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[brinewitch]

This thing on? We rollin'?

Sweet, lets do this.

HEYA ladies, gents an' everythin' in between an' beyond. You bored? You ain't got nuthin' ta do? It's a Thirsty Thursday night or a sleepy Saturday?

I got the hottest place in Genessia City fer ya, ain't no where like it. Best drinks, best club an' best entertainment this side of the arches.

One of a kind place.

Who am I?

[The fairy grins, a flashy, wide, showman's smile, bearing a few of those sharp, shark like back teeth]

Well shucks, folks, I'm the entertainment! Once in a life time, ya won't find no singer like me nowhere else.

Ta prove me right, right here right now, one free sample of what ya might be gettin' if ya strut yerself inta ol' VL when the lights turn on.

Try an' contain yerselfs!

[After just a moment, the music starts, the instruments neatly recorded.

It's the vocals that are something else.

No at several points, it's clearly just Kani there, singing, the only person in the room, but there are multiple voices joining in on it, the siren's mismatched eyes flickering blue and green every now and again as doses of magic are infused with each and every word.

The feeling may be instant for some, the urge to dance, the need to get up and move, to listen to more. Happiness and drunken giddiness pulsing with every intoxicating beat of the song-

And then, it ends, and the after glow slowly ebbs as the magic is brought to a conclusion]

Want more? Want a night of that? Ya know where we are, Velvet Lust, one an' only, open from sundown ta sunup!

Comments

[Action]

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen usually made a habit of not being on the same floor of Velvet Lust as the siren whenever there was going to be a performance. This one had been unexpected, of course, and he wasn't really paying attention -- which meant it was easy enough to accidentally snag him. Too easy, in fact.

It didn't help that he knew that song, making it even easier to not pay close attention to where it was coming from.

Thankfully for his dignity, the urge to dance or become giddy didn't quite make it into his skull by the time the tiger glanced up from whatever he was reading on his phone. He was a lot closer to the stage than he'd started, and he immediately planted his feet.

At least he didn't interrupt, although he couldn't quite make himself walk away during the song, either.

Re: [Action]

[brinewitch]

Of course, Kani wasn't so stupid that he'd not picked up on the pattern Tannusen gave him. His boss had a tendency to just vanish every time he swung up on stage to sing, only to appear again once Wade showed up, or some other more temporary entertainment took the floor.

It was hard to resist the temptation to try and goad him closer.

... So he didn't. Though the song ended, magic still floated in every word as he directed his attention at Tannusen, all white teeth and curious mischief.

"Heya, Chief!" Well it was better than Snowball. Goodness, might even be considered flattery!

If Tannusen wasn't already well aware of how the siren's brain worked.

"Finally decided ta listen ta a few songs up here? I got a million of em~"

No powerful spell either, more of a soft, welcoming suggestion.

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen didn't really care about the name thing, thankfully... so long as his designation wasn't one of the few sexual acts he was grossed out by, minor or otherwise. And that was a remarkably low bar, because let's face it, he almost certainly had first-hand experience regardless of reservations.

If he ever pushed back on the name issue, it would be due to an over-all problem with Kani's assumptions.

Case in point, the tiger had relaxed a little when the song was over, thinking the side-effects of the singing was done as well. But when Kani spoke and the magic was still present, he tensed back up again.

--In the middle of stepping forward, of course.

It really didn't take much, a suggestion was plenty if he wasn't actively resisting. A certain Baroness in the Far Dreaming had seen to that.

Tannusen tipped his chin up, eyeing Kani from over the top of his glasses. Damn tuna even had a height advantage going, thanks to the stage. The pooka's expression was neutral so far; no hint of the usual smile, but he also wasn't frowning -- yet.

"I know full well you can talk without that nonsense."

Yep, nonsense.

[brinewitch]

Aw don't be that way, pussy cat.

The siren's characteristic musical laughter bounced off the walls and filled the room like so many bubbles, refusing to leave the stage and sacrifice his height advantage. On a good day he was six foot four, he liked being taller.

He was used to it.

"Come on up on stage an' dance with me, chief!" Still magic in the tone, it wasn't lying if he just didn't address it after all. Having a soul meant freedom of will.

Freedom to be just as stupid as he wanted to be!

"Just one dance, c'mon!"

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen was six foot two, so the height difference was normally minimal. Not that it was much of a concern for the tiger, who'd clashed wills with plenty of people while forced onto his knees at their feet.

Briefly, he was tempted to step up onto the stage anyway, if only to take advantage of nearly matching the siren for height. He dismissed the impulse, knowing it was probably his brain trying to rationalize the compulsion Kani was flinging at his head. Pooka understood compulsions well enough.

"And why would I do that?" Tannusen clasped his hands behind his back, tilting his upturned head slightly to one side. He was still regarding Kani over his glasses, not actually needing them for regular vision at all. They let him see ghosts, when activated; otherwise they were purely decorative.

[brinewitch]

Tannusen getting up on stage certainly might have ended this little confrontation that Kani felt was so important to start. Of course, it'd also have meant the siren had won this little battle of wills.

But Tannusen did not climb up with him, which meant that this was going to continue being a thing that Kani apparently felt he had to do right now.

Very important.

"Just ta have some fun, why not? Ain't ya ever had fun before, chief?"

[black_black_heart]

"Nope, not ever," Tannusen's tone was as dry as could be. "I'm allergic."

[brinewitch]

He's gonna keep prying, he has to now.

"Come dance with me!"

More magic in every syllable now, coaxing and cajoling in an attempt to tempt the tiger further.

"No harm in just one dance."

[black_black_heart]

The stronger the magic grew, the less pleased Tannusen became with the situation. At Kani's latest attempt, his mouth actually curled into a brief, silent snarl.

Then he turned on his heel, and marched away. Whelp.

[brinewitch]

Welp.

Welp.

The siren called out after him, singsong, with a hint of an annoyed edge to his tone.

"Don't go!"

[black_black_heart]

Oh, not only was he going there and getting annoyed with the tiger for daring to turn his back on him, but he was doing it inside Tannusen's own territory? The pooka came to a halt, sure, but his spine was stiff with a dangerous, quickly-growing anger.

"Excuse me?"

His own voice didn't carry any sort of magic, but that ever-present purr of his was suspiciously low. Soft velvet draped over cold steel. There were only two circumstances that made him sound like that, and neither involved him obeying someone else's control.

[brinewitch]

In retrospect, Kani was aware this was a bad idea. The moment he heard that tone he knew this had been a poor plan, and if he were smart, he'd apologize and slither off for the time.

But that would be embarrassing and he'd look bad.

... Well worse. He looked pretty bad right now, didn't he? Someone had been attempting to teach the obnoxious punk about manners around other males but well...

"I don't wanna sit by myself."

[black_black_heart]

That the siren had taken it down a peg was good, but that he hadn't knocked it off entirely was... not good. The magic was still there, and so whatever sympathy Tannusen may have felt for that sentiment, he staunchly pushed back against it as clearly just another compulsion.

The tiger smoothed his expression and turned, walking back over. Not striding, not prowling, just walking. Maybe Kani had won?

[brinewitch]

Maybe he did, but there was suspicion in there. He wasn't old by any means as far as the fae went, but he'd still made it a food three hundred years while being stupid and reckless!

Which meant he had a small, but healthy bit of paranoia in him.

Though the body language appeared to be lax and calm, for Tannusen it'd be hard not to sense the hackles raising in the siren like a threatened, upstart pup.

[black_black_heart]

Indeed. Wasn't it funny how the one making demands could suddenly get a little... nervous when the predator Pooka started 'cooperating'? The tiger even stepped up onto the stage, but there was a clear challenge present in the tilt of his jaw, the cold glint of his eyes.

His usual faint smile was back in place, but no, he wasn't exactly trying to sell it.

"Well? No more orders to give me in my own territory?"

[brinewitch]

He fucked up.

HE FUCKED UP.

He wouldn't have been so eager to pull this stunt with a fairy he was familiar with, Tannusen was a bit outside the mold, but that was no excuse.

As he recalled, someone had told him to just not start shit at all, but where was the fun in that?

... Apparently the fun in that was not getting confronted by an angry tiger. The one saving grace was that there wasn't anyone else around at the moment to witness this, so at the very least if he was going to be dumb, he was going to keep his stupidity between himself and Tannusen.

... THERE'S NO RULES.

The 'words' that came flowing out of the stubborn siren's mouth were in no definable human language, it was more like a series of emotions in the form of sound.

And now it was less of a request to dance aaaand slightly more of an order to GO AWAY.

Yes he could have walked out himself but that would be admitting he was outclassed!

... Which he was.

He really was.

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen just stepped even closer, despite the Empathic blast, his hands still clasped behind his back. Kani was only a few inches taller than him, so it was incredibly easy to get directly in his face, staring. "I'm afraid," his tone was deceptively mild, now, "that's the wrong answer."

At this point, it would be much kinder if Tannusen simply lashed out with a fist. Instead, he was of a mind to make a point, lest this nonsense ever happen again otherwise.

He was a fucking tiger. The embodiment of the royal bengal.

And he would not bow just because some uppity young fish demanded it.

[brinewitch]

It was times like this he did almost wish he'd been born a feathered siren instead of an ocean one. Wings would have been nice to spread and puff out, something to make him look a little bigger, a bit more impressive.

He wasn't even in water so hell, no fins to billow around and put on a big fancy intimidation show.

He'd fucked up. With his shoulders rising in lieu of any actual threat display, he took a hesitant step back, bearing a mouth full of now sharpening teeth.

No he actually didn't intend on fighting. Had Tannusen just been human he would have just laughed at him.

But good god, the anxiety was starting to eat at him, and if Tannusen wasn't going to swing-

Well someone had to swing.

WHICH HE DID, but rather, instead of actually attempting to make contact with the tiger, the second it seemed like that fist might actually land, Tannusen was greeted with a cold splash of water.

The siren had choked, and the frantically moving puddle of salt water was already zipping under a door.

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen jerked away reflexively at the punch, which... didn't connect anyway. He snarled again as the puddle hurried away, but didn't even try to give any kind of chase. The tiger had fought alongside someone with a very similar power, after all. He knew a clean escape when he saw one.

So, he unclasped his hands from behind his back, and stepped back off the stage before striding to the bar for a towel. The cold water hadn't exactly snapped him out of his simmering anger.

Fucking fish.

[brinewitch]

And that fucking fish would stay well out of Tannusen's way for a while.

In fact, until an hour before they opened their doors, the usual time that he'd be showing his ass around the preforming area.

Where ever Tannusen might be... Kani tried to make it a point to politely be on the other side of the door to that area, rapping on the door politely to get attention.

[black_black_heart]

There weren't a lot of doors in the place, really. Tannusen opened the office door and raised an eyebrow at finding Kani was who'd knocked. His knuckles, presently bare, were skinned from hitting something -- and there was no sign of what that was. Not in that tiny little room.

In truth, there was a portal passage open to the secret basement, but even Kani couldn't see that without an Enchantment. They may both be Fae, but the differences were vast enough past that point.

The tiger appeared calm enough. "Hello, Kani." Like they hadn't nearly come to blows just a few hours ago.

[brinewitch]

Yeah he wasn't going to find that portal passage, he wasn't that good.

Before Tannusen had opened the door and spoken, he looked pretty shamed already, but at the first word, the hat was tugged off and respectfully held in his hands.

"... I didn't mean ta get ya worked up before, Tannusen."

Oh. Real name this time.

"That... that was awful dumb."

[black_black_heart]

"It was," the tiger agreed, eyeing Kani a bit closer. Between the hat and using his name, it seemed like the siren's big sparkly tail was tucked at the moment.

Good, maybe they wouldn't have to do this again in a few weeks. It was so nice when people actually learned. Rare, these days, but nice.

"And now you know better."

On the surface, the words were kind of harsh, but the message buried in them wasn't so bad. Kani had learned better, so now they could move on. If Tannusen had washed his hands of someone, he wouldn't give a damn what they'd figured out unless it was a potential threat.

[brinewitch]

Yeah all that sparkle and show magic was neatly tucked away for now, nothing more than a shamed and properly humbled young jackass coming to make amends.

He fucked up.

He may have gotten smacked about by a friend too, though at this point he'd have done well enough to wipe any mark of a more conventional approach to dealing with him away.

Cassian wasn't big but he had one hell of a hook.

"Yeah yeah, I do... I won't try it again, sir, I promise."

Which was... important really. Even if Tannusen wasn't aware of the gravity of a promise from Kani, breaking one was as good as lying.

Couldn't do that.

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen sighed, and stepped out of the office, letting the door swing shut behind him. "That's settled, then. Are you okay?"

No, he really wasn't mad anymore. A few rounds with the heavy training bag below them had blown off most of the steam, and Kani's lack of fight upon returning neutralized the rest. Had the siren come marching in for round two, Tannusen's ire would have sparked that much faster than earlier.

But he hadn't, so... it didn't. He just felt tired in the wake of all that anger.