Taking Time Out

[poppypapillon]

It is important to strengthen the bonds you have with others...

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[poppypapillon]

[She'd spent a lot of time around everyone by spending time with Denji... but hey, if she's going to get more ingratiated with this little family, maybe some one-on-one time is in order.

The first victim? The boss, of course. Goro gets a text.]

Hey! Are you free on Wednesday?

[herewardbound]

Yes, actually. What did you have in mind?

[poppypapillon]

I was going to go out for a day and take photos, get some nice coffee, stuff like that. Wanna come with? It's always safer with two!

[herewardbound]

That sounds like a pleasant time. Let me know where you'd like to meet, and I'll be there.

[poppypapillon]

Meet me at the Sloth elevator! I can pick you up from there and we can pick a ring to explore?

[poppypapillon]

[Second victim? Octavia, of course.]

How do you feel about melodic death metal?

[systemofadowny]

I love it! Sometimes, Denji and I put up a track and rock out to it on the couch. I tend to do vocals while he shreds the air guitar.

Do you wanna rock out to some?

[poppypapillon]

Denji's studying this weekend buuuuut I have an extra ticket - do you wanna go to a hellhound concert with me? I dunno how you usually are with security but we can figure something out!

[systemofadowny]

That sounds awesome! Count me in!

As long as I let my dads know where I'm going and who I'm going with, they're not too strict. Blitzø might lurk around, but we can kick him if gets too obnoxious. When and where's the concert?

[poppypapillon]

Perfect! I can also scrap if things get down to it.

Sending the poster!!

[Poppy had a picture already of the poster, since she already dolled it up and posted it to her aesthetic instagram. Here, have a photo of a poster that is taken at such a fancy angle but still has all the info completely visible.]

A terrible idea, or a Great Idea!

[hadal_predator]

Look, he already knew it was a crazy and terrible idea, so he didn't get red candles or even attempted to recite the words, but Ayer avage aloren Asmoday aken had a ring to it, and wondered if he should put it into a song in dedication.

Look, maybe summoning a Sin was considered rude.

So instead, he would simply pine from afar. Perched atop one of the nearby buildings neighboring Ozzie's, legs dangling off the edge, he pulled an empty envelope from his pocket to seal a latter he'd penned, checked over a million times by now.

Look, Sins were busy. Really busy. Maybe the big guy doesn't even read his letters because of creeps- NEPHEW sure as fuck didn't- but perhaps it would be the thought that counts to plunk something into an inbox and... say he did what he could.

Once finished, he sealed the envelope, took a breath, and shot a thread to a nearby street light, allowing him to swing his way down to the ground level. The movement was practically second-nature, smooth, like he'd been doing it for years or something.

Clutching the envelope in two hands, he... leaned this way and that and wondered if the building even had an inbox. Probably not.

Maybe hand it over to the bouncer...? No, that'd be like handing something over to Baron, who would sooner tear it up and dispose of it, demand things go through the channels like everyone else.

He crossed the Nephew sighed, shoulders sagged. "Seriously, what is this?? I'm confident. Stop having the willies. You danced with him at a fucking party a couple months ago, remember??"

Really, he had an idea to just move his way through like he owned the place, but that's not exactly going to impress Ozzie more than get kicked out for trespassing. This isn't a TV show or a movie.

[grointothebust]

There's always some naive, idiotic humans invested enough in demonology to attempt a summoning. The Sins were fortunate enough for humans to spread misinformation themselves and let them trip over their own feet. The truth was out still out there, though, and sometimes lead to very sudden shifts in their schedule.

If he'd known, Ozzie would thank Nephew for not using it.

But the desire was still there and burned strongly. An urge not just to meet with the King of Lust, but to speak with him. About something so wholesome and important to him...a desire like that's a bright beacon. So bright, in fact, that it was almost a summon in itself.

The big man himself stepped through the entrance to Ozzie's, greeting the bouncer and the crowd eagerly waiting to enter the club. He waves and smiles and, with a knowing look Nephew's way, he sauntered right on over.

"Nephew! Good to see you." Ozzie proudly greeted him, giving a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I got your message. You wanna talk about it inside?"

[hadal_predator]

...Maybe this was foolish. He was a grown man, not a child, and could handle things on his own. All four of his eyes turned to the envelope in his hands.

Perhaps he should just go home. Maybe sleep on the whole idea some mo-yee-!? There he is! So... goddamn... magnificent, if he could put off even a QUARTER of that charisma on stage at the Red Box-

Nephew stood up straighter with the look. Huh?

...He remembered him... wait. Message?

"I- y-you too!"

Somewhere in his mind was the image of struggling, sad Left Shark.

Fortunately, he'd gotten better at recovering. He cleared his throat. "If... it's alright? Surely you must be terribly busy, Your Highness-"

[grointothebust]

"Not too busy for you." Asmodeus reassured, gesturing for Nephew to follow along. He nodded to the bouncer, who let the shark through without question.

Inside, Ozzie's is the extravagant, lively venue everyone knows it to be. Dancers up in their cages, delicious smells fill the air, Verosika Mayday herself can be spotted at the bar. This was normal for Ozzie's.

But even with all of that to oversee, Asmodeus guides him to a private booth on the upper floor, inviting Nephew to take a seat.

"Make yourself comfortable." He spoke aloud, taking the opposite. "Need anything? You hungry? Thirsty?"

[hadal_predator]

When his legs couldn't move before, they seemed compelled now. He felt a bit in a daze walking past the line and didn't seem to mind the narrowed eyes from folk waiting to have the reservation list checked for their names.

Nephew reached up and snatched the beanie off of his head once he crossed the threshold, and his eyes widened, brightened in wonder upon seeing the interior. Fire Ruby would kill for this kind of venue in size and scope, and hoped perhaps she would have something like that someday... oh, but this absolutely beat sneaky Sinstagram photos out of the water.

Once seated, he smoothed down his shirt and took a moment to flip his hair up into something to recover from the hat hair. It helped break the spell.

"Oh, ah- you know, why don't you surprise me...?"

But he realized two of his hands held the envelope. He quickly pocketed it.

"But you... mentioned a message? I'm afraid I don't understand."

This isn't a Denji thread, so there won't be any ball jokes here.

[hadal_predator]

You know, a guy was just thirsty sometimes. Sometimes, you also have a case of the 'Not That's.

Coffee? Not right now.

Smoothie? Not that.

No, a man craved boba. There was something about a drink you also needed to chew that appealed to him. He wondered if he had an oral fixation, as he sometimes found himself chewing on stir sticks or gum during his shifts to blow a little frustrated steam from grabby customers.

Eh.

A message pinged on Octavia's phone. From a jumbly sender:

Goth Chick! The boba calls. Are you free, the same place as last time?

[systemofadowny]

I sure am! Who are we to say no if the boba's learned to summon demons? Especially with such tempting offerings.

[hadal_predator]

Clearly a human invention. The crafty bastards.

I should be there about 2 if that's cool.

[systemofadowny]

Works for me! See you there.

With nothing from her schedule standing in the way, Via decides to be punctual and show up outside the place at precisely two. She's vibing to music from her phone, earbuds in place and giggling to herself. It's not the more depressing music this time around; today's a good day, so she's got something more lively. She'd dance to it if she wasn't in public.

[hadal_predator]

Dear heart, Goth Chick, Vee... one must always dance like nobody's watching.

It's about 2:03 when there was movement in her peripheral. He can only hear a teeny bit of what's coming from her ear buds, but it's just enough to openly jam to it next to her and find a little time to goof off.

So nobody goes hungry

[mansbestend]

Denji had been a busy bee, shockingly. Between his tutoring, his study sessions, the morning runs and the Nautilus stuff, Denji couldn't shake the bug in his brain that Bambi had helped instill:

He needed to get better at cooking. He needed to cook a LOT. He needed to own his own food truck.

The hellhound was proud of the way he could make something flip with just a flick of the wrist and no spatula, putting the finishing touches on a loaded up egg patty. He slid it between some seared bacon and cheddar, letting that heat melt the cheese. The finishing touches- the sprinkle of sugar and the squirt of ketchup- wrapped the savory in a bit of sweet and tangy, before being wrapped in some warm and crispy toast.

Denji was all focus as he took a knife and sliced several prepared sandwiches, tongue poked between his lips until he was done.

"...And one money shot..." Click. A picture on the phone, all plated and lookin' pretty. Gonna tag Queen Bee and Poppy in these later.

Finally, the delivery! One for each family member, a knock on the door and a hand-off before moseying on to the next one. Unless one of them wanted to chat, of course...?

[moonlight_howling_666]

The smell hits her before the knock on the door - and only because that shit smells amazing does she even bother answering it.

Oh huh. It's actually food, too. And doesn't look like it was brought in a bag. Loona silently gives it an extra sniff test, just in case it's got some prank shit in it, but nah... just smells like food.

"...Huh. Smells good," she finally said, realizing she'd made him stand there for at least half a minute.

[mansbestend]

"Right? I think I ate like three during 'testing'. Give it a shot."

A beat. Then he raised a paw as if making an oath.

"Alright, I know I screw around a lot but I should put up a sign or somethin': I would never fuck with someone usin' food. That's just a waste and too many people out there are hungry."

[moonlight_howling_666]

"Yeah. Still... living with Blitz. Never know if you're gonna wake up to him in one of his 'I think it's funny to be an asshole' moods," the hellhound scoffed, plucking a toast off the presented plate and eating it in one bite.

A muted 'mm' is high, open praise from Loona.

"Fuck. You come up with that recipe yourself?"

[mansbestend]

"Well, if he fucks with the food I'm putting him in a headlock myself." Food. Serious business.

But Denji eases and his tail is wagging soon enough. Aahh! She ate it! Score!

"Only in the amounts! I like veggies a lot and cooked the egg a little softer for more of the omelet flavor to go with the crispy bacon. I wanna play with more kinds of cheese, but I really like cheddar and how it works with the ketchup..."