A Missing Hostess [Liu] [Vastime Gala Event] [Open; Serious Plot Only]

Silence. Nothing but silence. It seemed uncomfortable for Henrex, but why would that bother The Devil of Freedom? Most of what The Overseer of Liberation did was executed in silence. Observing people from afar, not speaking and allowing them to venture to where their mind and spirit yearn to go was a part of her creed despite her lax and easy going nature. So, Liu remained poised as ever while allowing Henrex time to compose his thoughts.

After all, when the half-breed eventually opened his heart to her, this Devil Of Independence heard nothing but the utterings of a fearful soul vomiting its horrifying toxins out to the world around it. And, to her, it was a process of healing which allowed that frightened voice within to have presence and command. For when that terror is given the ability to become free with one's thoughts, as to will one's chains of enslavement which are attached to that fear be let go once it's acknowledged.

"Then be scared. Fear is not to be ignored or hushed. The first step to being fear is bringing your fears to light, realizing the worse circumstance and understanding that it is not as bad as your mind paints it out to be."

There was no judgment or harsh tone to be found in the words uttered out of the mouth of the oriental demon. Instead, her expression remained tender as a smooth smile eased over the demoness's luscious lips. Getting to the root of the heart was far more interesting than giving her tales of grand bravado which anyone with a hint of insight could see through. To expose one's honest self to another without refrain was an interesting sense of liberation to indulge in. And, it's for this reason why particles of gold light soon began to dance around the two; for Liu herself was feeding on this sense of independence being birthed into the world through the opening of his feelings to this Devilish Overlord.

"You should accept your sin, welcome who you are and allow that aspect of yourself to thrive as much as the positive qualities of your soul. You will only find more pain by denying who you are."

Again, this feeling of thick atmosphere penetrated the scene as Liu's body bled out maroon wisps of energy which yearned to consume this outpouring of emotional freedom. It was giving the woman a sense of internal satisfaction to allow another spirit to find their chains of internal subjugation broken; even if for a moment. So it's why she began to walk over toward the male, cease her movement and utter these words of reason to him:

"And why are you worried about the expectations of others? You are loved. What is the worse that will happen to those who have loved you? WIll you die? Will you lose everything? What is it that you fear? Recognize it for what it is: irrational fear. And then realize that those who have invested in you will not leave you. If they do, those spirits just weren't meant to venture alongside you in this journey of life."

Then, without concerning herself over the boundaries of Henrex's personal space, Liu saw enough of this miserable display of woe and held the boy in her lap as her body exuded a powerful sense of warmth. In this way, she gave the boy a hug and embraced him within the bosom of her being so that he may be enveloped by liberation's loving glow. There was no need to worry about anything in the pits of hell's freedom as far as she was concerned. All that mattered was being spiritually, mentally and physically fee from the demands of the world in this moment and why she soon carried on with her speech to convey that sentiment with words:

"If you are alone, then you may be liberated by my company. I do not care how much time you spend with me."

That was the honest truth. It was well within her power to dilate time within her realm to make the perception of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years move at much slower pace than the outside world. So, to her, there was no rush to go back into the external world of woe in this devil's mind. This was HER domain and she was in control of how one might be liberated within it.

"Does this touch not ease your tensions? The allure of liberation can wash away all the inner pangs of sorrow within with its grace. There is no need to worry so long as you are within my realm and there is no shame to be had when uttering emotional truths which every spirit possesses within themselves on some level or another."

In those placid words, the affectionate devil bled more of her aura around the male; hoping to shift his perception to that of a detached and fully aware one. With the particles of her demonic energy bonding with the half-breed, it was only natural for it to begin influencing him to reach a point of self-awareness where he could put both his yin and yang aspects of his mind side by side, view them and come to more full decisions to better understand the scope of himself.

"And in all this outpouring of genuine feeling, tell me: how does it feel to leave those fears and come into the light of freedom? What is flowing through your essence now it has been let out, Henrex?"

.

His eyes closed.

He expected to be scorned.

He expected to be laughed at, to be turned away for even daring to show what lies within his heart. After all, a ninja was to have a heart of stone, always putting the others before himself, and never show emotions...right? It was something that he had believed for so long, it had corrupted his mind, poisoning his thoughts and forcing him to think and believe that. And, as a result of that, everything was constantly concealed and hidden.

It was the Way of the Ninja.

But, instead of the hate and disgust that he awaited...it was love, care, understanding -- comfort. His eyes jolted open, unsure if he was hearing things again. Her first set of words circled through his mind as he attempted to process them, the warm, genuine smile on the Devil's face allowed him to confirm that it was real. The softness in her voice entranced the male, causing his head to rise again, listening intently as her next set of words exited her, echoing through his mind.

He went to speak, but his voice became trapped in this throat. His head turned to the ground, and his hand gripped an arm.

'But...'

It was so confusing to hear that. His sin...was something that had -- for his entire life -- brought him nothing but misery. How was something like that supposed to bring something positive? How was he meant to make something like that positive?

"I don't...I don't want to be ostracized. I don't want to be scorned. I don't want to be...pushed away."

His hands rose to his head, resuming to claw at his hair as if he were tugging his head off. Then, his ears picked up Liu's movements, head rising to look at her -- before letting out a brief gasp of surprise as she pulled him to her, the warmth of her embrace encompassing him, like a thousand butterfly wings. At first, his body tensed up, a natural reaction to something such as that. But, soon, his tension was gently mitigated, the aura of the Liberating Observer purging these sorrows from his body, pushing the fog in his mind away and allowing his thoughts to become clear.

This feeling...this warmth...

It would be what caused Henrex to slowly turn around and face the Liberating Observer and return her embrace, his arms tightly gripping around the Devil as he could feel his sentiments begin to overflow again. A lump formed in his throat as he felt his composure being overpowered. As a result of this, and being a creature that dealt heavily with emotions, this would begin to take an effect on the corporeal world.

Again, it wasn't a surprise for these feelings to seep and bleed from his essence, pulsations rippling outward -- likely being felt by Liu as he remained in her embrace.

This was what he needed.

This was all that he ever wanted: acceptance, and comfort.

He felt safe, here in this loving embrace of freedom. It felt good. It felt...right.

"It feels..."

His voice stopped.

"It...feels..."

He fumbled for the right words, trying to truly and fully grasp what exactly this new, strange feeling of wholeness was in his heart. This strange sense of...

"I...can't figure out how to explain it."