digitizedsouls | (psl) meet me in the shadows, won't you tell me what you've found

["Alright" is good enough, even if she's not quite at 100%. He can see the lingering hunger in her eyes, even as she tries to downplay it, but for now he pays it little mind. The important thing is that she's no longer a danger to others or in danger of keeling over herself.

He pulls out of her and tucks himself away, his gaze following hers to the open street. At first he wonders if there might be someone there, but then she speaks and he realizes that she's looking in that direction in anticipation of leaving--and to avoid looking directly at him.

A humorless chuckle rises out of him in response.]

I wondered if you had recognized me.

[A thoughtful pause.]

I never asked your name. May I have it?

[In hindsight, it seems rather rude to have neglected that detail until now. But they were both distracted, first by wariness and then by carnal urges. Now that they're both operating with more mental clarity, it seems like something too obvious to overlook. And yet, here they are.]

[ Of course she would recognize him. She would have to be living beneath a rock to not know who the most powerful man in Mondstadt is. Come to think of it, Donna can never stop talking about Diluc, either; to think that the two objects of that woman’s obsessions are one in the same… It’s rather humorous, in a way, that she’ll likely never come to know the truth.

Oriphi, on the other hand…

She can’t help but look hesitant when he asks for her name, although she has no reason to believe he’ll do anything like reveal her true nature to the masses. If he wanted to ruin her, he simply would have either killed her in this alleyway or walked away to leave her to die. Instead— well, he ruined her in the best way possible. He did her quite a favor tonight by quite literally saving her life, and the least she can do is give him her name, despite not knowing what he'd even want to do with it. ]

…Oriphi.

[ A beat, and then she begins to straighten herself out. Her wings fold in as she begins to shift back into her human appearance, buttoning her blouse back up in the process. ]

I realized who you were when you took off your mask, but… [ She couldn’t quite formulate a sentence, at that point. ] You don’t have to worry about your secrets.

Edited 2022-09-09 18:35 (UTC)

Oriphi. It's a pleasure.

[To say the least, after what they've just done.

He takes a step back out of her personal space as she begins to shift back into her human disguise and button herself back up. It's more difficult to do than he anticipates, removing himself from her warmth, and he quietly berates himself for the hesitation. He ought to remain focused on what it is he does in his nightly patrolling, not allowing himself to get so distracted by pleasures of the flesh.

Still... even now, covered and looking up at him in an innocent-looking human form, she's quite distracting indeed.]

I appreciate that. Likewise, your secrets are safe with me.

[It's not quite an equitable offer. With his power and reputation, he could damage her much more than she can damage him with their respective truths. But it's the least he can offer, and it's an offer made in good faith.

That established, he gets back to business. So to speak.]

How often do you let yourself starve like this, Oriphi?

[ He steps away, and she can’t quite conceal the way that she sighs in relief. It gets just a touch easier to breathe and even have a conversation with a man she’d just met and fed off when he’s standing further away, allowing her to steer her focus away from the voice in her head that still wants to pulls his clothes off and wants to see what he would look like beneath her… ]

Ah… You’re worried that I’ll cause trouble. Is that it…?

[ It’s the only reason she can imagine for why he keeps asking her questions. She’s becoming more and more aware of the imbalance of power between the two of them… As such, being as honest as possible might be the only way he’ll allow her to continue living her life. If he'll allow her to continue living her life. ]

I don’t… Like to feed often. I always hurt someone when I do. I’d rather starve myself…

[ Of course, when she does, then it becomes all the more likely that she’ll hurt someone worse than normal. But she can’t help it… She just wants to forget what she is and live as normally as she can. ]

[Oriphi isn't wrong. He is worried she'll cause trouble if she keeps this up, both to others and to herself. But that isn't the only reason.
Simply put, he's taken something of an interest in her. He's never met a creature so terrified of her own power and potential as she is, and he'd be hard pressed to say that it doesn't pique his curiosity. There's also something almost endearing about the whole thing, that a succubus would yearn so strongly for a simpler, less predatory lifestyle. The thrill of the hunt and her biological imperative to feed don't overshadow her empathy for her victims, and that's rare to see in her kind.

Also... it's hard to ignore how really good the sex was. But he insists to himself that's not a factor in his interest.

He's lying to himself, of course, but it's not like it's the first or last time he's done so.]

I see.

[A plan begins to form in his mind.]

I managed to come away unscathed, however. Do you feel any different, feeding from a vampire instead of a human? Anything to be concerned over?

[ The way his eyes remains fixed on her feels both a blessing and a curse. She feels as though she’s withering beneath the intense, scrutinizing gaze of those crimson eyes of hiss that glow in the shadows where they stand. Yet at the same time, she would be remiss to say that there isn’t a part of her that isn’t enjoying the very same attention, that hasn’t stopped thinking about alive she’d felt while he was fucking her senseless. Her hands come up to idly twist the ends of her hair between her fingers. A nervous habit— though, perhaps, that same part of her is aware of the potentially alluring nature of it.

But she stops, realization flashing across her features when Diluc brings up a simple fact that hasn’t even occurred to her until he says it out loud, even though it’s been obvious this whole time: he managed to come away unscathed. More often than not, she leaves her victims in some form of debilitation, whether it be physically or emotionally. And yet here he stands, and, as she looks at him again, he looks ostensibly hale and whole. And he doesn’t look even the least bit tired.

Then he asks after her, again, and her brow furrows as she considers herself. ]

I— I feel good.

[ She means to say, alright. Just as she’d said earlier when he first asked, only that’s not what’s come out, is it? ]

I mean— Alright. And I think that it didn’t… Take as much… To get to this point.

[ Gods, why is she saying all of this? And why does he keep asking questions? ]

[He kind of had expected that detail to escape her notice, nervous as she seems to be about simply existing in his presence. Or existing at all, if her words are to be believed. It really is amazing, how different she is now that she's not desperate take and be taken in equal measure. If he didn't see it with his own eyes, he's not sure he'd believe that the succubus he fucked against the wall is the same as the woman looking up at him now.

This time, the asking after her is a probing question. He needs to know that there aren't any adverse side effects to what he's about to suggest. As luck would have it, it seems to be quite the opposite--she's feeling better drawing from him than from a mortal person.

Good.]

Then allow me to make a proposal. You require to feed to survive, and you don't want to hurt anyone while doing so. But your method of minimizing harm is reckless and potentially disastrous--for you and for any hapless person who gets too close to you. For reasons that I hope should be obvious, I would like to prevent that.

Going forward, I can be your sole target. And we can do this regularly, not just when you're so starved you can't handle yourself.

Your thoughts?

[ He’s not saying anything that she doesn’t already know. She knows it’s reckless, what she does. But she can’t help but frown as he lays it all out in front of her in such methodical, unfeeling words. Though it would be worse if he were to be angry about it, she supposes. She can’t say that she completely understands where he’s coming from, but…

Still, she listens carefully, and her shock is clear as he gives her the option of feeding on him, and him only - and in such a way that would prevent her from finding herself in this situation again. She would be free to live her life, and not have to worry about starving or hurting anyone.

But… Why would he go to such lengths? ]

And you’re doing this… Why?

If you just wanted to make Mondstadt a safer place, Master Diluc, you could have just killed me. You still could. I don’t… I don’t understand.

[This time, it's Diluc who looks surprised by her response. Was his reputation as the Darknight Hero (or as Master Diluc Ragnvindr) really so cold-hearted and terrible? Of course it is; he's built himself to be untouchable, a force in the night to punish the guilty that more "proper" authorities refuse to acknowledge. Such an image is necessary, as it discourages bad behavior from humans and supernatural creatures alike.

But to see such that reaction from her stings a bit, for reasons he can't quite understand. When he speaks, there's a softness in his voice that wasn't present before.]

I kill monsters and punish the guilty, Oriphi. You are neither. Everything you've said and done tonight has demonstrated that much.

[Monsters don't care what happens to those they come into contact with. Or if they do, it's with malicious intentions.]

So allow me to help you and Mondstadt at the same time.

[ There’s a long, long while after she receives his answer in which she simply looks at him in silence. The look on her face is caught somewhere in between being dumbfounded and genuinely moved. For the first time in her life, someone is seeing her for all that she is— and doesn’t think of her as a monster. That hunger in her heart, in her body is silenced, and in its place something indescribable and warm in an entirely different manner settles.

Her eyes sting with the threat of tears, and she closes her eyes for a moment to blink them back as she draws in a deep breath, exhaling it just as slowly. Then, at length, she nods her head in silent agreement. ]

… Thank you.

[ What else can she really say? He’s saved her life tonight, and now he’s promising to continue helping her so that she can finally live in relative peace. She takes another moment to contemplate before she speaks up again, looking a little more sure of herself when she looks back up at him. ]

I could… I could help you, too. Not just Mondstadt. Feed on me, too.

[Oriphi is clearly touched by his words, eyes misting over slightly and her whole body going quiet as if to somehow cherish the feeling. Diluc begins to put the pieces together. "A monster," it seems, is what she thinks of herself. Or has been made to think about herself.

Monsters, however, don't make it a point to offer something in return for another's kindness. A ghost of a smile crosses his features as he feels that much more certain that this is the correct course of action.]

You're welcome. And thank you as well. I'll take you up on that.

[She tasted divine, after all.

He reaches into a pocket and produces a pad and pen, writing something down before tearing off the page and handing it to her.]

My address and personal phone number. Contact me whenever you need.

[He reaches for his mask, intending to place it back over his face, before he pauses and adds:]

You should probably stop by tomorrow night.

[Just in case she hasn't quite had her fill.]

[ There’s some measure of relief on her end when he accepts her offer easily; much like everything else about this encounter, she hadn’t been sure what to expect. But he agrees, and she’s glad that she’ll be of some use to him beyond some nebulous concept of doing this for the greater good of Mondstadt.

She is, after all, only one succubus. Providing her with the nourishment she needs is barely a ripple in the grander scheme of things, surely. But it’s a new chance at life all the same, and she would be a fool not to take it.

The piece of paper with Diluc’s information on it finds its way into her hands, and she clutches it close to her chest, afraid that she’ll lose it if she doesn’t hold onto it tightly. ]

I will. I mean—

[ She’s basically just admitted that she’s still hungry, hasn’t she? She sighs. Most succubi are charismatic and charming and they know all of the right words to say whether it’s to lure their prey into their arms or in simple exchanges.

Oriphi is lucky she even survived this conversation. ]

… Okay. I work at Floral Whisper, the flower shop, if you ever need to find me during the daytime…

[ Without really thinking, she reaches out and tugs on the fabric of his cloak ever so lightly. ]

I won’t forget how you saved my life today, Master Diluc.

[She's only one succubus, of course, but she's one that's caught his interest. He's helping her for the greater good, but there's also a selfish bit of him that just wants to learn more about her. He's curious and she's lovely. It's a dangerous combination, especially given what they both are.

Which only intrigues him further, of course.

Oriphi stumbles over herself a bit more, all but admitting that she's not fully sated, and he can't quite hide his smile as he puts his mask back on and pulls up his hood.]

I know Floral Whisper. [It's the flower shop with the girl who looks at him with such longing that it makes him uncomfortable.] I'll remember that I can find you there.

[He hesitates before responding to that last bit. It's not the first time he's heard words like that - albeit without the "Master Diluc" attached - and he never knows quite how to handle it. For the people he helps, he's fully aware that his intervention is often life-altering. But for him... it's often just duty. The innocent must be protected and the wicked must be punished. It's that simple.

Although with Oriphi, he's almost certain that it's about to get much, much more complicated.]

It was no trouble at all. I'll see you soon, Oriphi.

[And with that, he gives her a gentle nod of farewell before slinking back into the night. There's still work to do.]

(psl) meet me in the shadows, won't you tell me what you've found

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