♫ It's Getting Hot in Here ♫

Said lovely boyfriend was tailing them, like only a a jello padded treasure hunting buffoon could. Why? Well, the story was a bit shaky at best, and plenty complicated. When he asked his girlfriend to go get sweets with him this morning and she replied with turning him down due to plans with another man, Theo got triggered. Not that Rin can't hang out with other people...but....it was Beaux. Beaux, heretofore dubbed B, was dang fine. Enough to be exceptionally confusing to a simple man such as Theo, especially since B had flirted with him. He didn't know the sparkling, flirtatious, alluring man very well. Sexuality was so curly in people, there was no way he could be positive the man only liked other men. Was he jealous? Threatened? Overall bamboozled? Pretty much. All he knew is he felt something kinda spoopy, so he wanted to track them and glean some intel on just who B was, and what his intentions were with his Rin-cakes.

So far, the mission was smooth. He hung back in his all black sneak-wear, even donning sunglasses to keep his highly notable eyes concealed. They were just shopping. It was a bit boring, especially since all he had on him were his iLac and a newspaper, neither of which he could read to occupy himself. However! A man sitting at a cafe table with a newspaper in the distance would never alert Rin that it was him, since she knew he couldn't read! It was perfect!

Wait! Something was happening. They stopped. Theo lowered the paper a little more, peering over it like a true amateur P.I. B went to a flower stand. Now, he was too far off to hear what was said, but how could he miss the hunky dude returning to his sweet Rin with a beautiful sunflower? Giving her flowers! That was date stuff! Theo's nostrils flared in concealed frustration. As much as he wanted to swoop in, that was something a terrible spy would do. No, more waiting. More info!

Rin stopped. The Crystal Swan ace couldn't see the store front, but he did hear her saying something. Over the rabble of the crowd, it was hard to make out... "... babies!~ I wish I could... them!" WHAT ABOUT BABIES?! DID SHE WISH SHE COULD HAVE B'S BABIES ALREADY WHAAAT? "Gosh, if I could take you ... home with me, I would! Lily wouldn't be very happy to have to share the house, though. No, she wouldn't!" SHE WANTED TO...TAKE HIM HOME...AND MAKE SOME....AND LILY WOULDN'T BE HAPPY?!?! Theo wheezed, stifling a scream and leaping up. Just hold on a freaking minute. Any baby making would be strictly with him! It was time to end this outing of temptation!

Theo rushed with the crowd through the flower town's sidewalk, approaching with caution but determination. He'd just clock this sexy man in his stupid sexy face! Messing with everyone's emotions...!!! Thankfully at the last second Rin went inside, and he finally looked at the store name. Oh. Oh. Pets. Animals. Baby animals. Haha. That made sense....and oh they were so freaking cute! But no! He couldn't linger to look, he had to hide or he'd be made! Panicking and looking every which way, he noticed some thick bushes in a small garden near a fountain. Throwing himself into them, he crouched and remained concealed, waving off and hissing at people who gave him the eyebrow.


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Still convinced that this gorgeous hunk of man flesh was a threat and was trying to sweep away his girlfriend off her feet, he kept a close eye. Hmph. Bonding over baby animals. Why hadn't he and Rin done that? Theo could only see so much through the pet shop window from the bush he stood in now. Occasionally he'd raise his binoculars up for a better look, but there were so many people walking in between. How dare they impede his spying. He thought about bouncing to a higher vantage point, but that would make him more obvious, so this would have to do. Was that a puppy? It was the cutest puppy! B was showing her the cutest animal to win her over, and it was working! The jello spy scowled. B was crafty. Very crafty...

Crap, they were coming out! Ducking back into his bush, the young man held his breath. No, no, no! Don't walk over here! too close! There was no where for him to get to in time to gain more distance! They were upon him! He'd be found out!!! Rin came to the fountain, and looked at the bush that shook as he tried to suck carefully back into the leaves to obscure more of himself. This was it. He'd never find out now. But thankfully, she called off her search without looking too hard, so he was safe. On the plus side, now he could eavesdrop properly, which sounded creepy once he thought about it. Maybe he was overreacting. Rin held all his trust. She would never cheat on him so easily. Look..now they were just talking about pets. How innocent. Theo had been a fool. As soon as they moved away, he'd just go home and trust she'd be there soon, having had innocent shopping fun all day.

GAH! Just what kind of pet did he have?! Now this psycho was going to attack the love of his life with a demonic winged serpent?! Pet?? HA. Theo was just about to bust out of that bush to fight the monster off and save his woman when he realized it wasn't attacking. It choked up an item. That was...gross... but kinda cool. Theo tipped his sunglasses down to get a better look from the shade of the bush. Was that...a snow globe? B was giving her presents through a monster snake. Was that weird or impressively smooth? Worse yet, Rin loved it. Bottom lip pooching out into a pout, he chided himself. He should have given her more gifts. Not just the emo pony plushie. Was the treasure hoarder being a scrooge and depriving his love of all the nice things she deserved? He'd have to make it up to her! Maybe buy her that little brown puppy...

THEN HE REALLY DID SWEEP HER OFF HER FEET! It happened! Literally! "H-Hey!" Theo yelped, launching out of the bush and nearly scaring a second old lady to death who had been just about to sit on a nearby bench. Good thing they were so focused on flying and catching the monster winged snake, because Theo wasn't exactly a quiet follower when it came to speed. The jello man was quite fast, especially when he utilized his jiggly blessing. That said, the man himself was a clumsy oaf, even more so when in a hurry. He barreled into people, trashcans, lamp posts, and anything else that could be on his path behind the winged duo who stole his girl.

Though he was quite a ways behind and very winded, he was aware of the area they were entering. This was the street that seemed to cater more to nightlife and amoral interests. Even at his distance he could hear the bump of beats, smell the dizzy scent of booze and sweat. Crisp jewel cash fluttered out of an abused ATM, a new batch with fresh ink. The girls would be getting paper cuts and jabbed by sharp folded corners tonight! Was this all an elaborate ploy to take Rin to a strip club? Why on earth...he could hardly get her in the laid back tavern on the ship when he wanted a drink! B didn't seem to like this place, and someone mistook him for a stripper, it seemed. That's embarrassing.

Then there was a flash.

OH GOD NO! Rin, he didn't have to worry about infidelity. But Zulu? He definitely did. Definitely, definitely should worry. Catching up a little too late, just in time to see a stripper pull Zulu inside, he paused to throw a panicked look at the man he should have never worried about. "B! We can't let them make Zulu Rin into a stripper! Fix this!"


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"Zulu is Rin's other...er...self. It's still Rin, just a very much morally ambiguous, emotionless, flirty, and unmodest version. And...It's not important why I'm here!" began the steadily more panicked Theo, imagining the things Rin was capable of when not in a strip club full or grabby men and loose women to bounce off of and learn from. Before he could go too far down the rabbit trail of debauchery and slip into senseless sobs of defeat, Beaux's hand gripped his and yanked him toward the club. Oh, so he really was gonna ty and fix this. Wonderful! Right, right, now was not the time to stand here assuming he knew what was happening. There was still time! He'd never been in places like this, but with two of them, surely they could keep anything bad from happening. He'd punch out every dude that looked at his Rin if he had to! At least he didn't have to worry about beautiful B boy.

The whole exchange with 'Tiny' had Theo quirking a brow. He dared not ask, but the few words he could catch between the bumping bass notes rattling his brain painted a very weird and mysterious picture in his mind. Maybe he'd ask when he wasn't searching a lustful drunk crowd for a small girl turned stripper. This was such an odd position to be in, and definitely not what he thought would happen. It seemed silly how worried he'd been that Beaux would flirt and try to steal her. There was no way he could have predicted that Rin would go assassin mode and be lead off by an exotic dancer and the real danger be keeping Rin's clothes on her body. The absurdity of that thought had him chuckling nervously, weaving through loneliness and desperation and hoping he wasn't too late...

Rin found him. As the familiar, yet still unfamiliar girl materialized before him without him having to look too hard for her at all, the relief was sudden but very fleeting. He didn't even have a chance to say anything before the words flying out of her mouth dismantled every sentient thought he'd ever thought. Daddy? Next big thing? Daddy? Dance? Daddy? Special treat? D-Daddy?!

"Uh..." Now it was Theo's turn to be at a loss for words. His jaw went a bit slack, and perhaps there was a glaze on his eyeballs. It was possible to overload Theo's poor brain, and it was happening right before the eyes of Beaux and Sugar Tits. "Hnng..." He was in a full tilt crisis. This was a strip club and he didn't want his girlfriend to strip for everyone, but she was in a sparkly little number and had just called him daddy and ohmylord did he come here to watch her dance? Did he come here to dance? Why was he here? Please dance....wait! No! Private dances were his thing, not here for others to see and throw money. That's what happened in these places, right? The young man swallowed hard, a heat rising from his chest to overtake his entire head like a thermometer left in the sun. He very much wanted to see her dance. But no! They needed to leave before that! "D-Daddy?" he squeaked, addressing nothing that he was trying to say. Beaux better help him, he was floundering and losing some sort of battle.

He'd never been grateful for heart problems before, but now was a wonderful time for Drathir to slack on his pumping job, or else the stress and excitement and the daddy was too much on his heart for even a demon to continue to work through. His pieces of heart sputtered weakly and lightning fast, the rhythm jacking up so badly that his body forced a fit of coughing to try and get it back into the proper beat. He gripped his chest through his black shirt, briefly considering that he might meet his demise in a den on inequity, trying to keep his girlfriend from stripping and having a fatal heart attack in the process from too many intense man feelings. Sucking in a deep breath, he reached out to try and grab her wrist. "N-No! You can't! No stripping! Gotta go! Out...away...not here...Holy moly..."


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