The lunch crowd buzzed softly through Solmere's eastern market district, warm sunlight spilling across cobblestone as vendors called out specials and musicians strummed light afternoon melodies.
Nyxian drew eyes the moment she stepped into the square.
Her dress was a dark black - a plunging V-cut that walked the razor edge between elegance and indecency. It framed her curves, exposed far too much for polite society, and yet…
no one could look away.
Humans.
Beastkin.
Even women stared.
She noticed.
She always noticed.
But today?
She wanted to.
Because this wasn't a performance.
This was her turn.
And she wanted him to see her.
Jax was already waiting inside the restaurant — a quiet, newer establishment on the opposite side of town from the Neon Moon. The scent of rich spices and savory broth drifted through the room, far stronger than Nyxian remembered this place ever smelling before.
He stood when she approached.
"Nyxian," he said with an easy smile. "Glad you made it."
There were two chairs across from a booth seat.
Jax politely pulled out the one across from him.
She paused.
Met his eyes.
Then smirked — and walked right past it, sliding deliberately into the booth beside him instead.
Close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
"I don't like distance on a date," she said casually.
"This is a date now?" he teased.
She tilted her head. "That depends. Are you nervous?"
He wasn't.
Which annoyed her.
She signaled the server and ordered drinks — strong ones — "for the mood," she said, even though it was barely past noon.
The food arrived not long after.
A steaming bowl layered with vegetables, crisp meat, rice, and a rich sauce that filled the air with warmth and spice.
Nyxian leaned over it and inhaled.
"…This smells incredible."
Jax hid a grin.
"Careful. You might make the chef blush."
She took a bite — and froze.
Then glared at him.
"You taught them this, didn't you?"
He shrugged. "I own this place now."
She blinked.
"Of course you do," she muttered, then took another bite. "Show-off."
They ate.
They drank.
They talked.
Jax updated her on the dragon head sale — how Garruk, the Beast Broker had hosted a private bidding among wealthy collectors. The price was still climbing. Finalization would likely be tomorrow.
Nyxian listened, fascinated — and proud despite herself.
Then Jax shifted the conversation.
"What about you?" he asked gently. "What will you do with your share?"
Her smile faltered.
For a moment, the flirt vanished.
Nyxian stared at her glass instead.
"My family," she began slowly, "comes from a demon enclave far to the south. My mother is… important there. A community leader. My two older sisters married wealthy men. They're adored. Respected."
She laughed bitterly.
"And constantly cheating on their husbands."
Jax didn't interrupt.
He didn't press.
He just listened.
So she kept going.
"In my homeland, Succubi and Incubi 'feed' on partners — not out of necessity, but for power. Prestige. Status. They rotate lovers like jewelry. They treat marriage like a performance."
Her jaw tightened.
"I don't want that life."
Her voice softened.
"I want something real. Something that isn't… transactional."
Jax studied her quietly.
"You don't sound like you fit in there."
"I don't," she replied simply.
Silence lingered — not uncomfortable.
Just honest.
Then she exhaled.
Time to say it.
"Until I met you," she said, eyes fixed forward, "I had never been attracted to any man."
Jax blinked.
Understanding dawned.
Nyxian tapped a finger against the table.
"I've always preferred women," she said calmly. "Forbidden fruit, as my people would call it. Another reason I never married. Another reason my family looks down on me."
She caught herself mid-sentence.Why am I telling him this?She'd never shared these things — not with the girls, not with anyone.Yet sitting beside him… the words kept coming.
She smirked weakly.
"Funny, right? A succubus who doesn't follow their instincts."
Jax shook his head.
"I don't think that's funny at all."
She glanced at him.
Really glanced.
And saw no judgment.
Only acceptance.
Dangerous.
Too dangerous.
So she reached for humor as a shield.
"You must feel very lucky then," she said, teasing again. "Being the exception."
But he didn't joke back.
He spoke softly.
"I do."
She didn't have a comeback for that.
He asked questions about her heritage. She explained that the Succubi and other demon folk on this continent originally came from somewhere called the Dark Continent. Succubi have abilities that make them especially desirable to their partners.
"I can sense impure thoughts directed at me," Nyxian said. "Not full minds — just… intention. And when a Succubus experiences pleasure, it radiates outward. People around us feel it too — a lingering influence. Which is why I try to keep myself in… pleasant moods."
Jax is intrigued that she read minds that have dirty thoughts. "Really?"
He tests it out.
She smiles and says, "Oh you dirty, boy."
"Anyone can guess I was going to test you."
"I'm not sure what a 'motorboat' is. But I did see the actions from your mind," Nyxian straightened her dress to ensure her cleavage was at it's maximum.
Jax moved from impressed to embarrassed.
They remained there for nearly 3 hours — food replaced with mead and ale, traded for quiet conversation. Broken only by hysterical laughter between the two.
He told her what little he knew of himself.
But he did talk about his "homeland". It had no magic, but instead machines that did a lot of what magic did.
She was fascinated.
And she believed him.
When at last they stood to leave, Jax cleared his throat.
"There's something I want to discuss with all of you tonight," he said. "A proposal. Could you meet me for dinner around nine?"
Nyxian's ears perked.
A proposal.
Her heart skipped.
"Yes," she said quickly. "I'll be there."
He walked her back to the hotel.
They reached the lobby doors.
She leaned in for a kiss—
And he gently stopped her.
"You don't have to pretend with me," he said. "Your feelings… aren't for men."
She took his hands — firmly — eyes fierce.
"You," she said, voice low and steady, "are the one man that doesn't apply to."
Her lips trembled — only for a second.
"If you can accept me as I am… then I will be yours."
"I already do," he almost said —but stopped himself.
Then she kissed him.
Not playful.
Not teasing.
Not an act.
Raw.
First-time soft.
And terrifying.
When they parted, she turned and walked toward the stairs — heart racing, face flushed, mind spinning.
A proposal.
From Jax.
And for the first time in her life…
Nyxian couldn't tell whether she was more excited—
—or afraid.