Welcome to Gaia! ::

A lot of crazy s**t has happened since the start of October.

For starters, there was that crazy candy corn shaped gremlin monster that had bitten them both. They never did find that little ******** but the fact it hadn’t shown up again meant that either it got away or a youma got it. Either way, it was no longer their problem. That is... unless it was running rampant in the castle somewhere terrorizing the Generals or the Sovereigns… then there would be hell to pay but until someone said anything Laven was going to assume it was dead.

Then there was that crazy haunted funhouse house from the legend she had shared with Wolframite when they were on patrol. It is said that legends are born from some truth, unfortunately, this one held more than either of them bargained for as they were lead through an everchanging labyrinthine after a child’s spirit. What was supposed to be a little bit of a distraction with a dash of procrastination turned into something beyond either of their imagination. There was a part of Laven that wanted to believe that the little girl was just playful and wouldn’t have actually kept them there for eternity but it was a hope she was glad to not have had to pray for as Wolframite was able to get them both out safely

But there were also rumors circulating the barracks about shadow beasts cornering agents and civilians alike. A hound-like creature that would snap its jaws angrily or brush against their legs as they ran for the safety of a street light or well-lit parking lot. It seemed like such an odd sort of story to tell but more and more were talking about it in the cafeteria that it had to be true, at least to some degree.

Perhaps the two of them should have heeded the warnings and been better prepared because but her and Wolframite, along with many other powered individuals including white moon senshi and their knights were pulled into the shadow realm. Objects littered the area around them unseen as they scrambled towards a platform for safety. Just like in the haunted house Laven froze, overwhelmed by the powered auras, sounds of people and shadows pushing she fell into a panic. Not even Wolframite, with all the courage he possessed, was immune to the fear brought on by the heat and flames that burned in the distance.

Laven sat on the edge of her bed smiling while holding Skadi in her lap waiting for Wolframite to return to her room. There were many trials and tribulations that the two of them had been though, but not all was bad.

While they were still wading through unfamiliar waters, they had taken the first steps towards admitting their feelings towards each other and had agreed to give a relationship a try. So far things seemed to be going well enough now that they had made if over that hurdle of awkwardness; which was a good sign. But that wasn’t the reason she sat in her room in apprehensive curious anticipation.

A bet that had been made on the night they had to find the little girl, one that she had lost several times over with how cowardly she was as fear crept up on her when the rooms kept changing and doors disappeared. But a bet was a bet which mean that rather than her picking out outfits for him to wear, he got to choose hers.

“So… are you going to show me what you picked out?” Laven asked loud enough so he could hear her from across the hallway.

“A demon?” Laven’s head canted to the side curiously as she picked up the dress and held it in front of her. “How do you get a demon out of this?” She asked picking up the wings as he retreated towards the door then remembered that they wouldn’t be going out with their glamour on. “Oh… Har har...”

Rolling her eyes in an exaggerated fashion she followed after Wolframite and shut the door behind him so she could get changed. Between the weight of the dress and the feel of the fabric as she ran her hand over the silk and lace, Laven knew that this was not some cheaply made sexy vampire-turned-demon outfit from a party store. No, this more than likely cost him more than he had to comfortably spend with their mini vacation coming up in less than two months or the house they should be saving for.

In all honesty it made her feel a bit guilty receiving such nice things especially since his gift from her was simple, small and stupid by comparison; a small carved rock on a leather chorded necklace rather than chain so it wouldn’t look too feminie. Perhaps she should think of something else to give him instead…

For now though, Laven carefully placed the dress down on the bed then set about removing her clothes and tossing them into her laundry hamper to wash sometime later this week.

With all the careful consideration in choosing accessories, she found it oddly amusing that among the gloves and lace patterned stocking there wasn’t a pair of fancy lingerie hiding somewhere in the pile. Not that she anticipated things between them going that far, but it felt kind of odd to wear simple cotton underwear when everything else was nicer and so she rummaged through her dresser for something silk instead.

“Ha, I did bring them.” Stuffed in the very back of the drawer was the set a friend bought her as a gag gift for her last birthday along with a copy of 40 Year Old Virgin. Thank God it wasn’t a thong because those were uncomfortable and felt like a constant wedgie that could not be fixed. Instead they were actually quite tasteful; not really rizque, but did have a lace accent around the top.

Knowing Wolframite would be knocking on her door any minute she quickly got ready with the exception of the headdress which she needed help with because of her horns and and back of the dress that was designed in such a way that she couldn’t zip it up herself.

“Sneaky b*****d.” she laughed and shook her head, realizing that that was probably one of the reasons he picked it; so he could see her partially undressed even if it was only from behind.

From where she leaned against the side of her bed, Laven shot him a look. One of those where no words needed to be said as that single raised brow and almost smirk on her face told all. She knew that he knew what the answer would be but for now she rather not voice the obvious and just preferred to play along.

“I’m having trouble with the zipper.” Laven turned around and in doing so gave him a full view of the scaled pattern that fell from her shoulders and ran down her spine in an almost diamond shape. It had been a while since he had last seen them or the scars from their first spar; lighter scales on her shoulder and the mark on her lower right back from when she had rolled over the crystal cluster. In the aftermath of their battle, he had been the one to take care of her and patch up the injuries but she was pretty sure that was the last time he had seen them.

“I also need your help with the headdress and wings please.” Both were sitting on her desk next to her more recently carved river stones. Since he started sleeping in her room more often, her mirror had at some point disappeared and without it, she wasn’t sure if the hair accessory was on straight or if it was crooked.

The sound the zipper made seemed louder than it actually was but then again it was probably because her own breathing was far more shallow than normal. There was an acute awareness of his slow movements and the careful pressure of his claws against her scales.

For all the times she has slept beside Wolframite, his actions felt oddly intimate whether he meant them to or not. It wasn’t that she disliked the attention or was put off by it either. If anything she just really didn’t know where it was going or how to respond to that nervous flutter in her stomach.

Wasn’t that feeling supposed to come at the end of the night when he had to help her out of the dress… not into it…?

Either way, Laven felt somewhat relieved when he walked over to her desk and picked up the crown and carefully situated it atop her head without tousling her hair with his claws. He looked at her almost appraisingly it seemed, obviously pleased by his skills in picking out an outfit for her.

“Royalty hmm?” She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

While she didn’t exactly feel like a princess or queen, she did feel kind of cute in the short ruffled skirt. Laven twisted left then right to test how the skirt spun and seemed quite happy with the asymmetric shape of it. The stockings, however, left a little to be desired especially since she could see her shark bite on her calf through the sheer material. A more opaque fabric would have been preferred but they were neither here nor there and their bet kind of allowed him the privilege of picking each piece of the outfit.

It could have been worse, he could have chosen to make her go out without the stockings in which case she would feel uncomfortably exposed. For that, she should be grateful and so she leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his and gave him a very brief yet fleeting kiss least their plans get derailed before making it out of the barracks.

“Thank you. Although,” Laven took a step away and spun around. “I think I prefer to just be a demon, as you put it earlier. Too much responsibility with that title and at least this way I can’t be faulted for any mischief-making.” She stopped after a moment then walked around him appraisingly.

“You make quite the badass looking werewolf.” The outfit suited him very nicely and at least it was something that he could wear again without needing a special occasion.

“Wait, wait!” Laven put her hands on his shoulders to stop him from going just yet. “Need you to turn around for a moment.”

She turned him around and then, with her claws, combed his hair back and pulled it into a low ponytail. For the number of times he had mentioned possibly getting a hair cut, she kind of got the feeling that the longer style was growing on him; pun intended of course.

“Ok, now we can go get in line.” A smile tugged the corners of her lips when she noticed a few strands that weren’t quite long enough to reach the back of his head. But at least, for the most part, it was out of his face and wouldn’t get in the way too much when they ate or drank.

“So… question. What name are we supposed to give if we’re asked?” While she didn’t sense any senshi or knights inside, or nearby, that didn’t mean one wasn’t close. If they overheard their powered names what was to stop them from powering up and causing a scene or to keep a fight from breaking out.

“And… do you intend to mix in a little bit of work while we’re here. Or are we just here to have fun?” Although, a thought she hadn’t really considered was that they could also make a drinking game out of energy gathering. Would anyone really notice if someone randomly passed out if their breath smelled thick of alcohol or their words were slurred?

Laven eyed the girl in the Wonder Woman outfit and had to refrain from rolling her eyes, same with the Poison Ivy costume. However, her eyes did narrow in their direction as a warning to not pursue their obvious curiosities and keep their hands to them damned selves.

Cold weather didn’t affect her as quickly as it did normal people because her own body temperature was naturally lower but this evening was actually chilly, which was evident by the way goosebumps raced up her arms until they reached her scales. She was at least mostly covered, but them… they wore little more than a swimsuit, shoes, makeup and wig. In this kind of weather… come on. At least wear a bra. Then again, with their boobs on display in such a manner they were bound to earn themselves a few free drinks.

Whatever, to each their own, as long as they kept their distance from Winter, she didn’t care what they did or who they did it with.

For once Laven actually felt somewhat relieved that they were not sharing the earring because she didn't want him to know how easily threatened or uncharacteristically possessive their simply inquiries had made her. If this was her reaction while sober she was actually worried what would happen if she got drunk and someone approached him. Then again it kind of made sense after taking in to account that most of their time spent together was either done privately or in under crowded, more open, places.

I just need to be careful. But with how long it has been since she went out drinking, even casually, she wasn’t completely sure what her tolerance level was these days and if her youma nature affected it at all.

As he had instructed, once they were inside, Laven discreetly hid her wallet in her small space pocket to keep it safe. “Honestly I’m not sure. I’m kind of curious if they have any Halloween themed drinks. What about you? Know what you’re going to order?”

Over near the edge of a dance floor, Laven sat at one of the tall tables with bar stools rather than try to fight for one of the booths which were mostly claimed by larger groups. On the plus side, it at least allowed her to see over the head of other patrons and partygoers considering the two of them were probably the shortest ones in the bar.

While she waited for Wolframite to pick out a few drinks, she amused herself by watching a small group, yet slowly growing, group of people dance in sync to the iconic Michael Jackson song. Thankfully it was still a bit early for anyone to be too drunk otherwise she was sure there would be far more accidents with people bumping into one another with how animated the choreography was.

When the music ended and the DJ switched to a new song Laven looked back over to the bar and noticed that he was walking around scanning the faces of those nearby looking for her. “Over here!” She raised her arm and waved him over.

“With what happened at that haunted house, I think you earned the Poltergeist.” Without getting out of her seat, Laven bowed to him teasingly. “With your keen senses and wits you mastered the game of hide and seek, may this be your second… third,” she corrected herself as the young girl had left him a gift and he did win their little bet, “prize.”

Laven lifted the Dracula, a deep red drink served in a unique wine glass made fit for the Lord of Vampires, and tapped it against his. “Happy Halloween,” she repeated in a tone that suited the demon she was supposedly dressed as.

Had it been a brighter color it would have been easier to guess what flavor she might expect, but the darker hue actually had her worried that it would have an overpowering taste of black licorice. However, when she brought it to her lips and took a sip, she was pleasantly surprised by the sweet yet kind of tart taste of blackberry and pomegranate juice that was enhanced by the rum and perhaps a little bit of something else she couldn’t really identify.

“Now that tastes amazing,” She offered the glass to Wolframite for him to try since he was, afterall, the one to pick it out.