"Vesper," she said again, a slight lilt in her voice from mild, teasing amusement. The succubus giggled at the thought and opened those blood red eyes once again. "Unusual to see that species beyond the Hellish plane, but I suppose he made for an interesting attraction."
"Red is not your color. No wonder he noticed; your usual blue is modest enough to hide from attention." Parthenope never struck him as a succubus to be so careless. She was whimsical, yes, but not inattentive enough to leave the final strings untied. Discretion was a necessity for a reason. Succubi could only function with a mask worn and believed in. Alistair only let a small sigh slip from his lips before he returned to entertaining her once again.
"Blue has been my color for years. Suppose you'd like a change now and again." Of course. She waved a hand dismissively at his suggestion and just continued on, as they always did. Not as if any of this small talk mattered. They merely practiced human mannerisms to better their craft--- a practical habit adopted by many succubi and incubi. What was the line between fantasy and reality?
Well, Alistair thought to himself, they were best used as tools. Cooperation mattered. Sympathy mattered, even if they had to feign it.
Parthenope continued on with that sweet voice and a carefree detachment. Of course. Even though it her fault, the consequences were really for mortals to reap. They've been doing this for far to long to care about such petty matters as guilt. "That boy looked so heartbroken. I could see it in him. A lover, perhaps? Of that man--- ah, I forgot his name. Mortal names are so similar nowadays. Each one just blends into the other. Well, with such a boring man like that, I have to question is tastes... Though it did give me a bit of a show, and the charm was quite effective when I mirrored that vesper's energy. Pitiful thing."
"And that was the extent of your earth experience?" Alistair couldn't help but laugh at her chatter. How ordinary. How meaningless. He didn't ask her just to spend time being regaled with tales of mundane life.
Parthenope quickly rolled her eyes at his response, brushing a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. "Of course you don't like your work to be as dramatic. It's simply because I haven't killed a man in a while; dreams are risky. A particularly skillful mage can bind you to one just with spiritual residue. It spices things up now and again when there's a little risk. And he was merely a peasant in the first place, so it isn't as if I have any trouble to deal with afterwards."
"Except that vesper then?"
A curl of her lip confirmed it. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Well, he was just an unexpected amusement that night. You never expect to find vespers around without searching for them, and..." Parthenope sighed wistfully at the thought. "Tragedies are quite romantic, yes?"
Alistair will never understand that sentiment. He merely chuckled and bid his farewells, and to the both of them,
That was just a vague memory from years ago.
