#【 with: zuihuojoui 】

[gowyuko]

In-law tea time. ( @zuihuojoui )

September 23, 2021, Gowyu’s residence

This was a grand hassle and Gowyu had thought he wouldn’t have to meddle in anything after he’d legatated all his business to third parties allies. Apparently, he still had to be bothered at undesired times, but the one that really bothered him was when they would seek him out at a gambling table as if they could not see he was trying to make sure some clueless fool would fall for his tricks. What was the point of not wanting any responsibilities if it ended up falling to him to clean up the mess they were not capable of taking care of? This made no sense.

Things did not turn out exactly how he’d thought they would for his disgraceful sister, but she’d turned the wheel and taken to the traditions, so Gowyu was left with no other choices but to find joy in other aspects of this failure. Various avenues were currently lined up behind him, his shadow only passing by it, or so it should have been. Only his shadow should have been involved in this, not his ink and not even his words. Folded and slid in an envelope, his seal, the melt of a green snake, now a rare sight on any messages, keeping the letter safe and closed before he held it up to the man awaiting his instructions. 

“Here is a message, deliver it to Ace of Hearts Joui.” At least that they could do without his help right? 

“Where am I to deliver this message, sir?” 

Gowyu arched an eyebrow up at the man who stood facing him, he saw him swallow and tug at his collar nervously and instantly wished he had a trick up his sleeves to somehow twist that tie and make sure it was the last time it was wrangled in this man’s sweaty fingers. However, he had a message to deliver and the man’s services was needed for other matters. Gowyu needed him alive to keep carrying out the various shipments of organs without any troubles. Which, funnily, was not working wonders of course, since shipments were being lost left and right. Maybe this particular one wasn’t the right business for him. 

It was fun at first, quite the good public image anyways, but at this rate, he’d have to rely on something a bit more him, a little more solid than feeding useless animals. Well, first, he had to get acquainted with the reasons behind these interceptions and knowing the source of it was only the beginning of this task--more like a heavy headache. 

“The bank. Deliver it to the bank he owns and do it before I decide to give you mercy and end that pathetic life of yours.” That last thing had him leaning back in his chair, the pen in his hand twirling between his fingers as he watched the man scramble to gather his wits and practically run out of his office. The fear factor was still there, Gowyu’s lips curled on a grin, too bad he couldn’t really hunt as much as he used to. But gambling with people’s luck and wealth was there for that now, there was no way to run out of vices to dive in when it came to Kadeu. 

At least that was a winning point. 

The message read as follow: 

Dear, Dai Wa, Zenjenkou,

I would be deeply honoured if you could find the time for us to meet for a chat over some tea, the date and time are up to your availability. Feel free to use my messenger to send me your reply. 

Ko Gowyu. 

[saygeko]

𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝

February 28th, 2021 — AIRANG 06:00. The streets of Hearts Territory. @zuihuojoui

She'd recognize the cast of his shadow no matter how warping. 

Down the dimly illuminated alley, she followed the stretching outline as it seemed to walk away, out of her reach, darkening the walls of every corner he turned. Joui was walking off as she pursued him. "My love!" She called, but he didn't give up his flee.

Joui's trace dissipated in his last turn, leaving Sayge alone in a dead end. No other shadow there but her own, lying motionless behind her. "Please don't leave..." Her hands were shaking, but her voice did not.

She had to find him again. Joui had appeared in front of her multiple times over the night and then vanished in the most painful ways. He had been soft and welcoming. His smile showed Sayge how delighted he was of seeing her; arms open and loving words leaving his mouth, only to find his way away from her again. And it hurt, it hurt more and more every time.

The light of the full moon caressed her face as her silver wings spread, feet leaving the ground. The fabric of her dark ocean blue dress, dancing along with the wind created by herself. She overflew the high building forbidding her passing until now, and saw the still crowded streets, fewer people, but many still enjoying the celebrations. Sayge's eyes landed on a man on top of a horse. Oh, Joui, she saw him, firmly holding the reins. Her smile bloomed at his sight.

The reminiscing of their youth came to her fast, the first time he held her waist to help her up a dragon. 'I am here with you.' He had said when Sayge refused briefly to get that close to the majestic beast. Joui's reassuring look and his comforting words gave her the courage to touch the fire-breathing creature as he took his spot behind her. 'She is well behaved, fear not. Her nature wouldn't let her hurt you.' Joui's words tickled Sayge's ear, and she looked back. 'Oh, is she? She is intimidating nonetheless..." The younger Fae answered, and Joui's laughter made his head tilt back. 'I am not talking to you, but her.' He pointed at the dragon beneath them as his charming laugh slowly faded away.

A loud noise caught her attention and brought Sayge back to the present time. Her eyes moved from the man on the horse, looking for the source, only to land on Joui again, another Joui, at the opposite end of the long street. Her mind was playing games, and she didn't like it.

[evaxsombra]

bloodied fangs

My guiltiest pleasure? *grins happily* Clothes! Whenever paychecks come around I head straight for the clothiers--the cheap ones, obviously. Still, I like finding things to wear that aren’t my uniform. Wear them when I’m not working. I mostly splurge on nightwear, but if I’m feeling really tempted I grab a new pair of boots.

[generalkwon]

@zuihuojoui

31 December 2020; 23:00 The Joker; Highranker Ball Yeon Nen

The crystal ballroom erected in the Joker by the Deck for Yeon Nen was immaculate. Glass panels made up the pyramid dedicated to keeping the highranked warm, and not only were they practical, they were also beautiful. Jihoon watched small snowflakes melt onto the structure with a soft smile on his lips, wholly disinterested in the whispers and stares directed his way. When his gaze finally refocused on the crowd, he was met with pristinely outfitted and carefully accessorized bodies in red, gold, and white.

His own body, decked out mostly in black save the white of his soft linen shirt, was so comically out of place it almost looked like he’d gotten lost on his way to the market and miraculously ended up here. Rather than feeling self-conscious, this difference only made his smile widen. The sneers on the faces of midrankers and highrankers unfamiliar with his appearance sent peels of silent laughter through his mind. Eventually someone would tell them, and then he’d get to watch their expressions morph from disgusted to calculating. If he was so relaxed, perhaps they could use his kindly manner to get a leg up in the world? The moment someone decided to try would be the moment his scowl returned.

But there was still time.

A visage dressed entirely in gold caught the Spellsword’s eye as he moved silently throughout the ball. Though he’d been having fun eavesdropping, Jihoon decided to greet his Heart equal. It’d been a while since they’d exchanged more than bland pleasantries, and he was just so proud of how utterly unbefitting of an Ace his attire was.... he couldn’t help but bring it to Joui’s attention. “Joui. You look radiant this evening.” The General’s smile is perfectly polite, but there is a mischievous glint in his eyes as he greets the other man.

[mallickshah]

@zuihuojoui

Familiar faces he wished to not have to see again were by the dozens. So by now, Mallick had learned the treacherous art of acting like if he didn’t act like he saw or noticed them, they it just never happened. It worked quite well when it was in the streets, whether empty of a crowd or not. It was a little harder when it was at his place of work though. Case in point, behind the bar, tending to what he needed to tend to. 

Drunk customers growing by the dozens. Closing time was not looming close, so it was going to be awhile before he could call it a night and let himself follow the step of the horse of a hailed carriage driving him home. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t technically hold a conversation with just about anyone, friends or foes. The upside of his past rank was that he could, in fact, mix however much he wanted with the higher or the lower. It also helped that, unlike many other clubs, highranking or not, his family had ties beyond the faction. They’d grown habits that were not necessarily inherently clubs, but without dropping some proudly earned one from their territory of course. 

Like for example, the urge to fight for no other reasons than wanting to have a good brawl. Mallick could still feel it in him now and then, and he was wishing he could just do that anywhere he wanted to. Restraints was, however, his closest enemy and he was going to behave as long as it knew all of his secrets. From the inside out. So when the infamous Ace of heart did not seem to budge from the spot he’d taken at his spot at the bar, because each bartenders had their own corner to tend to. It made things easier for when the night grew wilder than expected. 

So, there was no mistaking what this was. An invitation for Mallick to serve the Ace, point blank. Well, he ought to at least treat him like he would any other customer, didn’t he? He let his hands hold onto the edge, his body pushing away, the space was too tight to truly shove himself as far as possible, but it was that or cross his arms and show more anomisity than he wanted to.

Mallick did not want to appear hostile, not at all. It might be easy if he just let himself think of the good comradery that had once existed between them. Cordial and easy, was how it’d always felt. So cordial--easy would not be so easily attained though. 

“Well, I hadn’t pictured you as one to frequent this place but what do you want to drink?”

[croupiex]

i mean a lesson in fire

the façade: “No, but that’s a rather romantic idea isn’t it? Compatibility at first sight and all that”.

➳　factcheck! this is a lie. cas doesn’t believe in love or attraction at first sight unless it is purely physical. besides, once again, this is the type of behaviour that gets you killed.

the candid truth: “I’m never ‘me’ when I first meet someone, and it’s near impossible to genuinely ‘click’ with someone when you’re pretending to be someone you’re not. Then again, if you’re both pretending, maybe you can both pretend to ‘click’ with each other. Cute concept”.

[kadeukarma]

Tuesday, 18 August 2020; Evening. 

Backstage at The Secret Room you overhear a conversation between a group of your burlesque dancers. Apparently one of the lowrankers that works at The Red Dragon has caught the eye of Ace of Hearts Clan Leader Zuihuo Joui. One of your male dancers claims he attended the Fae’s Birthday Ball and saw the woman there - a Six. This dancer is also a shifter and seems to think she smelled rather fox-like.

As the Ace of Hearts usually seeks companions from your establishment, this news has come with more than a few narrowed eyes among your workers.

Karma sat in the darkened secret room adjacent to her office, feet propped up on the desk; ankles crossed, of course. Back to the door, the desk faced a massive wall of what appeared to be small cupboards, each with accompanying engraved nameplate labels and antique brass horns that curved downward, mimicking the shape of a bell.

Never before had a woman sat in this seat; atop this throne of power, and while she might not technically be a woman, her vessel certainly was. This was her place now, as it had been for several years, and despite being quite frivolous and uncaring in the past, Karma had to admit she was quite proud of the life she’d made for herself and the little minxes that worked for her.

Every night, she seated herself at this very desk and diligently made observations. Again, many men before her had done the same, but the intent couldn’t have differed more drastically. A watchful eye was absolutely necessary for the protection of her employees and while the wall in front of her appeared overwhelming at first glance, it had been painstakingly organized. 

Planned in depth all the way back from the building’s initial inception, the labyrinthine design hidden behind simple plaster and embossed wallpaper must’ve been someone’s crowning achievement. With the use of light, mirrors, and just a bit of magic, she could literally see and hear anywhere in the massive complex, simply by opening a little door.

As tempting as that sort of power was, Karma did her best not to abuse it...but she IS a demon, you know so, if there are expectations not being met, it’s really nobody’s fault but your own. 

During her ‘rounds’ tonight, she stumbled upon an interesting conversation in the dressing room. She had just been about to telekinetically slam the door when she heard mention of the Ace’s birthday party she’d been unwilling to attend. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fond of Joui. She actually adored him, and all the pretty, shiny coins in his gigantic vault. But as unfortunate as it was, her patience with explaining, repeatedly, that she was not ‘on the menu’ at her place of employment was apparently much lower than it needed to be for her to exist in a social setting for more than five minutes.

She’d been content RSVP’ing with the assumption that she and Joui had an understanding as to why it was difficult for her to make an appearance, but the more she listened, the further her eyebrows knitted together in concern. Before she realized it, she’d swung her legs off the desk and crawled up onto it, on her hands and knees as she peered into the illuminated box on the wall. He was seeing someone at The Red Dragon?! Her stomach flipped at the thought of losing all the pretty, shiny coins that stayed behind after he left her doors.

With an exasperated huff, she slammed the cubby, plunging the room back into dim moonlight and crawled off the desk, tugged her form fitting dress back into place. This simply would not do. She was determined to see what all this apparent fuss was about. She would take a look at this girl, this fox, and decide her fate after that, but one thing was for certain: little boys who get caught being naughty have their toys taken away.

[kadeuxhyeonju]

Gold is a Fae’s Best Friend

@zuihuojoui

Saturday 15 August 2020; After Sunset 

Heart Territory, Zuihuo Joui’s Birthday Bash

The ball was in full swing and Hyeonju found himself jumping between chatting with fellow guests and helping himself to the delicacies passing him by on servers’ trays. At one point, the Heart felt so at ease from the festive atmosphere he’d dazzled a few bystanders with a fan dance. Hyeonju was enjoying himself. He might hate high rankers—and Joui by proxy—but he couldn’t deny how drawn he was to the grandeur and false sense of freedom he felt at events such as these.

He had yet to see the birthday boy everyone was celebrating but made no efforts to find the Ace right away. The Fae loved attention, when others threw themselves at his feet. Hyeonju had no intention of being one of those fools. Still, the weight of his gifts  sat heavily in a hidden pocket and he knew he’d have to find Joui long before the night was out. After all, the Ace was running around with only half of the intended jewelry for tonight’s glamorous golden festivities.

It would be a black mark on Hyeonju’s name to have someone so prestigious running around practically half-naked—though he was certain Joui would strut through the crowds like that, undeterred. That’s what Hyeonju considered it, anyway, walking around with an incomplete fashion set.

So after much debauchery and a handful of flirtatious comments and smiles, the Ten of Heart went out in search of his favorite client. It didn’t take long to find the Fae—just look for the hoard of women fanning themselves and staring longingly into the middle of the crowd. Instead of trying to fight through what would only be a futile  and desperate attempt at reaching the Fae, Hyeonju opted to stand off to the side and admire his work.

He’s like my personal model, he thought to himself. Let him show off a little more. Might be an asshole but he’s great business for the Vega Gem.He smiled to himself as he waited for Joui to notice him.

[kadeunpc]

new gossip please and thank you

but have you heard...

@ara-kadeu seems to have peculiar tastes. First, her ongoing relationship with Two of Clubs @hilo--keahi and now she’s invited a married Dwarven couple into her home? I guess disabled blacksmiths and desperate refugees are what do it for her

It seems @duri-sawbones may be a spy planted by the Diamond Faction. How much do people really know about this guy anyway? He always looks a little off, maybe he’s been lying about his alternate forms 

@kadeukarma seems to be getting around these days. First, she was in Diamond Territory hovering around @nerenth and now she’s off in Club Territory with @mercykadeu? Seems she’s not as “off the menu” as she claims to be, but I guess a head whore is still a whore

@phoenixkadeu has been crazy suspicious lately. Could he perhaps be involved with the resistance? The guys obviously batshit crazy, would anyone really doubt his involvement with the bombing of the Academy?

Has @ujin-khaos lost his touch? First, he flips his lid attempting to make a Spade assault one of his other patrons, then he bans lowrankers from his club and now he’s playing favorites with @peachestpeachatkadeux? Whose the real concubus here, huh? It’s hard to tell whose got whom wrapped around their finger since they both can’t seem to keep them out of each other

@zuihuojoui seems to be keeping his hands full. @cherrykadeu, @saygeko, @acevalentina, the decapitated heads of his enemies. Just how much flesh can this fae juggle?

[phoenixkadeu]

🏮🏮

🏮 — Does your family have any holiday traditions? Your species?

To talk about his species as a whole would be a mistake, he could not be sure of any traditions surrounding each family. Especially because in his family there weren’t just elementalist, they still had humans, just like his dad and they needed to honor them just the same.

“We always rent a few small boats in Umibe beach, my grandparents and my mother as water elementalist usually take on the role of stirring us in the right direction” it was simple, really, Asra’s grandfather (from his mother’s side) was born in Umibe, so it was only natural that he wanted to keep in touch with his roots as well as introduce the place to his family “they thought about stopping doing that after I became a fire elementalist, but I told them there was no need, I like swimming, I like fishing and I like to be around them so there was no need to suddenly change that” there was that glooming thought that maybe this year would be the first time he wouldn’t attend, Umibe was filled with a bad memory that Asra did not want to relive. “My old man also had this habit of building some lanterns, mumsy likes to paint them and make them all pretty, of course I get stuck with the job of lighting them all”

[lukef]

ahem i mean scowls and hidden flasks

luke raisedd an eyebrow, shrugging. “i suppose. thing is, we recently reconnected and i think that our friendship will grow again later on. we have plenty of time to figure things out, anyways. other people..my grandmother, probably. she passed away some time ago.”

mentioned: @kadeuxhyeonju​

[pirateskinned]

your new themes are so beautiful!!

thank you!! 

[saygeko]

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫. 01:38 

To find a Zuihuo in a crowd wasn't a difficult task. The gold and the natural light they displayed followed them like a halo. And finding the Ace was as easy as holding one's breath only to let it out in relief. Joui's ethereal appearance seemed to boost under the fabricated magic of the evening, and Sayge saw him, sparkling as an answer to everything heavenly, the way he always did in her eyes.

Approaching from behind before he could land his eyes on her, Sayge materialized face to face in a blink. "May I hear your excuse for leaving me at my own mercy for this long?" She whined, her fingers instinctively coming to the fabric of his jacket, drawing the perfectly accomplished embroidery, distracted for a short moment with the graceful of his being. "Foolish of me to imagine you would grant me the whole evening." Her gaze met his, the unhidden face and the garments selected for the night something Joui had seen before, a familiar view, and perhaps not his favorite of hers. Sayge was no maiden, and he had made sure of that. He took away from her that title uncountable blue moons before.

"My wishes will have to be granted, for me to forgive this abandonment." With a heavy hand, she pushed him and his strong persona, a swift and childish tantrum, only meeting the youth her appearance showed clearly to the High Fae. A night for them to remember how life was in the past, when elders looked down on their behavior and Joui would carelessly grab Sayge's hand to take her away to their own eternity built of furtive kisses and moonlight.

@zuihuojoui

[evaxsombra]

@zuihuojoui

31st October, 9:30pm Samhain, Murder Mystery, 9:30PM

Eva was feeling a bit tipsy. Having walked her way here over from Club V, she’d managed to sober up a bit. She did get a good laugh when she was handed a character card she couldn’t read. The man at the door was nice enough to read it for her and explain the murder mystery scenario. With that understanding, Eva strode confidently through the mansion, her cane dressed up as a broom “sweeping” across the floor.

Eva chuckled to herself at her at her stupid joke, but let out an “Oof!” after bumping into something in front of her. “What in tarnation?” She said trying to stay in character, reaching out her hands to figure out what she’d run into. The contours behind the the cloth were too…curvy, defined…and definitely not a wall. “Oh, howdy! You’re a person. I thought you were a curtain.” Her cane hadn’t touched anything. Where were their feet?

[generalkwon]

@zuihuojoui​

Monday 20 July 2020; 21:15 Diamond Territory; Highranker Party

Displeased would be the best way to describe Jihoon tonight. Outfitted in his dress blues, the man stood off to side with a drink in hand, wondering how long he had to stay at this soiree. Although the Ace rarely strayed far from irritated, he was particularly prickly tonight due to the suddenness of this event.The Diamond host had decided to throw a ‘surprise’ party, a surprise for his guests that is; invitations had been sent out mere hours before the Aces were expected to arrive.

Thinking about it made the vein in the Spade’s neck pop out as he flexed his jaw. Downing the rest of his beverage in a single go, Jihoon set the empty glass down on the tray of a passing server without a second glance. Pressing the fingertips of his left hand into his forehead, Ji massaged the area as he walked further away from the raucous musicians.

Everywhere he looked another eyesore popped up: gauche decorations, outfits so colorful they could make eyes bleed neon, Tens sucking up to anyone that gave them a second glance, the list was endless. Feeling a migraine starting to build, the Spade took a seat in wooden chair beside one of the manor’s balconies, the deep green of his uniform clashing horribly with the bright floral pattern of the cushions.

[kadeuyuki]

👹🎁

👹 — Describe a fear you have about the upcoming year.

“Being alone. Others may find solace or peace in being left by themselves, but a solitary lifestyle doesn’t necessarily suit me. In fact, it seems more like a nightmare.” Growing up lowly ranked in Heart territory certified Yuki as an undesirable, and the reputation commonly afforded to demonic breeds seemingly preceded her. “If I’m to live a few hundred years, 77 of which have already concluded, I’ll be damned if I sit around in this apartment alone with only my thoughts to converse with.”

“I have trouble letting people in, you know? Like, why would I entrust my secrets or my heart to another being? One fight and boom, I’m ruined and my heart is broken. It’s ironic, right? I want to be surrounded by others, to have friends and lovers - but emotional connections are...hard. I guess that’s why I would call it a fear. I fear I may once again stand in the way of something I desperately want.”

🎁 — Is there anything you do yearly, without fail?

Answered Here!