War with Heaven [Charlie]

[Nnerka]

Nnerka wasn’t entirely familiar with the bottling process of the Suzumebachi. If this was vintage, she had no idea; she would simply know it to be good if she tasted it. That, and people had an awful lot to say about the texture of the hornets and the one rare instance in which a batch had been removed too early and a hornet had somehow survived. Stung the inside of the drinker’s mouth as it went down. That, of course, had been a singular instance out of many, numerous instances of a bottle being served. And as interesting as it might have been to happen in this moment, she would have preferred if her prey didn’t run home from a couple of stings.

Besides, the chunks of hornet in his glass weren’t whole.

She watched as the vein on his neck throbbed, mimicking the pace of his heartbeat. She stifled a giggle as he poured her glass, the bartender watching for a moment before deciding he did not wish to see the end of this. Of course, he would ready a towel to clean up whatever resulting mess there may be. Nnerka rest her chin in the palm of one hand, which rested in another that rested atop the counter.

“Why don’t we toast to your bravery, Charlie. There aren’t many who would…” She squinted, as she thought of the right word in Common. “Step up to the challenge of drinking this with me.” Perhaps an acquired taste, or that her particular requested batch had a touch more hornet’s venom mixed in than others — a special concoction commissioned by a patron that had an interest in her apparent disregard of anything that could be harmful to anyone else. Regardless, it was surely more potent than the usual bottle one might procure.

“Maybe the aphrodisiac effect will kick in for you as a reward.” It was followed by a giggle and a nudge of the other’s glass. “Drink up.”

[Charlie]

Charlie was still doing his best to avoid looking at the contents of the glass in some vain hope doing so might have changed his fate. "For someone as beautiful as you? Hardly a challenge." Charlie lied through his teeth. His mind had focused so intensely on preparing himself for consuming the ichor that her next words took a few delightfully long seconds to register in his mind.

"The aphrodisiac effect..." Charlie stammered, unable to maintain the already tenuous façade of someone that knew what they had gotten themselves into. A smarter man would have excused himself politely, and even the average man would have known something was very, very wrong with being offered drugs on what could only generously be called a first date. Blessedly for Nnerka, Charlie was neither smart nor average. "Of course!" He concluded, words coming slowly.

He lifted the glass to his lips. He could no longer merely ignore the fact that he was going to be drinking wine made from the innards of insects, seeing the wings and thoraxes swirling in the cup even as he tried to stare past it at Nnerka. In that moment, Charlie made a snap decision. Instead of sipping the wine like one would have been expected, Charlie threw back his head and downed the mixture in two labored gulps. Doing it this way meant he could scarcely taste the wine itself, and even still the sensation of the insects against the back of his throat made him gag. Miraculously, Charlie kept the drink down.

He set down the glass triumphantly, and used a napkin to wipe his mouth. Already Charlie was beginning to feel the effects of the aforementioned aphrodisiac. It was potent, to be sure. It made Charlie feel so unbelievably warm. It similarly made Nnerka even more alluring, and in but a moment Charlie had brought his stool closer to her and was boldly leaning with his head on her shoulder. His arms looped around her stomach, fingers dancing across her garment. Just the idle sensation of cloth on skin delighted Charlie, and his excitement was... obvious, to say the least.

In this lust-laden haze, thinking was even more difficult for the poor boy. He wanted to think of nothing else but Nnerka, and so he did. His mind swam with her, every small detail of her body flaring desire in his mind."Not often I'm drugged on the first date." Charlie managed to say, smiling simply as he nuzzled his cheek amorously against her shoulder. "Should we...go somewhere private?" Charlie then asked, though he certainly made no attempts to do anything except hang off her every word.

[Nnerka]

Her laughter was music. Not quite loud, but enough that it drew the attention of some patrons. Charlie was either brave or stupid and Nnerka had already suspected it was an overwhelming presence of the latter. Pure, unadulterated idiocy. Either at the sight of a pretty face or simply as a default. The facade — a haphazard thing that she had relished in seeing crumble — finally had fallen apart completely. Unprotected from the outsider’s gaze, he was exposed to Nnerka for the blissfully ignorant fool he was. Interesting company to keep as she sipped at her own drink.

Oh, how she could play with him. Improper manners to play with food, but — he made it so easy. She laughed once more, a girlish giggle of delight as his head almost came to rest at her shoulder. Two free hands caressed his cheeks, ruffled his hair as she took another sip. The barely-there scrape of a stinger as it slid down her throat forced a pleased hum from her. She half-turned to face him, one arm resting against the bar and the two hands on his face looped into his belt and pulled him closer. Practically all the way off his stool.

Her hand cupped his chin, her cooing soft. Lips pushed out in a mock pout. “Drugged? Oh, no; you’re just weak.” Purred, sung; it could have been either. She lifted him a little bit higher, closer to her face. Not quite chest to chest, but close enough. “A tiny little human man. How cute you are, thinking you could impress me like that. And now, look at you.” She let her gaze slide over him, nails sharper than before as she squeezed his cheeks. “What a brave, stupid man.”

Privacy? He would get that, soon enough. She giggled again, another musical sound as her remaining free hand flicked at his nose. “You’ve got to pay for me first, little man.” The words were accented by her setting him down on his stool, before she pushed it further away than it had been when they sat down. “In the meantime, I’ll finish my drink. And you keep your hands to yourself.”

[Charlie]

'Weak?' Charlie thought. He certainly didn't feel weak, even as he was so easily pulled from his chair. He felt amazing, honestly. His muscles tingled with a delightful throb, and even the sensation of his clothes against his skin felt positively divine. As the seconds wore on, the effects intensified, and he exhaled through his mouth slowly when he felt her hands upon his cheeks. Even now that he was off of his stool, their size difference meant that to get near to Nnerka's eyes, he was pushed onto his toes. One hand held the bar for support and the other reached up for one of her arms, but he stopped just short of touching her when she begun to speak.

"I was always told that if I never learned how to be smart, then I needed to learn to be tough." Charlie said with a nervous laugh. The smallest voice in Charlie's head urged him to at least try and use his Cardinal Rune to sense her intent, but it was so swiftly silenced by the nails digging into his cheeks. Pain bloomed across his nerves, and he gasped quietly while his body tensed. The pain itself only lasted for a moment before it melted away into a much more satisfying pleasure. That had to be the drugs, right? There was no way he could have enjoyed the way her nails made him feel, surely. "Pay?" Charlie then said, confused and mind too muddled to think critically about why he would need to pay her. Instead, his addled little mind simply agreed with her without complaint. "Of course, whatever the price is...", and he reached for his coins.

Usually it was harder than this to part Charlie with his coin, though all Nnerka was doing was skipping a few unimportant steps when it came right down to it. He sunk down obediently down into his seat, and made no attempt to get nearer to her despite his obvious and immediate desire. His eyes focused on her, the pupils dilated to such a degree that his irises were only the smallest little halo around them. He focused on her words, the sounds of the club getting lost entirely as he turned her statements over in his mind. It mattered little what she said, only that she was paying him any mind at all. The phrases rattled around in his mind. 'little man', 'brave', 'cute', each in that sick sweet tone that he likely should have seen as condescension but instead viewed as endearment. Why, of course he was small and cute to a woman like her! Didn't that just make sense? Any uncertainty faded like petals on the breeze, and again Charlie was certain she was simply playing hard to get. He resolved to play along, and sat back in his chair, though he still could not bear to bring his eyes from her for even a moment, half lidded and love-drunk as they were.


"At your orders, ma'am."

[Nnerka]

Tough? If Charlie was supposed to be tough, he was doing a poor job of it. He was no better than fresh mud in the hands of children at play to her. A malleable collection of limbs too lost in pleasure and the desire to relieve the tenting in his pants. His obedience said as much. Easy compliance to her words; Nnerka wasn’t sure if this was a hunt so much as an escort to bankruptcy. The human had walked right into the trap of her profession and couldn’t seem to get his head on straight. Even if both heads were at attention to her whims.

He pulled out his coin purse, counting them off as Nnerka watched on with less interest than she’d originally had. While the glimmer of coin was welcome — and yes, this was a particularly good day for work to stumble into her lap — she was not pleased. Her voice wasn’t coy, and there wasn’t a lick of anger, but — disappointment. Not enough coin. “Is that how much you think I’m worth?” She glanced pointedly down at what he’d counted out, brow raised.

“You can do better than that.” A statement, sure and true. He could pay more. She certainly thought she was worth more, and there was the matter of their drinks. Curious, mostly, she reached out to take the coin purse, lifting from his hands with a single finger curving into it. The corner of her lips curled up as she spoke again. “My dear Charlie, I really must ask: do you understand what is happening?” It would be the only pity she would extend to him. She knew, of course, that he didn’t. His actions thus far had given that much away. But giving him room to back out, to actually put up some resistance, would make this all the more entertaining for her.

[Charlie]

His eyes tracked her every move, simply drinking in the sight of her from his new perch so (comparatively) far away. When he was finished counting out the coins, he looked to her, and did not enjoy the look that he found painted on her face. Had he done something wrong? Luckily, she did not leave him to wait long, and realization dawned across Charlie's face like the sunrise, slow but sure. "Oh." Was all he said at first, still staring at her. The pieces had slid into pace within his mind, slow as they were. It made sense, of course. He'd barely needed to try and impress her, after all. His cheeks burned hot, and there were a few long moments where he did not meet her gaze.

But when he finally did? He was smiling. The poor, affable, idiot. "This? Not at all. Not even close. This was just for the drinks." He lied, saying the words with an exaggerated smoothness. It was a mask so easily seen through that he might have been better off not having tried.. It did improve the more he spoke though, falling more in line with his easy confidence, even when she took his purse from him, flush with coin as it was. A smarter man would have kept an eye on it, but Charlie only had eyes for Nnerka."You're worth so much more than that." he explained, though clearly he had no clue what her price was. Yet he remained seated, the revelation not enough to stir him to reason. If anything, he only seemed to grow more excited, drawn ever deeper into her whims.

A few more moments of inaction passed before Charlie finally spoke. "So, what is your price?" And just like that, Charlie had cast his lot. He had been given a chance to retreat with his wallet intact and only a slightly wounded pride, and he cast it aside. Charlie may now have known he was speaking to a woman of the night, but one thing did remain so painfully clear. Charlie did not understand what was happening.

[Nnerka]

Gods — he was stupid. Or too much concerned with impressing others, but then. Nnerka was not much like others within the city. And maybe a better person would have taken pity on his moment of idiocy, but — she was not a better person. He would certainly find no such “better person” in the Cabaret, either. They might take a little less, but this was the price one paid for leaving themselves as vulnerable as he had.

“My price?” She echoed the last of his question, head tipped to the side. “My price depends on what you would like me to do to you.” The things asked of her have been...far from the usual in her experience. Not that she minded much. There was entertainment to be had in the peculiarities of people in the city. So many that came to see her for that shock of fear, the need to feel their blood run cold at the threat of loss of life or limb. Would he be the same way once those doors closed behind them and they had some manner of privacy?

It was that curiosity that had her leaning in, fingers brushing over Charlie’s face before his face was in her hands once more. “Whatever you desire, I could do.” There had to be some thoughts of what he wanted swirling around in the slush of his mind. Probably a lot less acknowledgable in public and meant for private spaces with the drink sitting in his gut. Her fingers trailed from his face to his neck, one hand resting over his throat. A moment longer and long nails dipped into the hollow of his throat, traced over to his shoulder before sliding down to hold his hand again.

She pulled him from his seat, lead him toward her quarters. “Just be sure that you choose wisely what you want, yes?” But, she had to wonder how much longer he’d be able to stay on his feet. Or if he was doing so himself. He didn’t seem like he weighed much; it was likely that she wouldn’t notice the extra weight added on. If the aphrodisic effects had hit him as quickly as they did, there wasn’t long for his consciousness, now was there?

[Charlie]

What did Charlie want her to do? That question alone made his mind swim with possibilities, each one more alluring than the last. There were a great many things that he wanted Nnerka to do to him, but the thoughts were swept away in the roiling rapids that now made up his mind. He lurched from one thought to the next, holding onto them until they too slipped from his fingers like sand through a sieve.

He tried to steady himself, to calm his mind and quiet the torrent of improper thoughts that swelled within, but it was difficult. He rather liked the endless tide of things he might be able to do with Nnerka, or could have asked her to do. Finally, he was beckoned out of his haze by her prompting. The fogginess of his mind cleared, though only momentarily. Nuzzling his head into her touch, Charlie only noticed her hand on his throat when he realized how good it felt resting there. The tracing of her nails left him feeling hot, and he turned over his hand to hold hers in his.

He didn't remember standing up. Instead he followed along behind her on uncertain legs. She was right about the drugs taking their toll. While not at risk of passing out, Charlie certainly found moving to be a difficult proposition. Though to any patron of the Cabaret, he merely looked drunk and so few paid him any extra mind. "I think I've got it..." Charlie said, still trailing along behind her. Fruitlessly, he tried again to channel aether. His eyes lit in a dazzling halo of blue, and the Cardinal Rune on the small of his back alit to match it. The Mesmer rune was an odd one, a diagonal line a few inches long, with three shorter lines sprouting from one side and two on the other.

Igniting his powers did little, and he let them fizzle quickly. "It felt good, when you..." Charlie paused before continuing, the thoughts sure but manifesting slowly on his tongue. "When your hand was ah... Well." He rubbed his neck to demonstrate what he meant.

"If that's alright?" he added after a moment, despite her insistence that there was nothing that would have not been acceptable. He did not bother to ask about the price. He was willing to pay it, whatever it was. Charlie had seldom been a sensible man, and what little he had had taken a backseat to simply feeling neared to Nnerka for as long as he could.

[Nnerka]

It wasn’t so much that she thought that his request was...mundane. It was — in terms of what she had been requested of before — but it wasn’t to him. Just the right thrill of danger while still maintaining some level of safety. Some control, perhaps, though she wasn’t sure where he would get that idea from. No; he’d lost any sort of control over himself and this situation some time ago.

Nnerka eyed him a moment. “Of course, that’s alright, Charlie.” Simpering, sweet. Just a slight furrow to her brows as she let one hand drag nails over his skin. “Anything you ask for is fine with me, my good little man.” A slight tilt to her head, the corner of her lips lifted into a half-smile. “You’re just so cute I could eat you right up.” This — this was the truth. Nothing hidden behind her words, but the plain truth of what she could do, had thought of doing — still thought of doing. He probably screamed as sweet as he talked to her. He probably begged even sweeter.

She was not usually the sentimental sort, but he did remind her an awful lot of one of her first. A sweet boy, really, who had found himself caught in her trap. He’d not tasted so sweet when he turned vile as he realized what she was, but it had been those first moments that had counted. When he’d thought of her as nothing more than a damsel in distress. Her smile spread wider at the thought, a wistful sigh pulled from her as she pushed open the door to her room.

The webbing at the threshold would catch any dirt he brought through. Nnerka had not had much thought to clean, but it wasn’t as though there was much mess to begin with. The majority of her clothing remained shoved into the chest in the room; clothes did not matter to her so much. Even as she entered, she stripped of her outer layers and laid them over a chair. With all the ease of a spider in her den, she pulled one thread and the door shut before crossing over to the bed toward the back corner. Large enough to hold her and then some, and covered with webs along the frame.

She laid down on her side, another soft sigh leaving her as she patted the spot just in front of her, beckoning Charlie forward. “Come, my sweet little man; let me hold you.”

[Charlie]

His heart sung to hear her assent to his request. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have known what he had asked for was only a single step beyond the most banal of requests that came through the cabaret. But Charlie was not, and so rarely did, think clearly. No, his mind was on Nnerka, and how he might earn more of her praise. Every word sent his mind alight, and a pleasant buzzing drowned out any thoughts that were not of her. She was so perfect, so alluring, and it was a gift that he could spend any time with her at all.

"I'm... glad to hear that." Charlie finally managed to reply, even those few simple words a herculean effort to him as he strained against his raging desires. He leaned against her more heavily now, bringing a hand around her back to rest on her waist, both so he could steady himself and so he could be nearer to her. When she called him 'good', he felt that delightful shiver down his spine, and he sucked air through his teeth. Her further compliments left him truly blushing, the flushed look from the alcohol intensifying in moments. "Oh, don't you go threatening me with a good time..." He responded, oblivious that she truly meant what she said. His mind was too deep in his stupor to have even taken her words as innuendo, and instead was merely glad she continued on speaking to him in that saccharine voice.

The door opened, and Charlie focused on the webs for only a moment as he stepped inside. Each slow step sent into the room sent reverberations through the web, not unlike an entangled fly. Truly the only difference between the two was how delighted Charlie was to entrap himself.

He undressed too while he walked, glad to be freed of some of his layers as he followed her to the bed. His cloak was first, and he left it tossed over a chair. His coat was next, and then Charlie fussed with the buttons on his starched white shirt before managing to free himself from it. Finally he made it to the foot of the bed, and lowered himself down onto it just in front of her. "Let's ah..." Charlie started, still unsure of how he might speak to her despite now knowing her profession. "Let's begin."