Ozzie's wasn't just a club.
It was an ecosystem a cathedral of neon excess where every light, every beat, every breath was designed to overwhelm.
Velvet walls pulsed with enchanted bass. Colored fog drifted from vents shaped like fanged cherubs. Chandeliers made of twisted gold and glowing glass hearts hung overhead like trophies.
And the crowd?
They were already staring.
Not subtly or politely.
Hungry.
Lust demons didn't do passive observation especially not when two high value targets walked in arm in arm.
A whisper spread through the room like wildfire:
> "That's them."
"New Overlord."
"Verosika Mayday."
"…Together?"
"No way."
Some gawked.
assessed.
Another looked jealous.
This one immediately plotted.
Verosika felt it first the weight of attention. The stage instincts in her snapped tight and ready.
She leaned in slightly, voice low and amused:
"Welcome to the jungle."
Malerion didn't react the way newcomers usually did. No stiffness, no wide eyes, no shrinking from attention.
He simply walked.
Slow. Calm. Unaffected.
Which in Lust Ring was more intimidating than any display of power.
A server with fox ears nearly dropped her tray.
She whispered to someone behind her:
> "Who walks like that in Ozzie's? He's not even trying."
A taller demon replied:
> "Someone dangerous."
Verosika's smirk widened.
And then the lights changed.
Spotlights arced across the room, converging on the upper balcony where a massive figure lounged like a king on a throne made of velvet and vice.
Eight feet tall, feathers and fur, glowing eyes, long grin full of teeth sharpened for fun and aesthetic rather than necessity.
Asmodeus.
The embodiment of Lust.
He didn't enter he revealed himself.
And when he saw Verosika and Malerion together, he let out a slow whistle.
"Well, well, well," his voice boomed through magically amplified acoustics smooth like caramel and smug like sin itself.
"What do we have here?"
The crowd shifted eagerly like an audience before a show.
Verosika lifted her chin.
Malerion simply looked up unwavering.
Asmodeus grinned wider.
"Ohhh, I LIKE that. No bow. No panic. No overcompensation. You walk in here like you already belong."
He snapped his fingers.
Music shifted slower, darker, rhythmic.
The kind meant for private dances and dangerous intentions.
As Ozzie leaned forward, he pointed directly at Malerion , claws flashing.
"You're causing noise, sweetheart. Big noise. Power moving where it shouldn't, territories bending, sinners and demons choosing sides and nobody seems to know who you are."
A pause.
The crowd held its breath.
Ozzie's grin softened into something sharper.
"So tell me"
His gaze flicked between the two.
"are you here to make friends?"
Then his smile widened into something wicked.
"Or to make a mess?"
Verosika brushed her thumb once over Malerion's wrist subtle grounding, or a test, or both.
Malerion stepped forward.
Not aggressive, submissive.
Present.
"I'm here," he said, voice carrying effortlessly, "because you invited me."
Ozzie blinked then laughed.
A deep, theatrical, delighted sound.
"Ohhhh, charming and literal. Dangerous combination."
He waved a hand.
"Come up."
The balcony gate opened velvet curtains parting like a theatrical reveal.
But nobody in Ozzie's invited guests walked to the private floor.
There were rules here.
And the first rule was simple:
If Asmodeus calls, you perform.
Verosika leaned slightly toward Malerion, lips near his ear.
"Follow my lead."
Then
She stepped forward.
Her walk shifted hips looser, spine fluid, gaze half-lidded.
Not seductive.
Commanding.
The crowd parted like water.
Some stared in awe, others in envy.
Malerion walked beside her with the same steady pace but there was a shift:
Not aggressive.
Just… controlled.
Ozzie watched them approach, chin resting on his knuckles.
When they finally reached his level, he gestured to a curved velvet couch facing him.
"Sit."
Verosika sat first confident, familiar.
Malerion sat beside her, leaving just enough space to show respect without submission.
Ozzie clicked his tongue.
"Ohhh, the posture. The dynamic. The tension. You two are going to give the gossip circuit a heart attack."
Verosika smirked.
"We already have."
Ozzie winked.
"Lucky me I get the live version."
Then his expression shifted playful layered with razor interest.
"So. Malerion."
The name rolled off his tongue like testing expensive wine.
"There's already betting pools about you."
Malerion raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? About what?"
Ozzie grinned wickedly.
"Whether you're going to become one of us"
A pause.
"or tear the whole table apart."
Verosika's fingers flexed once.
Malerion didn't look away.
"And what do you think?"
Asmodeus leaned back, feathers spreading like a peacock display.
"Oh, sweetheart…"
His grin sharpened, fangs catching the light.
"Either way?"
He raised a glass.
"I want front row seats."
The crowd roared.
Verosika exhaled slowly.
Malerion didn't blink.
The game had started.
And Lust Ring was very, very entertained.