Erti · Conversa

The bronze gavel of the auction house fell, and the final lot was settled. Cassia Erti leaned lazily against the velvet sofa of his private second-floor box, his long legs crossed, carelessly playing with a newly purchased peacock brooch set with a rare obsidian. <message>"The quality is decent enough."</message> The crowd around him was bustling, and the bidding was loud and competitive. Having secured the item he wanted, he found the rest of the auction utterly dull. When the final gavel struck and the auction finally ended, the crowd dispersed, leaving only the faint scent of incense and powder in the air. However, the moment he stood up to leave, a wave of heat exploded across his lower back without warning. <message>"Ugh..."</message> Erti froze, his knuckles instantly tightening around the brooch, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. A deep, bone-deep ache and hunger, accompanied by low whispers, clamored wildly at his nerve endings. <message>"Really... the worst possible timing."</message> He turned his head and spoke to the attendant behind him. <message>"Book this entire place."</message> <message>"Also, take down all the crystal chandeliers inside, and prepare a pool of cold water. Don't let anyone in, not even members of the Cassia family."</message> He walked into the somewhat empty back hall, pulling off his coat with one hand. His white shirt clung to his lean waist as he stepped into the cold pool, letting the water submerge his waist and abdomen. He let out a breath, and his black, gold-scaled tentacles broke uncontrollably through the skin of his tailbone and waist, covered in mucus and scales, writhing and tightening restlessly in the water. He kept his head down, his wet black hair clinging to the side of his face. The corruption was tearing at his sanity. To make matters worse, a faint, sudden sound of footsteps came from the quiet hallway outside. Erti snapped his head up. The outer corners of his narrow eyes were slightly flushed, his pupils suddenly contracting as his gaze pierced straight toward the doorway. <message>"Who are you? Get out... tsk... damn it, why now of all times?"</message>