#scarsdale

"... but it was all good because turns out there was an alligator around the place, too? And...."

The moth seems most intent on being a moth

"...yes, quite enough, if you please..."

"Yeah?" He grins easily, not at all put-out. "Ok. Anyway. Parts of it got hazy."

"I can imagine."

He shuffles a little closer, hooves scraping on the walk. "You said above me. What above me? Somethin' you saw with your thinky stuff that I should watch out for?"

She nods. "Aye. A looming, clutching darkness."

Wide eyes. "Woah. That does not sound cool."

"It is not." She tilts her head. "I wonder...."

"You went to this party, and were rewarded, aye, with the tattoo?"

He nods.

"Have you noticed any differences in your life, since?"

"Anything odd?"

"Oh, heck, this was years ago, Zara." He shrugs, grins. "Odd? Every day, and sometimes four times a night." He winks.

A soft chuff. "Aye, of course. Know you what power it holds?"

"Yeah. You wanna hold it?" Teasing.

RED. "Ah, no. Not necessary. So... what does it do?"

She wipes a trace of sweat from her upper lip, and fluttery hands briefly touch the hollow of her throat, her clavicles. A little shift of weight on her bony hips.

"Aw, now you're just teasing, Zara." He scooches closer. "You like to watch? I'm cool with that, I can show you. But, ya know, if you have to ask you might want to re-think that partner of yours."

She closes her eyes, shaking her head. "No. I love Earl."

"Love? Whatever." Agreeably. "You do that." (He doesn't get it)

She manages, despite the furious blushing. "What spell does it hold?"

He shrugs. "Dunno. Like I said, Zara, I don't do the thinky stuff. But, you know, if you think you could learn more by examination....." He comes close to a leer.

"You don't know the spell inked upon you? Don't you care?"

"Nah." He shrugs, another shuffle. "Works ok for me, right?"

She rakes back her bangs, though they promptly fall back into her eyes. "Works how?"

"M-makes you more.. ah.. magnetic?"

"You tell me, Zara." He grins, amber eyes fixed on hers. "Does it?"

Her gaze dodges away. "You seem to have quite an appeal for most ladies."

"-Most.-" He stresses, checking. "Most?"

"Many, aye."

He grins. "How 'bout you?"

"I do appreciate that you are attractive, but.. no, not so appealing in comparison to my own love."

the moth flutters a bit

His face falls. "Shit."

"Pardon? You have no lack of intimate company, I would think."

"Nah. But, ya know, no one likes rejection." He shrugs it off easily enough. "So yeah. I got a dark fate or somethin'?"

"I think your ink is bad news."

Surprised blink. "What?"

"The tattoo. The treasure."

"Bad news? You kidding?" He actually peers down the front of his pants, sucking in those washboard abs and pulling the waistband away to see. "Bad news?"

"I think it is a trojan horse. Aye."

Gently. "Why is this house your only client?"

A WIDE grin. "Well, a trojan USER, sure!" He shrugs, unperturbed. "Only people that called me. I'm still lookin' for clients. But, you know, not like I -need- 'em."

The moth flutters closer

"You don't? Why not?"

"Zara, c'mon. You know as well as I do there's lots of ways of getting what you want without cash. And if you try sometimes...." he croons. ".... you get what you need!"

"So why do it at all?"

"Gotta have a cover, right? 'Specially our age." A chest-scratch and hoof-scrape.

"Aye. Hard to be alone, our age. You could be my brother."