Klaus was sprawled out on the couch, eyes half-lidded, staring blankly into the distance with a bleak, expressionless face. Without a doubt, he was completely drunk—and making no effort to sober up.
Why would he? He wasn't in the mood for sobriety.
Hecate was perched on his stomach like a lazy cat, legs crossed, leaning back with a tired, satisfied look on her face. Tatiana, meanwhile, was tending to Belial, who was… well, throwing up his soul, dignity, and most of his dinner into a trash can.
The cohort stood nearby, confused and a little dumbfounded by the surreal scene.
They hadn't expected Klaus to be here tonight, let alone drunk—and certainly not letting his "kids" drink, smoke, and do whatever they wanted without supervision.
It was wildly irresponsible.
But then again, Klaus was hardly what anyone would call a normal parent.
Klaus liked giving freedom to his people.
Sure, Hecate had practically scammed him into becoming her and Belial's father—getting him to sign some suspiciously official-looking documents while he was high out of his mind.
Still… he didn't mind.
He'd grown fond of those kids.
Belial's doubts, guilt, and constant anxiety reminded Klaus of himself—of all the regrets he tried not to think about. Meanwhile, Hecate's unapologetic arrogance and selfishness mirrored his own ambition and lifestyle far too well.
At first, he'd been angry. Really angry.
But somewhere along the way, something shifted. He stopped resisting and simply accepted it.
They were his now.
What choice did he have, anyway?
Meh.
Tatiana gently patted Belial's back with a calm, reassuring smile after he finished wiping his mouth. Once he had collected himself, the two of them took a seat beside Klaus and Hecate on the long couch.
The cohort could only stare, utterly stunned by the bizarre picture in front of them—a drunken idiot stretched out like a corpse, a smug girl perched on his stomach, a boy still recovering from alcohol poisoning, and a beautiful woman treating it all like a casual evening.
Only Cassie remained unfazed. She was used to this madness.
And though she'd never admit it aloud, a quiet smile tugged at her lips. As chaotic as the Zakharovs were... she kind of liked it. It was stupid. Loud. Unhinged. But it was also warm.
She sighed softly, then stepped forward and made her way toward Klaus.
Hecate, noticing, clicked her tongue in annoyance and jumped off Klaus's stomach with a dramatic huff, clearly irritated by the idea of giving the "couple" some space.
But she relented.
Even she knew when to step back.
Cassie took a seat, casually leaning back on a soft pillow.
Where did she get the pillow?
Well, she was a lady—and naturally, whatever she wanted simply appeared the moment she requested it. Recently, reality tended to accommodate her that way.
Klaus groaned softly and shifted, crawling lazily across the couch toward her. Then, without warning, he climbed onto her—resting his head on her chest and clutching his temples like the world had wronged him personally.
Cassie didn't even flinch. She simply adjusted slightly to get comfortable.
To outsiders, the sight might've been strange—bizarre, even. Seeing Cassie, the composed and calm, casually holding a grown man like he was an oversized, sulking cat?
But for them?
This was the most normal thing in the world.
She thought quietly, her expression softening as she gently caressed Klaus's white hair, a tender smile playing on her lips.
Nephis had seen them like this many times before, yet it still felt strange—familiar, but strange all the same. She never would have imagined Cassie finding someone like Klaus. Cruel, insane, merciless, and prideful—not exactly the type Cassie, reserved and calm, would be drawn to.
And yet, there they were, right in front of her, acting like they'd known each other for years.
Though Nephis was confused and stunned by it all, a quiet happiness bloomed inside her. She was glad—truly glad—that her friend had found some kind of happiness in life.
She decided to leave Cassie to herself and glanced down at the dance hall, her expression unreadable, with Sunny standing quietly beside her.
Staring at the mass of dancing humans in bewilderment, Sunny shook his head.
"What a… strange ritual."
Nephis turned her head slightly and raised an eyebrow.
"...I know, right?"
Changing Star peered at the dancing crowd and frowned.
"Their behavior doesn't make any sense."
Sunny nodded in solidarity.
"Indeed."
After a while, he added:
"They're not even dancing, they're just… rhythmically gyrating their bodies. It also appears that the proximity at which one is allowed to gyrate his or her body to other participants is representative of their… desirability? Anyway, they all look incredibly stupid."
Nephis tilted her head a little.
"It is not that simple, I think. This strange dynamic actually seems to be very nuanced. Just look at the women… they seem to be using their looks, physical coordination, and agility in order to attract the men. However, once men are attracted, the women act as if they are disinterested. Most of the time they truly are, other times it is just a signal for the men to try harder."
She grew silent, and then added with slight confusion:
"The most startling part is that all this information, including the complicated evaluations based on obscure parameters and much more, is communicated absolutely non-verbally and in a way that both men and women somehow seem to understand while chaotically jerking their bodies. It is like they all developed telepathic abilities."
Sunny scowled.
"Anyway, these gyrations are clearly meant to illustrate one's high value as a romantic partner. And that is what this "dance" is, a venue for the "dancers" to seek out physically desirable partners. However, everyone acts as if it's not. In fact, most of these people are pretending that the exact opposite is true."
He rubbed his chin.
"As if showing interest is in itself an admission of inadequacy and undesirability. Those who do manage to find partners do it through a series of obscure hints and silent signals. This is so... inefficient. Why can't people just honestly state their goals and desires? They are all pursuing the same result, anyway."
Hecate blinked, staring at Nephis and Sunny for a moment before glancing over at Klaus.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at her, barely holding back a grin—then they both burst out laughing, pointing at the two.
Hecate wiped a tear from her eye and jumped back onto Klaus's stomach.
"Are they retards?"
Klaus shrugged as he sat up from Cassie's chest and casually tossed Hecate off him.
"I don't know, seriously… Well, that's what you get with an autistic blowtorch+edgy shadow=team yappers, huh? Seems about right."
Sunny and Nephis turned, both visibly stunned. Sunny looked particularly… offended.
What did they mean by that?
That bastard and his sadistic little gremlin, whatever Hecate was to him, seriously?
Sunny shook his head in disbelief before forcing a sharp smile, dark resentment flickering in his eyes.
"And what are you, then? A waste of society?"
Klaus only shrugged, that ever-cheeky grin plastered across his face as he leaned back lazily. If anything, he looked smug, as though he took pride in the label.
Effie let out a loud, exaggerated sigh and stepped in before it could escalate.
"They're just having fun! Gods, don't you people know what fun is? Believe it or not, it's actually kinda nice to just let go—move your body to loud music, get tipsy, and not think about murder for five minutes."
Klaus and Hecate both turned to her, eyes wide with pure admiration.
"Effie, you are so cool. As expected of the great Huntress, she gets it!"
"Effie, you're the definition of good vibes. Let's be friends forever."
Effie giggled and ruffled Hecate's hair, then shot a grin at the gloomy duo.
"See? It's not that weird. You two should try having fun sometime."
Both Nephis and Sunny gave nearly identical looks of subdued horror and revulsion.
"No, thank you."
"I'd rather not."
Changing Star hesitated, her gaze drawn back to the mass of dancing people below. She remained silent for a moment, her brows furrowed slightly. Then, she spoke—quiet, almost distant.
"It's strange… to see so many people acting so carelessly. To be honest, all I can think about…"
Her voice trailed off as her expression darkened.
"…is how easy it would be to kill them all. They're just so unaware. So unprepared."
Klaus let out a loud, amused laugh and shook his head as he lit a cigarette.
"Try killing me, then. I'll annihilate both your boring-ahh lives."
He grinned, exhaling smoke that curled around his face like fog, and broke into a singsong:
"Tsk tsk, you useless bums~
Why are you so allergic to fun~?"
Then Klaus glanced at Kai with expectant eyes, clearly waiting for a clever comeback or sharp diss to follow his little song.
But the charming archer didn't deliver.
In fact… Kai looked embarrassed. Awkward, even. He shifted his weight and glanced away, avoiding eye contact like a guilty child.
Klaus stared at him, betrayed.
What the hell...?
Weren't you a singer? A performer? Why aren't you backing me up?!
Betrayal! Absolute treason! Filthy traitor!
He dramatically clutched his chest.
"How could you, Kai?! I trusted you! You were the chosen one!"
Kai sighed, still refusing to look at him.
"I just… I didn't have a line ready, alright?"