enigma.

...Made him feel like he was normal, even if it was just for a second.

When the door opens, it reveals a now slightly taller Satinium, thanks to the new high heels she'd donned. Her hair noticeably trimmed down to a more manageable size that shouldn't get in the way. Her attire simple yet striking; a short, bright yellow dress hugged her curves, the barest hint of thigh revealed through a small slit -- and to go with it, a matching bracelet hanging from her right wrist.

The look was finished off with the lightest of makeup, a dusting of white, glittery eyeshadow to complement her sugary freckles.

Beaming with obvious pride, he runs his hand through his beautiful locks of hair, and tosses Vail only a side glance, acknowledging their existence, yet noticing that they had actually put some proper effort into their outfit.

As they should.

✥✧∘* "Seems you've picked something decent." He speaks, eyeing the restaurant with interest. He's heard of this place before, but he's never been to it. Fancy dishes were served at his palace on the daily after all.

Eyes linger upon him as they take in his stunning appearance, a soundless ‘wow’ escaping their mouth. Only right before he speaks do they snap out of their trance, shaking their head as they smooth down their dress before approaching him.

‘Decent’ was as far as a compliment they were going to get from him, and he seems interested. Good, good — they didn’t fumble the first impression of this ‘date’.

“Thank you, your royal radiance!” Vail replies in Helixian as they slide up beside Leviathan, offering an arm for him to link with. Honestly, they don’t expect him to take it — but might as well behave naturally, as they would any other date. Interestingly, they found it much easier to loosen up around him outside of his palace.

Taking the dessert from their hands, he sets it aside and lets out the smallest sigh. He can't believe he was even entertaining this. Just what exactly was he about to get himself into?

Besides, they could do with a little time to compose themself and shake off the nervousness they felt. Even though they had a solid plan for this 'date', anything and everything could go wrong — which is exactly why they had to really make a good first impression. That would set the tone for the rest of the night.

Up ahead from the sparkly floating bench they sat upon was a luxurious two-story restaurant; the ever renowned "Opulent Ocean" ran by a duo of Envy and Gluttony five-star cooks. It specialized in seafood delicacies from all over Helixious, with an attractive menu that was sure to work up an appetite for even the pickiest individuals.

Of course, such an outing required appropriate attire. They'd chosen a sparkly sequin dress with sunset colours, and floral accessories to compliment their curly hairstyle and light makeup. It was a simple look, yet fancy enough to look good next to him without overshadowing him — he had to be the prettier one.

✥✧∘* "Tonight. Pick a time." He replies as he once again places a hand on his cheek, as if he's bored, despite being anything but right now. "I prefer seafood." He continues on, as if it was obvious. Fruits, vegetables, bugs, and seafood were staples within this section due to the sheer amount of reptiles that his section had to offer. He's sure they at least have had some of the Envy palette by now with who they had as a mate.

"Oh!" They step closer to hand the cake over to him where he could take it. It was a four-flavour layered citrus cake; lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit with orange cream frosting. The rim was decorated with a simple, staggered arrangement of citrus slices and edible flowers; overflowing with quality and effort as always.

Still, this...wasn't one of those moments. They were simply doing this to return Livius back into their arms. However--he couldn't help but to feel that smidge of curiosity about them. What was /so/ great about them anyways? How did this one even get a lick of Livius's affections?

Clearing his throat, he washes that surprise from his features as if it was never there in the first place, and responds to them.

Seeing her enthusiastic response does get that tiny tail of his to start wagging, his own excitement incredibly obvious as he answered her question.

ꕥ✧∘* "...There's a restaurant seating that I reserved that I think you'll really like." He begins, bringing up his x-slate into view as he texts her the location, the restaurant being somewhere on Terratus. "It's just opened up, and it's got a big focus on spicy and sweet cuisines." He chuckles, knowing the complete irony in it--which is why he picked it in particular.

What?

There's a surprised blink at his reaction, having expected him to either be angry with them or laugh them out. It confirmed that he did indeed perceive them as a threat to his relationship with Livius, but also raised questions as to what he really thought of them beyond that.

After what felt like a long moment of silence between the two, Vail finally stands up to speak again.

So by all accounts...this was truly a bad time to meet. He didn't really have much patience for this mortal, even if they were his true mate.

Ugh.

“Firstly, I apologize for my transgression last time, King Leviathan. Secondly…” Vail takes in a deep breath before they continue. What they were about to propose next was something they weren't exactly keen about, but appealing to him required more than just an apology and cake.