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[Velvet's hands respond to Greed's, allowing him to do as he needs. Her paw pads aren't exactly like skin— just a little too perfect and too plush, considering they're just as rubber as the rest of her. She spreads her fingers out when he checks, turning them over. She's gotten used to it herself, but those claws being attached to her hands is actually new.
She lets him talk and watches his face, and some small part of her realizes that she hasn't really watched anyone like this before, hasn't particularly endeavored to look outside her double-edged mirror. Noticing things at all about Greed like this is new to her, anyway. He isn't one of the two people she's devoted her life to knowing— herself, and her version of Veneer.
It's times like this he actually looks like some kind of ageless being to her. It's not the way his eyes glimmer in the dark, or his demonlike stature— she isn't unaware of magical things or even scary ones. But it's this face like Greed knows something Velvet couldn't even hope to understand that really makes her believe him.
No, of course she believes him.
He isn't a liar, like her, and for one of the first times, Velvet doesn't actually feel good about it.
She stares back at their hands again— no, not at her own, but at Greed's. At his sharp claws, at the dark carbon color that contrasts so fully with her gleaming white fur, claws that could tear her and yet are being so, so gentle. That aren't letting her go or telling her to get away or that she isn't enough, isn't right, shouldn't be here.
A sigh. It's always so obvious when Velvet pouts, with her lips the way they are, even when they're absent of paint and just the same white as the rest of her.]
Veneer— kicked me out, until tomorrow. And Angel—
[Another sigh, and Velvet almost brings her free hand to rub her temple before she catches sight of it again and thinks better of it.]
I... might have... maybe yelled at him a little.
[It's not like Greed has to be gracious with her. She doesn't expect Angel to be, either. Veneer— Veneer...
Well, he always forgives her. It's what he's supposed to do. But Greed doesn't have that expectation, and something pulls at Velvet's brain, making her want to test him with the truth. If he knew, if he knows, the kind of person she really is— will he still want her in this world of his?]
I'm just saying, you wouldn't be the only person who has a problem with me tonight.
[He gets the last swipe of blood out of her fur with a press of the towel, sending it gushing out what little water it has left. A spittle of soap and suds drips over his claws and onto the floor. So, that's it. It's not just that she's been carrying this, but she's gotten her own share of backlash about it. And what does an animal do when it's cornered? It bites. It bites and howls and hoots and hollers until the threat has gone away.]
[Greed gives her hands another quick once over, flipping them palms-up and palms-down to make sure he's gotten most of it.] I didn't say things didn't come without a price, Vel. But that doesn't mean you can't make up for it, hmn? [He finds a spot he didn't quite fully get and with little thought, the Sin pushes his thumb into his mouth it, sucks it, then pops it out.] And it won't cost ya much. Just admit you fucked up, that's all.
[He presses his thumb into the red smear to finally buff it clean.] Sometimes, it's easy to forget that. Yeah, you let those emotions of yours get the better of ya. But now you know you should have done something differently, right? They'll get over it. [His job effectively done, the former homunculus yanks his hands away to settle them on his thighs. The blood on his pants is already starting to do that thing he remembers. Slowly and surely, what was once liquid begins to fade - the ashes of it more similar to a wind blowing away a fire long-since dead.]
[Greed eases up and stretches his knees as he tries to stand.] Want me to talk to them? [He asks as if it's so damn easy. But it isn't. This is complicated. People are complicated, mortal lives are complicated, this afterlife is complicated. And the strings are slowly starting to knot together.]
[Eventually, he'll have to meet Valentino.]
[However, that's another time. Another place. The Sin sighs softy as he tests his neck by swinging it slowly one way then the next.] Think it would be worth a lot more if you did it, if I'm being honest. But just say the word.
[Velvet watches Greed stand, watches the gore turn to dust on him, and like a child very much almost reaches out and touches it— though when Greed begins to roll his neck, she withdraws her hand. Her fur retains moisture strangely, waterproof, little tufts sticking up on her wrists like they're gelled, and she curls her fingers in toward her palm, standing up as well.]
No— no...
[Velvet takes another breath and shakes her head. That's too many pieces outside of her control, for one thing. Too many things she doesn't get to hear others say, too many variables.]
I can do it. Besides— Ven probably won't even be mad tomorrow.
[She sounds a little less confident saying that than she sounded talking about stabbing Valentino, which is maybe not the healthiest. She carries on, though, rubbing at her own fur on her hands— it's interesting, every time, considering the water isn't wet where she's from, and observing it is distracting enough to keep her from making any worried faces.
She's not confident about saying anythign to Angel, but— knowing Veneer, she'll have to. And Veneer, well.
He'd kicked her out of his room for the night, not out of his life.
He'd... never go that far. She knows it. They're twins.]
...But it's like, cool, if I stick around with you for a while, right?
[Distractedly, Greed dips his hands into the sink to give them a final rinse. The mirror in the bathroom isn't in the best condition. Pockmarks of rust and tarnish eat at the corners to take bites out of his reflection. Kind of poetic, given how their evening played out. She'd taken a piece of him, and he'd stood up again. Stood up again with a smile that was almost a thank you.]
[The former homunculus catches his own eyes in the mirror and the pricks of them go still. He dips his chin.] Sorry Vel, but that's a pretty stupid question, don't you think? [He shoots a half-lidded glance her way and ah, isn't is so awful? So wrong, that a monster could have a heart?]
[With a final turn of the dial, the Sin cuts the flow to the sink. It causes the water to spin down, down, down the drain and with it, all of the horrors of the night follow. Valentino and his deals. Velvet and her losses. He knows them now. Knows them and as such, can plan for when things really take a turn for the worse. Greed sways towards the door and with a yank of his shoulder, he asks her to follow without a single word.]
Don't feel like making the ride back to the hotel myself. We can crash here for the night. That is, if that's something you'd be interested in. [He says cheekily, the forks of his tongue flicking a playful note behind his teeth.] And if you really hate the couch, feel free to use me. Not like I need to sleep much anyway.
[For just a moment, Velvet thinks— oh no, she's done the wrong thing. That's a stupid question, don't you think? But then— no, no, once again she is being invited into Greed's space.
Velvet rolls her eyes, flicks her hands through her hair and lifts her nose, huffing as she strides past him, like some kind of spoiled cat. Her tail quivers almost like a cat's, too, like that expression of excitement but somehow more snakelike, more rubbery, more unreal. She turns to face him and walk backward— head first, then torso, then legs— so that she can see him while she talks.
Maybe a diva wouldn't want to spend the night in some seedy bar talking to the first person she's found interesting in a while. But the thing about playing dress-up is that you get to choose what you do in the role and Velvet has already decided that being a Diva means getting what she wants even if it doesn't seem to suit the role.]
You're such a flirt. I've slept on couches, you know.
But, come to think of it, I've never slept on some cool old scary man...
[A tap-tap-tap of her lip before Velvet gives a coy smile.]
[He's always amazed how quickly she can pick herself back up, both mentally and physically. Her whole everything seems made for it. Every set back, a minor one. Every hurdle, an easy jump. And just like rubber, she'll always bounce back.]
[Greed slinks in her wake and as he finds himself again (with that casual slouch that's all him, with that stride that takes everything with each solid clack of his boots), his lips crack open.] Oh. And now you're talking shit. I see, I see. [He says it with a humor that's obvious. Something only good friends could understand. Something only creatures, devils, like the two of them could possibly grasp. It comes with knowing someone, even if that knowing doesn't include all the fine details.]
[He doesn't care what Velvet's done, only what she will do. And she's proven herself tenfold tonight.]
[The former homunculus lifts his chin, showing off his throat as a dare.] An achievement? Is that what we're calling this now? Cheeky mink. [He laughs, and gone is that chill from before. Like a hot, summer breeze, his demeanor chases away the cold with just a smile. A smile that bites, that guarantees, the world on a dinner plate.]
[Greed waves his hand.] Yeah, yeah. C'mon, Princess Pissant. Let's get you your beauty rest.
[She is energized by his response, despite the fatigue. This is how she always wants Greed to look at her, like she's a brilliant shining star, like he can see the world he wants to own in her eyes. Like she is desired by him, and like she will never see his disinterest again.
She'll make sure she doesn't.]
I do like the sound of that, though. 'Princess' is a good word.
You should say it more often~
[Teasing comes easy. Playing along with that humor, like the both of them are mean to each other, like that meanness can possibly cover up how much and how much and how deep Greed has wound his way into Velvet's vinyl heart.]
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no subject
She lets him talk and watches his face, and some small part of her realizes that she hasn't really watched anyone like this before, hasn't particularly endeavored to look outside her double-edged mirror. Noticing things at all about Greed like this is new to her, anyway. He isn't one of the two people she's devoted her life to knowing— herself, and her version of Veneer.
It's times like this he actually looks like some kind of ageless being to her. It's not the way his eyes glimmer in the dark, or his demonlike stature— she isn't unaware of magical things or even scary ones. But it's this face like Greed knows something Velvet couldn't even hope to understand that really makes her believe him.
No, of course she believes him.
He isn't a liar, like her, and for one of the first times, Velvet doesn't actually feel good about it.
She stares back at their hands again— no, not at her own, but at Greed's. At his sharp claws, at the dark carbon color that contrasts so fully with her gleaming white fur, claws that could tear her and yet are being so, so gentle. That aren't letting her go or telling her to get away or that she isn't enough, isn't right, shouldn't be here.
A sigh. It's always so obvious when Velvet pouts, with her lips the way they are, even when they're absent of paint and just the same white as the rest of her.]
Veneer— kicked me out, until tomorrow. And Angel—
[Another sigh, and Velvet almost brings her free hand to rub her temple before she catches sight of it again and thinks better of it.]
I... might have... maybe yelled at him a little.
[It's not like Greed has to be gracious with her. She doesn't expect Angel to be, either. Veneer— Veneer...
Well, he always forgives her. It's what he's supposed to do. But Greed doesn't have that expectation, and something pulls at Velvet's brain, making her want to test him with the truth. If he knew, if he knows, the kind of person she really is— will he still want her in this world of his?]
I'm just saying, you wouldn't be the only person who has a problem with me tonight.
no subject
[Greed gives her hands another quick once over, flipping them palms-up and palms-down to make sure he's gotten most of it.] I didn't say things didn't come without a price, Vel. But that doesn't mean you can't make up for it, hmn? [He finds a spot he didn't quite fully get and with little thought, the Sin pushes his thumb into his mouth it, sucks it, then pops it out.] And it won't cost ya much. Just admit you fucked up, that's all.
[He presses his thumb into the red smear to finally buff it clean.] Sometimes, it's easy to forget that. Yeah, you let those emotions of yours get the better of ya. But now you know you should have done something differently, right? They'll get over it. [His job effectively done, the former homunculus yanks his hands away to settle them on his thighs. The blood on his pants is already starting to do that thing he remembers. Slowly and surely, what was once liquid begins to fade - the ashes of it more similar to a wind blowing away a fire long-since dead.]
[Greed eases up and stretches his knees as he tries to stand.] Want me to talk to them? [He asks as if it's so damn easy. But it isn't. This is complicated. People are complicated, mortal lives are complicated, this afterlife is complicated. And the strings are slowly starting to knot together.]
[Eventually, he'll have to meet Valentino.]
[However, that's another time. Another place. The Sin sighs softy as he tests his neck by swinging it slowly one way then the next.] Think it would be worth a lot more if you did it, if I'm being honest. But just say the word.
no subject
No— no...
[Velvet takes another breath and shakes her head. That's too many pieces outside of her control, for one thing. Too many things she doesn't get to hear others say, too many variables.]
I can do it. Besides— Ven probably won't even be mad tomorrow.
[She sounds a little less confident saying that than she sounded talking about stabbing Valentino, which is maybe not the healthiest. She carries on, though, rubbing at her own fur on her hands— it's interesting, every time, considering the water isn't wet where she's from, and observing it is distracting enough to keep her from making any worried faces.
She's not confident about saying anythign to Angel, but— knowing Veneer, she'll have to. And Veneer, well.
He'd kicked her out of his room for the night, not out of his life.
He'd... never go that far. She knows it. They're twins.]
...But it's like, cool, if I stick around with you for a while, right?
no subject
[The former homunculus catches his own eyes in the mirror and the pricks of them go still. He dips his chin.] Sorry Vel, but that's a pretty stupid question, don't you think? [He shoots a half-lidded glance her way and ah, isn't is so awful? So wrong, that a monster could have a heart?]
[With a final turn of the dial, the Sin cuts the flow to the sink. It causes the water to spin down, down, down the drain and with it, all of the horrors of the night follow. Valentino and his deals. Velvet and her losses. He knows them now. Knows them and as such, can plan for when things really take a turn for the worse. Greed sways towards the door and with a yank of his shoulder, he asks her to follow without a single word.]
Don't feel like making the ride back to the hotel myself. We can crash here for the night. That is, if that's something you'd be interested in. [He says cheekily, the forks of his tongue flicking a playful note behind his teeth.] And if you really hate the couch, feel free to use me. Not like I need to sleep much anyway.
no subject
Velvet rolls her eyes, flicks her hands through her hair and lifts her nose, huffing as she strides past him, like some kind of spoiled cat. Her tail quivers almost like a cat's, too, like that expression of excitement but somehow more snakelike, more rubbery, more unreal. She turns to face him and walk backward— head first, then torso, then legs— so that she can see him while she talks.
Maybe a diva wouldn't want to spend the night in some seedy bar talking to the first person she's found interesting in a while. But the thing about playing dress-up is that you get to choose what you do in the role and Velvet has already decided that being a Diva means getting what she wants even if it doesn't seem to suit the role.]
You're such a flirt. I've slept on couches, you know.
But, come to think of it, I've never slept on some cool old scary man...
[A tap-tap-tap of her lip before Velvet gives a coy smile.]
That's some kind of achievement, isn't it?
[Maybe it's one she'll hold over Veneer's head.
Or maybe it's one she'll treasure for herself.]
no subject
[Greed slinks in her wake and as he finds himself again (with that casual slouch that's all him, with that stride that takes everything with each solid clack of his boots), his lips crack open.] Oh. And now you're talking shit. I see, I see. [He says it with a humor that's obvious. Something only good friends could understand. Something only creatures, devils, like the two of them could possibly grasp. It comes with knowing someone, even if that knowing doesn't include all the fine details.]
[He doesn't care what Velvet's done, only what she will do. And she's proven herself tenfold tonight.]
[The former homunculus lifts his chin, showing off his throat as a dare.] An achievement? Is that what we're calling this now? Cheeky mink. [He laughs, and gone is that chill from before. Like a hot, summer breeze, his demeanor chases away the cold with just a smile. A smile that bites, that guarantees, the world on a dinner plate.]
[Greed waves his hand.] Yeah, yeah. C'mon, Princess Pissant. Let's get you your beauty rest.
no subject
I'm an achiever, Greed.
I achieve.
[She is energized by his response, despite the fatigue. This is how she always wants Greed to look at her, like she's a brilliant shining star, like he can see the world he wants to own in her eyes. Like she is desired by him, and like she will never see his disinterest again.
She'll make sure she doesn't.]
I do like the sound of that, though. 'Princess' is a good word.
You should say it more often~
[Teasing comes easy. Playing along with that humor, like the both of them are mean to each other, like that meanness can possibly cover up how much and how much and how deep Greed has wound his way into Velvet's vinyl heart.]