that the illusion would hold up.

Her horns and tail were nowhere to be seen, skin pale and flawless. Her normally golden eyes had changed to a hazel color with flecks of gold in them, easy to blame any slip ups on tricks of the light, especially when there was alcohol involved. Now all she had to actually do was get to the bar, and after tying her hair up into a high ponytail and fixing her earrings, she gathered the rest of her belongings and was out the door.

The bar was loud, as always, filled with the scents of so many things. Alcohol, tobacco, and then there were the loud voices of those who had been there far too long drinking and were nearly falling over their own feet. It was perfect for her, and after sliding into a seat at the bar and draping her jacket over the back of the chair, she gave the bartender a sultry smile and ordered her drink. Time to hunt.

 

[Somewhat Useful]

Not for the first time that week, Colin Dury found himself staring, listlessly, into the standing mirror at the foot of his bed. He told himself, as he often did, that he was searching for something in it. Truthfully, he hadn't a clue what that something was. Such things had become depressingly common in his life as of late, and each time he would sink deeper into dissatisfaction as nothing forthcoming stared back.

Large, grey eyes gazed, dully, into the mirror's surface, skimming across his tall, narrow frame. He'd been told, once upon a time, that he was an attractive man. That he should rein in his confidence lest he distract the younger initiates with 'sinful ideation'. As things were, he really couldn't see what the fuss was about. A mess of thick, auburn hair spilled about his face, which was broad and angular. His mouth, wide and thin, was framed by a strong jawline and narrow chin, and sat below a thoroughly ordinary nose. He sighed. 'No,' he mused, 'I really don't know what the batty old cow was waffling on about.'

Fed up with his introspection, he sighed deeply and slapped himself around the face, pulling himself away from the mirror. He rummaged through his drawers, digging out an old, yellow button-down, which he threw on over his vest, and made his way through his dingy apartment to the downstairs office. Outside, the dull, orange glow of flickering streetlights was beginning to overtake the fading Autumn twilight, and the reception of his little building seemed to have taken on an almost ethereal aura as their gentle light peeked in through the Front's large windows.

"Bloody Mabel, forgot to close the blinds again..." Sighing, Colin meandered over to the building's front, and pulled the blinds closed with a harsh tug. "Don't know why I pay the ditsy shite, all she seems to do is bat her eyelashes and waste my printer ink." Still, he supposed, the clients liked her, and perhaps that was all that mattered. He certainly saw few enough of them as it was. Blinds seen to, he strode into his office and slammed the door (polite as he was during business hours, it was his home, and he'd treat it however he bloody well pleased). He flopped into the chair, and pulled out one of the few bits of unfilled paperwork that littered his in-tray. A haunting, if he remembered rightly, and a quiet one at that. "Seems it's all I can get, nowadays." He scoffed. "'Paranormal Investigator', my arse. I'm an Adept, for god's sake!" He made to kick the table, but stopped himself, resting his head between his hands, and wondered, as he often did, whether escaping the madhouse he'd once called home had really been worth the trouble. Then, as he did just as often, he rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the question, stood up, wearily, and groaned.

"Fuck it," he muttered, "I need a drink." He left the paperwork, reasoning that a single invoice for a haunting could wait for a few hours, and took his coat and hat from the stand by his office's door, before grabbing his lighter from his desk and striding out through the waiting room of Dury's Paranormal Detective Agency. (He'd always hated that name, but the Institute would've skinned him alive if he'd tried to put his actual title up on the board).

He considered himself extremely lucky to have found a set of offices so close to a decent bar. As it was, it was only a few minutes' walk down the High Street to his preferred pub: a quaint little hole called the Goat's Head. He snubbed the cigarette he'd been smoking against a nearby tree, tossed the end into the road, and made his way inside. He found it... difficult to explain why he was so fond of the place. It was loud, cluttered, full of thick tobacco smoke, and reeked of beer and spirits, and yet there was something homely about it, too; perhaps it was its stark contrast against his old home, but something about the pace made him feel distinctly comfortable. For the first time that day, a smile worked its way onto his face, and as he sat at the bar, and ordered himself a half, his long coat dangling over the edges of the stool, he took the opportunity to look around the place.

There were the regular pissheads, of course, and a few OAPs struggling not to spill their lagers at one of the corner benches, and he sighed, contentedly as the Bartender slid him his beer. He was in the process of lighting another smoke when she walked in, confidence sloughing from her in waves, and his gaze followed the woman from the door to a barstool a few seats down, a curious glint in her eye. There was something different about this one. He put down his cigarette, and called over to her, a sympathetic grin on his lips.

"You look tired. Rough day, was it?" He took a sip of his drink. "I'll pay for that, if you want. I'm in a generous mood." He smirked to himself. 'Take that, Cleric Mary, you fat oaf. I can still manage the Good Samaritan look when it suits me!"

 

[Degusaurusrex]

"Well aren't you just the charmer? Telling a lady she looks tired." Pausing with her glass partway to her lips, she turned to give him a bright smile before sipping on the drink. "If you're so inclined, you're more than welcome to pay for it." High end liquor had always been a preference of hers and thus did not come cheap, and while money wasn't necessarily an issue for her, she wasn't going to turn down a free drink. Or two, depending how long she could keep his eyes glued to her. "Not as rough now that I have a face like yours to look at." Lines like that were usually being spoken to her, but there was a certain thrill from catching men off guard by making the first flirtatious comment. That, and he really was easy on the eyes.

"Is that your usual go to line?" Taking her drink and jacket, assuring herself she had all of her belongings, Morrigan slid from her seat and sauntered over to him. She draped her jacket carefully over the seat beside him before sitting down, sipping at her drink without breaking eye contact. "Tell a woman she looks tired and offer to buy her a drink? My, my, that's an interesting approach." She didn't seem bothered by it in the least, as she knew full well that she did look tired. That always happened when she was hungry, and until she sated the hunger it wouldn't change. It didn't detract from the natural beauty that her kind held, but it did start to show in a way that was visible for humans.

"Got a name, handsome, or just a wallet?" He was big, too. Big enough that she had to tilt her head just a bit to look at him, taking him in from head to toe and back up again. "Don't think I've ever seen you here before, but I don't come in too often." It was easier to flit around between different places as not to deal with repeat flings, although once in a great while she found someone worth revisiting.

 

[Somewhat Useful]

Colin chuckled at the shorter woman's rather forward approach, and slipped a tenner to the bartender, pointing to her briefly. He took a long drink before answering.

"I'm just telling it as I see it, love. I know tiredness when I come across it." He smiled. "And if you don't mind me saying, you're really not too bad yourself." He rolled his shoulders, working out a kink, and winced slightly as one of his joints cracked. It was true; she was a particularly attractive girl, if a bit provocative. A few years ago, when he'd first set up on his own, he'd have turned up the charm the moment he laid eyes on her. He'd been... distinctly reckless, back in the early days. A rebellious phase, he was sure his parents would've called it. Well, so he imagined... As it was, it certainly didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes. It'd been a good idea to come out tonight.

"Frankly, it's far from the worst chat-up line I've heard." He paused. "Not the worst I've used, come to think of it..." He grins. "Anyway, you sure you want to be stripping already? We've barely started our first date!" A laugh, harsh and loud, bubbled from his throat, and he muffled it with another sip of beer. In truth, he hadn't been much of one for one night stands for a while now. Still, it didn't stop him from enjoying himself, once in a while. A bit of flirting had never hurt a soul, especially not over drinks.

"I'm Colin. Colin Dury." He picked up the cigarette he'd dropped, and lit it, taking a drag before continuing. "Although, if you'd prefer my wallet, I can give you his number." He smirked. "His name's Geoffrey." He smirked good-naturedly, and held out his free hand to shake. "I come here fairly often, actually. I s'pose I just blend in. I like to think I've got a quiet aura about me."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

"I should hope not, if you're offering to buy my drink. I tried to put at least a little effort into looking decent." A bit more effort than normal, as her frustration over being hungry had made picking an outfit a bit of a hassle. It had paid off though, and rather quickly apparently. The best part about it though, was that the man seemed to have a sense of humor, not just a handsome face she could stare at while they were--Well, if they got to that point.

"I'm almost frightened to know the worse ones you've used." She raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of her drink before laughing. "I'm not stripping, just keeping my jacket off. It gets rather warm when one drinks, as I'm sure you know." In fact, she was almost a bit surprised by his attire, but with the weather it made sense in its own way. The color of his shirt was more surprising than anything and she glanced at it briefly before her eyes flickered to the cigarette.

"You've named your wallet, how cute. I bet he gets a lot of attention from some of the women just looking for an easy night." Taking the extended hand and shaking it briefly but firmly, she lowered her hand and tapped her nails on the counter. "Morrigan, just Morrigan. I'll pay for the next round if you're sticking around, let poor Geoffrey have a break for once." After all, what was the harm in spending some money for a good night? So far, it was seeming like it would be a good night. "Or if you're up for a little wager, we can play a game of pool to see who buys next round. Up to you, darlin'. I've got all night."

 

[Somewhat Useful]

He laughed again, a high, clear sound, knocking his cigarette against a nearby ashtray, and adjusted the lapel of his coat. Honestly, he found himself feeling the cold far more often than he did heat. Even now, in a busy bar, there was something of a chill on his back.

"With today's prices? I'm pretty sure the poor bloke's got a reputation as a cheapskate!" He smiled, showing teeth, and knocked back the rest of his beer. "Anyway, it's nice to meetcha, Morrigan." He paused, looking her over once more. "Don't meet many Morrigans. I suppose it means I'm lucky!" He dragged on his smoke, hard, and its glow shone in his eye for a moment. He leaned his head back, and blew a stream of smoke up towards the ceiling, where it was stirred up by the fans. "And yeah, I think I'm going to be here for a fair bit yet." He sighed contentedly, ashing the cigarette in his hand. "I'll have a Vodka Lemonade, double. Whoever said you shouldn't mix drinks was a filthy coward." He looked over at the pool table, then, noticing that there was a game winding down.

"A wager, eh?" He smirked. "Vice is a sin, y'know." He quirked his brow, wryly, and his eyes went first to his cigarette, and then to the empty glass beside him. "You're on." His smirk twisted into a broad grin. "Tell you what. You pick up this round while those boozers finish their game, and then I'll take your bet." He slipped a coin from his pocket and spun it, idly, between his fingers. "Seem fair?"

 

[Degusaurusrex]

"My parents were very fond of mythology." It wasn't entirely a lie, and it was the name she'd gone by for the majority of her life now. "Call it luck if you'd like, it's all the same to me." Her eyes followed the rise of the smoke as it was dispersed around the room, her nose twitching slightly at the scent. Over the years she had grown used to it, even partaking in it on occasion when it seemed fitting. Her first introduction to it however, had been terrible, and left her sneezing for a good hour after inhaling a lungful of it.

"The world is full of cowards." She grinned, tipping back her glass and finishing it in several smooth draws before setting it down gently. "What's life without sin? No fun, that's what." Without sin she wouldn't exist, wouldn't be able to feed the way that she did. The world was full of a constant supply of energy for her, anywhere from the supermarket to the bars, to anywhere in between that she could find a willing man. And oh, it was so easy some days.

"Deal." Her wallet was procured from her jacket as she fished out several bills, flagging down the bartender and ordering both of their drinks. Or all three, rather, as she ordered a double shot of whiskey and a long island iced tea for herself. Money was exchanged for alcohol as she took the shot without cringing, wiping the dark drop of liquor from her mouth with a thumb and picking up the tea. "I'll have you know that these heels don't get in the way of my pool skills, so I hope you're not counting on that to work in your favor." Drink in hand as she stood from the seat, Morrigan tilted her head in the direction of the ending game. "Shall we?"

 

[Somewhat Useful]

"Gladly."

He watched, mildly, as she downed her spirits, a distant smile on his lips. He'd never been overly fond of whiskey himself; good for warming you up, not so much for nights out. Taking his cigarette in his off hand, he knocked back most of his drink, then picked up his hat from the bar, flipping it smoothly onto his head, held the smoke between his teeth, and set off with her. He looked down at her as they walked, timing his strides to keep alongside her, and quirked his brow yet again. He dragged on his cigarette for a moment.

"I've seen taller heels, trust me. Although, it looks like we might need a longer cue." He snorted, a wicked look on his face, and hastened towards the pool table. The young men who'd been playing gave him a nod, and left towards their table, and he took a moment to put his drink down on the edge and find the table's coin slot. That done, he leaned back against it and watched Morrigan's approach, the clack of the balls rolling out of their compartment cutting across the noise of the room.

There was something different about her, he observed, something that he hadn't seen in quite some time. He smirked. 'Ah, if only the Clerics could see me know. Fusty bastards would throw a fit!' He went to take another drag, only to realise he'd finished his smoke, and he snubbed it on the ashtray that'd been left on the table's corner with a sigh. He sipped his drink, lightly, and set about setting up the table. "My old guardians would've had a few choice words for you, y'know." He grinned at her. "Very traditional views on sin, they had." A soft laugh. "Boring fucks, the lot of them."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

"I've seen taller ones too, but I'm smart enough not to wear them and risk breaking my ankle." As if that would actually happen, but one had to blend in with humanity. Well, she didn't technically have to, but it made getting her meals that much easier when men weren't worried that she might kill him. As if! Sex was so much better than murder, and murder only played a part when it was necessary. Why would she get her hands filthy when she could get other parts of her body filthy instead?

"I haven't played in awhile, so this should be interesting. Hopefully I haven't gotten too rusty." Setting down her drink and bending down to place her bag and jacket on a stray chair, she straightened up slowly and smoothed out her dress. Pool and short dresses always worked well together, and if that didn't give her an advantage, then she was going to have to put some serious work in.

"A lot of people have choice words for me. But what is life without sin?" Giving him a rather wicked grin as she selected a cue and leaned over to aim, her shoulders shook with laughter. "No fun, that's what. Let's sin together tonight, shall we? Some drinks, some pool.." The cue connected with a ball and sent it across the table, sinking smoothly into the pocket. "And we'll see where else the night takes us."

 

[Somewhat Useful]

He laughed softly at her quipping, and took the opportunity to watch her for a moment. He raised an admiring eyebrow as she sorted her dress, pulling its wrinkles back against her body. He sniffed, softly, and straightened the lapels of his coat, taking an... inconspicuous look at her rear as he did. (He didn't like to be crass, but he was, at the end of the day, a man).That done, he walked, perhaps a little too quickly, to the other side of the table, and watched her draw back the cue, lining up the break and pocketing a stripe. A whistle.

"Impressive! I was going to make a quip about rust and tetanus shots, but as things are..." He knocked back the rest of his spirits and picked up his cue. Whether by accident or not, she'd left him an ideal shot. "I wasn't complaining, y'know. I've spent a lot of time shitting on what they tried to teach me." He grinned, and lined up the shot, only to relax his arm and adjust the angle a little. "All this talk of sin... you're really not being very subtle, are you?" He took the shot. the cue ball struck a dot, sending it rolling into the nearest pocket, before knocking into another, muddying the table for her.

He stood back from the pool table, gesturing widely. "Your move, Morrigan. Let's see what you've got in store for me." He smirked, wickedly, his eyes meeting hers. He hadn't come here tonight to meet anyone, but perhaps... He'd been ever so good, after all.

"Whatever it is, I get the feeling we'll both like it."

 

[Degusaurusrex]

"I can't say I know what you're talking about." She wasn't being subtle in the slightest, her lips quirking as she tried to hide the smirk. "Maybe I just like to talk about sin. It's a huge part of line after all." Wincing slightly as his shot landed spectacularly, she pursed her lips and met his gaze evenly. "Bold man. Very confident, hm?" Picking up her drink and knocking it back effortlessly, she glanced around for the bartender.

"How about this? I'll get us another round of drinks, and we'll keep playing. Best two out of three games, hm? Winner gets to pick their prize." Her eyes moved over him blatantly before she propped her cue up, taking her empty glass and sauntering back towards the bar. It didn't seem like it could end badly either way, considering how they were both looking at each other. If things were going the way they seemed to be, one of them would be taking the other home by the end of the night.

A drink in each hand she returned to the pool table just minutes later, handing him his before sipping hers. With a shake of her head as she picked her cue back up, she leaned over the table perhaps just a bit too much before taking aim and watching the ball miss the pocket. "Damn!" Cursing quietly and straightening out, she raised an eyebrow and stepped back. "You may just win this first game, the way it's going so far."