She was making her rounds, at the end of the night: the dim interior invited in all sorts of fellows that wished for more than the outside world could offer them, and she--ever the diligent watchman--took advantage of those who paid little mind to else but their own desires. She sneered from the shadows, behind her veil of blurred-invisibility granted by her crown, disdain riddled across her face at the domineering men and their lack of consideration for anything but their elevated positions. And she would wrap herself around them, press her lips against their spines, bat her iridescent eyes and whisper against their necks; she would play the part of a damsel at their disposal if only to get them irrevocably intoxicated on her false promises. And when they fell--they always fell--she would snatch a purse of their coins and tell them to meet at her room.

She would never show.

She found him long before he would ever know she existed; she knew of everyone, really, that dared take a step into the Scarab. It wasn't her home, for a home doesn't have meaning to one who pays no loyalty to any singular place, but the Scarab was as close as she would get to finding the same sense of solace others felt. To say she held onto a feeling of protectiveness over the roof above her head Senna had offered to her those years ago would not be wrong; perhaps it was her way of holding onto him too, and all the turmoil that bubbled out of her heart at the thought of him.

The girl donned in coppers and splashed with whites snaked around the edge of the bar, her sights upon the dark figure of one she had yet made her acquaintance to. His golds pulled her in, and the way he found their frivolities alarming brought her close. How curious to find a patron so disinterested in their games--but maybe her games would leave an impression. As she sidled near, barely brushing the tops of his sun-ray wings, she gave but one unspoken dip of her head to the girl who just served him, and with a smile she dashed away to work. Manon glanced from the corner of her swirling eyes to the boy, looking out upon the commotion of shuffling cards and rumbling laughter while the two of them sat back at the bar. With the return of the server and Manon's signature drink (so deeply red it could be easily mistaken for blood), she released the wistful sigh of a girl lost in dreams and murmured to him, "Now, where's the fun in some tea when you can have the whole cabinet presented at your whim?" She gestured to his drink of choice, taking but a moment to become enveloped in the sharp smell, then winking at him before consuming her glass with one throw back of her head. It was swift movement, practiced, and she placed the cup next to his in a silent challenge. Her gemstones upon her crown glided against her cheeks, shimmering in the low light.

Did he truly know where he was, if not in the belly of the beast, waiting to be consumed entirely by her presence alone?

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@Sol Bestiam here's a little manon for some fun <3

Of course it would be a man that didn't fall into the arms of her charms.

Women, well, she knew how to push their buttons just so, stick her knife in just a little deeper with her sweet words and supporting touch. They all had something in common, after all, those girls--they sought the lyrics to their redemption song; they all wanted something to prove themselves worthy. Men, though, how obtuse and obstinate they were that in their minds they had nothing to prove, they were already worthy. They did as they pleased with no regard for who they would trample on, and her heart burned at the thought of their self-induced prestige. She clawed her way up tooth and nail to make a name for herself (ignoring the facts of the matter, really), and the males were always nestled somewhere comfortably in the middle of the war of winning them over. Some collapsed easily under the sheer pressure of her sweet aura, others, thoroughly unimpressed, where far more difficult to sway; but they always fell, one way or another, irresistibly taken by her.

He gave her no indication of any interest, though, but she wouldn't be put off so easily. She had learned enough through her young years of toying with naive boys to know that first impressions weren't the most important factor. So while she downed her drink and batted her lashes at him, she laughed at his coy statements while turning down their server for another drink. If he preferred the clear-minded, then she would play along, at least just enough to garner his full attention.

She shifted in her space at the counter slightly, facing him more head on than a tilted position. "I'm not the only observant one here, it seems," a gleam in her eye and upward curve of her lips whispering of surprise. Perhaps he was serious about the wits part after all. She took a moment to glance outward at the open floor before them, playing card tables spaced evenly throughout with avid players in heated duels. Some were so lost in the games that they wouldn't have noticed if the roof suddenly caved in, others drunk enough to slur their insults at their opponents. Even fewer were the sober, with their keen intent to protect the hands they were dealt at all costs.

Manon looked back at him, noticing the near-immediate shift in regard as he sat in his place. She chuckled softly, tsking him for his dismissal of the Scarab before anything even began. "They are too consumed with winning to be of concern, you know. There's nothing to fear from them." Reassuring? Maybe not, but as an afterthought she trailed on, "I'll protect you, no one dares to cross me." With a wink, she swiveled her head and the gems bounced delicately against her coppery cheeks.

Music much akin to jazz seeped out across the room, and she smiled dazzlingly at her newest acquaintance before stepping away from both him and the bar. Looking back once, she asked, "Care to dance?" And then she was too far to hear his response, making way to a cleared spot in the side of the room, separate from the commotion of others. She wouldn't be denied, this girl, and she expected nothing less.

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@Sol Bestiam hope this is okay! he can refuse if that's where he takes you, don't feel bad c;