Greta stumbled out from the floor in the foyer. A pale blush lay strewn across her naturally pale face. The paper bag she carried under her arm made crinkling noises as she righted herself up off the floor. Not bothering to close the parasol, she waltzed over to the glass dining table and set down the bag. Greta leaned over, resting her head on the table as she stooped, and looked at the brilliant dining room as it appeared to extend to infinity until she stopped looking at it sideways. "Hey! I've gotten us, um, dinner." she hiccuped after calling Rei. "I hope you, um, like osso buco." Greta sniffed and took out some takeout containers, doing her best to arrange them straight on the table. Atop crooked placemats and misaligned silverware, the braised veal shanks, the centerpieces of the dish, let out a wonderful aroma as the demon opened the two containers. Greta placed her hand on her forehead, she could feel just how warm the alcohol had made her. Clapping her hands to her cheeks, she wondered if the alcohol effect was that visible on her face. Maybe she'd have a chance to wash up, maybe Rei hadn't heard her.
Loosening the knot of her red necktie, she wiped her hands on her jacket and began to wash them beneath the faucet. The demon did not drink often at all. Tonight had just been, well, an exception, she supposed. Maybe Rei was asleep so it wouldn't matter. Maybe a little was okay. Greta dried off her hands on a kitchen towel and crouched, lowering her hand into her shadow. In the wine cellar below, a special vintage bottle of 4901 Hanayashi Vineyards Merlot sank out from the tarp that had been covering it, along with several other bottles. Unable to be bothered in searching for the wine opener, Greta held out her hand over the cork, casting a shadow over it, and sank her hand onto the very top of the bottle before jerking her wrist away. The removed shadow left behind a bottle without a cork. She set it down before skipping to the cabinet to get a pair of the nice crystalline wine glasses.
After she'd poured the two glasses and sat down, Greta blinked and shook her head. Oh dear, she hadn't had that much to drink, had she? Greta thought to herself about this may come off as improper to her vampire guest. Letting out a sigh, Greta swirled the wine in its glass before downing it. She wiped her mouth with her jacket sleeve and rested an elbow on the table. "If you're asleep, it's okay. I can keep this for you til the, um, morning." she mumbled aloud. Caressing an eyebrow, the demon donned a napkin and prepared to pick up her silverware to eat. It was only four in the morning, maybe her guest wasn't interested in a post-midnight meal as she was.
For victory, for justice, I will pursue the truth within the world. Morality is a farce to keep us in line, force us to check ourselves. the real truth is buried deep within the heart and at the forefront of the mind.
Though the hour was late, Rei found himself thinking again and again of the time he had been wasting here. He was awake, recalling the recent visit of that angel. As he heard Greta's voice, she was immediately startled greeted by a noise so late in the night. At first, he considered pretending he was a sleep, but...what the hell. He emerged from his room in pajamas, hair disheveled and eyes nearly closed. He took his seat aside the demon sniffing twice the aroma of the food before him before finally taking the seat. "I'm awake now, Lady Luck," he seemed rather reluctant to say the name. It was a few syllables too long. He made a note to come up with something slightly more catchy before next time to catch Greta off-guard. "I'm surprised you could get something this late into the night." He didn't want to admit it, but he hadn't actually seen a take-out box be used for any restaurant before. Manson would often use them for his food rations, but...You know.
"What brings you here anyways? Couldn't get me off your mind?" His delivery was flat as his eyes wandered from the drink to the food. Maybe it was just one of those nights for Greta. He had noted her uncharacteristic speech pattern and her cheeks. Not really solid evidence, but the wine bottle on the table sure felt like some. "I was not getting any sleep anytime soon anyways. Don't worry about waking me up." He wanted to clarify as he slowly reached for a fork on the table before him.
"Good morning to you, Mr. Gray. We have a lovely red wine for you tonight, paired with a traditional osso buco." she joked, pantomiming the actions of a maître d'. "But, um, if you don't want to drink, it's okay, I get it. Glad you've got an appetite with you, though. I picked these up on my way back, I think some A-rank bailed on the deliveryperson after hearing the price so I took it, and gave the employee a little extra for their trouble. This was all by the front gate, to Tria. I would've skipped it, if the argument hadn't been so loud, actually."
Greta cut into the meat delicately and examined it on her fork. "Hehe, don't get the wrong idea now, you were simply lucky the vampire had ordered for two. Besides, eating candy and whatever food I've forgotten I've stocked in this place can only be so appetizing." The demon blissfully enjoyed the chunk of meat from her fork. While fully prepared to take another bite, she covered her mouth to be proper, asking, "And you? Have you been well-behaved? Or am I unknowingly rewarding bad behaviour? Though, in truth, what isn't bad, um, behaviour these days?" said Greta, then taking the bite she'd waited on.
"I mean, like you can be honest with me. If you've been going out, I won't be so mad. A little but not unreasonably so. And you've made it back, after all, without," she looked him over, "Any visible damage. What's on your mind, kiddo?" The warmth plaguing Greta's face enjoyed the support it received from the vintage wine she indulged in. Nevertheless, Greta felt comfortable where she was for now. If she didn't, she'd retire to the ancestral home post-haste and be out of Rei's hair. At worst, Rei would have a nice dinner, or breakfast, and some funny memories of an inebriated demon. That wouldn't be so bad, she thought.
For victory, for justice, I will pursue the truth within the world. Morality is a farce to keep us in line, force us to check ourselves. the real truth is buried deep within the heart and at the forefront of the mind.
Osso Buco? He couldn't have recalled eating anything so fancy in his life. After Greta had taken her first, he took a cautious sniff and a cautious bite of his own chewing the food in his mouth slowly. His eyes widened for but a second before returning to his neutral expression once more. "Trust me, if the dish was really traditional," he muttered almost under his breath, "I would have known what the hell it was." He cleared his throat and spoke more emphatically: "It's pretty good though. Thanks for the meal." He tried to hide the guilt within his voice. Greta had already given him so much...was there anything at all he could do in return? He wasn't really anyone special like she was.
Was it just him or was Greta a lot more talkative today? Ah, probably because the wine... Yup, definitely because of the wine. Rei could care less how she presented herself to him anyways; he was never really one to care too much about appearances.
"I haven't been out much. Just to see all of the mess at The Regal Bar after -- you know. I heard it was getting renovated and repurposed by one of Manson's old competitors. I just wanted to see it for myself." He continued to eat the osso bucco skeptically. For a cut of meat to be so weel prepared...he just couldn't get over it. "Otherwise, my life hasn't been busy as you might imagine." He tried to hide the blush on his face as Greta was becoming increasingly inquisitive. "Enough about me though. What have you been doing? You know, if you ever need an extra hand with...uh, i dunno, holding cards or something, I am just kinda sitting here indefinitely, so..." He again tried to hide his intense urge to help his benefactor in any way possible.
She leaned her elbow on the table, resting her head on her fist. "You're absolutely welcome, don't even worry. So, the Regal, renovated? Hmmf." The demon halted her sip of wine to think. "I hope they went through the proper channels." she said after resuming her drinking. Greta's eyes wandered as she wondered more about the foundational nature of such renovations. Forgoing digging into memories any further, she inhaled and looked back at her guest. "I've been into skipping stones, recently. In my spare time, away from the tables. You'd be surprised at the variety of stones. I guess a lot of them just get kicked around until they fall through a grate. Then it's selection, smoothness and shape, among other desirable characteristics."
The demon took another bite of the food. "If you'd like to come with me to my place of business some night, I suppose you could. I can't say it's terribly interesting but it's a living. So the saying goes. Otherwise, I'm glad you've been well. I wish you could travel with zero restrictions but such is not the case right now. I can help arrange for your friends to come and see you, if you provide me their name and wherea-. Well, the name alone would be sufficient. Just something I can do for you." Greta finished the last of the risotto on her plate and set her silverware down gently. "I suppose I may have been hungrier than I let on. Or the portions were the fancy, all-too-small kind. One or the other." she joked. Reclining in her chair, Greta loosened her necktie a tad. "Well, anything else to discuss? I've never really been one for meals or conversations dragging on simply for the purpose of dragging on. After all, I was the one who woke you by letting myself in so if there's nothing else, I can certainly leave you to your rest." she smiled.
Living in a dystopian society, seven mystic races are trapped due to their own selfishness. Tensions rise between the races and the different social classes, leading up to the constant struggle for power, with no end in sight.
News
4/11 - With the Ghoul Purge complete, Pavane's fear shifts from the goddesses towards the Council. Check out the aftermath here to get an understanding of the current situation in the plot.
MYSTICAL SOULS belongs to YUMEKUI, DYLZOE AND LUNARIS. This is an original plot created by staff members.. The skin "Midnight Madness" was created by Dorothia. This includes Board Mod, Mini-Profile Mod and such. Thread list was made by Kagney. User Profile mod was made by Pharaoh Leap. Graphics belong to their rightful owner. Plagiarism is not appreciated and will not be tolerated.
