not maybe, definitely

The notion of doing whatever she wanted seemed to baffle and befuddle the white-gloved empress, who gave a curt laugh and mumbled to herself. Maverick chalked that up as another victory for himself. He was slowly working his way into her mind, helping her see things from a different point of view. When one gets so pigeonholed into one facet of their lives, it tended to take away from all the other sides of them. That was all Mav was helping Venom realize. She'd become so used to being the alpha of Ashen that she no longer knew how to be anything else but her title. Was he using his charm and charisma to manipulate her into going down this path of thought? Technically, yes, but in this case he was using his talents for good! It wasn't every day that Maverick took it upon himself to do something for the sole benefit of someone else, and in this case his altruism came with a side of cannabis, but it was for a good cause. There was nothing sadder than a woman who forgot how to be who she was.

Once he'd passed the bag of drugs back over to her, he watched while Venom consumed another few leaves of the herb after some gentle chiding from his patient. She claimed she only wanted to pursue one taboo at a time. Maverick snorted and rolled his eyes with a groan. "One at a time? My gorgeous, repressed lady, vices are meant to be enjoyed in combination, like a fine meal! The real experience lies in the sum of the parts. You'd be missing out to enjoy them individually." As if to prove his point, Maverick rolled over onto his belly again, then rose to his paws while he sauntered over to his small collection of personal belongings. The dire brute rifled through them for a moment, head down in his belongings and rump held high in comical fashion, complete with wagging tail swishing back and forth like a metronome. Once he found the small brown bottle, he exclaimed in triumph and ambled his way back to Venom with a little swagger in his step.

Unlike last time, Maverick did not settle down across the small burrow from Venom, but instead came to lay right beside her on the furs. Not quite close enough for their bodies to be touching, but definitely close enough that they could touch with ease. He held the bottle up and popped the cork with his teeth. The sweet, spicy scent of the drink inside wafted from the bottle along with the tang of aged alcohol. Maverick lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long swig of the mellowed rum. It was smooth and spiced with just the right amount of sweetness to keep it from being too bitter, and it created a pleasant warmth that settled in his belly along with the heady sensations of his high. Pale turquoise eyes glancing back to seek her sunset jewels, Mav offered the bottle to Venom.

"This is your chance to be who you want to be," he spoke in a husky murmur to Venom, just barely above a whisper. He fixed her with eyes shimmering with excitement and encouragement. He wanted to see the prim and proper lady go fully wild. Gods knew she fucking needed it! "Just for one night. You've spent so much time being Venom the Empress. Now it's time for you to just be Venom." Venom was so much more than just a face to a title; Maverick was determined to get her to see that in herself. She was a living, breathing woman, with real needs that had been left unsatisfied. And speaking of needs, Mav hadn't been noseblind to Venom's scent betraying the fact that she was in heat all this time. The poor fae had starved herself for so long, he knew she must be ravenous to live, yet she didn't know how to let herself indulge. Well, he didn't mind being the devil on her shoulder for the short time they'd be together. Again, Mav tapped her foreleg with the bottle of rum and gave her a sly grin. "Go on, Ven. Take what you want." There was a bit of subtle double entendre to his words. But would Venom allow herself to indulge her hungers, and if she did, which of the two other taboos offered to her would she choose?

"Maverick"