Match of the Millennium

Description: Rafferty has a midnight encounter with The Demon Queen.

[RAFFERTY]
All is quiet in the boys' dormitory of the Pacific High school. It's around midnight and all of the occupants are sleeping, except one. Rafferty Lawrence Stewart has things on his mind. He's been trying to sleep for over an hour now and is having zero success. Dressed in his favourite midnight blue and black silky pyjamas and wearing a matching black sleep mask over his blue eyes, he tosses from side to side on his ivory Mulberry silk pillow. It's not the usual regulation one provided by the school, but he's invested, since it's never too early to prevent hair and skin damage!

The dorm itself is surprisingly neat and tidy, but there is an area of the wall that seems to be a different colour to the rest. It suggests some recent repair work has perhaps occured.

Sitting up in his bed, Rafferty pulls off the mask from his face and puts it on his bedside table. From here he retrieves his cell phone and enters the key code to gain access. Opening his internet browser, he goes to the last page viewed and sees an eyecatching photograph of Demon Queen Lyraelle with a dog sat on her face. It's captioned Lyraelle Gets Some Sugar!

"Damn, she ain't gonna like that" he chuckles, before scrolling down to read the comments section. There seems to be thousands of them, some defending their heroine and others seeming delighted that she was humiliated. A user with the name Kitty Fantastica seems to have gotten into some heated arguments with the pink haired hellion's detractors. It's only when he clicks on another article that he actually notices she won a championship belt. Apparently this is deemed less headline grabbing than Sugar's shenanigans.

The reason for Rafferty's sudden interest in Lyraelle can be traced back to a recent visit to the beach. It had started out as some harmless afternoon fun with his girlfriend, Nena and classmate, Edenlith, but had become rather confusing, when a Gedo student by the name of Ryuko had brought up the subject of darkstalkers. It wasn't like the blond teen hadn't heard the name mentioned before, but he'd always dismissed it as the stuff of fantasy, like vampires or werewolves, but apparently these were actually real too!

As soon as he'd got back to the dorm, he'd started frantically googling them and the first photograph that came up was of Lyraelle. She seemed vaguely familar and then he remembered, she was that cosplayer who'd approached him asking if he'd be willing to wear her merchandise to up the sales. Except, she wasn't a cosplayer at all, she was the real deal.

He decided to contact her via her official website and let her know he'd be interested in working for her (for the right price). Not only would he earn some extra money, but he'd also be able to quiz her on the subject of darkstalkers. It was a win win really, but he was yet to hear back.

It was the anticipation of this response and the subject of darkstalkers being real in general that was causing the model to miss out on his precious beauty sleep.

[LYRAELLE]
Suddenly, an alert pops up on Rafferty's phone.

NEW MESSAGES (1)

DemonQueenLyraelle: Hiii!

[RAFFERTY]
As the silver phone vibrates in his hand, Rafferty opens his messenger to see who's getting in touch at such a late hour.

A grin appears on his face when he sees the sender and his long fingers fly swiftly across the keys, as he types out his response.

Blue Steel: Hiii yourself! I was hoping you'd get in touch.

[LYRAELLE]
It only takes a moment before a reply comes through.

DemonQueenLyraelle: Oh, I've been busy lately, but I always have time for a collab <3

A second later, another message pops up.

DemonQueenLyraelle: Mind letting me in?

[RAFFERTY]
Blue Steel: Yeah, I saw what you'd been busy with :D

There's a brief pause before another message comes through.

Blue Steel: Letting you in? Are you here now? :O

[LYRAELLE]
DemonQueenLyraelle: I prefer to do business in person :D

[RAFFERTY]
Blue Steel: Alright. Give me a minute.

The teen rises from his bed and pads barefoot over towards the door of his room. Briefly glancing at the other occupied bed, he is satisfied that his room mate, Ryan is sleeping deeply, so he opens it up, waiting to greet the demon queen.

[LYRAELLE]
And the door swings open to reveal...

An empty dormitory hallway.

Another message pops up.

DemonQueenLyraelle: Not the door, sweetie <3

A faint tapping sound against the glass from the bedroom window can be heard through the dark dorm room.

[RAFFERTY]
There's a look of confusion on Rafferty's handsome features, when he opens the door to an empty hallway. As his phone vibrates again in his hand, he simply nods his head and then heads for the window inside his room, being sure to carefully close the door behind him. As he pulls back the curtains and sees Lyraelle standing there in all her glory, he can't help but gasp. He opens the window with fumbling fingers, causing the fabric of the flimsy curtains to flutter in the night breeze.

A few rivulets of rainwater drip from locks of Lyraelle's pink hair and black horns as she tilts her head to the left and forms a V with the index and middle fingers of her left hand next to it.

[LYRAELLE]
It's a dark night; the moon and stars are obscured by rain clouds from which a steady shower of droplets spill to the ground below. The features of the black silhouette are hard to make out, but its voluptuous curves, the stylish ponytail, and the wing-shaped outlines are unmistakably -

*KRAK*

- revealed by a stroke of lightning from the firmament to be one of the many trees lining the lawn of Pacific High, apparently recently re-imagined by the local groundskeeper in the shape of Tiffany Lords in honour of the cheerleader's accomplishments.

Before Rafferty likely has time to process this revelation, he's suddenly greeted back in the form of two sculpted thigh-high-sporting legs swinging into the window from above, followed immediately by the succubus they're attached to as a sopping wet Lyraelle crashes recklessly into the dorm room.

If he's lucky - er, unlucky - Rafferty might find himself the victim of the Demon Queen's careless entrance.

Regardless of fate's whimsy in the matter, he'll be greeted with the smiling face, live and in person, that has graced billions of streams worldwide, with no sense of personal space or awareness of the sleeping youth that shares the room.

"Hello, minion~"

A few rivulets of rainwater drip from locks of Lyraelle's pink hair and black horns as she tilts her head to the left and forms a V with the index and middle fingers of her left hand next to it.

[RAFFERTY]
As the lightning reveals the truth, Rafferty moves a hand to his eyes to rub at them, before quickly remembering this could cause wrinkles in later life! Phew, that was close! He drops it back down to his side and edges closer to the glass, peering out to see where the real Lyraelle is. Before his eyes can locate her, the question is answered. She's on top of him!

Down he goes, falling to the (thankfully carpeted) floor and landing flat on his back, straddled by his voluptuous visitor.

"I knew you were a knockout but..." His voice trails off, as he looks up into her green gaze. "Not a fan of the minion thing though. At least not when it's used on me." He brings a silky sleeve to his face and dabs at it gently, attempting to remove the drops of rainwater that have landed there.

[LYRAELLE]
The succubus' sweet smile seems to twitch into a frown almost immediately when Rafferty declares his disdain for the minion treatment, her backside sinking against him with her weight as she slackens a little from her perky posture.

"That so? Weird, I usually find it's popular with your demographic - ooh, is this real silk?"

There's a little shift around, and then -

"That feels ni - actually, I think I'd better stop there."

The dripping-wet Demon Queen lifts herself up off of her silken throne, stepping aside and stretching her arms behind her back, popping it.

"Alright, stand back a minute, sweetie."

The succubus gives a couple of shakes of her head and arms, not unlike a dog, sending a spray of water from her disheveled pink tresses and body -

*fwoomph*

- and then, with a surge of heat that can be felt even from a distance, she's suddenly dry, steam rising off of her shoulders and hair as her flash-dried ponytail and bangs explode back perfectly into shape.

She turns around to face Rafferty, smiling again as her rubbery, spade-tipped purple tail flicks behind her like that of a stalking cat.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about some work, hon'?"

[RAFFERTY]
"Yeah, I'm not anyone's minion" the blond asserts firmly. "It's for sure a cute catchphrase though" he quickly adds, with a dazzling smile.

"They very much are real silk" he confirms, fingering the fabric of his pyjamas. "Feel amazing don't they? I like to experience only the finest things next to my skin." Is he flirting? It's likely so, but since this seems to be his default setting around females, it's probably intended as harmless fun.

Still, as the demoness lifts off him, an air of disappointment may be detected.

He steps back as requested, perching his backside down on the end of his bed and watching the show.

"Hey, you doing your Sug..." He abruptly stops, his pale skin turning almost ghostly. "So yeah! Business! Let's talk money and merch."

[LYRAELLE]
"In that case, you're welcome," Lyraelle replies to Rafferty's comment about only liking to experience the finest things next to his skin, winking.

When Rafferty starts to say something about 'Sug,' the coquettish look on her face fades to a simmering gaze his way. The 'Dogchamp' emoji has already spiralled into an epidemic both on the DemonQueenLyraelle channel and Lyraelle-related streams, even spilling into fight fans' vocabulary as slang for especially humiliating moments. Banning the emoji on DemonQueenLyraelle casts would only serve to divide her viewership and add fuel to the fire - and thus, with the option of having those who reference the Sugar incident rounded up and lined against the wall unavailable in this day and age, Her Infernal Majesty has been forced to endure the slings and emojis - even stooping so far as to embrace the memes, taking it so far as to pose and smile for shots with Sugar and the Blue Champion championship belt since the match.

As for how she actually feels about it?

"Bring that puppy up again and I'll doing my Sugar impression on your /face./"

It's apparently still pretty fresh.

The celebrity succubus shifts her weight onto her left hip, placing her hand on it as she pulls a tight smile for the teen.

'Let's talk money and merch.'

"Let's!"

The pink-haired hellion's expression shifts into an actual smile - or at least, a more convincing one - as the subject changes. She plops herself down on the edge of the other bed, apparently incognisant of the sleeping Ryan there.

"So, what're you hoping to get out of a deal with Dark Heart Productions? I don't mean numbers, I mean dreams, ambitions. You're young and probably still stupid, so feel free to thrill me."

[RAFFERTY]
Holding his hands up in surrender, or perhaps for protection, Rafferty stares sincerely at Lyraelle.

"I promise you I won't mention Sugar again. I mean, apart from that one time I just did, to say that I won't. As for dreams and ambitions..." His face takes on a thoughtful expression, as he taps his perfectly manicured fingers lightly on his luxuriously clad knee.

Ryan meanwhile, starts to make soft murmuring sounds in his sleep, before turning over from one side to the other and letting out a loud snort.

"He does that a lot" Rafferty assures Lyraelle, though his eyes remain on the dark haired boy for a moment longer. Finally satisifed he's not going to wake up, he focuses back on his guest, his face lighting up with enthusiasm as he discusses his future hopes.

"Well firstly I want to become a totally kick ass model. I mean, I already think I'm rocking it pretty hard, but I wanna keep improving. You know? I want to fit in as many jobs as I can around my studies and keep earning plenty of money. I know you said this isn't about numbers, but I care about the business side of things too. The more money I make modelling, the more I have to invest in the next stage of my plan, which is to become an actor. I can take acting classes, make sure I am seen at the best parties, so I can network. I mean, someone like you must know how it is. You know how to work your audience. That's why I thought we might make a good team. I know I dismissed you at first, when you offered me your t-shirt, but I've been looking into you Miss Darkheart and well, you're a superstar. I love your confidence, I love your ambition and I love how many followers you have on social media."

[LYRAELLE]
The pink-haired fiend seems to have already forgotten all about Rafferty's faux pas by the time that he finishes apologizing for it, instead sitting with one leg draped over the other, her right elbow propped on her thigh and her chin propped on her palm as her green eyes focus ethereally on the blond model. She's only drawn out of her focus by the stirring of the student in the bed behind her, glancing over her shoulder and pressing a finger to her lips for silence as if willing the dark-haired boy to stay sleeping. When he does, she turns her attention back to Rafferty, the same as before, and continues to listen to him with a slow smile spreading subconsciously across her lips.

"Oh, that's right! You're from California, aren't you?"

She finally speaks when Rafferty finishes, beaming sunnily as she straightens up and rests her hands on the bed beside her, making herself comfortable.

"That's what I love about California kids; they always have such big dreams and they're always ready to sell their souls to make 'em happen."

She makes a slurping sound with her tongue, before stifling a giggle to keep from waking Ryan up.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Leaning forward again, this time with both arms resting against her knees, she turns her emerald eyes to Rafferty's blue ones.

"You know, for someone who isn't up for the minion gig, you're pretty good at making a girl feel queenly. You've got confidence, too. And if you've got ambition, then I can help get you the followers on your socials."

She tilts her head to one side, smiling brightly again.

"Now, this is all in the works right now, but I'm working on a new project. A side hustle, as it were. T-shirts with my face on them are good and all, but I'm looking for market saturation, and those can only go so far. So, I need faces to put my brand on."

For some reason, the demonette pauses for a giggle there before continuing.

"Sorry! Anyway, I'm starting a new line - still in the works - a real fashion line, with real clothes and cosmetics and everything. I want to be the Calvin Klein of darkstalkers. That's just the start, of course - love us or hate us, darkstalkers are the hotness right now, thanks to yours truly - and with the right push, we'll be leading the pack in fashion, period."

Her green eyes seem to practically glow in the dark as her self-obsessed excitement grows.

"Of course, some non-darkstalker allies - especially young ones? - would be /great/ for business."

Her eyes narrow slightly.

"...Assuming you're not a darkstalker, that is."

[RAFFERTY]
"Definitely not a darkstalker" Rafferty quickly replies. "I didn't even know they existed until the last few days" he admits. "I've been doing my research since though and it seems like you are the most famous one, not to mention the most beautiful."

Relaxing in the demon queen's company now, he allows himself to recline on his bed. His eyes flit across to Ryan with amusement, as she risks stirring him from his slumber, but the dark haired dreamer appears to be sleeping even more deeply.

"I've got to say, Lyraelle. May I call you Lyraelle?" he checks. "I am loving your idea and even more, I'm loving myself for a role in it. I can do high fashion, I can do commerical, I can for sure sell a scent. I collect aftershaves for fun! I also work well in different markets. I was moved over here to Southtown, just because they saw how much potential I had. They're paying for all this" he confides, gesturing his hand around the room.

"So what I'm saying is" he leans forward, angling his body towards her, in a mirroring of her own posture "I think we could make a perfect partnership."

[LYRAELLE]
"I prefer 'Your Majesty,'" Lyraelle says with a wink in response to Rafferty's question about whether he can call her by her first name, "but I'll let you off this time. 'Queen' Lyraelle works, too." Her continued smile doesn't betray whether she's being serious or not.

"But if you stick with me, then one day, when I've built my way up from Queen to Empress, you'll get to call me what you like. Who knows?"

The Demon Queen grins.

"You might even make Prince someday."

Clearly, the monarchy in question has become somewhat metaphorical.

As she stands up from the bed, Lyraelle stretches her arms and back, pulling a face as she dips her left hand down into her cleavage.

"Until then, though..."

Drawing her hand up, she pulls what appears initially to be a strip of purple cotton fabric, but soon reveals itself to actually be a t-shirt that was somehow tucked inconspicuously down the front of her leotard.

"We'll each have our titles for each other."

As she unfurls the t-shirt, it's revealed to have a cartoonish picture of Lyraelle's face on the front, with the word 'Minion' above it and the name 'Rafferty' below it in pink font.

She smiles broadly, tilting her head.

"Deal?"

[RAFFERTY]
The look on the male model's face is priceless as he's handed the tacky garment. He stares at it in silence, caressing the cheap fabric and then forcing a smile on his face.

"Deal, Your Majesty" he says through his immaculate, but ever so slightly gritted teeth.

Removing his pyjama top and giving the demon queen a flash of his toned teen body, he pulls the purple shirt over his head and then quickly straightens his platinum blond locks. "What do you think?" he asks, rising to his feet and giving a graceful twirl.

"I have to say I like the idea of being a prince. Prince Rafferty has quite the ring to it."

[LYRAELLE]
When he turns around, Rafferty will find that between the moment that he started to pull the purple shirt over his head and that in which he managed to get his head through the gap at the other end, the pink-haired demonette has disappeared, the dorm room window left creaking slightly in the wind as the rain continues to fall outside.

Meanwhile, Ryan is sat up in bed, propped on his hands and staring at Rafferty through barely-opened eyes.

"Uhh... whatever you say, dude."

Log created on 13:16:01 03/21/2021 by Rafferty, and last modified on 21:34:34 03/21/2021.