xenetala

[xenetala]

This cave is just gorgeous. I really appreciate games that put this kind of effort into their scenery.

[xenetala]

@adevilyoudo ty for the tag ❤️ Been a bit busy so haven't been on here lately.

Favorite Color: black or red

Last Song: Welcome To My World

Currently Reading: Just finished the Naga Brides series by Naomi Lucas and the Monster's Duet series (8 books in one week lol) Not sure what book to start next. Maybe Shogun.

Currently Watching: Nothing really. Waiting for Solo Leveling Season 2 and Omniscient Reader's View Point to start.

Currently Craving: Nothing.

Coffee or Tea: Both. Can't live without either of them

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Tagging @mslanna @bitethedevil @firlionemoontav @noctswife

[xenetala]

The Chef

Read on AO3

Summary: You have been working as a chef at Jujutsu Tech, but the job was less than stimulating. Your cooking techniques never seemed to be fully appreciated by the college students, and thus you were growing bored with your work. The curse ability you hold catches the attention of a certain powerful curse being and you are given the opportunity to cook a special meal for the curse of your dreams.

Advisements: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT You have been warned, please check tags for list of warnings. It is an MxM reader. It is consensual though. That's about the only 'good' thing in here...

            You put the spatula in the sink as you finished plating the last of the college student’s meals. Not that they’d appreciate your artistic talents, but you were not about to degrade your work by being inattentive. At least the young adults could appreciate that your food tasted good.

            The college hired you to cook since you were a certified chef and you had your own curse power. However, you did make sure to hide the fact that you didn’t care about curses or humans. Your passion was cooking and your curse abilities reflected that. Best if they didn’t know that you’d be willing to sacrifice your humanity to continue creating different cuisines.

            The curse ability you possessed let you add a little more to your food than just good flavor. Something like a normal person being able to see curses for a time, or having explicit nightmares, simple little things that only lasted so long as the food was in their system. Though you normally used the power to make people experience unpleasant things, you could use it to augment the abilities of others. For example, feed something to Sukuna’s host that would allow Sukuna to suppress the host’s conscience for a much longer period of time.

            While you may not consider yourself evil, your actions were not aligned with good either. You wouldn’t do overtly evil things, after all, there would be consequences that you couldn’t fight, but the moral ramifications of your actions didn’t concern you. Perhaps it was a good thing for the world that you didn’t have a curse ability that would shine in a battle. It would be rather hard to get an enemy to eat something you threw at it.

            The college had no knowledge of what you could do with your curse energy. It was reported that you had curse energy, but as far as the school board knew you didn’t know how to control it. Since they kept you as a cook it didn’t matter and you made sure to keep it secret just how much you knew or could do. If they knew the full extent of what you were, they might decide to execute you. Just like that Yuji gentleman that they brought in recently. The man had been possessed by possibly the most powerful curse in all of history, Sukuna.

            Thinking about the powerful curse ran a shiver down your spine as you carried the tray of plates to the dining hall. You had the grand pleasure of seeing Yuji turned Sukuna once and the sight filled your dreams. Why couldn’t humans have that kind of raw power? That sadistic aura that drove you wild with desire?

            A desire that would not be realized. You sighed and gathered your thoughts as you pushed the doors open with your foot. The college students were having their usual animated discussions with their instructor. Gojo. An interesting man and one that you had considered a few times approaching for a night of passion, but the man just didn’t have that same aura the curses had. Perhaps you were just bored and needed to find a hobby that would help take up some of your time.

            As you set the final plat down at Yuji’s place, the young man smiled and thanked you. You nodded with a practiced, charismatic smile when Sukuna’s mouth formed on Yuji’s cheek. “You are wasting your talents cooking this tripe.” The voice was alluring and a warmth spread through you. Sukuna had deigned you worthy to speak to.

            Yuji smacked his cheek and the mouth reformed on his hand. “Why waste your talents cooking plants and animals for these lesser beings when you could cook them instead?” There was a tempting vibrato to that statement and you wanted to take that temptation.

            “That is disgusting!” Yuji slapped his other hand over Sukuna’s mouth in an attempt to get the monster to quiet. “Eating humans is gross and wrong.”

            Sukuna’s mouth reformed once more on Yuji’s other hand. “Oh no. Human is very delicious. Little chef, cook up some human for me and I’ll reward you greatly.” The mouth began to fade as he gave his command. “I’ll provide the main ingredient.” His last line trailed off as his voice faded.

            Sukuna wanted you to cook for him. He’d even reward you. Never in your wildest dreams did you think you’d actually have this chance. A sliver of hope spread heat in your core. He wouldn’t be willing to spend a passionate night with you for a reward, would he?

            “Don’t worry about him.” Yuji smiled up at you and brought your thoughts back down to Earth. “He won’t be getting out and I won’t let him force you to cook something gross. Your food is always really good!” The sorcerer trainee brightly assured you and was blissfully unaware of your true thoughts.

            “Thank you.” You smiled with your most charming façade. If they only knew that Sukuna’s offer was a miracle you never thought would be granted to you. Humans? Were any of you really human? The idea of cooking and eating one didn’t disgust you. It interested you instead. You had never had the chance to work with human body parts as ingredients and the prospect was one that piqued your interest.

            It was a few days later when you returned to the kitchen after all the students had finished their meals for the day that you found a human arm and leg on your counter. A smile crossed your lips and a warmth spread through you. It was time to try making something new. You knew exactly what power you’d pour into the food with your ability. This was for Sukuna. It’d be perfect and you would make sure to augment the curse’s power.

            Human flesh was a new ingredient for you and you took your time to familiarize yourself with it. This dish had to be perfect. The texture of the skin, the tautness of the muscle, the direction the muscles connected, even where each layer of fat was all served to dictate how to cut and cure the meat before you.          The wrong cut could affect the texture and cooking in the wrong heat or with the wrong seasonings would destroy the flavor.

            You’d heard pigs and humans had a lot in common when it came to many flesh structures, and under your expert hands, you agreed with this. The arm had the least amount of meat on it, so you decided to start with that. If you messed up or didn’t draw out its full flavor, you would still have plenty to work with.

            After some experimentation with pork cutting techniques to get the most out of the meat, you learned though the two were similar human flesh was tougher. You had to be careful how you tenderized it so as not to overwork or over season the meat. The bones were added to a pot to boil and make a broth from. This would help keep some of the flavor and could be added to a sauce.

            With your concentration on your work, you failed to notice the bare-chested, tattooed, curse watching you from the doorway. His eyes watched your movements, saw how you filled the food with your cursed skills, and watched your expression remain bright through your cooking process. He remained a silent observer of your work.

            Finally, you plated the last dish and wiped the sweat from your brow. You were quite pleased with your work and had made several dishes from ground human burger bites to shredded human tacos. There were even a few human sushi dishes and a few attempts at things like human tartar. You’d tasted some of the dishes as you’d made them to assure the best flavor, but you couldn’t be sure they’d please Sukuna. You didn’t know enough about his palate to know for sure.

            “Humans with your type of curse skill are exceedingly hard to find.” Sakuna’s voice sang through your ears and you quickly turned to give him a slight bow. The curse was in your kitchen and tasting your dishes before your very eyes. Yuji was a well-built man, and Sukuna certainly wore his body well. It was your firm belief that Yuji’s body was built just for Sukuna and you began to wonder if there was a way to evict the college student so Sukuna could use the body unrestricted.

            “These are very good. You did well.” Sukuna’s voice broke your thoughts and you flushed with pride. The curse was enjoying your food and complimenting you. You silently watched as he moved from dish to dish and a heat built in your loins as your eyes followed every muscle of that beautifully sculpted body.

            Try as you might, your thoughts would not stray from just how much you wanted the man before you. You were fairly certain that Sukuna didn’t even think about a sexual preference, but maybe, just maybe he’d be willing… You let your thoughts trail off. Hoping against hope wouldn’t do anything for you and you were thankful that the apron you wore hid the erection pressing against your pants.

            Sukuna finished the last of the dishes and licked his fingers in the most sensual movement you’d ever had the pleasure to witness. A shiver of pleasure ran down your spine and you tried to keep your gaze from turning lustful. “Hmm… what to reward an excellent chef with.” Sukuna mussed and his eyes ran over you. A part of you prayed he’d notice your arousal and another part was afraid he’d find it disrespectful and murder you on the spot. Though would such a death not be an honor? But then who would cook your flesh for him to devour?

            “Strip.” Your thoughts churned so much that you almost missed Sukuna’s command. It took a few seconds for the command to register what he wanted you to do and you caught the hint of annoyance in his eyes as you were slow to react. Not wanting to displease him, you began to remove your clothing.

            You stood there as nature intended and now there was no way to hide your erect member. You could feel his eyes on you and a flush of both shame and pleasure heated your body. “On your knees.” Another command that you were to follow. You quickly kneeled on the hard, tiled floor and waited for his verdict.

            Sukuna walked around you to stand behind you. Your heart skipped a beat and your erection grew to its fullest. You could no longer hide it. You wanted Sukuna. You wanted his hands on you, his claws, his teeth, his hard cock in you. You wanted him to tear you apart and just as you were ready to beg for it, a hand roughly pressed you forward.

            Your chest met with the cold floor and you let out a breath at the feeling. Sukuna’s hand was on your upper back holding you down with your bottom in full view for him. The position was not unwelcome and your cock throbbed with need. The sound of clothing being ripped apart drew your attention and you turned your head to peer over your shoulder.

            Kneeling behind you was Sukuna, naked, in his full glory, and with his own member standing at attention. A needy moan escaped your lips and you spread your legs before him. A smirk crossed Sukuna’s lips as he reached up to pull a bottle of oil from the counter. He popped open the bottle and coated his fingers with the slick substance. Your body burned with desire and you could feel your hole quiver in anticipation. How many times had you toyed with yourself as you imagined this king of curses thrusting his cock deep within you?

            The tattooed curse rubbed some of the oil along your hole before sliding a finger in. You’d toyed with yourself too many times for your body to feel anything but acceptance at the intrusion and you greedily sucked in his finger. A grin formed across Sukuna’s face. “Greedy little slut aren’t you?” His voice was taunting even as he moved the digit inside you and worked your ass to his pleasure.

            Slick, skilled fingers moved inside you. Stretching you and opening you up. Your moans filled the kitchen and your member leaked its fluids as you began to rock your hips. It felt better than you had ever imagined and you wanted more. Sukuna was skilled in pleasure and he brushed that sensitive spot, but only slightly. Teasing you and building your desire.

            Sukuna’s fingers continued to work your ass as he leaned forward and ran his tongue along your spine. A shiver ran through your body and you clenched around his fingers. Your member throbbed painfully and you reached a hand down to it. Your fingers gently stroked the shaft before you fully gripped it in your palm and began to pump yourself. A loud moan escaped your lips and Sukuna’s hand quickly moved from your back to grab the wrist of the hand around your cock.

            “Oh no my slutty little chef. You cannot do anything I do not command.” His breath tickled your ear as he pulled your hand from your member. With his curse power, he secured both of your hands to the floor above your head. You were at his mercy and at the mercy of his desire. This was everything you dreamed of and more.

            His teeth sank into your shoulder and you let out a moan-filled cry. The king of curses ripped your flesh from your shoulder and the pain filled your eyes with a stream of tears, but also pleasure. It was painful, but it was delicious. You wanted him to hurt you, to fuck you, to utterly destroy you.

            The curse raked his claws down your back and the burning pain of your flesh tearing tore a pleasure-filled moan of pain from your lips. While the curse mangled your flesh and toyed with your ass, your member leaked more of its fluids, and moans of pleasure and pain filled the small kitchen.

            Your body hurt and you loved every second of it. The red splatter of your blood on the floor was just as an erotic sight as the naked man behind you. More. You wanted more. Your hips rocked with need and try as you might to get the pleasure you needed from his fingers; they were just not enough. A whimper escaped your lips.

            Sukuna knew not to let your body take too much damage and you gained some reprieve from the delicious pain inflicted. You turned your gaze over your shoulder and the painful, lust-filled look pulled a growl of pleasure from the lips of the king of curses. The powerful being removed his fingers from you and grabbed the bottle of oil. Your body felt empty and you rocked your hips begging for him to fill you again.

            “Please master.” Your voice was filled with need and hope as Sukuna coated his rock-hard cock with the oil. He was large and it’d hurt when he entered, but you wanted it. Pain was just another form of pleasure for you and you pleadingly spread your legs wide.

            Sukuna’s clawed fingers roughly grabbed your hips as he lined up his member with your quivering hole, and rammed himself in. You gasped as pain from the forceful entrance racked your body. The curse didn’t pause to give you time to adjust and began slamming himself inside you. Slowly your moans of pain turned to pleasure as the desire numbed the pain to something far more pleasant.

            Your own member throbbed and trembled as it leaked its fluids. Your release was coming and you could feel it. “Master…” You moaned as you began to peak and heard a click of a tongue. “Only when I tell you, my little whore.” Sukuna stopped thrusting and you heard him open drawers. He moved around while looking for something and the movements left you just hovering over the edge.

            After a few agonizing seconds, you heard a sound of satisfaction and glanced over your shoulder to see that Sukuna had found a small meat thermometer. It was the small one you used to test individual plated dishes.

            The king of curses drew his sharp nail over the tip of your cock and prodded its small hole. The feeling was strange. It was a tingling sensation that wasn’t quite pain and wasn’t quite pleasure, but you felt it through your entire body. Your hands balled into fists and your body shook at the strange, yet alluring feeling.

            He slid the thermometer into that small hole and your body rocked at the unfamiliar sensation. Your ass clenched tightly around his cock and he moaned. The feeling of the metal inserted into your own member was painful, pleasurable, and everything all at once. You couldn’t place the sensation and you felt it through every nerve in your body.

            Sukuna resumed his powerful thrusts and the kitchen was once more filled with the wet sounds of flesh meeting flesh and the sounds of moans mingled with growls of pleasure. Your member was painful as your climax was denied. You swelled with unfulfilled need and there was no way to release it.

            Your hands were still locked to the floor above your head and the thermometer prevented you from cuming. Your hips rocked and bucked, you clenched around Sukuna’s member, and you begged, pleaded, cried, and moaned, all in the hopes of finally reaching your climax. All denied by the man filling your body with his manhood.

            The pleasure and pain were becoming too much and you waivered on the edge of consciousness when you heard a deep growl escape your partner's lips. Just as you felt the warm fluids of Sukuna’s member begin to spill into your body, the metal obstructing your own release was removed.

            A moan more a scream than a moan ripped through your body as your release finally came. Your milky fluids shot painfully from your engorged member and across the tiled kitchen floor. You felt Sukuna’s release fill your insides with warmth. As he finished, he pulled himself from you and you felt the semen leak from your ass and down your thigh.

            You collapsed to the floor in an exhausted, breathless, mess of blood and fluids and it was divine. “You’ll serve me again.” Sukuna commanded as he stood up from the floor.

“Yes, master.” Your breathless reply fell easily from your lips. You would become a fine curse chef.      

[xenetala]

Tag game

Thank you for the tag @firlionemoontav. Not entirely sure what I wanted to do with this, but seemed fun.

Rules: Choose 4 of your favorite characters from 4 pieces of media as poll options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe, then tag 4 people

Okay, I'm noticing a theme here... It took me a while to figure out which ones I wanted to use. Vegeta and Sephiroth are two of my first favorite characters in any media, and I always gravitate back to them. They hold a special place for me. Raphael and Syzoth are two characters that have recently inspired me and are from two things I have loved for many years (D&D and Mortal Kombat). Thus, these are the best candidates.

Tagging: @noctswife @feyspeaker @mslanna @ghostchems

[xenetala]

The classic Chocobo chase 🤣 A staple of anything final fantasy.

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Our fandom forbearers did NOT suffer through Anne Rice, strikethrough, and other bullshit for fucking ACOTAR and Harry Potter fans to fucking ruin it for all of us by selling fanfiction. I am not losing novel length yaoi epics because some of you don't know how to act in fannish spaces and yes I do blame the booktokification of fanfic but I also blame those of you that treat fandom like content to consume and not a community to engage with.

[xenetala]

More of those classic scenes. I haven't had as much time to play as I've wanted, but this game makes my inner child so happy.

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actually me fr

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Got this little one and am so happy to have another strong healer. Genshin is really lacking healers and once I build her up I think she'll be able to come close to as good of a healer as Baizhu.

[xenetala]

Happy Birthday @firlionemoontav!

Thank you for the lovely writing piece you did for my birthday. In return, here is an art piece of our favorite devil for you.

More about the piece under the cut for those interested.

This is the 3rd portraiture piece I've ever done and the second one I've done in the stippling style. I tend to shy away from doing people because I just do not have the practice or training to draw them.

I have drawn some cartoony or anime-style people before, but I have yet to work with much regarding the human form. Maybe sometime I'll transition from animals and scenery to people.

I'm not 100% happy with it, BUUUUT I think that's normal. lol We are our own worst critics and will always see all glaring mistakes. I didn't want to overwork this one and ended up stopping before I ended up working it too much.

Also, stippling is the artist's equivalent of masochism. lol I love the way the style looks, but omg the time they take. I always underestimate the time it takes to complete one of these.

[xenetala]

[xenetala]

Did another scratchboard style piece. I felt more confident with this one. Working with digital is not at all like working with traditional media. This is so much harder, but I'm having fun with it so I'll keep going.

More about the piece under the cut for those interested.

This a roadrunner that often comes to visit my apartment. Where I live we see these cute little guys a lot, and there's one that lives in the bushes across the way. I figured he'd make a good model for this.

The decision to work with some of the types of art I did when I was first starting learning art as a whole was a good one. I'm feeling a lot more confident that I hadn't lost as much skill as I thought and a lot of it is coming back to me really fast.

If any of you are nervous about restarting your craft, I encourage you to just try. It will be nerve-wracking at first, but I recommend starting with a style you are super familiar with even if it's not your favorite.

I have the same advice for those moving from traditional media to digital. They are not even close to the same thing so I say to start with something you'd do with ink or a sepia piece. This'll give you a chance to get a feel for the digital medium as well as help you translate your skills to using a whole different plat form.

[xenetala]

This is brilliant! Thank you so much! ❤️❤️❤️ Raphael's suspicion was too cute, Haarlep being Haarlep was perfect, Korilla was hilarious, and the perfect mix of feels. 🥰

Day 24: Roses

As requested by @xenetala for her very special day ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much for your request and support, and I wish you a very happy birthday! 😍😍😍

*Raphael receives some perfectly normal roses. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Probably...

TW: Only contains minor naughtiness on Haarlep's part. Other than that, this is safe for teens and up.

I hope you like it 🥹❤️🙏🏻

***

Raphael refused to believe they were just mere roses, especially considering the fact that they suddenly arrived one day in his House of Hope without anyone even noticing. They looked harmless enough, yes. Three stems of red roses—his favorite color—tied together with a white satin bow. He found them lying on his desk in the Archives.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Raphael turned away from his poor, stressed Archivist, who was unable to provide him with the answers he needed. The fellow had been checking the long list of new artifacts that arrived from all parts of the Nine Hells, and the next thing he knew, the roses were there.

Raphael bent down and cautiously sniffed the fresh flowers, refusing to touch even a single petal for fear that within them lay a trap that would probably inflict damage or bestow a curse upon him. He was now halfway through his campaign to bring down all the Archdevils of the Nine Hells. He had forcefully made his father Mephistopheles surrender to him, Belial and Fierna willingly offered their allegiance, and Glasya, Zariel, and Dispater, in order, had all perished by his hand. This left Mammon, Levistus, Baalzebul, and the Lord of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus himself. He could not afford to be careless, even for a fraction of a second.

Before sniffing the roses, he became even more confused than he had been a few seconds ago. They, well… smelled like regular roses.

Recalling all his studies regarding the flora native to Toril, Raphael took some related books from the shelves, fully dedicated to uncovering the mystery behind these roses. He knew of the black rose vines, the very same plants that wrapped themselves around the Ravenwitch’s tree, with sinister properties that had led to the demise of many unsuspecting adventurers. These roses may be red, but a powerful illusion could hide their true nature.

Doing a quick flip through a particularly old book of spells created by Dagsumn of Waterdeep, that greedy hooligan of a Wizard, Raphael found what he needed. Closing the book shut, he held out his hand and took a deep breath. With his concentration fortified to the best of his abilities, he accurately formulated the words and cast the spell.

For ten minutes, everything around him within thirty feet, including the roses on his desk, was covered with a faint purple aura, the spell working to perfection and probably even beyond, thanks to the modification he implemented using the Crown of Karsus. However, those ten minutes passed, and he did not detect even the tiniest bit of hidden magic coming from the flowers.

Giving the old book a look of utter disdain, he chucked the useless thing away, wishing the clueless Dagsumn of Waterdeep a hundred years of bad luck, wherever he or his soul may be. Going back to the shelves, he took out another book and found a certain species of roses native to Zakhara, the Land of Fate, whose life-changing properties made Raphael sweat more than usual despite being a denizen of Avernus.

A rose that can make a spellcaster forget spells?! No! He could not allow that to happen! Yet, he realized he had already sniffed the damned thing just a few moments ago.

With hands shaking in fear and panic, he forcefully summoned both Korrila and Haarlep, or what used to be Haarlep, from wherever they were or whatever they were doing at that moment.

As expected, the androgynous Incubus, in the form of a male Drow who looked like Drizzt Do’Urden wearing nothing but straps to cover his private parts, gave him a look of contempt and said, “This better be good, brat. My client was left plastered on the ceiling of a dungeon with nothing but spiderwebs, and her soaking wet holes jutting out for almost three hours!”

“I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR CLIENT’S RIDICULOUSLY LURID KINKS!”

“Umm, is everything alright?” Korrilla, who was abruptly summoned from a well-deserved vacation break, asked carefully, her cheeks flushed. She was still holding out a glass of a suspicious rainbow-colored liquid that sparkled like fireworks, her swimming outfit leaving nothing to the imagination.

After offering them a brief summary of what was happening, Raphael ordered the two to ask him certain random questions to check if he was indeed forgetting things. With the roses and the desk itself covered within an aura of a small-scale silencing spell, Raphael braced himself for the questions.

During the first hour of the interrogation, he was able to answer fairly and properly, with added but not necessarily needed explanations and interpretations regarding spells and Infernal knowledge. However, the next part became too personal, and Raphael started to think that the two were leading him on.

“What is your preferred position in bed?” the Incubus, still wearing the legendary Drow’s skin, asked with a straight face. It was hard to tell whether he was asking a genuine question or merely having the time of his life bullying the Devil.

Raphael squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “Is that query even necessary?”

“You seem too confident with the things that you’re aware others know about you,” the Incubus said, propping his chin against his fist like a scantily clad investigator. “What about the things that only you know about yourself?”

“He has a point, boss,” Korrilla agreed hesitantly.

Raphael sighed and shook his head. “I prefer to be on top—”

“HA!” The Incubus pointed at Raphael with an accusing finger and a victorious grin. “YOU’RE LYING! YOU’RE ALWAYS ON THE BOTTOM! NEVER ON TOP—

“...wait, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Raphael drawled, his eyebrows furrowed, his radix scrunched, and his low voice carrying an unspoken threat. He was about to lose his temper.

The Incubus received the silent warning and slumped back against his chair. “So, who do you want to top?”

“HAARLEP!” Korrilla screamed in anger, ready to ruin the creature with Eldritch Blasts if he opened his mouth and insulted Raphael again.

“Tav…” The two looked at him with shocked faces and gaping mouths. The Devil shook his head and rubbed his sweaty forehead in frustration. “Are we done here?”

After transporting the two back to their private businesses, Raphael undid the silence spell and crossed his arms, looking down at the roses and thinking he had wasted precious time trying to decipher their secrets when there were actually none.

Maybe they were just simple gifts, humble tokens of gratitude offered to him in secret.

With wits made of steel, he finally took the roses and raised them to his nose, his sensitive nostrils grazing against their soft petals as he sniffed their fresh, earthy scent. Running his fingers against the white satin bow tied around the stems, he pondered the origin of the gift, coming up with a few possibilities and scenarios.

A gift. It sounded nice.

He did know about the Thayan roses. Such wild, crimson flowers revealed much of their origin's true nature once one cast a specific spell on them. But unlike the black rose vines of the Ravenwitch’s tree, which lured men to their deaths more than Sirens do, and the roses of Zakhara, which could make even Elminster himself forget his own spells and exploits, Thayan roses were just that—talkative, often sailor-mouthed flowers that could talk anyone’s ears off until one was forcibly driven to insanity.

What could possibly go wrong?

Holding the roses a few inches from him, Raphael concentrated, feeling both his innate powers and that of the Crown surge like electricity from his mind to the very ends of his nerves. Taking a deep breath, he allowed the spell and its intentions to overtake his will. With a clear voice, he spoke the incantation with perfect accuracy.

“Incantare Cuum Herbas.”

Both the palm of his hand and the roses glowed teal as the air around him turned blessedly cool. Raphael waited for the spell to take effect, anticipating a rather crude Thayan greeting from the flowers.

“Greetings,” the middle rose spoke in a soft and calm feminine voice. “I was afraid my memories would wear off with all the spells you’ve cast on my fragile petals. It would defeat my one and only purpose. Luckily, I was steadfast like my mistress.”

“Mistress?” Raphael was confused. Clearly, this wasn’t one of those rude Thayan roses. It turned out to be much more, and it made the Devil question his own knowledge regarding the flora of Toril. “Who sent you here? I order you!”

The rose drew back as if offended by his biting words. “No need to be such a bully. I intend to tell you my purpose. After all, the mistress surmised you would use your magic to speak with me. And she was right, as always.”

“Then, speak plainly,” Raphael commanded in a calmer tone.

“Very well.” The rose shook its leaves as if it were an actual creature clearing its throat. With a much softer voice, it answered, “I was sent by your mother. She wishes you a very happy birthday.”

The Devil almost collapsed at the revelation. Propping his hand against his desk, he sat in his chair, feeling his legs wobble like jelly.

“You are making a fool of me, I am sure of it,” Raphael retorted, his voice cracking with emotion. Surely, he was becoming insane.

“The mistress told me that, too.”

“How? She’s… gone.”

“I am but mere dregs of what little power she had. She created me the day before you were born. Before…” The rose stopped as if it could feel Raphael’s uncertainty through his fingers that still held its stems. “Well, here I am, and I have served my purpose.”

“How come you are showing yourself now? Why not before when—” Raphael stopped, unable to sort out the whirlpool of emotions within him. “When I needed her the most?”

“Yes, the mistress told me that as well. And I appear before you now, in your greatest time of need.

“You are well on your way to greatness, and yet you are conflicted by emotions, unsettled grudges, untold feelings.” The rose bowed down, its petals shaking in anticipation. “It is time you reconciled with them. It is time you become true to your own self.”

“Which self, I wonder?”

“I could not answer that, but the mistress believed in you. You have known the answer all along. You just need to—”

“Yes, yes. I’ve heard enough.” Raphael closed his eyes. In all his schemes and the wars he waged, he had entirely forgotten the day he was born. And who could blame him? Cambions like him never celebrate their birthdays! Least of all the very day they lost one of their parents!

He felt a soft gust of wind blowing against his hair. He looked up and realized that the rose was slouched and leaning towards him as if it were glancing perceptibly at him.

“I only have a few minutes left. Five or six, most probably,” the rose informed him. “If you cared to know, yes, the voice I’m using is the exact imitation of the mistress’.”

Ah, stinking hells. Now, a flower was saying goodbye as if it were his real, actual mother…

“There was a familiar tune she used to hum,” the Devil opened up, recalling the time he clashed against his father in Cania and saw glimpses of his own mother for the first time. “I could not quite remember how it goes.”

“It was her favorite song. She used to sing it to you when you were still in her belly. Do you want me to hum it until I fade away?”

The question was brought up thoughtfully.

“Yes,” he simply answered. “Yes, please.”

***

[xenetala]

The Ring Girl

Read on AO3

Summary: You just got a job as an announcer at the famed Heaven's Arena, but the idea of sitting in a box and giving idiotic commentary didn't sound appealing. So, you decide to spice things up. With your showmanship, ringleader-themed outfit, and charisma you decide to take center stand and act as both announcer and judge. You don't expect to gain much from the first fight you are assigned to, but the promising allure of the red-headed fighter you ran into might just provide you the 'spice' you need.

Advisements: Explicit content, female reader, and that's about it. This is super vanilla, but please be sure to read the tags in case there's something you might not be interested in.

            The elevator made its way slowly up the tower to the two-hundredth floor. You crossed your arms and leaned against the polished metal of the elevator walls and watched as each floor number slowly ticked up. Heaven’s Arena was a place where people addicted to battle met and tested their skills. It was also your newest place of work.

            There were many opportunities for jobs if you knew how to use nen, but the most common path people like you took was to become a Hunter. While the occupation was not without its perks, you weren’t fully sold on the idea of getting the license required for the job.

            Instead, you’d taken a job at the world’s tallest battle tower. The idea of fighting in the ring had occurred to you, but your nen ability wasn’t the best for a straight fight. Your skills were better suited for less head-on or one-to-one combat. Not that your ability was weak, it just shined in other areas more.

            You were slated to be an announcer for the fights. Normally the announcer sat in a box above the ring for the commentary, but you opted to test the waters of the audience and planned to stand in the ring and commentate that way. You even had the uniform tailored to something akin to the style of a circus ringmaster.

            If you were going to be forced to wear the gaudy pink and garish yellow combination, you were going to own the outfit. The top with the fist emblem of the tower cut at your midsection and the back ran like a tailcoat behind the very short pleated skirt. Thigh-high boots that matched the modified uniform along with some artfully added sequence completed the outfit. You had thought about leaving off the silly little cap that you were supposed to wear, but since a circus ringmaster was the inspiration for your outfit then just making the cap into a top hat became your choice.

            The owner of the tower hadn’t seen your modifications to the uniform, but that didn’t matter. You were confident that if you could pump up ticket sales to even the most obscure fights, then the owner wouldn’t care as much about what you dressed like. And, that was exactly your plan. As an announcer, you got a cut of the ticket sales and if you could get people to come to fights for your commentary as much as for the fight itself, then that would increase the sales.

            Finally, the elevator made it to the two-hundredth floor and the double doors opened. You stepped from the doors and made your way down the halls to the arena. The fight slated for today was Chibaba versus Maita. From what you saw of their previous fights and records, neither fighter was much to write home about.

            Neither of them were nen users and had only recently made it to the two hundredth floor. How they’d made it so far was a mystery to you, but it was probably for the best that they fought each other before the nen users on the floor. Initiation was not something pleasant and if they were lucky neither of them would be able to fight for a while after the match and could watch other fights to see exactly the world they were stepping into.

            On the other hand, maybe knocking out the weaker ones sooner was better in the long run. It wasn’t bad to know your place. At least such a lackluster fight would give you the perfect opportunity to showcase what you could bring to the table. You walked down the hall while lost in thought about how you were going to pull things off when you almost ran smack into someone.

            If not for your ability to sense the nen of others and quick reflexes, you would have assuredly bumped right into the person in question. “I apologize for that. I was not paying attention.” You dipped a perfect customer service bow before looking up to meet the golden eyes of the person you’d almost collided with. The person before you was a man dressed in a showman’s outfit, much to your delight. It was hard to place if the outfit was more circus magician-themed or court jester, but who were you to judge? After all you were wearing an outfit that was clearly taken right from the circus fashion book.

            The man’s eyes looked over your outfit appreciatively and you held back a smirk of pride. Part of your planning in the outfit was to use your sex to attract some attention and if this man’s look was anything to go by, you were succeeding beautifully. “The logo on that outfit says you are an employee here, but that’s not a typical uniform.” There was a pleasant vibrato in his voice that sent a slight shiver up your spine.

            This man knew how to be alluring. “It’s my first day here, but I’m going to be announcing fights and thought I’d bring a little more” You paused for dramatic effect. “spice to the arena.” A slight smirk spread across your lips as you did a little pirouette complete with a slight tip of your top hat and a wink to show off your outfit. Nothing like some extra appreciation to boost your confidence and you had some time to spare with this gentleman. “What do you think? Too much?”

            He looked at your outfit critically for a moment and your evaluation of him went up a bit more. Not only could he appreciate the form-fitting nature of your outfit, but he could maintain professionalism. This made you take a bit closer look at him.  Flaming red hair complimented by the red and black top, brilliant golden eyes highlighted by gold accents, bare arms that showed off his perfect biceps; the man was a looker in his own right and you were sorely tempted to ask for his contact information for later.

            “It’s quite eye catching and will certainly ‘spice’ things up as you put it.” There was a mischievous spark in his features as he looked you over a bit more intently. He must have decided to try catching your eye and as a nen user you could sense the beginnings of battle lust emanating from him as well as recognize he was a very well versed nen user. Perhaps more well versed than you. Now seemed like a good time to make your exit and head to the arena.

            With another quick bow, you excused yourself and made your way down to the ring scheduled for the combatants. Normally the announcer would make their way upstairs to a viewing box, but for today you were making your way through the halls between the bleachers to the center ring.

            To make sure you had everything set the way you wanted, you’d even bribed the judge to be absent today. This would mean you could not only comment on the fight, but decide the points. At least as long as the fight wasn’t too closely monitored by the higher ups, you should be able to smoothly achieve your goal.

            You put on your headset as you walked to the end of the entryway and took a deep breath. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Heavens Arena!” With your arms outstretched, you sauntered your way to the center stage and stepped onto the platform. Though the crowd was small, you heard some cheers and a few cat calls as you stood made your way to the center.

            Any attention right now was good. Even minor fights were broadcast throughout the tower and people could purchase tickets during the fight provided seats were open. If a few more spectators were to show up after seeing a girl in alluring attire take to the floor, then that worked out nicely. You wanted people to be interested in seeing you more than they were in the fight. This would assure you had a continued job at the arena.

            With a practiced flourished bow, you introduced yourself as the announcer and judge. There were a few mixed calls of appreciation and disgruntlement, but since this was a minor fight no one really voiced any loud complaints. Many of those who watch fights like this can’t get tickets to the showcase matches and just want to be able to brag to their friends that they watched a battle here.

            “Fighting for your viewing pleasure today is the brick wall, Maita!” You introduced the first contestant with the moniker you mad up for him and incited a few cheers. To further elicit a reaction, you released your nen ability to showcase an illusion of Miata shattering a solid wall simply by walking through it. There were some more hoots from the crowd and you felt the pleasure of your growing success.

“Versus the whippy Chibaba!” The second contestant incited a few more cheers than the first and like you did for the first contestant, you cast an illusion across the field of vine like whips cracking around Chibaba. The overall effect certainly got the crowd to pay attention a bit more than they normally would to some no name combatants. “Today is a rematch from their fifty fifth floor battle. Last time Maita was victorious, but will he be able to hold onto that win today?”

            A few calls for one or the other of the contestants to win carried across the field as each fighter took their place. Both men seemed to ignore your antics and just solemnly focused on their opponents. Must be some bad blood there. While they made their way up the platform, you to the brief pause to check out the crowd. Much to your delight there were several more seats filled. Either the theatrics you played at with your ability or the allure of your womanly charms drew them in. Whichever it was didn’t matter to you. A bigger audience meant a bigger pay day.

            Just as your eyes were finishing scanning the audience, the deep red hair of the man you encountered in the hallway caught your eye. You smiled broadly as your eyes met and you gave him a flirtatious wink. If nothing else, you hoped he’d at least spread word that a sultry ring girl’s theatrics made the lesser fights more enjoyable and thus bring in more spectators.

            Once the fighters were in their spots, you raised your hand in the air and looked at each one in turn. “Are you ready?” A slight dramatic pause for affect before bringing your hand down, and you shouted the go ahead. “Fight!” With that last word, you jumped back to the edge of the ring with a speed just enough above the normal person to prove your point that you weren’t an ordinary announcer, but also not too fast for the average person to miss your movements.

            The two men in the center of the stage looked at each other for a minute before the fight began. As you’d already knew, their moves were basic and not much to show for a fight as would be expected at this level. After some research into the arena and its fighters, you were surprised the ‘rookie crusher trio’ hadn’t gotten to these two yet. It didn’t matter though. This pair would eventually learn the hard way what nen was as long as they fought on the two hundredth floor.

            Fighters in position, you raised your hand and started the signal for the fight to begin. “Ready!” You brought your arm down. “Fight!” The second the last syllable left your lips, you jumped back a few paces. You calculated your backsteps to show a hint of your own prowess, but not so much that it’d draw too much attention from the fight. Gotta have a little mystery and charm to draw people back.

            Maita, an obvious wrestling type, rushed in for a quick takedown move, but Chibaba was ready for him. A quick glint of something from Chibaba’s sleeve caught your eye and you smirked. There would be blood in this fight. “Maita rushing in for a no holds bared take down move!” You shouted just before the wrestler would connect with the smaller man.

            Chibaba ducked with the agility of his smaller frame and flicked his wrist just as he avoided the grappling move. “Clean hit! One point!” You shouted as the hidden knife nicked the larger man’s side. The wound wasn’t deep enough to cause real damage or be much of a threat, but it was more exciting than basic maneuvers. “Our quick whip is out for blood this time!” The video screens above you showed the clip of the hit as the two contestants circled each other.

            Several cheers erupted from the slightly larger crowd and you smiled to yourself. A quick scan of the audience showed that sure enough a few more nen users had entered the stands. The must have seen your nen powered theatrics. It was time to spice things up a bit more.

            This time Chibaba took the initiative and rushed in for a quick knife jab, but Maita sidestepped and brought his arm down to grapple the smaller mans. You flashed an illusion of a vine like whip cracking against a brick wall to no avail. “Chibaba making a valiant effort to score on his opponent, but can a whip crack the surface of a brick wall?” Your voice carried across the arena while Maita tried to get Chibaba off balance enough to further grapple him.

            Several people in the crowd voiced their comments and cheered on the fighter they most likely placed their bets for. One person in the crowd clearly wasn’t interested in the duo battling it out on the floor, but rather interested in you. The eyes of the man from the hallway caught yours every time you scanned the crowd to gauge their reaction and you had the suspicion that his eyes had never been on the fight to begin with.

            After several seconds of the fighters stepping around each other, Maita succeeded in throwing Chibaba off balance. The larger man caught the smaller man in a grapple that lifted him up. “A powerbomb from Maita! Clean hit and down! Two points!” You’d call out as the body of Chibaba hit the floor. The crowd cheered and your illusion mimed that of a wall falling on the whip to smash it. The smaller man laid in place for a moment and you started the countdown.

            You got to the count of three before Chibaba sat up and signaled he could still fight. Perhaps you should have called a critical hit instead of just a clean hit, but where would the fun be in that? Besides there were no objections from the audience so you disregarded the should haves.

            The fight continued with the similar basic moves and the only real excitement being your showmanship. Before the end of the fight, the stadium did fill in a bit more and people responded to your callouts with moderate fervor. Not the turnout you would have liked, but considering what you were working with the results were acceptable. Either audience members had contacted friends to tell them there was an interesting show going on, or they saw the monitors around the building and thought it might be worth it to catch the show. No matter the reason, it was more people to potentially spread the word about you.

            Several more minutes ticked on before the fight ended. The final tally was ten to six Maita was the winner. Despite Chibaba’s advantage in maneuverability and having a weapon, Maita had more experience and was able to win the fight with a critical and down. “And we have our winner! Maita the brick wall!” You use your nen to flash the now symbolic wall smacking down the whip several times over in commemoration of the victor and managed to get some decent cheers from the crowd for him.

            Neither of the fighters were too seriously injured, but there were broken bones and some pretty deep knife wounds. The men could still stand well enough and limped their way off the stage. You weren’t sure if you hoped they’d have the sense to watch other fights and give up on their battle endeavors, or if you wanted them to experience their weaknesses firsthand. “Thank you everyone for joining us today. Until next time!” You gave a deep, flourished bow and used your ability to create a pouf of brightly colored smoke.

            Leaving the audience distracted by the smokescreen, you made a full quick exit from the stage. Nothing like a little ‘magic’ at the end to round things out. All in all, you felt today was a success. The fight was about as anticlimactic as you expected, but you were able to add a bit of flare and drama to things. Things turned out about as well as you’d hoped and the ticket sales went up considerably.

            Lost in your thoughts, you almost didn’t feel the presence walking up behind you. A smile crossed your lips as you called out, “So we meet again.” You turned your head to acknowledge the red-haired man from before.

            “A lucky coincidence.” His voice was sultry and his eyes had a predatory glow to them. You couldn’t decide if he was just flowing with battle lust or lust in general.

            “So it would seem.” You turned to give him a cute smile. “What did you think of my little show?”

            “It was entertaining. You have decent showmanship and your use of nen was well timed.” The man started an honest critique and you listened intently. “However the choice of a wall and a whip were poor match-up ideas.”

            You let out a sigh. “I felt that too. Thank you for your honest feedback. I struggled with how to portray the two. They aren’t ready for the level of combat here and there’s nothing of note in their repertoire.” Your voice was almost defeated. The two fighters were the worst pair to have as a first match and you figured you were assigned to it because you were new.

            “The fighters have little potential and I’d be hard-pressed to make something entertaining out of that.” The man admitted with a teasing smile.

            The redhead did seem like someone very familiar with showmanship based on his comments and mode of dress. You hesitated on asking if he’d be willing to share some of his experiences in the spotlight. Perhaps it was best you just reviewed the video recording for self-analysis before calling it a day instead of bothering this attractive gentleman before you.

            “I thank you again for your insight.” You gave a flourishing bow before turning to head back to the room you occupied.

            “Would you like to further discuss your performance over dinner tonight?” The invite was full of insinuation and you were not at all opposed. It’d been a while since you’d had an alluring gentleman ask for your company. Too many of the men you’d met in your life took one issue or other with a woman being able to fight.

            With an inviting smile, you nodded and agreed to meet him at his room in a few hours. Before walking away you realized neither of you had introduced yourselves and with a bit of flowery flare with your nen, you rectified that.

            “Hisoka.” The man gave his name and bowed as he disappeared in a flurry of cards. He was good. Very good. You were looking forward to this evening and though meeting a man like him at his door wasn’t normally a smart idea, you did have ways to defend yourself and you wouldn’t be opposed to more intimate interactions if he wanted.

            You made your way to the floor dedicated to employee housing. The battle tower hosted many floors and fighters alike. Each fighter after proving themselves earned private rooms that were more luxurious than many of the most expensive high-rise apartments. Employees weren’t afforded the nicest rooms the tower offered, but having a full view of the city below wasn’t that big of a deal.

            The quarters assigned to you were more than adequate. You had a decent window and a bedroom large enough to house a king-sized bed. There was a little nook for reading or whatever hobby you chose, a small but adequate kitchen, and good good-sized bathroom. It was clean, it was comfortable, and best of all, free.

            Once inside the privacy of your quarters, you removed your show clothes and tossed them on the bed. They’d need to be washed, but you could do that later. You had created a few different outfits to wear that were the same style, just different combinations of the color scheme so that you didn’t have to wash the same outfit every day.

            If you were successful in getting more battle announcement jobs, perhaps you could change things up more. For now, you needed to be recognizable and have a signature that people would recognize even if you changed other aspects of your routines.

            Relieved of your clothing, you headed to the bathroom for a good shower and to plan your outfit for the evening. As the water ran over your body, you thought about how you wanted to present yourself to Hisoka tonight. You could continue to use your cute, flirty stage persona, or you could reveal your off-the-stage self.

            It was hard to say if he would let down his stage self, and you rather expected that the showman was as much himself as it was his fighter persona. Parts of your real self did reflect in your stage self, but there was still a distinction.

            After some debate and sorting out several outfits in your wardrobe, you decided to go with something that had a bit of flare and was more relaxed. You could feel out Hisoka and see if this was just a dinner date, or if his allusions to more were not just him being a stage flirt.

            You pulled on a pair of fashionably tattered jeans to match a crop top ending in fringe. A little spin in front of the mirror to see how the outfit looked and you were satisfied. Enough ‘show’ to give the illusion that your stage persona still worked in your social life, but also that illusion of seeing you off the stage.

            A pair of loose boots with a slight heel completed the ensemble as you headed out your door. You opted to leave your hair down for this as you didn’t want to go to the effort of putting it up and your makeup took more time than you expected. A muted version of what you had on for the show.

            You made your way down the hall and to the elevator. With a bit of excitement, you pressed the button to Hisoka’s floor and leaned against the back of the elevator as it made its way up. Once the doors opened, you casually stepped out and made your way down the hall.

            Hisoka’s room was at the end and was one of the nicer ones reserved for the combatants of higher fame. He probably had a full view of the city and nicer amenities in his lodgings. As his door came into view, you wondered briefly if employees were allowed to share housing quarters with the fighters.

            You knocked lightly on the door and announced yourself. He probably already knew you were there even before you got off the elevator. You hadn’t been hiding your presence and the man was too versed in nen not to be alert at all times.

            With a soft click, the door opened, and a small part of you was disappointed to see that he still wore his jester-style outfit and makeup. But, you weren’t entirely surprised. It would take a lot for someone like him to let down his guard and show his true self. He might even be excentric enough that this was his true self. Whatever the reason, he was attractive as is and you suspected he was the type to be attractive in just about anything.

            He eyed your ensemble appreciably before opening the door to allow you entry. You gave him a mildly flirtatious smile as you walked past. Along the far wall of his quarters were floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned the full wall. It was early evening, but the view of the approaching sunset was beautiful.

            “I thought it’d make a pleasant view while we ate.” His footsteps made no noise on the floor as he moved to your side and looked out over the scenery.

            “It’s a spectacular view.” You gave your honest opinion. The room was high enough up that you could see over the top of every other building in the city. It was a really glamorous suite.

            The scent of steak wafted your way before you finally tore your eyes from the view. You turned to see Hisoka setting a table just big enough for two. There were two plates of finely grilled steaks, sauteed vegetables, and red wine. A smile crossed your lips. The meal somehow fit him and though it was obvious he didn’t cook it, it was equally obvious that this wasn’t some cheap order in meal.

            You sat down at the table with Hisoka and engaged in a pleasant conversation about your earlier performance. The man had some good insight and you had fun discussing the nuances of showmanship.

            The sunset proved to be the most gorgeous you’d ever seen and you thanked your host profusely for the privilege of seeing it. He smirked slightly and stated that seeing it with a beautiful woman made it equally beautiful.

            Once you were finished with the meal, you began to clear the table more out of habit than anything else. Living alone for your adulthood made you self-sufficient and habitually did things on your own. Hisoka observed this. “You are a specialist.”

            His remark caught you off guard. Most people thought you were a manipulator or a conjuror. Very few if any ever made the connection that your ability wasn’t just about creating an illusion from your nen or conjuring light shows. You took a moment while putting the dishes in the dishwasher before replying. “What makes you think that?”

            “You are independent and charismatic.” His reply was simple and left you with more questions than answers.

            You finished putting the dishes in the washer and started it before turning to look at him. His eyes were observing you and somehow you felt he wasn’t just seeing you, but looking right through you. “Are you saying you think my personality means I’m a nen specialist?” You looked at him skeptically.

            “Yes. I find people’s personalities match their nen type.” He gave you a flirtatious smile. You really couldn’t argue with him since he had accurately guessed what your nen type was, but you didn’t want to confirm it for him. Admitting made you feel somehow vulnerable. “So, am I right?”

            He was teasing you and you didn’t like that. You had no idea what his nen type was or even his abilities. You knew he was a very skilled user from the demeanor and temperance of his nen. Suddenly a thought crossed your mind. You had a rather attractive male before you and the perfect opportunity to save yourself some face.

            A sultry smile crossed your face. “I’ll tell you if you can kiss better than anyone I’ve kissed before.” This would be an easy win. All you had to do was tell him he wasn’t the best kisser you’ve met even if it wasn’t true.

            Hisoka’s eyes practically glowed at your suggestion and you could see the lust in them. You felt your battle was already won and stood still as he got up from the chair and confidently walked toward you. His fingers gently lifted your chin as his lips met yours.

            You could taste the wine still on those lips and when his tongue ran over yours, you parted them for him. He put his arm around you and pulled you close to his firm body. You knew he was muscular, but feeling the battle-hardened muscles against your body lit a fire in your belly.

            His tongue explored your mouth, ran over your teeth, and tangled with your tongue. This kiss was hot and irresistible. Hisoka rubbed his thumb along the small of your back and pressed your hips against his. You could feel his erection against your body and you moaned softly into the kiss before he broke it.

            “Well?” His voice dripped with a lust matched by the intense gaze he gave you.

            “I think I need another.” You weren’t thinking of winning this little game of yours anymore. The man knew how to kiss and now you wanted to know just how much he knew about pleasing a woman. Before he could protest, you stood on your toes and pressed your lips to his.

            Your hands slid up his chest and you looped your arms around his neck. Hisoka parted his lips for you and allowed you a deep, passionate kiss once more. This time, he moved his hand from the small of your back down to your tight bottom. He caressed it through your jeans before giving a good squeeze and earning another moan from you.

            Hisoka broke the kiss once more and guided you to the bed. His intent matched your desire and you tugged at his top to remove it. The redhead allowed you to pull off his shirt and the sight before you brought a fire in your core. His body was perfectly sculpted and his muscles rippled with each of his movements.

            In turn, he pulled your crop top over your head before leaning in to kiss you again. The kiss was again deep and full of desire. Your breaths mingled together as his hand slid down your side, behind your back, and unhooked your bra. With practiced ease, he removed your undergarment and cupped your supple breast.

            His thumb twirled teasingly over the hardened nipple and you let out a soft moan. You pressed your hips to him as your need began to grow. Hisoka broke the kiss to draw his lips down your jaw and to your neck. He planted a few light kisses there before softly biting your tender flesh.

            He worked his way along your neck and down to your shoulder. You moaned softly and reached your hand to the hard bulge of his member. Your hands kneaded and rubbed him through the fabric and he growled in pleasure.

            The two of you continued exploring each other's bodies until neither of you could take much more. Your hands tugged at his pants and he kicked off his shoes before helping you remove them. The fighter pulled off your boots before undoing your jeans and sliding them off. You were unsurprised to find the man did not wear any undergarments and shimmied out of your own.

            Both of you admired each other’s naked form before you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him into one more kiss. Your legs spread and he situated himself between them. His long fingers caressed your inner thigh before sliding along your slick folds.

            A moan of pleasure escaped his lips when he found how wet you were for him. He easily slid a finger into your womanhood and thrust it a few times before inserting a second. You easily took in his fingers and your hips began to rock with his movements.

            “Hisoka.” You breathlessly called his name.

            “Am I the best kisser you’ve met?” His voice was full of lust and mischief as he teased you with his fingers.

            You were too far gone to care what he did or did not know about you and you nodded. “Yes.”

            “So, are you a specialist?” That same teasing voice and the withdrawal of his fingers made you whine with need.

            “Yes.” You desperately wanted him and it he didn’t matter if he was right or not. You just wanted him. Wanted him inside you. “Hisoka, please.” You begged him and were almost afraid he’d leave you in this state, but you moaned in anticipation as you watched him line up his member before easily sliding his warm, hard cock into you.

            Your back arched at the feeling of his member filling you completely. He easily slid into you and paused for just a moment so you could savor the fulling of every inch of him filling your womanhood. Your body clenched around him and tried to further its pleasure.

            Hisoka closed his eyes at the feeling and moaned as he pulled back and began to pump himself in you. His movements were slow at first. Savoring the feeling of you clenched around him, but as his need grew so did the intensity of his thrusts.

            You moaned sweetly and your hips rose to meet his. The feeling of him deep inside you was delicious and you hooked your leg around him. The fighter watched your body writhe in pleasure beneath him before gently pulling you up to sit in his lap.

            The movement pushed him even deeper into you. You threw your arms around his neck and moved yourself on top of him. His hands wrapped around your back and pulled you tightly to his body. Your lips found their way to his and your tongues entwined in a dance of passion as you bounced along his cock.

            Your body quivered and rocked as your climax drew near. Hisoka pushed you back onto the bed and his movements became more frenzied. His lips and teeth were down your neck, across your collarbone, and sucking on your breasts.

            “Hisoka!” You cried out his name and arched your back as you came undone. The fighter let out a low growl as his seed spilled in you. Several breathless moments later, your eyes met Hisoka’s golden ones.

            “I look forward to reviewing your next performance.” His sultry tenor sparked your heat again and you smiled seductively at the man above you. You were looking forward to next time as well.

[xenetala]

Reliving some of the most iconic moments of Final Fantasy VII. The thing I love about the game is being able to replay these moments as I imagined them when I was a kid.

[xenetala]

Another art piece I did. I tried to make a scratchboard type of thing on my iPad. This turned out better than I expected and was fun to do.

I used to do scratchboards as a way to train my eye and hand. If you mess up, you just have to go with it. This always made it a great way to work on my hand coordination.

More about the work under the cut for those interested.

The black board scratched to reveal white trained my eye to look for the negative space and learn how to work with them. Most black and white pieces are great for learning the importance of negative space.

This technique also helped me learn not to overwork a piece and really helped me learn how to make my hand follow what my eye would see. If you are learning any kind of visual art, I highly recommend either getting yourself some scratchboards for practice or getting a black background with a white pen tip and trying this out.

For this piece, it is a digital piece. What I did was selected a black background color then just used a small pen tool and drew that way. It's not as satisfying as actual scratchboard, but it gives the same effect and training.

I decided to do this as it's a technique I used to use a lot so am familiar with it. It also felt like a good way to help myself get back into the feel of art. One thing I was terrified of was that I'd lost all of my skills, and while I'm rusty these older styles have helped me regain some of my confidence in my ability.

[xenetala]

The Game

Summary: You were brought to Jujutsu Tech after an incident in a hotel you were staying in. It was discovered you had an ability that could be related to curse powers, however, you have no interest in such things and are trying to become an international Go player. Staying at the remote location has you bored and lacking company. In the effort to alleviate your want for someone to play Go against, you happen upon a man who harbors an old curse spirit in him. The curse spirit agrees to play a game with you, but things do not go the way you expected.

Advisements: Characters are aged up to college level. Explicit content, reader is female, non-consensual relations, Sukuna doing Sukuna things, this work may be unpleasant for some so make sure to read the tags first 3.5k words

            The clacking of stones against the wooden board seemed to echo through the large bedroom. You dropped your book of Go problems and flopped backward onto the floor. A loud sigh escaped your lips. “This is so boring!” No matter how much you shouted in the empty halls of the ‘school’ you’d been dropped into, those who could hear you did nothing about your situation.

            A few months ago, you’d been living a normal life, or as normal as life could be. Ever since you were young, you’d been able to see monsters and things others couldn’t. At first, the monsters would scare you, but as you got older you learned to ignore them. Before you were brought to this place called Jujutsu Tech, the hotel you were staying at was attacked by some of these monsters.

            You’d never seen the creatures try to attack others and never in a group before. As you were trying to get out of the building, a weird group of people calling themselves jujutsu sorcerers came and got rid of the monsters. None of this would have concerned you except it turned out the reason you never had to worry about more than seeing monsters was because they couldn’t see you.

            This caused a stir among the sorcerers and since you had no idea what any of it meant yourself, they decided to take you to a remote location and ‘protect’ you. The private college was in a beautiful area and the scenery was relaxing, but the last thing you wanted was to be stuck in the middle of nowhere while trying to chase your dream of competing in the international Go tournaments. So far you weren’t assigned to any of the courses or whatever the college supposedly taught, so you were left to your own devices more often than not.

            Now, you were stuck in a dorm room, practicing Go problems, and generally being bored out of your mind. The school wouldn’t even provide you with a laptop and internet connection so you could play your games online. At this rate, you’d never grow as a player or continue to build your reputation so that you could be nominated for a tournament spot. To top everything off, whenever you did see someone and ask when they’d let you go, you got vague answers and indefinite timelines. Effectively, you were a prisoner despite their claims otherwise.

            As you lay on your floor pouting and toying with the buttons on the high-necked, black uniform top you’d been given, sounds of life came from down the hall. Some students had been placed in the rooms down from yours and they were a noisy bunch. You could often hear them coming and going through the day, but never had a chance to speak to them. It was midafternoon now and maybe they’d be done with whatever crazy classes this prison of a school taught. Maybe one of them could play Go.

            Excited at the prospect of a game as well as human contact, you hopped up from the floor and booked it out your door. You slid down the hall in your black leggings rather than sprinting down and knocked on one of the doors you’d heard voices from before. Taking a breath to compose yourself and smooth down the black box pleat skirt of the uniform that apparently even teachers were required to wear, you knocked on the door. “Come in.” A cheerful voice called and you slowly opened the door.

            The young man inside the room looked at you curiously and did not expect a stranger to enter. “Are you a new student here too?” He seemed like a decent person and you felt comfortable around him right away. His hair color was unusual and it appeared he had some sort of tattoo under each eye, but you weren’t one to judge. After all, you’d seen some things that were far worse than dyed hair and facial tattoos.

            “Not unless they have some college professor who has yet to introduce themselves.” You shrugged and tried to keep your circumstances to yourself. The uniform you were given certainly said you belonged here, but something in the way you were treated made you feel it was best to keep your circumstances to yourself. “Um, by chance do you play Go?” Not wanting to give him the chance to further inquire you wasted no time in asking him. He shook his head and your disappointment must have shown on your face because he quickly introduced himself and tried asking you some questions about the game.

            After a brief introduction and conversation on what the game of Go was, you learned that the young man, Yuji, was stuck in this place much like you were. One of the monsters, called cursed spirits, was possessing him and he was slated for execution because of this. His story made you question your circumstances more and made you think you might want to find an exit strategy.

            You had a pleasant conversation with Yuji and learned that the curse possessing him was named Sukuna and he lived a thousand years ago. His story about eating mummified fingers was pretty gross and you made sure he knew that. The two of you laughed about things for a bit before it suddenly hit you. A thousand years ago was the peak of the Heian period. In the Heian period, Go was very popular.

            “What about Sukuna? Can he play Go?” Your eyes lit up at the possibility. So what if he was supposed to be some viscous, ancient, monster? They’d never hurt you before and there’d be no reason for one to hurt you over a game. Yuji smiled at your enthusiasm and let you know he had no idea. When you asked if he could talk to Sukuna and find out if he not only played the game but would play a game with you a mouth popped up under one of the young man’s eyes.

            “What do I get if I win?” For a normal person, the sight of an extra mouth talking on someone’s face might be off-putting, but you’d seen far worse. Excitement built in you at the prospect of a game with someone instead of the continuous Go problem-solving you’d been doing. The only problem being you had no idea what a monster possessing a person would want. “Well?”

            The grinning face on the side of Yuji’s cheek was getting impatient. “Um… what do you want?” You’d come to this place with nothing and had nothing to offer the monster, curse, demon, whatever the thing was supposed to be. Silence held in the air for a few minutes before Yuji opened his mouth to speak, but the mouth on the side of his face laughed for a moment.

            “Let’s play your game.” The grin started to fade from Yuji’s face and black tribal tattoos began to appear over his skin. His features shifted from a relaxed expression to one of malevolent power. The presence of the man before you was most certainly this creature called Sukuna. Yuji had explained that Sukuna could take over his body and the shift wasn’t an unappealing sight. You half expected one of the malformed beings you normally saw. Not a normal-looking human with tattoos. The being had the strong presence of someone used to leading and being in power. Perhaps some feudal lord? That would be even better. Feudal lords used Go as a teaching tool and the thought of having a challenging opponent filled you with anticipation.

            Before the monster could change his mind about playing a game, you dashed from the room to get the Go board and stones. You gathered your stuff as quickly as you could and carefully ran back to the room with Sukuna waiting for you. His eyes lazily watched you as you excitedly entered the room and set the board down. In your excitement, you almost forgot that the rules of the game had changed over the last thousand years.

            Instead of teaching the man before you about the new rules and pressing your luck on your ability to get him to play, you decided to adapt your play style to the old rules since the biggest change was the komi that forces the black stone player to be in a handicap on points. With the board set up, Sukuna grabbed a handful of white stones to start the nigiri for who would play which color.

            You pulled out two black stones and Sukuna counted the white stones and came up with an even number. The two of you traded your stone boxes and began the game. The room was silent but for the soft clacking of the stones on the board. As things progressed, you were glad you thought to ask the curse to play you. Sukuna was good, very good at the game. Playing the game with him almost made you feel like you were playing against a well-seasoned feudal lord or general, and the thought made you smile. Then again, you may be just that starved for companionship and a good game.

            Each of you placed stones on the board and as the game progressed forward, you found yourself on the defensive much of the time. Sukuna was a ruthless player. He knew just how to back you into a corner by sacrificing a small set of his deep black stones to capture far more of your pearl-white ones than he sacrificed.

            Several hours passed before you stared at the board in defeat. It was a good game, but the body possessed by a monster had beaten you. Though you lost, you weren’t upset and a smile spread across your lips as you declared yourself the loser. Sukuna grinned when you admitted your defeat. Excited to review the game, you started talking about the nuances of the moves and reviewed what you should have done and why.

            “I’ve decided on my prize.” Sukuna’s authoritative voice broke through your rambling and as you began to look up from the board, you felt yourself pushed back against the floor. Faster than your eyes could follow, he had you on your back with a hand around your throat. You could only just breathe through the constriction and you tried pressing against the being now on top of you. In vain, you tried to speak and struggled against the much stronger man.

            “Now, now. This is what you agreed to.” A smile spread across his face, but there was nothing friendly in that smile. Panic started to grip you as your eyes met the dangerous scarlet eyes of your assailant. You tried desperately to figure out just what you’d agreed to when a hand slid under your shirt and felt along the curves of your sides.

            The hand around your throat prevented you from voicing your protests and as you tried to struggle, Sukuna pressed the weight of his body against yours. Never in your life had a curse monster ever seemed to notice you let alone try to put a hand on you. Unsure of what actions to take or exactly what this situation was, you stopped struggling for a minute.

            Sukuna used this time to rip off your uniform button-up and the undershirt. An attempt at a protest escaped from your lips, the but tattooed man ignored you. His eyes studied your body and his finger traced over your bra. It didn’t seem like he was going to eat you, but you weren’t sure you liked where things were going.  Maybe the reason he was able to interact with you while other curses were not was because he was possessing a human body.

            After a few moments of studying your body, the man pressed against you, grinned, and whispered in your ear. “I’ll just take your body as my prize.” With those words, he bit down hard on your shoulder. The scream you would have voiced was cut off by the hand still gripping your throat. Despite your best efforts to throw him off, the many-eyed man was far too strong for you to push away. All you had wanted was a game of Go to pass the time.

            The pain from the deep bite inflicted on your shoulder lessened and Sukuna tore your bra away. A brief wave of anger washed through you, but your anger was short-lived as the next article of clothing to get torn off was your skirt. Almost fully exposed to the man before you, tears formed at the corner of your eyes in frustration, anger, fear, and embarrassment.

            Sukuna leaned in and callously licked the tears from your cheek as they began to fall. Your reactions seemed to fuel the cruel being and inevitably your underwear was quickly removed like the rest of your clothing. A small defiant part of you wished dearly that he’d remove his hand from your throat so you could send a few choice insults his way along with a good slap. The curse’s eyes never left your body as he drew the fingers of his free hand to his mouth.

            His tattooed tongue ran over them in a more seductive way than you wanted to admit and despite your mix of anger and fear, the lustful look in his eye brought a slight flush to your cheeks and made your breath catch. Seemingly not noticing your slight arousal, the curse used his knee to spread your legs and situated himself between them.

            Any doubts you had about exactly what this man wanted from you vanished as you felt him spread you and press his fingers to your womanhood. He slid his fingers teasingly along your folds before slipping them inside you. The feeling was uncomfortable at first, but your body adjusted much faster than you expected as his experienced movements began to draw warmth from your core.

            Soft moans threatened to leave your mouth as the man’s expert movements brought pleasure to your body that you desperately wanted to deny. You didn’t want this, yet your body was defying you and you bit your lip to keep your voice in. While Sukuna’s fingers worked your body and reached the most sensitive spots within you, his tongue and teeth found their way along your body. Marking it with bites deep enough to draw blood.

            His ministrations continued and your will started to break. It wasn’t long before your reason started slipping from you and your desire began to build. It was like some spell of lust was cast over you. Lewd sounds filled the room as your companion continued working his fingers inside you, toying with your sensitive places, and drawing you into his pace. Your control started to break and a strangled moan escaped from your lips.

Sukuna had three of his fingers inside you, stretching you, but not filling you. Your body moved on its own and your hips rocked and twisted in an attempt to find fulfillment. Tears of shame ran down your cheek. The devilish man pinning you down laughed softly and suddenly the warmth of his body was gone. His fingers were removed from inside you and a whimper escaped your lips as the grip on your throat was also gone. You desperately hoped the curse was done with you.

            Your eyes found their way to the man who’d been on top of you and he tore off the clothing binding his body. The sight of his tattooed, muscular body awoke something in you. It was like a seal within you was finally broken and you began to lose yourself to this thing that was awoken. It drove your desire again and despite everything telling you not to let this happen, you began to desperately want the curse before you. Need him. This thing deep within you was bubbling up with desire for this creature. “Sukuna…” Before you could form the words to beg him to let you go, he was on top of you again and the emptiness left by his fingers was filled with something bigger.

            Sukuna let out a satisfied moan as his member was engulfed in your warmth and you tangled your fingers in the pink locks of his hair. The feeling of his firm body moving against yours as his erection reached deep inside drew a pleasure from your core that you didn’t know you could feel. His lips brushed against your neck before firmly biting down.

            The pain from the bite mixed with pleasure as his hands found their way to your breast. The curse thrust deeply and his hands were everywhere they needed to be to pull out your body’s desire. His movements were experienced and your mind could only think of the pleasure he was giving you. You could feel more than just the heat in your core building. There was a power there. A power-driven by the desire this demonic curse was pulling up from the depths of your being.

            “That’s it little creature of desire. Draw on your power. Give in to it.” His voice purred in your ear like a seductive command. A small corner of your mind registered that he knew something about you the people holding you here didn’t, but that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was his cock thrust deep inside you, his lips and teeth on your body, and the need for you to feel the fruits of your desire.

            After sucking on the bite left on your neck to leave a very pronounced mark, the tattooed man pushed himself up and looked down on you as he thrust harder than before. Each of his muscles flexed with his movements and the sight alone brought you close to your limit. “Suku..na… mn.” You tried to form the words to tell him what you wanted, but he once again closed off your voice with a hand around your neck.

            “Shh. Just be a good little whore.” His voice was both taunting and full of desire. The expression in his eyes was mocking, but all four of his eyes also belied the need in them. His thrusts became frenzied as he sought his release and despite having your voice cut off, several sounds of pleasure still erupted from your lips. Your vision blurred slightly as your airways were restricted and your body cried out for more. Each of his thrusts were pounding and the pleasure they brought were mixed with pain. The effect was delicious and primal. You wanted even more. To feel more of him.

            Seemingly to sense your need, Sukuna gripped your bottom with his free hand and forced your hips into a new position. His claws dug painfully into the soft flesh and his manhood drove into you with more force. Tears of pain welled up in your eyes and the sight drew a cruel grin from the man forcing himself on you.

            His pace was grueling and your body would be sore tomorrow, but the pleasure you felt made the pain worth it. Your body clenched tightly around the curse’s member as your body began to reach its limit. “Not yet my little slut.” His words were some form of a command that caused your body to hover just at that edge of climax.

            Your hips rose with a need to meet each of his thrusts. You clenched your body. Twisted and turned to find that sweet release that your body was screaming for, but something was preventing you from finding your climax. It was like a spell prevented you from reaching the moment you desired. A gate that was shut and you were unable to push through this strange barrier blocking your release.

            Tears of pain and need ran down your cheeks and Sukuna tauntingly licked them up. He savored their flavor with his predatory eyes. You desperately tried to beg for him to let you cum, but the grip he had on your neck prevented all but just enough air into your lungs that you wouldn’t pass out. Your lips moved with the unvoiced words of your plea and your eyes begged him, but the curse only watched as your body burned with an unquenched desire.

            Just as you thought you couldn’t take it anymore; the monster loosened his grip from your neck and you could feel the warmth of his seed spill from his cock. It was like the gate had been opened and your own intense climax came. Your vision darkened as the intensity of your knotted release finally came and a raspy scream of final pleasure ripped through your body.

            Several breathless moments later, the curse moved his body from yours and the cool air of the room caressed your skin. It took several more minutes before the heavy fog of lust began to uncloud your consciousness. “We’ll play again, my little huli jing spirit.” The seductive smirk across Sukuna’s lips brought a pleasurable shiver through your body and something deep, something very old within you recognized this being as the master it would serve.