phoenixstrut | [AU] For the Greater Good

"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.

Yeah, surely not.

He watches her for a second, clearly considering the pizza again.

His influence spreads slowly about the room, and the lights dim a bit as he glances up. "Later?"

There shouldn't be this much air moving about in here, right? And definitely feels a bit firm as it goes over her. Totally not ... the demon king sitting on the bed with her, right?

She might have found the move attractive, had she not already been an anxious bundle of nerves. As it is, though, her eyes widen the smallest fraction, even if she does stand her ground and doesn't flinch away.

Doesn't mean that pale face isn't going bright, deep red now. "I-I assumed..."

"There's assumptions and desires." Does he give that last word an extra little emphasis? Yeah. A bit.

"And what do you desire of this evening?" He can feel that anxiety....

... And dims the fires a little more.

Her breath caught as the light dimmed even further, but she didn't dare tear her eyes away from him. Those eyes... with such ancient demon power roiling in them, catching what little flame still danced inside the room. The horns crowning his head didn't help either, nor did the shimmering jewelry, or that easy arrogance, or that body-

She swallowed hard. "I-I...."

She didn't know, and realizing it set her heart hammering even harder. She had never shared a bed with someone she didn't love, and despite the marriage....

"You want..." And maybe the way he leans makes it look like he might reach over and touch her - reach over and kiss her, the way the lighting stays and the jewelry glints and his power shifts through the room.

Except then all that demony influence vanishes right back into him - lights back up and all.

"Anything else." He shoves the pizza box toward her. He doesn't even feel particularly angry, just... that settled, sort of resigned feeling.

"Just what did they tell you, that you're so terrified."

A chill runs down her spine, right as heat surges to her face. Her eyes soften as he draws closer, the feeling of his power filling the room heady and far too impressive... For a moment, she considers it. Really, really considers giving in, shutting down that small part of her with any shame or hesitation and just-

And then there's light again, and she blinks at him, almost jumping at the shifting of the pizza box between them as if she had forgotten it was there. For a moment, she's too confused to latch onto that old odd feeling, but she frowns, embarrassed as hell, defensive, and oh so confused.

"What was that?!" she nearly demands, shaking her head.

She's not quite sure if she's more frustrated that she's confused or that he led her on or what.

"What was what?" There's a lot of things she could be demanding an explanation to that he just did. He leaves the bed, stepping over to a dresser along a wall and starts taking jewelry off his horns with the help of a mirror.

"You are here for your people, the end of this war, not for me." He glances back at 'me', a pointed look at the bed as well.

"Tradition be damned, don't pretend otherwise."

Her body slowly relaxes, tense muscles turning to near jelly at the relief... only to mildly tense up again. She watches him remove the jewelry, trying to wrap her mind around it, then shakes her head, rising to her own feet.

"That's not.... They're our people now," she manages to correct him, still keeping a careful distance, but stepping closer all the same. "A-And I am here for you."

That much, surprising or no, rings true, even if she's obviously nervous saying it. Not that she isn't relieved he's okay taking it slow, but... "As of a few hours ago, you're now quite literally the only family I have."

Are her hands shaking? ....is the rest of her probably shaking? Where's all that confidence from before? Is this... real confidence?

He gives a little head shake like 'okay, fair, you have a point' - our people.

He really doesn't know how to take that 'here for him'. She mentions family after, so maybe he could take it as she's not quite here to be his wife yet.

"As nice as the offer is, anxiety and fear and false confidence don't leave a good aftertaste." Or he can be an ass. That works too.

"Aftertaste?"

She frowns. As far as she knows, he's not an empath, and emotions have very little to do with ...eating... in this situation.

And even still. "You... do know I'm not a virgin, right?"

More feigned confidence, but she's trying to at least hold her own, given what she thinks she knows about him.

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