How to [Not] Outcharm a Succubus 7
Riding through Riverpark with Stas, my anxiety grew as the sunset approached. At the crêpe stall (creatively named "Pan Cake"), we asked about Adeĺ – the owner's eyes glimmered with little hearts at the mention, his smile spreading blissfully.
«The girl with pink hair? Of course I've seen her! She loved my crêpes! But then she dashed off towards Artists' Alley. Yes, with a boy… or was it a dog? Can't quite remember.»
As we moved on, Stas glanced back at the man. «Is he under her [Charm] too?»
I nodded. «A bit, it seems. But he'll recover.»
Artists' Alley was a sea of pink, flooded with depictions of Adeĺ. One particularly extravagant full-length portrait showed her with angel wings, a halo, and a strawberry crêpe in each hand. The author, clearly charmstruck by his giggly muse, busily smearing more pink on his masterpiece, pointed us towards Speka Club.
Storming in, searching for any sign of Adeĺ, numerous screens met us, all showcasing her singing some cheerful song, dancing with an energy that had all clubgoers' eyes glued to her.
«Is she an idol now?» I grunted under my breath, scanning the crowd for a pink, horned head. But the real Adeĺ was nowhere in sight, only her performance played endlessly on every screen in the club.
Weaving through the dancers, I questioned a few, but no one could say where Adeĺ had gone. All mesmerized by her virtual image, their eyes sparkled with the familiar heart-shaped glimmers.
We lost the trail.
Outside the club, I racked my brain over what to do now, while Stas hummed a line that the whole club had just been singing along. A line that kept looping in my head too.
«I'm Adeĺ, a melody in flight… Brace yourself, I'm gonna blow your mind…»
«O-o, please!» I groaned. «At least you don't go join this "demon worshipers" cult! I have my hands full without this!»
He smiled apologetically. «Sorry. It's just… too catchy.»
I rolled my eyes, exhaling.
The sun had already touched the horizon, and we ran out of clues. Time was running out too, and I had to think fast considering the options we had left.
«I might try making a [Tracker], but…» I mumbled, more to myself. The spell required an item belonging to the target, so…
… Adeĺ's bra!
Well, technically mine, but she had worn it. It should work!
Hastily digging through my bag, I found the bra and whispered a chant over it. The fabric glowed faintly before swiftly folding into the shape of a butterfly and taking off, fluttering energetically towards the south, trailing shimmering light particles.
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«Wow… Is this magic?» Stas looked up, clearly not used to flying bras. He smirked. «Imagine if you used it at the beach, AoE style.»
«Come on! Let's go!» I urged, grabbing his arm. As goofy as it looked, the end result was all that mattered.
We jumped onto our scooter and hurried towards the south, the glowing bra-butterfly leading the way.
«I think I know where it's heading,» Stas called over his shoulder. «There's a secluded beach that way. You'd… em… bring your girl there to… you know, watch the sunset. Roman knows it too, so he might've wanted to show it to Adeĺ.»
«Hm… Really?» I asked, feeling a bit left out. «And you guys never thought to show this place to me?»
Stas glanced back briefly. «You said you didn't like romantic stuff, no?»
«So what? It's still not fair! I've never kept anything from you guys… Well, except for being a witch!»
«Yea. A small detail.»
«Hmf!»
My [Tracker] led us to a secluded beach, just as Stas had predicted. The beach was empty, save for a bench evidently dragged over from the park and positioned strategically for the best view of the sunset. Roman's scooter, parked alongside, confirmed we were in the right place.
As we got closer, I dispelled the glowing "butterfly" guiding us, letting the now lifeless bra drop into my hand. I had planned to tell Roman my secret, but now wasn't the time.
Sitting on the bench, Roman and Adeĺ were locked in a deep kiss, her arms around his neck, his on her back.
«Darkness,» I muttered quietly. «She's got him already.»
«He doesn't look suffering though,» Stas noted. «Want to stop this "team building", or should we give them a moment?»
«Rather a cold shower!»
Hopping off the scooter, I marched towards the bench. Despite our not-so-silent arrival, Roman and Adeĺ remained completely absorbed in each other.
«Hey, guys!»
Only when I firmly grabbed Roman's shoulder did they finally break apart, both seeming surprised. Adeĺ batted her eyelashes at me innocently, while Roman's eyes shimmered with heart-shaped glimmers – a sure overdose of Adeĺ's [Charm].
«L… Lada?» Roman mumbled.
With my hand still on his shoulder, I gazed at the evening sky where a sliver of the sun still hung – there was still time – then turned to the succubus beside.
«Sorry, Adeĺ. I'll borrow Roman for a moment, okay?» I needed him to concentrate on me to shake him out of this state. With Adeĺ clinging to him like a koala to an eucalyptus it would be impossible.
«No!» Adeĺ protested, tightening her hold. «You have Stas! Go play with him!»
«Adeĺ!» I rolled my eyes. «I'm not playing! It's serious!»
«No!»
I tried to pull Roman away from her, but she wouldn't budge. She yanked him back with a force you'd hardly expect from a girl her size. Well, if you didn't know she was a demon, of course. Darkness! Matching her strength might harm Roman. But leaving him under her [Charm] wasn't an option either.
Stas, who approached after parking his scooter, watched the scene with a raised eyebrow. «Keep it up, and you both will have half of Roman all for yourselves.»
«Stas!» I couldn't hide my frustration, still pulling on Roman's shoulder. «Could you please talk to her instead of making jokes?!»
Stas had a knack for reasoning with people – he wasn't our class rep just for looks. For sure, he'd talk some sense into this bullhead.
«Hm… alright,» Stas took a seat beside her. «So, Adeĺ… Did you know, the largest pancake ever made was about the size of a volleyball court?»
… What?… What's this nonsense?!
Adeĺ paused with a frown… before her expression shifted to excitement. «For real?!»
I almost toppled as she suddenly let go of Roman and turned to Stas with wide-eyed wonder.
«You mean you could play volleyball on it and eat it too?! That's genius!»
To be continued…