𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝔹𝕒𝕤𝕜𝕖𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝔻𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝔹𝕚𝕝𝕝

Chapter Two

Author's Note: From here on, Gwendolyn will be referred to as Dazzle or Ms. Lazuli. No relation to Dazzle of the Baphominis.

~IF

     When one is under the employ of a Sin, it isn't a big stretch of the imagination to expect to start working immediately, especially when under contract; but Dazzle had been allowed to settle in for the past two weeks. Not only that, Lord Asmodeus had been taking time out of his busy schedule to instruct her personally on not only what she could expect working for him, but also how to de-manifest her wings so that her angelic lean wouldn't unnerve other demons. He didn't seem to care about her mixed blood, in fact he was rather invested in learning more about her capabilities. It made her feel more like an experiment than anything, but she tolerated the prodding and endless training just to make sure he stayed appeased.
     Pain stabbed through her heart and Dazzle jolted awake as she usually does, with unshed tears burning her eyes and the nightmare she was having already fading in her mind. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, she kicks the silk sheet from where it had tangled around her legs and slides off the massive bed. Stumbling over to the wardrobe, she yanks a contraption of pink and black lace off its hanger and moves over to the gorgeous full length mirror, deliberately avoiding the chaise lounge. She gazes at herself, still not used to seeing a curvy white and black marble fox staring back at her. She watches the ears on top of her head flick backward slightly as she listens for the sound of anyone approaching her room and her startling eyes narrow. The heterochromia wasn't something unusual to her and she suspected that she had the same condition when she was alive, but the vibrant colors were still odd to her.
     Her left eye was an intense violet set with a predatory pupil and surrounded by a dark gray sclera whilst her right eye was a nearly glowing cerulean that only shared the sclera, as its pupil was closer to round. Those very eyes trail up in the mirror to examine the horns sprouting between the laid-back ears, the obsidian adornments were long and mostly straight before they slowly curved toward the back of her head and ended in a point just past the ears. Her fluffy tail sways from side to side, brushing against her lower set of wings, reminding her of their existence and she closes her eyes to concentrate. Her spine tingles warmly before the two pairs of wings vanish in a twinge of pain akin to loss and she returns to staring at herself a moment longer. Although it was strange to see herself without the wings, it was easier for her to focus on smaller details about herself.
     She eyes the long, stretched out "X" that runs from right between her breasts to her navel and feels her lips curl into a silent snarl before her eyes flick to the marking right over her heart. While the black mark over her abdomen could be mistaken for her fur pattern, the other one over her heart was more like a scar: brilliant red and raised from her skin and fur. Despite that, it had been slightly twisted into Asmodeus's mark of ownership, making it look like she wasn't a sinner at all; something that Asmodeus had told her was a good thing. Apparently sinners don't manifest on any other ring except for the Pride ring and the fact she was here was something beyond bizarre and would cause chaos if any other demon knew. Shaking her head, Dazzle looks at herself one last time before she turns her back on her reflection and starts dressing in the skimpy outfit she had chosen.
     She despised having to show off so much of herself, the outfit barely covering her heavy breasts and had even less coverage over her shapely ass, but she knew her shame would be strange to a demon born in hell, so she swallows her revulsion and keeps dressing. Spending a moment to make sure the outfit covered enough of her without being completely naked, Dazzle's ears perk up upon hearing heavy footfalls coming down the hallway and she smells smoke and candy, letting her know that Asmodeus was nearby. Forcing herself to relax, she slides over to the bed and sits on the plush mattress to wait for his knock as she examines her claws. The crimson band marking on her left ring finger makes her pause and stare at it in concentration. I have the feeling that this mark is important... But why? The double doors of her room shudder with three heavy knocks and she stands to her paws, pushing the question of the marking to the back of her mind.
     "Please come in, Lord Asmodeus, I am dressed and presentable." She was proud that her voice didn't crack with fear this time around and she automatically slips into a bow as the doors open and the head honcho himself ducks into the room. She forces herself to stare at the black carpet until the tips of the larger demon's high-heeled boots enter her field of view from within the black-to-white curtains of her long hair.
     "Wonderfully done Miss Lazuli, I see you've managed to put your wings away fully this time... you comfy? Wait... don't answer that, I could feel your discomfort and panic... was it the nightmares again?" She deepens her bow slightly and sighs gently before she straightens and tilts her head in a nod while she keeps her eyes on the ground. "Yes Lord Asmodeus, the terrors keep returning, but I don't remember what it's about... as usual."
     Asmodeus makes a humming noise as he cocks an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "Don't you worry Honey, those will lessen the longer that you stay here. I've heard sinners have nightmares about their deaths, especially if it was traumatic... but maybe working will help keep your mind off of it? Are you finally ready to put that body-ody-ody of yours to good use?" Dazzle cringes at his use of words, but she reasoned that it wouldn't be any different from what she used to do, as she remembers the touch of men and how to please them, but not much beyond the vague sense that she used to be a Lady of Ill Repute. "Come on... look at me and say you're okay?" She had only known Asmodeus for two weeks, but she smiles at his kind tone and looks up with a half-grin on her face.
     "If I don't eventually Dazzle the audience... I wouldn't be living up to the name that you gave me now would I?" She punctuates her sentence with a cocky swish of her tail as her hands land on her hips and she feels a little flash of confidence running through her seeing all three faces on Asmodeus making an adorable pout of tearful pride. "Oh that's MY GIRL! That is the shit I'm talking about. Come on then Miss Lazuli, let's get your first show up in lights, you're gonna knock everyone's horns off!" He offers her his arm, knowing how she felt about someone randomly touching her, and he whimpers like a proud dad when she links her arm into the crook of it.
     "Yes My Lord, I'll work hard to live up to your expectations." He waves off her comment and makes a sound that was a growl mixed with a chuckle. "Like I said when we first met: 'You do you boo.' That means just let the music flow through you, slap anyone that puts an unwanted hand on you, and pick your partners to your taste Honey. As long as they all keep coming back, enjoying your time here is more important." She listens to him as they walk and talk, trying to figure out how this would be considered punishment, but then a queer thought enters her head and she laughs humorlessly. Yeah... it's punishment, I'm doing the same shit I used to do... for eternity; I don't know who I am or much of anything about my life on Earth, I'm owned by the literal Sin of Lust and if I don't appease him, he could easily disintegrate my soul and it'll be like I never existed. I'm not even supposed to be in this ring, so only he and maybe some other higher beings know I'm here.
     She would be lying if she said she hated the idea of getting to pick her clients and being around Asmodeus for eternity though. He's like the father I feel like I never had, and it helps that he seems uninterested in me sexually... I think he legitimately wants the best for me. It's nice to be cared for so deeply; no one has cared since... agggh, why can't I remember?
     "Daz? Dazzle? DAMMIT DAZZLE FUCKING PAY ATTENTION!" She jumps with a start and blushes when she realizes she had tuned out Asmodeus and he had been trying to get her attention. "I... I'm terribly sorry, My Lord Asmodeus... what was it you were saying?" She gulps as she looks up at the even taller demon as he just starts to shrink from a partial transition into something more terrifying. He lets out a breath and shakes his head before he sighs and gestures to the large stage they found themselves on. "I was saying... that I'm pretty sure you can't pole dance, and even if you did know how, fur tends to make everything harder to grip... so I was trying to ask you if you would prefer dance routines on stage or cage dancing."
     Dazzle blushes bright crimson underneath her fur and she claps her hands over her eyes in exasperation at her own brain. "I beg all your pardon, My Lord, I was in my own head again overthinking... I um... which one would be the easiest? I still want to... ease into the whole... dancing thing?" She flinches when her question ends on a terrified squeak and risks a glance up at Asmodeus, who, she is surprised to see, just has a thoughtful expression on his faces.
     "That's actually a good question and I'm glad that you brought it up. If I had to rate the difficulty of each position when it comes to erotic dance, I would say a beginner who is nervous, like yourself, should probably start with cage dancing. Not only are you high up, too far for our patrons to reach, but most demons are busy with their own stuff or are looking at the pole dancers and the other dancers... or the wait staff... so if you just dance to the music, that's alright. Next would probably be performances on stage, they are choreographed, but you also have fellow dancers with you and are still far enough away to not be fondled. Then that would leave singular performances and pole dancing... that has more time into it to learn as it needs to be perfect, erotic, and nerves of steel... you'd also be in range at that point." Realizing she had made him rant, Asmodeus blinks a few times in shock and then looks down at her with a gentle smile on all his faces. "Soooo? Cage dancing?"
     Dazzle smiles back up at him and nods eagerly before glancing up at the aforementioned cages, feeling glad that she didn't have a fear of heights. "That should do quite nicely, thank you for your wisdom Lord Asmodeus... and fear not, I'll put some time into building my confidence and learning some of the basics to some of the other dances." Asmodeus shocks her by pulling her into a hug, picking her up off the ground and causing her face to cuddle into the mass of his electric-blue mane. "Oh just call me Ozzie in private Honey, you've done more than enough to earn it!" She resists the urge to sink her teeth into his suit, so she just grips his shoulders as her rage builds and her claws start sharpening. He feels them prick into his skin and he sets her down and takes a step back, holding up his hands in a defensive posture. "Sorry 'bout that Honey, forgot you don't like touching without a warning... didn't mean to cross that boundary, I'm just comfortable with you okay?"
     Taking in a shaky breath, Dazzle closes her eyes and focuses on keeping her wings un-manifested and bidding her claws to retract. "I... I'm fine, um, Ozzie... you just surprised me is all... I'm good." She hears the deeper growling voice slowly start to fade back into her normal Southern accent and she sighs in relief before she peeks up at him and smiles sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I'm okay now... so when do I start?"