[PRP] The Magnificent Seven

[shibrogane]

Tae-yul watched his sister as she stared out the window and twisted the ring around the fourth finger of her left hand. It was a simple thing, silver with a tiny chip of diamond in- she didn't like it when her jewelry was obtrusive, unless it was something to break up space on her arms or her throat. He knew that, but he still thought she should have picked something that said she was engaged much more obviously. "If you don't want to draw attention to it, stop playing with it," he said flatly. She jumped (he wondered if she'd forgotten he was there) and turned away from the window. "If you want to see your fiance so badly," he sneered, "then go."

"That's not it," she murmured, moving to sit down in a comfortable wooden chair. The blush on her face told a different story, at least to her brother. "Besides, we have to be here."

He snorted and looked away. The majority of the group had wandered out at some point- bathroom, one of them had said, another had said they needed fresh air, and then Pride hadn't been introduced yet. Hae-min had hinted that she knew who it was, or who it would be, or who it was planned to be, but he hadn't been able to make her tell. "They'll come in soon," he said flatly.  

[Krysin]

He was pale, and the youthful vigor seemed to have been drained out of him by the situation. He had been bullied and threatened into becoming something he did not want to be, and that would not sit well with him for long. But, for now he accepted it, because he didn't want Neil to lose him. Beyond anything else, that was what he was most concerned with. Neil had been through too much, and Soah couldn't stand the thought of what could happen to Neil if he died. So, he was resolved to live, and thus would put up with being this... Sin thing. He hardly knew what it entailed, but as long as he was alive for Neil, the details didn't matter much. He knew Neil would be upset, but there was nothing he could do about it. Compared to the alternative... being alive and a Sin was better than being dead, for Neil's sake.

Soah climbed up the stairs, entering the room where he was told that Neil would be, and to his shock Neil wasn't there. He wheeled around, to try and fix an accusing eye on Martel. He would not have lies from her, and he didn't care that she was the Legion, or whatever she proclaimed herself to be. She would die if she had tricked him. "Where's Neil?" His voice came out in a distressed croak, and he hardly knew how much he needed the older man right now. He had been put through a certain amount of injustice, and his youthful mind wasn't strong enough to deal with it.

"Where is he?"  

[shibrogane]

He watched his sister stand up, a certain amount of pain going through her eyes. Tae-yul didn't quite understand what she felt in reaction to the boy; he knew that he was irritated, though. "Sit down, boy," he muttered. He fell resentfully silent at a look from Hae-min.

"Do you mean Neil?" There were only six Sins so far, and four of them female. Since Tae-yul himself was there, it was reasonable to assume the stranger meant Sloth. "He stepped out for a moment. I'm sure he'll return. You're..." Her face contorted a little, just around the eyes, not so anyone else would notice but her brother could tell she was trying to remember something. "Soah, right? You're staying with Brad?"

She held out both her hands. It was an odd parody of the gesture the mistress had made before to him, but where that woman's had ended to Soah's detriment, it was clear Hae-min only meant well. "Come sit with me. He'll be right back, I promise."  

[Slanndalous]

Sleep well, Avarita...

With a snort, Mandy awoke. Her common brown eyes stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Her head hurt. It happened when she slept past twelve, it must have been the afternoon or something. Owwie. Lifting her head slowly, she noticed Grigsby wasn't on her bed anymore. Tsh, couldn't even wait for her to get up.

"Finally..."

Mandy whipped her head to the left, finding Grim sitting on the hard floor. "Well.... sorry... I was..." She paused to yawn. "Really tired... I usually sleep in this late..." Groaning, she rubbed her face vigorously, trying to get all the tiredness off.

"7 days? Really...?"

Her hands stopped and she peeked through her dainty fingers. "........ Excuse me?"

"You have been asleep for a week...."

Hmmm that didn't seem right. Though, Grigsby wouldn't really lie to her. But a week? Damn. Really? Wow, that was pretty incredible. Ew, she hoped she didn't have bedsores. Gross! She'd so sue. "Mmmnn... Where's my bra....?"

"You threw it at me after you broke it...."

"Haha ohh yeah... Haaaha!" She snorted and breyed like a mule, pointing at Grigsby who walked off elsewhere. "Aww hey c'moooon... I was jes kidding..." Ah well, ******** him. He was too sensitive for his own good. Slipping out of bed, Mandy stretched her arms to the sky and let out a nice moan. "Mmmmm...." Scratching at the bottom of her bosoms, she staggered to the door and left to find Grimmybuns.

"Hey wh-- Ohh...." New people. Combing through her mass of curly hair, she stumbled into a well-lit room that made her squint. "Guys havin' a party or somethin'...?" She yawned once more and suddenly remembered she hadn't attempted to put her bra back on. She was probably nipping. She did her best to cover them inconspicuously. "Hey where's uhhh... Mr. Rofocale?"  

[Chrystali]

He'd been outside for time, his brow dark, face unmoving. She had stood by his side in silence, but there was something wrong. It was obvious by the way she kept looking towards the house, as if she could see straight into it and to a specific point, unblinking and aware. Neil was used to this look, but it unnerved him that she was doing it here, especially given what the task was for.

"It's done."

Startled grey eyes turned to the Prince with inquiry. It was the first thing she'd said since they'd arrived at the house, and there was a look on her face. An expression, one he hadn't seen before and he couldn't place. It was the look one one that had unwillingly accepted a cold truth, and seeing it on a demon's face was likely one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life. "What's done, 'taroth?"

Her eyes never turned ot him, instead back into the room from whence they had come. He didn't like leaving Hae-min, but he needed to breathe damnit. His thoughts were interrupted as she spoke again. "He will need you, human."

"Who'll need me?"

"Superbia."

Neil frowned. Astaroth rarely gave anyone or anything a name, unless they were of equal or higher ranking than herself. She always called him 'human' (and occasionally 'Akedia') called Brad 'the dark one,' Merihem 'Incubus' and Soah 'the boy.' That she was naming a person - or so he was assuming - meant trouble for him. "Nay, nae a being in that small dollop of 'ell needs me--"

"You will go inside, human." Her voice took on a thread of ripping metal, a hiss of her demonic tone. "You will uphold your position."

He shot a nasty look at her. "Our agreem'nt--"

"Will be null if you are not there to comfort him."

Ice water would have been warm compared to the chill that wrapped around his spine. There was only one he'd need to comfort, one who was not with him on the weekends...

...he had met Lucifuge before...

The red-head turned on his heel and walked sharply back into the room, eyes narrowing as they tried to adjust to the change of climate and over all atmosphere. It was like walking into another world. Neil didn't dare say the name out loud, didn't dare to think his quickly boiling fear would have any merit.

If that b***h betrayed him...

"You have joined us."

It was Astaroth's voice, and she spoke with familiarity. Neil didn't want to, but he felt his eyes find his demon, felt his body turn to see where she looked. He saw Hae-min, saw some blonde on the floor with a dog, and by the door a smaller but loved frame. His mind simply stopped working, his breath caught in his throat and his heart ceased to beat. The man felt as though he would die on the very ground he stood, and if someone didn't remind him to breathe, he might very well pass into the next life right then and there. "...Soyah?"  

[Krysin]

His indigo eyes landed briefly on Hae-min, and the look in them was of distress that was only slightly soothed by being told that Neil was only outside. His gaze was drawn to the other doors, his mind trying to figure out which one most likely Neil had gone through. He had to find Neil, had to tell him that he hadn't meant for this to happen... had tried his best to fight against it and avoid it. Soah was so intent on finding Neil that he almost hadn't seen Hae-min's gesture. He was startled by it, startled enough to finally say something more. "Yeah, I'm Soah." He looked at the hands held out to him, and tentatively he stepped over to her. Really, he was just a little cautious, because the gesture was so similar to one he had seen only a few minutes before.

His glance was briefly cast in Mandy's direction, and to see that unpertrubed behavior upset. It was as if she didn't think anything was wrong. It was as if every single person in this room didn't care that this wasn't right. He found that he couldn't stand to look at her, nor to look at Tae-yul. Hae-min was the only person he could bear to lay his eyes upon, and he didn't really know why. Perhaps it was because she was trying to be kind to him, and he could genuinely appreciate that.

He had been about to take her offer and take a seat, but a door had opened...

"Neil..." His voice twisted weakly in his throat, and just as the distress was beginning to weaken, it rose up now stronger than ever. He hardly noticed Astaroth standing beside his lover, hardly even heard her speak. His eyes, his mind, and his heart was locked onto Neil, and he spun away quickly from the seat he had just about taken. He couldn't stand to be away from Neil. He needed him, his comfort and his tender words. He came into Neil's arms quickly, wrapping his good arm around Neil's torso tightly as he buried his head underneath his lover's chin.

"Neil," he whimpered softly, his distraught clear in his voice, tears budding in his eyes, because he could no longer keep it in when Neil was around. "I-I'm sorry, s-so sorry..."  

[Chrystali]

As the teen fastened himself to Neil's chest, the man felt his insides start to cooperate again, his heart thundering to catch up on the missed beats, exhaling in a shaky sigh. His arms wrapped tightly around the teen, not caring as his internal wounds groaned in protest. "'ey," he murmured softly, nuzzling his lover's blonde hair, "what are y'doing 'ere? Ye did nae follow me, did ye?" Why else would the younger man be here?

"Shh," Neil kissed the top of the teen's head, "what's this? Apologizing?" Too many questions, and in the presence of two Sins he knew and one he did not...he didn't want his pure Soah exposed to them. Turning his back as though he could act as a physical shield against what was in the room, he lifted a hand to gently cup the teen's jaw, thumb stroking his cheek. "Lad, this is nae a good place t'be right now. I'll walke ye 'ome if ye want."  

[Slanndalous]

What the ******** was up with these two? She felt like she was in the twilight zone. Maybe she was growing a tumor and this was just the side effects. It was like she was watching a drama onstage. And wasn't that kid a little young? He looked twelve. Maybe they were broth--well they didn't look anything like brothers. The older one had an accent. Maybe the younger was adopted-- yeah the benefit of the doubt wasn't working. Not that there was anything wrong with that! She was all for freedom and gays and their rainbows and s**t; she was no one to judge what with her felony record. Tired of standing, she flopped down on the plush carpet with as much demure as she could muster so early after waking up.

Luckily her beast of a dog came in, clicking away on his nails and sat beside her, literally towering over. "Where did you go?"

"Heaven forbid one of us is productive..." Grim had been sniffing through the rooms, surveying the house as best he could. It helped if they needed to leave in a hurry.

She sniffed sourly, a bit angry with herself for not being a little more wary. She hadn't even asked that mistress' name! She was getting sloppy.  

[Ravina Loki]

Ifrit really could not handle this girl anymore. Ever since that first meeting with Lucifuge she had undergone one hell of a transformation. Once calm and extremely well at self control the girl was now wearing a thin mask of calm over an extremely irritable tick. The fire demon swore it was like PMS twenty-four seven and he readily took every and any chance he could to go out and get wasted, which was becoming more and more often as Claire would shut herself up in her room while on an uncontrollable tirade. That was, of course, after she had destroyed several things and raged at him. Didn't matter the emotion, she did. And after the summoner would go all melancholy on him and be apologizing nonstop.

The demon surmised the tick would expand as his summoner's little "gift" from the last time enlarged and gorged itself. It was Gluttony after all. And Claire was becoming more and more of a glutton and not just over food, over things she had never had any interest in before. Not that Ifrit cared of course. Stupid thing signed her name, it was all her problem. Ifrit watched and listened in, swaying slightly. He was hungover to the third degree, but still somewhat wary of what was going on. Claire had vanished off somewhere, calm and collected for now. She had better get back soon, Ifrit did not fancy wandering from his spot.

Elsewhere Claire had gotten lost, not remembering if she had been in this area before or not. The tick, as her demon called it, wasn't acting up yet but the more lost she became the more worried she became. And with no self control that worried feeling could and probably would become hysteria. The dark haired woman stopped and turned around surveying the way she had come.

"Only I could get lost like this." She sighed as though at her own stupidity. "Only me..." Claire trailed off, feelings of self doubt starting to rise. She'd probably start crying soon and berating herself as well. She was overtired despite sleeping for a handful of days and she really did not remember this place. Where had she come from and where was the place she was supposed to be?  

[shibrogane]

She smiled. Wondering why, he stood to offer Mandy (with the dog) a hand up. Really he didn't want to, but he'd gotten a dagger-sharp look from his sister and didn't want to mess with her now that she had a little more control... and self-confidence. "My name is Hae-min," said his sister as he stood there without comment. "Is everything-" Then the redheaded man came back from where ever he'd gone (Tae-yul didn't care) and she was distracted. Back to twisting the ring around her finger again, she sat back in her chair before continuing on a different tack.

"Soah is Superbia," Hae-min said, self-conscious to Tae-yul's familiar eye. "He belongs here, too, Neil."

He shifted and sighed loudly, eying Mandy and in fact the entire gathering with barely concealed distaste. "Where did Gluttony go," said Wrath flatly, an undercurrent of anger in his voice. "Envy also has yet to arrive."

"Calm down!"

With a glare, he nonetheless capitulated as best he could. Tae-yul fell silent and ground his teeth.

--

Lamia looked pitilessly on Claire and offered one poison-covered hand. "Come with me, Tirre," she ordered. The serpentine qualities of her voice were lost in the quiet syllables.  

[Ravina Loki]

Claire looked over at the serpent like demon. Where had she come from?

"You seem to know where to go. Lead, and I shall follow." Calming down, though there was some elation at being found in her voice. Claire looked at the hand and knew there would be some danger taking it. She merely waited for the demon to proceed. As they walked she remained quiet, eying the walls for anything that would remind her. None did. As they rounded the corner she saw her demon.

"Still here?"

Ifrit was still waiting, though now he had sunk to the ground and was fiddling idly with the border at the foot of the wall. This was getting ridiculous, where the hell was the girl? Still, he would not leave this spot. If he, in his still drunken state, moved and got lost, he'd be the one to pay for it. So the fire demon remained seated. The voice brought his head up.

"And where the hell have you been?"

"Got lost." The summoner responded sheepishly. "Having fun time on the floor?"

"Shut it." Ifrit snapped as he rose. "Get in there before we both get reprimanded." He nodded at Lamia quickly before ushering his summoner in the door. "Next time you tie a bell or something around your wrist, dammit."  

[Krysin]

He shook his head in rejection to the idea that Soah had followed Neil here. If Neil didn't want to be followed, Soah wouldn't follow. He'd sit at home and wait patiently for Neil, and not question what Neil had been up to unless he was willing to share the information with him. But, it felt so good to be in Neil's arms, to have the man nuzzle his yellow hair. It made him never want to leave the security of those arms, it made him want to follow Neil to the ends of the earth, no matter what the other man felt about it.

Oh, he sorely wanted to go home... he wanted to get away from the people that were gathering in this room. He wanted to get away from the truth, but he didn't have much of a choice but to stay, and so he remained rooted to the spot, his arm tightening even more around Neil, so he could almost crush them together in his need for comfort. Soah had chosen the silent route, mostly because he didn't know how to break the news to Neil... because he knew Neil would be unhappy. This wasn't what Neil had wanted for him, and yet Soah could do nothing to change the fact that this had happened. He hated it, yes, but he couldn't change it. He, so badly, did not want Neil to know.

...And then Hae-min's voice spilled the truth, and he shuddered, screwing his eyes shut and trying to pretend that it had not happened. "I-I didn't want to..." he whispered this fervently, silently willing Neil to believe him. "I-I didn't have a choice, I wouldn't have done it if I had a choice!" Oh, he so badly wanted Neil to know that he had not done this on purpose. He didn't want Neil mad at him.  

[Slanndalous]

"Ohh uhh--" Mandy looked up at Tae-yul, wrinkling her nose as he tried to remember his name. He had run off so quickly when she had come to Eddy's shop, the young brunette hadn't really caught it. "I'm... I'm fine... I like to just watch people...." You could learn a lot about people their mannerisms and ticks. It came in handy sometimes.

Leaning forward, she smiled at the young woman behind Tae-yul and waved a dainty hand. "Hi I-- ehh...." Hae-min seemed to drift back off to la la land. "... Allright then..." It reminded her of that one girl. Uhh what was her name? Jezebel or something. She was a weird girl, but cute in her own awkward creepy way. Mandy wondered what happened to her? "Oh so yeah... Mr. Rofocale... do yooou know like where he went? Or what's her face....?" Or why all these people were here?

She looked back at the two simpering males with a look of horror and perverted curiosity. "What's up with them?" What poor choice did this little boy claim he was forced into? Everyone had a choice Mandy always thought. They weren't always fair, but you can take the bullet. The weak were forced, the strong could choose.  

[Chrystali]

Confusion. Superbia? That was the name Astaroth had said, but to Neil, it sounded like some bad song name. His grey eyes darted down sharply at the teen whispered, his invisible hackles immediately standing on end. "What? What 'appened?" The man's dark gazed snapped to the demoness near by. "What th'ell does Superbia mean?"

Astaroth looked at him with her blank expression, but that look was still in her eyes. "As you are Akedia, human, your boy is Superbia. He is Pride."

For the first time in his life, he understood the saying to 'see red.' Anger welled in his chest, tightening his embrace around the injured boy, first turning on Hae-min. "Ye knew?" he hissed, his own Sin driving him into rage. Grief and guilt pawed at him, the melancholy and helplessness making an ugly cocktail of Sloth. "Ye knew and ye did nae say anything or stop it?" And here he thought the demure young woman was so warm and kind! What the hell was wrong with her?

What was wrong with all of them?! He had accepted his perverse title to spare the shivering teen in his arms, and this was how that crazy multi-voiced wench thought she was upholding their agreement? "Say now what ye want," he growled, narrowing his eyes, "because I will nae stay 'ere any longer. Bunch of lying, back-stabbing demons, the lot of ye." Neil's anger was not the explosive type, but the cold, slithing unforgiveness of a sharp blade. Everyone in the room could very well go to hell and burn for all he cared, but they could not have his Soah.  

[shibrogane]

"Hello, Claire," Tae-yul muttered as he pulled Mandy up. With an acidic tone, he answered her question: "The b*****d is downstairs with his mistress. Where did you expect him to be, woman?" To the second question, he shrugged as he let go of Greed. "I don't know, neither do I find it possible for me to care."

At Neil's outburst, he scowled and glanced around the room. "You don't," he started to roar, but Hae-min cut him off with a somewhat harried wave of her hand even as she flinched back from the upswell of anger.

Clenching her hands in her skirts, she leaned forward and half-rose. "No," she snapped, "I didn't know, not until he walked in! Lamia wouldn't let anyone but a Sin inside this room. I knew when I heard he would be here that she was going to ask but I didn't ever- I would ever-" She lapsed for a moment, mumbling incoherently; Tae-yul couldn't hear the exact words. Her accent was much stronger than Neil's normally, though it tended to surface more in overemphasized vowel combinations than anything, but it seemed she was distressed enough that her perfect diction fell apart. "I know what this is like! I ask Lucifuge to look for someone else, anyone else-" Then she fell silent, sitting back in the chair with none of her usual grace.

"I highly doubt Lamia or the Prime Minister would let you leave," Tae-yul said, delighting in the currents of the room. "Besides, Akedia, you're a demon as well." He sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.