The time had come for Dalanesca to make her appearance at the Reverie Ball in Zets’ Ki Cradle, and she was looking forward to it for a number of reasons. For one, she had one of the girls in her service - one of the few who still held the ability to speak - craft a gown for her to wear. It was a beautiful thing of black and red lace, and the girl had been crafty enough to obtain several of the black and red leaves and petals of the many plants in Paraiso Venenum and woven them directly into the fabric. It fit her body perfectly, hugging to her curves in all the right places. There were no straps, one side of the dress ceasing just above her bosom, the other with leaves and petals snaking up to her throat, that particular side leaving much of her porcelain flesh exposed.

Her raven hair was pinned up rather elegantly on one side, the other cascading down over her bare shoulder in delicate curls. Charcoal and dark eye makeup lined her lids, ruby paint on her lips. It was clear that she took the idea of dressing the part seriously, as in light of her usual thigh high boots, she wore stiletto style heels that wrapped laces around her ankles, tied in a neat bow.

She stood in Paraiso Venenum, awaiting the arrival of Jarmyr, who was to be her escort. Of course, they would not travel as mortals to Zets’Ki, but rather via portal which she would cast when they were ready. When he arrived, she did just that, and before long they were standing in the mirror-floored Celestial Hall of the Chapel of Reverie.

Taking a moment to take in the beauty of the location, Dalanesca steered them toward the table in the back of the hall where her fellow deities had provided many different and unique foods and drinks. Towards one side of the table, a number of different drinks were set out, including a punch bowl with what looked to be red wine in it. There was an elven woman serving the drinks, and when she realized just who Dalanesca was, she took a deep bow before filling up a cup of the red liquid and handing it to Dalanesca..

“Vinum Sanguis,” Dalanesca said, before taking a long drink of the beverage. It tasted much like a sweeter red wine, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. “And before you ask - yes… it does contain my blood. But only enough for euphoria and… maybe a little arousal, if the situation calls for it,” she added, her eyes narrowing slightly as she brought the cup to Jarmyr’s lips and tilted it forward, willing him to take a sip. “Of course, it won’t have an effect on you… really only works on mortal humans and elves… maybe halflings. Not enough to cause chaos like it did when that apothecary got a hold of my blood… I’m sure you heard all about that,” she added with an air of annoyance.

“So,” she said, taking another sip of the wine. “Before I get roped into hundreds of conversations - which of course, you’ll be at my side for - dance with me?” she asked, her voice taking on a softer tone with him for the first time. “I’d like to know a little more about you,” she added, tilting her head at him with a curious expression on her face, hoping that he would oblige and whisk her off onto the dancefloor.

Jarmyr had been plenty busy himself the last few days since he pledged himself to Dalanesca; particularly in helping his son with his situation with Taimi and Markus. The latter was dragged back to his lady’s realm and was likely regretting his crimes against her sister god’s child. But He still kept the task that she had placed on him near the front of his mind. Only a fool would pass up such a gracious offer made from a beautiful woman like herself- divine or not. Getting ready for the upcoming bash was another thing that kept him preoccupied. He had spent some time in Abed for it had some of the best tailors in the realm and paid them greatly to spend day and night in whipping up something very special for the occasion.

After all, he had to be at his best if he was going to play escort, which he also had surprise for the goddess.

When the day arrived, Jarmyr didn’t waste much of her precious time and soon arrived at her home. The demon’s outfit reflected some of his vanity as well as the beautiful patterns that Abed was known for. A dark mink surcloak draped over his left shoulder down to his thigh, accompanied by a golden colored tunic and black trousers neatly tucked into the bottom of his high boots. His ebony locks was neatly trimmed down to his shoulder blades so that they wouldn’t be in the way of his face while carrying himself as elegantly as possible. In his hand laid a rectangular box, containing his little surprise for Dalanesca. When he found her, he gave the most charming smile. She looked even more magnificent than ever; the dress had certainly complemented her form quite so with its unique appearance. “A pleasure to see you dress for finely for the occasion, my lady. I’d dare say that you could bring sight back to a blind man with that dress.” He approached her and then brought to the box up to view as he circled around her. “Please hold still, I have a little gift for you.” He undid the box and gently brushed aside some of her curls away from her neck before he placed a necklace onto her. It was one of that held a golden rosebud in full blood with tiny rivers of obsidian that ran down its petals.

“I believe that an escort presents his date with a present before attending”, he spoke smoothly as he came back to her front and offered his hand for hers. With that, they went through the portal and soon arrived at the scene. The heavenly music and interior was greatly admired, even by the likes of a creature such as himself. The smile never left his face as they approached the table filled with refreshments, but one that did catch his eye was the one that she partook in. “I take it that you this then?” His crimson eyes looked deeply into the punch bowl, knowing how potent her blood could be even as she mentioned it. Following her lead, Jarmyr allowed a few sips of the drink to enter. The contents were, sweet with a nice little kick to it but not addicting, or at least not enough to drive him bonkers. “Yes, I’ve seen it in action. I count myself lucky that I’m not a vampire then.otherwise we’d have a bit of trouble…”

His jest was short lived as she requested a dance and the demon merely answered by guiding the goddess towards the dance floor where many of their fellow guests were indulged in. Her change in demeanor during that brief moment didn’t go by unnoticed, but he wasn’t one to question just yet. Arriving there, the hand that carried hers, laced his fingers along hers and the other held steadily onto her hip with a slight grip. Jaymyr lead them as his steps flowed along with hers, his body becoming one with the rhythm of the beat. Before long, he addressed her other request as his eyes narrowed in a playful nature. “You asked kindly to know about little old me, so I can’t help but to oblige. But… “ His head craned down to her ear and nearly said in a purring tone., “I want to know about you as well. I want to know a little bit more of the woman I’ve pledged myself to. Perhaps tic for tac- I tell you something then you tell me something?” Whether she would accept the offer or not, he would continued as they waltzed about. For him, the other guests were largely ignored right now. Pulling himself back up, he carried a more serious look across his face, “I’m a bard as you already know, but unlike many of them, I’ve always had an innate ability to truly appreciate it even from a young age. Hm, I suppose that I have quite the weakness for beautiful women, such as yourself. But again you know that…” Slowly, Jarmyr twirled her around and captured her in his grasp once more, “I carry the surname “Norcross”, although many of my kin don’t. I feel it adds a nice ring though. ”

He had to admit that this sort of conversation was a bit harder than he had imagined, but still went ahead and pressed on.

“I have children, most of them I haven’t seen in centuries save for one. He is an alchemist and a professor back in Sularia. He’s the only one that I’ve had a hand in raising; the others were fathered during times of my wanderlusting. In Bakura’s case…it was something completely opposite.”

It had been ages since he thought back to a time where this mask he had donned hadn’t been plastered onto his face, but before the normally chiper man fell into that despair, he threw back on his charming self and quickened their pace.

“Your turn?”

The goddess allowed herself to be escorted out onto the dance floor, her lips curling into a bit of a smile as Jarmyr’s hand laced with her own, his other hand finding her waist. She allowed him to lead, as well, rather enjoying the fact that she was, for once, not the one in control. As he lowered his head to her ear, whispering his response to her request to know a bit more about him. She felt the hair on the back of her neck raise as his breath caressed her neck and ear, and smirked slightly at what he said.

She remained silent for a moment, contemplating on how best to answer his proposition. Before she could reply, however, he began to reveal just a bit about himself, including the surname which he held. When he continued on, she locked her gaze with his as the two whirled about the floor, her hand coming from where it had rested upon his shoulder to toy with the necklace he had put on her before they had arrived for a brief moment, before it moved back to his shoulder.

Her smile faded slightly as he spoke of his children, and not having seen them in such a long time - well, perhaps longer for some, but for those with long lives it was still just as painful to be away from them. Her thoughts drifted to the child she had lost, and that had not been nearly as long ago. When he addressed her, an indication that it was her turn to share information with him, she didn’t respond at first, seemingly in some sort of dazed state while she thought on her own.

After a moment, she darted her tongue out to wet her lips and spoke rather softly. “I was married once,” she said, her voice making her sound nearly vulnerable for a moment. “The day that Angela Rose told us we were going to bless Revaliir with a child was… well, it was one of the happiest moments I can ever remember,” she said, smiling a bit. “That was, of course, before I held the spheres that I do now,” she added. “In that time, I was known as the Justiciar - I held dominion over order and balance,” she explained.

“Marth - my husband… he went missing shortly before I was due to have our child,” she said, her smile now fading. “Something happened in my grief, and something went wrong with the baby… with Katja,” she said, her ruby lips drawn tightly across her face. “Angela wasn’t able to make it in time… and… I lost her,” she said. Her eyes looked a bit watery, as though a tear was going to fall, though she blinked and any trace of that disappeared from her eyes. “That was what made the Voice decide to change my spheres,” she said. “And in my blind rage and grief, I blamed Angela… so we went to war. I’m sure you’ve heard all about that,” she added, sounding bitterly annoyed with herself.

“Now, I’ve had enough time to process, and the Voice has… changed me again, I guess. When the darkness of grief from losing my husband and child washed away, and when the bitter sting of losing the lover I took after that had faded… the Voice ripped the darkness away from me,” she said, the trademark smirk she usually carried coming back to her lips.

“So now, you can tell all - the Reaper has a heart after all,” she said, her smirk broadening somewhat. Just then, the song that they had been dancing to came to an end, the music taking on a quicker pace, a more sultry tone of music - something Abedian, perhaps? With the change in ambiance, she pressed her body against his so that there was no gap, urging him to wrap his arm more tightly around her waist while her hand came to rest on his chest.

“Now, this is my kind of music,” she said, glancing up at him as the pair moved to the music. “So, tit for tat… quid pro quo. You shared with me, and I with you. But now, now I have a question. You say you’ve fathered so many children over the course of your long life… have none of their mothers held your interest for more than a brief time?” she asked. “I doubt that any of them lacked interest in you,” she said, her leg snaking in between his as they continued to dance. Her mind flashed back to their first encounter in her palace, where she had nearly lost control with him - and being pressed against him and swaying to the music reminded her as to why. Though she was the goddess and he the one pledged to serve her, she found herself mesmerized and intrigued by him in a strange way.

At first it seemed as though Dalanesca had seemed been hesitate to offer up truths about herself. As they kept up the dancing, he studied her silently for a bit and was preparing to offer her a way out. To not have her share if she hadn’t wanted to and he would keep on revealing things about himself. But just as the words were about to slip from the tip of his tongue, she had already begun. He was genuinely surprised to learn that she was both wedded and with child at one point; then again, could he really talk about what could be expected given his own past? As they waltzed, his charismatic attitude gave way to a long face when the unfortunate truth about what happened to them came out. For a time, he fell silent, something not usual for someone like him. It must had been downright agonizing for her to have to experience not just one sorrow, but two around the same time. The traumatic experience was the foundation of her domains shifting to the ones that he found her with when her traveled to Infernos.

“My apologies. I could never picture the pain of losing a child…” A love? Yes, he knew of how wicked fate could be when it came to that. It was a pain he had yet to voice himself to her, largely because Jarmyr had been avoiding it and masking the hurt away. “I have. The whole realm would know of it not too long ago actually. Suppose it is fortunate that Lady Angela found a way to survive.” Another lover was briefly mentioned before he too ended up being a loss to the goddess, yet even with those unfortunate events, she had yet to yield further into grief. Instead there was clarity and she had changed once more. A weaker person would have crumbled like a sand castle against the tide; but he was starting to see just how strong she was. Not as a goddess, but as a person instead. The demon had to admit that he was…jealous of her for being able to have that strength.

“Oh, is that a request? I won’t spreading that word”, he responded, offering a light chuckle just before their pace changed gears. His mind focused first upon the tune of the music, easily recognizing that it was suited for more intimate motions between dance partners. As his turned his attention to Dalanesca, she already took the initiative to lead them into it which was no problem for him whatsoever. His body gave her what she wanted, but it was her turn to question him that made the demon prince’s heart stop. He hadn’t had to worry about being questioned about his love life, particularly in anything more than a mere tryst that at most would last a few encounters of bliss before he was his merry way.

His arm ensnared her small but full frame around the waist and he fell into a deep through and placed his head up against hers, their bodies continuing to match the rhythm of the music. Now he truly felt as though they were lost in their own little world and it was only through that he obliged after several moments. “Mostly no. There’s no secret that I have lusted after them as they had me. Generally we would have our fun and then that would be the end of it. Some did wish for more, but having been a bard, I was too used to adventuring. So I would disappear from their lives, but it was for the best really. I didn’t think of myself capable of feeling anything deeper until a few centuries ago.”

Jarmyr’s eyes closed while taking a hard swallow. “I was traveling towards Adeluna when I came across a small village. I’d settled there for the night and enticed the people with my music, as I’ve always had, but there was a woman there that struck me as different from the others. There was a want for her, yes, but even after I left and found my way back to there, I felt something for her that I couldn’t believe. It was the driving force to keep me grounded in that village…and her. Months rolled by and we learned that she was pregnant, but I stayed for her. Then Bakura happened and I was…thrilled to be a father and a lover."

The cool exterior then started to waiver and with a sad sigh, his gaze barely lifted to see her. “A year after his birth, her home would be ravaged with some sort of plague. Many perished…including her. Demons are said to not have hearts, but I suppose that I was heartbroken as I had to watch her suffer without being able to do anything about it. When she died, I fell onto my old habits and raised Bakura until he was old enough to leave and find his own calling. He’s the only child that I’ve kept tabs on even to this day.” As he spoke, his grip got tighter around her, more so out for comfort if anything.

“I envy you, I really do. You have found resolve and grown stronger and wiser from it. How I yearn to have what you do one day, Dalanesca", Jaymyr said, cradling the side of her face with a gentle touch of his hand.

Jarmyr’s tale was enough to bring a hint of sadness to Dalanesca’s eyes, and she leaned into his touch as his hand came to her cheek. There was a brief moment of softness that befell her expression, emboldened by Jarmyr’s tight embrace. ”It seems as though you have gone through trials and tribulations of your own,” she said, her gaze never leaving his own while she spoke. ”But you’ve got it wrong, Jarmyr. I have not grown stronger and wiser from my resolve. I have grown stronger and wiser because the Voice has not given me a choice in the matter. You have something that I lack - freedom,” she added.

She let out a bit of a chuckle, the sadness fading from her eyes. ”I am sure you find that an impeccably ridiculous statement,” she said, feeling the need to explain what she had said. ”While it is true that I possess a lot of power, I am bound to my spheres of influence, unless granted gifts from the other gods,” she explained. ”A life filled with Death… it sounds a lot more exciting than it really is,” she said, a soft sigh escaping her lips, though a smile was still spread upon them. ”Godhood has its ups and its downs… just like anything else,” she said.

At that moment, the music ended, shifting to another, much slower song. Dalanesca moved to place her hand back in his, preparing for the style of dance that the music called for, but froze just as her hand fell into his own. Her eyes slowly changed from their normal ice blue to a jet black, and it seemed as though she had fallen into some sort of trance. Moments later, however, her gaze returned to its normal hue and her expression relaxed. ”A message from one of the messorem in the realm,” she explained to Jarmyr. ”It’s their means of contact with me when I leave Luxuria Mortiferum.” She paused, contemplating on just how much she wanted to share with him at that moment.

”There are some rather urgent matters I need to attend to,” she continued. ”But I’m not quite ready to leave here just yet,” she added, and grasped his other hand in hers and placed in on her waist. ”I’d like to share at least one more dance with you if you would be so kind,” she added. ”After all, I wouldn’t want to waste the appearance you’ve donned today… absolutely delectable,” she said, giving him a flashy little wink. ”To think… enough to intrigue the woman who reigns supreme over Desire… what an interesting thing you are, Jarmyr,” she said, and with that she pressed her cheek against his as the two swayed to the slow, enchanting song the bards now played.

While Jarmyr had wished to argue against her rebuttal, he knew it would be of little use. Even in their brief time of acquaintance, he knew that his mistress wouldn’t be swayed so easily. Besides, she was the master of their “business” relationship so it also served to quiet him down. But for a moment the demon had to consider that she wasn’t free in the sense he was. He could do as he wishes while she was at the mercy of a higher power than herself.

“No, I understand, even if it’s just a little, Dalanesca. I’m sure the grass is greener on either side but what would you do if you could have such a thing again?” At that point he had steered away from the thoughts of their game, having been slightly rattled by unmasking some of his past to her. As painful as it was and still is, he smiled through it as they danced to a much slower beat. But before they could get properly prepared, something unexpected happened, and their time here would be cut prematurely. “That’s one hell of a call”, he humored but then found his hand taken by the goddess. She hadn’t wanted to end the night here, and honestly neither did he. There was some relief breathed out of him as he took her into his hands. “But of course”, Jarmyr smiled as he took his time with her and their steps were small and slow on the dance floor.

“It’s been said plenty to my ear that I’m simply full of surprises. But even so, I have never dared to dream that a woman such as yourself would fancy me. I merely dressed up to help make this night more entertaining for you and to be an appropriate escort.” He was nigh breathless though as he felt her against him. The statement wasn’t made out of over self-confidence, but rather of fact. The demon may have been charming and seductive, but he wouldn’t have thought that she who now had Desire as a sphere would draw into him as she was. For now, though, the lines for them were drawn- his duty was to serve her as she saw fit. His arms wrapped around her smaller frame and he breathed in her scent deeply as personal space became nonexistent between them. It eased him to be in a more comfortable mood than he had a few minutes ago, but he knew that their time would end and she would have to go back and deal with the message. But that didn’t mean that the demon would let her go unaccompanied if he could have a say about it.

“Whenever you are ready, I’d like to company you to see this issue. Perhaps I can be of more service to you tonight after all.”

”Perhaps it is that we are destined to surprise one another,” Dalanesca said to Jarmyr as the two continued to sway across the dance floor, no space between their bodies as they pressed against one another amid their dancing. She squeezed his hand slightly, an indication that she was comfortable with him and that she was still enjoying his company. With a bit of a sigh, she leaned her head against his chest as they finished dancing to the song that played.

When the song ended, she pulled away from him. ”I just wanted us to finish that dance,” she said softly, her eyes locking with his for a brief moment. She leaned up suddenly and placed her lips against his cheek in a rare show of affection. ”Unfortunately duty calls, and we must return to Luxuria Mortiferum. We can enjoy the rest of our evening there, but in the morning there are things I must attend to… but I would like you by my side as I handle the issue at hand,” she continued. It would be the perfect time for her to spend a bit more time with Jarmyr as she found him intriguing on a personal level, but it would also allow her to see his behavior in the field, so to speak.

Wasting little time, she took his hand once more and led him towards a shadowed corner of the ballroom. With one wave of her hand, the ballroom around them flickered and they were swiftly transported back to Luxuria Mortiferum. The pair arrived in Paraiso Venenum, just as they had been before visiting the Chapel of Reverie. ”A short lived, but wonderful evening, if I do say so myself,” she said to Jarmyr, with a smile on her painted lips, her hand squeezing his once more.

”Ah, so you’ve stopped wasting your night with fancy dresses and handsome men, I see.” A darker voice spoke out from behind the pair. Dalanesca whipped around to see Jazrael, the head of her messorem who seemed to have a bit of a mind of her own, standing with her hands on her hips. Her crimson hair fell in large curls around her shoulders, and she looked rather annoyed at the Goddess. Emerald eyes flickered to Jarmyr and she let out a snort of laughter. ”Compared to that last one… I’d take a bite out of this one,” she said her voice nearly lowering to a hiss as she looked at Jarmyr as though he were a tasty meal.

Dalanesca was clearly not pleased with Jazrael’s behavior. She let go of Jarmyr’s hand and with a flash she was gone from his side, now standing in front of Jazrael with her delicate hand wrapped around the woman’s throat. ”Speak to me again in that tone, Jazrael, and you’ll find yourself tongueless with the mutes,” she hissed, squeezing her hand tighter around the demon’s throat. Jazrael sputtered and clutched at Dalanesca’s hand, clawing at it in an attempt to get her to release. ”Jarmyr has a place in this realm as much as you - more so, if you keep this behavior up.” She released her hand from Jazrael’s throat and the demon took a deep rasping breath.

”My… my apologies, Reaper,” Jazrael sputtered. She parted her lips to continue speaking but Dalanesca held up a hand, clearly indicating that she should not speak.

”I’ll deal with it in the morning, Jazrael,” she said, still making no mention in front of Jarmyr as to what the issue she would need to attend to was. ”Leave us. Now.” Jazrael nodded and disappeared in a shimmer of shadow.

Dalanesca turned back to Jarmyr, her eyes showing a deep crimson for just a moment before flashing back to their usual ice blue tone. ”That was Jazrael. She is… unfortunately… in charge of my messorem. That may be changing…” she trailed off, before walking towards him so that she was close enough to lay a hand on his chest. ”Now… where were we? Ah yes… I wanted to enjoy the free time we have this evening.” She looked up at him from beneath a loose strand of hair.

”You know, in the time you’ve been here… you’ve seen an awful lot of my realm, but there is one place, in particular, I can think of that you have not seen,” she said, a finger trailing down Jarmyr’s chest in a fairly suggestive manner. ”I have the most lavish chamber in the realm, of course… it’s a shame you’ve not seen it yet.” She smirked at him slightly, dropping her hand and stepping away from him. ”I’m going to need a bit of help unfastening this gown when the night comes to a close, but I can always ask one of my mutes to assist me,” she continued, while conjuring up a taller table with a few different decanters of drinks on it, including the Vinum Sanguis they had been drinking at the ball. She busied herself pouring a cup for Jarmyr, pouring a cup of a darker amber liquid for herself - the special whiskey made for her by one of her fellow deities.

As she handed him the cup, she continued speaking. ”Of course, if you’d rather have an evening alone… again… we can set up a rather nice suite for you,” she said, taking a sip of her whiskey. ”For now, let’s enjoy a few drinks… we can worry about… sleeping… arrangements later,” she said, her smirk darkening slightly as she clearly had other connotations behind her words.

It was a pity that their last dance ended, but it was satisfying nonetheless until they parted physically. If Jarmyr had his way, then she wouldn’t have to attend to whatever had shortened their night together. But her duties had to come first and although a pain, he knew it to be true. His body immediately felt the warmth from her go away and craved for it to come back, but he masked it with a smile as she showed her appreciation for him escorting her. “There will be more in the future, I can be sure of that”, he reassured, referring to the dance. Dalanesca was a phenomenal performer, a slave to the music akin to him. The realization only made the demon smile brighter as he followed her away from the scene. “It would be my pleasure, my lady.” The rest of the party would go on even with the life of it dispersing into the shadows and in little time they were back in her domain.

Feeling genuinely amused with how the evening with her went so far, and also seeing that Dal had many layers that most probably had never been able to see, Jarmyr returned the squeeze back to her more delicate hand. This had been the most fun he’s had with another person in ages, as far as he could recall. But in the moment he heard the voice drawn out from behind them, he casually turned his head enough to see another woman there. Judging from her stance and her wicked tongue, he assumed that she wasn’t too pleased with her mistress’ departure, even if she returned quickly from it. He frowned deeply, not towards what she said about him but for what was going to happen to her if his brother was correctly about Dal and her lack of being able to stand nonsense for too long. His eyes just caught sight of her for a second or two before she left him and went to secure her dominance. It bothered him none to see Jazrael in danger since it was her mouth that got her into this. Though this sort of behavior wasn’t unexpected from their kin and while even he had been known to shoot his mouth a few times, it wouldn’t happen here. Instead, he turned around fully to watch the point get across to her. Hell, it looked like it hurt enough and even he had to grasp at his throat and firmly rubbed it before it ceased.

The demon moved to approach her but nearly stopped when she turned to him and he saw eyes that mirrored his own. It was wise for him to remember to not anger the Reaper for she was a dangerous force. Perhaps even more so than how beautiful she was, but that thought only lasted a brief time. Dalanesca's tempered died down and he forgot about it when he felt her hand against him. “Demons can be wily things, mouthy too. But Jazrael seems to have more bark than bite to me.” He carefully moved her hair away from her face and tucked it away. Her messorem couldn’t insult him, or do anything for him. She was pretty, he’d admit but he was one that preferred both beauty and brains. “But I look more forward to the rest of the evening with you, very much so.”

He was instantly drawn to her proposal of helping her get the dress off by the time the evening was in its final hours and scuffed at missing the opportunity to see her boudoir. “Oh no no no, I couldn’t pass up such an offer like that. I’d be just happy to help out.” Grinning wickedly, he took part in drinking with the goddess while his imagination ran wild with thoughts of how the rest of the night would go. He recognized the taste of the whiskey from before and now could see it had a strong kick to it in full force. It was like it’s out of this realm yet it was refreshing as his throat felt like it was on fire. Crimson eyes darted about the different decanters as he drifted around the table and came over to her side before downing a couple of more sips. “A few?” He snickered as he reached for one of them and inspected it quickly, “Let’s see how well that turns out. But there is one drink I’d be interested in…one that's a bit short, dark and has a kick to it.” His eyes slipped onto her with an all too knowing look as he finished the whiskey and smiled through it burning his insides.

"But first, was there anything more you wished to know about me? I promise to answer truthfully. Perhaps another game can be made in tandem with the drinks."