SINGLES NIGHT [OPEN EVENT]

I can be your sugar when you're fiendin' for that sweet spot
Put me in your mouth, baby, and eat it 'til your teeth rot
Lilith Kadokawa

His teasing would elicit a coquettish grin from the woman, flashing a row of perfect teeth at him. Oh how far they had come since she had approached him at the Rune Knights headquarters. That sweet, blushing boy that had been so fun to tease and toy with. Followed by a wonderful night of teaching; showing him how to handle her, where to touch and where to tease. He was a fast learner and his competitive edge made for a rather pleasurable back and forth.

Aven's first answer to the question didn't surprise her. Which meant that they could move onto the next one. Her eyes flickered over to the whiteboard, considering the question. Her worst trait... now that was an interesting concept. Personally, Lilith wouldn't really consider any of her traits to be 'bad' per se, they weren't to everyone's liking but as far as she was concerned they were other people's problems. But still, she had to answer, so she would quickly rifle through the insults that had been directed at her over the years. And there certainly were a number of them: whore, bitch, vain, shallow, manipulative, heartless and so on.

Aven would turn over his board, revealing the word 'Pride'. Lilith arched a brow, not entirely sure this was a fault. And yet the board glowed green, piquing her curiosity. She wanted to ask about it, but she needed to write her own answer. Finally, she settled on something, figuring it was the easiest summation of what people considered to be the worst thing about her. Scrawling across the board, she turned it over to reveal the word; 'Bitch'. Shrugging her shoulders as she waited for it to glow green, except it didn't.

Instead, the board turned purple.

Lilith's face quickly dropped into a scowl, turning the board back to herself. Was this not the worst thing about her? Surely it was. She stared for a moment, before wiping the word away. Replacing it with the word 'slut' and waiting to see what colour it turned. Red this time. "... the fuck?" She muttered quietly to herself, wiping it away and trying it again. And again. And again. Insults after insult she scribbled, each one flashing red or purple. With each flashing of the board, she grew more frustrated. Until finally she took pause, was hers just broken? It was at this point that a word drifted into her mind, something she had never considered. It couldn't be right, she wasn't that bad... was she?

She hesitated as she lowered the pen once more, scribbling the word slowly. The six letters taking much longer than the others had to write out. Lifting the pen she stared, waiting for the board to react. After what felt like forever, it lit up green and Lilith's would stiffen. Her eyes wide with disbelief, not able to comprehend the reality that this might be the truth. However seeing it on the board, lit up in the hue of the green glow would cause a flurry of anger to wash over the woman. "Whatever, mines broke." Suddenly she would stand, dropping the board on the floor before stomping on it with her foot. Her magic infused into the kick, causing the board to snap in half. But not before Aven might catch a glimpse of her answer display neatly across its surface. The word 'Wicked' disappearing under the harsh slam of her heel.

Bending down, she scooped up the broken scraps and turned towards the stage's edge. Grabbing a replacement from a flabbergasted stagehand, she returned back to her seat and took a breath. Composing herself quickly before smiling at Aven once more, as though her momentary outburst had been little more than a sneeze. "Alright next question, how many people have you slept with?" This one she could answer!

At least that's what she thought, as she went through the number in her head, recalling one meaningless lover after the after. Her brows would furrow once more, was it that high? It had never bothered her before, her sex count. But actually putting pen to board and writing it felt weird, not to mention she wasn't sure if the number was right. And then she would have to repeat the awkward exchange of writing and re-writing her answer over and over again until she guessed right. Screw it. Putting the board down, she would stride away, leaving the stage and making her way toward the nearest bathroom.

Moments later, she returned a playful grin across her face as she reached him once more, leaning over, she would tuck a small bunched up ball into his jean pocket. Leaving her lacy undies there as she returned to her seat, crossing one leg over the other as she met his gaze once more. That was more like it. She should have just done the dare last time, but she had been so confident in her response that it had left her flustered. She pushed it to the back of her, there was no dwelling  on it. Afterall, it couldn't get more invasive than that, surely.

---

I can be your sugar when you're fiendin' for that sweet spot
Put me in your mouth, baby, and eat it 'til your teeth rot
Lilith Kadokawa

Seeing Aven's answer would help Lilith feel more at ease following the last round. She already knew that she had been his first, but it was a pleasant reminder of the experience. She didn't ponder on the fact that he had not slept with anyone since their encounter. A momentary concern quickly pushed to the back of her mind. It was fine, he wasn't showing any of 'those signs', after all, he had come to this singles event and she hadn't seen him loitering around her since that time. Straightening up, she prepared herself for the personal round, quickly assuming that this next part would be easy. In fact, it would be a great opportunity for some light-hearted flirting, something Lili always enjoyed.

At least that was what she thought until Aven asked the first question, taking her by surprise. Lilith's eyes glanced off toward the crowd, considering what he was asking. Why is he asking that? Really she knew why, but she didn't want to consider the reason. Perhaps she had been naive, Aven was kind and she had claimed his virginity for herself. She should have left it at that but she couldn't help herself, she was greedy and wanted to toy with him a little more. She adjusted in her seat, bringing her gaze down to the new blank board. Sighing as she wrote the word 'No' across the surface, preparing herself for how he may take it. All she could hope was that he would understand when it came to relations things weren't so... easy for her. She could only deal with so much attachment and relationships have never been something she found she could fall into. She wanted sex with whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted. The lock and chain of a 'partner' seemed greatly detrimental to those needs. She liked people well enough, but love?

She turned the board to him and waited for it to respond, a purple glow taking her by surprise. This time causing a confused expression to appear across her face, she would stare at it. Trying to recall any semblance of 'love' she had felt towards her previous lovers. She hadn't, really. She had had one official boyfriend back when she first started dating but even that had been brief and loveless. So why wasn't it green? She considered that the purple meant there was more to it than she originally thought. Love... did it mean different kinds of love? She thought over her friends, which yes she did like plenty. But love, no that didn't add up. Most of them were empty exchanges, noting she especially cared for beyond what they gave her on a material level. Which left... family? Her eyes would narrow. Her family did not love her. She knew this in her heart, they had never outright stated they hated her but it was there. Unspoken. And she didn't care for them either. Not her neglecting father or her superficial stepmom. Not even...

Like a penny falling in slow motion, the coin dropped. She could picture him in her head, his annoying, stupid, whimpering face. That emo haircut and awkward nature. "Ah." She said simply, writing the word Brother across the board. Waiting for it, and sure enough, it glowed green. Seeing this would cause Lilith to take pause, so that's how she felt? Her relationship with her brother was complicated, even more complicated than that of her lovers. And with the manner to which he avoided her, it was easier to assume that it was loveless. But apparently not, according to this whiteboard there was... more to that. Familial love. Her emerald gaze rose to Aven, who she had yet to show her board. She held his gaze for a moment, before wiping her hand across the screen and removing the word. Deciding against sharing her moment of revelation with him.

"I'll take the forfeit. Do you have a dare in mind?"

---

I can be your sugar when you're fiendin' for that sweet spot
Put me in your mouth, baby, and eat it 'til your teeth rot
Lilith Kadokawa

As instructed, Lilith would close her eyes. Trying to figure out what he would do next, she could only imagine that he would either prank her or kiss her. As that was what she would most likely do if the circumstances were reversed. After a small pause, she would feel his lips pressed softly to her forehead. She opened her eyes to peer up at him, hearing what he had to say. Her face remained blank for a moment, she realised he was trying to comfort her. But it only brought back that notion that the board thought she was 'Wicked'. Lilith, who was still looking at the game in a very black and white matter, found his attempt to be sweet but unnecessary. She plastered on an arrogant grin, "Pshh, as I said, mine was broken." She insisted, not willing to openly acknowledge it.

"Anywaaay, my turn." She continued, contemplating what to ask him. There was a number of spicy questions she could layout for him but as she considered them none of them seemed quite juicy enough. She wanted to know something she might not be able to get him to easily admit. A question came to mind, and whilst externally it was almost milk-toast in terms of spice. But considering what she knew about Aven, and the way he was acting toward her. Lilith was sure that learning the reason would give her a good insight on him. And if not maybe she could get him to do a fun dare at the very least...

"Why did you sleep with me?"

---

I can be your sugar when you're fiendin' for that sweet spot
Put me in your mouth, baby, and eat it 'til your teeth rot
Lilith Kadokawa

Liltih wasn't as surprised to hear his answer as she expected to be, honestly, it made sense and after hearing it she felt a little more assured about their dynamic. It was simply an exchange for both of them, a great exchange but one nonetheless. Providing the fulfilment of more intricate needs in the form of sexual stimulation and intimacy. She wasn't bothered by his answer, personally she considered a rebound significantly better reason than why she had done it. Yes, she loved it, craved it even but there was more to it than just carnal desires. The more she found herself stimulated in such a way, the less tempted she was by other needs. Darker needs. Sex acted almost as a suppressant, dulling a part of her she did not want to explore. Was that what made her wicked? Using people like Aven as tools in order to prevent the worst?

Lilith didn't know, but what she did know was that this was getting far too serious for her liking. Truth or Dare was supposed to be fun! Playful! Yet now she felt a weird tension and she had no want for more. She wished to go back to the same flirty vibe that she had enjoyed during the balloon popping. Suddenly, she knew the dare she would give him, a smirk crawling onto her lips as she sat herself down in a nearby chair positioned on the stage. She looked up at him, her eyes completely confident as she spoke. "Without touching me, do something you think will excite me."

---

---

Head of Research? Dagger Corp? The moment those words left Percy's mouth, Leon had fallen into silence, staring at that shorter man with wide eyes. Seeing as he wasn't intending on staying in Fiore, he had never really paid attention to the trends and big companies of the country. But he could remember "Dagger" showing up on the labels of popular products or technology. Leon didn't really know anything about the corporation, but he knew that it was big. Even more, the fact that he was talking to someone not only part of the corporation but the head of one of their branches...

Back home, it was people like Percy that he was born to serve. The "important people" of Bellum, so to speak. The Hoffmans were born and bred to eventually be used by the world's V.I.Ps, and so there was a degree of respect and idolization that was often attached to the big names. Whenever they came over to their estate to look at potential servants, you had to have your back straight, eyes forward, but never so straight that you'd look stiff and uncomfortable, and not so bold that you'd look them in the eye. He wasn't in Bellum anymore, so things were obviously different, but he could feel his heart lift and then descend into the pits of his soul when Percy introduced himself in full.

In just a few short seconds, Leon went through a plethora of emotions. 'Oh shit, I'm talking to a Dagger! The Head of Research!' is one thought that crossed him, filling him with awe and interest in the tangent of his accomplishment. However, another thought passed him immediately after, sounding something like 'Oh shit, I'm talking to a Dagger. The Head of Research', and then suddenly his whole world was full of dread. Did he seriously just pick a fight with the Head of Research for Dagger Corp? Did he really just spend about five minutes grinding his body against him? Percy didn't seem like the type at all to take further action after resolving the incident himself, but there was a certain gut-wrenching, heart-twisting guilt that came with the idea.

But then Percy went on about his inventions, even referencing one that an attendee of the event was enjoying right now, and like a calm after a storm, all of the anxiety that came from this revelation fizzled into genuine interest. Leon was still silent for the entire time Percy was talking, but he didn't look uncomfortable. He was too ignorant to understand all of the terms Percy used, but there was something spectacular about that in itself. He was good at fighting, he drank like a sailor, and was smart enough to invent such fantastic things, and yet he was about as socially adequate as a rock with a stutter.

"Percy, that's...!" Leon couldn't finish his thought at first, his eyes wide and twinkling with sincerity as he tried to form his feelings into words. But, seeing as he wasn't very good at doing that in general, he ended up getting worked up himself, excitedly slamming his fist onto the countertop they sat up and perking up with an almost angry look on his face, his cheeks flushing in awe as he leaned over to Percy. "That's amazing, is what I'm trying to say! You invented a cybernetic limb that works? So, like... it's really close to the real thing, right? That's just..." Leon flinched as he caught himself in his intense praise. Even when he was being nice to people, or showing genuine interest in others, he was such a passionate and intense man that he'd look angry or "dangerous" even when he was showering others with praise, especially since he made up for what he couldn't communicate in words through physical gestures like his fist. It was another reason why he was often avoided, and he began to fall into a self-conscious silence like Percy after his tangent. "That's just... really cool, is what I mean—knowing that some things that only exist because you made it real. That's really special."

After that, Leon reeled himself back in from his lean and apprehensively began to ruffle the back of his charcoal hair, raising his finger in request of another serving of the vanilla bourbon. He held the glass to his lips but didn't drink it, his head running rampant with regret of his innocent outburst. But then, at some point during the silence, Percy pulled out a small bottle of eye drops for his blue eye. Now that Leon was looking at it, he didn't think much about the scar on that side of his face. How did he get it? The eyedrops were probably for some injury related to that scar, wasn't it? Scars were common in his family, like tapestries telling others of near-misses and life or death encounters from the past. But some weren't nearly as gnarly in that regard. Some were from simple mistakes, accidents, and whatnot. It was never easy to tell.

"Huh? Oh—" Leon perked up when Percy asked him about his own reasoning for being in Crocus, but he had been so caught up in looking at his scar that he was caught off-guard for a moment, immediately taking his eyes off of the feature, "—my boss told me I should come here. I owe them a lot for letting me work there, so..."

---

---

"It's a local business in Neutral Grounds. My boss's name is Perry... it's just a local delivery place that delivers from town to town..." Leon droned on, returning to his whiteboard to write his answer down. Even his numbers looked calligraphic, beautiful with every stroke of the dry erase marker. If he was being completely honest, he wanted to talk more about Percy and his inventions. It just wasn't every day that he'd meet someone as bright and innovative as him, so he sat there, eager and tense—but he wasn't really sure how to steer it that way, or if it should be steered that way, to begin with. They were in the middle of a game, after all.

The light glowed green, and Leon turned over his whiteboard to show Percy his answer. Beautifully written on his board was a clear '0', right in the middle of the empty space in all of its glory. Leon didn't seem to hesitate when he wrote his answer, nor did he seem uncomfortable with showing it. He's had crushes before, and he's pined for people as well, but it was all usually just blind puppy love. Sometimes there'd be girls or even boys who found his rough appearance attractive and fawned and flirted over him, but once they found out which family he belonged to, and then his personality, it never led anywhere. Instead of wallowing over it, he eventually just grew out of the interest in sex in general. He was too focused on trying to prove himself to really think much about his sexual needs. It wasn't a big deal anyway. Why should he or others care about someone's sexual history?

"Shy?" Leon chuckled without smiling, noticing the green bulb lighting up on Percy's board, but the man himself refusing to reveal it just yet. If he really was self-conscious about it, Leon had hoped that by showing him his board and how little he actually cared about the subject that he'd muster up some courage.

---

---

Leon made a small smile when he saw Percy's answer. Zero? Truthfully, he couldn't say that he found the response shocking. After all, he had the pretty looks and Dagger name, so he could likely fetch any superficial woman he pleased. But after that nerdy tangent of his, and not to mention how awkward he was, it made sense that he was a virgin. It wasn't that Leon had a problem with it, and he actually found it quite charming, but it wasn't at all surprising. He would never tell him that, though. Hell, he was just making a guess.

The next question made Leon perk up, however. The love he was probably referring to wasn't the sort of boyish pining or puppy love Leon had experienced when he was younger, but something more to true devotion and affection for another. The kind of stuff you'd see in movies, probably. But when he thought of it like that, he couldn't really think of a time where he had felt true, sincere love for someone. There was one girl back home that'd insist otherwise, but that whole... thing was ultimately one-sided. Growing up the way he did, Leon just couldn't remember ever really having chances at loving others completely. Something always fell apart or fell in his way.

Despite this, Leon went ahead and wrote 'yes' on his whiteboard pretty confidently. He had recalled so many instances of finding one girl cute or another boy charming that he ended up convincing himself that he must've fallen in love at least once, right? Well, when he flipped over his board to show it, the light flickered red, making Leon tilt his head a little. "No? Well," he commented casually, quickly erasing his answer with his wrist and replacing it with 'no', and the light would glow green, "I guess I haven't. What about you?"

---

---

For the first time this entire night, Leon felt comfortable. More than that, he felt as if he had made a new friend tonight, which went against his unspoken rules while being in Fiore. Not only that, he happened to become acquaintances with such a member of an influential family, so that was something. Maybe coming here tonight wasn't a bad thing after all?

Leon could begin to feel the alcohol coming up on him now, his knuckles and fingertips turning pink as a result. He didn't usually drink beyond this point, seeing as his drunk personality was really just an exaggerated version of his sober one, and that was hardly a good time for anyone involved, so a buzz was all he needed to loosen up. And boy, did he loosen up.

"Tell me who you'd like to kiss in this room, ooorrr..." Leon tapped his fingers on the counter, marigold eyes staring into the corner of his face as he conjuring up an embarrassing enough dare for the question. Suddenly, it hit him, "Remove four items of your clothing."

Leon hated this game if only because he was targeted with the most invasive truths or embarrassing dares when he was a kid, but he almost felt a little curious in making someone like Percy do it. It was selfish, he knew, but the idea was so wildly entertaining that he couldn't help but crack a small, soft smile at the thought of Percy admitting either of those things. And see, the great thing about it was Leon could also answer this question without compromising his own dignity. He knew exactly what he'd write down.

'No one' was quietly written on his board, and surely enough, the bulb on his whiteboard blinked green. It was true, after all. While he found people like Percy and the host attractive in their own right, it wasn't to such an extent that he wanted to kiss them. Hell, he didn't look at anyone that way if they didn't really have a relationship to begin with. But Leon knew that not everyone operated the same way, including Percy. What would he say? Or worse, do?

---

---

"Oh, wow..." Leon sort of droned, his eyes widened fractionally with surprise. He wasn't actually expecting Percy to undress, let alone take his shirts off as opposed to being petty and finding some other tiny item to remove. Then again, it was between undressing and admitting who he wanted to kiss, and that was almost equally embarrassing. Leon had noticed that his board flashed red several times before Percy had decided to forgo the question altogether. He didn't know what exactly he had written, but it made him feel better about how his answer was accepted.

"Nothing that I haven't seen before," Leon returned the smirk, his face hidden underneath the undershirt Percy had tossed at him. When he pulled it away from his face and placed it in his lap, he got a better view of the state Percy was really in. Bandages, bruises, and other marks like a canvas splotched with dark paint. It was one thing to hear him talk about it and another thing to see the damage upfront. If it wasn't for his little smirk, the wolfish man would've probably taken this as his cue to apologize profusely for making him do this, but there wasn't a sign of discomfort. He didn't know. Still, he felt a deep satisfaction from seeing him undress. It felt like pent-up vengeance from the many he had to undress for dares like this, but he seemed especially interested in seeing where Percy would draw the line and what question he'd ask him next. With a quiet smugness, Leon flipped his whiteboard around, revealing the 'No one' scribbled across it, his lips creasing into a small smile. "Sorry. Your turn."

---

---

A smile was on the little Rune Knights face as the other found her jobs to be interesting as well. She had missed the part of her being called ‘ms’ Wren, and only heard her name. She had gotten herself hyped that she was starting to make herself a friend outside of the Rune Knights at the very least! “Yeah! We can learn about Fiore together! I can show you what I already know! Which is the majority of the capital at least and how to get to Era!” She excitedly wiggles as she tried to think of where else she’s been. Was it Magnolia as well? She’d remember later. She had a friend! After she was told everyone had potential, Wren nervously shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, if you got the right looks for it. I got the potential to look like someone’s lost child.” She snorts while pointing her finger at herself, but after she questioned the other female if she was aware that she was a female, Wren felt her cheeks blush lightly. “Oh…” She managed to let slip out of her lips as she rubbed the back of her head. She was the… maybe second person to realize she was a female? Goodness… It was sad that she could count on one hand her encounters here where someone got her gender right and wasn’t guessing.

After Aya had embraced her, Wren found herself enjoying the hug, even with the balloon between them. She was lightly hugging Akane closer to herself too for them to get the balloon to pop. She let out a light gasp as the balloon suddenly popped between them and she was up against the other female. She begun pouting as she instantly felt the breasts against her. She leaned her head back as Akane pulled away, groaning as she grabbed at her own ‘chest’. “Why is fate so cruel to me?” She groans before leaning her head forward for a moment. This sucked.

She looked up though as she and Akane were passed whiteboards, and noticed Lilith getting back up on the stage and listened to their next game. Truth or… dare? She honestly felt a little nervous about that. Would it be safe to do…? She looked to Akane when someone started to approach while dragging another person, making her eyes grow wide with concern. She let up an ‘eep!’ as the other person was thrown at her and Akane, and she tried to catch them as best she could. The man had introduced himself as he spoke to her and Aya, making her lean her head to the side. “The… fuck?” She muttered as her face clearly questioned what the hell she was witnessing. This man was so full of himself! Holy shit! Not even the best witch in Sailkia was this bad! He seemed to ignore the woman he brought over, and Aya, before turning his attention to Wren… insulting her in two ways. She visibly twitched at the ‘Mister’ part, and her brows furrowed at the insult to her height. She stepped closer to the man as she shoved the whiteboard away from pointing at her, shoving her own whiteboard at him as she growled. “I am a female! And I’m not a hobbit! I’m just short!” She scoffed as she turned herself around and went back to the bar.

“Give me another drink!" She slams her hand on the counter. If this man was going to insult her, she needed more alcohol. The bartender handed her another strawberry daiquiri, and she was quick to down it before shaking her head from the tingle of the alcohol going down her throat. She turned back towards the group as she held up her whiteboard. Play it cool. No fighting here. Alcohol was her friend to keep her from throwing magic or fists. “I’m Wren. An adult female. And to get this truth or dare going for us. Do you find me attractive?” She pointed her own board towards Akane at least, smiling to her since she was at least the nicest so far to her. She pulled the cap of her pen off with her teeth and scribbled on her board before showing it towards Akane. ‘Yes.’ It lit up green for her. People who seemed smart slightly were always attractive to her.

---

---

It seemed that the more Percy drank, the more challenging the truths and dares became. On the verge they were going on right now, even Leon would need a little more than a buzz in order to brace himself from potential embarrassment. So, when Percy ordered another shot of that vanilla bourbon, so did Leon, downing it all in one rough gulp.

Now, the question. Truthfully, Leon was having a hard time determining what wasn't attractive about Percy. Some would say the scar, but Leon had never had an issue with scars, even if they were gnarly burns or deep gashes. If anything, it kind of gave someone character. His body was well-built in general, incredibly toned for someone was boyish-looking as him, but it wasn't really enough for Leon to look twice at. Then there was his hair and eyes—Leon found them equally stunning. He had never met someone who had such split characteristics, and he was captivated by it. But the question was which he found to be most attractive. That or... well, any one of those awful dares.

With a scrunched expression, Leon wrote down his first answer, 'eyes', and the bulb attached to the whiteboard glowed red. No? Guess it was second best. He smudged the marker away with his wrist and wrote 'hair' next, to which the bulb illuminated with a soft green color. It wasn't like he wasn't already aware that he found several of Percy's features to be attractive, but there was something a little self-conscious about having it reaffirmed by a lie detector.

Leon flipped his board over for Percy to see, fidgeting with his shot glass with his other hand as he did it. "Alright. Your turn."

---