Nagaraja

Ginger smiled as he offered to whisk her away, that would solve her problem, after all, she couldn’t get in trouble if she was entertaining a guest, and the other man could find another lolly to entertain him; it wasn’t like there was any shortage of beautiful things here. “Well, if you don’t mind a spirited night,” she teased as she slipped out from behind the bar, deftly slipping through the crowd to make her way to his side. “Shall we, good sir?”

Raj was very happy about the promise of a spirited evening. Though he was uncertain if the fae beauty truly had any understanding of what she would be spending the night with. Most didn’t. He waited until she was next to him, looking down at the lovely red head and drawing her into his side, his arm around her waist, conspicuously show that there was an understanding between himself and the Lolly at his side. “Indeed we shall.” He replied and moved, keeping his body in between her and the majority of the room, sliding effortlessly through the crowd like water through a river bed. He knew which way they were going at least until they reached specifics, “I will leave it up to you to direct me to the correct room--” He replied, “And for the sake of this evening you are Ginger and I will be The Wanderer.” 

Magic the man proclaimed and then insinuated that he had eyes everywhere in this city. Nikos didn’t know which one was more likely, probably a combination of both. But it did leave him at a crossroads between being curious and a little fearful. It had looked like just a normal shop and the trinket had been small enough he hadn’t suspected it would be missed so soon. It left him eyeing the man in front of him quietly, a question on the tip of his tongue that he never got the chance to ask. 

A ripple of uneasiness coursed through the air and before Nikos could protest or fight back in any fashion, the poised, cool man in front of him shifted in nature to something more innately sinister and…exotic looking. A coil of scaled skin and it was pure surprise that kept him from fighting back as the newly taken shape of the man’s body wrapped around him, pulling him from the wall where he perched and holding in tightly in place, the muscle and strength in the movement constricting him in a way that caught his breath in his lungs. A thrill coursed it’s way through him and he could quite place if it was fully fear or simply awe at the species in front of him. Something he’d never encountered before. 

He tried to listen to the words, caught and unable to move, and as the hand gripped his chin, demanding that he listen, Nikos could only stare back at the other’s eyes. “I’m listening,” he said with more confidence than he felt in the moment. He licked his lips and exhaled like this wasn’t the most frightening position he’d ever been in. “A little hard not to,” he admitted, unable to fully silence his joking nature.

So many froze at the appearance of snakes. It was one of those deeply innate fears. Like the fear of the dark. His all black eyes becoming drowning pools for the young boy. Forked tongue flicked out and tasted the air, tasted the flavor of this child and tasted death. “Black dog--” Raj said with a far more distinctive hiss to his voice. “Tell me, Ill Omen. Do I feel like death?” The Naga’s coils tightened slightly around the Barghest. Raj came from the Netherworld and he wondered if the boy could feel it. The Barghests were hard to find these days, having been persecuted nearly to extinction.

Raj tasted the the fear in the other but also the draw that the other felt. And the Naga loved it, the awe fed his ego and the ancient promise inside of his body. He was a demi-god. And the faithful would be awed by him. His hand stayed firmly gripped on the boy’s face, letting the other look at his unblinking black eyes. Raj nodded his head, his coils loosening just the smallest bit. He liked the boy’s spirit, that confidence in the face of very possible death. His black eyes flicking down to the other’s lips to watch his tongue. A fanged smile drawing across his face as the boy even made a joke. “Good. Because I’m about to offer you a job. What’s your name, Ill Omen?” 

“O-oh no, I thank for your offer but I’m not in the mood for dancing- Wait!” Her protest fell on deaf ears as she was pulled fro her table and whisked onto the dance floor. She scowled at the laughter of the ladies she had been sitting with and resigned herself to her fate with a small, polite smile to her new dancing partner. The tavern was crowded and filled with music, but merriment seemed boundless. If she had known such a place had existed when she was married, she would have took the risk and snuck out when she could. Instead, she had languished as the dutiful wife, the dutiful daughter. It was what her mother would have wanted.

Despite herself, a laugh tumbled past her lips as she was twirled around to the upbeat strings of the violin. Her hair whipped past her face as she danced along with a man old enough to be her father, his hands clasped in hers as he laughed and tried to follow along. It was a merry scene, one that she suddenly wished would never end.

She was suddenly twirled and she felt the mans leave her own. She let out a small yelp as she was twirled into something- or rather someone- and she quickly looked up at them while she scrambled to form an apology. “I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going a-and I… I’m terribly sorry,” She cringed and brought a hand up to hide her face. “I said that twice, didn’t I?”

@blackwatchworld

Raj did leave the Slums every now and then. He liked to put his fingers on the pulse of the city as he called it. Drawn into places that called to him. Some ancient memory of worship or something that spoke to the Naga he was. Fertility and joy and dance. Dance had been a prayer and still was. The power and energy to invoke something old inside of themselves. Memory was such a fragile thing sometimes. 

He’d been rather taken by the spectacle. Such merriment was always a pleasant thing to experience. And he found it delightfully defiant when such happiness could be snatched even while a world of unease and rot existed beyond the walls. He watched the girl spin and then be released like a rock from a sling, spinning away towards him. He caught her as carefully as he could, still abruptly stopping her spinning form. He smiled at her and nodded his head, “You did. How could I not forgive someone who was so deeply enjoying themselves?”

Evangeline always had detested the slums. Nothing but dirt, despair and the uncertainty of her own future awaited her arrival to the lower part of town, the part no one really ever wanted to be and the most abhorrent of acts occurred. Raj was smart that way, hiding in plain sight amongst everything else that could be cause for suspicion and unlawful acts. It was even more unsettling for the witch to venture into that particular part of town to the House of Wonders as the sun had set, the night awakening a strange sense of freedom where everything was hidden from the light of day. But as she did pass over the threshold and blue eyes came to gaze upon the familiar face and what occupied him, Evangeline had considered turning back. A fault in her footing nearly took the witch to the ground in her trepidation to approach Raj, but by now he had surely seen the witch and retreating back into the shadows and out of sight surely would raise at least a few questions if not blatantly create a sense of uncertainty with her motives. “One of your elixirs in the back, I wanted to see it again. It’s important,” the witch finally spoke up, riddled in her words but she could only assume the naga knew her desire to see him hadn’t been wasted on something as trivial as an elixir or potion ingredients. “I believe I was given the wrong one the other day” 

The Slums offered a level of security that Raj wanted to operate from. He liked the baseness of most of the creatures that lived and fought and thrived in it’s crowded streets and close packed houses. The factories that belched black smoke rising out to mix with the clouds. He had always felt it was more honest than the pretty trappings of civility that so many others pretended from behind. But a very great many needed the pretense of civility and he did not begrudge them their masks. A smile drew across his face as Evangeline came into his view. When whatever internal struggle plaguing her nearly took her to the ground Raj put a look of concern on his face, painting it on though still highly amused. He listened to her and nodded his head, expression again the soul of concern. He stood, languidly stretching as he replied, “Well, we can’t have that can we?” He offered her his hand before he moved to relocate them somewhere with less witnesses. Drawing her with him until they vanished beyond yet another doorway. He paused in the small hallway and asked, “Are we going upstairs or are we staying down here?” Down here meant serious business and possibly unpleasantness, upstairs meant his personal rooms and while business would be discussed it would be far more pleasant. So long as Raj got what he wanted. But that was always the way of it. So long as Raj was happy, all his Sidewinders could be happy as well. 

Her gaze narrowed a fraction on his emphasis of my. His, not hers. She should’ve known a creature as arrogant as her would’ve eventually outgrown her. Better to welcome your enemy into you den than for them to find their own way in. Something she surely would’ve done, had he attempted to deny her. Even as she caged him in, he merely smiled at her, a flash of fang his only warning as he offered her a taste of the very thing he was partaking in. 

Her gaze tracked the subtle movement of his hand, the offered pipe, and she grinned, flashing her own teeth. This body might not be in possession of fangs, but the blackness of her soul was its own weapon. She took the offered pipe with a gentle hand, other still pressing in against the fine satin pillows. “With pleasure,” she replied, lifting the pipe to her mouth and inhaling. True to his word, it tasted of honey and rosewater, the smoke that filled up her lungs subtle, as things always were with Raj. 

She leaned ever closer, mouth parting as she exhaling onto his face in a puff of flavored vapor. She knew very well the sweet taste on her tongue was something meant to be shared. “And how many pretty things have you seduced with this, Raj?” 

What else could be done? Raj could not  banish a demon that he enjoyed so much. It was a competition for certain. But there was also a careful balance in the dance that they now did. Mutually assured destruction. That had been why he had done what he’d done and was still on this plane of existence. It was an uneasy and unreliable peace but it was the only way at the moment. Her teeth flashed at him, white as her soul was dark. Such intoxication. He released the pipe into her hand, watching her pink lips close on the tip and drawing the smoke into her mouth. Knowing what she would be tasting. His dark eyes shifting up to hers.

His neck stretched up as she moved close, opening his mouth and drawing in a breath of the smoke that had just been inside of her. Close enough to kiss. His eyes flashed with mischief at her question. “A few. Just the ones that are searching for seduction--” He leaned his head back, relaxing as he watched her above him. But he didn’t protest, he was very aware that she liked being on top. “Did you come to see what I’m up to? Or are you looking for something?” His forked tongue ran out along his lower lip. 

Running a few minutes late, as was typical for Liam, the vampyre burst through the doors of the House of Wonders to meet Raj at his usual private table. Paying some coin to gain entrance, the stealthy Candy man waltzed passed the curtain with an even grin on his closed lips. Business was thriving brilliantly at the Candy Shop and with his boss out of town, the added duties kept him immensely busy. Even now meeting with Raj was more for business than pleasure, even if he fancied the backdrop of the place. 

“Ah, Raj,” he gave him a once over before taking a seat across from him. The other man looked heavily relaxed and in a pleasant mood. They were merely new acquaintances, yet he sensed they’d be amicable partners for the long haul. “Forgive my tardiness. There were some pressing matters at the club that came up unexpectedly. I’m free for the next couple hours before I’m needed back there. Most importantly, how is your evening?” 

Such dramatics, though the Naga did appreciate the vampyre’s desire to be on time. Raj did detest when people were late. It smacked of disrespect to him. But he did consider himself reasonable at the very least. And the Candy Man had a great many responsibilities that drew his attention. And beyond that, what Liam brought him was valuable enough for the snake to ignore a few minutes tardiness now and then. The snake smiled at the vampyre indulgently. Perhaps once they knew each other better then Raj would encourage the vampyre to be more on time. But not currently. Currently they were still in the foreplay stage. A delicate time in new partnerships. “Liam, you are forgiven before you even asked. I know you are a busy man--” Though he wasn’t really a man at all was he? No, Liam was something else and had been of ages. “My evening is progressing very well. Thank you. Please take a seat, I’ve ordered you a drink as we have some little time.” 

Claude’s entrance to the Slums was hardly so he could catch anyone for illegal activities they may partake in. He breathed in the smoke, trying not to ingest anything. The faun felt Raj’s eyes on him, stepping through the threshold to survey the space. “You’ve got some nice digs here Raj. As for why I’m here, I’m not sure. I just followed your smoky cloud. I’m running on a few hours’ sleep myself. If you don’t mind the company, I might hang around awhile.”

The Naga smiled at the compliment. “Thank you. I rather like them as well--” He watched the Faun’s uncertainty. And raised his eyebrow with amusement at the insistence that the Sentinel had merely followed his smoke, which he did not consider an actual possibility with so many others around him but at least endearing. He opened his hands to show the other that the den was open to him, “Far be it from me to start turning customers away. We offer a great many tonics to help if you are looking for sleep or if you are looking to push the fog of tiredness away from you. Completely your prerogative.”

“Both, I suppose,” she admitted. Despite the timid nature of the words, her eyes never stopped blazing into the man’s face. She didn’t care what it took, she would have a good time that night. She would escape the feelings swirling around in her chest and wrapping around her neck like a noose. Licking her lips, she grabbed her coin purse and shoved it into her pocket before sliding in at the man’s table. It was hard to describe exactly what she wanted to feel. It would be so much easier to explain what she didn’t want looming over her head. 

Still, she squared her shoulders, her deep eyes meeting his. “Something intense. But good. Or pleasurable, at least. I don’t want to feel like I’m a feather about to float away. I just want the intensity of my mood to shift.”

Ah, a fighter. Such determination. The Naga watched her, her face, her body language, the way she stood. And a very forward creature, inviting herself to sit. But there was an uncertainty that screamed out at Raj. The people that came to The House of Wonders to lose themselves were usually running from something, even if that something was just a feeling. He brought the pipe to his mouth and drew in a deep breath, releasing a cloud of the smoke, blue, violet and grey. He smiled at her when she said she wanted to feel good. “We can help you feel the best you’ve ever felt--” Raj replied with absolute certainty. He made a small gesture with his hand and a tray was brought and placed before him. Taking a dropper from a vile he placed two drops on a sugar cube, picking it up delicately between his fingers. His dark eyes looked at the girl, “Come closer and open your mouth--”

He gave the other a half bow, drink still in hand and slid onto one of the thickly padded chairs across from Raj. It was one of those signs of affluence - if a commoner was lucky, they had cloth padding on wooden chairs. If not… they had an achy bum from constantly being on hard wood. The opulence afforded in this place certainly bespoke of the man. “A pleasure… I am Rockford Tellus…” he replied, easing into the chair across from the other. “That is quite a name, I take it you hail from another country? If the location here is any indication of it’s comforts, it sounds like a magnificent place to visit?” he prompted, leaning forward slightly over the edge of the table.

Raj nodded his head in polite greeting, filing away the name for later examination an interest. “The pleasure is mine.” He responded with magnanimity. Being a good host was an ever important part of who he was and the rules that his kind had to follow. He drew in another lung full of the thick smoke, smiling at the question. He nodded his head, breathing out the blue-grey smoke in soft rings, his fingers playing with the hookah pipe. “Yes-- I am from far across the Savian Sea. A land most people have never gone and now closed due to the Great Mortality of the Rot.” It was an easy enough lie. And in someways it was the truth. His kind hailed from the Netherworld. His preferences and trappings reflections of peoples most in Black Watch had only ever read about. “I have been blessed with good craftsmen that could help me invoke a feeling of home in my surroundings.” He made a gesture for one of his contracts to discover what Rockford was drinking and refill it. “Not to invoke needless flattery but I pride myself on the fact that if you had entered my House before I would have noticed. I hope you are finding your time here enjoyable?”