Spymasters and Inquisition

Ash frictionned his hands together, victorious, and finally headed for the buffet, where he also shamelessly flirted with any woman around.

Valdyr was carefully gentle with her though, making sure she wouldn't be unnecessarily hurt. When he had finished stitching up the wound and covering it with a clean bandage, he stood up. "Alright, all done. Don't force yourself up too much during the next few hours and it'll heal fast."

Nadia proceeded to spend the next minutes just sitting around and declining politely any offer to dance. Which was why she had wanted to leave earlier. But well, someone had to keep an eye on her men...

Serah looked critically at the patched wound. "Well, this is pretty nice. Thanks!", she said. "Can you help me find a seat?"

Ash ended up showing in front of her again, crossing his arms. "I hear you've refusing everyone a dance?" He asked her, still smiling widely.

Valdyr nodded and helped her towards a seat. "So. Can I at least expect you now to never kidnap us against our own will again?"

Nadia sighed. "Yes. I don't really like all that unnecessary... touching, especially coming from people I know are more slimy than snakes", she observed, looking at Ash. She crossed her arms. "You don't seem to mind that", she smiled, nodding towards all the giggling women he had been flirting with.

Serah smiled widely, saluting him. "Sentinel's word", she chanted. "Can I ask you something though? I mean, I know I am an ass and all. But why all this angst towards elves?"

"No, I don't. It's a shame you feel that way though, because you'd have been my top pick for tonight," Ash said with a wider grin. "I like my woman... dangerous ~"

Valdyr shrugged. "Well, you in particular, you've been an ass, to quote you," he said with a smile. But then it's merely a dwarf private joke. You know, assuming that all elves love green food, have perfect silky hair, all that stuff."

Nadia snorted, crossing her legs. "A shame I like my men monogamous then", she replied with a smile. "And, well. My answer entirely depends on what exactly you are asking for."

Serah laughed. "I get you. They kinda are like that, aren't they? I suppose that's why I fled. I prefer steaks and hate using their stupid flowery shampoos." She looked at him, still smiling. "We have jokes about dwarves too. That they would rather live in the undergrounds forever than leave all their riches. And that they have their heads as hard as the rocks they mine."

"Why, because there's a condition under which you'd actually say yes to me?" Ash asked her back with a grin.

Valdyr snorted. "... A dwarf's head is solid as a rock, though. I knew a dwarf who could shatter rocks with his forehead. Well, granted, he was not a genius."

Nadia squinted at him. "Who knows", she murmured. "You did save my life before, didn't you. But I doubt you can charm me enough to even get close to my face. Maybe I'd say yes to a dance." She smiled.

Serah laughed. "Ouch", she said. "That sounds painful. Betcha the guy ended up at the doctor's at least once per week!"

Ash held back a victorious smile, and bowed exaggerately in fron of her. "Would you grant me the honor of the next one, then?"

"Not really. As I said, he wasn't the brightest," Valdyr snorted.

Nadia kept herself from rolling her eyes at that display. "Sure. Humor me", she answered, extending a hand to him.

Serah shook her head. "It's like this one elf lady I knew once, she was completely nuts. She decided she'd only eat apples because she didn't want too many plants to suffer."

Ash took her hand and lead her towards the dancing floor, where he brought her closer to him again, leading their steps.

Valdyr snorted way louder, and actually coughed afterwards, trying to stiffle a laugh. "...You can't be serious."

Nadia wouldn't have admitted that in a thousand years, but she had fun dancing with Ash. She even forgot to reproach him for pulling her too close for her comfort. "You are a good dancer", she conceded.

"Deadly serious, pal. And can you believe everyone was whining, saying 'Oh I'd like to be that corageous to do that too', like, guys are you serious? We are hunters, we can't survive with apples and peace and love", Serah laughed.

"I have a few houndred years of practice," Ash whispered into her ear. "And not just in that field, if you know what I mean ~"

Valdyr shook his head. "Hey. If you like meat, there's a few nice food you should try from the buffet. Want me to get them?"

Nadia snorted. "Do I even want to know just how much practice you did?", she answered back. "I hope you won't try to convince me I am special just right after you said this. I may not believe you", she smiled, changing up so that she was leading their dance now.

"Oh, that'd be great of you, thanks! I'm starving", Serah clapped happily. "I just hope it's not stupid micro portions because that's not going to sate me."

Ash fought back a few steps later to gain the lead again, still smiling. "I am certainly not offering you a long-term relationship. I mean, I'm just a host in this body," he laughed. "But I can offer you a long-night of fun," he whispered to her ear.

"Oh, I am well aware your kind is incapable of thinking on ever-lasting terms", Nadia answered lightly, letting him lead again. "But I am not sure you can handle me. I may not have hundreds of years of experiences, as a Paladin, but the few lucky ones had to be dragged away. I think you would crawl back to me. Are you gonna risk that?", she whispered then, smiling as she changed the lead again.

"The real question is why would you risk me to come crawling back to you? I am a demon, after all. How come you found yourself a soft spot for me?"

And because I had forgotten Valdyr, he came back a bit later to Serah with a plate reasonably filled with meat-based food, to share. "I had to snatch these away from Horknath, please appreciate the effort."

Nadia arched a brow. "... that's a good question", she answered. "I guess I am in a romantic mood tonight. But I also guess, you're not the best option around."

Serah whistled. "How did you do that? The big guy is basically raiding the meat section of the buffet! You must have fought hard", she laughed, snatching some meat from the plate Valdyr was offering.

"Oh. And would you rather have a flustered yet adventurous boy? 'cause I've got that in store right now too," Ash whispered to her ear. "He's screaming to me that it's not the way you deserve to be seduced ~"

"Being short give you some advantages too," Valdyr replied calmly, as he ate too. "And Horknath is actually way too soft to fight me back."

Nadia smiled up at him. "How cute of him. You would let your vessel have me?", she asked in a whisper. "Whose of you two desires me the most?" Nadia was indeed a Paladin, but she wasn't a saint. Nor above flirting back with a demon. That had been plently demonstrated.

Serah snorted, eating up her meat. "An half-orc, a softie? Well, uh. That's something you see once in a lifetime", she laughed again. "Bet he's one of those guys who's tough on the outside but all squishy inside."

"Oh trust me, we'd both feel most of it, so it's a tight one," Ash replied with another grin. "Though he might be more of a gentleman than me. I guess it all depends on you," he whispered, his hand venturing a bit too low on her back.

"That's him," Valdyr snorted, as he tried to spot Horknath from his chair.

Nadia hummed, deep in thought. Then she leaned in towards Ash. "I need no gentleman... for the first round, at least", she whispered in his ear. "We'll see what happens on our way to the morning." Her hand dropped low too.

Horknath, who had successfully avoided most of the people around (the tallest people there were scarcely as tall as his shoulders), and had managed to get to them. "Hey", he greeted with a happy glint in his eyes and a ton of food goodies on his plate. "This party ain't half bad!" Serah laughed, stealing some of his food to herself. "I guess", she just answered.

Ash smiled even more. "We should perhaps head back to your place, then ~"

Valdyr snorted again. "Well if you forget that we stopped an assassination, sure, it's plenty of fun so far. I'm getting worried about our magician, though. And I'm not talking about Ash," he said as he pointed to Ash and Nadia on the dancefloor.

"Do you want me to ruin the party to everyone else just as everything got quiet?" Nadia smiled up to him. "I can do that, if you are that impatient."

Horknath grunted, looking concerned. "Yeah, I get you." Serah looked over to Nadia and Ash. "Are you talking about the Inquisitor?", she asked, sounding weirdly disinterested. "Because if yes, I can guarantee she is more than capable of keeping him on the leash. It wouldn't be a first!"

"Why, should everyone follow us? We could also just sneak out," Ash offered, grinning. "Then again, please forget any attempt at taking that as an excuse to exorcise me. That would be a double murder ~"

"... No, I'm talking about Yvan," Valdyr said, sighing. "Listen, I don't know how things work when you share your body with someone else but it's... weird to me."