[b]Piripiri![/b]

The blush and the stammer and the meandering attempts to explain herself further just dig the little demigod into a deeper hole, and make it painfully clear: she wants Han to be her hero, but part of her wants Machi to be her villain. When she saw the N’yari kissing Han, she was jealous [i]of Han,[/i] whatever her growing feelings towards the highlander. And while she knows it’s a terrible thing to think, she still thought: what if Machi gets me alone, carries me off, torments and embarrasses me while I wait for Han to come save me again? Or what if she takes both of us?

But she wants Han. She wants Han’s company. She wants to be around Han more than she wants the flutterings of a maiden’s heart; she wants safety that doesn’t feel safe and she wants more kisses that feel wonderful and she wants to make that surly ruffian smile.

She asked you one question, though, so sincere that it slipped through your defenses like a knife: [i]what are you and the Red Wolf?[/i] And she caught a glimpse, however you might try to hide it, of your true feelings towards Cathak Agata— which may make her dangerous.

However you answered, here you find your feet bringing you deeper below. There’s one more person who you must attend to tonight, after all…

***

[b]Fengye![/b]

The little thing in front of you seems like a sullenly blushing chambermaid, a creature doomed to service and helplessness in either world she might find herself in. She is also one of the soul-fragments of the Broken King, and thus, horrifically dangerous. If there is some way that she could return to what she once was, it would be devastating. She could kill all of you before she was cast back out into Hell. It’s just that she can’t, as far as you know, not without returning to Hell and waging war for her title.

She’s also mumbling and furiously blushing as the seamstress-demon tightens her coils and rubs against her, using some of her loveliest features to smother the little chambermaid’s face. She’s fallen very, very far. How does that make you feel, knowing that she’s ended up in such a pathetic state?

Beside you, in this rather secure cabin, is the Hymairean agent, who took control of the contracts that allow the demons to remain in the world. She’s… prodding. Prying. She’s still suspicious enough not to fully trust your word. And if she finds out the truth, well, that would be very bad, wouldn’t it?

***

[b]Giriel![/b]

It was a chance meeting. Agata kissed your cheek and smacked your rump and told you to run along, she needed to have a [i]private[/i] meeting with an advisor. So here you are, collared and wearing one of those bright, soft Dominion robes, taking the time in the garden on the deck— and there Kalaya was, going through a ritual of Bright Rose Aching, a further plea for a sign.

You should offer your service as a witch, even one so obviously… owned. After all, Kalaya is Agata’s guest, and your duties as a witch are sacred, in their own way. Ask her what she needs. Give her advice. Try not to blush as she stares at the collar and hears the tinkling of the bells.

***

[b]Han![/b]

You heard the quiet voices around the corner, but that didn’t quite prepare you for what you saw, all the same.

The Red Wolf, forearm braced against the wall as she leaned forward, hair half-loose. Her hand, cupping Lotus’s chin, tilting it upwards. Their faces, closer than maybe they need to be for conversation. Lotus’s bare cheeks, flushed, her shoulder blades flush with the door to her cabin.

Lotus jolts when she sees you. “Han!!” Now she’s even more flustered, and it’s hard to tell whether she’s guilty or relieved. The Red Wolf, however, doesn’t show any sign of guilt at all. She lets Lotus’s chin slump back down and catches your eye, her smile completely devoid of self-consciousness.

“Let’s get another opinion, then,” she says, as smooth as ice, as if nothing were wrong at all. “How are [i]you[/i] finding my hospitality, Han?”

(It’s been pretty great. Emli’s been spoiling you rotten, and you’re clean, fresh, well-fed— and yet you’ve stumbled across… something? Is it something? The Red Wolf is very handsy. But she doesn’t seem like you caught her doing anything, but Lotus seems like she was just… maybe Lotus was…? No, surely not. Right? But then why would she look so…? Is she trying to move up in the world?)