irigy

[irigy]

"darling, I love you, you know I do, with all my rotten heart and the putrid bog surrounding it in my chest, but please, make some bloody friends." and he did, he did say it with the most loving tone. not many people did the demon wish the best for, but his closest friend, his rory, was one of them. he walked up to her, hands on hips. "you're more than welcome to stay here, beautiful. but I've put on my signature scent. I'm going." at the mention of maren, however, he seemingly deflates, not out of a mood drop but more of a... softening of heart? ew. "I don't know what you're talking about." he lied with a big smile on his face, and nudged at her legs so that he could sit down on the sofa as well. "...and if the answer is yes?"

Aurora would like to believe that she knew Kiyan well enough to recognize when the demon was interested in someone, after all, that had been the same type of situation that the gorgon had met them all those centuries ago. Although younger and much more naive than she was nowadays, she actually found some very easy to read. Kiyan, the person she considered her best friend, was one of them. “Of course you won’t.” She said, but even the gorgon didn’t believe her own words. “Insufferable? Excuse you?” The brunette pushed herself to a sitting position, weighing on her elbows to look at him. “I’m not being insufferable. I just don’t want to leave the house to be ditched while Mx. popular over there gets a new interest in anyone that breathes next to them.” She rolled her eyes while motioning her hand at them. “Or have you finally decided to accept that you’re deeply infatuated by the doe-eyed werewolf from Rosie’s?” A playful hand to the chest followed, her eyelids closing as if she'd been hit by something straight into her heart and that prompted Rory to fall back into the comfortable cushions of the couch.

[irigy]

they both played the game so well, danny was considering asking her to be his girlfriend right then and there. maybe even for her hand in marriage. but that would be crazy, right? she squeezed at his bicep and he flexed even harder, really trying to impress her, which in the end seemed to work out perfectly. he grinned, proud and content at her reaction. "can we have two dates in one day? is that allowed?" he asked with a cheeky smile, then clasped his hands behind his back, clearing his throat before he spoke again. "lemme take you out. what's your favorite dessert in the world?" whatever it was, he would make it happen. he'd bake by himself if needed. assuming that he wouldn't burn the kitchen down. "no--" he laughed at her confusing banshee with a poltergeist, even though he should've been offended since she assumed he was dead in the first place. "no, I'm the herald of death type. y'know with the screams and the visions and stuff." he trailed off, hoping that he wouldn't have to relive any of his nightmares just for her to understand more about his powers. "and you?"

oh,  it  was  too  easy.  mei  had  quickly  learned  that  playing  dumb  and  poking  the  bear  meant  that  she  quite  easily  got  what  she  wanted.  she  turned  her  head  to  the  side,  fighting  the  smile  that  played  at  the  edges  of  her  lips.  it  was  almost  impossible  to  fight  it  off,  but  she  put  up  a  good  battle  before  cracking.  “it  would  be  my  pleasure,”  a  hand  reached  out  and  closed  around  danny’s  bicep  —  or  as  much  bicep  as  she  could  manage  to  grasp  —  and  gave  it  a  little  squeeze,  testing  out  the  firmness  as  though  she  was  shopping  for  a  new  mattress.  “hmm  …  okay,  i’m  impressed.  maybe  we  can  push  the  privilege  of  seeing  things  fully  to  our  second  date.  you  haven’t  even  asked  me  on  our  first  yet.”  expectantly,  she  waited.  two  could  play  at  danny’s  game,  and  she  wondered  whether  anyone  had  risen  to  the  challenge  yet.  over  her  years  she  couldn’t  say  she  had  met  many  banshees  —  they  had  fallen  out  of  fashion  a  little,  portum  saturated  by  vampires  and  werewolves  and  creatures  of  the  night.  “a  banshee ? ”  she  stuck  out  her  lower  lip,  “interesting.  you’re  not  gonna  start  throwing  things  around ?  no,  wait,  that's  a  poltergeist.” 

[irigy]

heng always knew what he needed, which was a blessing, especially when danny himself didn't exactly know. just as his dad answered his question, danny's stomach grumbled, and he smiled widely at the spread in front of him. he signed a quick thank you before he took a couple of bites, the sweetness coating his tongue as he ate with a content little smile on his face. he was sipping on heng's world famous hot chocolate when they spoke, and his eyes widened slightly, not sure what to expect as they cleared their throat.

he tried to remember what day it was. he really did. not a birthday. not an anniversary of anything he knew, and with a frown he put down the piece of waffle that was in his hand to sign. what day is it? did I forget about a birthday or somethin'? he asked, only slightly nervous about the answer.

The worst was finally behind them. For so many times, the reaper doubted themselves and their abilities to comfort and protect Daniel as a father throughout these last few weeks. They had never been one before. They had never had anyone to care for this deeply, so when things started falling apart within Portum’s borders, it occurred to Zhang Heng that they might not have been as prepared as they would have liked to be when it came to being a parent. They wondered if one day they would feel less unfit.

“It is breakfast.” The reaper replied, signing to the sleepy young banshee that pushed himself awake. “I thought you might want to eat something.” And maybe they should have also mentioned that they had been keeping track of the amount of years since Daniel had been in their life, in their family. Maybe it would have brought them closer. Maybe it would have made things easier, but again, they did not know if that was the type of thing that twenty-something year olds would like to talk about–or listen to. “Do you–” The reaper cleared their throat, deciding to bring up the reason why they were doing this. Or at least, one of the reasons. “–happen to know what day is today, Daniel?”

[irigy]

[irigy]

rory didn't understand the intricacies that went into really getting ready for an event such as the bonfire. their hair had to be perfect, and lately, it had been anything but that. they had to change their outfit about five times before they decided on one, and only then came the matter of accessorizing. rory should've been thankful to have champagne to sip on while she waited. anyway, kiyan stopped by the sofa she was laying on, glancing at her, and then looking down at the gold watch he was slowly putting on. "I won't get distracted. and I won't be ditching you. relax." he commented, lying of course, because he knew that the moment he caught a glimpse of maren, he would be ditching her sooner or later. but not before eyeing maren from the distance for a while. and definitely not before finding rory a worthy distraction as well. he glanced at the puppy on her stomach, then turned to shuffle over to his vanity, rolling on some essential oil that practically made him smell irresistible, then spray some perfume on top. "stop being insufferable darling and drink your champagne. artem will take good care of your baby. I'm ready, what are you waiting for, laying there like a sad, dry little jelly fish on the beach?"

closed starter ; aurora otero

with    kiyan virani    @   portum's annual bonfire   (  @irigy  )

Rory looked up from where she laid on Kiyan’s comfortable couch, watching as the demon moved back and forth doing whatever the hell they were doing. She prided herself in knowing them better than anymore, but maybe, just maybe, this affirmation was starting become a lie. It was a scary thought to have sometimes. Worse than the ones that plagued her dreams at night. Sure, she had been trying to forget things–just not the ones that truly mattered. “Kiki, I really don’t want to go to the bonfire if you’re going to ditch me the second you find a hot piece of ass to get distracted with, honestly.” She told them. It happened more often than not, and for the most part, the gorgon couldn’t care less about it as long as Kiyan was having a good time. But, ever since learning about Zehra being in town, too, Rory had grown… against being left alone. “Besides, would you really be an ass and leave your niece alone?” She asked, pointing to the sleepy puppy dachshund, curled up and sleeping on her stomach. “So–are we going or?”

[irigy]

"how has it been for you, my dear?" he asked, scooting closer to them. "have you been having cravings? I'd offer you myself, but I have an inkling that in my current state I would taste rather... bitter." he shrugged, a soft smile appearing on his lips at the praise. if there was anything the demon actually worked hard for, it was their club. "I wouldn't be able to do it without regina. besides, I tend to hire lost souls as employees, and grow rather attached to them. it's like a little family." he trailed off, remembering why they were talking about the club. right. operation: portum overlord kiyan. "I shall get to the root of our problems! even if I have to make sweet wally dig to the core of the earth under portum!"

"i...know how it feels, kiyan. i hate it too." lucien sighs deeply, it was something they also hated to do, perhaps born with such such and impulsiveness back then, yet after living for so many hundreds of years...it was just something that they've learned eventually. "at this point, i'd take any kind of change...maybe you'll do us better with looking for answers." lucien says with a deep exhale. "i do see you're doing great being a boss...i haven't gone to envy much, but i could only say and hear good things, you know?" they give him a smile, hoping this conversation would be a good distraction for now.

[irigy]

her reaction to the topic of marriage brings a lighthearted laugh out of him. "if it makes him less miserable, I will support it. I reckon we'll see him smile more times during the wedding than we've ever done until now." he shrugged, "the only issue with monogamy is that mortals take it far too seriously. it can be fun in some ways. it can bring out the worst in people. and that's... hot." kiyan had his fair share of overprotective and possessive exes, and he happily ignored the red flags in the name of lust. of course, later on he also had to reap what he sowed. he wouldn't be a demon if he didn't have to. the mention of everything that was happening to the town possibly being a plan slowly coming to fruition, awakens a sense of dread in kiyan that he kept locked away for a very long time. and he hated it. a shiver ran down his spine and he tilted his head to the side, uncomfortable, as if something was crawling underneath his skin. "that is a brilliant idea. we should shove someone across the boundary. have you got anyone in mind? I might..."

“ married ? ” she repeats, the word tastes like ash on her tongue, “ ugh. that's even worse than a buzzcut. ” marriage struck her as a very human trap, a bit like taxes or guilt. “ monogamy is such a mortal affliction, ” she sneers, her voice dripping with disdain but a flicker of something else gnaws at her. a twisted ache, not for love specifically but the certainty. the stability in a world that's falling apart. zehra shoves it deep back into the shadows. brunette femme turns to look at the other demon, her lips pursing like she just took a bite of something sour. the idea of another drink is enough to make her stomach churn. her hangover still thrums in her bones, but it has company now in the creeping sense of unease curling beneath her skin. she nods in response to kiyan's words, he's right about something being up, wrong with the town. “ i don't like it, ” she mutters. “ it feels… calculated. like we're being softened up before a proper strike. ” she shifts her weight, heels digging into the cursed soil of portum, “ i don't like being played, especially not by geography. ” the older demon kicks one of the discarded pebbles as if it personally offended her when a thought dawns on her. “ what if it's not possible to leave town unscathed ? let's shove someone across the boundaries and see if they get to keep all their limbs. ” the idea is tossed out with a grin, kind of joking but not totally joking.

[irigy]

they played their parts so well, it would be a miracle if anyone realized that they were just pretending. and it wasn't like it was something they struggled to do. it was like falling into their own bed after a long day, familiar, and warm, and cozy. oh, and let's not forget that it was also super fucking fun, watching chad's reaction to the whole thing. he seemingly absentmindedly caressed little circles onto wally's chest while they spoke, then his hand dropped to the hem of his shirt, slipping a teasing figner or two under it all while chad was watching.

"oh, you know chad, awesome!" a chuckle almost escaped him at the whole situation, but he had to keep the act up for as long as they could! danny straightened up, his hand pulling away so that he could take wally's in his, their fingers interlocking before he pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. "yeah, I could eat!" he didn't notice the slight red glow in wally's eyes, instead he stepped forward and pushed chad towards the sliders, then turned back at wally with a wink.

"aw, i missed you so much too, baby," wally smilled. kissing danny felt like second nature. danny enjoyed kissing his friends every now and then, and wally was very happy to oblige. they looked like an insufferable couple; danny, rested his head on wally's shoulder, while wally planted a quick kiss on danny's forehead, his hand still on his friend's waist. they were selling this. wally could sense the discomfort they were instilling in chad the (attempted) patty-thieving werewolf. "oh yeah! i know chad. hi chad! it's great to finally meet you!" wally worked his acting skills OUT tonight. he one hundred percent recognized chad, but the way he said that felt like he was pretending to remember him. just a touch to add to the discomfort. "do you wanna go get food, babe? we should bring chad along right? i'm sure chad would love to get some sliders!" he said with a pointed tone, and maybe his eyes flickered red for a quick second while looking at chad.

[irigy]

"y'know, I could just show you." he kept searching her gaze, having way too much fun making her laugh with each sticker placement. "but that's probably like... third date stuff?" or first, if she was lucky. and she did have a lucky vibe about her. and he did have zero shame. her eyes were replaced by a camera lens, and danny smiled, though once again the picture was taken before he could even realize that it was happening. she was quick with it. "weedy?" he laughed, shuffling closer to her and lifting his arm to flex his biceps. "I ain't even close to weedy babe, feel this!" his smile didn't exactly drop, but there was a bit of freeze in his expression as he was asked about what he was. he knew that everyone was accepting in this town, but at the same time, who would want to go on a date with someone like him? still, after a beat, he answered. "I'm a banshee."

she  wouldn’t  admit  it  if  he  asked  her,  and  mei  hated  the  fact  that  it  was,  but  by  some  miracle  danny’s  schtick  was  working.  maybe  it  was  the  fact  had  he  seemingly  had  no  filter,  no  off  switch  ;  the  witch  watched  him  in  disbelief,  breathing  bouts  of  laughter  whenever  he  suggested  another  ridiculous  sticker  placement.  “is  it  brilliant ? ”  mei  asked,  biting  on  her  inner  lip,  “i’ll  have  to  take  your  word  for  it.”  when  their  hands  separated,  she  lifted  her  camera  and  took  another  quick  photo  —  one  that  she  would  develop  in  her  dark  room  and  study  maybe  a  little  bit  too  closely.  “you  might’ve  got  my  attention.  you’re  a  little  weedy  to  be  a  firefighter.  what  are  you  —  a  dragon,  a  phoenix ? ”  no.  he  was  too  cold  for  that.  mei  narrowed  her  eyes,  struggling  to  pinpoint  how  danny  fit  into  the  strange,  complicated,  occult  puzzle  of  portum  town.

[irigy]

he tried not to react to wally signing that he was going to kiss him, but he couldn't help his eyes widening and a laugh slipping back him. thankfully though, the other guy didn't really pay attention to anything other than his own words. the only thing danny could do to pass the time was drink, and he just about finished his second can of beer by the time he saw his friend approach again, his gaze immediately relaxing as he beamed at him, waving. "hey ba—" he knew it was coming and yet, with wally's arm around his waist pulling him in he instinctively let his eyes close, allowing the kiss to happen. and who would he be if he didn't enjoy kissing his friends every now and then?

wally tasted of mint, and smelled like vanilla, and it wasn't too hard for danny to let himself get lost in their kiss, even chasing after his lips once he pulled back. his smile was delayed, but his blush wasn't, though he would blame that on the alcohol. "I missed you so much, papi." arms wrapped around wally's frame as danny nuzzled up to him, head resting on his shoulder and ready to act like the most annoying couple at any party. "oh, it's chad! you don't know chad? everyone knows chad."

on the far end from where danny stood, wally immediately caught his gaze. with a nod, wally signed 'i'm gonna get changed first, then i'll kiss you,' and teleported home first, determined to get the smell of burger smoke off of him. upon returning to the bonfire with freshly brushed teeth, a gentle dose of black opium (the perfume), and a new, sweat-free shirt, wally immediately made his way to where his friend was. with a drink in hand, wally pretended not to see the werewolf being weird around his best friend. he placed a hand on danny's waist, pulled him in, and kissed him, fully blocking the werewolf's view.

"sorry i took a while, baby," he said, fulling sending the fantasy, "i'm so tired, but someone finally took over the grill." then, wally turned around and saw the werewolf staring at them. it was then that wally recognized the guy as the one that tried to swipe patties from the grill earlier. "oh! who's this?" he asked danny, not a malicious tone in his voice. wally could be an actor if he locked in.

[irigy]

closed . @dienoctes

"oh yeah? that's craaazy..." he said, with zero interest in his voice as he drank from his bottle of beer, concentrating more on the music than on the werewolf trying to impress him with how much he can lift. in all honesty it almost would've been something he cared about if it wasn't for the fact that the dude wasn't trying to keep touching him and pulling him in for a dance. danny was looking around looking for anyone, anything that he could use to get himself out of the situation, which was exactly when he locked eyes with wally. he didn't need to do much, one look was enough to get his friend to come over for help. he looked back at the other guy, fake smile stretching on his lips. "oh wow, really?"

[irigy]

"ugh, but I hate waiting!" he groan, whined even, childish as always. his fingertip trailed around the rim of the cup in circles as he waited for it to cool down. "must treasure the small things in life, I suppose. like driving." he wasn't much of a fan himself. but one had to get from one place to another somehow. he looked up at lucien, only realizing then that they had not, in fact, been told by any officials that the problem was being looking into. he had a name in mind, of whom he could ask, but... better not. after a while, he leaned back in his seat and clicked his tongue. "well, should the town need a powerful overlord to take over and handle the situation, I would gladly be of help. I adore telling people what to do!"

"i have a feeling that all we can do...is wait, and be vigilant of ourselves." lucien had to keep an eye on themself, too. with how everything that has been going on can impact the vampire, everyone's abilities going haywire, theirs...they needed to watch how powerful their hunger can get. they need to keep control. "at least...it is safer to drive, i've had somebody come in complaining how they missed their rides. i don't know how this is better though...how some can be harm to themself and others. and what's making this worse is..." they take a deep exhale. "we haven't heard a word if this is being looked into. the people are doing it themselves." and they have been doing it, too. perhaps looking into portum's history now would find them answers. "but kiyan...if there's anything more i can do to help....don't hesitate to ask. alright?"

[irigy]

there was a part of him that was utterly endeared by how bashful maren seemed all of a sudden. and then, there was a part of him that wanted her as comfortable as possible. there was also a part of him, buried deep down, that was hungry for her. but other than the greens of the demon's eyes darkening slightly, he did not let it show. "that's good. I wouldn't know what to do with a register if I had to deal with one." he smiled. he hummed, listening to her with his gaze dropped to her lips, as if he was listening intently, which he was, it was only that he was also paying a lot of attention to her... well, everything else. "hm—?" he hummed, as if snapped out of a trance. "I... have been wallowing in self-pity in my big, empty mansion. it's all well now that you're here, though."

          maren  felt  her  cheeks  heat  up  as  kiyan  guided  her  toward  him,  their  hands  gently  leading  her  into  his  embrace.  her  hand  was  still  burning  from  where  his  lips  had  touched  her  skin.  "oh  …  um.  i  missed  you  too  !"  she  felt  lost  ,  like  she  hadn't  read  the  script  to  this  play.  "the  diner  was  pretty  uneventful  …  i  …  i  think  i'm  finally  getting  the  hang  of  the  register."  technology  still  wasn't  maren's  best  friend  ,  but  emojis  was  getting  easier  to  decode  and  jasper  had  taught  her  all  about  dms  and  social  media.  maren  had  started  an  instagram  account  where  she  posted  cute  things  she  found  around  portum.  so  far  her  only  follower  was  jasper.  "i  wanna  make  cookies  ,"  she  stated  firmly.  "i  make  really  good  ones  and  you  will  like  them."  maren  had  a  slight  inkling  that  this  would  be  what  people  described  as  a  date.  it  was  thrilling.  "what  have  you  been  doing  ?"

[irigy]

he listened while he chewed quietly, remembering the day of the fog as if it was yesterday. usually the memories of these episodes faded away quickly, but this one seemed to remain and it kept haunting him in his dreams. it wasn't even the flashes of what he saw, it was the memory of the feeling of dread, and death, and that urge to keep screaming. he shook his head, brows knitting together as he tried to shake that same urge off, though it was a lot weaker this time. yeah... it's hard to find people like us. I wouldn't be surprised if some people even hid it, since technically we are harbingers of death, aren't we...? or... something like that. he shrugged, I don't know. I'd like to have a good night's sleep already.

it was nice, watching how enthusiastic danny is at the thought of them being in this together, gladly in the comfort of his home. laon never really surrounded herself with people this much before, she had mostly been used to being on her own. she finds herself nodding, taking the offer of trail mix from the other banshee as she continued to listen. "i'm not really sure if i knew others like us..." she sighed, brows knit together as she thought about the people she's met whilst she had been staying in town. "i've only met you...when the fog had happened..." she frowns a little, remembering that day. "how long do you think this is gonna go...everyone's abilities going haywire and shit?"

[irigy]

"how d'ya not know what a dobermann is how—" old are you? even as drunk as he is, danny knew not to actually finish his sentence. "ratty?!" he burst out laughing, head thrown back into the backrest of the couch. "are you fucking kidding me? there's no way I'm one of those dogs! I'm strong, and I bite hard, and I kick ass!"

oh, but it was always funny to watch meena work her phone. so old. his eyebrows raised, nodding as she was practically squinting at the screen of her phone. after a while he rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated groan. "ugh, fine, whatever. what about a border collie? they're cute, but they're also really smart!" he knew he was setting himself up for failure there, but hey... hope died last.

"Dobermann? Which one's that, again? I've always imagined you as one of those excitable little ratty looking dogs that yaps like a fuckin'- y'know what, nevermind. I'm googling it,"

Meena opened her phone again, sent yet another frantic text to the Envy staff group chat (please, please God, could the cleaners do the sensible thing and slack off work to check their messages?), then typed 'doberman" into google. After a few scrolls, a few taps, a swipe and rotating her phone to a horizontal position, she had a photo of a dog held up for comparison, and had no idea what to think.

"No offence, but these things look grumpy. You'd be a cuter puppy than this, come on,"

[irigy]

oh, but how they longed to give in to temptation, to anticipate the consequences of their actions, to revel in discord, to bring a bit of home crawling up from under the earth, to give in to their own nature. for there was nothing more addictive and comfortable for a demon than chaos. but chaos came in all different kinds of ways. whether external or internal, they could not care, as long as they could feed off of it.

it was always interesting to observe someone under pressure. telling of their deepest, darkest secrets. many crumbled easily. some kept up a facade. and then there were those that did not flinch.

this one... dared him? he failed to see the logic in it, but he shrugged it off, concentrating on forming his curse instead, fingers wiggling expeditiously even though he didn't really need to do any of that other than to be dramatic. "risk what? the town is broken anyway, what's a few more cracks in it?" worst case scenario would be him thrown out. perhaps it would be better that way. perhaps his powers would actually work then.

there was a moment of hesitation, not because of what she said, but because of the thought of having to leave the friends he'd made over the years of living here. an awful sense of grief came over him. and it was only there for a second before he pushed it aside, but it was there nevertheless.

he only checked back into what she was saying by the end of her threat, and he pulled his hands back, turning towards her with a smile of all things. "you will? how will you do it?" concentrating on something wicked and bloody felt a lot better than whatever feeling he just had a moment ago. "will you turn? use your teeth? or will you use your claws? you won't mind cleaning up all that blood? and who's to stop me from possessing the nearest body I find after that? I've got to say I quite like my vessel, but he's been chattering in my head for days now, perhaps I need to find someone new..."

nyra's   expression   remained   unreadable.   she   didn't   flinch,   not   visibly.   but   her   grip   on   the   edge   of   the   counter   tightened   with   his   thinly   veiled   threats.   her   eyes   fixed   on   him   with   a   look   she   reserved   for   people   who   liked   to   hear   themselves   talk.   "you're   bluffing,"   she   said,   quieter   than   before.   the   steel   in   her   voice   the   kind   that   was   forged   under   pressure.   "you   wouldn't   risk   it." but   gods,   how   many   times   had   she   heard   a   version   of   that   same   threat?   if   you   just   kept   quiet.   if   you'd   acted   differently.   if   you   didn't   provoke   me.   words   dressed   up   in   such   a   way   that   the   consequences   always   seemed   to   land   on   her   shoulders,   never   his. she   exhaled   slowly,   forcing   her   jaw   to   unclench.   "you   say   your   powers   are   off,   right?   there's   no   guarantee   whatever   you   try   won't   just   backfire   on   you.   i   think   even   demons   have   some   sort   of   sense   of   self-preservation,   don't   they?"   her   eyes   flicked   to   his,   burning   with   the   exhaustion   of   someone   who'd   lived   too   long   with   that   kind   of   manipulation. "you   don't   scare   me,"   nyra   continued,   her   voice   firm   and   smile   turned   sharp.   for   far   too   long   she'd   been   trapped   with   no   way   out,   and   she   was   far   past   letting   someone   bully   her   like   that   again.   "but   i   promise   you—if   you   put   even   one   person   in   this   diner   in   danger   to   prove   a   point,   i   will   rip   your   throat   out,"   she   snarled,   eyes   glowing   gold.

[irigy]

"nah, but if I was, it would be a perfectly respectable occupation." strippers worked just as hard as firefighters did, he supposed. and funnily enough, both jobs involved a pole, and making people's lives better! the thought of it made him snicker. "I work at the fire station." he added after a while, though he wasn't sure whether she asked or not. "it would definitely be hotter if I had stickers on." he grinned, and pointed at his neck, "a well done here," he pointed at his chest, "a super star here," then he pointed at his stomach, and his left hip. "a good job here, and a brilliant here, maybe?" okay, so he was flirting. hard. and why wouldn't he? he shook her hand with a laugh. "I'm danny! but you can call me whatever you want, I don't mind as long as I got your attention."

the  comment  caused  mei  to  cock  her  head.  “what  are  you,  some  kind  of  stripper  or  something ? ”  the  witch  shot  back,  before  she  had  really  thought  about  what  the  other  could  have  meant.  of  course,  she  had  photographed  subjects  in  various  states  of  undress  —  for  moody  portraits  to  comment  on  society’s  beauty  standards,  for  a  shock  factor  when  it  came  to  exhibitions  —  but  she  stood  and  studied  danny  for  a  moment,  wondering  what  could  be  hiding  beneath  those  clothes  that  would  be  so  interesting  to  the  general  public.  mei  wouldn’t  admit  it,  but  she  felt  the  urge  to  try  and  track  down  some  of  the  evidence  herself.  “and  if  you  modelled  for  me  in  your  birthday  suit,  would  the  sticker  stay  on  or  would  you  insist  on  staying  pure ? ”  she  let  her  camera  fall  and  dangle  around  her  neck,  eyeing  him  as  he  approached,  almost  silently  asking  whether  he  dared.  “mei,”  it  was  given  nonchalantly,  as  if  she  was  remarking  on  the  weather, and she held out her hand for him to shake.  “what’s  yours ?  i’m  perfectly  happy  to  keep  calling  you  idiot.  it  has  a  bit  of  a  ring  to  it.”