Your flesh must be tender and flavorful.

"Who jokes about something like that?" He shrugged, laughing. "It’s all right; I’m sure you’d taste sour as all get out.”

{ ✒ } - “Comedy’s all about pushing limits. Cannibalism’s is only in bad taste if you say it is … no pun intended.” A bored stare was the only answer for a few moments before he stopped himself from making another terrible goat-based observation. With a clearing of his throat he interjected, “Let’s not forget to mention I’m mostly skin and bone.”

"Pfff, what do you know about comedy." He waved a hand. The other's pun attempt only reinforced his point. "Oh, some of the skinny ones taste the best, though. The stories I could tell you~"

"Yeah, but we’re not humans," he said with a frown. The way she was looking at him then made his hackles raise despite himself.

The place did seem seductive at first glance, and it was certainly meant to be that way, though not for sexual purposes. In the cat room especially, the felines were beautiful and handsome, sleek and deadly. Itching for prey. As much as they, like T-chan, liked lounging around with the Count, their instinct to kill never went away. It was practically a play session when they were finally allowed to kill someone.

But never a customer. Not unless Count gave the word.

T-chan was used to this place, so he was much more interested in Syo’s reaction than in the large cats who were looking at her—some staring at her from afar, many ignoring her, one large male and a female who prodded at her, batting gently at her hair, running sharp nails down her arm. Feeling her out.

The girl’s expression was odd. The totetsu might have felt a kinship with her, if he had been able to identify the face, but he hadn’t seen it on anyone else. Hungry, murderous lust. He himself made no distinction between love and hunger, in the most primal senses of the word, though he was smart enough to know when someone—like Count D, the pets, or Chris—was off limits. He put a hand on Syo’s shoulder, to steady her at least, since she seemed almost faint. Most people’s reaction was like that, although it was from fear.

"Heh. Yeah. We get told that a lot."

When the large male, a panther, hopefully asked him if she was edible, he shook his head. ”I’m just showing her around,” he muttered to the cat, who seemed disappointed.

"I’ve figured as much when I entered this room…" She whispered with a soft smile, somewhat entranced by the intimidating aura of that room. However Syo didn’t pay much attention to T-chan for now, it seemed she was being observed, judged and possibly considered nothing but food. For now she had no idea of what the outcome would be- dying there would be exquisite given the strange eccentricity she always had.

A killer could tell apart normal being from those who were naturals at this. Survival of the fittest at its purest form. Her eyes inspected the room- such luxury was to be expected from Count D. “T-chan… I don’t think they could be appropriate for someone like me… I don’t have much space and I’m constantly moving places.”

Whatever they were, she couldn’t keep them. Not even the youngest, who seemed to have a particular interest in her thigh- maybe they could smell the shears and holster, probably the blood that she tried to cleanse so carefully after each murder. With a shiver, she closed her eyes quietly.

Feeling a soft hand in her shoulder, she opened them slowly and froze with anticipation and respect. Now she could see it. They were no men, just fabulous creatures, big felines that could kill her at any given moment. The brunette could now distinguish their purrs and see clearly how magnificent they truly were. And then, she felt vulnerable at last.

"I assume this is only the beginning… and for once I wonder if the Count would really allow me to own a pet from this shop. As for you can deduce, I am human."

#[no prob!]#[In PSOH we definitely get looks at some bdsm themed pets #but I don't know the backstory and glancing through volumes hasn't helped #much #so this is all just me not canon ahaha]]

"Next room then!" he said with an enthusiasm that seemed out of place in the lazy haze that covered the room. His hand still on her shoulder, he gently steered her out of the room of large cats. He was pretty glad he wouldn't have to send her off with one of them; Count D seemed proud of his exotic collection.

What she admitted made him stop and give her a weird look. Human? Really? "Are you screwing with me?" Her tongue, the way she could actually communicate with him--hell, everything up to this point implied that she was something otherworldly. Although if she really were just human, it would be much less dangerous to have brought her inside.

He was still picking his way through the many doors. Now, did this girl seem like she was more the S&M type or the cute daycare type? Both of those themed rooms were close.

...Right, bondage it was.

That room wasn't drawn along species lines, and it helped that none of them were naturally prey to each other in the wild. He opened the door to gauge her reaction. If she saw them as people, she would see humans in fetish gear and exotic clothing, though many were nearly nude aside from studded collars and leather leashes. Some women were in charge, some men were. If she saw animals, then she would only see a dark room with collared dogs, some spiders and praying mantises in their containers, and even a spotted fuzzy marsupial. No one looked up--yet.

"Want to peek in this room or keep going?"

ask-the-ocean started following you

The totetsu stared at the creature. “What’re you?” he asked a little too bluntly.

ask-the-ocean

海— He glanced down at himself as if it should be obvious from the fact he seemed to be made up entirely of water, before looking back to the odd animal, “I’m Ocean. What about you?”

"I’m a totetsu." He didn’t look away. He was used to peculiar creatures, but most were animalistic, not elemental. "Which ocean are you?"

ask-the-ocean

海— While he hadn’t heard of such a species before, he gave a small nod to show he was at least listening. The next question took him a little off guard though, resulting in an arched brow, “I’m all of them.”

He shrugged. That was kind of weird, but he was used to seeing some powerful creatures in and out of the shop. "All right, Ocean. Are you here to see the Count? Is something wrong?"

He laughed. He wouldn’t go too far with the exaggeration. “If you’re a friend of the Count’s, you’ve already seen the inside, haven’t you?”

"Ah, no, actually…we only spoke briefly, I’m afraid. It’s the rest of the animals back there, isn’t it?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "He keeps the tamer ones out here in front though. It’s usually only the special or interesting customers that get to go in the back."

She wondered vaguely if she wanted to be that sort of special or interesting, and decided that pushing the envelope was tricky business is the Count’s domain. Manners must be observed.

"Maybe someday, I’ll have a look…Until then, however, haven’t I got lovely company here?" she grinned to her companion.

"You mean me? Oh yeah, yeah, you do!" He snickered. He wasn't used to being considered "lovely" in any capacity since he tended to be a bit crude.

He leered toothily at the other—not a true threat, so much as the look of a boy laughing at a younger kid’s expense. “I guess you could call me a humanitarian.”

He wasn’t technically a cannibal, after all.

{ ✒ } - “A humanitarian?” Violet eyes...

{ ✒ } - Pale fingers gripped the hem of his hoodie, he couldn't show his fear, "That's just some weird joke right?" His previous encounters with those that ate people had already been terrifying enough.

"Who jokes about something like that?" He shrugged, laughing. "It's all right; I'm sure you'd taste sour as all get out."

T-chan nodded. “Something like that. We all do. I live here on a more permanent basis than the rest of them, though, so I guess you could say I’m in charge.” He grinned, obviously inflating the truth a little. “I think he’s around here, yeah. He pops in and out.”

"Oh, are you?" she grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Well well…thank you for seeing me in, then. I didn’t realize I was talking to the boss! Well then…would you take me on a tour?”

He laughed. He wouldn’t go too far with the exaggeration. “If you’re a friend of the Count’s, you’ve already seen the inside, haven’t you?”

"Ah, no, actually…we only spoke briefly, I’m afraid. It’s the rest of the animals back there, isn’t it?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "He keeps the tamer ones out here in front though. It's usually only the special or interesting customers that get to go in the back."

llbwwb

(via 500px / Black Jaguar by Colin Langford)

"Ah, then do you guard the place while he’s out?"

Something with as sharp claws and fangs as this beast clearly had was certain to be a wonderful watch-beast.

"…Is he out? Or, ah…attending to feeding pets or something?”

"Oh, are you?" she grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Well well…thank you for seeing me in, then. I didn’t realize I was talking to the boss! Well then…would you take me on a tour?”

He laughed. He wouldn't go too far with the exaggeration. "If you're a friend of the Count's, you've already seen the inside, haven't you?"

"Live here," he said, but he didn’t really want to be questioned on it in the first place. He’d have to explain more of Count D’s illegal practices, perhaps, and that was a no-no in general. Even to a self-proclaimed serial killer, it could be a bad idea.

“Mutation?” He seemed insulted. Talk of animals in the garbage seemed a bit callous too. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Still frowning, he waved off her words. “Yeah, that’s the Count’s incense.” He was gradually leading her down the hallway, pushing open a regal-looking door. “You mentioned cats, right?”

Inside this room were some of the big cats. Lions, panthers, a tiger. Creatures that would rarely encounter each other anywhere else, and would possibly never get along except through such an agreement with the Count. They were dressed fiercely in skins and furs, with tooth decorations and wicked smiles—the human-looking versions of themselves, anyway. To a normal person, it would seem that they were just prowling around Syo, trying to judge her smell and intentions.

"Oh?" Raising one brow, the brunette looked perplexed at the young man, both hands in her waist. The inquisitive look she gave him was merely an antic, but it would be easy misunderstood if she didn’t stop. Hopefully, her eyes adverted the man’s reaction.

She shrugged, trying to explain herself. “Well, I ain’t nobody to judge you, T-chan. I’m just as weird as you I guess… But people can’t stop pointing our differences, it’s just… Human nature.”

Whatever that incense smelled like, it was distorting her reality. Intoxicating, yes, and certainly sweet. Perhaps too much, it was making her feel dizzy although she had experienced the fumes of smoke and drugs before. Her eyes widened when she saw a beautiful spectacle in front of her.

Many attractive males and females were laying on the floor and resting on colored and expensive long chairs. Some were even in small rounded beds. Their chiseled abs and toned bodies were tempting for anyone… and the look in their eyes was no less than appealing. Murderous. She felt her knees shaking and her hand gently placed itself in her holster… If only she could… Kill them all at once. Their bodies seemed powerful and ready to be served cold.

But her senses told her this wasn’t a normal place, and attack anyone being in the wolf’s mouth would be idiotic. Controlling herself, Syo nodded and bowed her head. Those… men and women… Had earned more than her respect. She understood… kinda.

"T-chan… your friends… Are really interesting…"

"Yeah, but we're not humans," he said with a frown. The way she was looking at him then made his hackles raise despite himself.

But never a customer. Not unless Count gave the word.

T-chan was used to this place, so he was much more interested in Syo's reaction than in the large cats who were looking at her--some staring at her from afar, many ignoring her, one large male and a female who prodded at her, batting gently at her hair, running sharp nails down her arm. Feeling her out.

The girl's expression was odd. The totetsu might have felt a kinship with her, if he had been able to identify the face, but he hadn't seen it on anyone else. Hungry, murderous lust. He himself made no distinction between love and hunger, in the most primal senses of the word, though he was smart enough to know when someone--like Count D, the pets, or Chris--was off limits. He put a hand on Syo's shoulder, to steady her at least, since she seemed almost faint. Most people's reaction was like that, although it was from fear.

"Heh. Yeah. We get told that a lot."

When the large male, a panther, hopefully asked him if she was edible, he shook his head. "I'm just showing her around," he muttered to the cat, who seemed disappointed.

"Huh? I don’t work here," he answered, but he was distracted by the pups. From the way she was petting them, she apparently saw them like most humans would see them. And she couldn’t hear them either. That was… odd. "Okay, you guys, the customer needs her space, all right? She’s got a lot to see today."

The childlike puppies tumbled over themselves, crying out in a happy sort of whine, asking for just another second to sniff her out. One licked Syo’s hand, and T-chan snapped his teeth at it. With a yelp, the puppy skittered back, and the totetsu laughed. “Don’t mind them. You want to see something else? There are all kinds of animals here—cats, fish, birds, something more exotic?” He really hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble for this, but the animals could fend for themselves if Syo was a threat. The “exotic” ones especially.

"Then what the hell are you doing here, hmm?" If he answered or not, she got distracted when one of the pups licked her hand, making her squeak. They were nice, indeed. Maybe he was just a person who trained the dogs, the fear he seemed to inspire to the whole bunch of them… Who was T-chan? Blinking in wonder, the serial killer shrugged to herself.

"Well yeah, exotic. I could have gone to my local pet shop if I wanted a pup, or just… try to find some cat in the garbage." Tilting her head to look at the young man, eyes narrowed, her tongue twisted in weird angles. "Say, boy… Ya aren’t a weird mutation, are you? B’cause… Yeah, that would be hella rad but… Whatever." She shook her head. Better be polite and nice in a strange environment. "… Just. Show me! I’ve heard of this place and it smells awful but I can dig."

"Live here," he said, but he didn't really want to be questioned on it in the first place. He'd have to explain more of Count D's illegal practices, perhaps, and that was a no-no in general. Even to a self-proclaimed serial killer, it could be a bad idea.

"Mutation?" He seemed insulted. Talk of animals in the garbage seemed a bit callous too. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Still frowning, he waved off her words. "Yeah, that's the Count's incense." He was gradually leading her down the hallway, pushing open a regal-looking door. "You mentioned cats, right?"

Inside this room were some of the big cats. Lions, panthers, a tiger. Creatures that would rarely encounter each other anywhere else, and would possibly never get along except through such an agreement with the Count. They were dressed fiercely in skins and furs, with tooth decorations and wicked smiles--the human-looking versions of themselves, anyway. To a normal person, it would seem that they were just prowling around Syo, trying to judge her smell and intentions.

Human she was, but T-chan probably wouldn’t figure that out on his own. Everything about her appearance made him nod to himself, yes, how could he have mistaken her for human?

"That’s a good idea. Some of them might reach out and touch you, though." He looked back at her with a laugh. The creatures wouldn’t hurt a customer, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t tease and play. And T-chan wasn’t inclined to stick to the "safer" areas of the back rooms and corridors.

Though the shop appeared tiny from the outside, the area behind the shop was like a maze, with everything drowning in Count D’s characteristic sweet incense. The pets, even the ones with heightened senses of smell, were all used to it and appreciated it. It would be almost dizzying to a human, though.

Numerous doors presented themselves—some ornate, some plain, some locked, some open. A litter of puppies rushed at them, making T-chan laugh as they bombarded Syo with exclamations of affection and invitations to play. Could she hear them? Probably, since she could see T-chan himself, but one never knew.

"Ah, touching?" Raising an eyebrow, the brunette smiled. She’d never had much interaction with pets, and considering Count D’s would be way more than exotic- rumors were really juicy after all, she felt excitement. She respected each one of the creatures, even if some of them had more than one head attached to their bodies.

For a normal person, of course, some were plain at first, but the details never escaped her. There was something dark about their nature, she could see it in their eyes. Not all of the pets were welcoming her, of course. Staying at a prudent distance, she was startled at their beauty. The smell was intoxicating and making her feel slightly dizzy, but such a chance… a one in a lifetime event, couldn’t be wasted.

When the pups came at them, she immediately tried to pet their fluffy heads. Cute, but normal and hard to get along with- dogs were loyal, yes, but too affectionate. She needed space, an animal that would understand the killer instinct in her and her changing nature. A cold blooded killer maybe. “Ah… T-chan. The dogs are really cute! Say… but having you as the only worker here… must be tiresome, right? Are you the only keeper here?”

"Huh? I don't work here," he answered, but he was distracted by the pups. From the way she was petting them, she apparently saw them like most humans would see them. And she couldn't hear them either. That was... odd. "Okay, you guys, the customer needs her space, all right? She's got a lot to see today."

The childlike puppies tumbled over themselves, crying out in a happy sort of whine, asking for just another second to sniff her out. One licked Syo's hand, and T-chan snapped his teeth at it. With a yelp, the puppy skittered back, and the totetsu laughed. "Don't mind them. You want to see something else? There are all kinds of animals here--cats, fish, birds, something more exotic?" He really hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for this, but the animals could fend for themselves if Syo was a threat. The "exotic" ones especially.

He leered toothily at the other—not a true threat, so much as the look of a boy laughing at a younger kid’s expense. “I guess you could call me a humanitarian.”

He wasn’t technically a cannibal, after all.

{ ✒ } - “A humanitarian?” Violet eyes stared for a moment as he scrutinised the use of the word, “What’s charity work and social justice got to do with your eating habits?” Gregory had completely misunderstood T-chan’s words.