The massive ebony stallion snorted as he gazed at the card that had been slipped to him as he had wandered the markets. He hadnt even gotten a good look at the messenger, a flash of emerald eyes and murmured words that were lost in the crowd. Shaking his head, he looked at the wings before him and flicked an ear. Pressing the card to the wings, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Gazing around with his molten gold gaze, he took in the floor where the gambling was happening in a ruckus and the lounge where others were drinking and conversing. Frowning, he headed toward the latter. He was never one for gambling, nor alcohol. Shaking his head, he found a place to rest his hooves and watch the beings that were around him.
"Can I get you something?" A soft voice echoed, startling him from his musing. Turning his head, he took in the mare that asked and nodded. "Mint tea, please." He murmured, answering the mare's inquiry. She gave one sharp nod and left. In her absence, Sol spent time watching the crowd around him while he shuffled his wings and got comfortable. The mare was back with a steaming cup that smelled heavenly. Smiling and paying the mare, he took time to sip his tea and just relax.
@
"Speaking." Notes: Open to anyone <3 Just wanted to throw someone at the Scarab and see what happens lol
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?
@Sol Bestiam here's a little manon for some fun <3
Sol treated the arrival of the coppery temptress with wariness. She was striking and alluring, filled with a confidence that told of her familiarity with the establishment. She had caught his attention as she had wandered, though he hadnt bothered to focus on it. Instead, he sat and sipped at the soothing mint tea.
"Now, where's the fun in some tea when you can have the whole cabinet presented at your whim?" Sol flicked an ear and grinned, golden eyes taking her in carefully and with a cautious air. "Perhaps some would find the idea of all of that alcohol alluring. I have never had a stomach for it. Too many bad decisions are made under the influence of such strong fluids. I would prefer to have my wits about me." After the fury and stupidity of his youth, Sol was loathe to drink anything that could bring that back to the fore and the idea of nearly killing another mare was nauseating. Shaking his head, he pushed the memories down and took another sip of the hot mint tea.
"You look comfortable here. I am guessing that you have been here much more than I, though that is not hard." He observed, not yet ready to reveal much to the mare beside him. There was something about this place that made him anxious, something that reeked of being unsafe. Perhaps this had been a bad idea, but he was here now and he wasnt going to leave in a panic.
@Manon
"Speaking." Notes: <3 It will be interesting to see what she can get from him XD
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.
@Sol Bestiam hope this is okay! he can refuse if that's where he takes you, don't feel bad c;
I need someone who sees the fire in my eyes And wants to play with it...
"I'm not the only observant one here, it seems," Sol chuckled as he watched her. "Sometimes it pays to be observant. Then you can find yourself aware when a striking equine passes your view and finds pleasure in your company..." A slight seductive tone echoed through his deep velvet voice and he found himself smiling at the striking mare. Taking a moment, he observed the gaming horses, eyes taking in the various card games and trying to understand them.
"They are too consumed with winning to be of concern, you know. There's nothing to fear from them. I'll protect you, no one dares to cross me." It almost seemed like she had read his mind and he flicked an ear as he looked at her. "They are consumed in a game that honestly makes no sense to me. Not that I have ever been one for fear, I have no doubt that you could protect me from the vicious card sharks." He wasn't being cruel by any means, and shot her a smile to try to soften his words.
"Care to dance?" Sol paused and looked at her with wide eyes. "Um.. dance... right..." He stammered, staring at her carefully. "I cant say that I am the best, but I would be willing to give it a shot..." He answered with a deep breath.
"Speaking."
@Manon Notes: -snorts- I can just see Sol falling over his massive hooves now
