Sweet Venom Arc

The mood had been somewhat somber aboard The Jewelled Fang since the gangs' run-in with Carthonex at the abandoned Warlocks outpost. There had been no casualties on their side, and in almost any other situation that would have marked for a roaring success. Wex had bounced back with relative ease, as he usually did. It's both humbling and terrifying having the universe put you in your place, and realising just how low on the cosmic scale you are; but for the average nomad, that was life. But for Diego and Seeth, a psyker and a Controller... Well, it wasn't something either of them were used to. Seeth was naturally hard to read, so if she was shaken by her near-death experience, by her first real encounter with monsters and magic, it was hard to say. It was obvious though that Diego's reaction to it all was worrying her. He'd been quiet. Distant. Keeping mostly to himself.

And when Diego felt low, so did everyone else.

Chalia was still missing. The Rewritten were still running rampant. The Warlocks were nowhere in sight. And the icing on the cake - shit was stirring within the DA, again, and there they were standing right on its doorstep.

They needed a break.

While Vigilance Astute was primarily used as a space highway, primarily by smugglers, pirates and other less-than-legals thanks to its convenient location close to the DA border, its location also made it prime real estate. Garon Moonstop was far from the only settlement in said area of nomad space, with Vig Ast even housing a few small planets. People could be rough, and nights could be dangerous - it came with the territory - but it could be beautiful too. Nomads were tough but protective of their own. The fact that Vig Ast was close to the DA border meant that it was pursued by draconics too, and that meant that Vig Ast had a decent amount of money to pour into its infrastructure. Generally, this was the rule across the universe for pockets of nomad space; the closer you got to a faction or empire, the nicer the area got.

It was to one of said planets that the crews had made for. Although the mood was low, there was a growing excitement amongst Wex's crew especially; after travelling for so long and stopping mainly at space stations (and the last place you visited literally being in the process of being consumed by its own sun), they were looking forward to the change in scenery. Even those who lived and breathed this livelihood wouldn't deny how wonderful it was to feel a real breeze, and feel real warmth from a real sun on your back.

It had taken them about a week after leaving the outpost to make it back to Vig Ast, where they'd docked planetside. There'd been the usual chores to do first, refuel and resupply, ready for when they'd inevitably have to set off again, and continue on their search for Chalia.

The above forementioned, however, weren't the only reasons they'd chosen a planet to stop at.

It was time for Oxyi and Wex's date.

Although there was some floating, unspoken concern floating around said date that Oxyi wouldn't actually make it.

Oxyi was acting weird. Weirder than she usually did. The morning after she'd asked Wex out, no-one saw her. That didn't really raise any suspicion; the ships were busy, they were getting ready to cast off again, it was chaos - business - as usual. Then the afternoon passed, then the evening, then the next day too. Seeth's crew were spending a lot of their time on the Fang for the obvious reasons, it was bigger, more decked out, and it was where the majority of their weapons and combat training took place, which Oxyi wasn't in attendance for. People did get suspicious after that, and Seeth and Geralt went to give her a talking to. Finally Oxyi re-emerged, but if Wex was anywhere in the vicinity, she would don her trademark beetroot blush, stutter and leave the room as quickly as she could. It had been funny and cute at first, and then it was a bit sad. She wasn't subtle, and Wex quickly noticed. It reached a point where he actually pulled Seeth, Ceri and Diesel over and asked them, only half-jokingly, if she'd asked him out under duress.

Wex did at least have the distraction of planning the date itself - he was happy to do so, and had insisted on it. Vig Ast was still a new sector of space to him, so he had plenty of research to busy himself with, seeing as she had made herself unavailable to be busy with...

It was very obvious that Oxyi wouldn't survive this date on her own.

They'd docked planetside late at night, and were awoken the next morning to the sound of Oxyi in an absolute panic. They were here! The date was TODAY! She'd torn through her room and freaked out when she realised she had absolutely nothing to wear. She'd never been the girliest of girls, but the few nice dresses she did own were still sitting in the wardrobe back at Venner's flat.

"It's okay, Oxyi, we can go shopping! We've got plenty of time!" Ceri and Hazel cautiously navigated Oxyi's room, which looked like a tornado had blown through it, whilst also trying to avoid getting clipped by her flailing arms. Seeth, upon seeing the state Oxyi was in, had quickly called for backup. Plasia looked positively terrified, huddled in the doorway as Hurricane Oxyi tracked its way through the sector with gale-force winds and ever-increasing speeds with every passing minute, and Tivy just did not understand what all the fuss was about and made things a thousand times worse, so it was up to Wex's girls to try and fix things. "We can have a... nice... girly... shopping trip..." They finally managed to reach her, and wrenched her arms down by her sides, "and everything will be just great!"

Oxyi panic-gasped something about money in response, which Seeth quickly interrupted. Now that Oxyi was restrained, she only looked slightly worried about everyone's wellbeing. "Don't worry about that, there's still some left over from our savings pot."

"I-I-It didn't all go on the sh-ship?" Oxyi stuttered, fixing her wide wild eyes onto the Controller. Seeth almost took a step back.

"No. Honestly it's something we probably should've done ages ago but I completely forgot... Everything that's left, you guys should divy out amongst yourselves. I've spent plenty -"

"And we don't need it to find Diego anymore, cos we already found him!" Tivy announced with glee.

"... Exactly." Seeth glanced across the room at the critter, who was happily sitting on the edge of Oxyi's bed, swinging her legs and bobbing her head. She pulled her phone out and checked their money quickly. "You know, if you guys are shopping, maybe you could take Geralt! He needs a new wardrobe."

"Geralt's not a girl!" Oxyi spluttered.

"Geralt's one of the girls." Ceri looked to Hazel, who nodded in confirmation.

"GIRL'S TRIP!" Tivy scampered to her feet, standing on Oxyi's bed now, and started doing a little dance. "Seeth, you have to come too!"

"Uhh..." Seeth hesitated. A shopping trip was a far cry from the chaos her life had been for the last... several years, honestly at this point, and one that actually sounded quite nice, but Oxyi's unbridled terror was undeniable, as she scanned the Controller up and down, her eyes hovering at her bust, her hips. She seemed to shrink into herself just looking at her. Oxyi didn't need Seeth flaunting the changing rooms with her hypersexual figure, not today. "Think I'll give it a miss. Got lots of... captain things to do. Next time, Tiv."

Tivy slumped and pouted but Oxyi relaxed, at least a little bit.

"Maybe... you could take Plasia, though?" Seeth asked softly.

The look of horror, quick to return to Oxyi's face, was beaten only by Plasia's. She stared at Seeth in disbelief.

"I thought it might be nice!" Seeth said quietly, siddling close to Plasia. "You need clothes, too! You can't keep wearing mine, they don't fit you right. Plus, I'd like to see what sorta clothes you pull off - before me and Diego pull them off anyway." Seeth nudged her playfully.

Plasia still looked anxious, but she flushed lightly, and had to fight a smile. "I barely know anyone though!" She murmured.

"We don't bite Plasia, promise!" Ceri said cheerfully.

"Unless you want us to." Hazel purred, and both girls gave an evil little giggle. They had released Oxyi now but hovered close-by, ready to grab her again at a moment's notice.

Plasia glanced between the girls and Seeth, her blue orbs wide with uncertainty.

"If Oxyi is okay with it, of course." Seeth spoke up for her. "I know it's a lot to ask of you today -" And I know I'm being a tad hypocritical, but Plasia's a lot less intimidating than I am! "- but Plas is right. Might be nice if you all got to know each other a bit?"

Oxyi looked over at Plasia's terrified expression, and found her own softening. She had shrunk herself down and hunched over, hiding behind Seeth the best she could without making it look too obvious. She didn't do a great job.

"Of course she can." Oxyi sighed gently.

"Thanks, Oxyi." Seeth smiled, then turned back to Plasia. "Jace gave you a small fortune in dies, so go treat yourself! You deserve it, Plas, more than anyone."

"...Okay. I'll go." Plasia glanced up at Seeth and gave her a small smile.

"Noice noice! Sounds like it's gonna be a party! It's looking like there's gonna be a lot of shopping bags, so I might drive us in. If that's cool." Ceri said. "The main shopping centre's a fair way away from here."

"Your car's only got five seats, that's six of us." Hazel replied. "Are we all gonna fit? Especially when one of us is..." Hazel looked at Plasia, a pastel pink blush blooming over her white fuzzy cheeks. "...so enviably endowed?"

Ceri glanced Plasia up and down with her own blush on her face, which turned into a cheeky little smile. "You guys are gonna have to get cosy in the back, then!"

"Geralt's gonna have a great time." Seeth chuckled.

"EXCUSE ME! ISN'T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT OXYI HAVING A GREAT TIME?!"

*

Between Tivy and Oxyi, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

Tivy had already found her way into the Fang's garage and strapped herself into the front passenger seat of Ceri's car, by the time the others got ready and rounded up Geralt.

They asked her to sit in the back, saying that this was Oxyi's big date and so, she should sit up front. Tivy complained she couldn't see at the back, and what ensued was a ten minute palava of pre-called shotguns and "I'm sorry I suggested a booster seat, I didn't realise it was racist." But, they did manage to get her in the back.

It only got worse from there.

Oxyi was just plain difficult. She would dismiss anything that was shown to her, fidgeting and stumbling over her words and her feet. They had to trek through the mall twice over before finally getting Oxyi into a shop, nevermind a dress.

Despite her loud and palpable spirit, Tivy was being anything but helpful. She would nip out of sight for several minutes, bulldozing her way through clothing racks and returning with arms full of the most garish, obnoxious outfits ever sewn. Somehow, each one was worse than the last, and there was zero coordination between anything she brought over, nevermind with Oxyi's actual sense of style. The lioness had been worrying enough about looking like a 'fridge,' but Tivy's outfits were leaning closer to 'graffiti'd air conditioning unit,' which was not particularly welcome either.

Eventually though, the gang settled into a chaotic rhythm, tagging each-other in and out so that someone was always with Oxyi, while giving others a break - ahem ahem a chance - to do some shopping themselves. They fanned out across each new shop, grabbing anything they thought might take the lioness' fancy. No way turned into no, no turned into meh, and meh turned into maybe only eight shops in!

At the tenth shop, a slither of approval passed Oxyi's judgement and she was swiftly delivered to the nearest changing rooms. Once in the changing room, the lioness suddenly became much more affable with the outfits, thus began a carousel of delivering her new dresses as an ever-growing pile of potential purchases stacked up in the background. She must have spent about an hour in the changing room, giving the gang some time to chat and relax as she mulled it all over.

While the lioness was having some issues picking outfit, both Plasia and Geralt had managed to bag themselves quite a few bargains, each leaning into their newer, more outgoing selves. As they compared wardrobes, they caught the attention of both Ceri and Hazel, who were more than happy to have a break from ferrying clothes to play-flirt and admire their fashion.

Plasia had emerged entirely from her shy shell, more than eager to show the others the lacy bra and panties she'd bought and even throwing some of her own play-flirting back at them. But just as things seemed to be going a bit too well, the lioness suddenly let loose an ear-piercing screech.

"TIVY! GET OUT!"

"SORRY, I JUST BROUGHT YOU THE GREEN!" Tivy yelled back, matching Oxyi's volume with her charming insistence. The critter crawled out from under the curtain, clutching a radioactive green pair of pants, her smile unfaltering for all the distress caused.

"She knows she's winding Oxyi up, right?" Plasia asked quietly, as the four of them watched her skip happily back between the clothes racks and out of sight. "There's no way she doesn't, surely?"

"Honestly, couldn't tell you. Hammond does this sort of shit all the time too."

Once the situation was defused and security informed that Oxyi was fine, the group ended up leaving with several shopping bags full of clothes. A decision had not been reached in the changing room, and so Oxyi had bought them all, but some semblance of an outfit was coming together. They departed together, Oxyi looking as stiff as a plank of wood as they wandered down the remaining arcades for anything else of interest.

A lingerie shop happened upon their route, prompting the lioness to swerve through her entourage and make a beeline for the other side of the street. But her desperate avoidance only sealed her fate. The girls grabbed her by the arms and dragged her straight in, despite her resisting. She only stopped kicking when Geralt agreed (without hesitation mind you) to wait outside and the girls emerged twenty minutes later with a single bag and a very, VERY red lioness.

Many, many hours later, and with not much time to spare, the gang returned to the ships and quickly sprang into action, helping Oxyi get ready. They settled into Oxyi's room, where Seeth rejoined them. It was only then that they realised, with how long the clothes shopping took, that they'd completely forgotten about everything else, makeup, shoes, hair stuff, jewelry. While Seeth, Plasia, Tivy and Geralt tidied Oxyi's room and helped her decide on a dress, Ceri and Hazel were back and forth the Fang, returning with their arms full of boots, heels, wedges and slip-ons of varying styles and sizes, hair curlers, straighteners, even a crimper (which Tivy quickly claimed), bracelets, necklaces, and hundreds of dies worth of makeup before plopping it all down and heading out again. Each time they returned, they brought a few curious stragglers with them, some with their own accessories, some bearing gifts of the alcoholic variety. Before long, much-needed snacks and cocktail glasses filled to the brim with a multitude of colours were making their way around Oxyi's room. Hammond appeared some time after that; having grown "B-O-R-E-D" of the boys' pre-date drinkies he'd made his way over to the girls', quickly settling himself close to Tivy and gratefully accepting the pink cocktail offered to him.

As the time for the date drew closer, Oxyi only grew more anxious.

She still hadn't picked an outfit. She refused to undress and try anything on in front of the others, even after multiple promises of no peeking, and so she had to dash back and forth to the bathrooms down the corridor from her room. After the fourteenth time of doing this, Oxyi locked herself in and refused to come out.

"They all make my body look wrong!" She screeched through the door.

"Those are your legs, Oxyi, you're supposed to have them." Geralt pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well I don't like them!" She snapped back. "Or they don't like me. Or the dresses don't like me, I don't know!"

"Just open the door and we can -"

"NO!"

"Maybe we should ask Diego!" Tivy came skipping out into the corridor, looking as happy and carefree as ever. "He's got a good eye! I'm sure he'd be happy to help!"

"AHH YES!" Oxyi's voice sounded hoarse and just slightly insane as she shouted back. "Let's go ask Diego! 'Hey Diego, THE GUY I USED TO HAVE A MASSIVE CRUSH ON, which dress do you think YOUR BROTHER, the guy I NOW HAVE A MASSIVE CRUSH ON, would most like to BONE ME IN?!'"

Everyone stared at the door, and then at Tivy. There was a long silence. While she didn't look upset, she did look shocked. She glanced around at the others, then clasped her hands together and looked down at the floor.

"Sowwy."

"Oxyi I swear, I will break this door down. You know I can!" Seeth said.

"Pfft no you won't." She retorted. "Not your precious new ship that YOU WERE GONNA LEAVE US ALL FOR! DON'T THINK I DIDN'T FIGURE THAT OUT, SEETH! YOUR SECRET SHIP THAT CAN RUN WITHOUT A CREW! So don't pretend you care now!"

Seeth's tongue flickered out between her teeth in surprise and irritation, and as she really did contemplate kicking the door down then, Ceri sidled up beside her.

"She's a sassy one when she's stressed, isn't she!" Ceri said, kneeling down and inspecting the lock.

"You're sassy all the time!" Oxyi shouted back, and Ceri stifled a giggle. The look on Oxyi's face a few seconds later when the door clicked and swung open would've been funny, if Ceri hadn't seen it for several hours that day already.

"Stop, STOP!" Oxyi screamed. She'd been leaning back against the sink in only her underwear, and immediately dived for the pile of discarded dresses, covering herself with one. "Turn away, I've got no clothes on! How did you get in?!"

"I'm an engineer and a pirate, Oxyi." Ceri grinned. "You think I don't know how to break the lock on a bathroom door?"

"Quick! Get her back to the bedroom! She's gonna be late if she keeps faffing!"

"No! Nooo!" Oxyi continued to scream dramatically, as if Ceri and the others were approaching her with blood stained knives. "Back, you fiends! I will claw you!"

Seeing her friends fill the room, Oxyi began to tunnel her way into the pile of dresses like her life depended on it. But her desperate defiance was short lived as slightly frustrated hands latched onto her ankles and dragged her out, all whilst the lioness let her best blood-curdling scream loose.

"Fucking hell, Oxyi. You didn't make this much fuss when we first met!" Seeth winced through the noise as they finally got her free from the pile.

"Get a grip, girl!" Tivy added sassily. "A date ain't scarier than Seeth!"

"...Thanks, Tiv."

After what felt like an eternity, Oxyi finally settled on a cute, black skater dress, off the shoulder, its hem flared above the knee. Now that they had a dress, they could think about the rest of her look - which Oxyi was not allowed a say in after the dress mess. Although the room was loud and very opinionated, they collaborated surprisingly well... Oxyi didn't really seem to appreciate the crowd that had gathered in preparation of their captain's date, but she did appreciate the alcohol they'd brought.

Which brings us to now. Tivy stood up on the bed, half her head crimped, waving around a skimpy lime-green shiny dress that she'd made Oxyi buy in one hand, and a half-empty cocktail glass in the other. She wore a tipsy, disappointed pout.

"I still think you should wear this one!"

"She's not going to a rave, Tiv." Geralt tried for a chuckle, but what came out was more of a tired sigh. "Although if you were, Oxyi, he definitely wouldn't lose sight of you in that."