Creature comforts.

This night was about those things that were simple, that took the edge off. A fruity drink with a little umbrella in it, a crowd to be lost in, eyes to catch and bodies to linger on. Ash-Lee was in comfort food mode tonight. No high stakes gambling with high rollers, or long cons on the docket, no, they were simply going to find someone entertaining to latch on to, get dizzy with, and roll around with, in that order. 

Early in the night they had decided what they were in the mood for when they walked in to a local dive and saw a band playing. Lead singer, no ring on a finger, eyeing the crowd for pretty women as he played. Ash sat in the back, slowly adjusting features to match what he seemed to like as he scanned the crowd. Long legs, decent height, 5'9? That would work. Curves... Yes, they would go with the Georgia peach. A quick look at a reflective surface. Doll-like eyes, softer lips, more feminine jaw line. Perfect. God they looked hot. Ash licked ruby red lips and took another sip of their drink before sliding off the bar stool, and heading into the crowd, curling their horns back and going with a showy pink-red skin tone that popped. They needed to catch the lead singer's eyes a few times during the show to make the transition to catching his arm after much easier.

As ToTo's Africa came on, they danced in the crowd, sliding through it with practiced ease to get closer to the front and move those curves in ways that even made the guys clinging to their girlfriends stare... some of the girlfriends too. Goddam did Ash bless the rains down in Africa. They paid attention to the lead singer's likes throughout the last of the set to see in they'd picked right. Adjustments could still be made in this atmosphere without being noticed.

The song ended, and they disappeared into the crowd, circling around the back in order to catch the lead singer after the show. A long black tail flicked back and forth in silent excitement for the potential of the night as they glanced around the dark back-alley, a patient spider awaiting their prey. After all, the lead singer always left first.
 

Several times throughout the show, he’d noticed her. A woman with pink-red skin and a fantastic figure. Other women had caught his eye as he gyrated and swayed to the songs, but her. She had popped. It was the mysterious mutant skin tone and the movement. Yep. Definite cutie.

As the show ended, he looked for her but he didn’t see her. Danny turned his attention to helping the others get their equipment sorted out. He’d already reverted his guitar back to its pick form and stashed it in his sturdy bag.

They needed to come up with a new name. This one sucked! But at least the show had gone well.

When it was apparent to him that his mates could handle themselves and get home without any trouble, he returned his attention to looking for, well, a mate of his own.

That’s terrible, Danny. You only thought that way for the sake of a joke!

Yes, he had.

Without a conscious thought behind it, Danny checked his watch.

“You guys are good here, right? Okay if I bail?”

They were. He could. He did. Danny ran a hand through his curly mane of hair as he made a lion-line (not a bee line!) for the back door.

The back door opened with a click, and Danny slipped into the alley and the cold night air.

"Took you long enough, darling." Words smooth as silk flowed out from off to the side of the door as the devil of a womanly form leaned forward to a standing position, their tail waving slowly from left to right as they tucked shoulder length, dark purple locks behind an ear.  It had been cold outside, but the intake of liquor always helped warm things up a bit. Still, their breath came out in a light mist, and their pink skin gave way to a rosey color around their cheeks.

In short, they managed to somehow make looking a bit cold more attractive. "I'll be honest, I've been waiting for you... You caught my attention in there, and I think I may have caught yours as well." A smirk showed on their dollish features as they turned and walked past. "I'm cold, though. I don't suppose you could buy me a drink, to warm me up?"

A tight dress showed off her form well as they moved, pausing to look back. "I would love the company."

Danny had completely missed World of Warcraft and Dungeons and Dragons. He’d been too busy learning how to play guitar, and making lady friends. If he had played DND, he might have noticed the warning signs that usually accompanied a succubus. But alas, he was a fool. Much to her advantage.

When she spoke, he started for a second then looked her way. The girl who had caught his eye earlier? Ah, hell yeah!

Had she been waiting for him? How sweet! And also, sweet!

The dark purple hair and the tail were very entrancing. He was entranced, to say the least. And her eyes.

He listened to her talk, her voice smooth as a baby’s bottom... and decidedly less childish in nature than the first descriptive phrase that had popped into his head.

She had been waiting? He’d caught her attention? He turned as she walked past him, and yes, it was true. Caught red-handed. Guilty as charged. She had him looking.

It seemed, having just left the bar, he would go back in. His band mates would give him so much shot! Up until they saw the solid 10, that was. After that, they’d probably give him more. Such was the nature of friends.

“Of course I’ll buy you a drink,” Danny said smoothly. Inwardly, he was mentally fist-pumping and cheering and being anything but smooth. But on the outside, he was pretty much cool. It’s called having been part of high school drama class, ladies and gentlemen. It’s called acting.

She would love the company? “How could I possibly refuse?” He replied.

Together, they reentered the bar.

As expected, he got so much s#|+. Playful s#it, teasing sh*+, catcalls and shiz. Sh^T. Sh*T. Sh@&! He played it off, best he could.

“Quiet, ya heathens!” He laughed, waving off their comments, most of which would have made his cheeks hot if he hadn’t been acting like they did not.

To the lady, he said “They’re idiots but they’re my friends so what can you do? I like your tail!”

They got to the bar, and he got the bartenders attention, which wasn’t difficult because she had already grabbed it from across the room. He just had to turn his head to look at Danny, rather then her.

“Beer for me, and for her.” He leaned on the countertop and smiled dreamily at the lovely lady. “Anything she wants.”

His heavy bag sat at his feet under the barstool.

The cute little face would light up with a smile when he agreed to buy them a drink. "lovely!" He really couldn't refuse; let's be honest, they were way out of his league, but slumming it from time to time was fun.

To be honest, Ash would have preferred they pick another bar, as when they walked back into this one, the lead singer was buffeted with comments and razz's. It was worthy of an eyeroll, which they opted to hold back in favor of humoring the moment. After all, there was a drink in it, and some fun tonight, hopefully. The succubus smiled and gave a short shoulder shrug, smiling and winking as they replied to the comment about the tail. "Play your cards right and you'll like it even more later."

They sat at the bar, and the devil leaned forward, giving a good view down the front and a better view from behind as he ordered a beer, and he offered Ash... anything they wanted.

Mischievous eyes twinkled a bit as they looked to the bar tender. "Is that... an aged scotch I see up there? Yes, i'll have a double, with ice, please." The bartender looked to Danny, and then back to the beautiful devil, and then turned to pour the drink. At 27 dollars a shot, it was going to be expensive.

The beauty turned in the stool, still smiling as they turned to him, and crossed arms in front of their chest, pressing on the right things to make that cleavage pop. "So, tell me about yourself. Do you sing full time?"

Aged scotch, huh? Oof, that was a spicy meatball. But he HAD said anything. He nodded when the bartender glanced his way. He could handle a few shots. Just as long as she didn’t decide she needed a $1000 bottle service or something. Lucky for him, the bar wasn’t a million dollar night club!!

When she turned towards him, Danny boy keep his eyes on her face with all the patience of a Catholic saint. Even though he was Jewish. She was a Lady. His dad had taught him respect.

She wanted to know more about him.

“No, I don’t sing full time. This is more a ‘for fun’ gig! Though we make money. Right now, I’m in my second year of medical school. Gonna be a Doctor!”

Or maybe a nurse. It really depended on how he felt at the end, but doctor was a good bet!

He wasn’t so worried about funds, as far as the drinks went. He’d just performed so he had enough to cover them. And the mystery scholarship he’d received covered school well enough. He had no idea who Two Angel foundation was, but they were good people.

“The band is mainly just friends I met in college and high school. We perform on weekends. Blow off some steam.” Danny explained. He drank his beer. “So, what do you do for fun. Also, name? I’m Danny.” He held a hand to his chest for emphasis. “You are?”

Was he... maintaining eye contact? Adorable. Sad, because they wanted to be looked at, so it was a complete waste of restraint. Still, it was a noble and pious feat. Ash would have to break him of that before the night was through. A bit of a surprised expression appeared on their face as he state he was in med school.

"Wow, that's amazing. What makes you want to be a doctor?" They had always preferred the arts over other fields of learning. Their drink showed up, and they lit up, grabbing it up and taking a long sip. Ahhh, vice. A nice aged scotch with an almost charcoaly bite to it. The warmth from the burn heated them up and they almost seemed lost in the moment with the fire water in their grasp.

Ash returned to the world quickly, smiling at the man. "Thank you. My name is Devia. What are you plans for the night, Danny?"

She asked why he wanted to be a doctor.

He shrugged and lifted one hand while he spoke. “Doctor is a pretty good thing to be. Makes good money. And I’d love to be able to take care of my parents. And I like helping people. Up there with making them happy, which is why I sing.” She smiled at her honestly, showing pearly whites.

Helping people was important, even if they were total douches. Everyone deserves to feel happy and healthy and good about themselves. When he looked at the world and saw people suffering... yeah, no. That wasn’t his bag.

He was smart, relatively, and had a good memory for stuff! He could think on his feet. Sometimes, it felt like he had more experience in thinking on his feet than most other folks. Like, say, an extra 60 years? But he was sure that was silly. His headspace was his own. Nobody was helping him store anything, or easing his anxiety when difficult times were ahoy.

He grabbed his beer and took a drink. Good head, nothing fancy. No IPAs or craft beer with orange zest. Not that he disliked such things! It was just that he had simple tastes most of the time. He liked him some simple comforts. Like talking to a pretty lady or dying again in Mario. Or singing to a lit crowd!

Pretty lady liked her drink, too. Probably liked keeping it simple as well. And she’d enjoyed his music which was always a plus.

Her name was Devia... and that was all she shared about herself.

Huh.

He took another sip of beer, and answered her. “I was really just gonna see where the night takes us. Playing it by ear. Fun. Maybe another beer after this one. And hearing more about you.”

He smiled at her. “Devia is a pretty name. What is that, French?”

They swirled their drink, letting it hover under a ruby red painted lip as they listened to him speak. A small sip found the glass back to its place on the bar top for a moment. "I too like to help people. Make them happy. I do it in my own way, though. No great aspirations as far as being a doctor, priest or president. I like to think I'm doing my part one night at a time." There was no shrugging, or uncertainty. They were direct statements made with direct eye contact. 

Observations were straight forward. This person liked his simple beer. He liked talking about his band. He liked talking to 'Devia', but who wouldn't? 

He talked about his idea for the night. They were on a similar page, but at the same time, with a glance around at the dive, maybe a different setting would be preferable. One that wasn't filled with distractions.
"Devia? I think it's Hebrew, honestly, but my parents weren't. They just liked that sound of the name. But enough about me, how about you? I know!" A hand was placed on his chest gently. 

"Have you ever played a game..." They leaned in, using the hand on the chest as a bit of support, and lowered their volume a little bit. "Called follow the little green man?"

So they both liked to help people? That was cool! He totally missed any of the leading she was doing, or its undertones. Just a simple guy, simply missing dropped hints. Or maybe he just thought the best of people until proven wrong.

She did it one night at a time, so clearly they had a night job. Clearly, they did something that made people happy during the night. Clearly... she was something like a lounge singer or a comedian. Or maybe she had some sort of performing art.

“That’s cool,” he smiled. “About your night time job. Nice to know where you stand on the whole ‘make people happy,’ non-presidential aspirations thing. Sounds like we’re on the same page! I don’t wanna be president, too. Waaaay too much pressure.”

He was babbling. Shut up and drink your beer, Danny. He shut up and drank his beer.

He would have to ask her what she did for a living later.

She was very pretty.

And her named was Hebrew? Neat! He... maybe might have learned enough of that to read a book at some point...? He sure didn’t remember any of it now.

The topic changed suddenly and jarringly, from her name to his chest. And a question?

Whoa, personal space alert! Personal space alert. Did he like this or did he not? Danny’s cheeks flushed a little. Must’ve been hot in the bar. And she was socloseandwhispering in his ear. Okay maybe not whispering, but close enough. And hey— what was ‘a game called follow the little green man’?

“I dunno.” He said. “But if you hum a few bars, I’ll fake it. Err,” he shook himself and cleared his head. Who was he, Bugs Bunny? “Just kidding! No. What is it?” He smiled widely.

Yeah, he decided. He liked the closeness alright.

Wait, did he not get what they were getting at? Night job? They didn't have a- What? The face locked in place with a smile, while behind it was was just... confused and alarmed. 

This guy... Was a huge @#$%in nerd. Like, next level. Hilarious. They had to @#$^ with him, now.

His cheeks went as red as, well, their skin often was when hand met chest. Boy, if this was making him bashful the rest of the night was going to be a trip. There was a bit of a blink when he hammed it up something fierce making a joke about the little green man. Oh wow. Yup. Nerd.

They didn't laugh, but instead leaned back, grabbing their drink and taking a long sip. "It's a game in which you start at a bar, like this one. Have one drink." They formed their fingers into a little walking man, walking down the bartop and up to his arm as they talked. "You follow the little green men on the walk signs to the next bar." Up his arm they went. "And then, you rinse, and repeat. Again and again. Until you end up at a hotel."

There was that mischievous smile again. "Sound fun to you?"

As she spoke, she walked her fingers up. His. Arm.

His brain sort of shorted out for a split second, and then everything snapped back into stark clarity.

Danny drained his beer in one long drink.

“Yep,” he said, catching his breath after the feat. “Sounds pretty damn fun.”

He got her, now. Loud and clear. He could have messed with her and played dumb (some more). Laughed his ass off. But then he might have wound up laughing alone.

Boy, had he had his signals criss crossed with this entire conversation. In hindsight, most of the subtlety had been in plain sight. Had he been so caught up by her he’d missed simple freakin hints? Uh, yeah he had.

“Let’s finish up here and see where the little green man takes us?” He suggested. Didn’t she still have one more drink? He’d pay the bar tab and they’d scoot.

He was well motivated, now. As he downed his beer, Ash toyed with their own drink, clinking the ice around in the glass before downing the rest of the double shot.

"It is." The beauty stood and took a look around the bar for a moment. Good riddance. All of the people here were just a little annoying. Having him to themselves would make planning the rest of the night easier. Where they going for a night of amusement, or just a ruckus party night?

The green man and Ash's will would decide.

He paid the tab. Good. They had money, mind you, but they simply didn't want to pay. After all, Ash was doing him a favor tonight by being around, and they would make it worth his while.

When he was done, the would hold out and elbow for an escort out of the dingey bar, and out into the cold night.

"So, do you know the area well?"

He took that offered elbow, and out into the cold night they went. Lady on one arm, heavy, mostly empty, bag in the other.

It really had gotten chilly. He really wished he had a second coat, to offer her. His only really worked for him. But if she shivered... he might just risk a cold for her.

Did he know the area? “No, not really. I only really come down here for shows.” And he hadn’t really done this bar all that much.

He led her down to the first street corner, and “oh hey, look. Green man!”

They followed it.

On the next street, someone began to follow them. Someone short and green. In a trench coat.

He didn't know the area very well. That was good! It made things more interesting. Ash had walked most of the streets of New York a thousand times by now. They knew where they would most likely end up, though following the little green man did sometimes surprise even them.  

The cold started to take hold a little more, and Ash shivered a little bit, opting to turn the elbow grab into a closer arm hold for some warmth. The chill became all but forgotten, however, when the sense of a like popped into their mind. 

Someone liked finding something.... They were further off, so it was hard to get a sense. Ash glanced about quickly, catching something out of the corner of their eye. THe source. Hard to see. They liked... they liked... Finding two helpess fools alone. 

Ash squeezed the arm closer, suddenly gripped by a little bit of panic. "W-We should go." Wait, the green man had taken them straight... there wasn't a place to go into for another block.

The succulent devil tried to hurry them. They weren't a fighter. They liked to be safe. If they could both remain calm and hurry, everything would be fine. Another like came in. They liked that their moment was only seconds away. Ash jumped as a voice reached out to them.