divinetree | ⬢⬡⬢GLUTTONY RING⬢⬡⬢

[Oh. Yeah, he really could just go off-the-cuff, huh? It really was awesome to shoot the shit and just have a good time. This is the kind of thing other people got to do all the time...?]

Me too! ...I mean, y'know... back atcha, Poppy.

[Ah, there was the stuff. Just a moment to wet the whistle and really like this jazzed up melon soda.]

Didja want some of this cotton candy? I think I've been dreamin' about it after last time- I always see it in the movies and everything and wondered what it tasted like until then.

I just feel bad stuffin' my face with company, and it's a party, y'know? Queen Bee says get fucked up and I say 'Yes ma'am, why the fuck not? I got a cast-iron stomach.'

Heeheehee. I agree, there's tons of awesome snacks! It's been a long time since I've eaten cotton candy - when I was a little pup, I went to the circus and had WAY too much, and threw up on one of the roller coasters. Hahah! Even if it was colorful, I kinda felt a little sick looking at cotton candy for a while after that.

Have you been to any of the circuses yet? You said you're just now getting to do and see a bunch of stuff, you definitely should check it out!

Yeah, that's fair... I was like that with meat for a while.

[Let's just. Ignore why. He would start digging in, himself. He should do it quick before the sight of it makes her feel gross.]

Ohhh yeah, I didn't think about tryin' to go to circuses... Demon-Dad's an ex-clown, so I should probably check n' see if that'd be cool with him first. He never told me why but I get the feeling it was on pretty bad terms.

Oh man, then my schedule is currently like... [He counted off on his fingers:]

-Catch up on as many movies as possible
-Get into as much music as possible
-Maybe try a concert
-Bake my own birthday cake

I've got so much catchin' up to do...!

Ooooh! I've never tried baking before, that sounds like a really fun way to learn, having a goal like that! What kind of movies and music do you like? Haha, my taste is kind of funny, I like a little bit of everything. You wouldn't know it, but I LOVE action movies and slasher flicks! A kid I was working with was a big fan of that earth movie Hellraiser and I just got hooked.

[He had some time yet to find some recipes and maybe ask Moxxie for advice on a beginner's cake. He'd seen pictures that Millie showed him of his baking exploits and those all looked so tasty...

His ears stood upright, and his tail wagged double time.]

Hellraiser is so fuckin' GOOD N' FREAKY! I was scared shitless about finger traps n' Rubix Cubes for weeks after I saw it! I've only seen the first Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street too, and I know there's a bunch more of all of 'em.... also some movie series about aliens takin' over a ship and some badass chick who uses flamethrowers against 'em.

Oh man, but... music? I dunno. I only hear what my sister listens to, but I think anything with a good beat works that's good for kickin' ass, considering my job. I wanna figure out a way to listen to music while workin' so it's like a soundtrack in my own head...

Airpods! They're the earbud style headphones, but they're bluetooth, so no wires!

[She taps her ears!]

They make them for all kinds of hellhound ear shapes too! They're a little pricey, but SO worth it. Fuck, imagine watching Hellraiser and getting that audio directly in your ears, ohh that makes my skin crawl, that'd be so fun!

[Oh!! Epiphany! She grabs her phone to look something up.]

Actually, there's a horror movie coming out next week I've been interested in seeing. Do you wanna go with me? I'll buy the tickets, since I'm inviting!

[Air pods... because they're little pods that take in signals from the air, maybe? Still, not getting tangled in wires sounds so convenient. And for different ear shapes too!

Pricey though... he needed to figure out how to get his hands on some though. Her idea sounded fan-fuckin-tastic, getting the creepy vibes right in the airs, especially when a character talks from the left or the right, like you're right there. Denji's fur started to rise in his tail from the thought of it. He was SO down for the creepshow!

But he blinked quick, caught off-guard with the offer. Wait, with him? Did- what did he- was she really okay with-

...Fuck, how much of this was Makima talking? He really needed to stop second-guessing himself.]

I-... Yeah? Fuck yeah?! Let's go see it! What's it called? Should I bring somethin', like... snacks?

Snacks is a good idea, we just gotta sneak them in! In like, a backpack or purse or something. It's called Infectious, it's about a fucked up virus from the mortal world spreading into the rings of hell. It might be like the zombie movies from up there or maybe something else? I'm excited to find out!

[WAG WAG WAG]

It's cool to have a horror movie friend!

Oooooh... yeah, I'm so in.

[He beamed.]

YEAH! Dude, any horror stuff, I'm all ears 24/7! People get so sick of me talkin' about it or think the effects are gross, but like... the work people put into the makeup and the effects and the monsters... that's badass art!

[He fiddled through his phone real quick, chewing the last of the cotton candy.]

Just- just text me whatever! Lemme give ya my number...

I mean, the effects ARE gross, that's the whole POINT! It's really cool!

[She giggles a little, setting her sangria down - she didn't even get a quarter of the way through it, but that's okay. She was pulling up her contact info.]

Here you go! You can copy my info. What days are good for you? Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are free for me. I can come drive and pick you up, if you don't mind riding around in a bit of a beater!

[Ooh, he actually KNEW this one when he got the phone info from his dads, siblings and imp-auntie and uncle. With a practiced press, he was able to link the information and exchange it over a signal via close proximity. His tongue poked between his lips as he edited the info to include her name and everything.]

I work freelance in Imp City on Pride, so I'm open any day. Bring on that beater!

[He briefly looked down at his phone. His face felt hot. Weird, why was... this hard to ask...? But he'd seen other people do stuff like this in their phone contacts, so...

He was allowed to do it, too. It's what normal people did.]

...Ah, so... I've got a portrait for everybody in my contacts. It can be a candid shot or whatever, but if it ain't any trouble, could I...?

[Aww, he looks a little shy! It can be scary asking permission to take photos of someone for the first few times, she won't judge him. She nods, picking up her sangria and lifting it in a cheers.]

Go for it! Cheeeeeese!

[Relieved, he quickly opened up his camera app, not one to pass up the opportunity. The lighting looked good, and the colors of the drink really matched up with her. ...Maybe he could...

Sliiiight shift to his right, and he snapped the pic. After a look, he turned it to face her.]

Kanpai! ...With your approval.

Ooh, that's a great picture of me! Can you post it to Sinstagram and tag me? I want to save it for later.

[Wag wag wag!! Always happy to encourage enthusiasm for a newbie photographer.]

I should get one of you, too!

[He nodded with a lopsided smile and went to flip open the app and get on that. But he looked up again quickly enough.]

Oh, yeah. Let's see... I got it, here we go!

[Let's get a good one. After he freed his hands (paws?), he'll shift for a photo op: Let's try a... lean forward in his seat, one hand reaching through the chest fluff and looping a finger around the pull cord's loop; maybe a nice fanged grin for good measure. With a Sinstagram handle like his, he's gotta fit that whole other half of his life, didn't he?]

[A pull cord? He really was all out when it came to his handle, huh! Maybe he had it on the inside of his shirt, either way, Poppy stopped speculating and stood on her barstool, getting a cool top-down shot of the pose. After snapping it, she plopped back down and started fiddling with some filters and levels... ah hah!

Proudly, she turned it around to show him. It looked vivid, sharp, and had a few cheesy blood splatter effects around the border.]

How's that? Just like your Sinstagram name!

[He looked it over and was completely jazzed.]

Oh man, I'm lookin' like a collectable card or somethin'. Limited edition. Looks badass!

[Give him a moment to go ahead and get the picture he took all set up alongside the others, put in the tags as he'd been taught before, and fired it away. And let's set that contact picture...

You see that, Pochita? He's meeting people. He's doing what everyone else could do!]

There, that should do it.

[He reached for his drink that was... suddenly double its original size. He blinked in surprise.]

...Heh... this Ring's pretty awesome. Wish I'd been here years ago. You live around here?

Actually, I live on Sloth! I'm part of a community of therapy hounds, I work with little kids with anxiety disorders, helping tutor them and helping them through making friends and going through classes.

[She giggled at his drink having been boosted whilst he wasn't looking. Queen Bee was sneaky and the bartender was sneakier!!]

I have lots of friends here in Gluttony though, and I love coming up for a party now and then! Sloth is, well, pretty sleepy most of the time. And it can get frustrating if you're feeling restless instead of patient.

[He'd never been there yet, and wondered what it was like.]

Whoa, you can work jobs like that here? That's awesome! So hellhounds can be buddies like dogs... y'know, on Earth.

[He recalled how, on so many lonely, hungry nights that he could endure because he had Pochita. He had him and nobody else, and thinking back to everyone he'd met since, maybe Pochita was all that mattered for his life on his own Earth after all.

He took a long drink as he listened. A long, long drink.]

...Yeah, I bet. I've only been here on Gluttony, parts of Pride n' a show of Ozzie's on Lust so far. Should... should I have been to 'em all by now, or...?

[Aww, he seems down...? And he talked about Earth again. And-- wait.

Turning a little red in surprise, though still smiling, because wow??]

You've been to Ozzie's?? Wow! I heard reservations there are super hard to get!

[RED...]

U-uhm, not that I've gone to Lust ring, I've only been to Sloth and Gluttony and Pride once when I was a pup, to see the circus, ahah.

[He canted his head. Wow, was his place in that high of a demand? It was a really swanky, pretty sexy place all told. Very bright.]

Big guy seemed to like me, invited me to a show of his.

[Y'know, no big deal. But the look on Denji's face wasn't one trying to flaunt connections and ego, it was a pure 'oh yeah that's a thing that happened on my way to get milk'.]

I mean, if ya wanted to go check it out you could, right? Everyone's super flirty but they're all pretty fun.

[But it was his turn to blush as he shrugged.]

Oh, and if you haven't done "that" yet, they're uh. You kinda become a project for 'em. 'Let's hook 'em up with somebody!'

[Giggling a little, still surprised but laughing nonetheless, Poppy nodded.]

I believe it!! Wow, you turned the heads of two of the Sins, that's really incredible. You must feel things very strongly, Denji, that's special!

[Denji is a weird, weird hellhound but he's quite nice, so it falls on the side of "cool".]

I haven't been to Lust ring yet, but I heard the skies in Lust are beautiful with their own glittery starscape, like what they have on Earth. My friends keep telling me I should go there for any kinky stuff, but I wimp out and buy online instead, hahaha.

[--She laughs and turns red again.]

S-sorry, that is super over-sharing, right? I'm sorry.

[Feel things strongly... yeah, that sounded like a good reason for two Sins to turn their heads. Lust because of how good it felt to be touched and his own wants and goals, and Gluttony out of a sheer enjoyment of food, not wasting it, and indulging for the first time in a fucking lifetime.

Oh, Poppy, you've got no idea. Would Lucifer get angry if anyone knew the truth...? Dude seemed like a weird cheeseball, but he was the King of Hell...

Now that she mentioned it, though, the skies in Lust were pretty close to the one on Earth. He was about to confirm and maybe clarify, but he was caught off-guard and was stopped with his mouth slightly agape.

One of his first experiences with knowing the internet had anything you could ever want was being very aware of the WEALTH of free porn, smutty art and buying stuff for fun- and learning about aggressive malware and pop-ups in the process (earning him his current factory-reset phone). Red though he was, he laughed.]

Pfft... nah, you're fine! But holy shit, props to you for gettin' stuff brought to you instead of takin' the elevator and lookin' for shops, maybe get lost along the way or dazzled by all the lights. Online shopping's been really convenient.

[He pushed aside his empty glass, not noticing it had refilled with what looked like cola. Denji rubbed his chin a little.]

Man, but I feel like I should balance things out with somethin' personal. I didn't ever buy anything dirty online, though maybe I should? I just would find some stuff in the dumpsters, like older magazines when someone upgrades their personal collection or whatever. I've found loads of tapes one summer and was so mad I didn't have a VCR to see what the hell was on 'em...!

Oh... right, so, fun fact: I was homeless most of my life, up until a few months ago. I mean, I promise I wasn't diggin' in the trash for fun! But the amount of stuff people would just throw away, some days it just bothered the shit outta me... but anyway, that's mostly why I'm behind on pretty much everything from movies to food and all.

[Oh. Wait. No, this was beyond over-sharing, this was pathetic. Don't push the person away!]

I'm- I'm fine now, just... y'know, context...!

Oooooh, I had a feeling it was something like that. Congratulations on no longer being homeless! It sounds like someone took you in, I'm really glad to hear.

[It's not the first time she's heard of someone being homeless, after all, this was hell and that was common.]

What's your "demon-dad" like? I hope you get treated well!

[The fact that she could suss something like that out was kind of embarrassing. He wondered what it was he'd said or did, and for a moment that concern came back- he needed to figure out how to keep his story straight if it was something he needed to keep straight.

Hmm... but what was Blitzø like? How best to describe him...? He was chaotic, he was loud and very unabashed.]

He's... weird. But he's a good kinda weird. He's ride-or-die for the people in his life, he's a dork for horses, and he's... really good at bein' there when you're feelin' lower than shit. I figured it'd be too late for me for some kinda parent figure, but... I don't regret takin' his offer. It feels nice, where I am now.

It's chaos sometimes, but... that means it's not boring.

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