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Playing the Game [ Chai & Razgriz ]

RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric enjoyed his shower immensely, letting what many would consider to be scalding hot water rain down on his exposed skin; his shaggy but suave silver hair hung damply on his face, some of the bangs covering the eye-patch concealing his right eye. If only Stella could see him, he thought; she might think him all the more weird for wearing an eyepatch while in the shower itself. But in truth, it held one of his best kept secrets...Well, at least best kept from those who didn't have a single clue as to who he was.

Of course, he had no idea what Stella was doing this whole time; he wondered briefly if she might try something. Then again, he would know if she tried to steal something, he placed several potent hexes on the armor itself that would trigger if one had the intent to steal it from him for sale or to disarm him and make him vulnerable. Some might call it paranoia, but he preferred to think of it as protecting a valuable asset. And in some ways for him, it was an heirloom of sorts. One that he would be fairly livid about losing.

Regardless, he knew shower time was over and turned off the near-boiling liquid, allowing the steam to settle and roil about as he vacated the stall. His skin, possessing a fair degree of crimson coloration, shone a little as he grabbed a towel and started to dry off. "Ah, nothing like a hot one to relax the muscles" he sighed happily. Just then, a small sheen of flame crawled over the entirety of his body, completely vaporizing excess water from him and leaving him bone dry. And as he went to wrap his waist and cover his shame, a slight smirk crossed his features.

Maybe she could see just WHAT it was she was missing out on. Tease Stella in the best way possible, and push her out of her comfort zone more. Casually tossing the towel aside, he then walked into the room wearing nothing the eyepatch and his birthday suit. And he would find her passed out on the bed.

"Bah, you drunkard..." he joked, resigning to redressing himself in his robes and armor...Only to find it wasn't there. He just kind of stared for a moment, then snickered, "Alright, alright. That old classic 'hiding my clothes' prank. Guess you got me. You probably just stuffed them under one of the beds." He got down on his knees and looked underneath both of them, seeing nothing and even reaching in to see if she tried cloaking them somehow. Wouldn't surprise him if she could; the reading he'd done on lumomancy told tales of masters that could hide entire islands, that could focus sunlight into what the Normals naively called 'laser beams' of incredible destructiveness.

He found nothing, so he could only stand up. "Alright, I know they're still here. You might not have hid them under the bed...But I can find them myself." Closing his eyes, he let his magical energy resonate like a form of sonar, giving him a 'sound map' of the room itself. A trick he learned to do from his assignments while imprisoned in Periculosis. He still found nothing.

Alright, now he was starting to get aggravated. "Stella..." he said, his tone possessing more than just a hint of heat. "Where is my armor and sword? I swear to god, if you threw it out the window..." was an agitated addition, his naked form crossing the space quickly and going to lean his head out of the window, a light breeze running over his chest and shoulders.

Nothing. But there was no way he wouldn't have picked up on it; anyone not close to him would have had at least one of the hexes trigger. And even if they disarmed one, he had five more at least set to release in that event. He would have felt it.

"Hey, bitch...Wake up and tell me where they are. I know even your featherweight ass can't be THAT drunk." he then shot out venomously, going over and standing naked over her bed. His eye glared down at her, waiting for her to reply.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

Stella was grinning into the pillow, biting her lip to keep the snicker from escaping her mouth.

Aww, she had made him mad. Poor baby. It was just some armor and a sword—sure it might have been expensive, but she didn't think it was anything to fuss all too badly over. He seriously needed to get over himself. She sighed into the pillow and began to turn her head to the side to look up at him, fully prepared to say some snarky comment about how she was tired, she didn't know where his stuff was, and that maybe he might try looking up his ass.

Instead what she got as she fluttered her lids open was a eye full of dick, just there, a couple inches away from her face. Her violet eyes blinked a few times, widening in horror before she quickly attempted to back away from him, rolling away to only tangle herself up in sheets.

"What the fuck, Ric?!"

A small pillow was tossed in his general direction, missing him altogether and bouncing lightly off the wall behind him before it fell to the ground in silence. Stella was turned away from him, sitting up in the bed while her legs were cocooned in layers of blankets. It wasn't as if she didn't know what a penis looked like—she was a virgin but not naive about sex in the slightest—but it was more the fact that Ric's junk was the last thing she wanted to see.

"You can't just walk with everything on display like that. Put some fucking clothes on, please. Your shit's in the bag." Her face was almost crimson as she unveiled the hidden purse, throwing it to him roughly despite being pricey. She could sacrifice a purse if it meant not seeing Ric in all his naked glory again. It tumbled off the bed, landing at his feet, and spilling out some of the contents: her wallet, a tube of Chapstick, a water bottle, and the black cloth of his robes.

"If this is some weird ploy to get me interested in sex, this might actually be the worst possible way to go about it," she said hotly while turning to him, tossing another pillow (bigger this time) at his body. The blood that now ran freely from the cut on her hand stained the white with crimson, but she seemed to ignore the liquid and the dull pain that throbbed in her palm. She watched the pillow hit Ric's chest then slide down, her eyes lingering for a fraction of a second on his manhood. Impressive indeed. At least she knew Rowena wasn't a liar.

She lifted her head to look at him, her features twisted in a bitchy look of contempt. "I don't think I've ever felt as dry as a desert in my entire life," she said with exaggerated sarcasm, even though she had just been staring a second ago, "I mean really, nothing screams desperation more than flashing your junk to people who don't want to see it."

Stella turned away then and got out of bed, mumbling something about sexual harassment, the light brownish-red stain on her sweatpants visible as she made her way to the bathroom. She grabbed a washcloth and made it damp with some warm water before walking back to sit on the edge of the bed that gave her the most distance from Ric.

"Get dressed," she hissed at him, eyes focused downwards while she delicately wiped away the mess on her hand. "No need to get in a hissy fit. God forbid you ever have your stupid toys taken from you."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric just stared down at her as she turned over; if he wasn't feeling so pissed off, he would have laughed quite heartily at her shock and confusion. Tough shit if she didn't like seeing his package in her face; she shouldn't have hid his clothes. Hell, he had previously planned on waiting right outside her door in nothing but a towel, only to drop it when she opened the door.

And he really couldn't care less if she got excited or not; hell, this could have turned her off of sex forever and he wouldn't have batted an eye. He had his own means of getting his jollies, and he was sure as hell going to exploit the shit out of it with this stunt she pulled. She wanted desperation, he would give it to her in spades.

"Your fault for hiding them, dumbass." he replied heatedly as her purse spilled the contents, his eyes going to his armaments and soon after bending over to retrieve his things. He didn't notice that she'd cut her hand, not that he would have even cared. He had no contractual obligation to care after every little scrape she got.

Then she made the mistake of calling them his 'stupid toys'. A dangerous gleam roared in his one visible eye, though Stella wouldn't be able to see it since he had his back to her, himself falling conspicuously silent as he redressed. Not to fulfill her desire of having him clothed, but because he was about to teach her a lesson. One that could very well have him end up right back in prison. But god, she annoyed the shit out of him. And moments after he affixed the final greave of his armor set, there was a blur and she would find the edge of the black ivory double-edged sword just a hair's breadth from her throat. And his tone showed even more than before that he was NOT playing around.

"You don't know what this cost me, you petulant little brat. Money isn't the only thing with value, but someone of your stature wouldn't understand that, would you?" he hissed, his fingers tightening around the hilt in anger. "This 'stupid toy' has filled more graveyards than you would see in a thousand lifetimes, princess. These 'stupid toys' allow me to do my job, which is currently protecting your narrow-sighted ass from the things that creep in the shadows. Remember those beasts that make the Council shit themselves in fear? The ones I told you I faced? Even if you 'bleed light', as you put it, they'd snuff you out before you could even summon a spark."

Moving it just a hair closer, he then added venomously, "Just remember that I am a Dreg, Ellastaria. I am older, more experienced, and better equipped. Someone who's looked into the abyss and made it blink. You would do well to make sure the instruments of my duty are within reach. At ALL times." But it was this that triggered the protection spells once more; a sudden crimson barrier exploded outward, throwing him against the opposite wall before he slid to a sitting position on the floor. There was a noticeable dent from where he impacted, proof of the force used to keep him away from Stella. "Damn it all, I wasn't going to hurt her..." he muttered as he slowly stood to his feet, hand touching the back of his head as if to feel for a lump.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"I don't see why you're so mad," she started to say, her hand almost cleaned up from the dried blood, "It was just a jok—"

Her sentence was cut off by the sword, sitting perilously close to her neck. Her hands froze their movement, and she swallowed noticeably. She could almost feel the blade against her skin. Almost, but not quite. She could feel her heart quicken in a mix of adrenaline, anger, and a taste of fear that didn't seem to go away no matter how hard she tried to dispel it.

Ellastaria? If it wasn't for the blade at her throat, she would have sighed and rolled her eyes. Who did he think he was? Her parent? Some all-knowing, all-powerful guardian? Please, he needed to take his crybaby ass and get over it. She wasn't stupid either; she wouldn't have taken his stuff if there was any indication of danger, but apparently he was the only one who was allowed to make jokes around here. A sharp laugh left her when the protection spell finally kicked in, and she took a shaky breath to steady herself as Ric was thrown back to the wall.

Not even a second after he stood, some invisible force pushed him backwards, slamming him against the wall yet again with an audible thud, though it was much softer than the protection barrier. The magic was obviously something of Stella's doing, and she whirled around to face him. Her eyes shone gold, livid and alight with some inner fire that made it clear she was just as pissed off as he was.

She raised a hand, her palm facing Ric, and the pressure holding him against the wall grew stronger. "You’re just begging to be locked up again, aren’t you? Don’t ever," she said with quiet danger in her voice, "ever threaten me again. I don’t care what those cost you, but don’t use petty threats against me. If you want to kill me, then have the balls to do it. The only thing I’d feel bad about is not being able to see your dead body during the execution. But I’m not someone you can push around through intimidation."

The pressure grew stronger. "Don’t try this again," she finished after a brief moment of silence, finally releasing the magic. She was more than sure that Ric would likely have no problem overpowering her with his magic, but that wasn't her concern. He did, after all, have limits on using magic against her.

The young woman turned on her heel to walk away, dropping the used towel on the small table across from the bed. Fuck him and the sword, she thought to herself as she began calling upon magic for a final time, this time to heal the shallow cut on her palm. "Sano," she murmured, watching as light trickled through the open wound, then faded, leaving the skin there perfectly healed as if the sword hadn't sliced through it at all. Healing wasn't a magic specialty that she knew how to do, but like most warlocks and witches, she knew the basics. It was enough to get by if she ever got hurt.

"It was just a joke," she said calmly after a few minutes, breaking the awkward silence and finishing the thought that she had tried to say seemingly so long ago. She took a seat on the end of her bed, a safe distance from where he was. On one hand, the blade and armor was obviously very important to him, and on some level she felt bad about hiding them from him. But on the other hand, did he really have to throw the tantrum? "I don't know why you had to freak the fuck out. I would have given it back really soon, you know. I'm not a complete bitch."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric's body seized again, the negation clauses forcibly draining his energy while Stella's freely acted on their own. Damn this contract, that was his sole thought. He could hardly move, straining with weakening fervor against the binds. He would gladly kill her if he could; hell, that was his first thought. Just end her life and run like hell. But the moment anything he did drew even a drop of her blood, he was done. The termination clause would implode his heart and lungs, making him die a slow painful death. He was strong, but not invincible, and that was certainly not a fate he wanted upon himself...And it went into effect if by some means he did not save her from imminent and/or immediate danger or death.

"You're a fucking liar." he spat as he felt the pressure subside, himself standing once more; it wasn't that she took it so much that she insulted what it meant to him. Everything that was him was in that armor, and despite his playful nature and his earlier statement of it being 'ornamental', it held a great deal of significance to him. More than she would ever know.

"You would have played that game for as long as you could. And that wasn't a threat, that was a warning. AND....trust me, if I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already." he said all in one sentence, rushing through part of it as to try and make as many points as possible. "I know how you and the rest of the Council play your games. It's the same thing you've been pulling before and even after D.I.R.T. was enacted. Only difference is you give out some extra crumbs every once in a while now, and not as many heads roll."

Standing up, he rolled his shoulders and recollected his blade, putting it back through the hip-loop of his belt. "But I suppose not of that matters to you, seeing as you've grown up with the ol' silver spoon lodged firmly in that perfect little mouth of yours." he then added with more than just a hint of venom; in truth, she really had rubbed him the wrong way by pulling this stunt. "Stupid girl" was only thought, sitting on the chair nearest the window.

"I suggest you sleep, Your Highness. Wouldn't want your suitors to see you in a mess, after all" he sneered, resting his chin in one hand and looking out towards the sky. Maybe he hadn't thought this through...No, he did. He just wanted to be out so badly he was willing to be chained to a Councilor's brat just to get it. And then there was the issue of his history. He had a lot of friends, sure, but more than enough enemies too. Ones that would use Stella to get to him; and it wasn't as if he utterly cared for her safety.

It was more he was forced to just to live.

'This is so fucked' the warlock muttered almost inaudibly, lazily casting a simplistic snare hex on the windowsill before starting to drift off. Why he was so tired, he didn't know...But maybe some sleep would help him cool off.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"Whoa there, buddy. You say 'Council' as if I'm on it. I don't have anything to do with your extreme hate of them and whatever policies they create. You're seriously getting worked up over something that wasn't that big of a deal. Killing the vibe and shit even after we had such a fun date night in the park."

Stella rolled her eyes, the last sentence laced with biting sarcasm. Would she have played the game for as long as she could have? Maybe. Probably. But one usually stopped the joke once the victim was getting touchy; how the hell was she supposed to know that Ric would blow up after only a couple minutes of not having his stuff? He was getting all serious over a joke. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who needed to lighten up and remove the stick shoved so far up his asshole that he tasted the wood.

"Bitch, I am flawless," she snorted in jest, standing to head to the bathroom, "and if any of my suitors think differently, they can feel free to go."

And with that, she looked back at Ric's seated form one last time before closing the door behind her. The shower was enjoyable to say the least; a majority of the time was just spent contemplating life and how she was going to deal with having the bodyguard around. In all honesty, the sushi and walk down Omotesando had been... enjoyable. Nothing to rave over, but for a moment it gave her a glimpse of a side of him that she didn't know existed. Now in the blink of an eye, they were right back to hating each other over something as seemingly simple as armor and a sword. She wondered if all their attempts to get along would be rudely disturbed by how different they were, but in the end she decided it didn't matter. Why should she care whether they were going to get along or not? He was just as stubborn as she was. There really was no point.

Forty-five minutes had passed until she finally stepped out, brown locks slightly damp and her cheeks flushed with a warm pink. She was still quite pretty even without makeup, kinder looking somehow, and she moved to sit on the edge of her bed as she brushed her hair. The only light that remained on was the one beside the bed, and the room was strangely silent. Peaceful. Even Ric seemed to be asleep at the window, and she figured it would do her good to do the same after the heavy use of magic and their stupid argument. Shimmying quietly out of the sweatpants, she folded them neatly and placed them on the opposite pillow before sliding her bare legs under the sheets. "Nox," she said softly, and the light beside her turned off, bathing the room in darkness and allowing her to drift off to sleep.

* * * * * *​

Puffy white clouds rolled in the breeze, adding texture to the otherwise clear blue sky. The air smelled of summer and fresh greens, with the landscape reflecting the atmosphere. Stella stood in a familiar white stone courtyard, looking out at vineyards and rolling hills covered with grass that stretched out for miles in all directions. In the distance, soft mountain peaks kissed the sky, a dusky brown against the blue, but she couldn't help but feel content as she gazed out at the scenery before her.

She knew this place, even in her dreams.

She turned to look behind her, not surprised to see Villa Durante almost gleaming in the sunlight. The massive building was a rustic yellow that was decorated with the same white marble that was beneath her feet, and she smiled at the sight of the place she called home for so many years. Nothing much had changed, even if it was in a dream, but something new did catch her eye.

On the marble below, etched in the stone about 10 feet away in the center of the courtyard, was the sigil of House Durante. The golden outline of a phoenix within a circle was clearly visible, spreading its enormous wings as if it were rising mid-flight. Curiously, Stella stepped closer to examine the marking, only for the beast to come to life. She squinted her eyes as the golden outline took shape in the air, exploding in rays of light as the bird became real. It, too, was familiar to her... Strangely, it looked exactly like the illusion she and Ric had created together; the plumage was a mix of reds, yellows, and oranges, with purple scattered here and there throughout the feathers. Fire trailed off its wings and tail in a perfect replica of Ric's creation. Mesmerized, the princess reached out to touch the beast, only for it to squawk loudly. Then in the blink of an eye, she saw a flash of warm hues as the bird rushed at her, covering her in its wings and almost scorching heat.

It didn't take long for her to realize that she was now elsewhere, as she felt the heat persist even as the bird's presence had gone. Opening her eyes, she found herself in an oasis of some sort. The arid climate and endless dunes of sand didn't escape her notice, and if she had to guess, she was likely in the Sahara somewhere. Or at least, a place that was similar. It was a dream after all; how the hell was she supposed to know where exactly she was?

She was standing on the banks of a small lake, connected by a stream to another lake. Grass and shrubbery and small trees surrounded the immediate landscape, with palm trees sprouting from the ground near the fresh water. On all sides outside of the oasis, fields of beige sands seemed to go on for miles. But the greatest feature of the place was the small building on the far end of the first lake, where an obelisk stood erect. The pyramidal top seemed to touch the sun that beat down from overhead, and she thought she saw the phoenix's silhouette against the bright circle, perched atop the obelisk. Well. There was only one place to go now, wasn't there? Stella began the trip around the lake, noticing for the first time that she was barefoot and wearing a white, strapless chiffon dress. It fit well despite looking ancient, dipping between her breasts and skimming the ground behind her as she walked. It was hot, almost extremely so, but for some reason this didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. In fact she felt incredibly comfortable here, at ease as if she belonged there, though she couldn't explain why.

A few minutes passed, and as she rounded a bend and passed a group of trees, she found a strange woman seated cross-legged on a striped blanket underneath the shade of the vegetation. The woman giggled, making an assortment of jewelry on her body tinkle and clang against each other from the movement. Crazy, curly blonde hair bounced as she smiled playfully at the princess, eyes crinkling at the corners with hidden laughter. She was dressed in a similar manner albeit in a way that was more appropriate for her older age. "You like it here, child?" she asked Stella, giving another soft laugh.

"Yes?" the princess answered cautiously yet honestly, shifting her eyes to the side. That was a silly habit she did whenever she felt uncomfortable. "Why am I here? Who are you?"

The woman laughed delightedly. "Who am I? Who are you? You're here because you belong here."

"Okay... but where is here? This place." Stella waved her hands around, gesturing to ground, then to the house and obelisk.

"Where is here? This is exactly where you need to be."

"... What?"

"You have found your way here, and so your purpose is to be here."

Stella now looked at her in annoyance. "That doesn't make any sense. At all."

"Are you deaf, girl?" The woman now shot back lightheartedly, the same knowing sparkle in her eyes. "I've answered your question. Now my purpose has been fulfilled, and you must do the same for yourself. Go," she gestured to the building that Stella had originally planned on visiting, then softly smiled and leaned back, falling into silence.

No more questions, then I guess. Fucking weird-ass, Stella thought to herself as she walked on, finally approaching the door.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Stella was indeed in an oasis; where it was, one could only guess. Many deserts had bountiful watering holes, especially since a good number of magic users were able to curb the otherwise-destructive consequences of developmental activities such as logging operations and forest clearing. Along the opposite banks, creatures of all types - griffins, horses, and even the odd camel - dipped their heads to partake in the natural purity of the barren-land spring.

The obelisk that Stella walked past was certainly an oddity, something one would not expect to find in a blossoming eruption of natural beauty such as this. However, the vibe it gave seemed...Ancient. Like it was already part of this landscape and the rest of the oasis grew around it. There were similar structures in Stella's world, ones that helped nature express its inherent flawlessless. Atop it sat the phoenix, its gaze like that of a watchful sentry as Stella approached the house. Looking upon her, it cawed loudly and spread its wings to take flight, coming upward and disappearing behind the house.

And as Stella neared the door, it seemed to open of its own accord. As if beckoning her to come in. Though there was no one that could be readily seen within the home itself, a peaceful humming could be heard throughout the entirety of the one-floor. residence. The voice was gentle and melodic, even though no words were spoken. The noise would carry a sense of security, of complete and utter safety, almost like nothing could harm those that resided within its four walls.

And just then, the voice grew louder, but not by much. Just enough to let the young witch know that someone was getting closer. And what she would see was something that might surprise her.

A beautiful young woman, her hair silvery much like that of her body guard and nearly touching the floor with its length, soon came around the corner and stood before Stella. Her body was clothed in a simple but form-fitting robe, her wrists lightly adorned with excellently crafted forearm cuffs comprised of silver and beautiful stones, likely gifts from others. Her eyes, striking blue like perfectly-cut sapphires, peered at the princess with a warmth and gentleness that few could rival before she gave a small bow.

"Welcome, Princess Durante...I apologize if your travel here was a bit of a surprise. I hope the phoenix did not hurt you; some are unfortunate whenever caught in its embrace" was the only thing she said, her eyes looking over the young lady and seeming relieved that she was unhurt. But the way she spoke, it was almost like she wanted Stella to come here. Like she was expecting this meeting to take place.

"Oh but where are my manners. I am Aneira. Please do come in from the heat; I'll fix us some tea." she then offered, gesturing her inside before walking off towards what one could presume to be the main room.

"Please make yourself comfortable, I'll be out in a moment..." the young woman added, bowing once more before disappearing into another room that was layed out quite simply. A low-level table was surrounded by four cushions, much like that of a Japanese home, and what appeared to be a perch of some kind - looking like a finely-polished branch that seemed to grow out of the ground itself - stood in the corner. A rear sliding door, its frame of wood and cloth, stood open and lent a view of a spectacular garden, the grounds blooming with life.

The woman then reappeared, carrying two cups of steaming tea on glimmering porcelain saucers. "I apologize if the flavor is not to your liking; I ran out of jasmine, you see and honestly it's one of my favorites. I hope chamomile is acceptable for you." Aneira said kindly, placing the cups on the table before taking her place on one of the cushions, her long silver locks pooling behind her elegantly.

But as if to make things even more strange, the phoenix that 'took' Stella from her estate soon flew in wordlessly through the door and landed right on the perch, overlooking the two of them as if on watch for any danger. The silver-haired woman chuckled, "Oh, Icarus...Can't stand being alone for two moments, can you?" The fiery-feathered bird let out a squawk in reply, quick to start preening its feathers and showing off its lustrous plumage. Aenira smiled even more, looking right into Stella's eyes "I apologize for him; he loves being around people so much." She then cocked her head a little, "Phoenixes really are beautiful creatures, aren't they? The stories of them really do not do them justice, in my opinion."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan (Stella's Dreams)
Early-mid November​

The scent of bermagot and tea tree filled her senses as Stella moved to one of the cushions, carefully bringing the skirts of her white dress to one side so that she could take a seat. The house itself was very simplistic, but ingrained with nature such that the only word to describe it all was... beautiful. Pure and flawless, like the kind of perfection that only came from dreams. But maybe that was because this was one, whatever this was. It was a strange dream, that was for sure. She knew the sleeping mind was powerful, sometimes reaching realms not of the human world, but she knew nothing of this one, nor did she know who the silver-haired woman was. The name 'Aneira' drew no memory either, no matter how much she wracked her brains to remember.

Aneira certainly was an odd woman, young in physicality but ancient in her words and demeanor. No one called Stella 'Princess Durante' unless it was for formality, or they were being facetious and wanted to be blasted through the chest with a beam of light. But coming from Aneira, the title seemed serious and genuine, something to be respected and treated with power rather than be ridiculed. The princess took an immediate liking to her, not because of the use of the title, but because she seemed real. She carried a presence of power and authority, though Stella couldn't quite figure out what for.

"I love chamomile, thank you," she graciously accepted the tea, pulling the saucer towards herself and inhaling deeply at the mild scent of the flowers.

She wondered if Aneira had given the tea because of its soothing and calming qualities, or because it was a symbol of the sun and the corresponding Egyptian god. Either way the gesture was appreciated, and she raised the cup to her lips to take a sip. Her jaw clenched as the scalding liquid nearly burned her tongue, and she placed the cup back down on the saucer.

"Hot, oops," she giggled softly, touching a finger to the sensitive spot on her tongue as if to test how badly it hurt.

Aneira was like one of those people who got more beautiful the longer Stella looked at them, and the princess couldn't help but admire her looks; silver hair gracefully hung down to the floor, giving her an ethereal, otherworldly appearance. She distantly wondered how the silver-haired woman knew who she was. Not that Stella being the princess was any sort of secret, but most magicians only knew the chosen successor to the throne was the child of House Durante and a young woman. Her specific physical details would be lost on them, but obviously Aneira knew her. Perhaps Aneira had even called her to this realm.

Stella leaned back slightly, looking out at the lush vegetation of the garden before turning to gaze at the phoenix, giving it a small smile as it ruffled its wings, opening them once as if to show off. "The phoenix... Icarus? Icarus didn't hurt me, not in the slightest. It was warm but comforting all the same, though I don't imagine any member of family would find such a wondrous and beautiful creature threatening in any way. They are, after all, the sigil of House Durante. They symbolize many things in life, and that's beautiful too. I've never actually seen a real phoenix until now, though. That is, if this even counts as being 'real'... This dream feels real enough, I suppose?"

She wrapped her fingers around the tea cup, finding it cooler to the touch and at a temperature that was now safe and comfortable to drink. After taking a sip (and not burning her tongue), she looked at Aneira and finally asked what was on her mind. "How did I end up here? And... Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Stella paused to give a slight laugh. "I mean, I know who you are. I guess I'm wondering exactly why I'm here. Of course, if that's not too much to ask."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Aneira giggled as Stella accidentally scorched her tongue; she supposed it wouldn't have hurt to boil it a little less intensely, but then one would lose out on the full body of flavors and aromas that came from the tea blend. She imagined the young princess had quite a few questions; after all, this was no ordinary dream. It was still a dream in the sense that she was in fact sleeping. Then again, dreams - even in the magical world - were still not fully understood, and even the most well-versed of experts still theorized and hypothesized to this day.

"Of course not, dear. I have no trouble answering your questions." the maiden answered respectfully, finishing another sip of her own cup. "You might be wondering if this is an actual dream, correct? Well, I don't exactly know the full answer myself...All I do know is that I wanted to speak with you, and..." Aneira grinned sheepishly, "This is probably going to sound incredibly silly, but I sort of 'stole you' from your other dream. The one about your villa."

Giving a slight cough, she added, "I'm afraid this isn't exactly normal. You see, much like a person's mind, the soul has two states. It's not really about consciousness or anything like that, but more activity. One part is highly active, allowing you to live and breathe, do everything you do in the physical world. The other is more subtle, affecting emotions, perceptions, and of course...Dreams. So in a sense...Your 'low activity' part of your soul is sometimes away from your body when you sleep."

Aneira knew this next part might get complicated, so she paused to try and think about how she was going to word this. The young woman chewed on her lower lip in deep thought, finally saying, "The thing is, Stella - may I call you Stella? - I'm not actually alive. I've been dead for a long time, a very long time. So really, my 'low activity' is all that's left of me...As for why you're here, I wanted to talk to you. About your bodyguard, Ricendithas." As she said this, the ethereal female developed a noticeable sadness in her gaze, the corners of her mouth turning down into a slight but very-much present frown. Almost as if she knew Ric on some personal level.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan (Stella's Dreams)
Early-mid November​

"If this is a dream, does it make this real then...?" the princess absentmindedly wondered out loud, watching Icarus as he tilted his head and gazed back at her. She had a million more questions now; if Aneira was dead, how did she know who she was? How did she find her? How did she know about her bodyguard?

"You mean Ric?" Stella suddenly asked, the tea cup hovering an inch or so away from her mouth, hand frozen in the air at the mention of her bodyguard. Her nose wrinkled as she thought of him, her dislike for the warlock readily apparent just by the look on her face. "What about him? He's arrogant, cocky, and purposely tries to make me upset. All he does is rag on me and complain about the whole 'princess' thing. I mean really, he couldn't be more infuriating and lewd even if he tried."

Clearly she was getting more annoyed with each passing second she talked about him, now setting down her tea and lightly pushing the saucer away so that she wouldn't hit it as she talked animatedly with her hands. She punctuated what seemed like every other word with a tone that grew slightly more disdainful as she spoke on. "He walked out naked in front of me for god's sake, and I swear his whole goal is to disrupt my life in the worst way possible. So annoying and all this other dumb shi..."

She trailed off, her voice becoming small as she noticed Aneira's frown. But it wasn't just any frown. It was an expression of hurt, pain, and such deep sadness that Stella could only wonder what the nature of her intended discussion was. Then she got the inkling of an idea that Aneira may have known Ric when she was alive. Who was she? A wife? Girlfriend? Sister, perhaps? While the silver hair certainly was a striking similarity between them, Stella wasn't quite sure whether they were related or not.

But holy shit, it dawned on her that she had just been badmouthing the man. Awkward. So very awkward.

"Er, I mean... Sorry," Stella made a quick backtrack, sighing and picking up her tea to sip at it again, not all that remorseful over what she said, but extremely apologetic that she had mused her thoughts aloud so tactlessly. "He and I just don't get along. We try sometimes... but things don't quite work out so well. I get the feeling that he doesn't exactly enjoy my company either."

The young witch laughed softly, the sound coming out more tired than enthusiastic. "I apologize if I've offended you, but please go on! No more weird, awful things from me, I promise."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Aneira's sadness seemed to deepen as Stella began her tirade, rattling off Ric's laundry list of faults. It was true, and that was the one fact that made it hurt the most. She'd known Ric since he was a little boy...And each day, she felt the light within him darken and diminish. Slowly being consumed by the abyss of the magic he practiced and his own personal demons that tore his soul asunder.

It was all heartwrenching, and she actually had to set her cup down to steady her now-shaking hands.

"No, please, don't apologize...I know what Ricendithas has become. He has been twisted by his hate, his revulsion of what transpired all those years ago. It is hard to watch." she replied, wiping away an errant tear that threatened to drop from the corner of her eye. Giving a small sniff, she continued "I know it's not easy to believe, but he wasn't always this way. He was once a gentle soul, and very much adept at magic. You see, I was once a healer and took him as an understudy. He used to be so full of life...Of zeal and fervor."

Taking a deep but shaking breath, she finalized with "I'm sorry, I don't want to come across as dramatic. What's in the past is done, after all...I just wish that he could move past it too. Holding onto those feelings, it's like poison." Icarus flew down and landed on the table, giving a somber little warble and nestling his head on Aneira's shoulder. "You sweet thing..." she murmured, delicate digits gently caressing the feathers atop the phoenix's head.

Just then, the environment started to falter, things falling out of focus around them both. "Oh, dear..." Aneira whispered, looking around at the surroundings, her own voice too starting to fade. And as the healer would start to disappear, her last words resonated with impeccable clarity.

"I'll explain more another time, Princess Durante...Please, be gentle with him."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"Another time?" Stella asked, trying desperately to hold onto the dream. What about Ric? He was under the tutelage of Aneira, and now he hated something? What was she talking about? She wanted to know now, not later. "What happened to him?" the young witch said as the remaining parts of the world around her broke and faded away. She knew she wouldn't receive an answer, but it wouldn't hurt to try, especially now that her curiosity had been piqued and not sated.

But she suddenly found herself back at her villa, standing exactly where she had been before. The same pleasant weather surrounded her, but when she looked down at the marble floor to find the etching of the phoenix, there was nothing.

It was gone, just like Aneira and Icarus.

* * * * * *​

The princess woke with a start from the dream, hearing herself take in a sharp breath as her eyes snapped open.

She was laying on her stomach, her tank-top and pantie clad body was sprawled out diagonally across the bed like usual; her head was somehow on the opposite side from where she had initially laid down, and her legs were out of the sheets, with one leg outstretched and the other bent. She could feel the the air was warm against her bare legs—not surprising since she had left he heater on throughout the night—and the room was bathed in natural light from the sun that streamed in through the window. Was it morning already?

Yawning silently, she turned her cheek toward the window, expecting to find Ric still there, but instead he was gone and the chair left empty under the sun. Maybe he had also gone to bed? Ric... Ricendithas, as Aneira called him by his full first name. Stella frowned slightly, thinking about the odd dream that she had been pulled into and suddenly torn from. Thoughts and emotions rolled around in her head like puzzle pieces, and slowly she began putting them together. Aneira had been some sort of mentor to him, and even though she was long dead, she somehow was still able to know about Ric and his whereabouts. Obviously, she had been (and still was) very fond of him despite him being different than he supposedly was before.

It was hard for Stella to imagine Ric any other way than the man he was now. How could a such a gentle person be transformed into a lewd, hateful piece of... No, she corrected herself, guilt washing through her at the aggression in her thoughts, Gentle, she told me to be gentle. But it was one thing to think herself gentle, and a whole other thing to actually be gentle. Could she do it? Maybe, but Aneira would have to forgive her if she made a blunder here or there. Ric was clearly not a perfect person, having lived through some sort of traumatic event that was enough to change him irrevocably, but she wasn't a perfect person either. And god forbid she ever made a mistake like taking his armor and sword; getting him riled up hadn't been her intention.

She turned her face into the pillow, sighing. A part of her wanted to ask him about Aneira, but she also got the impression that he liked his privacy, especially from her. This was all too complicated to think about for the morning, honestly.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric had in fact moved to the opposite bed, laying on his back in full garb as if ready to strike at a moment's notice; the chair had become uncomfortable as fuck, reminding him too much of the sitting position he'd been stuck for most of his time at Periculosis. The window was shut tight, several hexes placed around it as secondary protection from potential intruders. Right now, he seemed so peaceful; and unlike his demeanor as a pest would suggest, he did not snore in the slightest. It was almost like he wasn't breathing at all.

However, his slumber was roused when Stella gasped out, a small groan emitting from his throat as he stirred awake. Sitting up and giving a more 'in-character' loud yawn and stretch of the shoulders, he swung his feet over to sit on its edge, his one visible eye half-closed from the remaining sleepiness. A gloved hand came up to rub it away, seeing Stella still sleeping it off.

"Lightweight" he muttered, pushing the hood of his robe off his head to reveal a head of bed-raggled hair and a thick strap holding his large black eyepatch in place; his fingers scratched momentarily at an itch as his mind wandered over to what kinds of stupid stores she would drag him off to today. Most likely clothes and make-up, if his sense of character was any good.

He was blissfully unaware of the dream Stella had, and just who it was she wound up meeting. "Hey, princess...Get up so we can go get some breakfast or something. Ol' Marvin's starvin' over here...." he then said, looking towards the light of day outside. Well, at least it was nice out today, that was a good bonus.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

Ric woke shortly after she did, and Stella was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard shuffling and moving sheets.

"No looking," she yawned sleepily, though she didn't care all that much if he saw her laying down; it was no different from seeing someone in a swimsuit, really. The only thing she cared about him doing was something that she was certain he wouldn't do. She turned her cheek to look at him, making a pillow from his bed fly up and lightly smother his face while she stretched her petite form on the bed. "I don't feel like gracing you with my flawlessness this early," she said in a half-joking manner, finally getting up from the mattress and snatching her pants and purse before heading to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, she inspected the reflection staring back at her. Her hair was a mess, frazzled and wavy from sleeping in it while it was damp, but her eyes looked expressive and rested. She felt oddly relaxed and refreshed, which was strange considering she had felt so tired the night before, but she figured it may have been due to the dream. The oasis, despite housing batty old women and fantastical creatures, admittedly had a calming effect on the soul. It was peaceful there, calm and serene. Distantly she wondered when she would find herself back there, but for now Ric was right; he needed to eat and she had to get her day started.

"Ric," she called out after she had washed her face and freshened up, now starting to brush through her tangled hair. She popped her head out of the doorway, eyes settling on his messy hair and lightly wrinkled clothes. "Contrary to what you might think, I'm not just dragging you around today for no reason. There's actually something I need to get, and I'd appreciate it if you could make the attempt to look... presentable." A slight frown found its way onto her face. The stores she wanted to shop at were somewhat pricey, and she knew the employees would be eye him like dirt the moment he stepped into the establishments. Follow him around to make sure he wasn't as sketchy as they thought he was. And because she wanted to make this process as quick and painless as possible, she hoped Ric would just take her advice for once.

Stella's gaze was now glued to her phone, her thumb flipping through various pictures of outfits before she picked one. Satisfied with the choice, she snapped her fingers and instantly she was changed into a sweater dress and thigh high boots that gave her an added few inches of height. And if anyone asked her opinion, the winter-blue color of the dress really brought out her eyes. There was a brief shuffling noise, and she pulled out a tube of black mascara and nude lip gloss from her bag.

"I'm not really expecting a 10 or anything from you," she said as she carefully applied the black makeup to her eyelashes, "but a solid 5 or 6 would be cool." She turned to look at him once more, her hand holding the mascara wand frozen in the air as she gave him a once-over. "I mean, you could tame the hair and that'll bring you up to at least a 4, I promise." The lip gloss was applied next. "And maybe then I'll feel like showering you with my perfection."

She walked out to the main room then, her heels making a subdued clacking noise against the hard carpet floor. A smile was on her face; she was feeling good just from dressing up, and she laughed to let him know that she was kidding. Sort of. "But you said you wanted to eat first, right? I suppose we can start with that..." Her stomach made a light grumble, and she rolled her eyes. It seemed like her body needed nourishment too. Shopping could wait. "There's that cafe on the second floor. Let's go."

Stella led the way down, relieved to find that the place served the typical American breakfast as well as the native Japanese. They sat and were given menus, the smell of pancakes and bacon filling her senses. It smelled like heaven. "Do you know what any of—" she began to ask her body guard, pointing to the various Japanese items on the menu. But she cut her words short, noticing a pair of females who were eyeing herself and Ric. They were whispering excitedly to each other, pointing and shifting their gaze away whenever the princess stared at them. What? she wondered silently. Did they know her? Did she know them?

Then their eyes widened as something behind Stella caught their attention, and she turned around only to have the same reaction, though it was for a totally different reason. There, up on a TV screen, was a flashy light performance from the previous night. Her flashy light performance, being covered by the local news. Someone's phone video recording was playing on the screen, covering the part where Ric had made her beat of light come to life with fire, and then the whole Saturn creation, ending with her finishing the rings before the recording ended. Her face wasn't completely visible, thank god, but it would be obvious to anyone that the two people currently on the news were also the same two people seated in the cafe.

Stella groaned audibly, watching the two young Japanese women come over to her table. But what happened next surprised her:

They approached Ric and started conversing excitedly in their native tongue, giggling like blushing schoolgirls as they spoke to him. She assumed they were asking him about magic, much like everyone else did, but it wasn't until one of them gave him such an intense 'fuck me' look that she realized they were flirting with him. What, and she got no recognition over what happened last night? Not that she wanted two drooling girls all over her, but still, that show wasn't all Ric. What a couple of bimbos.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric couldn't help but roll his eye at her comment; like he should give a crap what other people thought of him. Anyone who knew anything would peg him as a Dreg even if he went out dressed in a business suit. A thought that made him shudder internally; those clothes were so constrictive, why would anyone want to smother themselves like that? All for visual aesthetics? A completely idiotic notion, in his opinion. Why anyone would put so much trouble into their appearance was baffling. Granted he wasn't giving people a pass to be complete slobs, but looking a little messy wasn't going to get anyone killed or anything.

"Yeah sure, you're not." he replied shortly; maybe she did have something she was going to get. Though he was pretty damned sure that it would later turn into a festival of her dragging him to every single pointless store that sold 'cute' things. What a stupid waste of time...

But he supposed he should oblige her at least this once; no need for her to get all uppity about his state of dress. Not that she had any problem hiding it from him last night.

Bitch.

And with a snap of his fingers, his robes and cloak were free of any creases or wrinkles; his wild silver hair was just as quickly changed into an excellently-styled layered cut that showcased his strong jawline and five-o'-clock-shadow. He then pulled his hood down to let it all show freely, letting Stella witness the enormity of his eyepatch, a layer of heavy black fabric that seemed to stick to his right eye and was immensely conspicuous. At least I'm a 4 now, he thought to himself as he followed the princess out the door.

And soon enough, both were seated at the cafe, the mix of American and Japanese breakfast cuisine not all that surprising to him. Western Europe, after all, had a plenitude of restaurants that served Indian and Filipino foods like hotcakes. It sat more like a restaurant than an actual coffee shop, though the number of tables was expectedly smaller. His vision roamed through the various offerings, looking from a simplistic Japanese omelet, rice and mackerel dish to the very-much-for-tourists bacon and eggs plate.

Ric just looked up disinterestedly at Stella as she started to inquire about some of the menu items, unaware of the two girls looking in their direction as his back currently faced them. "Well?" he asked, a little irritated that she didn't finish her sentence. Really, this was how going to play it from last night? Just stop mid-sentence for no reason at all? Only when he followed her stare as it went over to a larger screen TV did he realize why she stopped: There it was plain as day, their night-time performance.

"Guess we're a couple of celebrities" he commented coolly, only to see two not-unattractive come up to their table and start talking with him. Like Stella wasn't even there. "Or maybe it's just me..." the warlock added on, giving the princess a sly wink.

And boy did these girls not beat around the bush. If Stella could understand what they were saying, she'd be fifty shades of red. "Well, ladies, I'm flattered..." was the last thing he said, looking towards Stella wickedly. He knew there was no way in hell she would tag along with him, seeing as the contract made the leash between them far too close for comfort. Looking towards the two, "But sadly, I'm not all that available right now." The two girls seemed saddened, but then Ric piped up, "Tell you what, though...How about you two join us? Breakfast is on me today!'

The two laughed and did not waste any time joining them, soon drowning Stella out in an orgy of high-pitched giggling and fauning over the warlock. Something that he had no problem indulging in; a part of him sensed something was fairly wrong with this scenario, but right now he was a little too care-free to give it much thought.

*Some time later*

The quartet traveled the streets of the city, Ricendithas having an arm around each woman as he walked behind Stella. It was certainly an odd sight, seeing this man dressed like someone from a Lord of the Rings convention holding two beauties from the land of the rising sun, all the while trailing an equally beautiful woman on the way to one of the many clothing stores they were planning to go to today.

It was a smaller boutique, but carried many of the latest trends from around the world. Geared more towards female clientele, it carried a variety of outfits ranging from straight-classy to more 'sexy librarian' type, as well as different accessories and jewelry pieces to match each one. Ric sometimes nearly felt his eyeballs pop out as he caught sight of the prices on these articles; what the hell did people see in this garbage anyway? No clothing was worth that much. Not in his opinion at least.

He hoped Stella wouldn't take too long; the way these two were looking at him, he wouldn't be surprised if they decided to just jump him right in the store. A thought that persisted as he followed the heir of House Durante inside the shop. Immediately his senses were overpowered, his eyes starting to water from the overpowering chemical smells that came from the perfume section. Did it really have to be right at the entrance?! "For god's sake, why do women insist on wearing this crap..." he coughed, a comment that already earned him several distasteful glances.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"Women wear this 'crap' because to normal people, it smells good," Stella said in response as his comment reached her ears. The scents weren't so bad for her, but they were admittedly strong. But wasn't that the point of perfume? "Clearly we like dolling ourselves up... Maybe you've just never been with a nice woman."

The last statement was a bit backhanded, but she was already holding herself back from saying anything harsher. She had woken up fully prepared to be nice, but he pretty much killed that opportunity at breakfast when he invited those two... those two hoes to eat with them. But it didn't stop there, oh no. It had taken almost all of her willpower to bite her tongue when he strung them along to keep him company. Not that she cared who he made friends with, but she would have been a liar if she said they didn't piss her off. From the restaurant to the boutique, they seemed unable to keep their greedy hands off of him, casually brushing against his arms and chest. One of them had even gone so far as to lace her fingers through his possessively while the other clung to his arm. She couldn't even remember the last time she saw anybody this thirsty for dick.

Be gentle, she reminded herself for what seemed like the thousandth time already, repeating the words as if they were some mantra to give her strength. Or maybe it was a mantra to keep herself from being an asshole. Who really knew what she might have said or done if she didn't take Aneira's visit seriously?

She passed various sections of clothing, watching the two women as they also began perusing the store for clothing. One of them had already pulled out a few tops, dangling them loosely in her free hand. Annoyance spiked immediately. And who was going to pay for those? Ric could, sure, but she liked to think that he had enough goddamn sense not to even entertain the idea of being their benefactor for the day. And she sure as hell knew there was no way she was charging their shit to her card. Why were they even here? Out of all the damn people to cling to, they chose Ric? Obviously they had poor taste in men.

Stella just sighed and continued shopping around, trying to ignore the overly sexual trio behind her. She did, in fact, have something to buy, regardless of whether Ric believed her or not. The Ellison's annual Thanksgiving dinner party was coming in a couple weeks, and it would be her first social Society event since being appointed princess. There were going to be expectations to dress appropriately, and she knew the expectation for her would be higher than everyone else's simply because she was now Princess Durante. So fucking stupid.

But she did enjoy shopping for herself, and found a few dresses that she thought would make nice choices for the party. Briefly, she looked to her bodyguard, frowning as one of the play things on his arm pulled out the sluttiest dress possible. It was short, lowcut in the front and the back, and so figure-hugging that it seemed to have a figure of its own. The Japanese girl held it up to her body as if asking for Ric's opnion, and Stella knew that was her cue to leave. She caught his eye and pointed to the sign that said "Dressing Rooms" before disappearing to try her dress choices on.

* * * * * *​

The two Japanese women watched in curiosity as Ric's young companion turned to the dressing rooms. The girl on the left, whose name was Mei, was still holding the dress up against her body, her brown eyes sparkling mischievously. "How does this look?" she asked in Japanese to the warlock, squeezing his hand. long hair fell forward as she looked down at the garment.

"It would look better on me!" the second girl, Hana, giggled, running a hand down Ric's arm. She had shorter hair that stopped just above her shoulders. "Don't you agree?"

Mei added the dress to the growing pile hanging off her arm, and she let out a tinkle of a laugh. "I look better without the dress," she said slyly, giving her friend and Ric a suggestive look.

"That is true," Hana answered. There was a pause, and then she moved her hand to his shoulder, tip-toeing to whisper in his ear, "Come see how good we look without the dress, yes?"

Both women giggled once more, each of them taking him by a hand and moving closer the the dressing room area. And when no one was looking, they quickly pulled him within, choosing the biggest stall to have their fun. The one with long hair pushed him inside and down to the chair in the corner while her friend locked the door. More giggles erupted from them, and both girls dropped the clothing from their arms to a messy, haphazard pile on the opposite side of the dressing room. It was apparent that they didn't care how pricey the clothing was, as they only seemed to have one idea in their minds.

Hana took a seat on one of the arms of the leather chair, while Mei boldly approached Ric and gently pushed him against he back of the chair, and then sat her small body into his lap.

"Tell me, warlock," Mei said as she leaned in against his neck, nipping at the soft flesh beneath his jaw before trailing her lips to his ear. "Are you available now?"
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

This was certainly going as well as he expected: He was stuck in a store with nothing but clothes and useless other trinkets. Oh sure, there was plenty that could be stolen and sold for a good sum...But really, money only did so much in the long run. Long gone were the days where services could be traded for essentials, at least that seemed to be the case in the modern world. It wasn't the easiest way of doing things, but it was simpler.

Still, it wasn't all bad: He did have these tens waltzing around that seemed to love showering him with attention. That, and with those shamelessly short skirts they were wearing certainly afforded him a very nice view. And he was never one to complain about something like that.

But in the back of his mind, another small voice was telling him that something wasn't quite right. Usually people this interested in him had met him previously, and he wasn't exactly one to forget a face. And he'd never met these two in his life. Then again, he was always ready to make new 'friends'. Something that these two Asian vixens had in mind as well, the warlock finding himself dragged into the dressing room directly adjacent to where Stella was trying on clothes. He wasn't about to deny himself the chance for fun, so he naturally didn't fight their efforts to pull him into their little web.

And with the door now shut, Ric was 'helplessly trapped'. And Mei climbing on his lap certainly didn't make things easier to leave; her skimpy panties ground against the fabric covering his codpiece, her clothed chest pressing somewhat firmly against his own as she kissed his neck. Though his suspicions grew about these two when she referred to him as 'warlock'; even if his state of attire wasn't exactly a fashion statement, most 'Normals' weren't able to tell who was a genuine magic user and who wasn't.

"Depends..." he breathed back in Japanese, one hand reaching to grab the young woman's butt. "..On what you have in mind for 'available" he continued teasingly, adding "Is this a two-on-one? Or are we taking turns?" Pulling her more into his lap, Mei gave a soft squeal as she found herself trapped in a kiss, his lips locked firmly with her own. Only a few moments passed, and the heated liplock was broken, Mei panting a little from the surge that rushed through her; little did Mei realize that Ric had placed a small spell that would let Stella hear her words in perfect English, but these two would be none the wiser.

Hana leaned in and hugged the warlock's shoulders, "Hey...Don't forget about me." Ric just grinned, "You think I'm that cruel? Come here, sexy." pulling her into a kiss as well, the girl's legs weakening a little as the same spell was placed on her. "Oh my..." she breathed after pulling back, Ric grinning, "Well then, let's see what you two got. Show me what you're made of."
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

A flush had crept over Hana's cheeks, her eyes alive with lust and heat as she giggled and used a hand to turn Ric's face toward her again. She greedily stole another kiss, slower this time, all while her hand traveled from his jaw down to his neck. Her fingers brushed the opening of his cloak, playing with the black material before sliding underneath to place her hand on his chest. It seemed as if she were eager to remove not one, but all the layers of clothing between them.

Mei clearly had a similar idea, wasting no time in removing the thin sweater she was wearing, revealing only a white lacy bra underneath. The sweater was tossed on the floor, then she took her friend's hand from Ric's chest and placed it atop the rounded flesh of her breasts. She arched her back and bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes and sighing when Hana dipped her fingers into one of the bra cups.

"You want to see what we're made of?" she asked playfully, both of her hands running down the warlock's arms until they reach his wrists, and she wrapped her fingers around them. "You can see all of us," she continued, rolling her hips once so that her covered sex brushed against his pants. A rush of liquid heat pooled in her lower abdomen, and she shivered at the cool air against her damp panties.

"See us..." Hana took over, having pulled back from the kiss a while ago, beginning to unbutton her own blouse, "... Feel us, taste us, fuck us." Her striped button-down blouse fell away, and she shrugged it off her shoulders to reveal the same lacy undergarments, except her were black. The dark color was striking against her fair skin, and paired with her shorter hair, it made her look wild and seductive. She leaned over then, but instead of kissing Ric, she captured Mei's lips with her own and kissed her. Their tongues danced in lust, and finally Hana broke the kiss with a moan.

Mei let out a breathless giggle, and she released Ric's arms, sliding off his lap and down to the floor. "But first we get to taste you," she grinned up at him, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

"Or you can taste me," Hana purred, reaching down between her legs to touch herself underneath the skirt, fingers lightly rubbing against silk panties. A delicious shiver shot down her spine, and a mild whimper escaped her throat. But she, too, got up and joined her friend on the floor, sitting behind Mei.

Mei sat up and leaned in between Ric's legs, fumbling with the button of his pants. "We've been waiting for this for a long time," she said as the button popped open.

Hana unhooked her friend's white bra, pulling it away then grabbing the breasts from behind. She tweaked the dusky nipples between two fingers almost nonchalantly, making Mei squirm. "A long time," she agreed, giving Ric a strange, knowing smile, much like how someone would hint at some sort of inside joke.

* * * * * *​

In the next stall over, Stella had been trying on dresses. The first out of the five was already hanging on some other hook, doomed for rejection. The second dress, which was currently on her body, was pretty enough, but it made her feel like a walking table cloth or set of curtains. The silhouette was girly while hinting at a side of sensuality, and she liked that it was something classic and feminine, but the huge flowers was almost too much. No, she thought as she appraised herself in the mirror, the flowers were definitely too much. She began unzipping the garment, sliding it off just as she heard other people enter the dressing room area.

And giggles. The goddamn giggles.

So they were trying stuff on too? She took the third dress off its hanger, suddenly unsure if she even wanted to try it on or not. It was a little too conservative for her taste, but a part of her figured that might actually be a safer option considering the guest list for the Ellison's party. Just as she was about to step into the dress, her ears picked up on major shuffling next door, hearing hushed whispers and giggles, and finally Japanese. What were the bimbo hoes doing?

Then she heard Ric's voice and froze, the realization suddenly dawning on her. He was in there with those two bimbo hoes, and judging by the way one of them was panting like a dog, she suspected very naughty things were going on next door.

Ignore them. Be gentle, she had to remind herself as she pulled the dress up and adjusted the left strap. It was just rather difficult to ignore people who talked about fucking and were audible in their actions. She studiously inspected the dress in the mirror, doing her best not to look at her face. It was red as a tomato, not necessarily because sex made her nervous, but more because she felt like a perverted intruder. She was a voyeur on what was supposed to be a private moment.

But when one of the girls asked if they could taste him, Stella just about lost it. She raised a fist and hit the wall between them, making a loud thud that seemed out of place in the silence of the dressing room. Was Ric an idiot? Some people wanted to have their dressing room experience without the side of moans and groans.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Stella pushed him down on the bed, waiting until his back hit the mattress and his head was at the pillows before she slid a leg over his torso. She was straddling him now, her thighs wrapped against his waist as she sat just below his abdomen. She imagined the view Ric had was simply delectable: breasts bare and on display, the dusky nipples erect in her arousal, and the stretch of light olive skin that spanned her flat stomach, leading down to just a hint of her lacy navy blue panties that were partially hidden by the cloth of Ric's pants. Even she had to admit that the view was likely fantastic. It would get better.

She leaned down, lightly pressing herself against his naked chest, and shivered at the bare contact between them. Her lips found his, soft and sweet, trailing kisses around his mouth; it was seemingly innocent until a knowing smirk lit up her face, and she didn't doubt Ric would be able to feel it as she continued to brush her lips against his. "You're asking why I like you?" she repeated, a quiet giggle following soon after. "Well, you're older..." She kissed him again, more intensely this time, lips teasing his until they parted and she tasted his tongue; warm, wet, and just as talented as he claimed he was. A small moan escaped her mouth, and she caught his bottom lip lightly between her teeth, tugging on it ever so gently before releasing him and sliding her body back to its previously seated poison.

"... You're more experienced," Stella then said with a hint of a laugh in her voice, closing her eyes and letting the hazy desire cloud her mind.

Her hands traveled across his chest and down his arms, reaching for his own hands, lacing her fingers with his. Silently, she guided them to her chest, letting go and pressing his palms to her breasts. She wanted to him to feel the warm flesh, wanted him to know that she loved his touch on her skin. He made her whole body burn, desire coursing through her like a wildfire, one that was impossible to put out. But she didn't want to put it out. She then took hold of his wrists, guiding his hands lower still. The brush of his fingertips against her sides, on her stomach, and finally on her hips made her sigh in pleasure, the sound coming out almost somewhere between a whimper and a groan.

"And you're better... Equipped," she finally finished with another sly smirk on her face, and one of her hands reached behind her to run up the inside of his thigh and brush against the growing bulge in his pants. Her violet eyes sparkled with playfulness and heat as she looked down at him. She didn't know if he would remember, but he said those exact words to her once upon a time, back when he was about to slit her throat in some hotel in Japan. Funny how the meaning of such words changed.

She leaned down to kiss his chest, sliding her body slightly downwards so that the apex of her thighs touched his erection, and then she did moan; it was low but still clear and audible, and her eyes fluttered closed. She could feel him there, slightly pushing against the sensitive pearl through her panties, and she rolled her hips against him once. Placed her hands on his chest, then did it again. And again, a sweet, breathless moan accompanying each slow grind. Liquid heat seemed to pool between her legs, and she could feel the rush of her body growing slick with need. A small shift in position was all she needed to notice the now damp lace, and she suddenly got the distinct feeling that she was quickly losing control.

She had meant to tease him, to put him on edge for what was to come, but instead she found she was teasing herself. She was quite literally almost getting herself off to him, but she couldn't help the desire and burst of sexual energy that had been kept inside and hidden for so long. The haze was just beginning to transform into a storm, and she could feel the control slipping through her grasp. But did maybe she did want to feel the lack of control.

"Ric..." Stella took a deep breath to try and settle herself, but she found it impossible to clear her mind. It became a nice buzz at this point anyway, and instead she kissed her way from his stomach to his chest, then to his neck. Her hands wove their way into his silver hair, and she nipped at his ear before speaking.

"Now that you know why..." Her breath was at his ear, seductive and warm. "Make love to me, Ric," she murmured, fighting back the urge to moan again. She needed this, needed him, and she was going to get it.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Well now, this was getting interesting, thought Ric. Seemed these two were a little more 'hungry' than he anticipated; though his mind couldn't help wondering why they chose him. He knew he wasn't all that bad-looking, but there were plenty of other guys that had more 'attractive' qualities than him. But then, who really knew what people wanted? Love and lust were completely different beasts; sometimes women seemed to just want guys who held the potential for a quick hard fucking.

Far be it from him to deny them the pleasure of his flesh.

And as Mei started to fumble with the clasp, she would feel him starting to grow, the fabric making a slight tent beneath the codpiece of his armored robes. And the little preview before-hand certainly made things easier for him: First the kissing, then Hana fondling her friend without shame and making her wriggle. "A long time, huh? All of two hours...Seems like you two have me pegged or something" he said half-jokingly; the statement combined with that knowing look certainly helped make the warlock more than a little uneasy. Not enough to make him consider stopping, but some doubt about these two crept into his head.

But that somewhat dissipated when Mei finally freed his not-so-little friend. Both girls' eyes went wide as saucer plates when they gazed upon his swollen length, taken aback by the sheer size of him. "Told you, Mei....Gaijin cocks are so much better." Hana whispered heatedly, Mei adding in a hushed voice, "This...this can't be real." Ricendithas grinned, "Oh, it's quite real...Go ahead, feel for yourself. Taste as much as you much like."

But all three jumped when there was a sudden bash on the wall, making them stop for a moment as their eyes went to the stall next door. "Probably just someone tripping over their underwear changing...Now, where were we. Oh right..." Ric stated. waiting for the beautiful vixen to 'try him out'.

Mei reached out tentatively, her delicate fingers wrapping around the meaty shaft, her body shivering as she felt the heat against her palm. "It's so hot..." the light-haired girl whispered, leaning in to have her breath wash over the warlock's slightly pulsing manhood. "Come on, don't be scared. I promise he won't bite...Much, hehe." Ric joked, Mei finally gathering up some courage and taking the mushroom tip into her mouth, her lips lightly sucking the swollen bulb while her tongue teased the slit. Hana soon scooted over to the warlock's side, holding onto his shoulders and saying breathily, "Well...How is it?"

Ric chuckled, "Not bad...Bet that tight little pussy of hers would be amazing though. Speaking of which..." He trailed off to let his own fingers reached Hana's sex, his glove falling off to let his calloused digits plunder her swollen folds. The girl gasped out lewdly, holding onto him more forcefully. "What? Did you really think I wouldn't make you two little sirens feel good too?" he asked forcefully, teasing her with a bit more fervor. Hana seemed quite sensitive, holding onto Ric more strongly as her love juices started seeping down the insides of her thighs. "Ahh, ahh..." she whimpered, soon biting none-too-gently into Ric's shoulders as her hips started to rock against his probing fingers. And using a bit of magic, Mei would find her body heating up too, a foreign force teasing her sopping womanhood.

Mei, in response to this incredible stimulation, paid even more attention to the warlock's stiff dick, starting to take more and more of him in as a means to not have them draw too much attention to themselves. "Not bad..." Ric grunted mutedy, Hana pulling away and pushing her sister aside. "No fair...I want to try him too." she mewled heatedly, her own mouth wrapping around his pride and starting to bob on him with some fairly impressive skill. Seems someone had done this before, thought Ric; what else would they have in store for him?
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"Go on Hana," Mei said softly as she crawled behind her friend, snaking her hands around her stomach before sliding lower underneath the black panties, finding the damp folds that Ric had just been toying with. Her fingers fluttered through the slickness, palm cupping the hot, wet flesh as she teased Hana. But she seemed to enjoy stimulating her friend, her own lust peaking as she drew up some moisture from the slit and found the sensitive pearl, lightly circling it with her index finger. "I want you to feel good too," Mei breathed into Hana's ear, both their faces now flushed with a pink hue.

Hana moaned loudly in response, a slight choking sound coming from her shortly afterwards as her throat tightened around the lengthy cock. She pulled back, a string of saliva stretching out as her messy lips hovered a few inches away from Ric's manhood. "Ye- yes," she whimpered, her voice rising a few notches in pitch. Her eyes fluttered closed, mouth parting into a perfect 'o' shape as she gyrated her hips in rhythm with Mei's fingers.

"Does this turn you on?" Mei asked Ric, giving him a smirk as she released her friend, bringing the soaked digits to her lips, sucking on the tips before bringing them fully into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around to lick them clean of the juices, mirroring what she and Hana had done, and were still doing, to Ric. She sat back and removed her lacy white panties, spreading her legs to reveal pink dewy folds.

"You've been with two girls before, haven't you?" she teased him, hips and pert little ass swaying as she crawled to him. She stood and climbed on the couch, standing on the arms of the leather chair while she placed her hands on either side of Ric's head. Long black hair fell forward, breasts almost caressing his cheek when she leaned down to half-moan, half-whisper in his ear: "That tongue works magic too doesn't it? I know it does."

"It does," Hana said then with a strange sense of confirmation in her tone, hungry eyes watching as Mei seduced Ric. The she returned to what she had been previously doing, grabbing hold of Ric's impressive manhood and pumping it with her hand. She panted at the feel of the warm flesh, subconsciously licking her lips as she moved slowly at first, enjoying the feel of the silky skin. Then she picked up speed and leaned forward, wrapping her lips around him once more and sucked gently on the bulbous head. Her tongue teased the tip, swirling around it momentarily before she removed herself.

"Are you going to cum for us?" she asked him, not waiting for an answer as she suddenly took his length in, forcing herself all the way down until she felt his member stretch the back of her throat. She groaned, the vibrations feeling funny with her oral orifice filled with his throbbing cock, but began sliding up and down, effectively fucking him with her mouth.

"Cum for us," Mei echoed, raising a slender leg to rest in the top of the chair such that her sex was exposed to Ric, and she shivered at the cool air against her womanhood. Juices coated her slit, already running down her inner thighs, and her whole body seemed to burn as she looked down at the warlock.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ric groaned as the two kept up their treatment, Mei's hot little mouth serving as more than ample loving material for his thick throbbing column. The sight of Hana being eaten out by her sister certainly did little to quell the surging lust he felt, the young woman squirming from the combination of sucking his cock and the waves of pleasure rolling over her.

The warlock didn't really to her first question, but said to the second with a confident smirk, "Honey, I was once the center of a reverse gang-bang. I've more far more than two women at once." And it was the truth; though honestly, he didn't really enjoy as much as he thought he would. Everyone there was nearly passed out by the time he was finished, and he could have still gone on. But what was one to do if no one was conscious to help sate his hunger? Well, at least these two knew how to help blow off some steam.

Though they seemed to know how to push his buttons all too well...Then again, his motor wasn't exactly hard to get running. For a while now, it was a simple matter to get him in the mood. Especially if his partners were willing to risk public exposure like this.

Still, Hana was pretty damned good at this; already he was feeling the familiar burn in his loins, the creeping urge to flood her mouth with cum. "Oh I will...But you're going to cum with me." he said with more than a bit of lustful heat as Mei practically shoved her pussy in his face. Wasting no time, Ric dived right in, his mouth clasping over her damp lower lips and wriggling his tongue inside of her. "Ah, ah....So good" Mei moaned, pressing her hips harder against him in an effort to help get herself off.

Hana took a break from her blowjob to say teasing, "Told you so." before going right back to it, even more fervor than before. This made Ric tease Mei even more, causing her to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle what would have been a very loud moan of utter bliss. Ric's 'magic' also worked Hana more, making her hips start to bob more energetically, her heat coiling in her belly.

And after several minutes of this, all three reached a magnificent finish: Mei and Hana were the first to go, the former's juices streaming down her legs to a puddle on the floor and the latter's flooding Ric's mouth as her thighs clenched around his head. Hana still kept going, her screams making vibrations run over his cock as it pulsed wildly before pumping globs of cum into her, making her cheeks puff out as some seeped from the seal of her lips. She tried to swallow as much as she could, but there was simply too much. Ric's hips thrusted upward a few times as the throes of pleasure washed over him, before long collapsing against the chair with his chest heaving just a little.

With Mei's legs still wrapped around his neck and Hana leaning against his groin, both panting from the rush of ecstasy, the warlock looked down and grinned, his member still rock-hard "Alright, who's up for round two?"
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

"Ah!" ripped from Mei's throat, husky and dark with desire. The wet connection of his mouth to her sex made her gasp, and her insides quivered deliciously in response to Ric's tongue. There was no real way to describe how it felt, other than it being exactly how she remembered, lusty and full of desire for the both of them. There was only sighs and needy whimpers to express how much it turned her on to see him like this again, pleasuring her with the slippery tool. With each delicious lick and suck, her hips lifted up gently at first, a sensual response to the oral treatment as if offering more to his talented tongue. But in time her movement became sudden and erratic, hips moving in rhythm to how he licked the sensitive flesh.

"Yes, yes..." Mei mewled, weaving her fingers through the silver hair, holding Ric there as she bucked her hips against his mouth. Before long, she felt a familiar tug in her lower abdomen and deep within her core, squeezing and tightening delectably in time with his ministrations on the sensitive button. It was building, making her warm all over, and she desperately wanted to release it. A pressure of sorts filled her entire body, and she could feel that she was about to climax. "Ric!" she gasped out, accidentally slipping his name out as the orgasm took her, leaving her shuddering as her love juices spilled out on the warlock's mouth and on her own thighs.

And Ric was getting closer to climaxing, Hana could tell by the familiar way his dick twitched as it lodged itself deep in her throat over and over again. She had done this before, obviously, but a sense of satisfaction filled her mind at the thought that she had pleasured Ric twice like this. Not that he would even know who she was yet, but he would find out soon enough. Her satisfaction increased when she felt Ric push up against her, plunging his throbbing length into her mouth just as she hit her own orgasm. She could feel ropes of his cum hit her throat, warm and slightly forceful as he exploded inside her. The white liquid filled her mouth, escaping her lips and trailing down his manhood. And when it was finally over, she pulled back and swallowed what remained in her mouth, licking her lips to ensure she had gotten everything.

"Round two... I've missed this," Hana sighed and leaned forward once more, using her tongue to collect the droplets of cum still on Ric's cock. "Waste not, want not," she said contentedly, adding a kiss to the mushroom tip.

"Agreed," Mei said, putting her leg down and giggling, "did you miss this, Ric? Did you miss us?"

There was something different about her voice; gone was the girlish tinkle, with a more mature, womanly voice taking its place. She slid down to sit on his legs, now facing him at eye level, while Hana stood behind her, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. Their appearances were different as well, their looks having shifted while Ric had been occupied by the pussy in front of his face. The two young women (who didn't look much older than Stella though they had quite a number of years under their belts) were not just friends, but sisters. Twins, in fact, who looked exactly identical save for the length of their hair. Mei had retained her long locks while Hana retained her short hair, but other than that they looked completely different from their now-shed disguises.

"We've waited a really long time," Mei then said, a pout crossing her features as she frowned at the warlock. "We love you."

"A long time," Hana agreed, the same pout appearing on her face. "And you couldn't even visit us? Not one call?"

"It's a shame that you're so good at sex," Mei continued with an almost sad look in her eyes, "because now we're going to kill you." A knife materialized in her hand, glinting in the light as she held it up to Ric's throat. "We've waited for this moment far longer. Nothing will ever be enough payment for what you did to us, but I perhaps your blood will be enou—"

She was cut off as a loud rap sounded, and both women turn to look at each other before looking towards the dressing room door. "Ric," Stella's voice came loud and clear from the other side, annoyance decorating her tone even in just saying his name. "I'm done here, and I want to leave. Are you ready or what?"

Murderous rage seemed to fill Mei's eyes while Hana looked incredibly hurt. "Who is she?" Mei hissed at Ric.

"I thought we were the only ones for you!" Hana cried out, "You belong to us." And with a flick of her hand, she made the door fly open, some unseen force pushing Stella inside before it locked shut again.

* * * * * *​

Stella didn't know how long she had waited inside the dressing room stall, enduring the painful experience second by second. in the end she had gone to wait just outside the dressing room area, separating herself from him with the longest distance possible. But 15 meters wasn't anywhere near the amount of space she needed, as she was still able to hear the sounds of wetness and sucking and other nasty things coming from the last stall. At some point it all became too much to bear, and she finally gathered the courage to interrupt Ric's fucking session, only to have the door open and let her in.

The princess stumbled inside, surprise on her face as she took in the scene before her. Quickly averting her eyes from all the nakedness, Stella fixed her eyes upon some spot of dirt on the ceiling. "What, am I finally invited to the party?" she asked the trio, the same annoyance coloring her voice. Sarcasm was her defense of choice in awkward situations, and if this wasn't all kinds of awkward, she didn't know what was.

"Are you fucking him?" Mei asked her pointedly, now in near-perfect English, and Stella had to choke back a laugh.

"No, I'm not. But you obviously are. Trouble in paradise or something?" Her eyes flicked to the rather large blade in the Japanese woman's hand. "I'm no expert in sex, but I'm assuming the knife isn't part of the fucking. Or maybe it is, how would I know?" She shrugged nonchalantly and crossed her arms, seemingly disinterested in the fact that Ric was in danger. "If it helps any, I actually hate him, but his with me today for... reasons."

"He's going to die at our hands," Mei said aggressively, pressing the knife closer to Ric's neck, breaking the skin as a few crimson droplets formed above the blade.

"Oh, by all mean, please do so," Stella answered, holding her arms in an open fashion as if to suggest that killing Ric was the best possible option. She turned to Hana, the seemingly more sensitive twin distraught and deeply hurt. A little more intensity of those feelings would really open her up, and that's exactly what Stella did as she used her empath powers to push the woman over the edge. "Care to share the story though? I need some good gossip for my friends about how this asshole died. You know, for the standard girl talk."

Hana looked about ready to burst into tears, but she opened her mouth to speak, the words coming out in a rush. "We met Ric a long time ago when he was here in Japan. My sister and I fell deeply in love with him, but... but..." She trailed off, sobs burbling up her throat, but she found it within herself to continue. "He said he wouldn't see us anymore when he found out about our experiments!"

"Experiments?"

"Monster hybrids," Mei continued the story, looking into Ric's eyes as she talked, "And he destroyed every single one of our creations, our precious little babies... and so we decided that if this infamous Dreg were to die at anyone's hand, it would be ours. Besides, we love him. It's only right. And so when we saw the magic show last night, we knew he had returned." She gave Ric a twisted, loving smile, bringing up her other hand to caress his cheek in a possessive manner. "No one will ever be good enough for him... to do what we're about to do."

What the fuck? Stella could only look blankly at the twins, having difficulty in processing their insane story. They were obviously unhealthily obsessed with the man, taking the love-hate relationship dynamic to a whole new level. Who confused sex with love? They were totally delusional. Psychotic. They were possessive over a man who she knew wasn't the type to reciprocate their feelings, and who also likely didn't know how crazy they were before he dipped his dick into them. Obviously he had been unaware, seeing as he found out they were creating human-monster hybrids. She could have shook her head at him; didn't he know never to stick his dick in crazy? She was a virgin, and she could have told him that. But instead, she nodded her head in the twins' direction, feigning concern and empathy. "Oh, yeah, I totally get it. What can I say? Men are assholes who can't appreciate a good, er, hybrid when they see one... There, there, no need to cry," she told Hana, who was now rubbing her eyes and bawling.

"God Hana, you said you wouldn't do this," Mei lashed out at her sister, releasing pressure from Ric's neck as she turned to scold her twin. "Get yourself together. This is what we both want, isn't it?"

Stella silently turned her attention to Ric, her inquisitive gaze asking him how had had ever managed to involve himself with these two. Oh well, he was going to have to save himself. She wasn't going to do it, after all.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Ricendithas missed the woman gasping his name out, his mind still hazed from the long-overdue release. Man, it felt good to be with a woman...Or women, as the case was. Which seemed like it was going to keep going on for a good while, at least until Hana restated his name again. And it wasn't just that...It was more the way she said. Like she knew him from somewhere.

But her new voice was familiar. Too familiar.

And when their illusions faded, Ric just sat there in momentary shock as the memories came rushing back. Shock that soon gave way to a boiling anger as he realized he'd been had. "You two..." he growled, only for Mei to raise a hand and force him back down. "Oh, Ric...Still so hot-headed, always wearing your heart on your sleeve." Mei cooed lovingly, adding with a little smirk "We always did love men that got right down to business."

And the warlock could only sit there as they blathered about killing him, feeling the razor edge just barely kiss his skin; boy, if only it could come across as a shock. Especially in this instance.

No wonder he'd been taken so easily; Mei and Hana were naturals, excellent candidates for 'black widows'. But before he could retort about how it was their fault for mixing him up in their weird science, Stella was cordially invited to join the fray. Or rather, forcibly invited. And then things began anew.

His eyes just wandered between the three as they openly discussed their disdain for him, Mei's binding magic holding him in place. A small grunt escaped his throat as Mei pushed the knife in harder, leaving a little nick for his crimson fluid to seep out of. God damn, he wanted to strangle them...In fact, that was sounding all too tempting at the moment.

And when they finished their little sob story, Ric sneered, "Your precious little babies...Is that what you called those abominations?!" Mei's eyes flashed dangerously, looking towards Ric with eyes swollen from crying, "You wouldn't know a damn thing!" Ric's tone grew even angrier, "Oh really? All I know is that one of them got loose...Killed three innocent bystanders. And what were the words you described it in? 'It was just hungry. We should have fed it more'. Wasn't that what you said?"

Mei sniffled, Hana interjecting with "We made some mistakes, but we wanted to breed more peaceful creatures. Ones that could rise above their baser instincts...But you killed them and burned our research to ashes, then left us without a home or a lover! All we wanted was you to love us...But instead you crushed our hearts and dreams! They weren't the monsters, it was you!" Hana then took the knife from her sister and held it threateningly, "And now...Beloved Ricendithas, your time has come." A tear slid down her cheek, adding in a tone that held a confusing mixture of sadness and elation, "Hopefully we will see each other again in the next life."

Ric, meanwhile, struggled at the bonds as she prepared to end him; god this was turning into a severely twisted psycho-bitch dark romance novel. Grunting, his own aura started to rise, a boiling rage overpowering the lust he'd just experienced. "I'm....not...going anywhere!" he grunted, coal-black embers appearing all over his body. "Mei, hold him down...Oh god!" she then cried, feeling the heat around them beginning to rocket upwards; just then, the twins would feel themselves thrown out of the dressing rooms and all the way to the front of the store, glass shattering from the broken display cases as they fell to a heap just inside of the entrance, the ruined remains in pieces surrounding them. More than a few patrons screamed in terror and scrambled to avoid the unknown assault cause, while others were frozen in shock at what just happened. Was it a robbery? Was it a terrorist attack? They didn't know, but they didn't REALLY want to find out.

With them away, the bonds around him virtually vanished, allowing him full freedom once more. In a snap, his pants were redone and his fists clenched, his visible eye gleaming with murderous intent. Something had been switched in him, that much could be seen by anyone. Gone for now was the joking and perverted Ricendithas; this was darker. Violent. Not necessarily another personality, but another facet of his psyche expressing itself more openly. One that might seem more unbecoming of him than it probably should.

"I should have finished them too. Sent them screaming down to Hell with the rest of their damn 'kids'." he growled angrily, pushing past the wreckage and Stella to go after the twins, his body now covered in a sheen of pitch-dark fire. "YOU TWO WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" the warlock roared, twin balls of flame bellowing to life in his open and upturned palms as he marched resolutely toward the downed pair.
 
RE: Playing the Game [ Ariamella & Razgriz ]

Tokyo, Japan
Early-mid November​

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Stella gasped and stepped back, covering herself with an arm as the twins were thrown out. The dressing room was left in shambles, the door and walls blasted apart in a pile of rubble. Her eyes went wide at the sheer destruction, but even more so at the sight of her bodyguard covered in dark flame. If she thought he was angry or intimidating when she hid his armor, she obviously hadn't cut down to a layer this deep. Although the rage wasn't directed at her, she still shied away from him as he stepped past her, quietly following from a safe distance.

The screams of the patrons swiftly died down to a low murmur, almost silence, as they saw the warlock approach the two fallen women. The sound of broken glass and shifting sounded out loud, and the wreckage covering the twins was blown away by some intense, invisible force. Mei stood slowly, followed by Hana, both girls' previously naked bodies now covered in all black attire. Scrapes and cuts adorned their faces, and Stella didn't doubt the same injuries covered their entire bodies. Their eyes were puffy and red from the crying, but they also held the same fire and thirst for blood as Ric's did.

"Ric," Stella said, unsure of whether he could hear her or not. Apparently he couldn't, seeing as how the twins made it impossible for his attention to be directed elsewhere. "Ric," she tried again, more insistently this time as she caught sight of a woman taking out her cell phone, covering it as she dialed a number and put it against her ear. Although Stella couldn't understand Japanese, the hushed, frantic tone that broke the silence was all she needed to hear to know that the woman was likely calling the authorities.

"Ric," she said for a third and final time, rushing forward to catch his arm, forcibly turning him around. Her eyes caught sight of his face full of rage and anger, his green eye making her subconsciously step back a little bit from the intensity of its gaze. She focused on a spot just above his shoulder to avoid looking directly at him, though she was still hanging onto the black cloth of his sleeve. "We should probably go soon, like, now or somethi—"

"NO!" she heard one of the twins shriek before feeling an invisible force push her back, causing her to stumble in her black heeled boots over a fallen mannequin. Sharpness shot up her right leg as her ankle twisted in an awkward angle, and Stella bit her lip to keep from crying out though her eyes watered from the pain. This was what she got for trying to dress nice one time. One fucking time. The ankle wasn't broken though, that much she knew as she could still stand and put light pressure on it.

"Don't touch him again," Hana snarled, a dangerous gleam in her eye as she regarded the young witch, though a hint of something else could be seen in those chocolate brown orbs... Oh. Stella's anger spiked as she realized the other emotion was jealousy. Nothing but petty jealousy and their psycho-level possessiveness, but she hung back, afraid to get between their lovers' spat again.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Mei told Ric, seemingly undisturbed by Stella, "and I suggest you take the easy way." She lifted hand in attempt to immobilize him, the force of it strong, crushing even, and she gritted her teeth with effort to make him fall. "What's wrong, Ric?" she taunted him, a twisted grimace on her face. "It won't hurt a bit, we promise. Just... get... down." His body finally seized and crumpled from the pressure, and Mei flicked her hand, causing him to fly out the entrance and tumble out onto the street. His body stopped rolling once he reached his distance limit from Stella, and the twins followed him out.

Hana giggled, a strange mix of admiration and hate in her voice. "You're always so cute when you're angry... But cute doesn't save you." Poison filled her last words, and a small breeze ruffled her hair before the air around Ric seemed to leech away; she was toying with him, making him starve for oxygen before the sensation passed, and she giggled again. "Maybe you should pick the hard way. We can all have more fun."
 
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