Chapter Text
"That's an absolute no."
Although the break was very much needed, Jinu was starting to regret having taken a moment to talk to Romance.
Four demons were engaging in the difficult task of making a pop group out of themselves. The scenery was quite bizarre. A vast display of barren land in tones of purple and crimson, enmarked by a string of high peaks of dark ancient stone, that starkly collided with the bubbly, colurful clothing worn by said four demons.
"It is only fair that you do everything that's on your reach to find our last member, hyung. Remember, it was I the one who-"
Jinu cut Romance short as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his talons, maybe a little too hard.
"You may have found these two yourself, by means which I do not care nor know—Hey! I said I don't want to know!"
Romance's face was adorned with a slight smirk, but said nothing. Only gestured his friend to go on.
"I know I owe you having found Baby and Mystery, but can't you do me a last favour and fetch the last demon by yourself? I have an awful lot of work to do with these guys. They have potential, of course. But I have to train them further. Singing, dancing... and behaving-wise."
"Yeah, Baby's only innocent trait is his deceitful cute face. The little shit is still too stubborn to follow orders."
"Now we are speaking the same language! And Mystery... well, I managed to get a word or two out of him, and although he seems more prone to cooperate, there is something so wild about his demeanor that is difficult to tame yet. The other day he even... I mean..."
"Barked? Yes, he loves to bark." Romance scrutinized the subject of the conversation, as the lilac-haired demon was still rehearsing the choreography. The break only seemed to be for Romance and Jinu to enjoy.
Jinu rolled his eyes.
"So, do you accept? Please, Ro, I'll make it up to you, I swear."
"Your word is not the most reliable form of trust, Jinu. Besides, I think I deserve to do as I please for the night. I don't even know why you insist on being so stubborn, I am even telling you I will go with you!"
"No, you didn't say that. What you said was that we could go to this seedy bar that for some reason you frequent, and meet this guy that, if he was such a brilliant performer, he would be singing in a classy theatre, not in a sleazy den forgotten by heaven and hell."
"Your word's wound me, my friend", Romance took both hands to his chest as he faked a tone of grief. "I do not frequent my picturesque bar, no. I work there."
"You know you don't. You may pass as a waiter, but you and I know for a fact that it is only an excuse to get easy access to a human's soul with an ill sense of judgement."
"Can you blame me? Those men, drunk and pathetic, are already lost, anyway. Let's say I just... accelerate the process. And, if the situation allows me to, I may have a little fun beforehand."
"You truly are disgusting."
"And you are such a prude. What is it? Have you never gave in to the pleasures of the flesh, hyung? Has there ever been a lucky girl, or..."
"I may have been involved with women a long time ago, but that is not of your concern. We have already deviated too much from our conversation. As I stated before, I doubt that a singer of his kind is capable of grand prowesses."
"You'll never know if you do not see for yourself. He is just what we need."
Jinu looked at Romance with an expression that equalled irritation and disbelief.
"Hyung, I really think you need to come to the bar with me. Something tells me that your presence may be needed to convince this man. Besides, you are the leader. Don't you think it has been a bad idea to not recruit Baby and Mystery yourself? You have to be the authority, the first face that a future member should meet."
Jinu weighed the option of keep arguing in this passive-agressive manner with Romance, and realized that it was an already lost cause. He could not shake off the urgency in Gwi-Ma's tone when the entity ordered him to come up with a good idea to gather souls at a less pitiful rate.
Jinu had explained many times that the group had to mimic perfection, and to achieve such a state, each candidate should be thoroughly analyzed before being declared as an official member.
This last member was proving to be difficult to find. Jinu had the suitable candidate in mind, of course, but no demon seemed to fulfill the expectations. It was becoming frustrating —and dangerous, considering the Demon King's temper— to find the final pearl that would complete the ideal diadem.
If he kept discussing with Romance, who knows when would the argument end. Jinu may be the leader, but both are demons. Proud, temperamental demons. One of them had to give in order to actually put their plan in motion.
"If I say that you will be obliged to train the future member with the same discipline I do, in compensation for me going to recruit him-
"Lovely! We will leave at dusk."
The pink-haired demon dissapeared by grace of a snap of his fingers, his frame replaced by a cloud of purple dust.
"See you later. Bastard."
•••
"I would say you are overdressed, but I know the concept does not exist for you."
"Such a clever demon boy. Now, what's with the face? Rejoice, my friend! For you are about to enter the little nest of delight!"
"Don't call it that again."
Jinu and Romance were just a block away from the bar down the streets of a western city in the American continent. Where exactly, Jinu could not care less.
Flamboyant as always, Romance was wearing a fuchsia silk dress shirt below a tight, black waist coat with a heart-shapped breast pocket. His trousers were of the same shade of black, with some accents at the hem which were of the same color of the shirt. As for jewerly, he opted for silver hoops and bracelets. Lipstick? Yes, please. It was as dark as his vest.
Jinu was far more casual. His dress shirt was not made of fine silk, for it was just cotton in a shade of light grey, slightly unbottoned but not boldly so. He wore a pair of vintage suspenders and a stripped tie because his friend begged him to add some spice to his "painfully boring and plain" outfit. At this point, Jinu would do anything that would made the actressy demon shut his mouth up.
Both men were greeted by a robust guard with an eye of glass when they approached the entrance at the back of the building. Jinu thought, at first, that it was the staff door, as it was located in the middle of an alleyway. Romance clarified that it was the only entrance he knew of.
At first, the guard was reclutant to let Jinu in, as the place was already packed it seemed, but Romance's charm was enough to secure that both of them would enjoy their stay inside.
The moment the pair got into the bar, they were invaded by the scent of tobacco and a variety of alcoholic beverages.
The more Jinu examined, the more displeased he grew. The bar harboured kind after kind of low-life people, from those who were surrounded by more wine bottles than their fingers could count, to freshly beaten up faces with wounds already swelling, and, of course, those who were shamelessly kissing their companions. It was a matter of time before Romance joined the third group.
The aesthetics of the building were not helping much, either. Some light bulbs were not functioning, leaving some spots of the bar completely sorrounded by penumbra, which added to its already ominous appearance. The floor was uneven at certain parts, and was far from being clean. The wooden tables and chairs had cracks at every side, being it a marvel that they could bear the weight of a person. The walls had scattered paintings and pin-up posters that were obviously covering humidity marks.
The only thing that seemed out of place, because of how well taken care of it looked, was the stage.
There was also a runway that stemmed from the stage itself and crossed the bar, with some tables near. The floor there looked as if it was cleansed, polished even. There were heavy drapes in a cobalt blue tone that enmarked the stage, probably covering the music band behind. The luminaire there was different too, more theatrical, less cheap-looking. It casted a tranquil warm light on the whole structure, and it could also be seen that there was a device, now turned off, that would most likely serve as a spotlight.
"Well, here we are! I'll go to greet some of the girl's of the staff, I'll be right back! Go take a seat in that table before someone else does."
"Your excitement is beyond me." Jinu was so focused on expressing his annoyance that he barely registered what Romance said. When he realized that he was being left on his own, it was too late.
There he was, sitting alone, at a table that was close to the end of the runway. He regretted being there with every inch of his body. How easy would it be, to reveal his true form and feast upon every single being that surrounded him.
The idea was tempting enough. Yes, the recruitment plan would be screwed, but Gwi-Ma could benefit from the reaping of the thirty five-ish souls that were gathered there. Besides, Jinu never truly believed in the veracity of Romance's words. It was most likely that this so called singer was just as vulgar and third-rated as the bar itself.
He could endure another scold from Romance. Jinu had had enough.
At a given moment, just when Jinu's talons were emerging from below the table and his patterns tainted his skin, the lightning in the stage grew dimmer.
Little by little, every trace of chit chat and bottle drinking stopped. Every man, and the few women present, directed their gazes to the stage. Jinu sat there, incredulous, being the only one whose eyes were anywhere but fixed up there, visibly uninterested and erratic. He retracted his talons while cursing under his breath, the opportunity to catch a prey after the other with stealth now long gone.
The spotlight was brought to life, and the beam travelled to the center of the pair of curtains.
It was not until the bar felt to a profound silence, where not even the sound of breathing could be heard, that a mellow voice caressed the public's ears... including Jinu's, too.
You had plenty money, 1922...
The moment the words were uttered, a toned leg in high heels emerged from behind the curtains, soon to be followed by a buff chest.
You let other women make a fool of you...
Now the whole figure was revealed. More than a figure, it was a vision. Cheers and wolf-whistles greeted a man whose bottom body was draped in a shimmery dark pink, low rise long skirt, with a slit that was so big it was obscene. A pair of violet gloves travelled up to the man's biceps. The shade of violet was reminiscent of the patterns of a demon.
Why don't you do right...
His face was a contradcitory combination of angelic yet dangerous. A sharp jawline, tantalizing pouty lips, thick eyebrows with a distinctive upward flick at the end, and glimmering eyes that gracefully scanned the public. His soft hair was in a shade of pink similar to his "clothing".
...like some other men do?
The biggest treat (and threat), however, was that powerful body; the aforementioned legs and strong biceps, the firm buttocks, the mighty chest... oh, and that chiseled abdomen that invited every onlooker to commit a very specific deadly sin out of the seven ones.
Get out of here, and get me some money too...
"Conveniently, he is known as Abby".
Jinu was so enraptured by the man before his eyes that he did not care to ask Romance to shut up when the latter appeared from behind the former.
You're sittin' down and wonderin' what it's all about...
"That's... the singer you wanted me to meet?"
"Yeah, what a lucky girl or boy, the one who can claim him as theirs." When Romance finished talking, he realized Jinu's mouth was gaping. He put his fingers in his chin and helped him close it. Then, he was yet again nowhere to be seen.
...If you had prepared twenty years ago,
You wouldn't be wanderin' now, from door to door...
Abby began walking down the runway, with a gait that exuded sensuality and confidence, his hips swaying at a deadly rythm, accompanied by an equally arousing movement of shoulders. From time to time, some emboldened men dared to approach him, looking at Abby from below. Just when their dirty hands were too close, Abby would almost courteously push one of his legs forward, towards the chest of the other guys, to draw them away. Far from being upset, those men earnestly brought their fisted hand to their heart, wanting to savour the remaining heat there.
There was a point during the performance when there was no more runway ahead of him, so Abby decided it was time to get closer to the audience.
Jinu gulped.
Abby walked down a small set of stairs and directed his long legs towards a table where a man around sixty was sitting, body almost twinkling in anticipation. When Abby started circling him, more cheering could be heard.
Get out of here, get me some money too...
The man's rosy cheeks were suddenly being grabbed by Abby's big hands, who was crashing his broad chest against the old lad's back.
Why don't you do right...
That man upon which Abby was doing his ministrations was smiling widely, almost pathetic, yet nonetheless in lascivous and disgusting manner. Roaming hands attempted to grab something, but before he could, Abby was slowly carrying himself to his next target.
It called Jinu's attention that Abby did not seem unpleased by the dozens of eyes wanting to devour him alive. If anything, Abby's arrogant gaze seemed to feed from every futile attempt of lecherous courting. Of course he enjoys this. He is a demon, Jinu thought. He is luring potential preys to his arms and all that he needs is his silky voice, and his body.
Bingo.
A perfect candidate, indeed.
Jinu's mind fought to divert from the scene, not really because he wanted to start plotting how to approach the performer later, but mostly because —although he would never admit it, not even to his shame-driven self— he wanted to differentiate himself from these low, lust-driven creatures surrounding him.
He swore he would not let this disreputable being tempt him.
Just when the older demon was half-succeeding in concentrating on the heavy sound of the double bass and the sultry melody of the piano, he felt the flaming voice coming closer.
Get out of here...
Abby was, without any trace of shame, sitting on Jinu's lap.
and get me some money, too...
He felt a gloved hand caress his cheek, and he could not help but flinch. Who did this man thought he, a high-ranked demon, was? With what kind of dull creature had he mistaken him with?
Abby gave Jinu's thighs a break and sat up, and Jinu's breath got out of his lungs after being held, unconsciously.
But the younger demon was far from being satied.
Abby circled his prey with the same erotic demeanor he had bestowed upon previous men, although there was a particular shine to his eyes; a speck of golden that urged to come to the surface, noticed only by Jinu.
Why don't you do right?
Now Abby was sitting on the table, his chest and abs standing proud against Jinu's field of vision. He elongated one of his legs, then crossed it over the other, and turned his body to a standing position again. Quickly, Abby was on the table once more, this time on his knees, locking his eyes with Jinu's horrorized one's, as the older fought to mantain eye contact and not let his orbs travel south, towards those big, rounded, utopian pectorals.
Like some other men...
Abby grabbed Jinu by the tie, bringing the Saja leader close to him until the concept of personal space became foreign.
The music stopped, the cheering ceased. It was only Abby's hot, strady breath against Jinu's lips.
...do?
The drum beat came back to life as well as the rest of the instruments, and Abby set Jinu free, slowly letting go of the tie as he drew his body away from the other demon, who was left doumbfunded, looking up as would the devotee of a saint at church, pleading for mercy at his beloved deity's feet.
Whistles and claps again erupted with vehemence as Abby disappeared behind the curtains.
A good minute passed until the public became more or less civilized again—as much as they could, at least. The only one who seemed still under Abby's spell was Jinu, who was somewhat taken back to the present moment as an annoying voice he knew all too well pulled him from the bottom of the recent events.
"Oh my! Isn't he exquisite?" There was an unmistakable speck of malice in the way Romance grinned.
Jinu cleared his throat, which was impossibly dry.
"I think you should go talk to him. He is just what we need, hyung. No words coming from my mouth will provide a better explanation than what you have just witnessed."
After a couple seconds, Jinu dared to say something.
"Why in the name of Hell did you bring me here, Romance?"
•••