Suri and the gang are dressed to the max to meet the Master of SLC and they're totally not nervous at all. Izuku gets an offer. The Silver Moon clan gets a pop quiz and a surprise is waiting for Suri and Izuku.
The last thirty six hours had been a nightmare.
And that was putting it mildly.
Suri and the others were currently running on maybe eight hours of sleep because the rest of the time had been spent on a plethora of other things. First on the list was getting everyone from the Outsiders cleared and sending those that could leave home. Alpha was still on the list of people that should have stayed to recover but, between being a stubborn bastard and literally having no choice, he checked himself out. Second on the list was clearing a period of leave with Endeavor and Raijin for Izuku, Tooru, and Mina. Raijin had obliged simply enough, the new number one on the other hand had been a bitch to work with. It hadn't helped that the request was coming from Alpha and the two were just being petty assholes to each other at this point.
Once the three of them were cleared they had their marathon of a shopping trip where everyone got decked out to the max. Suri was still panicking about the nearly six figure bill put onto a Master Vampire's credit card. It felt like a debt that she'd owe and it was hanging over her head even through staying up late with Momo, Kyoka, Chibi, Ryuko, and Yumei. Their company and the distraction of trying to help Momo and Kyo through their relationship struggles helped. A little. It was enough that they managed to get some sleep immediately after finishing hers and Yumei's dresses.
That had been their only reprieve.
Because, as wonderful as it was waking up surrounded by your polycule, waking up after noon with little to no time to prepare for what came next was a disaster. They had to rush through lunch, stuffing their faces as fast as they could, hoping that lunch wouldn't make their expensive clothing no longer fit. And then came the race to the front gate of UA where their ride to the airport was waiting to find an escort that they were less than ecstatic for.
"You're our ride?"
Suri scoffed and crossed her arms tightly, her brows furrowing into a deep, unfriendly scowl that refused to hide any of the emotions she felt. Her gold stiletto boots clicked the sidewalk impatiently as she looked the girl in front of her up and down and sized her up. Even more so when the two of them let their power envelope them and dance across their skin with clashing electric winds. One wind carried the alpine warmth and scent of forest and jungle, wolf and leopard, the other carried the crisp warmth and scent of the savannah. And lion.
"As much as it pains me; yes. Yes, we are."
Suri and Akeno let out low rumbling growls that threatened to spill out into a fight. One that would see the lioness shredding Suri's black and gold custom dress and the wolpard shredding the hell out of Akeno's golden kimono. The growling and sizing each other up for a fight only stopped when both of them were startled by something neither of them expected.
Izuku.
Neither of them felt him coming, didn't notice his presence, nothing. He was just suddenly there with his left arm draped gently over Suri's shoulder and his right hand lightly cupping Akeno's left shoulder. And it was only now that the two of them got their senses flooded with the presence and scent of leopard. And then the look in his eyes. He was wearing his signature warm, gentle, and caring smile, one that accentuated his freckles and made him somewhere between cute and handsome. His eyes though. Yes they had that sparkle in them like starlight that accentuated his gentle demeanor but the whites of his eyes flickered with a grey shadow behind them. Izumi was near the surface and was making her presence known.
The ghost of Inko Midoriya's beast scared the hell out of Akeno like it was the lycanthropic version of the uncanny valley. The lioness' senses were screaming that she should not be anywhere near Izuku or anyone associated with him. What scared her even more was that this, whatever the hell Izuku was, was sitting as Frenrir, the king of Suri's clan.
"Not to be rude but, we should really get going. We're all stressed so let's just try and be friends, okay?" Izuku said with his cheerful, gentle tone.
Akeno's body shivered.
She couldn't tell if it was fear or if she'd just caught a glimpse of why Suri and her clan were so infatuated with the greenette. She hoped that it was the fear and not something else.
"Of course," Akeno growled, clearing her throat and quickly shimmying out of Izuku's touch. She then stepped back out of everyone's reach and motioned with her left hand towards the open door of the black limousine. "Right this way."
"Thank you," he replied with a smile but Akeno had already turned away, shuddering as she backed away enough that they could file into the back.
Akeno was saved by the distraction of getting to watch Yumei filter into the extended Cadillac Escalade. There was enough seating for nearly thirty people if everyone sat close. The snake girl took up half the seating, claiming the front row of seating that had the partition glass between guests and driver. That had been where Akeno had intended to sit. Now she was left blankly staring as the girl took up that entire bench and part of the bench that ran down the passenger side of the car. The rest of the clan filtered in around her and then pointedly made Suri sit on the back bench alone in an attempt to signify her as the head of the table. They didn't realize that Akeno still needed a seat and had unintentionally put the two of them together on the rear bench. Alone.
"You really don't know how to be subtle about anything, do you." Akeno snorted as she forced herself a spot open, scooting Suri over a seat.
"What are you talking about now?" Suri grumbled, not so graciously moving over so that the lioness could sit next to her.
"Your clan. How it's structured. You treat them as an entourage and not how they are supposed to be treated," Akeno rolled her eyes after looking over everyone stuffed into the limo. "You are all heirs and no spares, as they would say."
"If you don't like the way I have my things put together, don't put yours together the same way," Suri quipped back.
"And are they going to be safe? We already subdued them once," Akeno waved a finger between Mina, Tooru, Ryuko, Aiko, Yumei, and Mai. "I would hate to have a repeat of what happened in the grand club."
"And I'd hate to make one of your lions lose an arm again."
Silence fell into the limo while everyone slowly turned to look at Aiko. Her eyes had already rolled to black and currents of power were prickling off of her skin, gently caressing everyone she cared for. She was idly tracing a finger across the scales of Yumei's lower body where she'd taken a seat. The feel of power was obviously dancing its way up the girl's entire length because her white scales were turning a soft pink throughout except for where Aiko moved her touch because the scales were a few shades darker. And while her energy was gentle to everyone else, for Akeno it was like watching a boxer staring you down just over their fists as they waited for you to take the bait and make the first strike.
It made Akeno realize that Aiko and Mai had passed the level she'd last witnessed and experienced from them. The draw of power coming off the two of them was palpable enough but to have that mixed with Suri next to her, Pazuzu and Taiga to her right, and Izuku to her left was suffocating. The heat inside the limousine was going to make her sweat through her kimono and make it a gods forsaken mess if the play of power didn't settle immediately.
"No," Akeno replied, clearing her throat and rolling her neck as she gave Aiko a level glance. "That will not be necessary, nor will it take place again."
"Good," Suri smirked as she watched Akeno back down from the leopardess' challenge. "Aiko, sweetie, you can stand down."
Aiko's eyes focused on Suri and the slight nod from her queen was all she needed. The black sclera quickly faded back to white and let her eyes become less piercing and intimidating than a moment before. Her power was shelved, returning the inside of the limo back to the temperature the car's heat had it at previously and becoming a comfortable retreat from the cold, dry winter air outside. It made it so Akeno could stop sweating and swallow the heavy lump in her throat.
"Anyway," Suri sighed and went from being happily satisfied with her leopardess girlfriend to being all business with the lioness next to her. "Has Yasuke said anything? Any details on what my clan should be expecting tonight?"
"We should be arriving in time for my master and the others to wake for the night. Before any true events of the evening can begin, they will need to feed," Akeno explained matter of factly. She then narrowed her eyes quizzically at Suri. "Though I don't suppose you had planned on offering anyone as pomme de sangs, correct?"
"What exactly is a… pomme de whatever anyway?" Mina asked curiously, slightly raising her hand like she was asking a question inside a classroom.
Akeno gave her a cautious, incredulous expression before turning slowly to Suri and letting a scowl take over. And Suri knew the reason for the scowl. It wasn't like she'd been able to give her group the most in depth lecture anyway. But then again, Mina was just naturally curious when it came to the monsters.
"Pomme de sang. An Apple of Blood," Suri said, ignoring Akeno's expression and turning a gentle smile on to look at the pinkette. "Most masters have a few volunteers to act as donors for when they first wake from the dead. I say a few because you can't donate blood every single day, you gotta take time to recoup, so you work in shifts basically."
"That makes sense," Mina nodded, the picture of herself being fed on at the neck now playing through her head. "So is it like a fancy title like Toru and I being your Freyjas? It has a pretty catchy ring to it."
"Hardly," Akeno scoffed and rolled her eyes, quickly freezing any enthusiasm Mina was starting to have. "The Apples are merely food begging for a spot at their master's table."
"After watching Master Yasuke with one of his apples?" Suri snorted, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the lioness. Suri drew on the memory of the first time she'd met the man and how happy the woman he'd fed from was. Then remembered how he'd laid her in her lap like a pet cat. "I don't think he treats them that way. At all. In fact, I just think you're overly territorial."
"And you are not territorial enough," Akeno bit back, motioning to everyone inside the car. She then focused on Izuku and narrowed her eyes at him and leaned herself towards him. "You! I do not understand how you could debase yourself so. You are a king to a woman not deserving the title of queen, not with how she parades herself around with all of them. And with him. Do you not pride yourself as a man?"
"Excuse me?" Suri growled angrily and then had a hand shoved in her face to keep her quiet. It took everything she had not to bite one of Akeno's fingers or - hell - her entire hand off.
"How exactly am I debasing myself, if I may ask?" Izuku questioned after a long moment of collecting his thoughts and letting everyone's anger towards Akeno stew. She was poking a hornet's nest and he wanted to be the voice of reason. "You say she parades around with everyone but really, we parade around with her. Did you ever stop to consider that I wasn't Suri's first mate?"
"That… What do you mean?" Akeno shook her head, meaning no, she hadn't considered it.
"Suri chose Mina and Tooru first," Izuku replied gently, looking over his shoulder towards the two girls. "They never asked me out until they'd been together for almost two months. So maybe you should be asking them or do you not consider them viable?"
"I never-"
"No, but you implied it," Tooru shot back with a bitter scowl etched across her face. She folded her arms tightly across her before she sat back and laid a glare onto the lioness that would have eaten her alive. If looks could kill and all.
"So did you talk to your man at all or are you just that threatened by other women?" Ryuko asked in an even tone. She was trying her best not to bitch her out or be a bitch.
That didn't stop Mai though.
"Or are you just a cunt?"
Akeno eeped at the crude word, even more so when she realized who had said it. She'd known Mai had been a mute due to a birth defect because she'd studied up on the so-called competition. What she hadn't known was the recent development thanks to Suri leveling up these past couple weeks. To drive the point home, Akeno's bewildered stare was met with a sass filled smirk and Mai sticking her recently healed tongue out at the lioness.
"Definitely a cunt," Pazuzu snickered, nodding his head slowly with his eyes closed like he was some wise sage who just found enlightenment.
"All of this," Izuku motioned to everyone, drawing Akeno's attention back to himself. "It works because we communicate and we do our best not to be jealous all the time."
"Akeno, hun, did you fuck De'Jon and make him see you as his queen or not?" Suri asked point blank. It made Akeno sputter because of the whiplash from her attention being zapped every which way because she hadn't expected a cohesive group.
"I did!" Akeno screeched.
"Okay, so why are you still threatened by me and mine?" Suri asked, slowly prodding at the lioness next to her.
"Because he still wants you!"
"And he's not going to have me. We crossed that bridge months ago," Suri shook her head and sighed. "Hell, what, four days ago? I made it clear that I was not and never will be one of his damn concubines."
"Wow, is that how he really sees you?" Saito snorted, making her presence between Koto and Hanegawa on the other side of Yumei known. "Damn, no wonder you hate the asshole, Suri."
"He is not an-"
"He is."
Akeno tried to bite back at Saito but was cut off from a chorus of voices. Literally everyone in the limo said the same two words at the exact same time and it made her fall silent. She looked around and saw everyone's faces reading the same emotion. It made her sit back and take the loss on that particular battle.
"Fine. He is… brash," Akeno defended, earning a few snorts and eye rolls. "I won't deny that much but when he and I are alone or we are side by side in battle…"
"He's completely different and you work great together," Suri concluded, bobbing her head a little as she voiced her thought. "Trust me, I know that. Shit, when we were fighting. All of us. You and him are an absolute power couple."
"And the way your energies mixed when you healed your lions," Ryuko added.
"I take it that it was much the same as the night Suri healed me and gave Mai the gift of speech," Taiga proposed, getting a few nods. Once she had her confirmation she turned her gaze back onto Akeno. "Then I believe there is love there. Perhaps he just doesn't know how to express it towards you when you're not alone. Or it may be possible he simply does this as an act for two reasons I can see."
"Oh? And what would those be?" Akeno furrowed her brow, narrowing her eyes at Taiga.
"Simple. He either needs to play this persona because that is what his father, his kiss, and your pride expects of him," Taiga offered eloquently.
"And the other?"
Akeno's eyes narrowed further. She did feel as if the first point made sense, enough sense that there shouldn't be another possibility. She knew she walked into a trap when the heiress' expression went from solemn thoughtfulness to a sly grin that could match the mischievousness in even Mina of all people.
"He wants you to domme him."
"Excuse me!?"
Everyone began laughing as Akeno backpedaled and began sputtering. The thought had never crossed her mind and she hated having such thoughts in the presence of others. Her bedroom thoughts were meant to stay in her bedroom, not be paraded out and held out for everyone to see. That thought made her realize something. Something in the way of how De'Jon's personality changed when it came to being around everyone and being around just her. It made her realize that despite him parading around the idea of having a harem full of concubines, he only confided in her. And when he did need to feed when he woke, he preferred privacy having only herself and a pomme de sang in the room.
Akeneo groaned and let out an exasperated breath.
How had she been that dense? How was she still that dense? And why the hell was it always Suri - in this case, someone close to Suri - that held the proverbial mirror in front of her face?
"I-Is that… How can you be certain?" Akeno countered nervously.
"How was that night after you dragged him back to your room?" Suri asked with a grin.
Akeno blushed and shrunk in on herself. She didn't need to answer because that gave it away.
"And the night after we sent you home after patrolling with me?" Suri asked again, knowing she had a pretty good idea of what the answer was.
"Okay, fine. Perhaps you are correct," Akeno replied, clearing her throat and looking away from everyone. "But what exactly are you suggesting?"
"I… may have an idea about what he wants," Izuku answered, making everyone look to him with soft confusion. They hadn't expected him to be the one to say anything, let alone offer advice the Suri was clearly being begged for. "I'll be the first to admit that wanting someone else to guide you through something like that is hard to ask for. Even harder when you don't know how to ask for help."
He ignored everyone giving him a very knowing nod of agreement. He was doing great admitting that out loud, he didn't need the peanut gallery to make it harder.
"I… enjoy… when the girls take charge. I… enjoy when I'm… praised for certain things. And once I'm at a certain comfort level or that desire is satisfied I… um," Izuku paused and looked to Suri. Like even now he was seeking validation. "I change and my priorities shift."
"Explain," Akeno pressed, narrowing her eyes at him. Her expression clearly stated that she thought less of him as a king or a man because he admitted to asking for help.
Mina was not about to have that slide.
"Honey, you need to wipe that look off your face," the pinkette growled, pointing a finger square at Akeno who seemed to flinch from the sudden flare of anger. "I dunno why you have a problem with Izu but it's getting really old."
"Yeah, what is your issue," Tooru added with a bite of her own.
Having Mina and Tooru both gang up on her made Akeno's own anger flare.
"He's human," the lioness blurted out and then quickly flinched as she sunk into herself and avoided Suri's eyes, who were boring holes into the girl. "I-I cannot accept-"
"That I can make Suri happy in a way that a vampire or wereanimal could," Izuku answered, his eyes were narrowed at Akeno while he was holding a hand up to Suri. The hand had stopped Suri from saying or doing anything and it caught Akeno off guard that the change in his attitude, voice, and expression seemed to make Suri, Aiko, and Mai shift nervously. The sudden change made her flinch and the urge to shift from the small spark in her core made her more nervous than she cared to admit to anyone including herself. "I get it. But I have to ask you a question; if me being a human was the problem would Suri, or Aiko, or Mai, or Tadashi have given me the chance?"
"I suppose that you're right. I-"
"Just let him dick you down already," Mai groaned with the combined frustration and annoyance of everyone in the back of the limo. She sounded absolutely annoyed and positively done with Akeno continuing to take shots at the boyfriend she shared with the rest of the girls. "Gods, maybe he could fuck some of the bitchiness out of you."
"Excuse me?!"
"Mai," Izuku sighed, shaking his head and giving the werewolf a look of exasperation.
"Honestly, I'd pay to see that," Suri snorted and began laughing, happily finding the humor of watching one of her girlfriends poke the proverbial hornet's nest, watching Akeno's reaction to being verbally poked, and finally Izuku's reaction. What she didn't see was the flare of overbearing pride in the lioness as soon as she said what she did.
"Fine," Akeno snarled and then humphed as she sat up, trying to regain her pride - or what was left of it. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and glared straight at Izuku, making him the one to shift uncomfortably now while everyone fell silent at the sudden declaration. "You will pay for the evening where your Izuku will dine with me. And if I am satisfied with his treatment of a true queen I will allow him to sate me as one in my bed. If he can. Either way I shall then return him to you the following morning. We will discuss then if he is truly fit to be your king."
While everyone stared at the lioness in shock and horror, the car filled with an eerie, awkward silence that was so quiet that you could hear the sound of grass growing. Or rather, the sound of pavement slowing underneath the tires as the limousine came to a stop and the sequence of the driver getting out and coming around to open the door followed. When the door opened, Akeno smirked with the pride of being able to take this small victory over her rival and exited the vehicle. The driver tilted his head as he looked inside the car and shrugged at the expressions he saw staring off into a million different distances.
It was Izuku that finally broke the silence.
"D-Did… Did I just get asked out… on a date?"
Whatever would have been said stopped in an instant then. The roar of an airplane flying overhead made everyone flinch and reach for their ears to cover them quickly to try and drown out the thunderous sound pressing down on them.
That wasn't the only thing however.
Everyone felt something wash over them that was not at all pleasant because the brisk night air became immensely freezing. And it never dissipated. The cold press of power wrapped around everyone and began to slowly squeeze them tightly, so much so that even Mina who wasn't as metaphysically sensitive gasped as her breath was taken away. The energy and the frozen blanketing touch of death pushed down on everyone, testing everyone's strength, fears, and weaknesses. The push of power was doing more than just declaring that the dead had awakened for the night; it was testing to see who had the will and strength to threaten it.
Suri growled, gripping the bench seat tightly enough that her fingers were piercing the premium cloth even without her claws drawn. As her head began to pound from the pressure and weight pushing down on her, she drew Atiena up, wrapping herself in the warmth of her beast and let her power roar to life. The electric wind that came dancing off of her skin as she and Atiena became one flooded the back of the limousine, filling it with a heat that would be scalding to anyone not intimately familiar with this energy. The sudden wave of Suri's power made everyone gasp as a breath of life and warmth was forced back into each of them, drowning out the suffocating touch of death and replacing it with her.
When everyone opened their eyes again, not realizing they'd been clenching them and their teeth, everyone was filled with a shared energy that they'd felt the night Suri had called flesh and healed Taiga and Mai. Suri was still herself, but her hair had been replaced by that of Atiena's with a shower of long braided locks falling to the center of her back being tipped in the same green gold of her eyes. Her eyes were currently on fire, letting small golden green flames make her chartreuse eyes glow with power. Aiko, Mai, Pazuzu, and Hanegawa had similar small flames emanating from their eyes, all of which had rolled to black and had caused their own power to spike. Aiko had the same golden green fire as Suri, Pazuzu had bright golden flames, Mai's silver eyes now burned white, and Hanegawa's were alight with a bright blue.
Taiga's had rolled to beast as well but her eyes weren't set ablaze, instead they glowed as did the other witches. Ryuko's and Saito's eyes shined with matching ethereal blue glows, while Chibi's had become a glow of pink that seemed to enhance her aura. To add to the effect, the matching crystal pendants that the coven wore together were glowing as well, with the dark blue stones radiating like they had water inside of them.
Koto was the only wereanimal whose eyes weren't burning or glowing but it didn't change the fact that his eyes too had rolled to beast. The wild energy of fox was radiating off of him which meant that, even though he was the only person here not directly in the clan hierarchy, he was still being imbued with power. Power that made the normally timid, reserved werefox, sit a bit straighter and no longer have any sort of fear left inside him.
For Yumei, her amber snake eyes seemed to be just a shade or so brighter but her scales were what seemed to change the most in this wash of energy. Her snow white and soft pink scales glistened like they were soaking wet or, more accurately, like they were pieces of chrome metal that had been dipped and dyed in the respective colors. It made her seem like her body had become covered in plates of steel scales. She was shimmering but not in the way that Tooru was now. The invisible girl's light green hair and prismatic eyes were glowing and shimmering as the different sources of light and energy reflected off of her. Her hair was now an iridescent green making it look like it and her eyes were covered in a holographic foil that shifted colors with each movement.
Next to her, Mina's skin had seemed to become glossier, whereas like Yumei she seemed to be soaking wet. Her skin seemed to shine with the energy radiating off of Suri, the other wereanimals and the witches. The big difference was that her horns had seemed to lengthen a touch and had become thicker making them resemble less of a moth's antennae and more like that of a demon. Which was what Izuku next to her now resembled. His eyes had rolled to black, making his emerald eyes shine with an ethereal glow and every so often an arc of green and black electricity would spark from him where One For All and Blackwhip interacted and tempted with the surrounding energies of the lycanthropes and arcane. He no longer looked shy and timid, he looked strong, confident, and most of all, powerful.
Looking around again, Suri let a grin wash over her lips, bearing fangs as she looked over her clan and saw a pure beacon of promise. A promise of what the Silver Moon Clan could eventually become, something that could rival even the Black Pool Clan that Grandma Kuroyashi commanded. It made Suri forget about the stress leading up until now, the anxiety that she'd been letting eat at her this whole time.
She was ready.
They were ready.
"All right," Suri breathed in deeply and let her confidence rise to a fever pitch as she took one last look at her clan and moved for the door. "Let's do this."
With a sound of approval, the Silver Moon clan followed Suri out of the limousine and onto the tarmac, keeping in close stride with her. A shared flood of power moved with all of them, blanketing the group not only from the presence of the undead but the winter evening as well keeping them warm. It was enough that by the time that they reached where the others were standing, Izuku, Tadashi, Saito, Koto, and Hanegawa had all shed their suit jackets and were carrying them either draped over their shoulder or carrying them loosely under one arm. The clicking of heels and the soft chime of jewelry helped to distract them from any swelling nerves because it helped remind them of their state of dress. Odd as it was, being dressed down and having the knowing approval of those you'd gotten all dolled up with seemed to just push the confidence level to a point that was hard to sway.
The limo - or limos now that they found a few of them parked with theirs - were parked a short distance from a line of SUVs and a small bus. The bus, from what Suri could tell from a quick side glance, had a group of nearly two dozen people, all of them looking out the window with a mix of excitement and anticipation. None of them were dressed nearly to the same level as she and hers so it made it clear who they were; donors. A literal short bus full of ready and willing pomme de songs waiting for anyone that was about to come off of that plane hungry.
Speaking of the plane, it had landed. Gone was the thunderous roar of engines at full capacity as it touched down or tok off, replaced by the steady whirring of turbines helping to inch it along the pavement. The private jet was making its way from the landing strip to where their party awaited its arrival. A party that included Alpha, Hellfire, DreamWeaver, Alexie, and Masato standing at the forefront of a line of nearly a dozen people. They turned their gazes enough to see Suri and her group coming and it took all that he had for Alpha not to break his steady facade. His eyes were shining with pride and approval letting those be his only giveaways as he quickly tried to hide his initial reaction that was a big fang filled smile. Alexie did nothing to hide his approval, going as far as trying to continue to break Alpha's facade with his joyful chuckles and his elbow jabbing at the big werewolf.
Jomo and Alester had the same reaction as Alpha, quickly able to hide the brief reaction quickly and letting their eyes be the only things to give them away. Masato's reaction on the other hand had a mix of pride and remorse. He was able to hide the pride but the way that he looked at Suri and Yumei said he was still sorry for everything he'd done all those months ago during the raid on Gemini's waterfront. Suri returned those looks of pride with a smirk and a small nod of greeting towards them before it soured ever so slightly as she came towards the rest of the line who were with them.
"The little queen of the silver moon, it's a pleasure you could join us."
"The pleasure is all mine, Master Yasuke," Suri answered the big man, smiling through gritted teeth. He was wearing the same black and burgundy suit he had on the first time they'd met, still looking as supermodel gorgeous as ever. She quickly shook that thought out of her mind and focused on the emotions she needed to have up front; confidence backed with anger. Especially when she let her eyes move to the two women standing next to him. "Lady Oda. Lady Uzoma."
"Good evening to you as well," Lady Oda answered and was all smiles. The smile however was like Suri's where it was all for show and meant nothing. Instead, her eyes looked somewhere between nervous and exasperated. Most likely since she'd had to do all of the leg work today while her master slept like the dead for the day.
Lady Ozuma simply nodded. Her expression was more or less the same meaning the two women were beyond tired, frustrated, and stressed. She was putting on an act as well to make her master proud.
Next to her, bringing up the end of the line was De'Jon who, surprisingly, was all eyes for Akeno now standing next to him and another couple. The male, a vampire of course, looked almost identical to De'Jon and wouldn't be able to tell them apart if it wasn't for three small factors. One, his skin was a shade darker making it so the ashy tone of skin that came with being undead didn't affect him as much. Second, his curly white hair was braided into long tight dreadlocks that went to just below his shoulders and then pulled into a ponytail similar to his father's. His skin tone, the business casual attitude he seemed to radiate, and his hair made him more attractive and appealing than his twin brother. There was no doubt that either brother had an otherworldly draw to them and Suri would be the first to admit that they were both really easy on the eyes. Even more so because this twin preferred a cut of clothing that hugged him tighter and made it visibly apparent that he made more muscle than his brother. There was no denying that this twin, De'Ante, was straight up gorgeous. And that's when she noticed the third thing about him that differed from his brother. When his gaze sized Suri up, it wasn't the kind that was undressing her and fucking her all night long the way De'Jon's did.
He looked at her with something between disgust and disinterest.
The same way the girl next to him did.
Speaking of whom had her own power radiating off of her that felt like a mix of cold and hot humidity. Her scent reminded Suri of rain and ocean mist which further added to her power feeling like a thunderstorm out in the open ocean and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end from her electrical field. It was the same feeling she had around Kaminari when he was charging one of his attacks.
She was Suri's height, taller if you considered the two horns that protruded from her forehead just above her eyebrows and extended backwards towards the back of her head. The horn on her right side was on full display thanks to how she styled her medium length ash blonde hair into a side swept undercut. The ends of her hair however were not blonde, they fluctuated between a light ocean blue and a seafoam green like she'd dipped them into Caribbean waters. Her horns were much the same, ocean blues and greens but darker, made all the more vibrant by the gold rings fastened around the base and in the middle of her horns. Her tapered ears had similar jewelry, with small studs lining the bottom crown all the way to her earlobe which she had gauged. Her stretched earlobes housed matching gold rings inlay with what looked like pearls.
It matched the very ocean water feel to her.
The dress she was wearing highlighted her horns and sand toned skin, continuing the use of shades of the ocean. The corset portion of her dress was a dark cerulean that faded into a sky blue at her hips. A band of fabric that looked like wet bronze or seashells lined the part that became a miniature asymmetrical shell that swept from high on one hip down to mid thigh on the other. Underneath that copper fabric came a shawl of mesh or lace like material that showed off a perfect silhouette of her legs which were strong and toned with perfectly etched muscle. The most intriguing part of the dress was the back which saw the back of the corset part halfway up and the copper fabric lining the split into two. It meant that the small line of sky blue fabric between the two bands of copper managed to cover her shapely rear while the top line and the bottom of the corset created a diamond shaped opening. An opening large enough that her tail could fit through because it was large, powerful, and covered in sea green, ocean blue, and bright copper colored scales.
And if that wasn't enough to give Suri a clue as to what she was, her eyes were. Her irises were the same gradient of light blue to copper as her tail and horns were and looked absolutely stunning. She was gorgeous from head to toe like she'd walked out of a beachside formal party and was almost unassuming. Almost. Because there was nothing unassuming about the shape of her pupils and how they created thin slits like Yumei's. Except these slits weren't snake eyes.
They were draconic.
It was only a soft touch from Izuku on Suri's shoulder that made her realize she'd been staring a little too long. She quickly shook her head and cleared her throat as she gave her boyfriend a grateful smile and a look of appreciation out of the corner of her eye. She straightened herself and thought to be friendly and extend an open hand.
"I don't think we've had the chance to meet."
"Nope. We haven't. Name's Charissa Tempest but you can just call me Rissa" she responded, giving Suri a smile that was as fake as her valley girl accent. She was trying to be unassuming and Suri thought it best to let her think she was and didn't call her bluff.
Not even when the dragon girl took Suri's hand, shook it, and let a wave of electric energy flow between them. Suri had to fight the urge to flinch as her nerves were jolted and teased by what felt like hundreds of miniscule lightning strikes racing through her spine. In return, Suri pushed back, letting her own power covertly whip and bite at the girl in the same manner.
De'Ante however was not about to sit ringside to the two girls' version of a dick measuring contest and cleared his throat. Rissa instantly broke the hold, giving Suri a smile while her eyes held a clear sadistic spark to them. And neither was Grandma Kuroyashi who was now making her way to the line as well, making sure both girls and the junior vampire felt the leopard queen's presence coming.
"Dears, if I may, why don't you wait until the next full moon," the old woman spoke gracefully. "I'm sure the Silver Moon Clan would welcome an ally such as yourself to a night of rousing events. Right, my child?"
"Of course, Lady Kuroyashi," Suri replied, trying to hide the shuddering breath she took. There was way too much power just being flaunted and Suri wasn't a fan of it. "Any time."
"We'll see what we say after tonight," De'Ante replied, making his voice heard for the first time.
That was the other thing. Suri wanted so badly to ask about what was happening. All she knew was that vampires, powerful ones, from all around the world were convening to make a decision on what King Saber's fate would ultimately be. That said, she felt like she wasn't being told everything and left in the dark. Maybe it was because she still needed to meet with Sebastien. She knew she had to have his approval so was that why things were still up in the air with what her clan was supposed to do?
The wait wouldn't be long because as the plane finally came to a stop in front of the envoy and the engines were killed the first touch of death was felt. Everyone shuddered. No matter how seasoned or powerful everyone was, a chorus of audible gasps were let out as a slow rolling, freezing cold fog began to emanate from the private jet. The doors opened and the steps were drawn to allow the passengers aboard to exit the plane and it wasn't lost on anyone how eerie it felt that the inside of the plane was dark.
A moment passed where nothing happened, the plane's interior remained dark and the cold fog continued to creep outwards and surround them. Then, finally after a long painstaking moment of silence and anticipation, movement happened and the form of a pair of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness. Alexis was the first to exit the plane, her eyes already rolled to beast and bright with jade colored fire pouring from them. The group was hit the the power and energy of her wolf, making the presence of one of the the former queens of the Aspen Throne Clan known. She stepped down the ladder and Alpha was quick to be by her side, taking her hand and kissing the back of her palm as she took a post standing on one side of the ladder. Next came Eve, adding a second whirlwind of wolven power to the mix as she emerged, her eyes alight with golden amber fire. Alpha did the same as with their shared wife, taking her hand, kissing the back of her palm and helping her to her post directly across from Alexis.
Then came two pairs of blue fire.
Maon stepped out first and all three of Suri's mothers flashed her a quick smile, making sure she knew they recognized her. That quick flash was relented back to pleasantries and formalities as she took the first steps down the ladder, taking Alpha in one hand and leading the man behind with the other. For a third time, Alpha kissed the back of the palm of his wife and then she took a post next to Eve while Alpha moved to stand next to Alexis. There was no roll of beastly powers as Maon came out but there was a wave of energy nonetheless, making it known that, while she was asymptomatic, it didn't mean she was weak. And with her and Alpha taking their posts, they stood, two by two on either side of the ladder as an unrelenting power of death and night spread outward and mixed with the power formerly representing the Aspen Throne Clan. The mixture of power created a steady whirlwind that took everyone's breath away and threatened to suffocate anyone who faltered in its presence.
Suri herself was feeling the effects, finding it a little too hard to breathe for her own liking and when she looked to her sides around her clan, she found them feeling the same effects. If not worse. Especially Mina and Tooru who looked like they were beginning to sway ever so slightly, either from the effect of the power in the air taking their breath away or from the power making them light headed. Either way, she and Atiena would not stand for her girlfriends to be taken down, not if she could do anything about it.
So she did.
Pleasantries be damned.
With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let her back sink further into Atiena's fur at her back, happily wrapping the warmth of her beast around her like a blanket. They didn't become one enough to take on any more transformation but it was enough to let her power roll and envelop her clan in the same warmth and comfort. She did so as everyone made their way to greet Sebastien, going to him group by group like they were eager fans at a convention meeting some kind of celebrity. She never noticed that, as she made sure everyone was strengthened, revitalized, and wrapped in a protective aura of their clan's shared power, that they became the last group in line. Soon it was just Suri and her clan left standing back while everyone watched and waited for her to step up.
When Suri's eyes finally opened, the golden green fire in them lit anew, they revealed the sight of everyone else standing off to the side and beginning to make their way back into their vehicles. They revealed the anticipatory eyes her mothers and Alpha had for her, like they were waiting for her to do something really important. They revealed Sebastien, vampire king and master of Salt Lake City and one of the most powerful public figures in the Western United States, preternatural and human alike.
He stood like he didn't recognize the woman in front of him, tilting his head as he looked Suri over several times. It wasn't the kind of gaze that De'Jon had, he wasn't undressing her, he was studying her like she was a specimen in a lab. More accurately he was giving her the same look you would give someone in the grocery store if you hadn't seen them in years. Like you swear you recognize the person but can't quite place them.
Truthfully, a lot had happened since she had seen him last so the look was warranted.
The look everyone else, especially the vampires, gave her said she'd done something incredibly offensive. Like she'd done something that she was not supposed to do and never should have. Then it hit her why. She'd just flaunted her power right in front of a six or seven hundred year old master vampire. She realized she should be nervous and possibly remorseful for the blunder right up until Sebastien let a smile slowly creep along his lips and he smiled at Suri.
"Mon cher petit chiot," Sebastien called gently, his arms lightly outstretched towards her. "Is that really you?"
His voice was exactly as she remembered it; a low tenor that was as smooth as cream with a light raspy sultriness somewhere underneath. It was one of those voices that, if you had a thing for voices, you could spend night after night having it play in your head and never get bored of it. Suri did have a thing for voices, but she didn't have a thing for guys older than her by centuries so she never let him get to her like that. Just like his greeting of calling her his dear little pup was on one hand cute, if you were a child, and cringey as hell because it was basically a nickname from a family relative. Which he basically was. Still, as cringe worthy as it was, a part of her didn't exactly hate it either; it was sort of… well… cute.
"Yeah," Suri breathed out, finally truly seeing him without letting their eyes lock completely. "It's me, Seb. Long time no see."
Suri watched him glide - because his feet didn't seem to move as he walked - towards her, his smile wide but careful not to expose the small fangs just hidden out of view. She had to look up at him when he got within reach because he was tall, standing at six foot three in height and not cheating to get there because tonight he was in carbon grey suede boots with thin white rubber soles. His greeting to her was far less formal than the other groups probably had been because he cupped her biceps gently with his hands, making her shiver from how cold he was to the touch, and then leaned down to give her air kisses. They were the kind when two people lean in and kiss the air next to each other's cheek and then move and do the same to the other. Except Suri didn't lean in and reciprocate.
This was way too informal and buddy buddy for her tastes. Her and Sebastien just didn't have a relationship like this. They didn't really have one at all other than he'd been there in the background for her entire life. He'd just been there, nothing more serious than that.
When he leaned back, Suri took him in fully. Still attractive as ever with his squared jawline, gentle angular features, and just enough stubble to frame a pair pouty lips. The stubble was trimmed neatly and perfectly to magnify the otherworldly beauty he had to him, especially with his incredibly striking ice blue colored eyes. His skin was smooth and pale but had just enough color in it to make him not a deathly pale white, the added color and slight scent of blood on the inside of his lips meant he'd just fed.
His tall, lightly muscled frame was wrapped in a dark carbon grey turtleneck sweater that hugged his upper body so that it accentuated his wide shoulders and chest that tapered into his hips. The slope and tapering meant that he had a very pronounced V shape once the sweater was discarded. Draped around his neck was a loose wool scarf that was black but hid minute argyle styled pinstripes of light blue that matched his eyes. The scarf ended at his waist which then took your eyes lower to the pair of black leather pants that almost hugged him like a second skin before lightly draping over his boots.
To the outside world, he simply looked like a young high fashioned tech mogul that had never seen a day past twenty five. Which he hadn't. He'd been turned on his twenty-fifth birthday and had been a living eternal ever since. He'd thrown off suspicions by saying that it was of his Quirk and some convoluted story that required him to drink blood lest he age so fast he'd turn to dust or revert back into a singular cell. To everyone else, he was simply pushing one hundred and fifty thanks to this process. It was essentially the joke of someone in their 60s saying they just turned 20 come to life.
"You look fantastic, mon cherie," he mused with a bright smile, giving her another once over before leaning back and looking at her party. "I see you have not disappointed. The card was a pleasant gift, no?"
"I-I um… yeah, it was," Suri answered nervously. The air and situation was making her more uncomfortable by the second. "I still don't understand why my dad had it in the first place."
"Ah, that is something yet to discuss, little one. Ah, where are my manners," he chuckled and then left her and went directly towards Izuku, Mina, and Tooru. With each of them he took their hand, raised it and kissed the backs of their palms gently one by one. He also rolled his eyes up to see them each time meaning he was testing her mates. "Sebastien Beaumont. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Suri took a deep breath, one to swallow the anger at the blatant test he was throwing at them, making sure they knew how to react to a vampire. Second was to hold her breath, watching in anticipation at the results. She was able to let it out in relief because the three of them had passed and hadn't succumbed to his gaze.
It pleased him even more than her because he smiled wide enough that he forgot to hide his fangs behind his lips.
"You will do, mon petits. You will do," he said with a light voice of delight.
"Sorry, but isn't it rude to try and trick us like that," Mina narrowed her gaze, making the vampire raise an eyebrow in surprise and make Suri's breath hitch in fear.
"Ooo, a feisty one we have here. I see you have a fire like our Suri inside you," Sebastien responded with humor in his voice. "My apologies but we are stepping into a lion's den as it were. I had to make sure Suri has trained you well, especially if I'm assuming you are to her as I have been told."
"Yeah, Mina Ashido. I'm one of Suri's mates and I'm one of her Freyjas and I don't think you would like acid burns so please give me my hand back," the pinkette replied, trying her best to be calm but also not hiding the fact that this was the second time someone had tried this trick on her. She also made it clear it wouldn't be the first time she'd given a vampire acid burns.
Sebastien simply grinned and let her hand free before standing up tall once more and giving the group one more look before looking back down at Suri. He was beaming with pride.
"Now then, I see my approval and sponsorship of the Silver Moon Clan is well placed on my part. I do hope that you can grow further than what you are now, I will see to it," he boasted and gave the group a light chuckle in his tone. "Now then, shall we proceed?"
Suri's group looked back and forth with each other, not knowing what answer to give. Suri didn't know what to say either so the answer was stolen from her.
"Splendid," Sebastien cheered, clapping his hands together. "Mon cher petit chiot, you, your Fenrir and Freyjas here will be in my car," he quickly raised a hand to stifle Suri's rising panic. "Fret not, our dear Demetri and Maon will be accompanying us."
"We'll be looking out for the rest of you so don't you worry," Eve added as she, Alpha, Maon, and Alexis came to stand behind Sebastien. It helped them knowing they would at least be with Suri's family and not a bunch of strangers.
"Yumie, you packed what I asked for, right?" Alpha spoke, directing his gaze to the snake girl.
"O-Oh! Yeah, here," Yumie chirped, slithering herself closer to the big man and then handing him something.
Suri gave the snake girl a confused glance which she responded with her own confused look and a shrug of her shoulders. Before they could ask anything else, the group was split with Suri, Izuku, Mina, and Tooru being coaxed along by Maon and Alpha to follow Sebastien into the sea of SUVs towards another limousine. This time a white Humvee. Alexis and Eve directed everyone else into a different black Cadillac Escalade limousine than what they'd arrived in. The three teens were watching their party with anticipation and worry, even as Sebastien opened the rear door for them and ushered them inside and it was only once they were inside the limo that they took in their surroundings. They'd started down the benches before the four of them froze in place and their eyes went wide.
"What's going on?" Suri growled as she turned around to face Sebastien, who had an amused look on his face, and her parents who both looked a little remorseful.
"I'm going to this stupid thing too. And I guess I'm with you."
At the front of the limo sat Toga, her expression angry and unamused when she laid her eyes on the werewolf and the vampire in the opposite end of the vehicle. The expression however shifted when she spotted Izuku next to Suri. No longer mad or angry, she began grinning wide, baring fangs and giggling lightly as a blush stretched across her cheeks.
"But I can't say I'm gonna be mad. Not when I'm with you, Izuku~"
And just like that, the car ride from hell began.