smk_network | 1 // Temptation

[ The magic mirror displayed a scene of total chaos. A horse’s cart was halfway up a tree, in flames, and the horse that was meant to be the engine for the thing was running around loose sending people scattering off the sidewalks as it thundered by. Crowley held the mirror and looked back at the scene before walking away. ]

That could have gone better. Probably goes without saying I’m not going to be a carriage driver...

[ A small pause while the cart exploded and someone in the background screamed. ]

Anyone heard of--

[ He was suddenly interrupted by a little angry man who shouted after the demon, something about a wrecked cart, but it was difficult to hear anything but Crowley’s replies. ]

Pay you? You ought to be paying me! Like it’s my fault the horse doesn’t like demons! You never once said the horse doesn’t like demons!

[ Crowley waved the man off with a less-than-polite gesture and crash landed grumpily onto the nearest free bench, though with the panicked horse running wild most of the benches were empty. Most of the street too. People had piled into the nearest building which just so happened to be a candy shop. ]

As I was trying to ask before I was interrupted, anyone else heard of any other job openings? Not having the best of luck with it... I would have done fine as a driver but that horse--

[ He was interrupted again before he could continue. Crowley snarled as he turned to glare at this new distraction but in doing so he ended up dropping his magic mirror. ]

-- Hours Passed before the Mirror flared to life again --

[ Unsurprisingly it was to bear witness to another scene of chaos this time one of children and their parents frantically snatching up every boxed or bagged candy they could lay their hands on while one demon clad in uncharacteristically in white and sporting a lovely red striped bandanna carefully watched over their every action from behind the counter. ]

Everybody in here better be buying something or you are going back outside and trust me you don’t want to be out there with that horse still on the loose!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

bigbadrose

Jalapeno chocolate.

Oh! Or there's this flower on another planet where the nectar is like... orgasmic, not a drug. Just really delicious. It's so super rare though that like no one can get more than a mild whiff of it, but if you were able to recreate it through magic in this realm and then make it edible? [Makes a gesture with her fingers.] To die for.

From:

serpentinthegarden

Orgasmic chocolate?!

[ Now there was a wicked idea... sent the mind reeling off in all sorts of directions, not the least of which was looking back at the older gentleman whose shop this actually was. ]

Not sure Chef would go for that. It would sell amazingly well though... if anyone could recreate that nectar?

From:

bigbadrose

Inspire me? I might be able to with magic. And help.

From:

serpentinthegarden

[ Crowley's nose scrunched but he leaned closer to the screen. ]

I'm not really that sort of demon. You're thinking of the other department, the succubus. I'm more into spreading discontent and discord.

From:

bigbadrose

[Holds up a hand.]

Dude. I said inspire, not seduce. You're not my bloody type. Face of my friend or not, your hair's all the wrong color, your snarky isn't funny like his, and you're clearly obsessed with the straight-laced, boring, all white, stuffy angel instead.

I mean -- [Face scrunch and rubs her temples.] Direction. Guidance. Motivation. Narrow out everything else so I can bloody focus, yeah? Blimey, I miss the TARDIS. That's new. Usually I have her, and not the Doctor. Go figure.

Inspiration's the little thing from inside that you can use to do things outside. Remember the past, conceptualize the future, and then merge them both together into the present. Bad Wolf. [Not that he'd get that, but that's not the point.] It's not lust, you daft dolt. That'd just distract me more!

From:

serpentinthegarden

Obsessed? I'm not obsessed! What makes you say obsessed?? We're just...

[ Enemies, business associates, roommates... ]

... friends.

[ Which was bad enough to admit! An Angel and a Demon as friends, that would turn some heads back home! ]

Anyway I still think you're confused. Angels are the ones meant to inspire people, demons are the ones meant to tempt them. I don't know that it would even work the other way around.

[ He paused to think about it, his voice taking on a softer tone. ]

I could suggest that a candy like that might be very good at breaking the ice with a certain Doctor. I've seen you and the old horse whisperer hanging out a lot. Might loosen him up. Set an intriguing mood... You probably even ran across that nectar with him or with that guy who looks like me, who makes you determined to hate me on principal because I'm not him?

From:

bigbadrose

Fine, tempt me.

[But her attitude completely reverses with the suggestion of the Doctor, and her glare could set things on fire.]

We're done here. [And hangs up without warning.]

From:

serpentinthegarden

[ See? So much better at spreading discontent and discord. Apparently Rose could dish out teasing comments but not take them herself. That was something to keep in mind. ]

From:

bigbadrose

[Teasing yes, but the Doctor is the furthest thing from motivation for her. More like a rein. Someone that holds her in check. Protecting the universe and not doing what she selfishly wants. And the idea of purposely trying to ply him with candy, or anything like it, set Rose off into doing the exact opposite; clearly.]

[Though she doesn't hate Crowley, and would tell him that if he called her back. She shut off because she didn't want to accidentally lash out worse at the demon, since it's hardly his fault.]

From:

serpentinthegarden

[ It is several hours, one lunch break, and one dinner later before he does eventually call her back. ]

Look, whatever I said I'm sorry. If you are actually interested in trying to create that candy I'll try to help. Though like I said, not sure how good I would be at it.

From:

bigbadrose

[She's a bajillion times softer now, luckily for him.]

Mm, yeah I can... try.

Sorry for... overreacting? I guess? The Doctor's... [Wince.] Bit of a sore topic for me. Not... motivational.

He kind of...

I told you, yeah? He wouldn't be terribly happy about me shooting myself across dimensions, not even to fight the darkness. Blimey, and he didn't even do it intentionally, he just completely started acting like my parents...

[Bluuuuh.]

[And she shakes her hair out with both hands.] Instead of that nectar though, I think I just wanna try something no one has ever tasted. Something even better! Like fire and flying and mist and just-- better than anything I've already had, so yeah. Determination and independence. I know those are real flavors for other people, and here I am just a human doing it blind, but that's just it, yeah? I'm a human without any of the normal ability to do all that, and I'll still find a way!!! SO there!

From:

serpentinthegarden

You broke through dimensions just to find your way back to him, that sounds pretty motivational to me.

[ Not to argue but it did! He would set it aside though. ]

Think determination and independence would sell as candy?

From:

bigbadrose

I did not! I did it to fight the darkness. [Huff! Puff. Sulk.] Aziraphale did the same thing. Said I should think about something I really wanted and couldn't have. Idiotic idea if I ever heard one. I'd never take away his will like that. And if he doesn't choose me without aids then -- [All the dark growls and angry eyes.] I don't want him at all. [She chose giving up everything for him. If he couldn't endure the pain and consequences as part of being with her, then that's not her loss, but his.]

[She softens at the question and thinks it over, finally shaking her head slowly, no.] Yeah.... good point. Probably not. [Rubs her temples in thought. Liqueur? Back to the orgasmic flower.] Ugh. I'd ask Michael, for ideas, but I've already hit on him and that went over like a lead balloon so... I'll figure something out. Unless you wanna propose needing ideas to him, yeah?

From:

serpentinthegarden

Aziraphale said that?

[ Something he wanted but couldn't have... nah, couldn't be! ]

Rose everyone uses aids! Guys wear their best cloths, girls put on make up, some times its the other way around... it doesn't hurt anything to give the person you're into a little push. Think of it as encouragement.

[ Or a temptation. ]

And why would I ask that guy anything? Micheal didn't know what a macaroon tasted like until I told him to eat one... besides he would probably say antimatter. No one wants that.

From:

bigbadrose

I told him that was really unfair and he'd singe his wings with trying to do that himself if he'd actually thought it all the way through. [Huff!!!]

No. [Growls.] I know how brilliant I am, and that I'm the best thing that ever happened to him. If he can't get out of his head enough to ever stop worrying about me dying when he regenerates, or his own guilt complex that I'd actively choose to be with him over my family, and can't ever respect my own bloody decisions that got us here, then I mean exactly what I said; then I don't want him. It'd insult me if he had to get drunk or something to snog me. From someone else that's fine, but not him. If he's not choosing me, if he has to give himself an excuse... [So much growls.] Then he hasn't earned me, got it?

From:

bigbadrose

[But she giggles about Michael and antimatter.]

I do!!! But I have only the vaguest idea of what that would be like. Like trying to tell a color blind person all the shades of red and green.

From:

serpentinthegarden

[ He shrugged, singeing a few feathers might actually be fun. Not that he would get much chance to. Mm, actually a drunken dalliance didn't sound too bad to him at all. Some the longest romances in history started as drunken dalliances, course those weren't the sort of stories that got written about and he, being a demon, wasn't about to mention he even knew about them. ]

Suit yourself. It doesn't matter to me if it works out or not. You do have a way of picking them though don't you? Micheal... nah, I don't see it.

From:

bigbadrose

[Blushes and turtles into her shirt.]

Oi! What's wrong with--?

[Okay. Everything, and she knows it.] Ugh. It's not like you can choose> that sort of thing, yeah? I mean would you ever actively choose to be mad about an uptight fussy angel who would do nothing but complicate your every waking hour and suck the fun out of half o' what you enjoy?

From:

bigbadrose

[Now she's just kind of depressed and flomps sideways.]

None. I would choose none. Blokes are all rubbish. Even when they're not really blokes. Females are rubbish too. Most of them. I like the TARDIS, but now that I miss her, I'm just done. It's impossible to be whole. I am Persephone.

From:

serpentinthegarden

I'm not mad about an uptight fussy angel. We just know each other. And he doesn't... all of those other things you said either.

[ Nope, so not owning that one! Besides hanging out with Aziraphale was fun. No, those were not love googles he was wearing, why did you ask?

Persephone was given a very long, very concerned look. ]

You're into Hades now?!

From:

bigbadrose

No! Idiot! It's a metaphor!

From:

serpentinthegarden

I get that, but it doesn't make sense, at all. A metaphor should make some sense.

From:

bigbadrose

My Mum and Dad were sent back to Pete -- My Dad's Universe. The Doctor on the other. Where I was born. No matter what I choose, I'm upsetting people I love. And the asshole doesn't even want me in the underworld -- metaphorically again, not literally -- with him, just keeps sending me back to my Mum, and even when I fight my way back and he says he wants me with him, he also says I'm too young to know better and that he doesn't want me to hurt so much, even though, the only way to be in the underworld means being half a ghost, yeah?

Edited Date: 2019-08-12 02:02 am (UTC)

From:

bigbadrose

Oh, and when I hit on Michael, he just assumed he was a rebound.

That's not a Persephone thing. It just makes the metaphor match, because everyone was fighting about where she was going to be, instead of her getting to do the fighting for herself, and everyone else even the boy who gave her pomegranate seeds just machinated around her...

Never mind.

You had to be there.