Satiate Me

"You will?? You will!!" She just barely restrains herself from grabbing and shaking him from pure excitement. In lieu of that, she immediately starts to pace around the boy, her expression - very gleeful still, certainly - starting to hone into a more thoughtful and focused one. Seven isn't really a substantial amount, but in this case? Tonia must dedicate her utmost concentration and absolute calculations to pick just one out of seven for an answer now.

"Your hair's a pretty light shade of gold so Geo would work perfectly well, but your eyes are this really clear shade of blue that kinda makes me think of clear ice or the sky in a way so maybe Anemo could work too - oh but you always wear blue and like diving, so Hydro would be perfect! Ah, but then again, you always like tinkering with machines and clockwork things so Electro would be fitting in that sense. Cryo on the other hand would match your Vision and your eyes at the same time... Hmm, Pyro really doesn't work, but the contrast does have a kind of appeal in a way, but... I'm also really biased to Dendro slimes sometimes so I'd love to see you dressed like one—"

Tonia mutters away like this for a full five minutes, debating pros and cons to herself while walking in an endless circle - until she starts to get too dizzy, both from all the circular walking and too much thinking. At which point she stops right in front of Freminet and—with a slightly wobbly sway—turns and clamps her hands on his shoulders while shoving her face probably way too close.

The intensity of her enthusiasm is surprising, but not an unpleasant one. Freminet finds himself smiling in return. A warm feeling nestles itself in his chest. It'd been a simple request and yet his agreement brought her so much joy. He'd do just about anything gladly to keep that light in her eyes.

The diver doesn't protest when she shook him in place and stood still obligingly whilst she circled him.

It's a little embarrassing to be fussed over and examined so closely. But there is something endearing about how passionate her rambling was. He nods along in acknowledgement to Tonia's thoughts, a little surprised she arrived at Hydro slime instead of a cryo one.

Heat pinched Freminet's cheeks pink at their proximity. He hardly dared to breathe, heart pounding in his ears.

"A-Alright." He hopes Tonia wouldn't think anything of how his voice practically squeaked when he finally found his voice. "I...could try on others if you want later...but um. Hydro slime it is."

The diver is gentle when he takes one of the hands she'd clamped on him and led her down the hallway into a spacious dressing room. A cursory glance would reveal various stage performance costumes; clearly a space the twins used to prepare before their magic acts. Freminet gestures to a small seat by a dressing table.

"Close your eyes, okay? No peeking."

Vulcan felt stupid. He really did. The fact that he had agreed to meet someone outside like this - willingly at that! - was a miracle in itself. Especially, as he was meeting with a friend. Supposed friend, at least. They had been nothing but kind to him in online spaces, so he hoped they'd be kind IRL as well. And not be a creep. He'd listened to enough podcasts and spooky stories as is, and didn't want to be part of the statistics.

He sighed, grumbling, hand rubbing over his face as he thinks. Hard. Certainly this was just a waste of time, because who in their right mind would meet up to talk about ta--

"Um...excuse me. Are you....4howhighru20?"

Vulcan felt himself cringe.

The username was the worst. It was his own fault tho. He had been high when he made the account, having gone down the rabbit hole of cards telling him the future and what not. And now he was here. With his own deck of cards, a shitty username, and...

"Vulcan... 's fine," he mumbles, turning to finally look at the person. Red eyes blink from between fingers. Woah, they were.... vertically challenged. He lowered his hand, shoving it in his pocket, gripping his cards. Well, perhaps he won't get murdered this fine overcast evening. It felt awkward, the whole meeting. He had been staring for a few seconds too long, before it looked like something kicked in his brain and he jostled a little where he stood, blinked and finally opened his mouth to speak:

“Y-yes,” Layla stammered out in response. His accurate description of her username is proof enough that he is in fact the online friend she’d been trying to meet up with. 

"Oh um. That's good."

That's good?? Really??? Their first meeting and that's all she has to say? Mentally chiding herself, the girl took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Come on, he's just a regular person who isn't that scary. Except that he kind of looks like he could accost her in the middle of the road and demand her purse.

"I'm Layla. It's good to meet you, Vulcan."

Fingers twisted the loop of her bag to stave off her nervousness.

"So...did you bring your own tarot deck?"

Ah, this little scarlet fox has a point. Tsuyuko’s no stranger to this sort of ritual, and while most people nowadays would call it a mindless prank, there is a legitimacy to the summoning process — although she wouldn’t always be certain that Kokkuri is always willing to answer their summon.  If it works, then it works, and while food alone is often enough as a form of exchange, their fickle nature could sometimes demand a more extreme form of payment such as an animal sacrifice or even their summoner’s own blood …

“Hmm, that is true, but you know… the simpler your questions are, the less likely they will try to demand a payment.” It is true to some extent, according to her experience. The more trivial the question is, the more beneficial it is for the fortunetelling subjects. “Just don’t ask Kokkuri-san some really complicated things, like some matters related to life and death.” Because not even the fortune – telling spirit asserts authority over the matter of mortality.

“Love life isn’t exactly a complicated topic, no? They wouldn’t fuss too much about it.” A nonchalant shrug rolls off the curve of her shoulders. “If you don’t feel like it, just ask them something else like… ‘what kind of dish that I should cook for tomorrow?’ or maybe, ‘what kind of positive affirmation that you can offer to me?’… something among those lines.”

"That makes sense. The law of equivalent exchange is still respected among the populace so I can see that being the case."

Things like divination and fortune-telling aren't exactly Himari's realm of expertise so who is she to question someone who does it? It sure is nice to be hearing from an expert about things like this though. Her tails twitched idly in the air, interest clearly writ upon her face.

"Does rice wine fermented from blessed rice count as an offering? Do I offer it up before or after?"

As though she'd come to a decision, Himari sat up straight and scoots closer to Tsuyuko.

"Alright. Let's do it!"

"If you don't get it, you can forget about it~" The young man beamed innocently at Clorinde. A smile that did little to dull the edge that burned in his eyes the moment they blinked to point back on her again.

"But I think you do get it."

And his instincts had rarely ever betrayed him; it was why he was so effective. However crazy his tactics may get, no one could deny Lohen's track record on securing victory was astounding, both by his rank and age. He'd already achieved milestones some veterans had spent half of their lives chasing.

But here stood before him someone different. Someone who he felt matched him in more ways than she'd like to admit. Call it a smell in the air, or some kind of sixth sense. Lohen boiled it down to 'it takes one to know one', and little else.

Was she supposed to get it? Because, unfortunately, she really doesn’t. Judging from the unimpressed stare she’s returning, it’s clear that Clorinde probably won’t understand whatever he’s hinting at without a fair bit of elaboration. 

And elaborate he did.

The crease between her brows dipped further in a prominent frown. 

“What’s your point? Surely you didn’t come all this way just to talk shop.”

Given his line of work, she has no doubt he would have long since been made aware of her role as Champion Duelist and what it entailed. If he'd hoped to provoke a personal reaction by specifically highlighting the unsavory parts of her job, then that's his disappointment to contend with.

"We both know there's no use in trying to fish any information that wasn't already acquired beforehand out of me, Vice Captain. Best to speak plainly."

Cold calculation in the light of her eyes, the successor of the Marechausse Hunters made no pretense to hide the way she sized her quarry up.

She studies him with the same assessment as she does with her duel opponents: the slope of his shoulders, the tension in his stance, each casual shift of his arms, every potential source of threat hidden beneath his uniform, every potential access point.

I’ve decided to take my friends’ advice and open commissions here. I won’t go into too much detail because it's very personal, but it’s somewhat of an emergency. Any money I make from these will go toward handling it.

I’m offering simple base icon packs with a few add-ons available upon request.

Packs:

50 Icons — $7

100 Icons — $14

150 Icons — $21

Add-ons:

Express (48 hrs) — 25% rush fee

Custom Dimensions — $2

Simple Black Border — $2

Centered / Blank Background — $3

Please note: If the base you want is from rare or hard-to-find media, please send me a link to the source. I will not edit fan art unless you personally commissioned it from the artist. All payments will go through PayPal. 

Feel free to DM me here or on Discord to discuss details, ehe. Examples under the cut! 

Wordlessly, Dan Heng followed behind Da-ji, more confused despite how common sense told him not to be. How could he not? Kindness, more often than not, was a crop suspended over his head that flicked and whipped him whenever it pleased, forming welts on his ego that had come to learn to distrust it.

He was tolerated, at best. In anything else, he was a vessel for Dan Feng's staggering sin, and little else.

Yet, that couldn't prevent the way Dan Heng soaked up the warmth of the priest's hand, trotting to keep pace with Da-ji's ground-eating strides while keeping his gaze trained on the ground, as if he'd be rebuked for any perceived slights the Preceptors assigned to him so often gleefully and arbitrarily found.

It was only when his hand was released that the Vidyadhara lifted his gaze, too shocked to speak at the innocuous offering. Uncertainty caused him to hesitate at first, but when it was clear there was no ulterior motive, Dan Heng tepidly received the morsel and allowed himself to nibble on it, savoring its juicy, sweet flavor.

“Aiya, there’s no need to be so formal. Call me Da-ji.” The Priest corrects lightly with a smile. “If I truly did not wish for your company, I would not have taken the liberty to invite you in. Rest easy, my friend.”

Ametrine eyes gleamed with a mischievous energy and Da-ji nodded in approval when the vidyadhara heeded his prompt to bite into the flesh of the persimmon. 

“You have partaken in the fruit of our sect. That means you have earned a seat at my table.” 

Sweetness spills upon the High Elder’s tongue, a mix of honey and brown sugar; mild yet lingering. With each nibble, the mirage dissipates further. A sliding door appears from seemingly out of nowhere and with a beckon of a hand, they part to reveal a path of stepping stones leading forward. 

Aquamarine pools lined with water lilies of every shade blossom around them as Da-ji beckoned Dan Heng further in. A giant water lily rests in the midst, petals unfurling to reveal a comfortable nest of blankets that one could cocoon themselves in and be rocked to rest. 

“Come. I should think it more soothing to converse in warmth. Tell me, friend. Why have you arrived in such a state of distress?”  

There is no point in closing his eyes when his mask hides it. He listens to Kafka musings from his spot against the wall. Relaxed he appears to be, Dan Feng was attentive to his surroundings.

"To the ignorant, a stellaron looks no different than a miracle. It isn't far-fetched to say they believe it can grant eternal life. Or perhaps it can, but the consequences? Well, you don't need me to say it." Dan Feng shares his opinion on the topic.

Opening his eyes, he pushes himself off of the wall as Kafka makes her way over. The squeeze to his waist isn't new, but Dan Feng isn't used to such casual physical contact.

"I suppose they could," She agrees. "Don't you find it fascinating just how different the stellarons' effects are across other planets? It's almost like they have little personalities of their own."

Even her own home planet fell victim in the end. It's quite the shame she wasn't there to witness its' destruction though.

Kafka had just been about to make her way out when his question gave her pause. The stellaron hunter tilts her head, expression ever enigmatic as her gaze returns upon his form. Assessing.

"Aww, are you worried about lil ol' me? Don't be, you know Bladie's got me covered."

Tenuous as...whatever those two have going on between them, even Dan Feng would have to admit that the swordsman is more than capable skills-wise.

"Buuut if you're looking to join me on a vacation and don't mind waiting around for this script to conclude, then by all means. Sounds good?"

The street light flickers and a bug smacks into it head first whenever it is on long enough. If one was delusional enough, they might have taken the light's wild nature as an omen, a sign that perhaps the reunion wasn't going to go as smoothly as one could hope. But Sung Min didn't really care about such things. No.

His lips curve into that same confident smirk he wore that fateful night so long ago. One of his hands is pulled out from the confines of the warm pocket with the intent to reach out, to perhaps brush fingers through hair or to caress a cheek. He doesn't. Instead his hand rests against the back of the bench Hyun-Ae was seated on.

Sung Min knows he's attractive, the red of his eyes bright and shiny. It's easy to woo people, if you were him. His natural scent mixed with his cologne invade their shared space, the same one that stuck to the sheets of the bed once shared.

Slumped onto the park bench after completing his final lap, Hyun-Ae took a long swig out of his bottle and decided to stay in place while he catches his breath. At this late hour, the stillness of the park's surroundings provide a sense of serenity that's hard to come by in a bustling city.

Which was why he nearly leapt out of his own skin when another voice spoke, inches away from his ear.

"WAH!!!"

Alarm spurred instinct and before the newly-turned vampire could catch himself, he'd already spun around and swung a fist at the intrusion.

"Back up, creep!!"