Evening had struck upon the streets of Crocus. The winter had brought snow, coating the buildings in white. It was for this reason Noel chose to dress up in something more warm. The 6'7" Lamia Scale wizard counted the amount of different apparel he had managed to acquire during his short-stay in Crocus. He'd decide earlier that day to wear a comfortable full-length black fur coat, the neck of which was made of wolf pelts. The weather at that point wasn't looking too inviting, so he'd made the switch. On his feet he'd wear a men's indie lace-up toe boots, amber colored. He'd wear his regular trousers, which meant black trousers with an extra layer of tan leather that covers his outer thighs and down to his knees. A system of belts supported his trousers from staying up. And of course, he wore his regular sleeveless shirt as well.

During his search for dinner, the Lamia Scale wizard noticed a restaurant that (usually) catered the wealthy had posted a few signs outside. Something about half-off for most meals--given that you come in alone. It wasn't an a la carte restaurant, so Noel was interested. As he approached the entrance, one of the waiters immediately ushered the male back a few steps.

"No smoking allowed!"

Noel grunted, nodded his head and threw away his cig--he'd also grab a lolly from his back pocket to imitate the sensation of a cig.

Once inside, Noel and a few others had to wait for at least ten people to show up, they apparently did these sessions in groups of ten. The wizard questioned whether or not this was too good to be true, growing skeptical of it.

"Well, thank you all for coming! Before we begin setting you guys up in blind-dates,"

Noel didn't particularly care, as long as he got a discount. He'd jump through a ring of fire if that meant he could get a bigger discount.

"You're going to have to fill in this personality quiz ~"

Two other waiters dealt out the double sided pieces of papers to those who were present, along with a pen.

Noel immediately regretted coming in, as the first question was asking for the age of the participant. He'd cover one arm over the test, like a child cheating at his first test.

How old are you: 26
What color do you best describe yourself as?
- Red
- Green X
- Blue
Whats your morning brew?
- Coffee
- Tea
- Cocaine X
Favorite activities on a Sunday afternoon?
- Frisbee with your dog
- Long walks on the beach
- Filling in stupid tests like these

Of course Noel grew more annoyed by every question he could see on the paper. He'd just scribble in random and offensive things.

"Alright, I'm just gonna take a seat then."

Noel got up, and handed in his personality 'test' at one of the waiters. He'd start wandering into the seating portion of the restaurant.

"No sir, you have wait! We have to match you up!"

The male didn't care, and they knew he didn't care--so the waiters didn't really stop him, but rather try to dissuade others from doing the same.

Live music was being played, it was mildly audible in the seat arrangement.

Noel decided to sit at a random table, one that had another person of the female gender sitting at it and he so happened to find a chair at a pretty girls table--who, presumably, was seated alone. The wizard was pretty belligerent at this point, he'd put his lolly in the soup of the person who previously sat on the chair, and lit another cig--while doing so he'd make eye contact with the waiting staff, who just shrugged at each other. He was in the clear. The male rested the cig between his lips, his left hand vibing a little with the beat of the music--while his right searched through the menu.

"So what is your opinion of the color blue?"

He'd ask the person sitting opposite of him.

Noel chuckled at the response, blue wasn't her favorite. He'd peek over to establish eye-contact, or try to at least.

"Hmmm, ah yes, red--the color of passion. I'm guessing you picked green as per your favorite color, am I right?"

The Lamia Scale wizard could sense a rebellious personality sitting across him, much similar to his own. His natural bravado carried through the small-talk. Noel returned the gesture, and extended his arm over the table as well. His right hand led hers, holding the womans hand in a way that'd put her hand above his own. Though he made no gesture to indicate that he was about to kiss the top of her hand, that wasn't the kind of man Noel is. He'd flash Venus a smile, and reply.

"Names Noel."

Before letting go off her hand and returning his arm to his own side of the table, moving the uncleared meals out of the way with the free hand. His eyebrow was to be arched a little, the menu was quite wild--he'd want to set his mind on something more abstract. One of the offered courses were ten mini culinary bites. It were a combination of ingredients that sounded pretty interesting, things such as oysters, crab, truffels, passion fruit, eel and a variety of other ingredients. Noel was interested in exotic tonight, he'd peer over to his partner--who too matched the description of appealing exotica.

"When's the last time you've done something gormless?"

Before continuing, a waiter stopped at the table to take their orders.

"Can I take your orders?"

Noel looked at the menu again, bringing his finger over to a specific menu item he had a question about. He'd rest his index finger against the indexed item, and then look at the waiter who was awaiting a response.

"Yes, I had a question about the neck sweetbread; how is it prepared exactly?"

"The gristle and membrane are trimmed, the sweetbreads are soaked in milk for an hour after. The chef blanches it in boiling water, and then covers it with ice. This makes our sweetbread quite firm."

The waiter made gestures with his hands to simulate what the process would look like if he had all the ingredients in his hand. Noel was quite pleased to hear that, and nodded.

"Very well, I'll have the ten mini bite course--starting with sweetbread, I'll make my way down the road any way the chef seems fit after the first course. Lets start with a pint of beer for the gentlemen as well, that'll be just tap, please."

The waiter turned to Venus after scribbling down Noels order.

"Your order, madam?"

After writing down both of their orders, the waiter departed from their table. Due to the music, you couldn't really overhear chatting that went on at other tables. Noel put away the menu, and rested his head against the palm of his hand--ogling at Venus.

"As I was saying, are you in the mood to do something of scandalous in nature this evening?"

Noel wouldn't say what he meant yet, he enjoyed the idea of sauteing something nefarious in her mind.

Nonchalantly, Noel put his elbows on the armrests of the chair he sat on while listening to her responses. Venus didn't even fill in the form, Noel laughed in response to hearing this--because he wrote bullshit on the sheet, whereas she didn't even care to fill in.

"I see myself more as a gradient instead of a static color. But yes, if I had to pick between the colors required to compose the color white--I'd pick green."

The male settled more comfortably into his chair, his back lined up with the back of the chair. This blind date was something she considered gormless, Noel chuckled once more. Venus was quite saucy, her sharp tongue enthralled the wizards mind with interest. She'd ask for his share of recent gormless actions.

"I thought it'd be funny if I impersonated a Rune Knight towards another Rune Knight."

He'd place his right hand over his left wrist, looking slightly away into the distance as he explained.

"It didn't fuckin' work--did you know they have this pendant that lights up to prove they're who they are?"

Before Noel could continue talking about how broke the law a few days ago, the waiter came down and wrote down both their orders. Noel took note of Venus being quite specific about her tastes--she was a rich person, no doubt in his mind. Not interested in the half-off discount, but rather the blind date. Fact is, Noels sly mind had been planning on doing something funny ever since he sat at the table, and knowing who his date is was going to make it juicier.  As soon as the waiter left, Noel proposed on doing something scandalous. Venus was interested, he made sure of that by the way he worded it.

He'd raise his right eyebrow, and begun talking again.

"Let's go big dick mode, instead of regular champagne, get a bottle of Dom Pérignon."

While he wanted to continue talking, the waiters arrived with their drinks. Noel was ensured his plan was going to work, so he'd put his hand up as they were setting the drinks down.

"The lady will have a bottle of Dom Pérignon instead, and I'll have three more pints of Stella Artois, please."

The waiter didn't seem to object, and took the glass away while letting Noels pint sit on the table. When they were out of earshot, Noel would continue explaining his plan.

"Lets get a big tab and then eat and run. You know, chew and screw, bite and bolt. Doing a runner?"

Noel drank the pint in one go, and set the glass back down on the table. A small beer moustache had formed, but obviously he was keen on Venus' response, his tongue cleaning his beer moustache. This man had manners, but rarely cared about them.

"Truth is, I'm a fucking bandit - ... when it comes to spending money. And you look like someone who wants to do something exciting."

Venus complimented Noel, for looking like a believable Rune Knight member. He'd grit his bottom lip a little, an odd twitch going off above his right eye as he spoke.

"Listen, the Rune Knights are an incapable bunch, they can suck a fat one."

The man obviously had qualms with them that reached deeper beyond what the surface could show. Being compared to one almost set Noel off, but he kept his temper in check. She asked how that situation ended, the truth was quite abstract at the moment--he couldn't really talk about it because it was an ongoing situation somehow.

"I'll tell you the entire story a different time."

The change in her drink wasn't badly received, Noel knew the expensive brands because he was stingy and liked looking at menus. This would prove his willingness in the plan, proof that he was serious.

After proposing the idea, Venus followed up with a gasp. But, before Noel could ask anything investigative about it, to find out whether or not she liked the plan she had expressed a desire to join the plan. Noel crossed one leg over the other, silently observing her next sequence of actions. Everything on the menu? Was she mad? The waiter was slightly surprised at the change of order, and began filling in all of the check boxes on her notepad. It wasn't the first time they've received an order by a powerful person who just came in town after a long quest. But still, they'd have expected Noel to make an order like that rather than her.

It was at this time that Noel was trying to guess where Venus ended up on the famous crazy/versus hot scale. Noel decided her craziness out scaled her hotness and, that he should exit out of this situation--but then, her piercings glimmered for a moment. Noel noticed. And he'd wonder. Where else would she have piercings? Suddenly, the mental crazy/hot scale shifted in Venus' favor. This was a situation worth expanding.

Noel used his right hand to move his hair from his vision, tidying it up slightly. Using his fingers as a comb, contemplating. Did Venus realize that the worse the tab got, the more difficult it was to pull a runner? She just increased the risk of this dasher failing by a huge margin. The male was lost in thought for a second, thinking about ways out. He came up with a few but needed to think about it more.

Two of the Stella Artois pints came in, both of the cold glass pints were put on the table. They couldn't place the third because they were afraid that the table couldn't fit all of the items of their combined order. The waiters left again, and Noel continued to make conversation.

"This one time I went out to grab a bite to eat with a friend of mine. I ordered a pizza, and my friend well--he had a pizza too. And then a lasagna, burritos, and another pizza. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen. Maybe you can surpass my friend right here, right now."

After Noels comment about calling himself a bandit, Venus was pretending to be innocent. Like she wasn't one.

"You either really trust in me and in my abilities to follow my plan like this; or you're a fucking bandit too."

Venus spoke of desire and, Noel definitely did notice. He'd light another cigarette before he responded, leaving room for a moment of silence. As Noel was about to respond, the musicians changed tracks, apparently one couple was loudly fighting. Since the restaurant didn't want other to notice, the volume of the music was upped.

"Where are you staying? I'm at Grove Avenue Blvd Roundabout Street Lane 21D"

His attitude was direct while holding a level of abstractness. This was simply his way of seeing which place was the closest to this restaurant. Where they could go to, later on. To perform a certain ritual, perhaps.

Noel was definitely interested in her appetite, physically and mentally. His philosophy potentially differed, quality over quantity, albeit--this was a good place to enjoy both. The first course for Noel begun arriving, along with the chef who brought the first course to the table.

"My name is Chef Dominick Deccoco, and I hope you enjoy the food tonight."

The chef warmly held his palms against each other after serving the first course to Noel and, returned to the kitchen. The first course for Venus came with a trolley however. His food was represented in a small bite, the delicacy of sweetbread was unknown to many.

Noel leaned a bit closer to the table, looking around if none of the staff could notice.

"I may have a good way out of this situation. At the end, 'dump' me--throw water in my face and storm off angrily. Put on a good act, they'll let you through."

What the Lamia Scale wizard hadn't explained about himself yet was that he was a master of socially engineering himself in and out of situations such as these. He'd already have an escape plan for himself, but wasn't sure it'd succeed--his plan had some risks attached to them. Noel cut the sweetbread in half, eating half of the bite with his fork. He'd start drinking the pints too, requiring a few more to be considered tipsy.

Venus seemed intent on one-upping Noels past friend. The Lamia Scale wizard chuckled at the fired up response. This was quite amusing to Noel. Plates begun being stacked on the table. After the sweetbread, Noel had to wait a bit for his next course to arrive.

"Lets up the ante - if you manage to eat everything brought over, I'll tell you my deepest darkest secret. If you don't, you tell me yours."

The male was seeking eye-contact while talking, ensuring that Venus knew that he was being serious.

Deep longing beamed through her crimson pupils for the melting goodness that was presented on the table. Maybe he could capture the same level of desire some day. Noel was intrigued about the way she expressed her gluttonous side; shameless. Her passion for food was like a burning fire. Hot.

Three pints of Stella had been drunk at this point by the tall Lamia Scale wizard. A light buzz introduced itself to the party going on inside his mind. He'd have ordered two more while the waiters came in to bring more food to the table.

Her comment about him seeming like a trustworthy figure made him scoff a little. He's had his fair share experiences of betraying others--which ultimately led to the male being imprisoned for many years. He wasn't the type of guy to fight a compliment though.

"Thanks for placing your trust in me."

Noels second and third course came at once. The second was fish themed, which meant oysters, sushi and crab being the main subjects. The sushi turned out to be the best tasting thing on the menu. It was like the heavens themselves had produced fresh rice, soaked in holy water. Wrapped up in an elegant stroke of salmon. In the middle of the roll, wrapped by both rice and salmon a slice of gouda cheese had melted and fused all of the loose ingredients together. Which in his mouth released all of the flavors included in the godly sushi. Noel audibly moaned, and then coughed to cover it up. It caught him off guard.

Venus mentioned the adres Noel had mentioned being too unfamiliar, claiming she wasn't very well orientated or something. Noel initially thought this to be a rejection, but that was flipped when she mentioned being fifteen minutes away from this restaurant. His right eye brow raised a little.

"It might get too loud in an inn, unless your neighbors don't mind?"

Noel quietly chuckled to himself at his own joke. His ego was quite blown up, mainly due to his own actions.

"The 'villa' I'm staying at is two clicks to the North."

Obviously Noel didn't stay at a mansion, during his visits to Crocus he'd rent a studio in the outer urban areas of Crocus. One that had a king-sized bed, and other simple furniture. The bed was his idea. It was a bachelor pad from bottom to top. No trash bins in the bathroom, chairs being used as cloth hangers, aka stuff no woman really wants to be exposed to.

Most of the meals had been finished, and just as Noel was enjoying truffles with a tiny teaspoon, he'd hear Venus cough. To get his attention, most likely. With spoon still in his hand, Noel knew it was time to perform a grand ol' act. Albeit he didn't expect Venus to grab the attention of everyone seated including some of the line cooks. It took a lot to suppress the huge smirk that had a strong desire to be formed on his face. Instead, he pouted his lips and furrowed his brows. Venus had sprayed him with a golden shower. The champagne trickled down his lips and onto the table cloth. Noel immediately aggressively slammed the table, causing the band to stop their music for a moment; making everyone silent.

"You're such a lil' drama queen, sit your ass back down."

And as soon as Venus got her coat, and was heading for the exit Noel had stood up as well. The band kept quiet for a moment longer. His mental voice began yelling. Say it champ, say something outrageous that casts their attention away from her to yourself!

"Your aunt wasn't supposed to wear your wedding dress when I accidentally knocked her up. Come back, please .... please I can explain, I swear!"

When it was obvious that Venus wouldn't return, pretty much all eyes went on Noel. He'd hear people whispering disapprovingly in the background. The band started playing music again, to make fun of the situation, they'd play That's Life by Francis Sincaster. Noel sat back down, and pretended to look defeated. One leg extended far away from the body, while the other leg sat under the chair. One arm extended fully, while the other one crossed inwards. And exactly at that moment, all of his mental scheming had delivered him with a plan to get out. The tall Lamia Scale rested on his chair--studying the ceiling. While onlookers that were still staring at Noel thought he just had life broken in two, he'd actually be doing something different instead. He'd calculate the distance between the chair and the ceiling, the acceleration he could gain in a split moment. A method of creating a moment where nobody is looking at him was also required. The table was still visible from the outside, so if Venus had been awaiting she could be one of the only ones to witness the actual events.

Before Noel begun to activate a rapid succession of action sequences, he'd light a cigarette. He took a drag off of it, and placed it in an ashtray they had provided just for him. He grabbed his fork, and as he moved the fork to his dinner plate he'd drop it on the floor. Getting the fork to tumble inwards and under the covers of the table was quite tricky three pints deep. Noel gently moved his chair back, and got under the table to 'retrieve his fork'. A small gap in the table cloth allowed Noel some vision into the restaurant. He'd visualize a fishing rod with both hands and he'd cast his spell allowing him to perform telekinesis. Of course it had its limitations, but it did allow Noel to push a table closer to himself. In an ideal situation, a waiter gets knocked over by the sudden moving table and dropping a collection of plates. In a highly rated restaurant like this, that'd be a death sentence for the waiter. He waited about ten seconds before spotting a waiter that was about to walk past by a table carrying multiple meals. He'd reel his fishhook in, move the table half a meter closer to the waiter, who'd immediately try to move out of the way, but failing miserably and smashing another customer in the face with a tuna casserole. The sound of falling glass hadn't caused the band to stop playing, this wasn't their first restaurant gig. But it did catch the attention of the eyes that were previously on Noel.

The human that was previously under the table had become a Raven, after activating his special ring. While eyeballs were scattered across the restaurant, the raven moved from under the table to a curtain. He'd do this with his raven feet, as you might expect a raven to fly instead. Staying low was better, since he had to buy them some time to get away. Purely escaping the restaurant wasn't the only thing that mattered, actually getting away afterwards was important too. The elegant black colored Raven began flying its way up to the ceiling, using the curtain as a cover. There was a stone grill at the top part, where the wall met the ceiling with gaps big enough to fit a Raven through. He'd leave the restaurant flying. The Raven had enough draft to cross the building over the roof, so he could meet up with Venus at the front of the store. For whatever reason the ring also gave him the ability to talk while in Raven form. So Noel, in Raven form attempted a landing on Venus' shoulder in order to promptly tell her to

"RUN! CAW CAW!"

Spell used: Telekinesis & Raven Night Ring

The femme fatale had accepted the wizards challenge. Albeit, that challenge was halted at a later time, when the woman took a pragmatic decision. Perhaps they could continue this conversation another time. Noels villa was confirmed to be the ending stop for tonight. He'd chuckle nervously.

"You'll love it, as long as you keep your eyes closed once inside."

Noel chuckled nervously again, it was quite a mess. Ashtrays on the floor, pizza boxes piled up, a throne formed by beer cases. Noel was considering blindfolding her at one point in the evening.

Reactions given by various waiters were quite solid, some exasperated gasps - most of the room focused on the waiter having fallen. Noel made a swift and gentle escape, unaware of Venus' keen observation. The bird flew out of the building and crossed over the roof. He'd have successfully landed on the femme fatales shoulder. As the bird called for Venus to flee, she'd quickly reply asking for a direction. It wasn't like he could point out a direction with his arms. Noel did however try to 'point' out the north by positioning his beak towards the north. From this position, he'd guess that they had a minute max before being chased down. Two from the entrance of the restaurant noticed something fishy was going on, they wouldn't chase after Venus immediately but gave them some time.

The temperatures in the city were still quite low, snow had continuously been pouring down the streets of Crocus, painting them in white. It must have been difficult for Venus to run with heels on, thick blankets of snow covered the curbs. Still, she managed to swiftly get away and duck into an alleyway, dodging the waiters from the entrance who ran past the alley. Noels raven feet were cupped in Venus'  hand, he'd move his neck to her right to peek into the entrance of the alleyway. They were safe. The Raven flapped its wings, moving backwards and away from her hands. The wizard undid the spell which was cast by the enchanted ring, returning to human form with all of his gear intact.

"Tadaa ~"

Noel gave a short bow, smiling as he heard her fit of laughter over the actions that had transpired to lead both of them here.

"Some call me the Master of Surprise."

That was a lie, one he made that up on the spot. But it was true, this was one of his many tricks, albeit one of the most versatile ones. They were puzzle pieces he had to piece together, and that's where his talent came in.

"Maybe they think I'm having a breakdown under the tablecloth?"

At this point, he'd be having a hearty belly laugh too. He'd have certainly shown the femme fatale his bandit lifestyle at this point of the evening. Maybe she was a good match for his partner in crime shtick? Though for a moment, Noels attention flickered. He'd overhear a man yelling getting closer to where they entered the alley from. And without a moment further, he'd extend his hand over to hers, grabbing it. There was little chance she could stop him from doing so, unless she decided to use her titanic strength. He'd start running in the opposite direction. He knew what to do. Further up the alley, the open sky ended with a large portion of another building covering it. It was pretty high up in the air, six meters max.

"If you trust me, hold on to me and don't let go."

Noel said, turning around with open arms, expecting Venus to hold on to him. Had she done so successfully, he'd clap with his hands around her body. This was required for the activation of another spell; floortilting. To get Venus to come with him, he'd carry her using his natural strength. She most likely didn't anticipate him walking on the wall, he'd hope that the waiter that was chasing them didn't expect him to either. They were a fair distance away, barely visible to the waiter at the moment he'd activate his spell. Noel made his way up the wall while walking straightforwards, holding and carrying Venus at the same time as she was still exposed to the gravity of the planet. Were they fast enough, the waiter simply ran past by them and not see the two due to tunnel vision. It was true, he could have done this from the beginning, but it just wouldn't be as exciting. If all had gone according to plan, Noel held Venus tightly to himself. Tight enough for her clothes not to succumb to gravity and flash the alley. Tight enough to feel her heartbeat. Was it drumming with ferocity, just like his? Was she an adrenaline junk like him? With his right arm, he'd scoot her up gently so they could face each other while upside down, hanging over an alley. A smirk formed on his face, he'd tuck his chin in tilt his head slightly and go in for a passionate kiss. Perhaps this was destined to be her first ever zero-gravity kiss. Disregarding whether or not it was successful, he'd start moving back to the ground, so he could safely plant her back on her feet. Nobody was around anymore, and it became noticeable to Noel that they were in the clear. He'd gently hover his hand above Venus' head, wiping some of the snow away. He noticed her jacket didn't have a hood. While not showing it clearly, Noel was the type of person who would burn to keep others warm. He'd instinctively take off his jacket, handing it over to Venus.

"Here, take this. My flat isn't much further away from here."

He'd extend his hand towards hers again, wanting to hold it and interlock fingers as he led the way to his apartment. It was about a five minute walk, Noel chose an unlikely path that the waiter could circle back to. The cold didn't faze him, the abundance of muscles kept him unfazed.

"I think we have an interesting click together"

Obviously a little tipsy from all the drinking, Noel couldn't filter his thoughts as nuanced as he did previously. He'd stumble slightly as he made his way down to the entrance of his apartment.

Spell used: Floortilting & Raven Night Ring

The two had run deeper into the valley, fortuitously Venus' had placed her trust in Noel, again. The males vertical ascension up the wall was quite successful. The Lamia Scale wizard didn't anticipate her squealing, luckily the waiter hadn't caught on. He was still a fair distance away. The girl returned the kiss just as he passionately as he initiated it. In the moment, it felt as if all time had stopped. A warm wave of endorphins overcame his mind. The waiter had ran off, and Noel broke the kiss after the waiter was out of sight.

"Mlem, you're a good kisser"

The male whispered under his breath, and if Venus had heard he'd wink at her and flash a smile. Seeing the oversized coat on her made him happy. Covered from the harsh elements of nature. They'd hold hands, making it a bit easier for Noel to lead her to his apartment. It was a good moment to get to know his date better.

"Do you have one place you usually live at?"

He'd start the conversation with, he'd anticipate that he could ask more questions depending on her answers.

"Those tricks you've seen me perform; -- I'm a Lamia Scale wizard. Not very proficient in spell casting yet, but I'm getting there."

The streets leading up to his apartment were quite empty, Noel had received her trust two times in a row, so he didn't intend on lying to her at this point. Whatever question she may have had, likely got a honest response by Noel. The booze made it difficult for him to maintain balance during some parts of the trip, for ex. when he crossed from one curb over a street to another curb. Noel definitely fancied Venus, the way she held onto him as they made their way out of downtown was very cute.

"What do you do for a living?"

Noel was curious as to how she got around--not having witnessed one of her abilities yet, he couldn't really know. Though inside his mind he was hyping up her profession for some reason, guessing between spy, diplomat, but nothing very violent. Her skin was gentle to the touch, whereas his own was rough.

Soon they'd have approached the front of the flat. Noel rented a room on the second level.

"We're at my place, this is it ~"

He'd let go of Venus' hands, highlighting the rundown building with both of his arms. After highlighting his shit flat, he'd extend his same hand to Venus again to lead her to the front door. The front door to this apartment was notoriously scuffed. Noel had been convinced the building owner made it scuffed on purpose, to repel drunk people from coming in. The tall male had mastered the art of inserting the key into the door with only one attempt. There was a time where he'd return drunk late at night, and his neighbors roasted the ever living fuck out of him every time he missed the keyhole. The flat was colored in two tints from the outside; blue and gray.

"Alright, stand back."

Noel lined up with the door perfectly, he'd close his eyes and capture a moment of intensity to use in order to one-try the front-door. And he'd be successful! And very proud about it.

"You don't know yet Venus, but I'm such a god sometimes I swear."

The male opened the door to the flats, they'd have to climb two stairs up to get at his own front door.

"Ladies first"

He'd wait until Venus passed into his flats first. Hopefully she wasn't going to be too angry at the state of it. After Venus had entered, he'd enter as well and close the door after him. A light switch automatically turned on.

"It's two stairs up, I live in #11"

He'd enjoy it if Venus went ahead of him on the stairs. It was a very pleasing picture visually. Assuming Venus went with him to his floor, he'd grab his keys again. He'd need to use another key for this one.

"Witness me, woman."

Noel had a better strategy for his own door, he'd instead line his index finger up with the top part of the lock. This made it easy for him to push his palm against the back of the key so it could smoothly be inserted into the lock. He didn't need to look at the lock for this, so he looked into Venus' eyes instead--a cocky smirk on his face. His door opened inwards, so he'd go in first and then move out of the way so Venus could get in too. He'd lock the door afterwards.

"Welcome, make yourself at home."

He turned on the light switch, and it was probably as bad as one could have imagined. Boxes of pizzas piled up, a throne of beer cases in the living room. Though it only was bad at a surface level, at a quick glance it was easy to judge. What wasn't obvious however were that there were two house cats in the same flat, they liked playing with the throne and the boxes. An ingenious device gave them water and food. One of the cats named Mik slept under the couch. The other one called Spion woke up and ran up to Noel, climbing up his leg. He typically liked sitting on shoulders. Noel however grabbed the cat by its neck, and moved placed it on his arm, with his back facing his arm. Gently stroking its belly

"This is Spion, I have another cat also, called Mik. Spion is a shorthair, and Mik a Burmese."

Noel liked playing with his cats. He'd put Spion down on the ground, who most likely started investigating Venus as soon as the cat could put his feet on the ground.

His flat was roughly forty meters square. Living room and kitchen were both in one room, bedroom and washing room were their own room. The floor was made of a white colored carpet--very fluffy. Noel made his way down to his couch, he'd undo the laces of his boots and throw them near the door. The radio was still playing music, as it had for hours and hours. His male odeur lingered in the place, his natural musk. Visitors were quite rare. Noel got off the couch after undoing his boots, and he'd turn on the heater. He'd be closing the blinds after, and then move back to Venus.

"It's not so bad here, is it?"

He'd ask her, while moving closer to her. Wanting to embrace her, the male waited until the cats were chilling. The heater crackled, while music played over the radio. The cats liked when music was gently being played.

"I am enchanted by you Venus"

Ideally said in an embrace. The male had to demonstrate some level of flexibility in order to move his head down wanting to kiss her neck in rapid succession before moving on deeper into the night(FtB).

Next morning Noel woke up in bed. The king size had room for both, but by no doubt in his mind were all the squares of bedsheet claimed by his counterpart. He'd try to be the first one awake, silently grabbing the wet pieces of clothing from last night and taking them to the living room. He'd hang them in front of the heater. He had some spare clothing she could wear instead of her dress from last night, but it was quite baggy. The male audibly stretched in the living room, he'd walk towards his kitchen portion of his flat and yawn into his fist. Something most people lacked, but something he had was a kettle. He'd fill it with water and turn on whatever source of energy it required. The male was wearing a bathrobe and in his undies. He'd move back to the heater to retrieve his pack of smokes from his pants, and wander onto the balcony as the kettle did its thing. Lighting the cigarette with the zippo he put in the same pack, the male had a decent outlook over the city.

Venus explained she wasn't quite settled in yet - considering herself a wanderer. His home, or where his home used to be, was in Orchidia. Though he hadn't been there in a while, things in Crocus were a bit too interesting to investigate.

"I spent most of my time in Orchidia, though I plan on moving to Oak next."

The male explained, he's been thinking of leaving Lamia Scale for a while now. It's been over a year since he was in the Guild Hall; he'd also been jailed for a while due to crimes he'd have commit during his more active tenure. Venus turned out to be a mage as well, making the tall male slightly curious as to her potency as a mage. Though tonight had been more of a showcase of his own talent, perhaps a different night it'd be the other way around. The femme fatale was an einzelgänger in her journey through life. He'd consider himself the polar opposite, always needing many people around him to talk to.

"Being in a guild is a fantastic experience, I'd really recommend joining one you like."

Not to mention making those requests she do a lot easier. A half chuckle was a tell for Noel to investigate further, but he'd let it be for now. It was rude to be very nosy about her work details.

The Lamia Scale wizard sort of foolishly enjoyed the act of him successfully opening doors. Little did Venus realize however how much practice he'd endured for him to perform this godly. Venus liked his cats, which was a big deal for him. He'd been living with cats for most of his life.

"Yeah, they're very friendly."

Spion ran up to Venus and curled his tail against her leg, walking a circle around her and then going back to do doing what cats do: chilling.

"The key is to ignore them, they love that"

It sounded crude, but whenever he didn't pay attention to his cats they'd always want his attention. They were like little assholes about it too sometimes.

After their bodies had clashed in a one versus one bedroom fight, Noel had woken up prior to Venus. Sitting on his balcony, he'd enjoy a cigarette. A voice from the inside turned his head.

"Good morning Akaichurippu"

Noel said, having thought of a nickname to give her. She appeared to be wearing his shirt, he'd want to embrace her again after last night--but alas, he's not the type to smoke indoors. Not around his cats anyway, who were still sleeping scattered across the floor.

"I don't think I've blinked since I first laid my eyes upon you."

He said in reply to her question about his quality of sleep; he'd smugly smirk a bit at his own wits. It wasn't serious though, he'd have blinked a few times at least. He still had bedroom eyes. When Venus pulled the cig from between his lips, he thought she disliked people who smoked. The cute peck on his lips changed his mind again, which he thought was very reasonable. She laid her hands upon his goods, causing him to give her half a hug as well as she said that she had to head out.

"That's alright. You should take my coat as well, it's pretty cold out. Don't forget your dress, it's by the heater."

Noel was slightly aroused by the idea of Venus leaving his apartment just in his shirt, no undies. He'd cross one leg over the other, as due to tactical advantage due to the circulation of blood activating parts of his body meant to be idle.

"Oh?"

The male was lost in thought for a moment as he began thinking about what to do with said fabric. The thought was lost as Venus kissed him on the cheek. He'd place his hand on hers, feeling her gentle skin for one last final time.

"Sayonara Akaichurippu, until next time"

He'd drink the coffee that Venus had made, enjoying the rest of his cig watching Venus leave his apartment from his balcony. He'd look forwards to their next meeting.

-- exit