Having been out on the town when they received their summons for debriefing, Team Psychosoma had to make their way from the bustling commercial district of the city to the meeting place. They could have driven, but Raythe opted to walk a while before calling their ride, this way Alcera could enjoy her time out in the light of the public world. While his partner did as she pleased, Raythe glanced about through his shades at people, guessing in his head what each was like. Sometimes he made up stories to describe them, before swiftly casting them off.

[i]Sometimes[/i] he actually approached them to compare and contrast. More often than not though, it was fun to make the stories, then cast them away in favor of focusing on more important issues. You know, like getting his partner to flirt slightly less with everything that breathed. Joking aside, Alcera really was overflowing with sexuality. It was a fact that the people around them could [i]hardly[/i] ignore. [color=#839CA5][b]"You know, you really need to calm down, Alcera. At this rate you're going to cause a city-wide panic due to spontaneous orgasm,"[/b][/color] he grinned at her, his words poking fun, as was their usual dynamic.

"You love it." Alcera responded with a coy grin and soft scoff, her body moving in rhythm to music that was playing through a pair of headphones around her neck. Her hips swayed to and fro as she walked, her eyes watching people incline their heads as they passed her from the corner of her eyes. A soft laugh escaped her lips when the two walked passed a construction site and a symphony of catcalls echoed through the air. Maybe Ray was right. Then [i]again[/i]... What was the harm in being attractive?

[i]Speaking of attractive...[/i] The thought floated through her mind as she lagged slightly behind Raythe, making a show of looking him up and down. "Mmm-mm. Too bad your coat is in the way." The Asylum cooed to her partner watching as a [i]boy[/i] they passed locked eyes with her and then proceeded to clutch his chest in front of his friends. She was briefly able to catch the words [i]damn[/i] and [i]fine[/i].

Thinking about it, Alcera noted that he was attracting just as much attention as she was. Women couldn't keep from gawking at him in passing. Some even completely turned around from the direction they were moving to keep watching. Alcera simply smirked. [i]'You, have no room to talk about causing a spontaneous orgasm.'[/i]

Rolling his eyes as she lagged behind, knowing full well what she was doing, Raythe grinned slightly at her comment through their link. [color=#839CA5][i]'Mmm, except you do it on purpose more often than I do. Not that we don't abuse the power it brings often enough,'[/i][/color] he half turned while they walked, glancing back at her, a grin on his features before he turned around to watch his path again.

[i]' Look at them. I can imagine that there's a waterfall going on [b]somewhere[/b].'[/i] She responded, grinning when he looked back at her. She couldn't help but wink at him.

He snorted quietly and chuckled lightly at her antics. [color=#839CA5][i]'Yes yes, wetness and all that jazz. I'm [/i]sure[i] it's just that bad.'[/i][/color]

[i]'Boo. Ruining my joke. I'm fairly certain it is.'[/i] She skipped ahead of him and turned around to face him, walking backwards. When her bright amber eyes locked on his, she fanned herself. [i]'I mean, [b]really[/b], you're [b]awful[/b]. If I wasn't me, well, I'd just [b]die[/b] from [b]heatstroke[/b].'[/i]

He raised an eyebrow at that, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips as she fanned herself. He brought a hand up and pushed his hair back in a single motion, raising his chin, before catching her eyes, [color=#839CA5][i]'I suppose I [b]am[/b] quite fabulous, mmm?'[/i][/color] His grin widened.

Alcera could [i]feel[/i] the swoon his movement had illicited from several women they passed as he did it. [i]'Naughty, naughty boy. And [b]I[/b] do it on purpose.'[/i]

A solitary [color=#839CA5][b]"Heh,"[/b][/color] sounded at her response, his hand falling back to his side and into a pocket, while his other hand continued to move his cane in pace with his stride. [color=#839CA5][i]'Quiet you,'[/i][/color] he responded, eyes gleaming with amusement.

[i]'Mm. Order me again~.'[/i] Alcera laughed audibly at her own joke, causing people to glance in her direction in confusion.

He raised an eyebrow at her, noting the increase in attention. He sighed and shook his head, reinforcing the act as he appeared almost embarrassed at her emphatic display. [color=#839CA5][b]"Please Alcera, it was [i]hardly[/i] that funny you know,"[/b][/color] he responded, voice low, accentuating his seeming want to deflect attention. Some heads turned away, their curiosity sated by his response. Just a friend or couple with some in-joke, Raythe theorized they might figure.

"You're such a dork. I can't believe you thought it was a good idea to try and 'white-boy' dance at the club." Alcera followed Ray's lead with a seemingly sadistic pleasure.

He frowned and looked away, forcefully shoving his hand further into his pocket as he did so, eyes averting from her before returning, frown deepened, [color=#839CA5][b]"Shut up, okay, it wasn't [i]that[/i] bad. I was just...out of practice, you know."[/b][/color] He mumbled the last bit, cane striking the ground a bit harder with each step, as if venting his frustrations. To anyone paying attention, it would have seemed odd that someone with such good fashion sense and poise was acting so awkward.

Personally, Raythe [i]enjoyed[/i] the psychological tricks that the contrast would play on their audience.

As if feeling bad for what she'd said, Alcera dropped her pace and stopped in Ray's path. "Hey. You know I didn't mean it like that." A soft, apologetic smile formed on her lips, and she moved toward him. As she stretched out her hand to caress his cheek, she heard a few of the women who had stopped to watch what was going on whispering to themselves loud enough for the next state over to hear. They were saying things about how they would treat Ray right if they were with him, and how Alcera didn't deserve him. 

In defiance of their words, and continuing with her act, Alcera leaned up toward Ray and brushed her lips against his a smile that only he would notice on her lips. She didn't expect him to reciprocate, after all, this was just an act and she was the one apologizing.

Yet, if he had been of the mind to cease their act, he would have kissed her right then, instead his eyes widened a bit and he looked away, eyes grazing over the women momentarily before shifting back to Alcera, a slight glare fading from them. It was a glare that was not for her. He met her eyes, turning his head at an angle that the women couldn't see one eye, just so he could wink at her, before he strode past her, grabbing her wrist as he spoke. [color=#839CA5][b]"C'mon, let's get out of here,"[/b][/color] he said, looking as if he were pulling her along, though such was hardly the case.

He was [i]so[/i] going to get her back for this. Maybe he would force her to play a similar role to the one he'd played...or maybe. A smirk played over his features briefly, before disappearing.

He knew [i]just[/i] the thing. [color=#839CA5][i]'You know, if you keep pressuring me, perhaps I'll have to be the one to throw [/i]you[i] off your rhythm next time,'[/i][/color]


Alcera followed after Ray, a bewildered expression on her face as she was still ‘in character.’ “Where are we going, Ray?” The girl questioned him as he ‘pulled,’ her along.

In response to his mental statement, she found herself grinning cattily. [i]’Oh, I can’t [b]wait[/b].’[/i]

[color=#839CA5][b]"I know a cool place, better than anything ‘round here at least,"[/b][/color] he said, calling back to her. He slowed down as they got further away, [color=#839CA5][b]"One sec though, I’ve gotta get us a ride there. Too far to walk,"[/b][/color] he pulled his cellphone from a pocket in his coat as he said it, dialing a number.

[color=#839CA5][i]’Gotta head to the briefing, as much as it pains me to say it,’[/i][/color] he voiced to her psychically.

[i]’Lame.’[/i] She responded with a pout both in her voice, and on her face. [i]’I was hoping we’d be able to have a little more [b]fun[/b].’[/i]

He grinned at her in response, the phone still ringing, [color=#839CA5][i]’We’ll be seeing some new faces. I think we can have [b]plenty[/b] of fun with that.’[/i][/color] As he finished the thought, their [i]chauffeur[/i] answered the phone. After a brief conversation on the phone, and then a bit of waiting on their part, the two climbed into the car as it arrived and headed off in the direction of the briefing. His last thought to her before he settled in for the ride was, [color=#839CA5][i]’Plus, there’ll be ice cream.’[/i][/color]

[i]’Yum.’[/i] She responded with a grin, leaning over him to shut the car door.[hr]

Well situated in a position at the center of the group of gathered asylums, the two were each in their own relatively relaxed positions, Raythe leaned back against his chair and Alcera sitting with her knees resting on one of the two armrests, back against the other. His eyes passed over the assorted crowd, vaguely recognizing some from Innocence island, though not from the incident that the Lost Number had mentioned. Others he had only heard of, a pair of which he was [i]quite[/i] excited to see present--though he hardly looked the part.

[i]’Look, Ray, your hero is here~.’[/i] Alcera mocked through their link, a soft chuckle the only thing to reach the air as she cast a teasing glance in his direction.

[i]’For the [b]second[/b] time today, you minx, [b]quiet[/b]. I don’t want you to ruin [b]this[/b] for me, alright?’[/i] His tone was chiding as he spoke into her mind, though the tail end of his thought was a question. He made a point of ignoring her glance, eyes moving away from the Lidless Dragon’s visage till they lay on Angel again.

When it was their turn to introduce their team, Alcera aimed a pointed glance in Ray’s direction. [i]’Not it.’[/i]

In response he only smiled, his hand drifting through the air, palm upwards as he gestured to Alcera, [color=#839CA5][b]“Partner, would you do the honors?”[/b][/color] Their was a teasing look in his eyes as he said it, but there was perhaps more to his actions than mere spite. [color=#839CA5][i]‘If you do it, you’ll get their attention. Make an impression. You know it’s half the fun. Conversely [b]I[/b] can steal your spotlight~. No promises that I’ll give it back any time soon,’[/i][/color] he blinked once, awaiting her retort.

[i]’Steal away, handsome.’[/i] She responded with a grin.

[color=#839CA5][i]’Very well, then [b]you[/b] get to set the stage if I am to play the actor.’[/i][/color] His eyes gleamed with mischief that only she would see as he [i]said[/i] it.

“Aw, don’t be nervous~. You’ve got this.” She smirked as she spoke.

[color=#839CA5][b]“Mmm,”[/b][/color] he uttered, shaking his head and spreading his arms in a gesture of conceding the point. [color=#839CA5][b]“I admit I am caught in a unique place here. It’s not often that we run into people who don’t know us already, in some fashion or another. We tend to leave quite the...mmm, lasting impression.”[/b][/color]

“Mnn, [i]definitely[/i] lasting.”

He exchanged glances with his partner as she responded before returning his full attention to the group, standing as he did so, his cane punctuating the action as he leaned on it. There was a distinct noise as it pushed down against the floor almost as if it were far heavier than it appeared--it was. [color=#839CA5][b]“Nonetheless, I am Raytheon S. Abelli, and my esteemed partner here,”[/b][/color] his arm swept out to indicate her once more, [color=#839CA5][b]“...is Alcera, Koraya. Strisirin.”[/b][/color]

[color=#839CA5][b]“Individually we are known as the Minimalist and Lucifer’s Muse respectively. Together we are Psychosoma. I assure you that at least I am  quite pleased...”[/b][/color] his eyes shot to Ethan and Ilana, [color=#839CA5][b]“...and humbled, to make your acquaintance.”[/b][/color]

With that he gave them all a curt bow before rising from it, and then gracefully lowering himself back into his seat, one leg crossing the other, ankles touching, his cane resting over his lap as if it weighed nothing at all.

[i]’Awww, are you proud of your not-so-subtle hint? How cute~!’[/i] Alcera teased through their link.

He did not so much as glance her way, his eyes instead unfocused as he used his peripheral vision to gauge the reactions of his audience. He hardly heard her, though his response was nonetheless swift, [color=#839CA5][i]‘It was not meant to be subtle.’[/i][/color]

[i]’Your man-crush, is so adorable.’[/i] She purred.

[color=#839CA5][i]‘It is what it is.’[/i][/color] He responded, attention elsewhere. Not that he couldn’t multitask. He was actively choosing not to.

[i]’What it is, is you having a huge nerdy hard-on for him.’[/i]

[color=#839CA5][i]‘Mmm, that’s funny.’[/i][/color] While he did not look at her, his posture shifted so that his shoulder touched her knee where it draped over the arm of her chair. [color=#839CA5][i]‘Because I could of sworn you were once far worse with [b]me[/b].’[/i][/color] His gaze, at the tail end of the thought, landed on her, where it stayed for a long moment.

After a long moment he broke his gaze, turning his attention again to their surroundings. If that wouldn’t work, then perhaps what followed would. He shifted posture, getting comfortable again, [color=#839CA5][i]‘Just...let me have this, okay?’[/i][/color]

[i]’Mm. Boring. But, fine. Enjoy your fun you nerd.’[/i]

[color=#839CA5][i]‘Thank you.’[/i][/color] He responded gratefully.