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Autumn The room is a mess. The sheets of Elora's bed are everywhere, as they fell to the ground, there is a little bit of dirtyness everywhere - Autumn wondered how Elora would ask about the Ice Cream - and now, after they are done, Autumn only has a little opera mask on the upper part of his face, paiting words said during ecstasy into an odd scripture in the mirror behind Elora's bed. The cerulean paint was guaranteed to not co

Autumn The cerulean paint was guaranteed to not come off easily.

Autumn whistles a little happy folk song as he does the painting. It always seemed to glisten more when mixed with the right fluids!

venus opens her eyes and looks up at Autumn, her mind still hazy and her body still languid from the pleasure. She rolls on her side a bit and watches him, quiet, not sure what exactly to say. It had been an altogether unexpected experience... not at all what she thought she would have to endure.

Autumn touches her forehead, plucking some strands out of the way... and kissing her forehead, before painting a symbol of Venus on the caressed spot! "A mark of Venus by one that is Venus but was never Chosen. Your father named you well."

venus blushes a little, "You named me." she reminds him. "And I sincerely hope you're not my father, after what we just did..."

Autumn "Ah, true! Maybe I should have named you Cassandra, then I would have enjoyed tying you more. And far as I know, your father doesn't always have such taboos, but who am I to endorse such base rumors?"

venus "Have you met him?" she asks, a little anxiously.

Autumn lets go of the brush on the little ink pot he had in his costume, and moves on the bed, picking her feet to massage. "Nope, never have! But there is a first time for everything, and that is one I am hoping happens soon. Speaking of, I hope you enjoyed it... Far be it from me to wish anger and vengeance from the Bull God before I even met him! ... well, when I am not without explicitly intending to, at any rate."

venus sighs happily and closes her eyes again. "Mmm that feels good. I don't know if I'm ready to bring you to meet the parents yet anyway." she smiles, and sighs again thoughtfully. "I... wasn't expecting you to be so gentle. Thank you."

Autumn "It is the gift of Venus." He smiles... appearing sincere for the first time. Not a grin, not a laugh. Just a warm smile, like that he had in few, ecstastic moments before... "We are nice guys, you know. Even the bug and the not-pope. We are just more interesting."

venus "You seemed very..." she laughs, embarassed, "Well... scary. And confusing."

Autumn "I am. That is the point! That was the Mask that time. Now I am not scary!" He taps the ornate blue mask with an ecstastic smile, "Now I have a nice mask. We were supposed to be scary, though. We are, after all, the big damn heroes! And heroes should be scary, don't you know?"

venus "Are you going to be scary again?" she frowns a little, and pushes herself up into a sitting position. "I don't think heroes need to be scary. Sometimes they can be...well..heroic."

Autumn takes off his mask, sighing that he lost the feel, and instead just coming closer to her. "Well, 'heroic' supposes you are protecting someone from someone else, right? So you are being scary for your enemies! See?" He puts a finger on her lips, "You just weren't the one being defended yet!"

venus "Am I now?"

Autumn grins wickedly "That is the question, isn't it?"

venus "Do I have a choice?"

Autumn "Did we ever give you one?"

venus shakes her head, "No..." she pauses, "I guess I could have said I hadn't seen a Maiden... but I don't think you would have let me pass anyway."

Autumn "Probably not! It's fun, sometimes, to scare beautiful things."

Autumn "We'll never know, I guess. And that's not my gift to know that. Just to make what is more fun."

venus lowers herself back down onto the bed and turns away from Autumn, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Why me? I'm nothing special. I mean... I like you - I think - but." she looks over at the scarves, "I want to go home." she finishes plaintively.

Autumn lays down on his back, and pushes her hand to come to him. "Because we wanted to. Because we felt like it. Because the Maidens told you you will be important. You walked where nobody else did... you are a part of it. Somehow. Have you ever had an adventure?"

venus "That's it? Because you felt like it, you steal me from my life? I don't want to go to Lookshy!"

Autumn "Pretty much. Life is unfair. That is what the Lovers teach us." He nods. "But see... our 'feelings' are important! Prophetic! And in Lookshy, you will see your fate, have adventures!"

Autumn "... or end up killed by the not-pope, but you know. We should try to be positive."

venus pouts. "That's easy for YOU to say. I don't want to have adventures. I don't want to leave Yu Shan!"

Autumn "Why not?"

venus "I... I'm... not sure I can get back in."

Autumn "What...? Daddy grounded you or something?"

venus mutters something unintelligible under her breath.

Autumn "Whaaat?" He asks, coming behind her and tickling! "What did you say? He did, didn't he?"

venus laughs despite herself, whacking at his hands "Stop! stop it! No.. it's not.. hahaha... stoppit!" she tries to wriggle away from him.

Autumn stops after a little bit, encircling her with his arms, whispering on her ear, the voice asking for trust... "Come ooon... or I'll end up tickling you when tied up next~."

venus gasps, trying to catch her breath, a few leftover giggles leaving her as she tries to gather her composure. "No, please... I just... It's not that he's grounded me... it's that he doesn't even know I exist."

Autumn "... oh. Your mother just hid you here? Ah... that explains it." He giggles like a mischievous little devil. "Well... I am so meeting him now. I wonder how hard will it be to get him to dote on you."

venus "Not exactly... I grew up in Nexus. My mother had moved there, with my dad... Well I thought he was anyway... I didn't find out until after he left one day and didn't come back, that my Dad was not my Father." she twists a little to look at Autumn. "When she told me, I knew I had to come here. I spent my whole life trying to get here, and now you're going to take me back!"

Autumn "Venus... we can come and go whenever we damn well wish. With whoever we wish." He falls back on the bed, smiling. "I thought you had already noticed. They worry if we bring demons, or faerie... but you? I could bring ten like you and they wouldn't bat an eye, Vee!"

venus "I... I guess." she still looks nervous, but less so.

venus "If I help you out in Lookshy, then can I go?"

Autumn "You can go when we say you can. You have to trust us, Vee. But... what if we make a deal?"

venus "What kind of deal?"

Autumn "Now, there's a quiz! I can come and go whenever I wish. Why?"

Autumn "I'll give you three chances, and the first two don't count!"

venus looks at him funny. "I... how am I supposed to know that? I just got here! I came in as a servant, but you... you don't look like you've ever been anyone's servant. You look like you belong here... but you're not a God. Well not like any one I've met anyway."

Autumn "No. I am a person like you, and my rights to be here indefinetly would expire... if I didn't, you know... live here. I have a house, a Manse. It is part of me, and I feel it beating as home, wherever I go. And anyone else whom I allow to attunne to it... can become a citzen of the city, much like me." He winks. "Now, if you are a good maiden..."

venus 's eyes widen. "A manse? You would let me attune to your manse? But... that's an honor reserved for important people ... isn't it?"

Autumn "Yep! We call it Celestial Manse, held by winds of quittenssence... and being attunned to one is a great honor. A honor a maiden named Venus would get in the end of her great adventure with starchosen to... uh. In the end of her great adventure! Whaddaya say? You can even live there, it's a two-mansion complex, it's a little too big for me anyway."

Autumn "... and it is too fun to be here and pester Elora."

venus stares at him in disbelief, then throws her arms around his neck and kisses him. "Thank you! I never thought... that I would ever get to have a manse of my own... and a Celestial manse? I can't even believe it!" she squeals like a giddy schoolgirl.

Autumn "I keep the gems, but yes! You get to claim it too, to feel at home, to boast it!" He hugs her, almost cuddling. "So, what about it? Ready for ~a~d~v~e~n~t~u~r~e~?"

venus "Oh yes! I'm ready for anything!"

Autumn "Let me tell you, though, we will still creep you out. Especially th.. an... ah, hell, not-Elora. But I'll try to keep you safe. It's only fair."

venus "As fair as my life gets..."

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