aphroditeredux | (no subject)

(no subject)

.....hmph.

[Seraphina wheeled her chair away from her desk in a smooth practiced motion. It was well into the evening and she scowled at the clock. It mocked her with the knowledge she'd truly been hunkered down in the office since this morning. Her stomach rumbled, an inelegant sound but it certainly matched her dressed down appearance. She only took calls today, only came face to face with her most trusted prinny staff. Her nightgown that desperately needed to go through the wash, her hair pulled into an unkempt bun. Truly, she was a domestic goddess and no less gorgeous than any other day but some sides of herself were not meant for the public or bureaucratic. Especially her slippers with the butterfly wings. (Many a paparazzi had tried to get a glimpse of the rumored homebody princess overlord but none had survived.)

Scowling at the mess of files on her desk, she gathered them up and slide them into their cabinets without even blinking. It was all second nature to her, every ten days data management and review, e-mail council and report reading. She popped open her portable closet and changed accordingly, donning a cute pair of short shorts and heels to go with her halter top. Adjusting the last clip in her hair she stepped out of her office into the busy workplace of prinnies and ghosts scurrying carts through the halls.

"Patricia!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I have closed my office hours today."

"Very good, ma'am. First Gentleman Adell has left a message letting you know he is still at the Assembly, dood."

"What?!"

Seraphina felt hypoglycemic rage take her, a violent flash of pink energy expelling around her body before the fuchsia prinny expertly threw three bite size chocolates into her mouth.

"Would you like dinner brought to your corners, ma'am?"

"...ugh. No."

Seraphina chewed and swallowed her candy, the sugar melting her anger into tolerable annoyance. She pointed at some dates on their calendar instead, walking away to the Assembly that was keeping Adell from dinner and her arms.]

The vote should have been over by now! He was eighth in line, hmph, but if those Golems had a new amendment to a bill to introduce Hades knows they take their precious time. You'd think they would be worn away to mineral dust by now!

[Muttering under her breath, various staff avoided her without hesitation as she made her way through the castle, out to the streets that lead to various government buildings. She was tired. She was hungry. That Mothman Overlord's check bounced again and Adell was always volunteering to do something on her behalf. It was as sweet as it was infuriating. Adell, selfishly selfless, always being considerate of her position but... She pushed the door to the assembly with more power than necessary, nearly knocking the block off a puppet passing by.

She was lonely! She was tired of being responsible! This second time should have been easier, she knew what to expect, but there just never seemed to be enough time to just be. Huffy, she rubbed at her face, pushing away numbers flying through her head despite the files locked away, and headed to the auditorium.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Adell for his part is quiet. He feels that squeeze on his hand, and that's all the reply he really needed. While Sera still being quiet was of course a little unnerving, it told him exactly enough. He remained dead silent for the rest of the walk home, actually looking stone-faced while crowds peeled away from them like layers off an onion. No fear in his eyes, but he made sure to keep an even pace alongside Seraphina at all times. The terrified look of many of the workers and support staff along their way was a little upsetting, but frankly, there was nothing for it. Really, this stuff was common on any Netherworld, so...

The only less than impassive thing he did on the trip back is shooting Patricia a thankful glance, and the slightest of nods in thanks for her diligence.

Once they stepped into the elevator and started rising up to the more private chambers of Gorgeous' opulent palace, he relaxed more from his upright and proper posture and blinked a little blearily. Fatigue seeped in rather quickly, though he knew it wasn't time to relax just yet. ...That specter of death still hung in the air, after all.

...And of course, as if to break the heavy, pregnant silence, Adell's stomach took that moment to rumble. Loudly. Which just made him feel embarrassed more than anything... and awkward.]

...... What do you say to dinner when we get settled in?

[If nothing else, that'd be a way to unwind. ...Hopefully.]

[.........]

UGH!!!!!!

I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!!!

I never wanted you to see such a shameful and inelegant display...

[Whining after her outburst, faster than any Ninja can detect Seraphina's cell phone is in her hand and a number is dialed with rapid precision. A voice comes through on the phone loud and clear:]

Finger Breakin' Fried Chicken, how can we beat your hunger into crispy oil dripping submission?

I have a large order, have a pen at the ready!

Uhhhh--

I want enough wings that if stacked together they could match an army of Cockatrice. Honey Mustard, Bourbon Bomb, Red Hot, Griffin Scream, and Boo Berry dipping sauce on the side. A Green Salad with a mountain of Fried Onions with an odor so pungent a Zombie would grimace.

[And she continues with a passionate hungry fury.

Maybe try and get in there yourself Adell?]

[Adell practically jumped out of his shoes when Seraphina exploded finally, his heart thrumming in his chest like it was trying to punch out. A moment later it settled down, and his widened eyes finally settled back down to something more normal.

And then he realized what Sera was doing. Ordering food. And a lot of it. Oh lord, was she ordering a lot of it. He blinked, stunned, before realizing... he should probably order too. He patiently waited for an opening, and then struck with the precision of a cobra.]

Also the turbo-deluxe jumbo boneless wings platter, with all the same sauces from the first wing order, the absurd size hellfire curly fries, enough fried mozzarella to bring down a rifle demon with the ranch to match, and the two gallon jug of RosenQueen Cream Soda! ...And a Caesar salad!

[He needed vegetables in there, what would his Mom say otherwise?]

And Pie! Two slices!

Of which one ma'am?

All of them you fool!

[There's a crackle and desperate button pressing until a total for the order comes rolling out of the employee's mouth, Seraphina not even flinching before stating the address for the pick-up prinny.

With a deep sigh she snaps her phone shut and the doors to the elevator ding, signaling they're at the top level. She pulls Adell by the hand and leads him to her bedroom.]

The acne from the grease will be terrible but I don't care! I'm so hungry Adell, I can't even appreciate how delicious you look in this suit! Ugh, I'll show up to court the next time and take those buffoons for all they're worth.

[And she's hit the next stage, freely knowing food is on the way she complains, shaking Adell and jostling him around but never letting him go. Complains about the political parties in the system, about the debts owed to Gorgeous, classified information Adell is more than well aware of, even if he doesn't know all the specifics.]

As if he could sneak a missing payment by me! My nose for HL is sharper than a Kunoichi's steak knife. Hmph!!

[Yup. Hunger. The most dangerous of afflictions when it came to anyone's mood. In fact, Adell remembered seeing studies about the phenomenon called "hanger" being circulated around the Netherworld, marveling at the dangers such a thing possessed. And how he felt those studies were stupid because they were bloody goddamn obvious. In his opinion they should just go back to Tsundere Studies.

Either way, he gets dragged along by the hand, trying to keep up. And boy, was she being rough and in a hurry... a lesser demon might end up with a dislocated arm. Despite appearances, like most demons, Seraphina was far stronger than she looked. His ears remained open to her complaints, however, listening to every one of them along the way.]

Frankly, they should consider themselves lucky you haven't already taken the boots to them medium style yet. They've more than earned a good asskicking by any metric.

[It may sound funny to an outsider, but Seraphina actually had quite an impressive level of restraint when necessary in politics at times. She was no doormat. She was no one's fool, but she knew how to play the game. ...An iron fist waiting inside a velvet glove, really.]

It might be petty of me to say, but I wouldn't mind seeing some of them twist in the wind for awhile.

[With the Snootiest of hmphs, she tilts her chin back so her nose can greet Celestia with aplomb. She manages to release Adell's wrist once they enter her sleeping quarters made up by two large rooms. The lounge that contains tasteful but elaborate rugs and furniture, fit for intimate socializing and overall relaxing. A wall separates the floor with a grand wood trimmed square cut out that peeks into her curtain drawn bedroom.

She kicks off her heels and with expert practice, they land by her shoebox. Flopping onto her couch, despite a day of sitting, she puts her feet up and truly settles in to relax.]

Just wait until the next election term comes up in eight months. Most Netherworld Assemblies operate on a four-year schedule but we operate on a three year term due to our massive trade network. Not only do we have to deal with new groups trying to join the floor but - the in-fighting for seats of established groups is atrocious. Hmph! I save all my ire and anger for the election term.

Historically, it's the only time the Overlord is present in Assembly day to day. And unlike our daily court, I determine the hours because I must be present for all sworn in parties. [She fluffs up her hair and laughs.] I expect the typical bribes and threats in the mail to start over the summer. Those graceless buffoons, I look forward to bringing their offerings to court and stepping all over them!!

[And after her strong tone, Seraphina sags against the couch pitifully.]

Adell~ Why aren't you rubbing my back or my feet or my temples or developing clones of yourself to do all three at once!?

[Adell follows her along, stopping by the edge of her couch. He bent down and untied and removed his dress shoes while she spoke about politics. He still carefully listened to her, knowing that this was all stuff he would absolutely need to know going forward. Whenever that came up, he knew would be an especially busy period for Sera, which would mean either giving her plenty of space or plenty of pampering. ...Or both, paradoxically.

He removed his shoes and set them aside carefully, and then removed his suit coat for comfort, walking over to hang it on a convenient post. The rest of the suit didn't go anywhere, though. He flashed her a brief, knowing smile.]

...And duct taping the pipe bombs they send to the bottoms of their chairs, right?

[Because that's how they'd do it on Veldime. Still, as she whines for pampering he walked past, seemingly ignoring it, at first. He stole a glance back at her, settled in and looking comfy; truly, even while she was like this, he found her incredibly attractive. He sighed, and gave a simple disarming shrug...

Before his Mana quickly spiked, and he practically vanished, only to appear in front of her, and then behind her, and then in front of her again; after images doing as she asked. Unfortunately, the ones working on her feet and back weren't real and didn't offer any actual feedback; in reality, it had just been a creative application of Tiger Charge. However, the one rubbing her temples with his fingers was very real. And with it, he applied just the amount of pressure he knew she liked, hoping to first soothe her headache.]

...The clones are a work in progress.

[She'd been prepared to keep up her act, whining and demanding even if Adell could see right through her when Adell had effectively shut her up with his unconventional move. She let out a quiet gasp and watched in rivetted attention as the afterimages remained at her feet and to her side. The fingertips pressed to her temples were perfect though, pressure practiced and attentive to the spot just above her ear. Her belly is still empty, she needs food to soothe her headache for real but it's so nice she sags back into the couch with a happy sigh.]

Ah~

[Adell. And maybe she'd been fussy because she missed him, because he was filling in her heels more often than they'd both planned. And it's been a long time since she's had a partner, a real one, more than a game or a fling, and her face flushes up in happiness at being spoiled. (And maybe at her imagination getting away from her, it's in her nature, greedy and hungry, she imagines him kissing the knuckles of her toes, the soft tops of her feet, his fingers warm against the bare skin of her stomach--)]

Mmmm.

[For a moment, the beast has been silenced.]

[Of course he'd seen right through her; the act was practiced, keen, and one of her favorite things to do. Sometimes he'd brush it off, others he'd call it out as ridiculous, and times like this, he indulged her. And hearing that quiet gasp and seeing her reaction of melting backward into the chair; that almost made the whole day worth it right then and there.

Adell carefully continued his work, bending down to one knee and reaching over to get a better angle as she relaxed. Unfortunately, his afterimages began to fade; an effect he felt was all too brief, but alas. For now, it served its purpose.

Admittedly, even his mind trailed toward how he could spoil her even more; several thoughts passed through the deeper recesses of his psyche. He was kneeling down and did have a wonderful view and great opportunity... but his conscious mind put a brake on most of those thoughts. He reasoned that as tired and hungry as Seraphina was, perhaps now wasn't the best time to try anything remotely daring. For now, he'd focus on indulging what he knew she wanted, and making sure to do a damn good job of it.

For several more moments, he indulged in her pleased noises and flushed face, adding a gentle heat to the tips of his fingers to work out just a little more tension if he could.]

Your shoulders next, Sera?

[♥]

My feet instead?

[Her tone was as pleasant as it'd been all day, his warm magic working its way into her skin. She teasingly wiggled her toes at him, smiling and sunken into the couch.]

No one else's thumbs will do.

[Adell's eyes shot right back over to hers, giving her a knowing stare. Not one of irritation or complaint, but one that clearly said you're bein' real greedy right now. It was playful, but the look was unmistakably a call-out.

His eyes then trailed down her legs, down to her feet and her dancing, waiting toes. Quiet for a long moment as he still massaged her temples, he then looked back up to her, and leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead. The heat and gentle pressure ceased as he withdrew his hands, and then sat back down on the floor in front of her.]

All right, give 'em here.

[He pretended to sound a little put upon, but it was an obvious act, much like hers. Still, he was still very serious about making sure he did it right. Taking one of her feet into his hands, his strong fingers went to work, starting on her toes and working their way down into the balls of her feet, where he put more pressure and even some relaxing heat.

...Those high heels of hers had to play hell on the front of her foot.]

Mm~

[And yet she always got what she wanted. Hohohohoho. She relaxed again, sighing deep in her chest and watching Adell with barely cracked eyes. In truth, her shoulders were far sorer but seeing him on the floor crouched down for her was nice. Not in the way of her usual games, of men submitting to her power, bending their backs and exposes their blindsides to her.

No. It was Adell, who in recent months had been so tantalizingly close yet so far away. It's her nature, in these moments, to daydream and with each press of his fingers and thumb, her mind paints a tale she's very much interested in. Time passes, her gentle hums filling the space between the two of them. When He squeezes her heel she's in deep, picturing her toes walking up his stomach and chest, hooking her heel over his shoulder to trap him between her thighs, his face pressing into her stomach, it would be so easy to --]

DING DONG DING DONG DING

[At the sound of the doorbell Seraphina jumps, nearly whacking Adell in the face with her foot.]

They said they had fixed the volume by now...!

[But that smell--]

Ah, dinner, dinner! [And surprisingly, Seraphina is the one rushing to the door to receive the boxes of food, rather than asking Adell to do it. A creature ruled by her appetites indeed.]

[Seemingly oblivious to Sera's daydreaming, Adell was contented listening to her make satisfied noises as he worked on her feet. Of course, the only thing that stops him from getting a swift kick in the face is a quick jerk back when he sees it coming. Initially confused, he quickly realized the sound of the doorbell, and made ready to get up and answer it... but frankly, Seraphina was up in a flash and at the door before he could get any further.

Instead, he simply shrugged and got up, washed his hands quickly, and fetched some of the plates and napkins she had stashed away, taking them to a table, to make ready for the inevitable mountain of food heading their way.

Of course, the smell of the meal permeating through the area practically made his mouth water and his stomach loudly rumble again.]

Holy hell, that smells like ambrosia right now.

[It takes her a grand total of three trips to get all the food to the table and it creaks in warning when the last steaming box is placed on top of it, but who cares? Since her phone call, Seraphina has embraced that this is happening, no matter the fancy napkin drabbed across her lap and the nice fluted water glass. There are pounds of fast food sitting between them and they're going to eat like animals in front of each other in pure domestic bliss.

This sort of thing would have been unthinkable to her pride a year ago but now - Sera is digging in and gnawing on her bones for every last scrap of meat and cartilage to chew on.]

There's nothing like the snap of crispy fried skin~! Adell, I renounce my previous secret shame. There is only joy, euphoria, and facial cleanser, so much facial cleanser but that's my future self's problem!

[Indeed, this was happening. Once Adell sat down, he unbuttoned the wrists of his shirt and rolled them up over his elbows, removed his tie, and shoved a huge napkin in his collar to act as a bib for his nice shirt. A napkin covered his lap too, and he had barely finished taking all these precautions before his ravenous, demonic hunger took over.

He too loudly devoured and tore at the flesh of the fried chicken, frequently dipped deeply into the sauces provided, and practically inhaled the mozzarella sticks he'd ordered. There were a ton of them, but they were disappearing at a rate that would normally be alarming. But this was Adell, and his appetite could be infamous, especially when he hadn't eaten enough.

Sounds of relief escaped from the man as he ate, and cracked open the jug of cream soda, practically upending it into his mouth in a display of horrific table manners he would've considered unthinkable even a few months ago. But screw it. This was them cutting loose and enjoying some indulgence.]

Catharsis is a hell of a drug. And so is Cream Soda. God damn. That Bourbon Bomb sauce is just smokey delight made manifest, the deliverer of all chicken everywhere.

This is the actual best!

And the Boo Berry is as delightfully sweet as it is spicy! Ah ♥~ I don't even care about the six hundred forms I had to print out and sign today, the meat is in my blood, and it's only making me stronger!!

[Yeah, she's in sweet sweet food delirium. There's sauce all over her fingers and a splash on her cheek. A true hedonist, but the tell-tale sign of who he's dining with is apparent by how the cleaned off bones are thrown back into empty boxes, keeping her trash from soiling her nice furniture. She had made that careless mistake in her youth. Never again. Never again.]

And we have pie for breakfast... Truly, I am a visionary.

[Even moments in, shoveling food into his face rapidly, his stomach slowly began to quiet and move to a blissful state of completion. Of course, that didn't mean it wanted Adell to stop. So it just meant shoving more curly fries into his gob while nodding along with Seraphina's delirious rambling.]

A sweet, tantalizing way to start the day. Foresight at its strongest from the Oracle Princess Overlord!

[He might be changing his tune by morning, if all of this sits too heavily... he might up eating oatmeal or something equally tame if he wakes up feeling Regret for his culinary indulgence. He can only hope the salad helps take the edge off when he gets to it.

...Not to mention the time he's going to have to spend in the gym or training to burn all this excess energy off. Problems to deal with later, and at least it didn't involve enough facial cleanser to drown someone. Though that might be in his future too, he shouldn't fool himself.]

Wow, these curly fries live up to their name. Real heat, real flavor. Wonder what their secret is and what peppers they use...

Your praise is as satisfying as the pepper seasoned in this skin.

[In times of stress, her metabolism always seemed to catch on and carry her through. Thankfully, Adell hadn't been with her long enough to know about this particular habit. Once Seraphina broke out for delivery, it was a prelude to her stress peaking. At least Patricia hadn't exposed her down in the office.

But enough of that! They're relaxing! And Adell is cute and just the right amount of mess she's endeared rather than repulsed.]

Oh! They were bragging about them in their menu, a new pepper found in an obscure desert Netherworld... [Sera reaches over to one of her stands (after wiping down her hands) and grabs several sheets of paper. On top is the menu of the fried chicken restaurant, she passes it over to Adell without looking up - her attention caught by the sheet underneath. Heavier stock paper, stuck on top is a post-it note from Patricia indicating a few changes to her monthly schedule.

Wait a minute.]

Adell? Why are you in Court all week next week? I didn't ask you to.

[There's no bite to her tone. Merely confused. (For now.)]

[Adell took the menu as she passed it over, though he didn't get long to open it before he heard Sera ask a... more serious question. He looked back up to her. When he had volunteered to do that, that was before the legislative hazing he'd taken... so right now he might be having a bit of buyer's remorse about it. That said, he wasn't prepared to run from it either, but he figured the best thing to do would be honest.]

I heard how crazy next week was supposed to be for you.

[His tone was as it always was, simple and straightforward, though the fatigue of the day had seeped through somewhat.]

I figured I could handle it and if it saved you some headache, it'd be worth doing.

...

[Sera continues looking through the rest of her stack, documents filled with overviews and details - the proposed Assembly schedule and sees what exactly Adell will be attending. She frowns when she looks up at him.

If he's going to be straightforward about it, then so is she. She's never anything less when it comes to managing her Netherworld.]

You know none of the groups on the floor like you. Until they respect you even enough to amount to the smallest grain of sand they'll just halt everything to a snail's crawl. Imagine today Adell, but imagine it three times as long.

And this isn't even factoring preparing you beforehand for the Bill on Thursday!

[He listened to her intently, actually appreciating how frank she was about it. It wasn't pleasant to hear, but having it out there was important. And frankly, if anyone knew how it was going to go down, it was her.

He sighed, wiping his hands clean with a napkin before rubbing his right temple with his thumb.]

Yeah, I know I'm not exactly... popular. When I volunteered to go, I underestimated just how far they'd go to gridlock the whole damn thing up. And you're right, they're just going to try to eat me alive again on the floor if they can.

[And it pains him to admit it, having to swallow a lot of that pride of his, demonic or no. Back in Veldime, he was a big fish... and here, he could be, but he'd have to earn it first. But earning it was proving to be a much tougher prospect than he imagined so far. He hated backing down from anything, and Sera doubtlessly knew that about him, but... at the same time, he knew her assessment of next week was spot-on.]

...I'm honestly not sure what I should do. Preparing for the Thursday bill's going to be... well, impossible, really, if they jam up the entire process like today. Just not enough hours in the day to get it all done.

[Even if the will to do his best for her was there... time wasn't exactly something either of them could bend to their will. ...Yet.]

[She huffs, crossing her legs. Her brain overflowing with calendar dates and time commitments. Him being honest was good but. But.]

When you agreed to go, Patricia scheduled a meeting with a neighboring Netherworld in the middle of the week, and now I won't even be here.

You should have talked to me first! Because now we have to figure out how to pass this Bill before it gets swept into next month or WORSE. Adell! [And the stress finally snaps off of her tongue:] I know you're selfishly selfless but this could screw me over big time! You weren't prepared for this at all!

You're right. I should've.

[...Oh, wonderful. Things just got that much worse, huh? Well, you know what they say about the road to hell...

He took a long drag of soda, feeling some stress return back to his head. The wheels in his head visibly started to turn. After a moment, he set the bottle down, and then folded his hands on the table. Okay. This was now officially a mess and it needed to get addressed.

He didn't take the stressed statement personally, though. Because frankly, she was right. He got in over his head with good intentions and now they had to do something about it.]

I am sorry. ...But just an apology's not gonna cut it. So whatever it takes to get prepared for it, I'll do it. And I won't be doing something stupid like this again.

no subject

1/3

2/3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject