Match of the Millennium

Description: Tarmo and Lackey meet on the beach late at night. Can Tarmo avoid falling victim to the demoness's corruption like everyone else around?

[TAIRYU]
Southtown might be home to all manner of fun activities, sure; restaurants, arcades, bars and clubs, not to mention the plethora of avenues to get fun fights in (sanctioned or otherwise...). But sometimes, a guy needs some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city, too. Especially a guy like Tarmo -- who spent a not-insignifant part of his life in the woods and more wild regions of Finland.

Along the shoreline ways out from Southtown's city limits, past the Bay, there's no buildings or other signs of human influence nearby. Well, save for the silhouettes of Southtown itself far out in the Bay, perpetually lit up as a beacon of civilization. But here? Here in this little nooks, no disturbances from other people is to be found. And thus the perfect place to set up camp in for the night where a certain woodsman decided to forego the comforts of civiliziation for a few hours. A tent set up near the rocky cliffside, and a fire in a pit dug into the sand... with a massive salmon skewered on a spit above it. There's no fishing pole anywhere in sight, though...?

And sitting upon the sand is one (1) Tarmo -- a truly enormous, heavily-muscled, bearded man in camo-patterned cargo pants and black poots, left topless with his typical jacket folded up neatly near the tent. Silently, thoughtfully gazing off towards the calm ocean while idly sipping on a can of cheap beer. Contemplating the life, universe and everything, in this blissful peace away from everything.

[LACKEY]
Well, Tarmo is almost alone for the most part. On a beach near the shore under the cover of darkness, a chair has been set up underneath a beach umbrella. A young woman has done her best to conceal herself underneath the beach umbrella but a few others have been trapped in her sphere of influence and have fallen asleep close by as well. The people haven't been harmed by the demoness in any way but are rather fatigued.

[TAIRYU]
Well, that certainly ends up drawing some attention. Especially out over here in these parts.

The massive finn, too, ends up inevitably spotting his most curious of all sights, among his wandering of the shore. And so, the topless, Very Very Tall Finn comes stalking a bit closer towards that beach umbrella, too... but once he's actually gotten close enough to make out what state the people laid down on the sands are in, he halts himself with a wary frown, and instead calls out, "...Anyone awake over there?"

[LACKEY]
The woman is awakened from her slumber off herself when she hears the voice. She made sure that was alone out here but it seems she's stumbled across a bit of a secret meeting spot as she notices the others that have passed out around here. "It's not what it looks like they must have shown up after I arrived..." She hides her tail underneath the chair as she picks it up and takes advantage of the height of the umbrella to conceal her horns. The yawn she lets out makes it clearly she isn't fully awake either.

[TAIRYU]
Tarmo's height does work to the woman's advantage, at least -- in that the angle he can see her from doesn't really do much to allow for him to see much of her there. Horns and tail included. He does, however, curious look at the people laid down upon the sands again, with a scratch given at the back of his neck. "People just... gathered to sleep around you while you were napping?" He wonders out loud, his accented voice sounding all the more bemused by that. "Does... that happen often?" He might not sound entirely convinced, either.

[LACKEY]
"No, they just fall asleep sometimes if I happen to be in the area. I'm guessing they didn't see me, I don't want to know what they were doing out here." Lackey explains what's going on. She finally looks up to notice he's shirtless, "Okay, you're not a cop that's a plus. I don't really want have to deal with the police when I'm half-awake. "I'm going to have to find somewhere else to spend the night though, I don't think I want to be around when they wake up." She sounds a bit annoyed about having to move.

[TAIRYU]
"...They what now?" Tarmo's eyes narrow at the woman while his thick arms go folding up over his broad chest. The way he's looking at her - or the umbrella, at least - just grows mor esuspicious with ever passing moment now. And exponentially so when she comments on her assessment of him. "...Why would a cop be a problem? Not that I'm going to go calling any of those on you, but like..." He glances down to one of the knocked-out people again, frowning deeper. "You *did* have something to do with these, huh?"

[LACKEY]
Lackey's backing away from the strange man at this point but suddenly a gust of wind makes her umbrella fold upwards exposing her horns. "Crap..." She's busy trying to lose her grip on the umbrella and the chair so she's unable to use her arms to try and conceal them from his sight. "I'm a demon okay, it's not like I can just check in a motel for the night..." There's no point in trying to hide it.

[TAIRYU]
A rapid series of blinking commences on the part of the Finn once he gets a full, proper look at the woman. His head tilts to one side, first, and then the other, while he gives her a long, deliberate look-over, gaze seemingly lingering specifically on the horns. And the tail, too, if it's visible enough by now, too.

"A demon," he repeats, now turning to step around her, slowly, still studying her from a few paces away. "You're not the kinda demon that eats soul or anythin', right?" He asks, with a quirk of one thick brow. "If not, I don't think I'mma have too much of a problem. You don't look too dangerous otherwise if all ya do is make folks sleepy or whatever."

[LACKEY]
"No, I don't eat people's souls. Don't get me wrong, I don't like humans but I don't want to end their existance. After all I can't carry my duties without them." Lackey fully exposes her demonic features as she lifts her tail out from underneath the chair and sits back down. "A lot of them don't feel the same way about me though." She knows quite a few humans don't care for demons after all.

[TAIRYU]
"Yeah, people are like that. Bloody bastards." Tarmo stops his circling, and even unfolds his arms now -- pressing one palm to his hip while he leans over slightly to try and get a closer look at the woman without actually bringing himself closer to her. "Though I guess these guys didn't have any qualms about gettin' close to one, huh? Unless they were just bein tempted by seein' a pretty girl and all. There a particular reason you're hangin' out here, for that matter?"

[LACKEY]
"Pretty simple, I like the beach and it beats sleeping on a park bench or something. People tend not to get too happy when you break into their houses to crash. It's not like I can sleep in the ocean or something. You think I'm pretty?" Lackey shows a hint of a fanged smile with that.

[TAIRYU]
"Well, I mean, when you put it like that..." Tarmo allows, with a light scratch given to his stubbled cheek with one finger. "I do admit I did kind of wonder if you might have been some kind of sea-bound demon, but-- guess not, then?" At her latter question, he flashes a brief, amused smirk at her. "Maybe I do. What, can't a guy think that about a demon?"

[LACKEY]
"Well, you're kind of right in a way. My master is a mermaid. She tends to get upset if she can't reach me. You can think it but that doesn't mean things are going to go anywhere." Lackey's kind of hoping Myriad wouldn't show up right now, it would get rather awkward fast.

[TAIRYU]
"Eh?"

Apparently this revelation causes some confusion in Tarmo all over again. The finn ends up merely... staring at the horned woman with a slightly slacked jaw for a few seconds, before he actually speaks up again.

"Okay, so let me get this straight..." He rumbles, with a subtle wrinkle of his nose. "You are... a demon, who is not a mermaid, but whose master is a mermaid, who also demands that you stay close to water so that she can reach you easily....?"

Tarmo blinks once, twice, three times after saying all that. "Is she a demon too, then? Or is mermaid completely different?"

[LACKEY]
"Yes, she's a demon too. Well she demands it when I'm not on some job for her. It's kind of complicated, I know. I'm just a Lackey after all." She sounds a bit happy to have someone to vent to. "It's not like I'm anyone important or anything."

[TAIRYU]
"Doesn't sound like you particularly like that arrangement," Tarmo observes, his arms now folding up over his chest again, while he braves to take at least one step closer now -- though clearly still wary of potentially being hit by the same influence as the rest of the people who have fallen into deep sleep here upon the sands just out of virtue of getting close to the sleeping demon.

"Hey, now," he grunts out sharply at her latter words, shaking his head and even frowning at her. "None of that now. Thinkin' like that's only goin' to end up making your own things worse for ya. Everyone's got their own importance."

[LACKEY]
"I don't hate her if that's what you're thinking. Like I said it's complicated, I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I haven't even got your name yet." Lackey sounds quite unsure about everything. "What are you doing out here anyway? It's not like you have to hide from humans or anything." She can't help but to wonder now why he's so interested in her.

[TAIRYU]
"Don't got your name either, and yet..." Tarmo makes a vague wave of a gesture with his large hand at that, rolling one boulder-sized shoulder in a subtle shrug.

"But..." He promptly draws one hand over, jerking a thumb up to point towards himself with a wide, toothy flash of a grin. "I'm Tarmo. Pleased to meet ya an' all. And I'm just here to relax. I like the city plenty enough, but there's just somethin' about places like these sometimes, you know? Plenty quiet, plenty peace... plenty room to relax and think on things when I'm not in the mood to go crazy in town."

[LACKEY]
"Actually, you did. My name is Lackey. Yes, with a capital L. And you're okay for a human I guess and everything." She doesn't want to sound too affectionate after all. "Well, there's fewer people out here at least. I don't have to worry about running into hunters or anything like that as much." She sounds a bit more relaxed now at least.

[TAIRYU]
"...Lackey, huh..." Murmurs Tarmo, narrowing his eyes subtly. "I don't suppose this... master of yours is who gave you that name, huh? Seems kind of... mean." He can't help but let out a bark of amusement over her comment, then, teeth flashing out again. "If I can strive to be 'okay' at least, then that's well enough I guess!" He steps back away from the sleeping people though, and nudges his head along back. "You have to move away from these sleepyheads, right? You can come hang out where I'm camping. If anyone asks you can hide and I'll just say I didn't see nuttin'."

[LACKEY]
"Yes, she's the one who named me. It doesn't really bother me though, I've been called a lot worse." Upon hearing the offer, Lackey gets her chair and umbrella once again. "That's likely a good idea. Just don't wake me up early." She makes it clear to Tarmo that she's not a morning person as she lets him lead the way to the tent.

[TAIRYU]
"If it works for you, I guess..." Tarmo still seems very much dubious about that, though. Glancing back over his shoulder to her, his brows jump upwards a bit at her, and... a loud, sharp snort rings out from within his throat. "You like sleeping, do you?" He asks with no small amounts of amusement rumbling behind his words. "I mean, no judgement if ya do or anythin'... I'll try to be quiet and all at least. No promises about snoring though."

[LACKEY]
"Well, it kind of comes with my domain. Not all demons eat souls for energy after all." Lackey reminds him of his earlier comment. "Besides I have to get my source of pleasure from somewhere. Don't worry I get to sleep easily." Her eyes aren't the only part of her that resembles a cat after all.

[TAIRYU]
"Can't say I've heard people call sleep a point of pleasure very often," Tarmo mutters with a scratch aimed to the top of his head. Tarmo's campsite and tent isn't very far away -- but perhaps far enough away that the poor souls that were put to sleep by the demon's proximity won't be thinking to look thataway right away. If they happened to evne be inclined to go looking in the first place, after that.

[LACKEY]
Lackey follows him to the campsite closely being ready to go back to sleep after having being disturbed, "Everyone has their own personal desires to fulfil. Besides I'm sure you've felt refreshed after a good night's sleep before right?"

[TAIRYU]
"I don't really know if that's the same thing for me," Tarmo suggests with another shrug of his broad shoulders. "It's more just recharging than anything else, truth be told. But I guess it... feels nice after a long day of keeping busy? THat kind of thing. I haven't really given any thought to it beyond it just being something I gotta do every now and then, if that makes sense?"

[LACKEY]
Lackey's not really in the mood to argue and is already back on her chair. "Well, if it's something you have to do you might as well make it as pleasant as possible right? Thanks for letting me crash with you." She feels a bit safer not being on her own. She just hopes Myriad doesn't find them before she wakes up. With that she's out like a light.

Log created on 16:06:46 07/10/2021 by Lackey, and last modified on 21:49:18 07/10/2021.