After wearing her feet sore jumping to the left and then stepping to the right, followed by a handful of songs of a more modern make that she danced more than enthusiastically to, Clover and her friends left the dancefloor full and bouncing with the energy she'd wanted out of her music choice. Lollie and Angel had lured many men onto the dancefloor once the more hot and heavy dance songs of her playlist had begun, and Clover had found Vaggie among the mix of monsters along the way. The two 21st Century sinners had found space to bond over their shared memories of school dances and radio hits as they bounced to the beat, and by the time Charlie had joined them, Clover was confident she'd put Vaggie in a better mood. Despite trying during her escape from the dancefloor, she'd been unable to spy Alastor over the top of the crowd; Her worrying had died quickly when she'd caught the tail end of a laugh track whisking past their hidden smoking spot wedged between the fog machine and an open window.
Lollie lay across Angel's lap, the party hat she'd so meticulously pinned in place just an hour or so ago balanced atop her knee. It had fallen off somewhere between her pulling the priest demon onto the dancefloor to be the centerpiece of a more risque display and when she'd devolved to bumping and grinding with Angel Dust and had since then been used as a makeshift megaphone she'd pretended to sing along through. The sucker she'd pulled out of her bag to occupy her mouth long enough for Cyrus to light a joint ticked back and forth like a metronome, and it was effectively hypnotizing Clover while she waited.
"Vaggie is going to be pissed if she notices."
"With this many people? Good fuckin' luck findin' us." Angel snorted, lifting his head from where it had been laid back against the ornate loveseat. "Isn't this shit legal now?"
"In some places."
Angel hummed a confused almost agreement as he craned his head to peer over the top of the fern they'd found cover behind. His sudden yell and scrambling to wave a hand high nearly dropped Lollie into the floor and startled Clover out of the mild intoxication that melted her anxious mind, and Cyrus's hissed cursing didn't help the racing of her heart.
"Aye'! Cherri! Ova' here!"
"S-s-sit the fuck down or this is-s-s the last time I give you s-s-smoke for free. I'm not in the mood to tell the devil's daughter to s-s-shove it tonight."
Clover couldn't help the small snort that particular turn of phrase pulled from her and she was glad that her laughter didn't push Cyrus any further as he passed her the lit joint. Cherri Bomb appeared from behind the long leaves of the plant a moment later, her one eye blinking through the dark smog that surrounded them as she looked at them all in turn. Her sharp smile was dotted with round paint at both ends, black against pale freckled skin to match the two-toned latex bodysuit she wore. The harlequin motif was tied off with two bouncing pigtails dip-dyed at the ends, the red and black coloring the perfect reversal of her costume. The bombastic cyclops waved a brief hello as she continued to move to the rhythm of mid 2000's dance music, and Clover found herself tilting around the potted plant to watch the smooth shuffling of her shoes. The joint was passed to Mimzy after Clover had taken a healthy first puff before it was noticed by the newest addition to their party, and Cherri leaned further into their circle with a hopeful smile as she looked to where Mimzy held the joint out for the next taker.
"Can I get a hit?"
All eyes turned to Cyrus, who lifted his head from where it had been idly watching out from between bodies with a raise of his brow. He looked up to Cherri for a moment, seeming to think through the request before taking what was beginning to feel more like a smoking gun than a lit joint from Mimzy's fingers and passing it to Cherri with a hissing complaint.
"I don't care what you do, as-s-s long as I'm not the one who has to deal with the Grape of Wrath ova' there when you two loudmouths-s-s blow our cover."
The nod of his head toward where Vaggie and Charlie had taken up space among the many demons crowding the refreshment table pulled a sharp laugh from the two loudmouths in question.
"You need to relax." Angel stuck his tongue out from between his teeth as he collapsed back into his seat, his costume bunny ears bouncing along with him. His sour expression became absolutely tart at the lazy, sarcastic smile Cyrus sent his way in response.
"I am relaxed."
"Ya' sure about that? You look like ya' need tuh' get la-"
Whatever colorful comeback Clover assumed was coming from her costume partner died as the joint was quickly handed to him as Cherri let out an excited expletive.
"Oh shit! I can't believe he fuckin' showed, what a nerd-" Cherri laughed as she vaulted over the sofa and landed just shy of the table Clover was perched upon before disappearing into the crowd once again with a shout. "Hey, edge lord!"
"Well, that'll distract 'em for a while."
Entirely unbothered by Cherri's explosive exit, Angel turned back to the group and took a long drag from the joint. His wheezing laugh at Clover's shocked blinking blew smoke into the air around them as he shrugged and passed the joint to Cyrus. The lizard blinked twice, once with each set of eyelids, before he shook his head and nudged Angel's outstretched hand towards where Lollie sat curled between Angel's knees.
"Ladies-s-s first."
Cyrus's hissing politeness lifted Lollie's head from where she'd been scrolling through her phone, the demoness having spent much of their time resting posting photographs of her costume and other snapshots to further promote the party on social media. Popping her sucker out from between pouting lips before they twisted upward with amusement, Lollie raised her voice over the music.
"That's real sweet, but I'm gonna have to pass." That wrinkle of her nose appeared again as she shook her head to his offer, leaning back on her palms as she looked up at him from beneath heavy lashes. "I gotta serenade some big boys in the near future. Can't risk smokin' up the sweet talk, kinda harsh on the vocals, ya know?"
A still moment fell over their group as Cyrus tilted his head at Lollie, and Clover recognized the telling flick of his tail and the slow shift of yellowed slits across the lounging demoness on the floor. The quick flick of his tongue between his teeth sealed her suspicions that this was going in a direction of something she wasn't quite sure she wanted to watch transpire between her two friends, but Clover found comfort in their sudden camaraderie. It wasn't like she was able to stop either of her fiercely flirtatious friends, even if her body had not been heavy with the heaven of her high. Cyrus's eyes never left the tiny dancer demon as he unraveled his limbs from Mimzy to lean forward, planting his elbows on his knees with a smirk.
"What about a close-contact high?"
The quirk of Lollie's brow had barely begun before Cyrus's claws cupped her chin, the warm green of his scales contrasting in an odd sort of sense against the cool mint skin that peeked out between paint and the puffy ruff of her costume. He snatched the joint from Angel quicker than Clover could keep track of and took a long, purposeful draw. Even in her dazed and almost confused state, Clover felt the sharp sting of embarrassment darken the flush decorating her cheeks as she watched Cyrus's lips linger just shy of Lollie's painted smile.
Clover looked for moral support in Mimzy, whose eyes widened humorously behind the rim of her glass as she took a long sip of her cocktail as she turned away from the almost-public display of affection. While Clover squirmed at witnessing her friends doing such things, Lollie seemed entirely endeared as Cyrus breathed slowly against her, the smoke curling in the space in between them before it disappeared through her open lips.
Lollie fell back with a giggle, covering her face with her discarded party hat to collect the smoke that escaped. Her laugh was echoed, both by the hollow inside of the candy-colored cone and by the man who collapsed against the couch behind him as they parted. Cyrus swiped a hand down his face to help hide his smile before crossing his arms across his stomach and sinking back into Mimzy's side. As much as this interaction was giving Clover severe second-hand embarrassment, it was nice to see them both having a good time. Their flirting was harmless; Both of them were too focused on their career and personal well-being to stray too far down the dusty path of dating with the other, and their hearts seemed to be equally occupied with or healing from someone else. Clover's friends finding new ways to flirt with each other was just something she'd have to learn to deal with, she supposed.
How the hell did she of all people seem to draw in friends such as these?
"Shit Scales, I kinda thought you were a workin' stiff before, but guess I'm wrong!"
Angel's commentary snapped Clover out of her introspection, and she quickly took the joint from Mimzy's outstretched fingers as she returned to the conversation with renewed interest. Lollie had shifted up onto her knees to drape herself across Angel's lap, her fingers just shy of stroking Cyrus's side in their position splayed out in front of her.
Clover didn't like the devious glint in her eye one bit, but she knew trying to stop whatever nonsense happened next would be a wasted effort.
The fact that Clover could tell something was brewing behind those blown-out heart-shaped pupils was maybe worse than being taken by surprise, and the mere minute it took for them to finish another rotation stretched on for hours in her muddled mind. The only solid reminder of how much time had passed was the fading of one song into another at the end of a chorus, and with the swell of synth came Lollie's swift decision to act. She leaned across Angel suddenly and snatched the hat from Cyrus's head with a teasing smile.
"You're a bad decision waiting to be made, mister." Lollie's soft singsong barely carried over the harmonizing vocals of the eurythmic melody as she tapped Cyrus's flattened nose with the brim of his hat. "N' I'm sure you've been told that before."
Lollie dropped the hat atop her head before Cyrus could swipe it from her, and it wasn't until his expression shifted from mild annoyance to utter amusement that Clover realized the gravity of what she'd done. If she'd gauged Cyrus's upbringing correctly, the simple tease meant far more to southerners such as them than it would to a coastal girl like Lollie, and the mint temptress had unexpectedly sealed herself into something Clover couldn't bring herself to think about in detail; The thought that Lollie knew exactly what taking a man's hat meant and was doing it on purpose was an equally embarrassing thought to entertain. As if sensing the dread that had washed over her, Cyrus looked to Clover with that stupidly satisfied smile that instinctively sent her eyes rolling. His glee only grew as she shook her head and quickly mouthed a silent "No" before her attention was drawn to the girl currently taking a short video of herself from her front-facing camera.
"How's it look? Think I can pull it off?" Lollie grinned, dropping her glittering phone case to quickly tap away on the screen and post the looping video clip with the wanted additions to her Sinstagram.
"A girl like you can pull off whatever she wants if ya' as-s-sk me."
Cyrus's innuendo was barely audible from around the roll of paper he held between his lips, but Clover shifted her feet just enough to knock in him the shins anyway.
"You look like a rodeo clown."
The dry delivery of Clover's response sent the group into giggles and successfully defused whatever tension had begun to form between her friends. Cyrus's wheeze filled the air around them with more smoke than the fog could cover, and as the dancing began to slow down and the crowd started to separate, Clover decided it was in their best interest to disband the impromptu smoking circle before too much attention was brought to them. Cyrus's hat somehow made its way atop Angel's head as they stood to leave, smushing the wire structure of his bunny ears flat against his head, and it had only amplified the shit-eating grin that was now stuck to Cyrus's face.
Wandering towards the refreshment table to cure the mild amount of munchies they'd accumulated, they found Rosie and Niffty sitting behind the spread of spooky snacks and speaking quietly. Now and then Rosie covered her face to hide the laughter their conversation sparked, long navy gloves coming close but not quite touching the dark lipstick she wore. Clover's fluid early underground 80's dance to an inspired song from nearer to her era than the one she was emulating eventually moved Clover to the pair, and Clover found the fact that her steps had somehow come to lead her circle of friends wherever she wished far funnier than she might have in more sober circumstances. The two women turned when Mimzy and Clover sidled up beside them, and Rosie gave them each a small nod before returning to her chit-chat.
"Honestly, I don't know how these younger demons dance to this type of thing! The tempo is either far too inconsistent, or doesn't exist at all!"
Clover snorted, but paused her swaying when the sound turned Rosie's attention towards her fully, black eyes locking her limbs in place.
"Sorry- I, uh-" Drowning her stuttering with a long sip of fruit punch and wincing when what she severely hoped was a gummy eyeball bumped against her nose, Clover used it as an excuse to attempt to find a way out of this faux pas; Sadly she came up empty. "Ignore me, I'm- Drunk."
"Well, if what I've been told is true, you're quite capable of speaking your mind when intoxicated. Feel free to share your opinion, dear, you'll find I'm far harder to offend than your suitor."
The sharp teeth behind Rosie's smile didn't deter her now as they did upon their first meeting, nor did the bleeding warmth of embarrassment that attempted to deepen her flush. Clover cleared her throat and took another sip of punch before continuing.
"I just think it's interesting how different people perceive things, having to memorize steps to older dances feels so much more taxing than just- Moving to the music."
Rosie thought for a moment, setting her chin into one palm as she glanced between Clover and the swaying figures lingering on the dancefloor as the song came to its end. Following her gaze, Clover thought she caught a flash of a crimson coat across the room and her heart fluttered foolishly in response before it sank into the depths of her stomach when she remembered that Alastor was without his normal attire tonight. It was becoming increasingly apparent to her that the warm ache that had bloomed under the influence had decided to focus itself on her affections tonight, and as dangerous as that might be if she were to lose enough control to act on them she couldn't deny that the idea excited her. The song that the 2010's does 80's melody had shifted to since she'd come to stand with Alastor's acquaintances caught her attention, halting her search as long ears twitched upwards to listen.
"I don't like the tension, the misapprehensions about our nature in love…
The glorious teachers are no use for creatures who know how to play with the gods… "
The lyrics launched Clover into one of her many bouts of know-it-all behavior, a trait historically worsened by her intoxication.
"Technically, you could Charleston to this song, if you really wanted to." She spoke quickly, almost racing against the swelling chorus to prove her point with a half-hearted stepping of feet. Clover was immediately thankful Alastor was not there to witness this as the embarrassment of it all hit her, the sobering flood of cold dread as she wished she could die all over again tightening her throat aroun her excuses. "I'm not a good example."
The reaction to her inelegant jig was mixed; Mimzy's scowl that she had stopped so soon was swallowed down with another long sip of her cocktail, and Rosie's discrete laugh behind dainty fingers ended as quickly as it had begun. Clover was growing increasingly self-conscious speaking with the two women without Alastor to act as a buffer between them; If anything this night was truly showing what mix of company she preferred. Rosie's blackened gaze was soft enough, pinching at the corners as she returned to cradling her chin in one palm as the conversation continued.
"You're right, I suppose. Though I can't say I've seen much evidence from you tonight. That is a misstep you should endeavor to correct, perhaps even, with your intended to help guide you."
A rolling of her wrist towards the dancefloor was enough to execute a point Clover didn't entirely disagree with; It was an idea Clover had even included in her party planning, and was something she found herself returning to as the night progressed, no matter how nervous it made her. Her first tangle with tapping toes with the Radio Demon had gone far better than she'd ever imagined. It didn't hurt that Angel's assumptions that Alastor would take utter control of such things had been entirely correct, or that Clover enjoyed being spun around by him far more than she was willing to admit.
In short, she'd sorely missed the innocuous excuse for pressing against her partner and the proximity it provided.
Her inner monologue was right on cue it seemed, for her thoughts lined up with the sudden switch in tuneful tone. In retrospect, it was a little on the nose, but Clover's patience for implications had been running thin. Her stomach twisted with a confusing concoction of anxiety, anticipation, and alcohol as she quickly set down her punch and turned to more closely look at the crowd. Damning her shorter stature for placing her far below the shoulders of other demons with a helpless thump of her heel, Clover turned back to Rosie reluctantly. It was an obvious act of desperation, done solely due to her affection-altered mind, but she'd already truly embarrassed herself tonight so she decided there wasn't much else left to lose.
"Have you seen Alastor?"
Rosie's brow rose in an expression Clover could only interpret as "incredibly pleased" at the question; She did her best to ignore both it and the knowing smile she spied creeping onto Mimzy's face.
"He was here a few moments ago, just before you arrived-"
"He and Charlie were trying to invite more people to live with us!" Niffty chimed in, waving a napkin in the general direction of the bar. "He went that way!"
A mumbled appreciation was all she could manage for a farewell as Clover quickly pushed through the barrier of people occupying the refreshment table. Heads turned as she shoved her way past, glaring down at her with various expressions of contempt and confusion before a large line of people moving towards one of the many games Charlie had set up stopped her in her tracks. The longer she waited, the more impatient she became as flashes of red between shoulders startled her at every turn. Clover was tempted to test the extent of the agility her demonic form had gifted her with, but with so many people watching her already and her heart beating like a drum, she couldn't safely say she wouldn't make a further fool of herself. An apologetic demon finally blessed her with a way through, the faux-priest stepping aside sheepishly once he'd taken notice of her frantic pacing. She found the rest of her friends on the other side, scattered among the few that lingered just on the edge of the dancefloor, unsure of how to keep up with the new vintage variety that her music choice had taken on.
That obviously wasn't an issue Lollie, the demoness tapping her toes in an vaguely-appropriate manner as she belted along to the lyrics that played through the speakers. It was almost enough to snap Clover out of her nervous state of being; Almost.
"Got me hoping you page me right now…
Your kiss got me hoping you'll save me right now…
Lookin so crazy, your love's got me lookin,
Got me lookin so crazy in love… "
The poignancy of how those lyrics rang true to the aching of her heart as Clover grasped Angel's hand and tugged him down to hearing height was not lost on her.
"I can't find Alastor."
Clover realized she'd made the situation sound far more dire than intended as Angel's eyebrows shot upward, but her friend seemed to understand as the chorus repeated around them. His fingers tangled with hers and squeezed reassuringly before he returned to his full height, his head twisting around to search the crowd. Lollie's singing, as talented as she was, had just begun to grate against her nerves when Angel's scowl lit up into a smile as tugged her closer and pointed through the crowd.
"There!"
Clover followed the direction of his fingers along the room's edge, searching for the normally red-suited demon among the masses of costumed partygoers. She found him speaking with Husker across the bar, leaning against the wood with a smug smile that she assumed was to blame for the barkeep's scowl. The bar was surprisingly empty now that Pentagram City's population was liberally lubricated with free liquor, but that didn't help Clover to catch Alastor's eye. It wasn't until Husker noticed the small wave she gave when he glanced at a new customer walking up to the counter that she was able to get their attention. Clover nodded sharply towards Alastor as she pressed her palms together in a plea for his help, and with a heavy sigh Husker tapped the bar in front of Alastor and gestured towards her with sharp claws. Alastor searched the dance floor for a moment, their eyes meeting as the music shifted to the next number she'd queued, and Clover sent him a wild smile before beckoning him to listen with a timid gesture towards her ears.
His brow furrowed in confusion, and she caught a short shaking of his shoulders that she assumed was a chuckle at her mimed communication. The beginning blowing of horns seemed to catch his interest, his ears flicking upward as it led into a melodic plucking of strings and the truth of the tune came to life.
Her hope that her message was clear was almost dizzying as her blood rushed through her veins, blurring the masses around them into nothing but watching shadows as she silently prayed her point would come across; That this was for him.
The realization crossed his face with a sharp blink of crimson eyes before Alastor adjusted his glasses, glancing towards the stereo system curiously as his smile fell slack, but he made no move to join her. She couldn't read his expression from this far away, couldn't hear the telling tuning of his radio or feel how heavily his static fell against her skin, all she could do was beg helplessly across the empty dance floor for him to understand.
Clover had just nearly decided to march across the room and drag him out herself when she felt gentle claws catch her arm.
"C'mon s-s-suga', he doesn't know what he's mis-s-sin'." Cyrus's annoyed hiss into her ear nearly startled her out of her skin, and Clover watched as Alastor's smile sharpened ever so slightly at each corner as she was dragged onto the dancefloor "Get a move on, Legs! Grab'a girl and go!"
Clover nearly tripped as Cryus led her to the center of the room, ignoring her sputtering and whistling for Angel to follow suit. The last image Clover caught of Alastor was framed by the turning of interested heads towards the commotion, his shoulders squared sharp as his eyes flickered between them all, and once again she found herself cursing the space between them. As willing as she was to offer it to him, it was so much harder to read him from a distance, even with her glasses firmly on her face. That added to the fact that the constant ache in her chest had developed into a burn that bled across every inch of her skin and only seemed to be soothed by him turned a mildly annoying situation into something that was slowly eating away at her, and she was slowly sobering up enough to realize how acidic her irritation had become.
Alastor disappeared from sight as Cyrus turned her to face him, glancing back over her shoulder when he was sure her focus had shifted before leaning down to whisper with a wide smile.
"Us guys are fuckin' s-s-stupid, but if there's one thing me n' the Radio Demon have in common, it's pride."
"Cyrus, please don't piss him off-"
"Just trus-s-st me, 'kay? And hold on tight, cause we're putin' on a real show with this one."
"I don't know about thi-"
Her squeal of surprise as Cyrus swung her around him was hidden by the swell of music and a whooping cheer from somewhere in her peripherals, and she decided it was easier to just give in to whatever hair-brained scheme he'd involved her in this time than to attempt to ask questions. Somewhere, far back in the part of her mind not focused on figuring out how to keep her feet from stepping on Cyrus's tail, Clover found herself thanking Angel for convincing her to freshen up on her dancing lessons. It had only been precautionary, her movements were far from perfect, but if her assumptions based on Cyrus's continuous glances over their shoulders into the crowd were correct, they were sure to come in handy.
Being offered up as bait was oddly thrilling, but she'd have to unpack those emotions later; Perhaps in private.
Dancing with Cyrus was an entirely different beast than doing so with Alastor or Angel. The lizard was surprisingly light on his feet, but his movements were lazier, made in the moment rather than thought out ahead of time. Clover looked at her feet often enough as it was, and now she found herself staring down at both sets of shoes as she attempted to focus through the lingering haze long enough to follow his lead. It was nothing like the bouncy yet controlled movements Alastor pulled off with ease, where there was little room for thought between each twist and turn he took her on. It became more and more apparent that Cyrus was doing his best to showcase her with every step he took, nearly tossing Clover into the air as he tugged her closer and spun her in circles. She caught a flash of blonde hair whip by as she turned to find Angel waiting to take her by the hand, trading Mimzy into her place as Cyrus's partner with a wink. A nod of his head towards the slowly filling dancefloor directed her to the giggling Charlie that had joined the fray, but she was far more interested in the shadowed figure of the man that twirled her fair-haired friend.
Angel's knack for grabbing attention tore her away before she could catch more than the back of a blood-splattered shirt, his many hands leading her into the more wild-legged and widespread steps of swing with ease. Where Cyrus was languid, almost overconfident with how he moved, Angel didn't care much for who or what might have gotten in his way as they danced. Their scattered sessions of practice together had given Clover enough warning to expect this from him, and she trusted him to know her limitations. That was why she squeaked when he lifted her feet from the floor and all but tossed her around him, his warning broken by laughter and given far too late to keep her stomach from dropping into her shoes.
Another loud laugh cut through the noise, this time from Lollie as she was tossed over Cyrus's back, the two a mess of legs and arms as they flew across the dancefloor together. From between her two friends, she spied a glint of glasses looking back at her, but it was gone as Lollie twirled across her line of sight. Clover turned back to Angel, who held her steady after their impromptu lift, and quickly ducked under his arm with a wild smile as the sound of static met her ears. Now fully in tune with what exactly her friends had intended to do with her, Clover found herself getting lost in the fun of it as she was traded back and forth between Cyrus and Angel, tossed under legs and spun in circles as the song reached its height. For a moment she even danced with Mimzy, but the tiny demoness was quickly swept away by Cyrus with a playful flick of his tongue. Clover giggled at their antics, turning to fall back into step with Angel, but froze when she realized who exactly had taken his place beside her.
"I hope you don't mind if I cut in." Alastor's smile sent a shiver down her spine, relaxed and reassured as he briefly lifted his eyes from hers to regard Angel.
"She's all yours!"
The waggle of Angel's brow as he stepped back into the crowd didn't earn the eye roll she expected from Alastor, and the fond narrowing of them as he looked at her again nearly knocked the breath from her lungs. It returned with a sharp gasp as his radio fizzled and popped, catching the frequency on which the music was being broadcast and amplifying it through his speakers alongside his voice.
"Yes, I suppose she is." Alastor mused, tilting his head at where he'd frozen her to the floor before his smile softened, and he extended a hand to her. "Shall we?"
Clover took it without another thought, feeling his fingers tighten around hers as they fell into the mess of music and mayhem that had formed around them, together.