forum Welcome to Hell #1 (Tw; Mature) (Abandoned) (X/1)

Started May 05, 2023 by @RhysTheFirebird group

tune

Zion was having fun. Which was rare. Very rare, as he constantly struggled to like anything he ever did. But music, playing it or hearing it, it gave him life. He lived for the feeling of hundreds, no thousands, of people listening to his music. Screaming his name.

He'd just finished preferring for the night, and it was late. Very late, but Zion was used to the late nights and sleeping in. He grinned at the crowd before wishing everyone a fantastic night and exiting the stage. He sets his guitar down on a stand back stage and whiped his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. 'Gods, it's hot under all those lights.'

Someone offers him a bottle of water and he takes it, downing half of it before grabbing a pen and hooking it into his jacket. Now was the time for auditions. When He did does this late, only those who had purchased the VIP tickets got autographs, just so Zion didn't have to stay out too late. He walks out, going to the 'reception' area, where there was a crowd of perhaps fifty to a hundred peole.

He sat down in his chair, preparing for the hour or so that it would take to get through all these people.

Darius couldn't believe it. He had to actually work a human's job to earn money and slowly save up for the stupid concert Zion had been planning. Demons didn't have money and Darius wasn't exactly wise with his finances, blowing it on idiotic things like that one kid's toy he saw in the store window. What could he say? It was an impulse buy. Who didn't want a Tamagotchi?
He stared down at the toy screen with a concerned yet concentrated look as he pressed buttons. Darius was all the way in the back, so he wouldn't be getting to meet this new member of the Orion family any time soon. Well. Zion wasn't exactly new, but to Darius he was.

Momentarily he tore his eyes away from the toy and peaked to look at the line. Darius could have been the first in line, but he wanted time to talk to the fucker without interruptions. He couldn't see Zion's figure through all the bodies in front of him, but every time he caught a glimpse of his jet-black hair, something akin to fire rose up into his chest. It made his nose scrunch up in a snarl, his eyes narrowing, although the other couldn't really see him.

He had to remind himself to act like he was at least enjoying being here. He couldn't just go up with a hostile attitude, that would not fair well with his plans. He had to act nice.

Zion smiled at the first people to line up, pushing away the sleep that was already tugging at his mind and body. Despite how much he wanted to curl up in ball and sleep for days, he had fans to attend to. He shook hands with an older man and signed his kid's picture. He personally thought that particular picture of him was trash. But then, he though most pictures of him were trash.

Slowly, the line began to dwindle. Zion had a rule that people with kids went frist, as well as the older folks. So the line currently consisted of people in their early twenties to late thirties.

His music was the single thing Zion knew was good, though he had no clue why thirty year olds would listen to it. His music was for the younger population, people his age. Yet, there were thirty year olds in this line.

Zion smiles, shakes hands, signs pictures of himself and makes small talk for what seems like hours. Even though, with a glance at his watch, it had only been a single hour. At least there were only a few people left in the line e, and they were flying by quickly.

As time went by, Darius grew bored, pocketing the toy and moving along with the line. By his side under his arm was a packaged CD he had bought from a while ago. He had been to these shows, scoping out the enemy and trying to find an angle, and when they announced they were finally doing VIP signing, that was his chance to hop on board. It had cost more than he had expected, combined with the ticket of seeing the concert and all, but he was still able to snatch one of the VIP spots in time.
Darius was behind a young man who excitedly introduced himself to Zion. Darius scoffed and went to work on tearing off the plastic still on the CD case. He hadn't opened it since he got it. Not like he was planning on using it anyways.
Once the other guy was done, Darius stepped forward. His eyes landed on Zion and for a moment his breath caught in his throat. He swallowed.
Black hair, eyes the color of the sea, and a nice warm complexion- he looked like the spitting image of the person he had seen that night. Though, Zion looked thinner than that man. The person who had slaughtered his family had been a heavy and large man, most of his weight going to his muscles. Zion just looked like a smaller version of that, though, given enough time Darius could see Zion turning out just like him. Darius stood there, sort of frozen in place as he held onto the CD case, fear cloaked in his eyes, he hadn't been this close to the Orion family since all the carnage. A slight anger bubbled up inside of him at the thought, though, dulled as his heart raced.

Zion smiles at Darius, his quick eyes taking in the other man. "Hello." He looked down at the CD.

"Do you want me to sign that?" He asked, his voice gentle and kind. "Because, if you do, you may have to let go on it a bit."

Zion looked back to the man's face. The amount of red on the guy was a lot, and the pricing blue eyes popped more with the red asthetic. The color looked good on the guy, but Zion supposed he wasn't here to give compliments-

"Nice red you there, sir. It looks good. Makes your eyes pop."

Zion spoke a little too soon, and he gave a little half smile to the guy, he reached his hand out for the CD case. His hands were calluses from years of playing various musical instruments. He noted that the guy in front of him seemed uncomfortable, if not fearful of him. Zion smiled warmly, trying to put him at ease, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, and neither are these guys."

He motions to the body guards behind him and then looks back at the guy, still smiling. He was the last guy in lone, but he would be no less patient with him.

Darius did not take that well. He felt like he was being taunted.
"You may have to let go on it a bit." This guy was assuming that he was too attached to the darn thing. That seemed to wipe away his fear completely, an annoyed smile appearing on his face, along with letting out a forced laugh.

At the compliment Darius froze. He didn't know how to react to that and it made his brain melt a little.
"Thanks…" He said quietly as he handed the CD over to Zion, his hand shaking slightly as the other took it. He quickly retracted his hand and crossed his arms, looking around at the place like it was more interesting than the person in front of him, though, the vibes he gave off gave the impression that he was nervous, despite the serious and menacing look on his face.

When Zion spoke again, his attention was turned to the bodyguards. Ah. They wouldn't be a problem. He could wipe the floor with them. That's not what he was concerned about.

He watched as Zion opened the CD case and signed the inside, watching his hands carefully. After it was closed and handed back to him, he hesitated. He needed to ask, but the words were stuck in his throat.
"You're very talented" He started. Fuck. He wanted to throw up just saying that. "You must get that a lot though" He finished, humming slightly. "You could be big one day" He stopped, realizing he was talking too much at this point, more than he liked.
"Listen," He shifted his weight onto his other leg. "I work at this place and I thought I'd extend an invitation to the place I work at" He needed to see Zion again at some point, he needed to get close, but without it raising any suspicions.

"They're hosting an event where many musicians will be attending. There will be record labels and sponsors there looking for people to sign." He explained, eyeing Zion carefully. "I work at a restaurant called Rivea, if you'd like to come, we'd love to have you. You wouldn't have to pay for anything. Having said that, it would be a shame if you didn't attend" He dug into his pocket and pulled his wallet out, taking a paper card out and handing it to Zion. The location and date were on the piece of paper. It was a private event, but the people who worked at Rivea were given permission to invite one person to attend.

Darius had gotten that job a few weeks ago. It was a high-class restaurant that was mostly where the wealthy went to mingle. They held a lot of events and connections were made. Talking to the right person could get you places.
"You're a huge inspiration to me" Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking. "So you're invited. Please come if you have the time." He said, wondering if he had sounded convincing enough- tempting enough.

Zion gently took the CD case and flipped it open, signing it on the inside. His signature was nothing special, really it was just a bunch of squiggly lines that somewhat resembled his name. He hands the CD back to him, still smiling slightly, though exhaustion was evident on his face. “It’s no problem.”

Zion was having trouble disconcerting the guys mood and her shifts slightly, looking away, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the guys menacing gaze. He also dwarfed Zion, standing at about a half foot shorter than the guy in front of him. Gods, why did he have to be so insecure? The guy in front of him was giving off nervous vibes, but his face was dark and enacting.

Zion blinked and looks up at the guy, “Thanks, you’re right, I do get that a lot.” He laughs softly, rubbing the back of his neck. He looks up at the guy, meeting is gaze, “Oh. . . Well, I’d have to talk to my manager. . . But I’ll try. Just send me an email with all the information, and I’ll see if I can make it. It sounds like fun.”

Zion’s smile grew slightly at the invitation, and he laughs softly, “I don’t know how I’m an inspiration. I’m just a twenty-four year old guy who makes music. Even if it’s good music, there’s still better out there.” What was he saying? His already ginormous fan group was enough to say that his music was some if the best.

Darius gave Zion a suspicious look, squinting his eyes slightly as if trying to figure out what his deal was. Well….he definitely was….different. Darius knew that this person wasn't at all like the one who slaughtered his family but….he still felt anxiety around him. An irrational feeling.

When Zion seemed to accept the invitation Darius nodded. He hadn't thought about Zion needing permission to go- then again, they might want to accompany him if he was going out. They wouldn't drop their guard around him, which was going to make this a bit more difficult. It was fine though, nothing he couldn't handle.
"An email?" Darius questioned. He didn't have one. He had heard about this so-called email though, they could be useful, like a phone, used for calling or sending texts from long distances. He just hadn't needed one.
Until now that was.

"What's your email?" Darius said, taking out his phone and pulling up the notes app. He had learned to use a phone very early on. It was handy in situations like these. He looked up at Zion only to be met with a warm smile. Darius was disgusted yet horrified at the same time. It was the sort of expression that bordered on confusion. He blinked. Was this really going to be worth it? This guy was a total dork- but his family. Oh, his family. That was good enough of a reason to want this.
Humble. Darius noted. God, he hated people who pretended to be like that, though, the vibes that were radiating off of this guy didn't give him that impression. It seemed genuine, if it had been a front, Darius would have picked up on it right away.

Zion blinks slightly when the man in front of him gives him and suspicious look. He wasn't expecting the look from the guy and it made him feel uncomfortable. More than uncomfortable, it made him feel slightly confused and as if he'd done something wrong.

Zion chuckled softly, but the sound was uncomfortable and full of confusion, "Yes, an email. Do you not know how this works? Would you rather wrote a real letter?" Zion asks, smiling. He was uncomfortable, and so he made a joke, or really, teased the guy in front of him.

"Uh, my email is. . ." He trails off , thinking for a moment and then lists off an email, " That should be the right one. I swear they change it, like, every week." He grins.

Zion was full of confusion about the guy in front of him, but Zion would do almost anything for a fan. He shifted on his feet, still feeling that uncomfortable feeling. He knew it was his shitty self-confidence talking that he was uncomfortable. But his mind was in over drive, trying to figure out the annoyance and now the. . . was that disgust?

At the question Darius paused. Well, no. He didn't know how it worked, but he'd figure it out. However, at the mention of a letter Darius kind of jumped at that.
"That sounds perfect actually" He commented, though, soon realized that the other was just teasing him. He scowled. The audacity humans had to do that.
When he was given the email Darius looked it over and nodded. "They change it every week." Great. Maybe next time he should just ask for his number, though the implications of that didn't sit right with Darius. He pocketed his phone after typing the email in his notes.
Zion shuffling to his feet, made Darius jump a little. He was only getting up, but the movement still put him on edge. He looked down at Zion and blinked at his stature. He was actually smaller than he had thought.
"Well, thank you for your time and the email, I'll keep in touch," He said, giving a small tight-lipped smile. He knew that Zion probably picked up on his facial expressions. He hadn't meant to show them on his face so clearly, but it was something he did without thinking twice about it. If he was going to do this right, he would have to study how not to come off as an asshole and while that sounded like a pain in the ass, he was committed.
"I guess I'll see you around then," Darius said, turning to leave and waving as he did. "I hope to see you there" He called out before he was gone.

Zion laughed, "Look, wrote a letter of your more comfortable with that. I'll write back." He smiles warmly, "Seriously, no need to worry about anything. Whether you write an email or write a letter, I don't mind, just as long as your happy."

People pleaser. The words shot through Zion's head and he knew they were true. His parents had been trying to snuff it out of him for as long as he could remember. But it only got Siamese as life went on. The instinct to make other people happy, even at his own expense was difficult to fight. But it seemed harmless to tell the guy to write a letter if he wanted.

"Do you need the address to address the letter to if you write it?" It was a genuine question, and there was nothing mocking in his tone at all, he was genuinely trying to let the guy know he could do whatever he was most comfortable with, and that Zion would go along with it.

Zion smiled and dipped his head politely, "Yeah, see you around. . . Guy-" Zion grinned, taking it on as a joke as he didn't know the guys name and he turned slightly, preparing to slump back into the chair for a few moments.

(cool beans!)

Darius sat in front of the computer, moving the mouse around. He had been at this for a few minutes. It hadn't been that hard to figure out once he knew where to look, the only problem he was running into was finding an available email address. He didn't understand why it wasn't letting him use the one he had picked out. Darius had thought of entering random letters and numbers for the address, but the only problem with that was that he was not going to remember it when he needed it later. If he needed it later.
Darius sat back, crossing his arms, thinking hard about it, before he placed his hands back onto the keyboard.

First Name: Darius Last Name: Sanguinex

The cursor blinked in the empty field requiring a username. Darius began typing until he was done.

SaturnDevoursHisSon6784 @gmail.com

Darius seemed unsatisfied with the numbers after the address, but it would have to do. After a few more minutes he finished setting everything up and sent an email to the one Zion had provided. Now all he had to do was wait. He had connected the email to his phone number, so surely it would alert him when Zion replied if he did. Little did Darius know that's not how things worked.

It was the day of the event and Darius was already in the restaurant, they had requested for them to be early to set everything up, so he had been there since five in the morning working in the back to prep the ingredients. Darius was the one making the dishes. When they had first hired Darius, he hadn't really seemed to show any special talents, so when they put him to the test and found out that Darius was a little more than decent at cooking things, they had given him the job. 'A little more than decent' was a complete understatement, Darius was an excellent cook. He had picked up a skill or two when he arrived here and focused on honing that skill to pass the time. It was such an irony seeing someone who rarely ate, be a chef. A demon cooking human food for others. It slightly irked Darius, but the job paid well and he needed the money. The thought of slipping poison into the food comforted Darius to know these people were at his mercy. Course, he would do no such thing. He did not want to get fired.

Soon, it hit six in the evening and everyone was starting to arrive. Darius was standing by one of the pillars, using his phone, getting impatient. Zion hadn't emailed him back, and Darius lost hope that he would attend. Currently, he was thinking of other ways to lure the other in, wracking his brain for a better plan.

Zion had no clue he'd gotten the email. His manager never spoke to him about these things. Eventually, Zion checked the email himself and paused. He signed and clicked on it. He typed out a quick reply.

Hey, sorry about the wait, I'll be there.

He sighs and grabs his bag with his case. He texts his dad saying he was going out and ran/skipped down the stars, grabbing his keys on the way. He got to his car. He paused and then the passenger door opened as Jaqu climbed in, tossing Zion's guitar case onto the back seat, "You might want that, ZZ."

Zion laughs, "Let me guess, you're coming with as the dark and brooding bodyguard?"

Jaqu nods. Zion sighs and starts driving.

Although Zion had sent Darius an email, Darius hadn't logged into his account to check his emails, he assumed it would ping him like a message did when someone texted him, but that just wasn't the case here.

Darius tapped his foot impatiently. He really wasn't coming, was he? Darius wanted to be there by the door when Zion entered to give him the welcome and escort him, but time was running out and he had to get started on some of the courses as some of the guests had already ordered.
Njeri came to stand by Darius, she was smaller, though not incredibly short, she was what some would consider 'a bit tall' for a woman, even though she was only 5'9".

"Who are you waiting for?" She asked curiously, knowing Darius was not the type to invite people over to these types of events.
"Just someone I want to get to know better," He said calmly, though there was a menacing look in his eyes as he said that.
"Well you better pray they come quick, we have to go in five minutes," She said uncrossing her arms and walking away when she was called by another staff member. Darius scoffed at the 'praying' part. Yeah, alright.

Zion handed his phone to Jaqu, “Here, pull up the directions.” Jaqu takes the phone, pulling up the directions based on the email. He then sets the phone down, looking at Zion, “Henri won’t be happy about this, Zion. You have a flight later today.”

Zion shrugs, “And? It’s a private jet, it will wait for me.” Zion looks down at the screen of the phone, following the directions. After a quick. Drive, he reaches the place and pulls into the parking lot, “Anyways, can you-“

“No. I’m coming with you, Zion. We dont know this guy, and you didn’t exactly give me time to do a background check.” Jaqu climbs out of the car, looking over at Zion, “So you can deal with me following you around, like I’m supposed to.”

Zion sighs and gets out, opening the ack door and grabbing his case. “Whatever, Jaqu. . .” He walks towards the door of the place, quiet again.

Darius was about to turn around and return to his station when he spotted two figures from afar, one of them being Zion. His eyes lit up, almost too excited to see the guy. If one didn't know his true intentions, you could basically say he liked the guy, or at least, that's what it looked like.

He pocketed his phone and went to the door to greet the two, a huge smile spreading on his face.
"You actually came," Darius said, and for once his voice didn't sound hostile or wary of the other, it sounded excited.
"Would you like me to take that for you? I'll lead you to one of the tables" Darius said, but didn't let Zion finish as he grabbed his case and walked away, expecting the other two to follow. Darius was in his chef uniform, it looked a little odd on him like he would be the last person you would expect to be a chef.

Darius led them to a table with a few other people talking about new ideas and how their business was going. Darius set Zion's case down beside a chair and flashed him a smile.
"The menu's on the table, I'll come back in a while to take your orders. Feel free to get to know some of the others" He said, taking a step back and walking away.

Jaqu rolls his eyes, smiling slightly at Zion's comment and follows him towards the waiting figure.

Zion nods, looking at Darius, "There was no reason not to, you know. Sorry for the last minute reply, but I didn't know about the email. Managers are a real pain. I don’t know why my parents hired them in the first place.”

Zion blinks, reaching slightly for the case and following Darius. The case was not just his, but it made him feel grounded, and someone just taking it from his hands. . . It made Zion feel uncomfortable and worse. Because if he didn’t have his music, who was he?

Jaqu frowns, watching Zion and walking beside him. Jaqu noted Zion’s fingers flexing at his side, how Zion seemed to want to snatch the case back. But he didn’t, Zion was too nice for that, Jaqu knew. He gently places his hand on Zions shoulder, comfortingly.

Zion relaxes ever so slightly at Jaqu’s touch and watches as Darius sets his case down. He opens his mother, a few words coming to mind, but he dismissed them, not wanting to be rude. He sits down in the chair, looking around. He pulls his jacket tighter around himself, fidgeting for a moment, “Thank you.” He murmurs, silent.

Jaqu pauses, and then follows after Darius, stepping in front of him. He wasn’t being imposing, just speaking up for his friend, who was also his charge. “Please, don’t just take things from him. He won’t saying anything about it, but he doesn’t like it.” Jaqu tilts his head slightly, “And why ask him if he wants you to take it if you’re going to take it anyways?”

Zion looks up, “Jaqu, don’t grill him. Let him get to work.”

Darius stared at Jaqu with little interest. He didn't have manners whatsoever- didn't need them, but since he was interacting with Zion to try and win him over, he had to learn a few things before he had met him. His "skills" if they could even be called that, were poor, almost nonexistent.
He took a step closer to Jaqu, getting uncomfortably close. Darius didn't seem afraid to push back.

"Apologies," Darius gave a slight smile, though it looked anything but sincere. "I just assumed it would be a nice thing to do."
A nice thing to do. Yuck.

Darius had been around plenty of humans, but none of them had rubbed off on him in a good way- probably because he didn't associate himself with the decent ones. But Jaqu- he seemed very confrontational, defending Zion. Darius wondered who Jaqu was to him and if he would be a problem. Maybe he should remove him for good measure.
"I won't act on my own next time, I'll keep this in mind." He said, a serious expression back on his face. He made a mental note of not doing that again. Maybe acting indifferent had worked for him in the past, but that would not fly here. He had to actually care about these things. This was….new. But not impossible to accomplish! He'd….practice. Practice? He seemed to short-circuit at that, though, was snapped out of his thoughts when Zion spoke again.
He was…defending him? In a way? Telling his guard dog to back away from him. Darius frowned at that. Weird.

He pushed past Jaqu as Zion told him to leave him alone, not saying another word.
For the next few minutes, you could see Darius commanding the kitchen from behind a glass wall, yelling out orders and testing things to see if they tasted alright. He stepped in a couple of times to help prepare certain dishes, his eyes never leaving the people who were working. He seemed very aware of his surroundings.
While Darius could have had someone go to Zion's table to take his order, he had specifically told the others to leave that table to him, just so he could interact more with Zion. He seemed pretty busy as it was, and yet, was taking time out of his schedule to attend to them. Some people in the kitchen had started talking among themselves that Darius had a crush on either guy at the table, but Darius hadn't caught wind of it yet.

After a while, Darius excused himself from the kitchen to go to Zion's table to take his order. The cooks in the kitchen watched as he did so, though, still keeping their hands busy.
"Decide on what you guys want yet?" He asked, taking out a pad and pen, ready to jot their orders down. He stood by the table, his eyes landing on Zion, though, there didn't seem to be any malicious intent as he said these words, he looked neutral at best- just some guy doing his job.