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The night was no longer young and it was past time to go. Far, far past time. He shouldn't have taken that drink. Those drinks. And he shouldn't have let himself end up in the center of the dancefloor, partner to nobody and everybody, mirror shard in his palm and wraiths treating it as a revolving door to the feast. He at least remembered to tell them just a little. Most of the time. Just enough to keep it fun.

Most of the time. Two still passed out. Now a third, but he loved this song. He loved the new person sidling up and close, threading their hands in his hair. He loved the little wraith, fat and happy and sparkling as it bobbed into the waiting shard. He loved the new little guy, just a shadow, that slipped out in turn.

Just a bit off the top. One and move on.

A new song came on, even better than the last. The vibe, he felt, was exquisite. Besides, Hybris wasn't one to deal in regrets, only wants and right now.

The sudden order signature almost had Hybris alarmed enough to leave right then and there. For a moment, eyes wide and searching, he paused and then slowed, almost stopping in the center of the dance floor, the situation suddenly at odds with the music. And then...

His eyes lids lowered lazily, a smirk playing across his face. So what? What would the knight be able to do? The signature was weaker than the girl in the park, Stirling. They were in the middle of a very public dancefloor?

Hands reached over to grab his collar, and he leaned in to casually kiss his neighbor, playfully letting the wraith to dip through their body. It had been nearly full and now it popped up, briefly visible, a little disco ball of a creature. It bobbed cutely back into its mirror shard as the stranger leaned up against him, suddenly dizzy and giggling. Hybris gently guided them into someone else's arms and continued to dance like nothing had happened.

Moving along with that pull was only natural, and Hybris was laughing right up until the realization struck in a very obvious widening of the eyes, the drop off of laughter. It wasn't the close proximity of the energy signature that registered through the haze, but rather his hand, sliding over the man's hip to find purchase in a waistband or beltloop and instead finding the now familiar sort of unfamiliar. The tactile sensation of something and someone not quite of this world.

While weaker than Stirling, the man was definitely (one could say enjoyably in other circumstances) stronger than Hybris. This was, just maybe, not the best of situations even if it was a public space.

His mind hadn't caught up just yet, but slipping the delicate shard of mirror into his space had become a well-practiced habit, not requiring thought. In fact, as he kept dancing and moving closer to the knight, he decided not to think too much at all. If he didn't think that he'd done something wrong hard enough, maybe the knight would agree.

Looking into the knight's eyes, Hybris gave him a hopeful little, "Hi?"

Ah. The knight didn't go for it, and Hybris gave a small groan as his arm was further clamped down on and twisted just enough to make intentions clear. Adams apple bobbing, he considered his options. Running was...possible. But not with this grip. So that was an option for future him. Bargaining...maybe? Bluffing, well, he is an actor, after all.

And maybe, Hybris thought, reaching up to wrap his free arm around the knight's neck in a close embrace, it wouldn't actually be bluffing.

"I've been having a lot of fun tonight," he agreed softly in the man's ear. "I can stop now, though, because you told me to and showed me real good. I'll be a much better boy from now on, okay? But, daddy," he added, "...if you make this unpleasant for me? I will make sure both of us have a very bad night, okay?"

Head tipped back, Hybris couldn't hide the nervous swallow that followed, the small flinch at that grip. But, instead of doubling down on the threat or trying to make himself seem smaller, weaker to the point of pitiful and full of regrets, he asked, "Oh? What happened to you?"

And the question, rather than being for distraction or to soften the knight with a show of sympathy, was just genuinely curious. Maybe stupidly curious. But Hybris couldn't help it. He always wanted to know other people's stories. Even if it was, decidedly, not the time.

(Malory had, in fact, strayed into the professor's class a time or two and would absolutely collect gossip on a faculty member at even the least whiff of a juicy opportunity.)

Eyebrows raising, Hybris commented, "A lot of people go missing here, right? At least you're better equipped than most to find them." Sliding his hand from the knight's shoulder, he gave the uniform's hood a little tug. Was there a chance his significant other ran off? Found someone else? There were thousands of little dramas and thrillers he'd read or watched that held some sort of explanation for some up and disappearing. But ever since finding magic, Hybris really just preferred to blame magic. It was easy. It was there.

Around them, the music shifted, slower, quieter, and the bodies around them also slowed to something that felt close to stillness when compared to the frenetic activity just moments before. Head still tipped back, Hybris gave the other man an expectant look and challenged, "So...are you?"

Maybe the knight would decide that looking like a good guy was more important than venting his mood or upholding whatever justice he felt needed to be dealt. Sometimes Order was like that, he'd found. If you seemed harmless enough for long enough, even the angry ones might calm down and try to be nice. Even walk him to a safe mirror.

The sudden pain in his foot had the senshi let out a yelp that was probably a little bit satisfying to hear, right up until it turned into a woman's piercing scream. Lowing the hand that had flown up to obscure their face, the senshi was now...a petite young woman with hair teased high and large brown eyes that stared up at the knight with tearful accusation.

"I said no!" Her voice broke painfully on the words as she tried tugging herself away from him. "Please no!"

Not far away, the same young woman would be looking around a little confused, having heard her own voice. Other dancers around them has stilled to a stop, leaving an uncertain space around the two.

"You're hurting me," and now she was sobbing outright because having tears on tap was one (in his own opinion) of Hybris's greatest life skills. After a few moments of struggle, one of the club bouncers finally intervened.

Placing a firm hand on the knight's forearm, "It's okay man. Be chill, I got it from here."

Hybris's own hand went to his face again to renew the magic, arm still tugging pathetically, messy, hiccupping sobs still audible over the music.

"Get him away from me..."