The man was still in his chair when she stepped out onto the floor a few minutes later, his warm ale resting in his hand.  Across the room the mercenaries had shifted their focus off their drinks and onto their new company as the aphrodisiac began to do its work. Megra glanced at the group then to the empty stage as she passed. The sight of the latter agitated her worse than before but before she could do anything a familiar sing-songy voice drifted down from above. 

 “Come on love, don’t be like that. I slipped up doesn’t mean our fun has to end,” the voice chirped, drawing Megra's eyes to the stairs.

Trailing behind an stern looking older man, Cas bounced from stair to stair on their paw-like feet. They peaked around the man's shoulder trying to meet his eyes hopping left and right each time he turned away. 

When they reached the bottom Megra noticed the size of the man. Appearing well into his fifties  he had the build of someone much younger and was an impressive specimen even with the wrinkles and the lack of hair on top of his head.

“Our time is done and I will no longer abide your tongue.” The man said in a voice more like a growl of an animal than a man. “And if they are of different forms they may not come together,” he muttered to himself in a tone just loud enough for Cas to hear. 

Despite this the courtesan persisted moving quickly to stand in the man’s path walking backwards to match his pace. 

“Oh come on you were having fun weren’t ya? I promise I won’t speak up again, and I’ll be the perfect little heretic for you.” Cas softened their expression and dropped the corners of their mouth in a frown. The mop of brown hair on their head, slightly lighter than the short fur that covered the rest of their body, seemed to lose its volume as their entire form began to change, becoming shorter and softer making them look all the more vulnerable. 

Despite the display the man continued on, his post-coital clarity proving too strong to overcome. When they realized their trick had failed, Cas reverted back to their original appearance with a sigh.  

“Fine, not like I was gonna have any fun with a limp dick like you anyways,” they mumbled. 

Apparently the words were loud enough for the man to hear because he stopped in his tracks and turned to face the demon. 

“What did you just say you little whore?” The man asked as he loomed over the courtesan. 

Cas seemed unintimidated and repeated the insult but before they could finish though the man seized one of the ramlike horns that curled from their head. He dragged them a few steps, the demon crying out more in surprise than actual pain. 

“I will not be insulted by a cocksucking wretch of the pit,” he growled, pulling the demon's head up as he reared back, ready to deliver a sharp slap against their cheek. 

Cas tensed in anticipation; their fur standing as their body readied for the sting of the strike. It wouldn't be the first time they'd been hit or the worst and it wasn’t like their predilections weren’t well known. Cas enjoyed being treated roughly and was always enthusiastic to indulge their clients' more lurid desires. But business was business, fun was fun and this was neither. 

Shutting their eyes they steeled themselves for both the pain and humiliation. However the strike never landed. Instead the moment passed and a strange scent filled the demon's nose. It wasn’t the normal smell of the inn, the odor of the man's cologne or the scent of sex that clung to them both.  It was like brimstone and smoke and it reminded Cas of home. 

Opening their eyes they found that the man had not reconsidered and instead had been stopped by another guest. This new man was not as large but his grip was like a vice on the older man's wrist. The small demon wrenched their horn free and retreated not wanting to avoid one strike only to catch another should fists begin to fly. 

“Are you looking to fight me for correcting some whore?” The old man said, his teeth gritting as he tried to hide the discomfort from the other man's grip.

The brimstone man shook his head, “No, but I think he might,” he said as Borans'  hand fell upon the other man's shoulder with a thump. 

“I”m going to have to ask you to leave now,” the bouncer said in a voice that vibrated through the smaller men. The stranger released his grip and Boran began to escort the troublemaker away. 

“Unholy den of sin,” the man growled after a few steps, pulling his shoulder free and turning to face the room. Those who hadn’t been looking before now turned toward the man as he spoke.  “Deceiving and tempting the righteous to sway.” His words had become a little louder and his eyes scanned across the room making contact with some of the regulars. A few appeared to recognize him and dropped their gaze as their eyes met. 

“Don’t be ashamed. We are expected to waver; it makes the bright all the more brilliant when the truly righteous return to the path.” His voice boomed in a practiced charismatic rhythm that drew even more eyes to him. With his audience now captivated he looked toward Cas with a hateful glare that made them retreat toward the man who had saved them. “Enjoy your refuge while you can before the warden of the Bright will burns away this dark corner like dew in the sun.”

Boran decided he had heard enough and gave the man a shove to the center of his chest that sent  him reeling.The man stumbled and only avoided falling by gripping the doorframe. 

 “I will be going to the temple to clear my soul if anyone would wish to join me,” he said, making sure to get the last word before he retreated into the night. 

With the man gone Cas breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face their protector. He wasn’t bad looking, tall and with a strong angled jaw sporting the shadow of a beard. His face seemed world-worn  but there was still youth to it. They noted he was a little on the thin side but still had a good build. Not their normal type if Cas thought about it but there was definitely something they liked. 

“Thanks for stepping in like that, I ummm,” Cas found themselves at a loss for words as they looked into those gray eyes. It was strange, the demon was quite the charmer and could fire off a quip or flirtation without thought. But now they were silent, their mind working but coming up empty.

“If you need any company it looks like I’m free now” they said before looking down feeling surprisingly embarrassed. 

The man smiled and  placed a hand on their shoulder reassuring Cas enough to look up. “That’s quite the offer but I have to take a rain check,” The man said, giving another small smile before returning to his seat. 

Megra, who had been watching the situation now approached the shaken demon. 

“Are you alright?” She asked gently, momentarily forgetting her annoyance. 

Cas took a moment then sighed as they answered. “Yeah, don’t worry I’ve been called worse.” 

“Sometimes by me,” Megra said, eliciting a small chuckle from Cas. 

“True but we always kiss and make up,” they said, giving the madam a broad toothy smile. The smile faded quickly though when they looked over the state of the place. A few of the local patrons were already leaving in wake of the man’s impromptu sermon and several more looked visibly shaken.  

“Well that certainly killed the mood,” Cas said with.

“And there wasn’t much to begin,” Megra responded, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Who was that and why did he make such a scene in my establishment?”

 “I don’t remember his name Morgan or Malcomb, something with an M I think. Anyways all I know is he’s a retired inquisitor who goes around giving sermons or something. You know just another Bright Seeker looking for a dark place to do things their Warden wouldn't approve of.”

The local religious sect had been a problem for the Hearth for some time. What had started as a few groups of pilgrims only a couple decades before had now grown into the strongest institution in the region. Through tact and a bit of luck in the form of  the death of the old cleric, Megra had recently been able to ingratiate the Hearth somewhat with the new priestess. But things were never certain when it came to dealing with any faith and the Bright Seekers could be a particularly fickle bunch.

Megra sighed watching as two more guests walked out the front door, “How did you meet such a man?” She asked.

“He approached me while I was hanging around the carriage station looking for new marks. Called me a foul wretch and told me about how he used to enjoy breaking demons and heretics so I asked if he wanted to relive the glory days. He didn’t take much convincing after I explained what I was offering.”

Megra’s tail swished back and forth betraying her growing concern. 

“You went down the hill alone and didn’t tell anyone?”

“Hey, sometimes I like to be off leash. Besides I do it for the Hearth, it's not like we can really advertise so how is anyone new supposed to know we’re here?”

“Bullshit,” Megra responded bluntly, taking a deep breath before she let her emotions get the best of her. “What exactly happened to set him off like that?” 

Cas sighed and made their way over to sit on the edge of the stage. “It was my fault I suppose. We were having fun at first then he started to get frustrated he couldn’t go further on account of the protection runes on the rooms,” Cas said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t remove it for him.” Megra quipped.

“Well if he had been a bit more stable I might have considered it,” Cas said with a chuckle. “Anyways I thought it would be fun to play it up a bit. Apparently he didn’t like when I said he was as impotent as his beloved warden.”

Megra stifled a laugh. There wasn’t anyone she’d met who could get under someone's skin like Cas it was just unfortunate that often included her.

“Well I’m glad you’re ok but remember you need to be careful if anyone ever was able too…” 

“Don’t worry about me Meg,” Cas said, cutting her off. “I told you a long time ago, I ain't never gonna call anyone master, never again. And that includes you,” they said, giving another wide grin. 

The declaration did little to soothe Megra but she smiled anyways only to have it fade as even more guests made their exit. 

“In the future, could you maybe avoid the clergy?  The Bright Seekers have already given us enough trouble; and given we’re on decent terms with the new priestess we don't need to aggravate anyone with some influence.” 

“I don’t know how much influence a raving old hypocrite like that would have,” Cas said dismissively. 

“Enough to empty out my business,” Megra retorted looking out over the quickly emptying brothel

Cas did the same watching as another table stood and began to gather their things. “Well, there’s only one thing for that,” they said, springing to their feet. With a wave their hands the lights on the stage dimmed then focused onto the demon. From seemingly nowhere music began to play. Soft and distant at first it grew as the demon twirled to the center of the stage. When they stopped their clothes had changed. Colorful near translucent silk covered the bare minimum of their body and seemed to flow with their movements always leaving just enough hidden to taunt one's imagination. It didn’t take long for all eyes to be drawn to the stage and the tempting swaying figure upon it. 

In all her years working in cathouses Megra had never seen a talent like Casus. While all concubuses could manipulate desire Cas was the only one she knew who could do it at such a scale. 

It was one of the many talents they had that made them such an asset to the Hearth..

“Good evening loves,” they said, their voice carrying over the growing music. “I apologize for the delay in tonight's performance. Please grab yourself another drink and some company or two and enjoy the show.”

Their spell was cast the moment they began to move, captivating and capturing the audience with its power. Their form shifted and bent, blurring at times between the line of the physical and ethereal. Everyone saw something different in Cas’s dance and by the time it was done they were unable to describe what they saw. The feelings it invoked remained though; desire, longing, ecstasy. While most carnal demons could only play with the hunger of the flesh, Cas could tap into things buried far deeper and held more dear.  

Even Megra was caught for a moment until the knot in her stomach twisted a bit. Remembering the man she looked to where he sat. His eyes were no longer on the door. Like everyone else he had been drawn to the stage. She wondered what he might be seeing, his expression was even seemingly unmoved by whatever it was. It would be a fine time to approach him. Catch him off guard and try to get a sense of who he was and why her instincts were telling her to fear him. But after seeing how he had helped Cas she chose to let it go. There were other things she needed to worry about like how the night's finances might be salvaged. ‘Besides,’ she reasoned to herself, ‘In light of everything else how much danger could one man pose?’