The man in front of Étaoin was a fair shake shorter than her, he barely crossed being two thirds her height. She'd think he was a pixie, especially with his butterfly wings, but his skin was a plum purple rather than green. Even more striking were the short horns and spade tipped tail. This man was a fiend, in spite of first looks.
Also, he was naked.
She frowned. “Did you get summoned mid shower or do you just like it natural?”
The man chuckled. “This is just how I roll,” he responds with a carefree smile. “Have you never heard of a moura?”
“Afraid not,” she answered honestly.
In spite of her predicting Basil to be a nuisance of a presence, simply having a peer to have a conversation with was grounding to her. Something about it simply calmed her down and gave her some peace.
He walked to the swing and took a seat, daintily enjoying the movement. “Well, now you have, with a prime example to boot~” he responded playfully.
There was a moment of silence. She could tell he was watching her. She didn't understand why, though. What did he want from her? He was a luxuria devil, so what he wanted was actually obvious.
She should at least try to accommodate her guest.
As she started to walk down the steps to leave the tower, she spoke up. “For how long are they gonna be doing what I think they're doing?”
Basil hopped off the swing to follow her. “Fucking? Until he gets tired or she gets bored. Considering how the mistress sets aside a month for these visits, I'd hope at least a few hours to make it worth it. With the cuttle-prude away for a few days I'd hope he's got some pent up feelings that keep her entertained.”
“The lady does love to jump his groin, especially in front of me…” Étaoin conceded unhappily.
“Jealous wench, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. Can you suck his tip real mean or something?”
Her face twisted into a mixture of disgust and anger. “That's disgusting.”
He lifted his arms defensively with a sheepish smile. “Right, right. Sorry, gorgeous, I forgot you aren't one of us.”
Being called gorgeous so casually made Étaoin's heart flutter and she hated it.
Having reached the kitchen, the sprite was quick to dig up a bottle of wine. She was only supposed to have these with Dagon, but she would gladly break that rule just to spite him.
The small cork popped without much effort and she filled two glasses.
Basil was ecstatic about the offered glass, raising it before drinking from it. “You truly know the way to a man's heart, lovebug. No wonder the snake likes you so much.”
She both blushed and scowled. “ Basil , my name is Étaoin. Please use it.”
“Sorry, Étaoin. I just don't often have someone so beautiful catering to my needs, I just need to say something .”
It was almost charming. Maybe she'd consider it actually charming if she could be sure he meant it, or didn't have ulterior motives. She'd noticed the way he watched her. It felt almost predatory. Just like his mistress, he was absolutely hoping to get in her pants.
The question became if she'd let him. Her immediate answer was “of course not”. She wouldn't let herself get objectified and used like that. She still had her dignity, even if she's had to swallow it for the past few months for the sake of her survival.
At the same time however, she'd felt so lonely the past few months, the idea of experiencing some kind of intimacy was tempting. Being able to enjoy someone's company had been sobering, imagine what experiencing a high could do for her.
Ultimately she decided to wait for now. Maybe he'd prove himself worthwhile company in the end.
“So, Étaoin, what's brought an adorable fae to this crappy puddle?” Basil decided to ask, “I don't imagine you decided to take a dip in the pool for fun.”
She paused, then turned to look skeptically.
“Come now, is there really any harm in telling? I'm not gonna tell the snake, if that's what you're worried about.”
There was a soft sigh. Maybe she'd feel better if she could share her story with someone. “I was cast here. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not, but I wasn't in a state to fly for multiple days to get away from here. Really, I would've taken anywhere else if it meant not ending up in this glass cage.”
Basil hummed as he picked up the bottle to refill it. Étaoin wasn't even halfway her own glass yet. “Alright, alright… and what did you do to get your cute butt cast straight to hell, princess?”
She sneered, but he didn't pay it any mind. “I… stole the Summer Queen's name. Briefly. I was caught before I could actually do anything. Years of planning ruined only for some damned Eidolon to come in unexpectedly. If it hadn't shown up to steal the entire spotlight then maybe I still could've still gained notoriety for my own name.” She was still bitter about it. She'd never stop being bitter about it.
The Moura nearly spat out his drink. “No way!”
Étaoin crossed her arms and nodded.
“What did you even want it for?”
“Not that it matters anymore, but there was a lot I intended to do with it. The Wilds are tough and cruel in a different way compared to the Hells. When you're a somebody, it only gets easier to collect more names and before more famous. It snowballs. When you're a nobody… it doesn't matter how many names you collect, getting even one identity to take off takes a lifetime.”
There was a wince as Basil took another sip. “Sounds a whole lot like Gehenna to me. Either you're one of them or you're screwed. And not even in the fun way. It's gotta have its upsides though, right?”
She rolled her eyes at the getting screwed comment. “Well, obviously. If you know how to navigate life in the Wilds it's very vibrant and fulfilling. I'd give anything to go back there. Hopefully someday, when I get out of here.”
Basil’s glass was already empty again. Not wanting him to clear the entire bottle, Étaoin knocked back the rest of hers to refill it. The step towards the table was wobbly, and she almost fell over in her attempt.
Fortunately Basil was there to catch her. “Whoa there Princess, I don't really think the floor is very interested.”
He was so tacky.
“And let me guess: You are?”
“Didn't need a collision with the floor to tell you that~” he teased as he sat down with his refilled glass.
“Why?”
The moura started counting on his fingers. “You're gorgeous, I'm bored, I'm horny and you're my only company. Besides, when's the last time you had any release?”
“I haven't been counting since I got stranded.”
“Most of these fishy guys make for terrible company, huh?
“Tell me about it. I almost got killed multiple times and once came within an inch of being digested. I guess it technically succeeded in the eating part.”
“That's insane, Princess. No wonder you're trying to get out of here.”
Étaoin sighed loudly as she dropped herself on the chair. Then she knocks back a quarter of her glass.”I hate this glass prison, but unless you and your Mistress can find a way to smuggle me out it's not looking like my time has come yet, if it ever will…”
There was a small shrug. “The lizard seems pretty attached to you. The Mistress isn't going to rock the boat for ya unless you've got something extremely valuable to offer her. She isn't going to risk her fuck buddy for nothing.”
She racked her brain trying to figure out what she had of value, especially to someone like the nemesis Luxuria. Usually she had her dexterity and small size that worked in her favor, especially in combination with her fighting ability and spirit. Considering Basil, however, as well as the fact that there appeared to be an entire species of devil that boiled down to fiendish pixies, she was likely outdone in most of those regards. Her knowledge of the courts was invaluable to Tir na Nog, where she was currently far removed from. Her relative humanity and beauty could be considered an asset, but clearly not valuable enough.
Another swig of her glass removes the next quarter. The stuff was really starting to get to her head. Dagon would be both furious that she was being so careless while also envious that this stranger would be getting to see her drunk and vulnerable. Another quarter of her glass disappeared with a petty grin.
She hoped that awful snake got fingers slammed in a door and every bone snapped like twigs. Oh, and that the whore queen would bite down on his dick. Make him explain the bite marks to his fish wife.
Basil spoke up again, pulling Étaoin back to the present. “Ain't nobody that could get you out of here?”
“Anyone who's allowed to interact with me loathes my guts. They'd rather see me dead than do me a favor. Not that they're allowed to,” she bemoaned, “and they're too smart to be simply tricked. I've had my feelers out for that for a while.”
“If they can't stand you that's all the better, isn't it? Just be honest and put things in the right words and they might reconsider. They might be helping you, but they're also getting rid of you in every way that matters to them. Not dead, no, but out of the way, no longer relevant.”
There was a long silent beat as she stared into her glass. Then she emptied it.
It was so obvious! How come she didn't consider it before? She was so busy thinking about how much they loathed her, about how much she loathed them, that the thought didn't occur to her.
That snake has been playing her like a fiddle the entire time she'd been in this glass house.
Laughter bubbled in her throat and she released it. The feeling was liberating.
She couldn't care less about the disturbed look her companion was giving her.
There should be a way. There must be. She just had to play her cards right.
When her laughter died down, she placed her glass out of the way.
“Still interested in someone that's on the verge of losing their sanity?” she asked.
He chuckled softly. “My list is long and I'm always looking to expand it~.”
Suddenly, she reached for his wrist and pulled him closer. Even in her drunken state, what was left of her muscles was enough to yank the moura towards her.
“Fine. But we're doing it my way.”