She looks over the missives and for the first time she pauses and has anything else but scorn in her heart for Ven. A smidge of pity has wiggled in, as she sees this cousin and that sister and that greatuncle being watched over and protected by demons under Ven's control. This. This is not what a power mad warlock behaves like. This is what somebody who's desperately homesick might behave like. Somebody who for all their flaws loves their family.

Piripiri loves her family. She does what she does for them, it's the root of her oaths of obedience. And that is the best way to her heart.

Good thing that all of them are up north and untouchable!

And the snooping comes to an end, eventually, as a snake-daughter overacts (sloppy, sloppy, you need to sell this on being boring and routine) her need someplace else. A betrayal, stealing away the bound maid before Ven can discover the trick? Further torment? Something else?

Something else wins as one is lead to an empty and mouldering storeroom and immediately pressed against the wall. No. This will not do. Not at all, one has obligations, one has things one must do. One cannot afford to be seduced by a (admittedly tempting) snake demon.

One must do the seducing.

A casual stroke along the jawline, thumb guiding the demon to look into my eyes, as the hand curls possessively around her neck, not even squeezing but making a statement. Mine. Eyes on me, spare hand pinning her hands behind her, rope handily placed (likely by the demon, thoughtful and a planner, one must remember this) and looped lazily around each wrist. Follow the pattern, a light coil around the chest, another. Look into my eyes. You can stop this at any point, it's loose enough to slither out and turn the tables, you just have to want to. And you won't.

Eyes on me, not this one, me, as I loop further coils, the demon so distracted with her breathy sighs that I can have the rope dance on it's own and not need to move each loose knot into place by hand. Doing in seconds what takes another minutes or hours. Eyes on me. You could demand your control back at any time. You don't want to.

One last, sharp pull, and she's left suspended from a handy trio of bolts, an artful curve of tail set just a foot above the ground, able to escape if only the rope would give that few precious inches. The gag is almost an afterthought, layers of cloth from what's handy, tied firmly (not too tight, no need to hurt the poor girl) in place. A writhing demon with nothing to do but sit there and savor the defeat.

She steps away with a wink and a single finger to her mouth, hush, and desperate and highly muffled cries respond. For freedom, for more, or of simple, pleasurable frustration, it doesn't matter, as they are silenced when she closes the door.

Time to properly explore the castle. Azazuka is somewhere here. She should not be. One should at least attempt a rescue.

[quote]Defy Disaster with Grace to escape. That's a cheerful 13.[/quote]