Once again in the studio, Eridan took his time setting up, stretching and yawning from time to time. Not that he minded being up early when he had to, but the crisp November chill had sunk into his bones, and he hadn't wanted to get out of bed.

Still, he'd made arrangements, and what manner of gentleman would he be if he blew off his fuckbuddy's best gal?

Not that he had to be nervous about impressing her, of course. What little he had gleaned from Sollux had made her out to be fairly easy-going, albeit strangely morbid, while Feferi seemed gleefully enthusiastic about finding a "new accomplice and braiding buddy." Still, Eridan checked his hair once more in a mirror, and straightened his black turtleneck and gauzy striped scarf, before checking his custom-tailored jeans for dirt. It wouldn't hurt to leave a good impression, after all.

Ten minutes before the appointed hour, Aradia arrived with two coffees in a cardboard caddy, a small selection of breakfast pastries, and a bright smile. "Hello! Eridan, right? It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Eridan gave a short bow, graciously taking the coffee labeled for him and waving her inside. "You too, Ar. C'mon in, make yourself at home; here, toss your coat anywhere, an' I'll be takin' those goodies off your hands." He relieved her of the pastry selection, keeping an appreciative eye on her as she slipped off her black coat.

Looking over her body as she moved, he wondered idly at the vast difference between this girl and his scrawny neighbor-and-lay; where Sollux was all thin bone and hard angles, Aradia was round curves and soft flesh Sure, Aradia didn't exactly come off as a wealthy fashionista, but nobody wore a black mermaid skirt like that unless they knew exactly what it would do to their figure…and plenty of figure to boast, too. Impractically long black hair, wine red lips and smoky eyes, a thin chain necklace about her throat just long enough to dip a silver pendant into her ample cleavage (enough to draw the eye without being obvious), and heels high enough to add swagger without becoming troublesome.

Eridan couldn't help but smirk. This girl knew her stuff.

"So!" Aradia chirped, snapping Eridan out of his reverie, "I've never had a professional photoshoot, what do I have to do, and while we're on the subject, we never did hammer out exactly how I pay you back."

"I said I wasn't gonna charge what you weren't willin' to pay, an' I meant it," Eridan said, walking to the stool in the middle of the studio and patting it, "Park your carcass, I need to see how you look lit up 'fore I choose your backdrop."

"And yet, the details still remain vague," Aradia mused, sitting down as offered. She watched him with curiosity as he inspected her from a few angles.

"Fair enough," he admitted with a smile, before selecting some burgundy canvas to hang behind her. "Naturally, I'm goin' to want to know everythin' incriminatin' you got on Sol. Embarrassin' stories, blackmail fodder, criminal record, whatever you got that he don't want me knowin'."

Aradia laughed, kicking her legs with her head turned prettily to watch him. "Obviously. That'll take time, though, and a lot more than I have now. How about over coffee sometime?"

Eridan grinned and nodded in approval as he grabbed a few strands of pearls from is messenger bag, "Next, I just need a li'l extra modelin'. Got an idea, symbolizin' man's eternal struggle to hold onto material wealth an' in turn bein' controlled by it." He shoved the pearls in his pocket and took her hands, scooting up her sleeves and positioning her arms, a flirtatious smirk and a gleam in his eye sneaking out, "You ain't contrary to the notion a bein' tied up just a li'l, right? Strictly professional, you understand."

"I don't know, I'm not sure I'm ready to be professionally tied up," Aradia snickered, giving him a smug smirk as she took cues from him, her wrists together and her fingers loose.

Needing no further convincing that he liked this girl, Eridan gave her a smarmy "I'll be gentle, seein' as you seem a first-timer" and began to bind her wrists with long strands of pure white pearls. His eyes flicked up to hers, "Now normally I ain't one to be givin' a lady a pearl necklace on his first time meetin' her, but what can I say? My muse beckons."

Aradia met his smirk with a knowing grin, "Yes, but a pearl necklace only lasts so long. You have to keep going back for a replacement, though maybe that's the point?"

"Your beau, he gives 'em to you often, does he?"

"No, but what he does give me, he gives to me good." Aradia tested her bonds as Eridan finished securing her arms together, and she accepted a few strands of pearls he handed her.

"You an' me, we're gonna get along just fine." Eridan chuckled and squatted down, eyeing her hands and getting a sense for the lighting.

When Eridan moved to adjust the lamp, Aradia held up her bound arms, "So, tell me...Do treat Sollux so well?"

"Told you about that, did he?" he laughed and turned to her.

Aradia shrugged, "No, but I've known him most of my life, and he complains about you enough where I have a hunch you and he aren't just sharing a bathroom."

"Yeah, you could put it that way," he snorted, walking to the desk and picking up his camera, before looking up, an eyebrow raised, "He seriously ain't said a word about us bein' a thing? I'd got the notion that you an' he were closer'n kin."

Aradia replied, "Well he's also a disagreeable grump as you well know and he doesn't always let me in. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's ashamed of liking guys, but he gets too defensive when the subject comes up for me to wonder otherwise. If anything, I think he's in denial."

"I s'pose. He does sort a strike me as bein' so far in the closet, he's gettin' hickeys from Mr. Tumnus." Still, it left a sour taste in Eridan's mouth to think that Sollux regarded him and their...whatever they had going...with shame even from his best girl.

His curiosity was far from just casual, and Aradia asked, head cocked and eyebrows upraised, "You seem pretty annoyed by this, or am I mistaken? Aren't you and he talking about this? I mean, if he's in a relationship with-"

He waved her off a little too quickly, "Nah, see-" He leaned against the desk, sorting his thoughts, "Look. It's fuckin' apparent that you got enough wits on you to figure what he don't want found, so if I happen to let slip anythin', I ain't tellin', I'd only be confirmin' what you already know, right?"

She nodded, giggling, "Yeah, I get that. Isn't it kind of funny, though, that he thinks that he's being subtle?"

"Prob'ly thinks he's a regular spy, sneakin' around an' carryin' on a double-life or somesuch." Eridan snorted and rocked forward on his heels, "I ain't out to date him, I just like fuckin' him. Though, this conversation stays between us, deal?"

A shaded look briefly crossed her eyes before she cleared her throat, "Understood. So! You're a busy guy then with your photography?"

"Generally," He took up his camera, eyeing her and holding up a finger, his expression serious, "Now I know what you're thinkin', you're probably judgin' me harsh for bein' up-front. I'll have you know, I treat Sol with every bit a respect a steady lay ought to have, an' I see he gets as good as he gives, or better. I'm a fuckin' gentleman, even to that snarky asshole, okay."

She gave him a gentle smile. "I wasn't presuming otherwise, frankly it feels a bit like charity considering you seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time with the crank than he's used to and you still seem to be in one piece. And whatever else he might say, isomeone/i is being a good influence on him, so my guess is, it's you."

Eridan flashed her another winning smile, leveling his camera at her bound hands, "What can I say? I'm a charitable sort. Now, I figure we ought get to business. Be a darlin' an' clench down on those pearls, will you? Like you're holdin' on to spite grim death."

Aradia's legs stretched out slightly, the curves of her calves and thighs deliciously apparent in the lighting of the room. It was difficult to tell if she was trying to be alluring or if it came naturally to her.

Eridan glanced down at those legs, smirking, and got on with the matter of photographing her hands. He took at least a dozen shots from various angles, "That's it, you're doin' perfectly. Just hold steady like that..."

Aradia's eyes were doe-like and innocent as though the one before her was her lover, not the photographer capturing her image.

He smirked, thinking to himself iWhatever man gets those eyes looking up at him when those lips are around his cock is a right lucky bastard./i He finished up and took the last photo—a head-on shot, leaving her lips and chest blurred in the background-leaving him with a wide selection of close-ups of just her hands to choose from. He set the camera aside, "Perfect. Now let's just get you undid an' we can move on to what you're after. You wantin' anythin' particular from this shoot?"

"Oh! These weren't for me? Darn and here I had the best come hither look all prepped and everything!" Aradia sighed, shaking her head with a slight grin, "At least I'm warmed up now!"

Unwrapping the pearls from her wrists, he glanced down her cleavage, and then to her face. Firmly he instructed her, "No practiced looks. Nothin' fake. All you got to worry about is doin' as I say, an' I promise you the best fuckin' pictures a your life. Got it?"

"Right, no faking, you got it." Aradia pointed with a snap of both her fingers into double pistols up at him.

He set his hands on her shoulders, turning her slightly and giving her a smile as he considered how to best capture her. "After all, you wouldn' be fake for that beau a yours, right? I ain't him but that's who you're doin' this for, so you be as real for me as you are for him. Got it?"

"Got it!" She sang and rolled her shoulders back with bravado and great concentration; this was her big debut as a lovely, sexy, model-worthy girlfriend and she was going to milk it for all it was worth. She threw her hair back over her shoulder, truly a cascade of raven hair accompanied with a dimpled smile.

He stepped away, eyes on her, looking away only to adjust the lights once more before taking up his camera and adjusting it. "So, you been with this beau long?"

"A month and a half; it's getting pretty serious though." Aradia replied dreamily, smile steadily growing more genuine at the mention of Equius.

"So think about him." Aradia brightened and opened her mouth to speak but he waved her off, "Don't bother tellin' me anythin' about him, he's no concern a mine. I just need you you sitin' an' thinkin' about him."

Aradia's expression was darkened with a twinge of distaste for a moment, "Oh, I thought you might want to make conversation or-"

"Another time. Right now I need to focus an' so do you. Talkin' makes for poor pictures an' I only give the best." Eridan said as he continued to work.

Aradia pouted briefly, confused and somewhat put off, but she supposed that this sort of rude behavior would be what Equius was trying to keep her from. No matter. She cleared her throat once more, arranging her hair as elegantly as possible about her chai-brown shoulders. From under her eyelashes she peered up toward the camera lens.

Eridan leveled the camera...No, no, something wasn't right. He peeked up at her over the camera, "Look, I'm tryin' to capture how you really feel about your beau. Intellectualizin' your emotions an' explainin' how you feel ain't the same as experiencin' the feelings, right?" He sighed and moved a half-foot to the left, "Look, I'll talk you through this, but you don't have to answer anythin', just let yourself experience whatever you're feelin', okay? We'll start off easy: How'd you meet? Don't answer, just remember."

Fondly recalling the memory of the tall young man, chest puffed with bravado, the way he grew flustered at Nepeta's antics; she could not help but smile warmly, toes curling in her shoes and one hand fussing with the fabric of her skirt.

iThere./i Eridan fired off a few quick warm-up shots, smirking, "Must a been a good day." He stepped a little closer, standing off to the side for a profile, "Did he ask you out or did you beat him to the punch?"

She giggled, eyes squeezing shut as she squirmed about in her seat, her hips wiggling a little.

He circled, smiling indulgently as he fired off photos from a variety of angles, "An' I bet the first date was fuckin' magic." He zoomed in for a close-up and snapped his fingers to call her attention, "Fucks good, does he?"

Her face grew bright with surprise and embarrassment at once, a good picture on its own before it dissolved into an alluring smile when the next series of memories filtered through her expressions. Trigger-happy with his camera, Eridan took photos of the whole progression, giving her a knowing grin, "Heh, that's everythin' I need to know right there. One last question, Ar, an' we can wrap this up. Do you love him?"

Aradia glanced away, eyes lowered and a gentle smile tugged her lips up. She had no need to speak, they both knew what her answer was.

One final photo taken, and Eridan set his camera back on the table. "An' we're done. I'll sort the photos an' pick the best, send 'em to you by email along with my recommendations; I figure I can fix you up with an eight-by ten an' some wallets, an' I'll see if I can swing a three-by-five or two as well."

He offered his hand and Aradia accepted it graciously, sliding off the stool, "Great! I can't thank you enough!" She bounced over to get her coat, slipping it on with a wiggle of her hips, "And I'll look at my schedule and see when we can get together for a gossip session. How do Mondays work for you?"

"Not so good," he said, watching her with a grin, before walking over to get the door for her, one hand at the small of her back, "But I got some time this weekend. Hey, me an' Sol an' Fef an' a couple others are goin' to be havin' a li'l drinkin' party on Sunday night, why don't you tag along?"

She hesitated, biting her lip a little as she buttoned her coat, and he continued, "Bring your beau if you like, just let me know what you both favor drinkin' an' I'll see it there. I ain't one to make another man feel like I'm stealin' his girl."

Aradia laughed and shook her head. "No, no, it's not like that. We just had plans already and I was hoping to make those plans run especially late," she grinned, giving him an obvious wink.

Eridan grinned, "Clearly your priorities are in their proper order. Another time then." He bowed low and kissed her hand, "I'll have your photos emailed by midnight, or may my cameras turn into pumpkins. Take it easy, Ar."

"Thanks again," Aradia waved, on her way down the hall, as he was closing the door, "I'll say hi to Sollux for you at dinner!"

"Wait, what?" Eridan stopped in his tracks and flung the door open to go after her, though she was already out of sight.