La Belle Péchés

[Codeh]

((Carried over from: http://www.valucre.com/showthread.ph...d-Barley-Bread.))

How did Fearix know that this was Holly's favorite flower, while he would of loved to claim it was from probing her mind, it wasn't. In fact he didn't know, and internally he was extremely surprised, even caught off guard at her reaction. The simply fact was is that it was one of the many flowers that Fearix liked, and it was purely random that Holly liked it too. "Uh I didn't actually, I just happen to like this particular flower a lot. I think it is one of the most beautiful flowers, so I figured it'd suit you. That's all!"

Another smile would be offered to the woman as he followed her through the door closing it behind him. Immediately the connection with the tavern would vanish leaving them isolated in the club. "I'm glad you find it so beautiful, I believe it's a magnificent work of art." His right hand rose as he snapped his fingers, immediately the lights dimmed and a mixture of steam and fog began to float from the floor and fall from the sky. Beams of green, yellow, blue, and red lights darted across the floor, and neon signs lit up along the walls. A few seconds later the sound of a bass kicked in, it's thumping causing Fearix's chest to resonate. The sound of trance music filled the room, and surely if people had been there, it would have been a rave.



"I hope this environment doesn't bother you? I know it's kind of loud, but when you have a lot of people in here the music has to be louder."

If Holly hadn't made any connections to Salym before, surely she would now.... but it would be too late. For some stories above her a large orb was busy at work. Greedily it sapped away her fear, her anger, and any other negative emotion she had.

From behind a cloud of fog and mist, Fearix would step forward. But not in his guise as Setsuna. Three wings of crimson and onyx rested on his back, silver finger nails rested inches past his milky finger tips. Once blue eyes now burned with an intense gold, tan sun kissed skin had become pale and milky, and flush full lips gray. Even his garb had magically changed. The long silken shirt with translucent sleeves, leather pants, leather boots with metallic platting on the toe and heel, and the leather collar that rested tightly on his neck.

The wings folded around his body concealing all but the upper portion of his neck and his head in a blanket of soft plush fluffiness. He only watched her, trying to gauge what her reaction would be. A grin which had gradually been forming on his lips exploding into a full blown smile.

"Howdy Lunch, did you miss me?"

The voice would ping in the back of her mind once more: He isn't going to hurt you.

[Lacernella Rubra]

"Oh." Was all Holly managed to his comment about the flower, she was too distracted by the sudden lights and music that overwhelmed her senses, and the fog dimmed her eyesight, and she panicked at first, this seemed so much like Salym, it's connection hit her in the face like a brick wall, and she made a noise of distress, a hand reaching out to grasp ahold of a chair to keep herself from collapsing with her fear....

Fear that wasn't there. Fear that -had- been there, and then it was gone, like it had only been a passing thought in her mind. Like it had never fully taken effect, like it hadn't tried to constrict her heart...and her pulse quickened, or rather, the echo of what might have been. Despite her 'dead' state, her organs still functioned, and she felt herself drown in the nothing emotion that washed over her. It was confusing, confusing and enraging...but even that, she couldn't muster. It didn't exist, it was gone as soon as it had formed, and she made a soft little cry as she turned towards Fearix, her hands grasping at things behind her as she moved to step away from him.

Her feet moved back, further away from Fearix's form as the man she'd known as Setsuna transformed into her worst nightmare. The very creature she had thought she'd escaped, now back to taunt her. But all of that fear, that fear she -knew- should be there, was gone, leaving her to fight against the illusion that Fearix had cast upon her as she shuddered, the flower falling onto one of the chairs as she moved to put more distance between them, even as that voice told her she was safe...and even as those emotions left her, fleeing her form, much to her dismay.

"I...What's going on? W...what did you do?!" She demanded, trying to make sense of everything in her mind. Fearix, had been Setsuna the entire time, he'd played her like a well played violin, but she still couldn't bring herself to fear him, even though she knew she -should.-

Her arms raised to wrap around her own form, hugging herself as if to ward off some kind of chill that filled the air, but it wasn't cold, and even the tears of confusion and anger built, but they just barely managed to fall before even those emotions were taken. "You...you tricked me..." She couldn't even put conviction behind the accusation.

[Codeh]

"Tricked you? A little I suppose, I might have lied about my name..... but. I was being honest when I said you were beautiful. I was also being honest when I said I would like to hire you." The wings that hid his form suddenly exploded sending a plume of feathers flying through the air, Fearix's form instantly gone. As Holly backed up trying to distance herself from him, she'd bump into something. Well rather someone. A wingless Fearix stood behind her, his hands moving out as he brought them to rest upon her shoulders. His head tilted close to her ear allowing his lips to brush against her.

"It's okay Holly, I promise I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid.... well truthfully you can't be afraid. But there is no point in being afraid. If was I was going to hurt you, you know very well I would have already." His head tilted down further as he brought it to rest upon her shoulder. "Think about it, if I was going to hurt you, why would I help you. Even if you don't want to admit it, you know me. We have had many long hours together, getting to know one another on an intimate level. I know your body like the back of my hand, and well you know what I'm capable of like the back of yours." His hands shifted down her shoulders as he brought his smooth silky palms down her arms and over her wrists, his fingers brushing against her hands.

"We both know I'm not horrible, even when you were my captive, I did show you some kindness."

[Lacernella Rubra]

"W..why?" Holly squeaked softly when she bumped into his form, recognizing it for what it was, afterall, as Fearix had stated, she knew him, and her body knew him. She surpressed a shudder when his head moved close to her, but it was not the shudder of repulsion, as she desired, it was instead a shudder for other reasons.

She didn't understand why he was doing this, why he was being kind to her. And in that realization, she knew, even if he tormented her in this place, whatever was here would make it...pleasure. No matter how much pain he induced on her, she'd take it, and willingly. The emotions turmoiled inside of her, but all she could feel was joy, unable to feel anything negative towards the man. She simply didn't understand, ...why help her now?

Part of her was drawn to him, like moths were to flame. Humans and destruction, thus, she was drawn to Fearix, unable to stop the shiver that coursed through her form as his hands moved along her own arms, and she relaxed against him against her will. She was his prisoner again...and powerless to stop it. Instead, whatever was in this club would ensure she enjoyed it. Vermillion optics turned to watch him carefully, though there was no distrust there.

"Why are you doing this...? I...I don't understand, F..Fearix..." She could not deny the point that ...he was kind, sometimes....sometimes...and whatever it was, made her latch onto that, focusing on his kindness, rather than the harm he had caused.

[Codeh]

His head shifted again as he brought his lips to press against her skin, a soft and gentle kiss left for her to contemplate about. His form drifted back, allowing a gap to form between their bodies. His right hand falling aimlessly to his side as he left hand grasped her's leading her further into the mist and fog with him. "Does it really matter why I do anything Holly? We both know that if I want to do something, I won't be stopped. His hand suddenly jerked back pulling her close to him. Her chest pressing firmly against his as he brought his other arm around her waist holding her close. The lights stopped, and the music changed. It became slow, and smooth, having numerous classical elements to it.

His feet shifted, his form twirled, his hand that held onto Holly's guided her arm out into the air. "Maybe I feel sorry for you? Maybe I'm just an evil bastard using you. Maybe I just like you because your cute." His head leaned forehead as he brought it to rest against hers. With every few steps they would make a rotation, their forms gliding about the dance floor, his eyes closed. "Do you need to understand, isn't ignorance bliss? Wouldn't you rather just be blissful?" His form broke away from her as he stepped back, his hand pulling hers up as he forced her into a twirl. As soon as she finished rotating a few times she was swept back in and up against him. This time though two dark wings settled upon her form. It was amazing how fast he could manipulate and change his own body.

As the wings folded around her body, Holly would find herself wearing a dress of feathers that concealed almost everything but her head. There was no additional weight applied to her, no additional force binding her against him. But she was trapped regardless of if it was apparent or not.

[Lacernella Rubra]

And contemplate Holly did, for his behavior confused her, she didn't understand. She didn't. Holly was by nature, a curious thing, and ...well. Unanswered questions left her with even more questions, but those paused when he lead her. Surprisingly, she found herself following him, it...was nice to be able to hold the hand of another, she...found she couldn't pull away, even if she wanted to. As he pulled her close, she let out a surprised little noise, placing a hand on his chest to keep some distance between them. She...didn't want to dance, but she knew Fearix, knew enough that if he wanted her to dance, there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it.

"But..." She protested as they danced, though she found that, Fearix was quite a good dancer....She'd enjoyed watching couples dance when she was a little girl, and yet...here she was. DAncing with someone she never thought she would be. He must have finally gone mad.

At least, that was her thought, and she twirled when he forced her into a twirl, and frowned softly, though no negativity came with it. "I want to know..." She protested weakly as he pulled her back in, and she held herself at arms length again, at least as much as she could. As the wings engulfed her, she could only blink at the dress that came with their enclosure, her optics scanning it as she frowned. It...weighed nothing. It felt like air was covering her skin, but that didn't stop her from making a soft noise. It was, beautiful, afterall. "I wish you wouldn't do that..." She stated, "It's uncomfortable..." It was more like she was talking to an old friend, rather than someone she had feared so deeply at one point, that the mere thought of him sent her into hysterics.

[Codeh]

The music ended and the feathers vanished with the wings. Fearix's form came to a stop, his hands releasing the woman as he took a step back. Digits moved along his side until they found their way into pockets. A half moon gaze met Holly's eyes, and the voice in the back of her mind pinged once more. This time though, it sounded more like the monster which controlled it.

If you want Holly, leave. The door is right over there, I won't stop you. But are you sure that you want to leave, and ruin this beautiful moment?

The titan continued to smile at her, sure he was diabolical at times. But he wasn't completely uncivilized... most of the time. "Lets just go with, I have big plans for you Holly. And I promise you that this time, my plans won't hurt. I won't shock you, lash you, burn you, or even bite you..... well actually I might bite you." A wink was tossed her direction as his smile became more coy.

His form gradually moved closer as he circled around her, an action that might have made her uneasy. Something that would probably remind her a predator circling its prey. Which in all honest was what Holly was, she was his prey. Of course Fearix treating her like prey or not was completely dependent upon the woman. As he moved past her his hand extended out again allowing the tips of his nails to run over her oh so familiar skin. Part of him wanted her, wanted her to scream. Part of him wanted to see her blood, feel her squirm, listen to her moan in agony. Part of him wanted to see her cry and hear her plead. That of course was only part of him. The rest was content with just playing games.

His form swooped back in, bringing his chest against her back, once more behind her. His visage shifting as he moved his head up against her's. His lips posed for a moment, the tip of his tongue agilely sliding from his mouth as he brought it just barely close enough to taste the skin of her ear lobe, before it quickly retreated into his maw. Would she dare to run? To try to escape?

[Lacernella Rubra]

Holly held her breath as Fearix moved away, she knew what that look was, she'd seen it before....she'd seen it a lot, actually. She couldn't help her instantaneous reaction to hold her breath and slide a bit back from him, even while she knew that was the kind of reaction he -wanted.- He liked seeing her fear of him, sadist that he was. But still, that orb stole away that fear, and she couldn't be afraid of him, even as she knew he threatened her, taunted her, and teased her. An audible swallow was given, as though something bitter had gotten stuck in her throat, and the breath she had been holding left her in a shuddering rush when he winked at her.

As he circled her, Holly drew in another sharp breath, staring at him through the veil of her hair as she tried to keep him in her sights, even as he moved around. A shudder rippled through her form at the familiar feel of those claws on her flesh, the familiar feeling causing another small noise to erupt from her throat, one of surprise, and realization. She knew this game, but she hadn't learned how to play it properly before Fearix had left Salym.

Holly couldn't cry, even as much as she wanted to, as hopeless as it felt, that damned orb sucked that away, and kept her vermillion optics free of moisture. When Fearix came in again, and at her back, she shuddered to his touch, optics closing to his attentions on her. If she left...he would chase her. If she wanted to leave, she could...A half lidded hue spied the door, but where would she go? Travel to Pandora was near impossible, from what was understood, and if Fearix was stuck here...what hope was there for her?

Slowly, she turned within his grasp, letting her hands rest on his chest as the woman drew on courage she didn't realize she had, "I...have nowhere to go, you know that. I...would like to propose a deal, instead...I'll help you with this...club, whatever you're using it for...but, in return...when you're done with this....I ..I would like to go home..To Pandora.."

[Codeh]

The voice would ping in the back of Holly's mind once more: By the time I am done with you, I doubt you'll want to leave.

Fearix's right hand moved, sliding along Holly's thigh, past her wast, her ribs, along her arm, shoulder, neck, across her cheek, and then catch a tough of her hair, playfully moving it from her face. His fingers ran through the locks, his face seeming distracted for a moment. "I can't promise you anything of the sort Holly. But when I am done with this place, and I am done with you. I promise that I will at least try to find a way to get you home."

Fearix's eyes fully opened as he brought his gaze to lock with Holly's, it was strange not seeing any fear in her eyes. He understood why, but surprisingly he disliked the fact that she hadn't fallen to the ground in hysteria. His hand that had embedded itself in her hair withdrew as he brought his finger tip against her lip, running along the smooth skin. If only she knew about the horrible seed that she had already willingly ingested. I should bring up that gem, make her think about it..... let her know what she did. But he didn't. Not because he wanted to spare her the torment, but he understood that he would not get the desired reaction out of her.

The fog vanished, normal lights came back on, and Fearix drifted backwards from Holly."I suppose I need to teach you a little about your job, huh?"

[Lacernella Rubra]

Holly wanted to feel anger at him, she did. But it simply wasn't allowed, that was such an irritating thing...or it would have been, if that had been an emotion that had managed to fill her as well...but it didn't. All she felt was a sense of calm. It emboldened her, however....If she couldn't react the way that Fearix was used to...the way she was sure he would have liked to see, then...maybe she could frustrate him just as much.

As his hand moved up her body, and into her hair, she only stared at him for a long moment, before sighing to his comment. "You'll get bored with me, Fearix...You always get bored with your toys.." It would have been true of any long lived creature, and anyone that had as much power as Fearix did, was likely to get bored with something like her..."And when that happens, you'll take me home." She stated it as if this was a surity, and part of her, that part that was egged on by the orb, believed it and took it as a silent promise.

However, as Fearix moved away, she let her hands fall to her sides, watching him before giving a little nod. "Yes, that...would be best." She even managed a little smile as she moved to follow after him. Now that the normal lights were on, it took her a few moments to adjust as she took in the full of the night club, gaze scanning over it. "How do you intend on marketting this place?"

[Codeh]

" Like I said Holly, we will see. I can't make any promises in regards to getting you home, all I can promise that I will make an earnest attempt, and as for marketing, word of mouth. People will be intrigued by the noises and smalls, they will come, they will never want to leave, but I will force them out. And they will come back, with friends." It wasn't necessarily the best marketing plan, but it would work. It would take time, but time was something he had plenty of. His form drifted lazily across the floor as he moved around and behind a counter, his left hand moving as he swept up a glass, his right hand shifting over to a handle to one of the man taps, and pressed down upon it. Immediately a dark violet liquid poured onto into the glass, and once it was full he released the hand turning off the flow. His hand was brought up and extended out to Holly so that she could take the the glass.

"For now all liquor that you sever shall be of private stock, until there is enough money to start buying more common spirits. The orb up above us absorbs negative emotions, and feeds them into machines in the basement below. Through a process that I'm not even going to attempt to explain to you, it turns the raw emotional energy into alcohol. Extremely potent, with none of the burning. Each color and flavor is derived from a negative emotion. Anger tends to be spicy, depression dry, fear is some what sweet, envy is sour. There are of course other flavors, and you have full permission to mix them all. The alcohol is all 199 proof, and as you can clearly see these glasses are much larger than shot glasses."

Alcohol was a beautiful thing, it tended to amplify emotions, and make them more readily released. This allowed for an extremely vicious cycle, the more people drank, the faster their negative emotions could be sapped off. While the orb my spend about 10% of it's total emotional energy producing alcohol, it would get well over a 150% return on investment.

"As for pricing, I'll let you figure out that, at least for things that are on tap. Once we start carrying bottles of whatever, we will come up with some type of standardized pricing to ensure that we are still making money." Both of Fearix's hands now rested upon the bar as he leaned forward to watch Holly carefully. It didn't matter if she opted to not drink the glass he handed her, what mattered is that she understood the nature of the business.

"You are allowed to go anywhere on this floor when you aren't working, as well as outside. During business hours I expect you to be behind the bar serving drinks. You may accept tips if you want. Any tips that you do accept will be 100% yours. So try to remain charming. You are never to go into the basement, nor let anyone else goes into the basement, even if that means you have to rip their soul from their body to stop them. There is an up stairs to this place, and if I think you are trust worthy enough, maybe I will show you what's up there someday." A grin slid across his visage he stood up and made his way from behind the bar. His form stopping next to Holly's before he brought both hands down upon the wooden structure again. With a simple push both of his feet left the ground, his rear coming to sit upon the edge of the structure, his feet dangling aimlessly.

"After each night, you and the rest of the work force will clean up, tables will be spotless, chairs pushed in, and any trash picked up. This place will work as a normal bar Monday through Thursday, it will open at 5 pm and close at 12 am. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it will open at 5 pm and close at 6 am. If I think the work load is too great for you, I will hire on additional tenders."

A pause was given to make sure that she had taken in everything he told her, "As for where you will sleep, I haven't decided yet. But we will have to take you shopping to get more clothing. You'll need to dress to impress."

[Lacernella Rubra]

This...all of it, went against her morals. But she found herself unable to resist. This meant her freedom....funny that she was willing to sacrafice others to get what she wanted. That wasn't a trait she'd ever had before....Biting her lower lip as he spoke, she took the glass he had offered with a dubious expression. She did not drink, however. There was no point in her drinking it, Fearix didn't need more of her negative emotions to add to the pile. Instead, she examined the contents of the glass before carefully putting it on the bar, away from her form as she listened to Fearix talk. It was all a matter of business, really. A lot of what he was saying made sense....

Afterall, a bar had to be run a certain way, or a tavern, either way. Holly's form shifted as she let the information sink in, she found that her protest that would have come at the idea of taking someone's soul without due cause was not voiced. It sat in the back of her mind, but did not voice itself like she had thought it would. Instead, she merely nodded to his words, before allowing a gentle sigh. "What of food? Will it be served as well?" Despite her best efforts, she found herself relaxing in his presence, and she settled herself onto one of the chairs that decorated the club. "And what is the currency here? Is it similar to that of Pandora?" She rose a brow as she questioned him.

At the mention of more clothes, she did huff gently. The dress she was wearing was nice enough, at least, she had thought it had been. It was a solft velvet blue...granted, it required a washing, but the corset like top hugged her body gently, and the long flowing skirt that came with it hid the slippers (Those were definitely worse for their wear) that adorned her feet. "There's nothing wrong with my current clothing. Though, it does need washed..." She shifted a bit, if she had been thinking, she would have gathered more clothes before she left Salym...but she hadn't been, she'd only seen the opportunity ot escape, and had grabbed it with both hands. And then, "Wouldn't it be easier to just fashion clothes. I know you can, you do it all the time." She made a motion to his current outfit, and how he seemed to change clothes at a whim. "Have you checked other places to see what their pricing is? You will want to stay reasonable, even with that on tap, and not be so expensive that the people coming in find it ridiculous, but at the same time, still pull an overture. Battling with competitors will be the first step, and after that, you can charge whatever you want, I doubt the people will care."

[Codeh]

His hand slid back to the tap the top of the tap, a smile sliding across his face. "Holly that's the beauty of this set up, you can charge whatever you want for drinks from the tap, and it will be a gain. And I suppose I could fashion clothing for you, but I figured you'd enjoy shopping. I thought that was something that girls like to do?" He seemed a little confused at first, maybe he didn't have a perfect understanding of all females, but then again generalizations couldn't always be right.

A few more moments of thought were given, Fearix had this gift for answering questions out of order. " Anyway I have no idea what Pandora's currency system is, or was. But here it is base ten. All coins, copper being the least valuable, followed by silver, gold, and then platinum. In many cases though precious gems and other valuable resources can be used instead of their coin system." Another pause, he inhaled and exhaled, a deep long sigh escaping.

"As for what other people are doing for pricing, most people when they come to bars are paying for atmosphere, they end up paying 3 to 4 times more than what a drink should cost. We'll have an entry fee and then aim to make about a 25% profit off of drinks. Which will gives us more than competitive pricing. As for food. I don't know yet. I don't really eat, so I occasional forget that other people do, but I suppose people might want food. I'll have to look into it."

The idea of food seemed to make things more complicated than they should have been, he'd have to add some type of kitchen, and find people to man it. He didn't really want to hire too many people because it would stretch the profits thin from having to pay them.... unless he didn't have to pay them. "Golems...." The words were murmured as he considered the possibility of using golems as bouncers and really general laborers. "Any additional questions Holly?"

[Lacernella Rubra]

It wasn't that Holly didn't enjoy shopping, but she knew outside of the walls of the night club, her fear of Fearix would come rushing back like water to a desert, and he'd be in complete control of her again. Mind you, she was likely dellusioning herself to thinking she had -any- kind of control in the situation, but sometimes those kinds of lies were the most comforting. If Fearix was right on one account, it would be that she might not want to leave, if only for the fact that her fear of him was currently controlled, or rather, nonexistant. "No...we could shop, I suppose...I ..just thought it might be easier.."

However, her gaze found him once more when he mentioned currency, and she gave a short nod. "Similar to Pandora's then...though we didn't have platinum. Gold was our highest..." She wrinkled her nose slightly, before gently scratching her cheek. "As for food, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, but when people drink, they like to eat too, and in order to keep energy up, they're going to need to eat." Of course, she spoke from experience. Fearix should know this, he'd had to feed her while she was in Salym, or at least provide some kind of meal for her so that she could regain anything that he had taken from her.

"I have no ...yes, I have one other question." She paused as she rose, to blink at him, before she shuffled slightly. "You're...you -only- need me for bartending, right?" She eyed him, her question was plain, did he intend on taking her energy as well?

[Codeh]

Fearix's form popped off of the bar top, his form drifting over to Holly. He shifted forward leaning closer to her, his left hand rising up as he brought his thumb and index finger to grasp her chin. His head now level with her's, his eyes locked with her gaze. His lips such a minute space apart that with each movement she would be able to feel every breath, every movement, ever word against her flesh.

"Does it matter Holly? Would it be such a bad thing if I used you for something else?"

His hand slid down her chin, along her jaw line and onto her neck, the digits moving around her throat as if he were going to choke her, but no pressure was applied. A spark of electricity would jump from his skin arch across the air, burrow its way through Holly's flesh triggering her pleasure receptors, another old and tired trick that she was probably all too familiar with.

"We both know that the only time I've ever truly hurt you was when I thought you were lying to me and with holding information. So we both know that as long as your are honest, and a good girl, you'll probably be okay.... maybe." His eyes closed and then half opened, his lazy stare no longer focused on her eyes, but rather her face as a whole. His hand slid from her neck as he took a few steps back, putting enough distance between them to allow the woman to stand up. "I bet you're pretty grateful that you can't feel fear right now?"

The fear and pain of others was intoxicating for him. Sometimes it drove him into a frenzy, even he could admit that the lust it brought about in him sometimes caused him to take things too far. He had a nasty habit of breaking his toys, it was a shame that people weren't designed to be played with roughly.