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WHO: Makoto, Howl, and Dionys (?).
WHAT: Two young men investigate rumors of the other veteran Aion in Achamoth.
WHERE: Dionys' brothel, Achamoth.
WHEN: At some point during the Aions' first few weeks in the city.
WARNINGS: Potential NSFW mention as befits the location, though this is more of an information-gathering mission. Will add more if they become relevant!
WHAT: Two young men investigate rumors of the other veteran Aion in Achamoth.
WHERE: Dionys' brothel, Achamoth.
WHEN: At some point during the Aions' first few weeks in the city.
WARNINGS: Potential NSFW mention as befits the location, though this is more of an information-gathering mission. Will add more if they become relevant!
When Makoto had first arrived in Hell, he had found himself surprised at how... normal it seemed. In many places one might even call it "idyllic." The rolling countryside could have been found on the silver screen of any Victorian drama, and J's mansion had been the very picture of a Roccoco palace. Even with this unexpected mundanity, he had learned to never allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of security. Hell was not "hell" on its own justification — it was what it was because of the demons that filled it.
He can't help but wonder what that makes Achamoth, under the same principles. Both architecturally and socially, it seems to be a shoring built to hold aloft a tower created in the glory of their God. Be they the bodies wrought in stone, wood, and steel that form its body or those of flesh and bone that comprise its lifeblood, devotion is all that he can read of this place. So when he finds himself standing in the street a short distance from the address he had been given for Dionys' brothel, he ponders the use of the "devotion" she practices. The lascivious shapes of the figures twining and spouting water from the construction of the many fountains out front speak little to the Regent's message of war, though perhaps he still finds himself rankled by words exchanged days ago that still stick beneath the skin.
Makoto might seethe, but he does so quietly and efficiently. He's made himself a clever engine of spite.
He had dropped by planning on approaching the doors and requesting an audience with the brothel's master, who he'd been told is the only other veteran Aion in the city besides Xishen. A simple plan, and one he wasn't entirely certain of, but it was the summary of all of the advice he had been given about speaking with Dionys. He has been standing his distance away from the building for a short time, and though he's not at risk of giving up just yet, he still finds himself discontented with the outline of a "plan" he has in mind. It was only a matter of time, though. Soon he would tire of inaction and strike forward to see where the evening might go, hinging on improvisation (in his opinion, the far less useful cousin of premeditation).
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But he walks through Achamoth on this day with a particular location in mind: the best of the best of brothels in the entire city, according to the rumors. Its existence came up the very first time a local noticed the Legacy symbol carved into his arm, as part of the gossip surrounding the other Aion who was already here prior to their arrival. People spoke of her in words suggesting an incredible air of mystery. So... As apathetic as he is towards such institutions, how could Howl resist his own curiosity?
He isn't sure what he's expecting as he approaches the gaudy building, but Makoto probably isn't it. The young demon looked especially dashing on the night of the dinner, but Howl had been too much of a quietly suffering emotional mess to give him a proper compliment. Today, too, he looks noticeably well-dressed, but it's overshadowed yet again by Howl's reasons for coming here. ]
Fancy coming across you here. [ It's been at least two weeks since they shared stolen apples beneath that tree outside the ruins. Smiling mildly, Howl gestures at him in greeting... and prays that Makoto doesn't bring up the humiliation he suffered at the Regent's public dressing-down. ] Let's see — "M", was it?
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achamoth is a city so infatuated with indulging its own desires and pleasures that it almost puts hell itself to shame. considering this, he has to wonder about this dionys and what type of power it was that she wielded within its walls. if xishen acts as the Regent's right hand (or, at least, seems to, given their limited exposure), what role is the Celebrant performing (besides the rather obvious one)? there are a half-dozen other questions and curiosities that come to mind, and he's certain that more might arise. he needs only knock. or just enter? he wonders if the doors are even locked — )
Hm? ( he has to turn over one shoulder to look at who addressed him — one of the first purchases he had made in the city once their dinner with the Regent had been concluded was another oversized and heavily fur-lined coat to replace the one that fjord had given him years ago. he wears it now, and as he looks past its fringe to catch sight of howl, he breaks into a broad smile. ) Howl! It's nice to see you again. And yes, you do recall correctly. ( of course he's not going to bring up what had happened during the feast. it's not as though makoto had skipped away from that confrontation, happily and smelling of roses. he's content enough to leave it in the past. if the Regent was being earnest, and they seemed to want to impress that they were, they would be more interested in their performance in the future than what they either did or didn't do back in the throne room.
makoto is no good at dwelling on the past anyway. he uses it for fuel, to motivate himself forward, of course. but once he initiates that forward movement, his eyes are always raised up and set dead ahead.
like now, to dionys' brothel and with one of his fellow Aions at his side. he does arch an eyebrow, though there's no part of him that could manage to cast judgment over what it is either of them have seemingly arrived here to do. no, it's merely curious. ) I hazard to guess that the information that brought you here is the same as mine. You have come to try to meet Dionys, yes?
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[ Howl regards Makoto with respect and his usual smile, but he's immediately wondering what the demon is doing here. The boyish face he wears — a hapless young person he managed to possess, maybe? — puts him at unease as they stand outside the enormous brothel, for one. And for another... well, what use could he have for either whores or Dionys? Does his sort of demon simply thrive on debauchery? It isn't impossible, he's sure of it, but something tells him Makoto would not be lingering outside if that was all. There are countless brothels all around them, and all much easier to get into than this place, from what he's heard. ]
Though I admit, I haven't the slightest idea how to go about getting her attention.
[ Walking up to M's side, he keeps his eyes trained on the grotesque-looking building in front of them. With a sigh, he puts one hand on his hip. He isn't dressed nearly as gaudily as he had been at the dinner, but he's just as carefully groomed and adorned with jewelry. The neckline of his tunic top dips low enough for occasional peeks at his Shard. ]
...Apologies if this is a stupid question, but you haven't tried the front door yet, have you?
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it's not necessarily a topic he brings up himself very often, though the ease that one might be able to note in how he might approach and navigate the red light district and the brothels that operated within and without it tells its own story. ironically enough, makoto isn't much of a hedonist. his experiences of the last few years had been something he had decided himself, and the reason he had made that choice was the very same that he was here tonight: he acknowledged the wealth of knowledge that could be obtained from those who serviced a population's pleasure. )
From what I've been told, it might not be so difficult. We are her fellow Aions, after all.
( he wonders what sort of attention that might be. xishen had always seemed to regard them with wariness that sometimes seemed to stray into disdain (though that had just been his read on her). her role is very different from dionys, though, so his curiosity can't help but be piqued. )
I haven't! I've just been planning what I might say. ( he looks up to howl with an easy grin on his face. ) But I find myself much less daunted with back-up at my side! Shall we go try the door, then? I'll be right with you.
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Alright. Follow me, then.
[ Howl tugs down the neck of his shirt and rolls up his sleeve, exposing the symbol of the Celebrant carved there in his skin, with so much adventurous bombast that he's showing off to M as much as he's suggesting he prepare himself similarly. Once ready, he heads straight to the front door and pulls — and to his slight surprise, it opens without any trouble. ]
Setting this on the 16th, for timing reasons:
The entry hall is set up as a casual lounge, framed by a half moon set of stairs leading to an upper floor. In its center is yet another fountain, though this one is in the shape of a woman with her shoulder coyly turned towards the viewer. A set of horns, wings, and a many-pronged tail set it apart from the ones outside, however: this is clearly someone in particular, and not just the abstracted essence of a humanoid. Instead of sprouting water itself, the statue stands in a circular pool of water, the outer rim lined with water spouts that send streams of water pouring all over the figure's body, trickling back down into the basin only to be shot up again.
For a moment, all seems peaceful... that is, until two black coils that had honestly looked like statues a moment before begin to unfold. These metallic serpents, thick enough to swallow a human, slither around the door, making no immediate move to strike but baring their fangs nonetheless. They also don't seem inclined to let the two men exit, even if they try to.
This state of affairs lingers for about a minute before the sound of someone on high heels can be heard clacking towards the head of the staircase. As it turns out, it's the mirror image of the fountain statue, only with no sight of her wings. Her purple skin glitters iridescently, but does little to cover the absolutely miserable look on her face. As she sees what's happening on the bottom floor, she makes a sound of absolute disgust.
Howl will recognize the feeling immediately. This is another Celebrant.
She starts stomping down the stairs, a liquor bottle in one hand. She's wearing what could be said to be the fantasy equivalent of a hoodie and sweatpants, somewhat more robelike in appearance, but still a sign of someone clearly having given up for the day. Her eyes are half lidded, squinting through the light of the entry hall.]
Really? Today of all fucking days... alright, who sent you little parasites?
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a flicker of motion at the corner of his eye is the first thing that alerts him to the shift of the serpentine statues into makeshift guards barring the door. momentary alarm flashes across his face before he forces a thick veneer of composure over it. the things aren't making to attack, but they certainly aren't leaving the way they came any time soon —
it's the sharp staccato of heels against the polished floor which turns his attention back to the stairs. the figure that crests the top of them and then begins to descend is indeed the same depicted in the fountain, though the carved expression of coquettishness is replaced instead with one that... he would probably term as "dour." )
My apologies for dropping in unannounced, especially if this is an inopportune time. ( his voice rings with the resonant quality of a bell, seemingly genuine if not for the somewhat serpentine quality a demon's tongue could sometimes have. "inopportune" is certainly one way to put it, given her attire, demeanor, and the handle of liquor dangling from one of her hands. he gives no voice to it. ) Though, I'm afraid I haven't been sent by anyone — just by rumor of yourself and your establishment which I'd picked up on throughout town.
( as for howl, he lets the man speak for himself. )
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Salutations to you, madam, and may I also offer my apologies if we are bothering you. May we presume to be speaking to the Aion herself?
[ Unphased by her less than friendly tone, Howl puts a hand to his chest, just under his Shard, and bows. In truth, he's already certain this is her. He can... feel it, somehow. He'd wager she can feel it, too.
And while he's definitely sympathetic to her current mood, the details are not lost to Howl. Front door unlocked. Fountain on. She's in lounge wear, but still wearing high heels. And those serpent guards — maybe they are acting on their own volition, but blocking the exit is not what someone does when they want to be left alone. Perhaps there are explanations for all these things, but Howl's curiosity picks up on them all. ]
My name is Howl, and this [ gesturing ] is M. As he mentioned, we have no particular purpose here... Although if you're about to offer me a drink, I'll gladly take it.
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[Dionys curls her lip, her gaze settling on Howl in particular. Leaning on the bannister of the staircase, she tilts her head back and guzzles one last slug from her wine bottle.]
Here!
[She straight up throws the wine bottle at their heads, with shocking accuracy. A stream of red liquid spirals from its opening as it flies.]
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it lends to a certain amount of wary tension, so when the arm goes rigid instead of languid, makoto is prepared to move. sorry, howl, but he hadn't asked for a glass. he side-steps out of the immediate trajectory of the thrown bottle, raising up a curtain of the thick, fur-lined coat with one arm to catch the majority of the spray of red wine. he can see shards of broken glass go skittering past his feet. behind that veil, his expression goes entirely flat for just a moment, but then he composes it to a careful mask as he straightens up once more. )
Mistress, ( gone is the undue overture of his voice, now just as stable and pragmatic as his expression and the look in his eyes, ) I had stopped by with hopes to speak with you, as someone who values the knowledge of someone in your position. I'm aware this was presumptive, and I would be willing to leave with my most heartfelt of apologies, if that is what you would prefer.
( although... he doesn't have to turn over his shoulder to acknowledge the serpentine guardians barring the door. )
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Well then. A simple "get out" would have sufficed, but hey, maybe she really needed to throw a bottle of wine at someone today. Still notably unfazed, Howl brings his hands up to his face and slowly pulls them back, drawing the liquid away from his skin to form a small ball of wine above his left palm. He uses his other hand to begin doing the same for the wine soaking into his tunic.
Howl says nothing during all this, but he does turn to M, as if to say: well, demon? Time to put that silver tongue to use. ]
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I don't know why you wouldn't just ask Xishen about all these questions you have.
[The way she says 'Xishen' is with clear resentment. She clearly could not imagine a worse use of her time than talking to Xishen.]
I'd offer you a ride instead, but all my sluts are asleep right now.
cw mention of prostitution as a minor
A generous offer, regardless, ( he says with a faint crisp of humor to the words which falls away almost as swiftly. he strides forward, approaching the base of the stairs. he faces her with a steadfast determination and... an earnestness that might seem out-of-place, should one be aware of what he is. while there were plenty of times to beguile or confound, when approaching one for help, he'd often found it a time to entreat instead — he had done just the same when he had visited a brothel in a city in hell run by werewolves, seeking any information they might have on his master's past. )
But Madame Dionys, I came to you specifically because I have questions for you specifically, because I am interested in your answers specifically. ( he certainly doesn't miss the way that dionys handles her fellow Aion's name with clear resentment; already worthwhile information, and he holds onto it for later. ) As someone who learned all there was to know about my former plane of existence from working in a place much like this, I would value your words more highly than Xishen's or anyone else's. Please, if you might grant me some of your time, I would be in your debt.
( it's a distinction he had made with that he had spoken to either working in or running the other brothels in town that he had visited. he did not visit as a gawker or as a customer but as someone whose past experience gives him respect and high regard for those who shared in the same. it's not necessarily he discloses readily, not out of shame or discomfort (because he simply doesn't feel that way about it), but because it usually isn't relevant. here, however, it feels both relevant and pertinent as an explanation for why he is here and not anywhere else within achamoth's city limits. )
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His hands move down his body as the other Aions converse, collecting each droplet of wine. He might not be looking directly at either of them, but he is listening — to Dionys' shift in tone, to her derision towards Xishen's name, to that morsel of information about the normally secretive demon. By the end of it he finds himself with clean clothes and a quivering, grapefruit-sized sphere of wine hovering above his hands. Glancing around, he spots a bin beside one of the lounge couches, and promptly sends the wine on its way. It hits the inside with a loud, wet splat.
Alright then! No harm, no foul. Putting on a smile as if nothing happened, he paces forward to stand at the demon's 5 o'clock. ]
And if you don't want to, just tell us to leave.
[ It's the one thing he'll add to M's plea. Spare them another wine bottle; it's not like they can or would force her to talk to them. ]
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[Makoto's explanation of his background does seem to drawn her in a bit, and she sits on the railing, sliding the rest of the way down the stairs. Crossing one leg over the other in a theatrical manner, she poses from her new resting position before beckoning him to continue.]
Well, what is it, then? It must be important, to come this far.
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( and, really, it's the only thing he can really offer.
a small amount of tension eases from his body as howl joins him at the base of the stairs, and dionys soon does as well, elegantly sliding down the banister with perfect and enviable control. he allows himself one steadying breath before nodding and continuing. )
I should think so — it has to do with yourself, or at least in part. I was surprised to learn from those working in other brothels around town that there was another Aion within the city, and not to mention one that ran such an esteemed establishment. You keep up quite the air of mystery among them, even despite that. ( he gestures to howl, then to himself. ) We are newcomers to this city, this war, and this world, as I'm sure you know and understand. We only know what we have been told. So if there's anything about yourself and your history here, about your involvement in the past conflict with the Pleroma, that you would be willing to share, then I humbly ask it of you.
( he could have asked xishen for the same, sure. but he has already gotten a taste of what her overall vibe is, and something in him is wondering if any information that dionys might part with might be a little less... sanitized. )
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Thankfully, his admiration does not wander into gawking, as M's final words draw his attention back to his friend. By the end of it, he sounds almost overly deferential in how he leaves his request for information so open-ended. Perhaps the demon has better instincts on this than Howl does, but something is telling him that a few more pointed topics may be good to start with. ]
Your reputation is certainly wide-spread within this city, and remarkably positive on top of it. I was just exploring and enjoying myself, not trying to familiarize myself with the city like M has been, but a single glance of this — [ Howl holds up his left hand, showing her the mark of the Celebrant engraved into his skin, ] opened the floodgates, so to speak, when it came to you and your establishmemt. Hearing about your existence for the first time, and quickly understanding your particular prominence, I had to wonder who this woman is and why I had not met her at the dinner.
[ Too busy with this place, or... something else? It does strike Howl as very odd for her to not come. Surely it isn't because she wasn't invited. Right? Perhaps she is so firmly in the Regent's good graces that he did not require her to attend? (Let's hope she isn't learning about the dinner for the first time through this conversation.) ]
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[It's said with a groan, as if the topic is tedious to her. All the same, she does seem to benefit from Howl pointing her in a specific direction.]
The real question is why would I be at dinner. You don't even have to tell me: it was a complete drag, right? I'm sure, if you had the option, you'd have preferred to be doing anything else.
[She laughs unrepentantly.]
I'm not on dinner duty because I don't have anything to prove. Besides, I'd already put a lot of time and effort into our Lover's Moon fuck-a-thon, and not even the Regent would make me cancel that.
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Ah, a bang on guess from our beautiful senior. Yes, it was absolutely dreadful, and speaking for myself, I hope I won't be required to go to similar dinners in the future. I'd have much rather come to your party! Maybe the next one.
[ That being said — the rest of what she said is very interesting. Howl shoots a glance at Makoto, wordlessly asking if he caught that interesting morsel about not having anything to prove, and implicitly, a certain other Aion having something to prove. ]
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he is more than happy to allow howl to speak first, lapsing into thoughtful silence as a look of steely reservation steals across his face. when he does have a moment to feasibly contribute on the topic, he does dryly, ) It was certainly on the lower end of dinners that I have attended, yes.
( not without its entertainments, but the scathing chastisement that so many of them were given tends to temper that out, leaving only a sour distaste behind.
his pale gaze does sweep out to intercept the look that howl shoots his way. he takes it out, continuing with a measured placidity, ) I'm certain that time and effort was not wasted; your event for the Lover's Moon has been a popular topic among those I have spoken with. Like my companion, I'd love to attend one and see for myself some day.
( at this point he has little idea what seeds of conversation will fall on fertile or fallow ground, so... might as well incise into the topic already proffered: ) The babysitting detail of attending us newcomers does seem rather unenviable — is there a particular reason it fell to Xishen? ( that, or she took it on herself, though if that were the case he would have to imagine it was done unhappily (just based on what he'd observed of her back in the cavern and also during the dinner itself). )
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Oh, you probably will. Regent dinner time has been a tradition for, well... ever, basically. Like, don't get me wrong, the Regent owns my dick, but...
[It's unsurprising that awkward formal dinners are not to her tastes. On the bright side, she does now seem to be speaking to them in earnest. Maybe it's on account of them having a mutual bitching topic. She scrunches up her nose.]
Honestly, Xishen probably would have gone even if she didn't have to... out of 'solidarity' or some shit. Martyrs are all like that, you know? It's exhausting. But when it comes down to it, Xishen is just a scrub compared to me. She hasn't been at this game nearly as long.
[It seems like there's more she wants to add to that but she ends up holding off, as if thinking it might be saying too much. She bats a hand.]
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( yes, keeping in his mind's eye how alternatingly reserved and withdrawn xishen had been at the Regent's side, the idea of dionys also being thrown into the mix is... certainly an interesting one. an endless parade of formal dinners is something makoto is accustomed to, given the circles he'd run with in hell, but he's known dionys for all of five minutes now and understands why she would want to be anywhere else.
he nods sympathetically — from the martyrs he's met, it's an absolutely fair assumption. his first meeting with ciel had mostly consisted of him telling her to lighten up and find a hobby. it's far more interesting what she reveals next; there's a gleam in his pale eyes. ) You're her senior, then. ( she may be holding back a bit, but he's still going to at least try to ask, ) Exactly how long have you been at this game?
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[ Howl's words are light; picking up on Dionys' cynical attitude, he means to keep the conversation playful and casual in tone. That being said, it's the first question that came to Howl's mind too, and one he's just as interested in. He looks back to Dionys with too much curiosity in his eyes and mind for her to not pick up on it. ]
Although you certainly seem to know your way around Martyrs... How mysterious. [ Howl does not like them either. Stuffy, annoying, naggy. Maybe that's just how Ciel is specifically, but judging from what she said, maybe not. ]