phoenixstrut | [AU] For the Greater Good

The equal mixing of fare and flare at least pulls her attention for a few moments, even as they're assaulted with flashing cameras and cheers from their guests. While more than she would like stay together with their own, there's a decent amount of mingling between angel and demon kind, though they all seem particularly hesitant about the differing foods.

Oh well. At least they're trying.

She takes the seat he draws out for her, giving him a small, but genuine, smile as he takes his place at her side, then turns a devestatingly grateful look on the attendant that asks if she'd like a drink. In a matter of moments, she's settled in, satisfied to simply observe for now with the wine and Zaveid's secret confidence boost to calm her nerves.

"This is... really pretty," she notes, surprisingly pleased with the edgier decor.

"It works." The mix of styles.

Zaveid leans half out of his chair when he spots a server with a selection of dishes.

"Oo. I want some of that."

It earns him another small smile, even though she's... already halfway through her drink. "Yes..." Maybe this would, too. At least, that's what that little boost of confidence is saying for now.

As if able to hear the King's request, the server makes her way to their table with his offering.

Zaveid flashes a smile, and cheerfully collects just about everything that looks like dessert. Before nodding her over toward Dove. Make sure she eats something please.

Zaveid will be trying to figure out if he's had all these pastry varients for now-

She blinks at the mountain of sweets from over the rim of her glass, the corner of her lips quirking up a bit. So her Demon King has a sweet tooth.... that was interesting.

The server moves to offer Dove the selection next, but then there's a woman bowing behind her, respectfully asking for the Archangel's attention.

"If I may... Your gown is ready, if you would like to change, Lady Dove."

Another round of blinking, before a realization and the scratch of her chair against the floor. She almost simply follows the woman, but pauses, hesitates, and sets a hand to Zaveid's shoulder, bending a bit to press a chaste kiss to the side of his head before she disappears.

They are, after all, in the very public eye...

Surprise of all surprises that he likes to make them too, then-

Zaveid glances at the nearest demon council member he can easily make eye contact with - remember how he was like, oh, a few weeks is enough time? Yeah. This normal? Clearly the demon's faint nod is enough to help him realize this is normal.

.... Doesn't stop the stir of surprise - that she probably feels clearly - when she presses a kiss to the side of his face.

She's definitely in for a surprise when she gets back, however. Zaveid's chair is empty, his collection of desserts only picked at.

The demon king himself isn't that hard to find, his laughter loud and clear, the jewelry on his horns catching the light as he laughs at something.

Like most likely the human he has an arm about the shoulders of-

The surprise definitely gives her something to think about, but she only waves her fingers at him in parting as she's led away.

She returns not too terribly long after in a new gown, this one much simpler but still just as regal, and with a confused look on her face.

Her face which quickly goes pale at the sight of Zaveid in his full crown with his arm around a human. She can only gawk at the pair for a moment, before she looks around to see why on earth no one has intervened, though her council members look just as baffled as she does.

Only a few of the demons seem mildly alarmed by this, surprisingly, as Zaveid laughs to something the human said, and snags a new glass off a server's tray, swapping it out for the one the human was holding with a grin.

Bits of conversation drift over - Zaveid's voice clear and enthusiastic about... cosplay? The human, on the other hand, is starting to sound rather drunk...

She just... takes another drink from an assistant and makes her way toward them, drinking a slightly-too-large sip as she steps to his side and slips a free hand around his middle.

"So... who is your new friend, my L- ..Zaveid?"

Does she look like she needs an explanation? Yes. Very yes, despite the smile and the false familiarity. At least her wings are hidden.

The pretty drunk human-

"This is James." Zaveid takes a second but he mirrors the fake familiarity, adding his arm about her shoulders in return.

"He was admiring our costumes." And his gaze flicks to his hairline for a moment - the human thinks the horns are fake, Dove, and Zaveid's playing along-

"But I think he's had a bit much to drink. Probably time to get him a uber or something home, yeah?"

"Ah, right... costumes," she nods, not... at all convincingly. Now she gives him a look of barely hidden incredulity, but shakes her head. "An Uber is probably for the best... you know how wild these parties get. I'm sure there's someone around here who can escort him home."

And a not so subtle motion to one of her assistants behind his back.

How on earth...

He resists the urge to wink at her at the incredulity. He knows what he's doing!

... He isn't quite sure what Dove is going to have her assistant do, and catches the attention of one of his people.

"Right? Call one up for him?"

... Zaveid is going to keep casually plying the guy with more drink, right up until the demon says the car's here. Then he'll let the poor sloshed human go with his... angel and demon for each shoulder?

"There's no need," the assistant angel says carefully, stepping around the pair, cellphone already in hand. "I've already hailed one."

That settled... he'll just be keeping an eye on the King and the poor human while he waits, and when the car does arrive, he'll escort the poor lost soul to the car.

Dove, meanwhile, is only able to keep half an eye on the situation, now that she's on the floor, accessible to their guests. After countless 'thank yous' and tolerating lighthearted jokes about her demonic new partner (some of which with poorly veiled and honest concern throughout), she looks almost ready to dart away. The day has been overwhelming enough as it is, and despite her people skills, she might be starting to look a little pale...

It's totally damage control as well, that he's getting the human so drunk, and the nod to make sure it is an angel and demon taking this poor guy home. Yeah, sorry, he... doesn't remember what Angels do to those who figure things out, but the demon he sent along is good at suggesting things - like flaws to their 'costumes'.

Well, now that that little disaster is averted, it is a party, and so there's going to be dancing, right? Well, the first dance with the demon king is obviously him for a reason - and awkward. Whatever, whatever~

Dove can change partners, and he will as well. Zaveid probably becomes a target of glares for slipping back in before a well-wisher-worried-joker could snag Dove again, since she looks pretty pale.

The closest to mentioning it's him, surprise, not so awkward now is it - "If you've still got the bouquet, there might be something stronger than what we've provided in it."

And then he'll give her her space. There's only so much confidence he's comfortable handing out, sorry.

Shouldn't be too long before its time to clear out, though. Chariot awaits to the Low?

Their first dance might be awkward as hell, but she's more than adept to the dancing, even if they have put a spin on things for the sake of both parties. She doesn't object when he switches partners, though there's that small pang of something that reminds her this wedding isn't at all how it was supposed to be. A dance with her father, her brother, then right back into the arms of her new husband is all she had ever imagined... and this definitely wasn't that.

Despite it, she's almost glad when Zaveid comes to claim her again, and her anxieties switch back to those she had held previously. She blinks up at him, confused for that brief moment before it registers and he disappears again, but by the time they're to be sent off, it'll be fairly obvious (to him at least), that she'd found whatever it was he might have stashed in the flowers... and a few other things on top of that.

Still, she makes a good show of their departure, graceful and warm-hearted as she's expected to be... but when the door closes and it's just her and her King, she allows the act to drop, her eyes on her hands and her mind swimming with anxiety.

Still, she has to try... "That was fun." It's almost more of a question than anything, but sitting silently as they're whisked away might literally set her aflame at this point.

Yeah. He sent some Good Stuff with that one.

There's an agreeing hum from Zaveid as he settles into the car seat, and... maybe some of his cloths are a little more unbuttoned. Look, he.. doesn't usually wear so much!

"I wonder if they don't give a whole lot of food out on purpose...."

"You're...hungry?"

Maybe she's just had so much to drink that she's not really thinking too much about food. Or... maybe she was expecting him to have other expectations now that they're headed 'home'.

She sways a little as the car sets into motion, not trusting herself to settle back against the seat... lest she doze off. Her cheeks are flushed, but she's doing her best to act normal without burning all the liquor out of her bloodstream just yet.

"Mmmhmn." Look, he was a little occupied? To get to eat as much as he'd like?

"It didn't feel like it was dinner. And it kinda should be by this time..." He has really simple wants... a lot of the time...

... Yeah this car ride is gunna be awkward.

She wasn't all that sure she could stomach it at the time, but given the way her stomach is twisting now...

"You have... we have 'servants' for that...right?"

Food. Yes, food might buy her some more time before...

"Staff, yeah." He thinks on it for a bit, then pats down his pockets. Yep, he's real bad at keeping track of his phone.

So its more awkward car ride. Zaveid might have dozed off there, surprise!

"... Anything you don't eat?" Or maybe not. He asks that as the car slows, before she's whisked away for who knows what-

A nod, and then a pause as she considers and her heart starts sinking. Oh god, they're at the manor and-

She's taken away before she can say anything, slipping back into her easy, glowing bride persona, despite being a tad bit too mellow thanks for the booze she found. At least now he has some time to himself before...

She shows up an hour or so later that evening, clutching a long, solid white robe closed at her neck and trying to steady her breath just outside the door to his- their room. For a few moments, she can only stare at the heavy door, her heart thundering. He's King of the demons... lust incarnate, according to her... somewhat over sharing new ladies. Her face is red, even as she steels herself and pushes the door open.

Yeah... 'lucky.'

Welp, uh...

... Cheese pizza it is.

Dove is whisked off somewhere, which leaves Zaveid to his house. He has some time, right? Should he give her more, since she's seeming horribly anxious again? Yeah, sure. So he goes about the halls, double checking with everyone that it is how it ought to be for the night, and getting that call for pizza in.

So when she opens the door, she gets the sight of Zaveid off in an armchair on one side of a... definitely honeymoon suite decorated bedroom. He's shed about half of his formal wear, left in a thin, loose tank-top that probably counts as semi-sheer.

He's also caught mid bite of a slice of pizza.

.... Which he wordlessly offers the open box of. Sorry. He's a little occupied at the moment.

She keeps a fairly strong grip on the door and...blinks.

The room, at least, is how she had imagined it might be, low lights, fire roaring in the fireplace, candles... everywhere.

What she's not expecting is to find him putting down a pizza, and when he offers her the box, she just...blinks a minute, before shaking her head. Probably not a great idea for her... if...

Yeah, a full stomach just doesn't seem like a great idea at the moment.

Instead, she makes her way over to him, shaking off the rose petals when they stick to her feet and taking a seat on the edge of the bed across from him. "Cheese?" That's a note for later, she guesses.

"You didn't answer." He asked if there was something you didn't eat, right?

"Figured its safe."

... And she is either terrified, or horribly shy. Remember that weird settled feeling? It's back. So he's nudging the box toward her, and finishes his slice of pizza.

"Ah, right... The staff was...excited."

Too excited, some might think, but then, they haven't really had a queen to dress in a while, and it is her wedding night...

She takes another look at the pizza as he pushes it towards her, then flicks her eyes to the...swans...? Under the chair? ...then back to the pizza. "Maybe later," she tells him with a sheepish smile.

Is she pale? Surely not.

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