BLEED

Since when has he ever considered me right? Granted, bringing him up as an example in the first place was still grating.

Still, the demon king paints a pretty picture of melancholy as he gazes at the seas, only to fix the angel with his eyes a moment later. It's not an arrogant look—it's almost pleading. Almost.

"A demon like you, learning to be good?" He wants to deny it. But his duty also binds him to hear Sebastian out. And in the chaos of conflicting signals, his guard drops as he frowns.

"You're already so awful that any little change would help."

"How do you handle it?" he asks then.

"If you would like, I do not mind taking care of it." Sebastian eyes the red trickling over adolin's clothes.

He doesn't wait for an answer and as he touches one of the robots, it materializes into some cloth. Sebastian tosses it at Adolin then turns to face the door.

"Let us hope this is our way out." With that, he's the one leading, stepping in front of the door and opening it.

....

.......???

Stepping through leads them out, and Sebastian is familiar with this area, but NOT at the same time. This was a place in Archimedes Ward, but this specific location....

This was no Theater of the Calliope.

Eiden (oddly enough for now) Tenna .......

yet.

Instinctively, he took a few small steps back, keeping distance between himself and the other man. "How convenient" - he remarked. "I suppose it's much easier to sleep at night when you've convinced yourself no one ever had a choice."

Every instinct screamed at him to leave. And yet, somehow, Sebastian's words - and the sound of his own name on the vampire's lips - rooted him to the spot.

"Think what you will." Whether he slept well at night or not, that was something Lyney can think about if he wished.

"But believe me, we will meet again." He will find him in other words.

Sebastian shifts to where he's now on top of Vanth. Not for round two, but to gaze into his lover's eyes better and kiss him once, twice, then a third time.

"Thank you," he whispers against Vanth's lips. He thanks him for not rushing, for not PRYING.

What would it have been like if someone came running to his rescue those many moons ago? Barging in through those doors, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of that room?

Would something have changed?

He watches Vanth fight his way through. Adolin handles himself well, slicing and slashing through metal bits. They clatter and clunk as their bodies hit the floor.

Impressive, really. But, his eyes don't stay on Adolin long as they return to his lover. Morpheus doesn't fail him in protecting Vanth either. And finally, Vanth is the one to push that button and release him from his confinement.

"...." he's being checked over, as if Vanth hadn't been the one who was struck. Sebastian doesn't say anything. Waits for Vanth to say that the coast is clear. Then, he reaches gently to run his finger along where he got hit by the robot and kisses Vanth's lips.

"You did good." You are the ray of sunshine.

The kind one saw after being locked in the dark for so long.

He hesitated for a brief moment, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly as his mind raced through every possible escape route he might need if things took a turn for the worse.

"Lyney, the Great Magician of Fontaine" - he introduced himself at last, never breaking eye contact. Somehow, the threat managed to both freeze his blood and set his heart racing.

Sebastian ignores the heap of a body on the ground now. It no longer satisfied him. He has a new toy here. He can focus his attention on something alive, still pumping blood.

"When it is time to feed, however, you don't get to choose who the victim is," he says with a certain sweetly innocent tone.

"Very well. I will work toward being more careful. However, that means you will have to do the same, mm?" They both knew it would be something impossible. He shifts, laying himself and Vanth down into a more comfortable position.

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of it." He couldn't, but most definitely wouldn't. Vanth was everything. He....

Sebastian closes his eyes and buries his face partially into Vanth's hair. He exhales, a shaky breath leaves him.

"You seem like the type to scope a situation out before you fully commit. The same way you were staring at me the moment I walked into this place."

He tapped the top of them and the dealer slide him another card. A single glance before he sits it down. "Cautious but curious. Which also means... you'll be a risk taker if you think it'll be interesting enough."

Usually those kinds come from old money. Opportunistic predatory types. He certainly didn't mind.

"However, regarding me watching you, you stick out like a sore thumb, as others would put it." He sets his own card down.

"I would hardly call Prince Adolin a friend of Vanth. They only had just met. His death will mean nothing to my Dove." Now, turning to face Aurelius, he cocks his head curiously. "And you failed to answer my question. What is it you want, Aurelius?" He watches the angel carefully, and then he exhales a sigh. Releasing the tension and negative emotions he was feeling.

There's then a smile, relaxed, genuine.

Since Aurelius is here and he was having such a time, why not play with the angel a little bit?

Aurelius answers a bit too quickly—not because he doesn't believe Sebastian, but because the demon's words ring true. A grimace hits his features before he adds, "I don't."

"So I'll tell you directly: either cherish him and his friends, or lose them both. I don't know what kind of lust-addled confession you fed him, but it doesn't take a fool to know that relationships work best while built on trust."

"Who am I to dismiss what you say? Perhaps you know more about that than anyone, mm? You had to go through something similar." He places his hands on the railing as he watches the ocean glow with its bioluminescent creatures of the Moonbeach.

"Aurelius," he begins, voice a whisper as he calls the angel's name.

"I am a demon. King of hell...it is etched in my veins to be the way I am..." he sighs softly again. "But it isn't impossible for a demon like myself to learn what it means to be good. That is what I want to be for Vanth.

"And here I thought you'd rather avoid me. What is it you want, Aurelius Vane-Tempest?"

Sebastian's hair is tied in a low ponytail. Not the usual hairstyle he'd go for, but that's irrelevant.

Golden eyes focus back out into the horizon, and those golden eyes shift into their usual red.

His face is pale with simmered fury, and the gaze focused on Sebastian's eyes—how dare they bleed red in his presence—glows with fresh contempt.

"You have no grounds to speak."

"I would hardly call Prince Adolin a friend of Vanth. They only had just met. His death will mean nothing to my Dove." Now, turning to face Aurelius, he cocks his head curiously. "And you failed to answer my question. What is it you want, Aurelius?" He watches the angel carefully, and then he exhales a sigh. Releasing the tension and negative emotions he was feeling.

There's then a smile, relaxed, genuine.

Since Aurelius is here and he was having such a time, why not play with the angel a little bit?

It's when the pebble hits the wrong platform and the robots spawns that Sebastian moves, ready to attack, only to then stop himself with a quiet breath of fresh air.

3.

3 robots storm in, all different in size but no bigger than a horse. Two come from either side of the captors, and one is at the center. They all seem to start scanning the two to copy whatever powers they have stored. Even the faintest of shadows has been copied, and they dance ever so weakly against the feet of these robots.

Sebastian wants nothing more THAN to fight.

Still, at least Morpheus can assist them---by fighting a robotic hell hound they managed to copy from Morpheus. Make that 4 robots.

"Try not to die," Sebastian says calmly. The comment is mainly aimed toward Adolin

And as if on cue, these tincans are charging in!

"Very well. I will work toward being more careful. However, that means you will have to do the same, mm?" They both knew it would be something impossible. He shifts, laying himself and Vanth down into a more comfortable position.

So when Sebastian suddenly appeared close to them, Noir yelped out of surprise and shock that he had let his guard down more than anything else, his hand instinctively reaching for the handle of his gun. Likewise, Anubis, due to his size, jumped behind instead of in front of him, eyes wide with terror. And when the jackal saw who it was, the burning in his sockets intensified, yet his body language revealed that he was scared. Under any other circumstances he would tower over him, but now he felt so, so very small and helpless.

Oh, the stench of death clinging to him, so unnaturally made his insides churn with disgust. This was not a being that should exist, yet here he was, walking among the living.

“Holy fucking shit, a little damn heads-up would’ve been lovely, Everest.” Then he continued, a red tint painting his cheeks, “hell would freeze over before an atom of my body would even consider missing you!” Noir was so ready to give him a quite angry lecture about manners and courtesy, two things he himself did not possess. However, that should not be the focus of their meeting, no, his irritated expression shifted to the trembling dog by his side, who by now gathered enough courage to face the demon in front.

Of course, the condescending comment didn’t help.

It's the reaction from Noir and the god of the undead that tickles Sebastian. The chuckle is low, but delighted, honestly. He finds it amusing to see both of them so startled, one of them with his tail tucked between his legs and those legs trembling.

"Ah, and a shame. Here, I thought we were friends after spending quality time together. Just the two of us." He answers plainly afterward. His gaze meets the jackal with a tilt of his head.

"Ah, it seems Noir's discussion hasn't gone through to you? I quite enjoy existing. Since we already had this conversation," he says, looking at Noir, "I will not repeat myself again. Besides, we are here for a meeting, are we not?"