"HEY!" Aerisith screamed back at the very upset Mingyi, though for probably for a reason he didn't expect. "Don't just call me a demon like I am some generic entity! I am a succubus! Sat it with me. Su… Cu… Bus! What if I just called you someone super generic like.. like.. uh… humanoid?!" Clearly, her insult game was not exactly being the best under such an influence, but it seemed Mingyi had some other concerns, like the fact that she was drunk in the first place. Clearly, the talk showed that it was much stronger than what was normally at taverns, which didn't really help with the succubus' weakness.

Still, from the man-handling of the demoness (with minor lashings on Mingyi's leg from her spade tail), she was rested back onto the bench, where she popped another dango dumpling, letting the skewer dangle in her mouth as she tries to get her focus back. "I knew it was a bad idea to accept it," she muttered, "I know I am a complete light weight, and that it often gets me so drunk I lose my focus on my illusion, but I cannot just deny such an innocent gesture, can I?!" She reached for her cup again, ready to take a another drink to help wash out the feeling of her mouth, but stopped as it touched her lips, looking back down at the cup. Right… That was where she had her first drink, and it was kind of impossible to wash down alcohol with more alcohol…

The two waited until Aerisith sobered up, Mingyi half-scolding Lanying for carelessly giving people alcohol. The exorcist apologized, though she didn't seem too bothered by it. Noticing that the succubus had quieted down, she waved at her friend to go get some more tea. "Heeey you're awake! Welcome back to the land of the living! Sorry for being a little too pushy with the wine. If you didn't want it, you coulda just said so." She understood if it was hard to refuse. Sometimes it was hard to say no, and people caved in to temptation every once in a while. Lanying wasn't bothered by Aerisith's true appearance at all. Being an exorcist meant you saw a lot of weird things, and she herself wasn't an exception. Glancing over to the stall, she pointed her thumb. "Good thing you only had two cups. Mingyi's getting a teapot so you can wash it out of your system. It'll make the hangover less of a headache. You can just pour your cup out if you want." In some places ignoring sacred hospitality was taboo, so she wanted to make it clear that she wouldn't mind if Aerisith didn't finish the rest.

Come to think of it, she should probably have some of that tea too. Since they'd be back on the road soon, it was best to drink your fill and keep your canteens full. "So where you headed? You're not in a hurry to get somewhere are you? Being drunk'll take a lotta walking hours out of you." Mingyi returned with the tea, and Lanying helped herself to a rather full cup. It was still warm, with gentle wisps of steam rising from the spout. As for the exorcist and her friend, they didn't have anywhere to be at the moment so they could afford some downtime. If they were all heading in the same direction, even better! 

"Yeah, I really should have refused," Aerisith tried to laugh off, scratching the back of her head, "but you were too pure with the offer, and even if you had some darker alternative for the drink… Well, let's just say my powers are not gone even if drunk." All it would have really inhibit, as seen by them, was her ability to hold her disguise. Actually, with the disguise off, she could technically be more free with her actions and resolve to deal with such threats.

Still, knowing it was safe to pour out her cup, whether it be because of the mix or not, was okay did make her feel a bit better to push herself back up to her feet to pour at the base of the nearby tree. Her walk was still a bit wishy-washy, but the wings and tail did a good job with affecting her weight so she didn't face-plant on the trip to and from. Once back, it was another stick of dango to let the rice help deal with the taste of things in her mouth.

"I didn't really have that much of a destination. I just got back from over that way with a dryad village. The humans and elves that lived there pretty much all lived in tree houses because the nightly predators would freely walk through the land. It was interesting!" The piping hot tea was a nice distraction before she just went off on a complete tangent. "But yeah, no real goals in mind per say. Well, not destination-wise, at least. I do got some personal goals, but I am sure they would sound strange, ridiculous, or awkward to someone like you." She stared into the steamed-top of the glass before taking a large gulp of that, once again seemingly punishing herself as now she was coughing from taking such a large intake of a hot liquid. "But yeah, no real plans outside where the road takes me!"

"Tree-houses! Ooh, that sounds fun! I bet it'd be pretty convenient to live in a giant hundred-year old peach tree." Lanying was imagining something else entirely, not that she'd know if peach trees even grew to such a size. Knowledge of myths and folklore didn't always translate into real-world common sense. "We should totally visit that place sometime, Mingyi!" She said, giving her companion a playful ribbing. She wanted to let him see the whole wide world that he'd never be able to experience if he had stayed with his family. Before they met, his family had been his entire world. Living with her meant he had lost all of that, so she wanted to give him something else to hold onto. Perhaps the two didn't fully understand, but they were often on the same page for different reasons. Aerisith was a traveler like them; going here and there–wherever caught her fancy. "Oh–careful!" The exorcist said as the succubus choked on drinking the hot tea too early. 

When Aerisith said her goals would be too weird for her, Lanying took that as a challenge. "Well try me, I'm all ears! Y'know being an exorcist means I get a front-row seat of the action when it comes to the strange and unexpected. Though normally that's because I'm usually in the thick of it, but anyway~" She crossed her legs into a lotus position while sitting on the bench, propping her head up with her hand. "Gimme your best shot." She grinned, eager to listen to what her fresh-faced acquaintance had on her mind. "I'll tell you one of mine if you tell me one of yours–deal? Or maybe Mingyi can give one of his." That cheeky remark earned her a shove from her friend. "Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Lanying was laughing while the young man fussed and fumed, more annoyed at being put on the spot than anything. "I was just kidding~ I wouldn't force you to do that." The two were very close despite being as different as night and day.

"I'll start. I'm looking to build myself a reputation as an exorcist. It's kind of a big deal in my line of work, like getting more jobs and recommendations. Personally I don't mind if there's no pay as long as I can help somebody. I'm not picky with clients either." An exorcist chatting with a succubus–fate truly worked in mysterious ways. 

Oh, the girl's imagination with living in a tree was certainly something else, completing ignoring the detail it was to avoid natural predators! Then again, it was also a part of land that encouraged being come with nature over the industrialization and security of other lands. Still, it was a cozy little place, but not much room to really delve into that, as Lanying was all eyes and ears on her goals, so much so that she was sitting around for story time.

"I, uh, well…" A bit of a blush came from her tanned skin, and not just from the ale that was still in her system. "I want to look for a proper mate." It felt like forever after the words left her air that was the air was still of something so simple. "I mean, you sad you were exorcists, right?! Dealing with ghosts, spirits, and maybe the occasional demon? I bet you have heard plenty of stories about what my kind do!" Through seduction, they drained the life force of their victims, often turning their bed mates for those nights into a bit of a doll for a couple days if they were lucky. "I can't turn that off if I want to have genuine kids or simply enjoy a night with someone I wish to call a mate! I scar their souls, devour their essence, and turn that into power. That's why I eat so much actual food to make up power missing from that act! And… And… I fear finding someone I would want to settle with, but waking up to nothing more than a husk."

She popped another skewer of dango into her mouth, chewing away before taking another sip to clean her palette. "I will always say its for the sake of testing my strengths or looking for exotic foods but really, I want something that is often an impossibility. Souls are not exactly an easy thing to heal."

Aerisith's goals came as a surprise, but not a very big one. Having grown up on romantic tales of the forbidden love between spirits and humans, Lanying didn't find it strange at all. Putting a hand to her chin, she grinned with amusement. "Ooh~ Not what I was expecting! You're just an ordinary girl after all." She had heard of beings similar to what the other girl described–sirens who were either demons or beast-like creatures who lived off the spirits of their prey. Tragic stories of men and nonhuman lovers were common as a warning from parents to their sons for rejecting arranged marriages. While the exorcist didn't have any issues with interracial relationships, the fact the soul-siphoning was something that couldn't be avoided was quite the pickle. "I see, I see…" Lanying said with a thoughtful look. "Have you thought about dating incubi? I dunno if two of the same type cancel each other out or not." If incubi siphoned from women and succubi siphoned from men, then theoretically the two might be able to siphon off of each other without resulting in death?

"Or maybe…there's a way to sate that need using an alternative energy source? Take my friend for example, he's a spirit but he can keep his form as long as he has a talisman with him. Looking like a human takes a lot of effort, so it's like a power source so he doesn't tire himself out." Lanying wondered if she could reverse engineer a magic charm to act as an essence pool as a workaround to Aerisith's problem. Eating food probably wasn't helping her much, which was why she constantly had to eat. Finding a way to refill the essence pool would be another thing she'd have to work out as well. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared off into the distance, thinking hard. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to study up on it. I might swing by a place I know to ask an expert. Even though I say I'm an exorcist, in some places I'm still an apprentice. Ha ha…" She gave a sheepish laugh. Sitting still for hours reading scrolls wasn't something she liked doing. 

"Hey!" Aerisith barked at her coy little chuckle, as if being insulted about wanting a true mate instead of just a vessel to extend her line.  Still, her demeanor was clear she meant no ill will and was being more playful on it as she then began to process ideas around the issue, which a very obvious answer came up front. Unfortunately for Lanying, the thought was quick to be shot down with a blunt, "Not happening. In fact, my clan treat it as taboo to date other succubi or incubi, as if seeing your brother or sister while harming each other at the same time. And before you ask, yes, that does mean seeing others from outside our clan, too!"

She sipped her tea as she melded over the thoughts in her head, taking in the hot, bitter taste to fuel her mental process. After all, but only was it taboo, but also just awkward on its own. When it came to them, simply getting the energy was enough to get by, and if they wanted to further their lines, they would just make themselves fertile, have 'dinner,' and just train up the child their own way. Having a family the way humans did was a foreign concept to the demons of lust, and she would find it hard to lie about it not interesting her.

"Its not just about recharging myself!" she felt like she had to insure. "Sure, I tend to eat way more than anyone, and yes, siphoning like that is way easier and faster, but I got a figure to be proud of still and I get to enjoy the cultures of others in my own way! Trust me, if you find an orc chef who cannot cook with spice, then they are not much adapted to their heritage!" She could already find herself drooling a tad, thinking of the kabobs she had last time. The punch to her throat would make anyone choke, but it was actually mixed in with flavor to enjoy once the burn faded. Oh, she would love to find that stand aga– Getting off topic! "A-Anyways, its not about wanting to feed, its just, I cannot stop myself from feeding when I do it. Its not like blowing out a torch to let it get dark. Once it starts going, I feel myself filling up on their essence, but its hard to just stop because the mood has been set and you just lose yourself in it…" Her blush only got redder when she found out she was partly talking about her sex life and there was no way to really turn back without feeling like it would get even worse. "I want to stop the nights where I feel great come morning, but the mate feels ill.."

"Mmm, interesting. Guess it's like saying no to marrying first cousins." Lanying thought aloud. By this point the conversation was becoming awkward for Mingyi. While the exorcist wasn't shy about more intimate subjects, the young man certainly was. He cleared his throat as she was delving a little too far into the topic. Getting the hint, Lanying decided to not push the question anymore. "I think I understand now. Hope you didn't mind me asking! Thanks to your help, I've learned a lot today." The woman grinned, getting out of her cross-legged position. Believe it or not, these little chats were very important for the aspiring exorcist. Her approach was unorthodox, preferring to personally get to know spirits and supernatural beings first before sending them to the afterlife. Others in her profession said it was foolish and naive, and she didn't disagree. But to her it was closer to the ideals the art of exorcism was founded on, which was maintaining worldly balance. Aerisith wasn't a bad person even as a succubus. She wasn't happy with the fact she had to feed off of souls to survive. The fact she was trying to fight against fate was admirable in itself–something Lanying never saw as absolute.

"I guess I won't be able to help you out, but I'll always be rooting for you! Demons and spirits live for a long time, I'm sure you'll find the answer someday." Hopping off the bench, she dusted her clothes off and handed her friend his umbrella. "Aw shoot–the sun's goin' down! We'd better get going before it gets too dark. We'll see you around!" She waved at her new friend as Mingyi gave a courteous bow. "Ack, I totally lost track of time. Maybe there'll still be some rooms left for cheap at the inn if they're not full." Lanying started to run, her hand grabbing Mingyi's nearly towing him along. The two left in a cloud of dust, and the dango vendor shrugged as the strange duo ran out of sight. 

"Wha… Huh… HEY!" And there they were, off into the sunset, racing to get a room for the night in the next town over for mystical and spiritual shenanigans… AND THEY WERE GOING TO LEAVE HER THERE WITH A FUTURE HANGOVER?! Nu-uh. No way! No how! At this point, it was full blast mode as she just shoved her last skewer into her mouth, powering down the hot tea down her throat, and slamming it down onto the bench next to their remaining plates. "YOU GET BACK HE– Oh, thank you very much. It was delicious," Angry, yes. Rude, no, as their commotion had the shop owners watching the entire time.

Her violet eyes began to burn as demonic energy wisped about her. Her nails grew long and sharp, horns stretched and curled, and, most importantly, the tiny wings that decorated her back glowed violently as they enlarged. Her rouse was already gone, so what was to stop her from holding back anything more? A solid beat of her wings got her airborne before she shot herself into the pair's direction. "YOU CANNOT MAKE SOMEONE DRUNK AND NOT TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITIES!!!"

As for what happens afterwards… Well, wouldn't you like to know?