#do you wanna do a para of them drinking and having dumb friendship times

[itsbeenareal--slice]

Get Tangled Up In Me || Jaded Cubed

A/N: So people might be wondering what the hell went down at the Court that’s been alluded to in paras for the last three months. All questions will be answered with what went down between Jaded Moth and Tito at the infamous Sywnlake club that fateful night in August in this here para that unfortunately life happened to and got delayed.

Warning: Succubus action and brief violence

@newspaperburritos-forbreakfast @thelostillusionist

TITO

The mechanic didn’t know what the fuck to do these days. It was like every fuckin’ place he went and every corner he turned there was a rich blonde from his past just waiting to pop out and show him up. Show him how much he wasn’t at their level. How he wasn’t shit.

So he went to the one place where rich blondes didn’t go: The Court. Rita was off tonight and that suited him just fine. He didn’t want her to be in his ear and try to make him feel better or whatever. She’d done enough, Dodger had done enough. It was his fault that he wasn’t getting over this. That he just wasn’t as tough has he needed to be this time to dust himself off and lift himself off his ass after getting thrown out of the fire escape. This time he just stayed down and there wasn’t anything his friends could do but drag his body around while he barely fought for footing.

Tito sat in his usual spot and started downing tequila shots. With each shot, the brunette bartender he’d gotten more acquainted with over the last couple months seemed to be judging him even more. Who the fuck was she anyways? He was a paying customer (most days, when Rita wasn’t flirting her way into a drink for him). “Ay, Meg, you got a problem with what I’m doin’, chica? Just say it.” He pushed himself up onto the bar, leaning across it, staring her down in what he thought to be a super tough way, “I ain’t bothered by your comments, you don’t gotta pretend to be lookin’ elsewhere when you can just say shit to my face.”

MEG

As her eyes once again wandered towards the stage, they fell on that all too familiar silhouette. Not the one on stage (actually no one was on stage, they were past last call and about to start closing actually), but the one packing up the stage in the same routine and in the same meticulous manner that Meg watched her pack it up in most nights. She was pulled from her gaze by a way too familiar voice. Tito.

Little asshole had followed Rita right into here a couple months ago and even when that blonde ex girlfriend of his dragged him out of here some nights, he still came back to see her. Meg knew it was friendship and nothing more, Rita was way too busy making eyes at the other guy, Dodger or whatever, from what Meg could tell. Anyways, much to Megara’s unfortunate surprise, even though Rita was off tonight, one singular member from her entourage came in late and drank through last call and was currently pestering her.

She turned to look at him, eyes judgmental and cold, arms crossed over her body as a hip stuck out to lean her weight to one side. He was giving her this really stupid, squinty look that honestly looked more like he was trying to pass something rather than intimidate her. Seriously, it looked like he was about to take a shit on her bar stool as he stood up on it and put his hands on her bar.

“Listen, pipsqueak, we’re closing. Even if I did have an issue with you, we don’t have the time to deal with it because your sorry ass is gone-zo in like,” She looked up at the clock before looking back at him and smirking, brows raising, “Now.” She picked the glasses up from in front of him and put them in their proper tray to get washed before walking out from behind the bar to start putting up stools and chairs. It was just her luck that tonight the person who was supposed to be closing gave some bullshit excuse and called out. Now she was stuck with two people she didn’t want to deal with. “Seriously, move your ass before I move it for you, Tito.”

LYMANTRIA

She had never loved this job. It was something she did, an easy thing offered to her because of family connections, something she could slip into. She was just glad she did not have to dance, did not have to deal with drunk patrons, could just slip in and out of the shadows. Where she belonged.

The past few months had been hard. She’d gotten used to sliding up to Meg in between work and making comments about the patrons and the dancers (they had code names for their “favourite” customers). But without that one relief from the drudgery, Lymantria had retreated into her head even more.

It didn’t help that her veins itched for something else.

It was closing time. Lymantria was just finishing up packing up some cords when she heard the familiar sound of Meg barking at some drunken idiot and instinctively looked up to find that one annoying friend of Rita’s trying to look tough.

God, that little shit was so annoying. Acted like he was tough shit when in heels, Lymantria was taller than him.

She heaved a sigh and then walked over to the bar, heels clicking on the floor.

“In five minutes, I’m turning off the lights and we’re locking the door and if I don’t get to go home because some American punk can’t handle his alcohol, I will call the police,” she said, lying through her teeth because the last thing she wanted to do was get the police involved. She glanced over to Meg, knowing that she would pick up on the bluff.

TITO

With a drunken gaze fixed right at the bartender, he just grinned at her threats. “I’d like to see you try, chica.” He hopped up off his stool (definitely on wobbly legs) and tried to stand up straight without swaying. He thought he was doing a great fuckin’ job. “Don’t gotta be sober to dodge your shit. You know--”

And then that kinda weird vibe spooky chick (seriously what was her deal?) who dealt with amps and shit decided to double up on him. The cops? “The cops in this down can fuckin’ suck my dick for all I care. I’ve kept my nose clean in this town. They don’t got nothin’ on me.”

Tito looked over the two of them, obviously they were into each other a blind guy could see it. Their eyes wandered and he’d seen them around each other long enough to know shit is there and he was gonna get to the bottom of it. Especially with how they were playing on each other’s words right now in front of him to team up and shit. “Did you two fuck or what?” He looked at Ly and smirked, “How you gonna feel when Reets pays Meg back for all her free drinks huh? You don’t see them around and find the storage room is locked and you might wanna look the other way or you could join I mean--” And then the whole room went sideways.

Nope. Not actually sideways.

He was just laying on his side, on the ground, with a jaw that throbbed like a bitch and his head spinning. She wanted to play that way? He’d show her some fuckin’ anger. He got up and came right back after her, stumbling over a nearby chair in the process but about to do some damage to her or himself regardless.

MEG

The bartender was getting angry. More irritated than she normally would and that came from the fact that her body was telling her that she needed to feed because she’d neglected to do so in the last day or so. She was about two seconds from shoving this kid out the back and knocking him the fuck out the old fashioned succubus way when Lymantria walked up. Fuck.

Ly was trying to help, which Meg appreciated. And honestly, the lead in was solid, just like how they used to fool their least favorite dancers and customers into believing their tall tales. “She’s not kidding, junior. Best scamper off on your way.” She made a shooing motion and continued to move chairs around the floor, back to their proper spots because she sure as hell wasn’t going to be late getting out of here over some drunken idiot American prick.

His reply came and she stopped, a glare shooting back at him as she looked over her shoulder and turned back to face him. Okay, obviously the police line wasn’t going to work with this guy. She really wasn’t in the mood--what did he just say? First of all, did he see something between them or was he just being a dumb asshole? Second of all, she didn’t care if he saw something, that didn’t matter. Not at all. She wasn’t handling Ly anymore. She was staying away. They both were. Space. That’s what they were doing.

And then he continued and Meg’s brows shot up and she looked between Ly and Tito spouting off shit about her hooking up with Rita and then just being all out disrespectful to the girl. So she had to shut him up right? Her arm moved faster than the rest of herself. Her fist met his jaw and he met the floor.

“Fucking shit…” Meg hissed and grabbed at her knuckles, “I am way out of practice.” She joked slightly, glancing up at Lymantria almost afraid of what she would see and not paying attention to the stumbling drunk until he was about to bowl right into her and she could feel the instant power of his magic ignite her senses, fuck his magic was strong.

LYMANTRIA

She tried not to get mad at these drunk folks, but this little piece of shit made her fingers curl into a fist, nails digging into her palm. She was almost about to snap at him, to really tear him apart when Meg decked him in the face.

Lymantria stared at Meg, slightly slack-jawed.

That was really hot.

That was Lymantria’s first thought and she immediately looked at the stumbling man, who now was basically on to of Meg, and she darted over, trying to straighten him up.

“Jesus Christ, what are we going to do with him?” she asked. He was a lot heavier than he looked and she hoisted him up, so that one of his arms was around her shoulders. She was close to Meg now and very defiantly looked away, trying to scan the area.

“We could kick him out on the streets,” she suggested, and honestly, she really wanted to do that, she wanted to leave this motherfucker out in the rain. But she sighed. “Rita would be pissed though.”

She glanced around, then cocked her head towards one of the booths.

“I guess we can let him down there and call Rita or something.”

TITO

Tito’s jaw was still throbbing as he was somehow pulled from his full blown charge (or at least in his mind it had been a very quick and skilled attack) at Meg. He laughed as he heard whatsherface talk about kicking him out, not even paying attention to the calling Rita bit which would’ve alerted him that he’d be in for some serious shit,  “Listen, chica, Ly-whateverthefucklongname, Rita and I ain’t no strangers to being tossed out onto the street but I doubt you two could take me even when I’m this fucked up.” He smirked between the two of them, “Plus yanno, I’m sure you two have much better things to do.”

In a weird fucked up drunk sort of way, he kinda liked being around these two. They were super dysfunctional sure but it was better than being alone in his room doomed to think about the fucking blonde invasion that was going on in town. “I mean hey, we all come here for a show, I’d like mine.” He took his opportunity to wink at the girl who was holding him up currently and keeping him from being completely on the floor and stroked his fingers along her shoulder in what was supposed to be a flirty manner but was fumbly and awkward and seemed more like he was petting her shoulder (actually he wasn’t totally in control of his powers either so the petting was more like having a weird prickling of energy coursing through your shoulder).

MEG

Fuck, did Meg’s hand hurt like a bitch and Tito was just feeding the fire with his stupid fucking taunts. She pulled out her phone glancing at Tito and Ly as the techie tried to shoulder his weight and fired off a quick text to Rita to tell her that her boy was here making a fucking mess of the place. As it sent her eyes snapped back up to Tito and his comments.

“If you really came here for a show you would’ve been in a seat rather than drowning yourself at my bar.” He then proceeded to be a drunk little creep and stroke her girl--Nope. Not hers. Stroke Ly’s shoulder which most definitely was not okay, she didn’t even look at the girl’s reaction, she just acted.

“Listen you fucking little creep…” Meg grabbed him by his shirt, her tone threatening and voice going lower into a very serious tone. “I am two seconds away from ending your ass--” Tito proceeded to just drunkenly smirk in her face, his hand coming around her waist to her ass sending a jolt through her that was not the least bit sexual, and that was it, two seconds were up. The amount of magic that was currently tingling at her fingertips, grasping his shirt was too much and her hunger took over, despite having an audience. Her eyes glazed over as it looked like she was leaning into kiss him, when really her mouth just opened to suck the magical life force from him, a swirling cloud of energy ghosting its way to her lips as Tito’s body began to become even heavier. Meg the succubus had been revealed and in full force. The real question was: how much damage was she about to do to this kid?

LYMANTRIA

She froze.

Megara was kissing this motherfucker and Lymantria felt her heart clench. Her breathing got shallow.

It’s okay. It’s okay. She was never yours. She can do what she wants--

And then she felt the magic.

She had felt something on Meg before, but it did not feel like it was part of Meg. Lymantria attributed this to her powers being out of whack--after all, she’d never been able to feel Maui’s magic on him and he clearly had some. But now, she felt it, almost vibrating off of Megara. It was not something that was naturally her own, which meant--she was cursed, or something.

The magic off this...cretin was strong too, but as Megara kissed him, it felt lighter and lighter and--

“Megara,” she said, voice steady, trying to get the other woman’s attention. And when she did, “Don’t hurt him too  much or Rita will cause problems.” She stared right at the two of them, dark gaze steady, face revealing nothing of how her heart squeezed.

MEG

The bartender had all but forgotten about the company around her while she dug deeper into Tito’s being, pulling more and more magical energy that sparked and flickered. It truly was like recharging her batteries so to speak. Her hunger beginning to lessen as the wealth of energy and life force washed through her system like a refreshing change in the tides.

The now unconscious body in her grasp was doing a number on her shoulders and biceps to keep him up, that, and she was reminded of the other person in the room with the faint voice coming through the rushing of blood in her ears telling her not to end his pathetic life. She didn't plan on it. It wasn't her first rodeo. She'd had her mistakes along the road, she'd rather not have to leave Swynlake because of a body trail leading to her. She pulled away a few moments before her arms just about gave out and Tito was shoved haphazardly into a nearby chair.

Fuck did she feel better. She wiped her mouth slightly, not daring to look in Ly’s direction though she hadn't seemed horrified in the slightest during her feeding frenzy. She sighed, looking at the now unconscious boy about to fall out of the chair. “We should grab those cords so he doesn't fall and break his neck.” She murmured to the tech girl, motioning to the electrical cords that had gone to the amps and other tech gear that had been discarded, not bothering to address what had happened. “Might be better for us to just clean up and then haul his ass home afterwards. Leave him on the garage doorstep or something.”

LYMANTRIA

There was a dark magic here. Lymantria felt it for certain now. It creeped in her skin, whispered in her ears, she could feel it afoot, and she wondered if it could feel the magic which coursed through her veins--however diminished it might be. She knew Megara was not a true succubus--she knew that there was one in the Court already, the pale quiet woman who lurked in the shadows almost as much as Lymantria did. There was that redhaired woman who must be a halfling of sorts, for her magic was fuzzy on Lymantria’s radar.

Meg’s had not even popped up till this moment.

(Then again, Maui still did not register with her and Lymantria felt like it was something wrong with her, with her magic, her Sensing).

Without a word, she grabbed the cords, twining them around the short, annoying man, tightening them as much as she could. Looping a shorter strand in the coils, she tugged tight, then let the head of the cord fall against his body. She turned to Meg, narrowing her eyes.

“What was that?” she asked, voice cold and still.

She was thinking of the books she’d read, of dark dark magic in an otherwise mundane body. She felt a chill creeping down her spine---it was a curse. A curse or a demon or perhaps something else entirely.

She looked right at Meg now, eyes dark.

“If you’re not going to answer me, then it’s fine,” she said, lifting her chin up and crossing her arms over her chest. She had her suspicions anyway. She merely wanted to let Megara know that she did, in fact, know. Lymantria turned her head away, then, towards the shadows.

MEG

The succubus couldn’t look Lymantria in the eye. She knew that was dangerous. Looking her in the eye was like staring down Medusa. She’d freeze. She’d lose it all. She’d probably turn to stone only to crumble right at her feet.

She fiddled with the binds fashioned out of cords, shifting his body position so he’d be able to not tip over both himself and the chair over if he came to. She wasn’t entirely sure on the wake up time. Everyone was sort of different, especially when they had powerful magic.

And then Meg dared to look to see what she was doing at the silence after the finality of her words. A real mistake, just as Orpheus had made to look back and lose it all. Meg’s heart clenched and she was just too tired to fight it anymore. It’d gone on for months and like it or not the Fates had pushed them together over and over again. She’d put the pieces together eventually for herself anyways.

She sighed, stepping forward towards the Romani girl as their eyes finally met for more than a passing glance in what seemed like ages. “You know back when we were…” Dating. “in that… other universe thing and you saw those chains and then you asked me again back in the closet before…” I kissed you. “we really stopped talking and I told you that you were a little late on your warning for me to not get “locked in” anywhere…”

She took a breath, pushing strands of hair from her face, “It’s a long story but… I made a deal with a demon.” She let out a mirthless laugh, “Stupid, naive, younger me, made a deal and became a succubus. Can you believe that?” She shook her head, eyes moving up to the ceiling before she spoke again.

“Listen, I don’t expect you to be down with this or anything so if you want to pretend nothing happened and part ways to only see each other at work again as soon as we get this asshole out of here that’s fine with me. It’s my curse, my burden to bear so you should really stay as far away from me as you can.” Even if deep down I selfishly I don’t want you to.

LYMANTRIA

A demon. A demon.

Lymantria knew about demons. She’d read about them, she and Demetri, from an old battered volume that their father had stashed at the bottom of a worn trunk. He had caught them reading it one night, his shadow casting over their candlelit pages and he had snatched it from them and told them this sort of magic was not for their kind.

“Our people know better than to seek deals with the other world,” Marko had said, lip curling up beneath his moustache. “Not when we can create our own worlds.”

But Lymantria read that book after her father passed, after Demetri left, after there was nothing else to do but read the words left behind and try to figure out some meaning.

Demons hungered for humanity. They wanted your soul. They wanted your heart. They wanted your feelings, your memories--anything that made you human.

They wanted power.

That explained why Lymantria had not been able to sense anything off of Meg, she realized now--that was a small satisfaction in this whole scheme, for she looked at Meg now, as if seeing the older woman for the first time.

The tea leaves made sense. The chains, the chains--

“You think you are the only one with secrets?” she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Three years ago and my power would have you quivering in awe--you would want to suck it right out of me.” She dragged out the words, edging on sensual, she knew, and kept her eyes on Megara. “And now--gone. Nothing, except for butterflies.” She lifted her hand and a flurry of silver butterflies scattered in the air and then vanished. “Butterflies and flowers and simple pretty things.”

“Something dark took it away,” she said. “I do not know what. It happened slowly, like falling asleep.” She drifted her eyes away, to the man in the chair, who was slumbering on his own. “What a pair we make--you hunger for a magic that I once had.” She let out a sharp laugh, but it was short and she tilted her head.

Perhaps--maybe Meg would know why Lymantria’s magic was gone. Perhaps, she would know a way to get it back. Perhaps, she would be a useful ally.

Perhaps--Lymantria should not keep her so far away.

“You do not have to be distant,” she said softly. “We could help each other.”

MEG

The succubus had sensed small wafting feelings of power off of Lymantria in some instances, but it would flicker out and go away so much that she just expected it to be a fluke, or perhaps a magical substance she carried with her. She hadn’t expect her to be some sort of… illusionist? She had a hard time enough controlling herself around Ly, she didn’t doubt that she would’ve snapped and done something sensual or otherwise to the girl had she had enough power to alert her senses. Her eyes locked with the other girls, pressing her lips together slightly to keep herself from licking them as she was still feeling some sort of high from the rush of energy and fuck did it make her want to do something--or someone.

Her eyes followed the butterflies, eyes beginning to soften as she learned about what had become of her… friend? Something, worse than her but along the same lines, had drained her almost permanently. A small pang of guilt and sympathy seemed to work its way through the pit of her stomach despite herself. The laughter brought a sad sort of smile from the succubus. It was a pretty fucked up situation.

At her words, something clicked within Meg. It was really all the permission she needed. The girl hadn’t run. She’d even sort of invited her to be an ally of sorts in this. They could work in some form of capacity. She’d told herself that they never would. That they couldn’t understand one another but with all of this coming together and the reveal of their secrets, they had more in common than she once thought.

Before she could think of anything, her body, humming with electricity and spark, did all the talking for her. She moved towards the younger girl, closing the distance between them as her hand came up to touch her cheek. Flashes of their strange past life making out in the dungeons of a boarding school flickered across her memory as she somehow knew exactly how to approach the girl in front of her with confidence. “Are you suggesting, Lymantria, that we should be closer?” Her smirk probably grew so much that it would reach back to her ears. “Because…” She leaned into the other girl, brushing her nose against hers. “I wouldn’t entirely mind that.” Her thumb stroked along her cheek as her eyes flickered across the Romani woman’s, full of mischief, “We could possibly help each other in all sorts of ways, I think.”

And then Meg kissed her.

Against every single thing she’d done for months. Her lips were pressed against the girl she couldn’t get away from. She pulled away moments later, at the sound of a slight groan from the boy in the chair.

She sighed, pulling her phone out to look at the clock which read past midnight. “What a way to start off my 26th year, huh.” Yeah, it was her birthday. Whoop-a-dee-do. She glanced back at the girl, gently pressing a finger to her shoulder and pushing, smirk appearing on her face, “You owe me a lapdance.” Obviously referring to the Court tradition that she’d had to do.

And with that she turned away and went to go see if this kid had woken up or not. Mostly to see if he’d just get up and leave them be so she could get that lapdance and a few other things.

TITO

Slowly darkness turned to light and he groaned as it seemed to aggravate an already terrible headache coming on and the pounding in his face that only came from being punched.

He heard voices, fuzzy at first, but then heard the word lapdance and it all sort of clicked back again. He had not made it back from the Court. As he peaked an eye open, a blurry figure walked towards him. He couldn’t move. Seriously, like he fuckin’ was tied or something. God, Dodger and Rita were gonna have his ass for this.

“Ai, you gonna loosen these up any time soon?” Every word made his face hurt and the sound of his own voice pounded in his head. They had no bite, honestly he was panicking a little inside at what he’d done. Finally, Meg came into focus and leaned down over him.

“You alright there, Tito? You took quite a tumble after I decked your ass. Must’ve been all that alcohol huh.” To be honest, it made sense, he didn’t remember much after being punched. It was all fuzzy. “Rita should be here any second.” Stumbling to his feet quicker than he’d ever done in his life at the mention that Rita was picking him up he patted himself down to make sure he had all his shit because ain’t no way he was getting chewed out in front of these two by Rita. If she caught up to him she could bitch at him on the way home.

“Aight, yeah, okay. I, uh, I’m sorry about all that shit. And… Well, you got a nice one in, Meg, but uh I gotta get outta here so… See ya.” Things were still a little blurry as the room seemed to go sideways as he stumbled out of the Court to try and avoid Rita… who would easily find him later.

LYMANTRIA

She knew it was going to happen a moment before it did. She was taller than Meg, so Megara had to curl up her toes and Lymantria froze for a moment, but she caught a whiff of Meg’s perfume and her hair and then she leaned in to meet her.

On her lips, Lymantria felt those sunlit afternoons at Hogwarts, sneaking around in the restricted section, through Quidditch booths, by the lake, hand in hand.

Her head pounded.

This was dangerous.

Luckily for her, the idiot made a noise.

Lymantria stood still, watching Meg as she teased Lymantria about the lap dance (if Lymantria blushed, she would have now, but her cheeks remained pale) and then watched Meg lean over the drunken fool. Lymantria crossed her arms behind her back. She felt---it wasn’t even a real feeling. She couldn’t pick it apart. She couldn’t take it out of her, it felt jammed in her chest, as if her chest was a motor of cogs and wheels and someone had stuck in a rod.

Tito stumbled out and Lymantria did not watch him for long. He was not of importance.

She glanced at Meg, curiously, nervously, and then sidled over to her in the shadows.

“You shouldn’t spend your birthday alone,” she said, her voice casual, as if she were just offering a suggestion. “There’s a bottle of good vodka that someone pre-ordered but no one served.” A pause. She shifted. “We could go by the lake. Like after that Mardi Gras party.” Like at Hogwarts.

And she smiled, her lips pulling up only slightly, but the whole demeanor of her face--those hard lines that she wore like pieces of jewelry--shifted into something softer.