Thread: The Scarlet Crossing (DeliciousLust & darjeeling)

Her gaze was brief but Aurelia saw it all the same. Glints of shadowed yellow decorated with scarlet roamed over the crowd first for the noise, then at Hunter whose voice immediately softened as did the crowd's, then on Aurelia herself who finally realized that she had sorely underestimated the beauty of this beast. Perhaps it was not so much the provocative position Mariko was in, though the way her hips bucked was certainly enticing enough, but the taboo of this... this . Aurelia had no words. She watched helplessly with the edge of her long dark sleeve caught between her teeth as their cries of pleasure rose and rose, ascending the smokey air and dull, throbbing music before the monster's voice climbed over all the rest. The implications were as subtle as the claws wrapped about the man's wiry shoulders. Before she knew it, she was leaning forward closer to the platform. She could barely see the slick white gleaming in the soft, blurred lights and that was when Aurelia realized she had not blinked in what seemed like hours. She wiped the smoggy tears away with the back of her hand, cursing softly beneath her breath. She looked up again only to witness the tail end of the encounter, with the man pulling up his jeans accompanied with a cocky smirk and not so much as a farewell as he disappeared up the stairs. Aurelia found herself irritated at that, but quickly caught the emotion before it could blossom. Her eyes were upon the bakemono again, her faux anger only seemed to make Mariko more beautiful to behold and the smoke that whisked about her naked form made the monster look as if she had jumped right out of an ancient Eastern scroll. But if there was any sort of attention Aurelia could say she hated the most, it was the kind where she found both heart and mind to be so utterly captivated that all she could do was work incomprehensible words over the lump in her throat - her heart, she thought absently - as a pair of goldens as bright as hers peered with intrigue riddled in their depths. A second attempt at breathing went unnoticed by the female's lungs as her cheeks decided it rather liked the shade of red it had been wearing the entire night. Aurelia offered no response at first, both unable to and uncertain as to the proper etiquette. Instead, she looked around quickly, noting that Hunter had fallen silent at the bakemono's melodious voice scratched slightly raw from her recent passions. The slight movements by her side had not stopped or slowed, nor the whispers and grunts but nothing moved beyond that. Clearly the monster held some power over them and through the thickness of the haze in her thoughts, Aurelia found it surprising that men such as these could exercise such restraint. Those claws did look wicked sharp and the ruby haired girl had no doubt that should those stockings be peeled off, they would reveal talons just as pointed. She forced her gaze away from the curled legs of the woman, to the slick white that painted her inner thighs most subtly. Aurelia worried her lower lip at the sight, almost drawing blood but she quickly moved from that too. Curve followed voluptuous curve, ample breasts and the slender lines of her limbs and even her make up Aurelia stood motionless even as Hunter turned back to look at her, incredulous. She felt the heat of his jealousy lick at her skin like fire so she stepped away from him gingerly and, as if on instinct, closer to the platform that held the monster girl. Aurelia was not yet swayed, but curiosity begets curiosity and the redhead had that in spadefuls. Whilst reclusive, the relatively human female was not shy though she was quick to fluster and quicker to anger. Her life thus far had been a solitary chapter and she was bold when she had to be. Aurelia's eyes gleamed brightly where the light shone the strongest on the main attraction. Beneath it, her hair too seemed to glow with ripples of garnet, a rubellite that drank in the envy about her as she took another step forward to the platform, close enough that she could climb on it if she wanted to. Instead, her lips twitched into a strange smile. The smells had gotten to her head and the visual stimuli was too much. Finally, she found her voice, and it was low and strangely husky. I'm far from the most interesting in this room. Dimly, Aurelia felt her friend's hand tug at the tail of her jacket but she only seemed to be emboldened by this. Why are you here?