<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/fJ9JoZV.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Name:  Madame Celeste (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=266077.msg13127459#msg13127459)</strong><br/><br/><strong>STAFF</strong><br/><br/><strong>Situation:</strong>Some nights start with bigger bangs than others<br/><br/><br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Open<br/><br/><strong>Content Warning:</strong><em>None</em><br/><br/><br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Well ... it seemed that the young protege had chosen to throw caution to the wind and enter the battle without first bolstering his courage.<br/><br/>Celeste smiled as she noted Mr. Jeffrey moving to minimize potential damages.  The repair gnomes cost a bloody fortune, but she had to admit that it would cost her more to replace things than it did to pay them to fix them.  There was a saying she had heard often about not being able to get good help these days, but it was not a true saying, in her not so humble opinion.  You could get perfectly wonderful help -- you just had to pay them the worth of their services in the market, and to value them not just for their skills, but for what they brought to the table in addition.  Loyalty was a two way street, and succubi had always known the value of making good bargains.  She had simply been fortunate in that she had also been taught that bargains made and kept to mutual benefit strengthened the deal exponentially.<br/><br/>A succubus who understood higher math.  She could chuckle a bit at the irony.<br/><br/>There was no need for her to stay and watch the show, however.  Snogflog's negotiations could be quite amusing, but she took it far too much to heart when she won a little too effectively.   There were other things that caught her eye, including the movement of her most invaluable 'help', Psyche ... such a nasty curse, but it was one that her former masters excelled at, unfortunately, and thus far none had found the loophole in the bargain.  There always WAS an escape clause, but Celeste suspected that when it was found it might not bring happiness, which was a shame.  The thing that Psyche gave so unstintingly to others was the one thing she ultimately was denied herself, on a lasting basis.  It was, indeed, a demonic cruelty.  Celeste could appreciate that for what it was, artistry of the fiendish kind ... even if she would take great satisfaction from turning the curse back upon its maker.<br/><br/>For now, though, that was beyond her skills, or her power, particularly now that the Abyss was denied her, save through intermediaries ...<br/><br/>Her eyes fell upon Araxis, who seemed to have found a potential conquest for the evening in Chantal.   She seemed a bit tame for his tastes, but then, it was good not to limit oneself too severely in one's pleasures, lest they grow stale.  Her pretty little spirit-driven bride would be pleased to be chosen by him -- Chantal had come to prefer those that some of her species labeled 'monsters' more than her own kind, perhaps to banish demons of her own.   In that charming, colorful word that Celeste liked to visit, demons were considered a child's fiction, a product of the imagination that represented fears and regrets.<br/><br/>And, of course, there was Semele, come to spy and to check out any potential new talent -- or perhaps to simply let her hair down in the arms of one whom she only controlled for the space of a night.   Celeste didn't mind -- the rivalry between the brothels brought business for them all, as it drew in people who hoped to be present when the next bit of sabotage was unveiled.  Boredom was the one unforgivable sin at the Bazaar, to bore and to be boring, and those who were fortunate enough not to be preoccupied with their own existence strove to avoid it at all costs -- and neither she nor Semele were exceptions to the rule.<br/><br/>Her eyes closed briefly as she heard the muffled explosion, accompanied by thuds, crashing, screams, and shouts of laughter, disbelief, and encouragement.  The gnomes would be busy tonight.<br/><br/>At the bar, Celeste ordered a Bloody Mary, and leaned back against the dark, polished wood, soaking in the atmosphere ... away from the ruckus.  Hopefully courtship had progressed enough that they would seek out one of the less breakable areas of the Bride to take the next step.   While Celeste did like to watch occasionally, she preferred a different sort of rough and tumble than the impromptu entertainment was likely to provide.  It was probably good, though, that she stay close enough to intervene if it was warranted.<br/><br/>She sipped at the crimson liquid in her glass, noting that this time, at least, they had put in enough tabasco to give the drink a bite, proving her point that it really was easy to get good help these days.  And if some took her drink as evidence of the tales of her deeds outside the brothel, Celeste would not complain.