[User]
By train and ferry and plane, Seren Koller had arrived at the vacant manor in the forest. Finding it, honestly, had been a dose of pure luck. Nowhere was this structure listed on maps or guides. It was nestled deep in the mountains between Germany and Austria, and the young woman momentarily thanked whatever gods existed that she'd made the trip in the spring. Though, she noted that it likely wouldn't stay super warm. The sun was going down, since her trek into the mountains had taken her all day. And with the lowering of the flaming ball of fire that gave breath to all life came the lowering of the temperature in the air.

"Fuck," she cursed under her breath. It wouldn't be dangerously cold tonight, but it seemed as if she'd need to spend the night in this manor, lest she risk being lost in the mountains. Seeing how well-kept the architecture was sent a tingle down the young woman's spine. She had a mission to complete, though. She had to know where she came from, and if this was truthfully something she could tie her ancestry to. The doors were revealed to be unlocked, and they opened with a moderate creak. After entering, the brunette closed the door behind herself, as if this were her own home. It was the closest thing she'd found to one as of yet, even if she'd only been here for a few seconds.

Traversing the halls was no easy task, since this place seemed absolutely massive. The young woman felt almost as if her skin tingled with energy here, though. Everything felt strange in this manor. Her boots clicked gently on the marble floors. On her way, she spotted a mirror. Much like the rest of the manor, it had a bit of wear and tear, but there were no major defects. She was still able to see her reflection.

She stood three inches over five feet tall with a rather small frame. Under her light jacket and thin shirt was a smaller waist, and modestly sized breasts. Her rear end, though, was her selling point to most that found her attractive. Either that, or her vibrant green eyes, glowing like the promise of envy. Beyond her simplistic appearance, though, it was obvious she was not native to this country. At least, not in the years that her family had left and intermingled with the cultures of the rest of the world. Seren herself didn't hold the pale skin and blonde hair that most Austrians possessed. She had skin that would rather tan than burn, and the lightest dusting of freckles across the high points of her body. Her hair was thick and a deep brown. The only thing that perhaps spoke of her relation to this place were her high cheekbones, strong bones, and her light-colored eyes. Satisfied with the normalcy of the mirror, the young woman moved along.

It had taken her twenty-three years to arrive at this manor, and it seemed that she'd be leaving all too soon. After pocketing books from the library, though they were in a language she couldn't read, and a few pieces of jewelry, she decided that it was best for her to attempt to return to the town at the base of the mountain, instead of staying in this deserted manor. It was getting rather cold as well, too. So, pushing all of her favored items into her backpack, she began to take her leave. Just as she reached the manor's entrance hall, though, she felt a change in the air. The previous tingling of her skin began to feel far more sinister and tangible. Something had to be around her. Her gut never lied. Turning around quickly, she allowed her dim flashlight to search the room.

"H-hello?" Her voice was quiet, even though she attempted to make it sound firm and demanding. "Is anyone there? Show yourself?" Perhaps she should have spoken in German, but it didn't matter now---her accent was horrible in foreign languages.

[Assistant]
Azazel was slumbering in his room when he could feel the footsteps of someone approaching. He had lived in this manor for so long the very magical essence that came off of him had seeped into the ground and the stone of the castle. He stood up off of the bed when he felt them approaching and sighed before stepping over to the mirror. He choose his demon form to see about scaring them away. He knew it was only one person that was for sure and he also knew from the lighter footfalls that he was dealing with a female this time. He found that odd. Usually only the young males from the village would get brave or foolish enough to step foot near the castle.

As he moved through the castle towards the noise they were trying not to make he stopped in his tracks. The energy coming off of this human felt different than most. It felt more familiar to him, it gave him memories of a time long past. He picked up his pace and wanted to see if his hunch was right. He wanted to see if her descendant had finally come. He stopped when he reached the library and he watched her pick books off the shelf. He looked her over and he knew that he had found one of the descendants of that women. He could feel it in the air as well. She gave off an aura from the magic that was in her blood and it was the same that had bonded him to her long ago.

Using some of the magic he had left he melted into the shadows and followed the girl as she moved around the manor. He watched as she pulled books off of the shelf and he wondered what she planned to do with them. He could tell from the way she stumbled through the titles that she could not read them and his first thought was that she planned to sell them. He sighed and kept to the shadows and he followed her to the master bedroom.

When she went through this room and pulled out a old ring he knew he would need to stop her. He could not let her sell any of the stuff in the house that he had guarded for centuries. He hadn't poured almost all of his magic into this place to keep it in the tattered shape it was in for someone of her blood line to come and rob the place. He followed her back to the main entrance hall and was getting ready to stop her when he heard her speak. He could tell she could feel him but she didn't know where it was coming from.

He moved behind her and stepped out of the shadows with a brief flash of warm fire. He towered over the smaller women being taller than the average human at 6'7''. He looked down at her and with a big sharp toothed grin he spoke the first words he had muttered to anyone in a very long time. "If you want to get out of her alive little girl you will put those books and that jewelry back. You maybe someone of the mistresses blood line but that doesn't mean you can step into her house and take her things. I would sooner kill you and see her blood line stop here than have her things sold by some scoundrel. I have taken care of and guarded her home for to many years after she was gone to have you step in and take things" He said.

He was using more magic than he should have but he needed to prove his point. He was trying to be intimidating and while it would work on most people he was not sure how well it would work on her. He knew who she was related to even if it was a few generations back.

[User]
Seren was just about to turn around to finally exit the manor when her suspicions were finally confirmed. So, there was someone in here with her. However, the way that the figure revealed themselves wasn't how she thought. There was a flash of fire that seemed to warm the room just slightly, and then suddenly there was a... Seren wasn't quite sure what it was. It looked like a demon, to be honest. It took a full second for her to react appropriately to the situation, out of pure shock.

The brunette's moment of calm seemed to dissolve as she dropped her flashlight. It created a harsh noise as it hit the stone floors. She let out a yelp of fear, but did not move from her spot. It didn't take long for the flashlight's battery to malfunction after hitting the floor so harshly. It was a metal one similar to the kind that police used in America, so it also could have been used as a bludgeoning weapon if Seren had kept it in her hands. The bulb grew much dimmer, and vaguely flickered, limiting Seren's view of the man. She could tell that he was large, and that he was not human. She wasn't sure what he was, but he didn't belong in this realm of existence.

"I'm not going to sell it. I'm taking it, because someone like you has no use for it. This belongs to my family, and I'll be damned if you're going to stop me from taking it back. I need to know who I am. Where my lineage comes from." Seren's hand slid beneath her jacket, and to the average person, it may have looked like she was cold. However, she was really fumbling for her pistol, which she kept on her waist. She didn't want to alarm the demon in front of her, but she needed to take action.

"Who are you? What are you? What are you doing in this manor?" She stood almost deathly still, as if she was afraid that sudden movement would set him off. Her only way of exit was also blocked by him, so she'd either have to set him at ease, or kill him in order to leave. "You... You said something about 'her'. Are you referring to Lena Koller?" She seemed to still her hand in her jacket when she remembered that he referred to the owner of the mansion.

"What do you mean you've protected this place?" Her brows furrowed.

[Assistant]
The demon watched the women in front of him as she dropped the flash light. He could see perfectly well without and he smiled at that fact. When her hand slide behind her back he sighed mentally but did not give it away on his face. Great another human with a gun, the frail things had thought very wrongly for years that they solved all of the problems a human could run into.

He listened to her ask her questions and he snapped his fingers making a fire spring up in the entrance hall fireplace. With the added light she would be able to clearly making out his red skin and horns. He chuckled lightly at her questions but something about the way she moved and spoke reminded him of Lena.

"My name is Azazel and I am a demon. Well a very specific race of demon named Tiefling. I was summoned and bound to her a very long time ago. After that I was very fond of the place and the other inhabitants she would summon up or would come to visit. She could have been immortal with me by her side but she choose to live the life of a mortal." Azazel said with a wicked grin on his face.

"By her yes I do mean Lena Koller. I knew you were one of her descendants as soon as you stepped into this place. The same magic she had runs through those veins you have." He said as his eyes moved up and then back down her arms.

"As for what I mean by protecting this place is exactly how it sounds. I have kept the place looking semi nice with the magic I have left. I have kept people out and have kept people from stealing those old trinkets you carry. I have made this place a spooky manor that most of the humans around here will not step in. I will not be able to do it much longer though. The magic I have while still strong is starting to run out." He said.

Azazel then stepped to the side and bowed lightly to her. "If you want to leave then you are welcome to. You will not make it back to town before nightfall and these woods are not a nice place. I guess it is because they are so close to my magic. I can teach you more about the history you want to know than that book can. If you let me that is. Know if you will excuse me I have some work to do." He said as he turned and started to walk away. He knew he was playing mind games with her and she probably knew as well. He would be disappointed if she did not.

[User]
Seren's blood chilled when the light from the fireplace lit up the man's figure. He was just as massive as she'd thought, but it was his skin color and the horns across the top of his head that made her life's source fade to ice. She wanted to just take her things and run, but she was afraid to turn her back on him. Still, she managed to keep her calm enough to slowly release her gun. The demon---this tiefling---was not hostile. If anything, he was dismissive, now. The fact that he'd stopped her, but then turned around to leave was almost infuriating.

From the acceptance of the existence of demons, accepting the existence of magic and magic-users wasn't that far of a jump. Admittedly, Seren had suspicions that her family was of... supernatural origin, to say the least. But to have that suspicion confirmed was something akin to a slap in the face. A good one, though. She slowly leaned down and picked up her malfunctioning flashlight before following after the tall demon. Her boots tapped softly on the floor.

"Excuse me? You can't just walk away after piquing my interest like that." Fearless, she grabbed his sleeve and used her flashlight to keep the hall illuminated. She no longer had a hand on her gun, instead believing that this demon wouldn't immediately attempt to harm her. At least, he wouldn't do so without notice. After all, he seemed to care about her. She was a Koller, after all.

"I... So I have the capability to use magic, correct?" She raised her brows and licked her lips nervously, slowly moving her hand so that she wasn't touching Azazel anymore. "If I do, then I can also restore this place. If I am a descendant of Lena Koller---and I am, then it should be part of my job to help restore this manor as well." She sighed, and seemed to deflate slightly. "I can't just... leave. This place seems to be calling me. It called me here all the way from the United States," she admitted.

[Assistant]
Azazel smiled when he heard her boots on the floor and he knew that he had the exact effect he wanted. He knew he could get her to come with him and listen if he started to walk away. He turned to face her when she grabbed him and the wicked smile was still on his lips. "I can do anything I want little lady. I am not bound to anyone, I can come and go as I please. Though now I can see it in those eyes of yours. You want to know everything. I can tell you everything and more." he said.

When she let him go he motioned for her to follow and he lead the way to a small sitting room just off of the main hall. He sat down in a chair after putting a fire in this fire place as well that lit up the whole room. He got comfortable and said "You can use magic yes just like she could. However there is a small problem, you do not have anything bound to you. Unlike Lena you do not have a demon like me bound to you so the magic you can do is smaller things. Unfortunately you do not have enough magic to keep this place safe and restore it. I am also running out of magic, I can only make so many more trips back to hell before it is all gone. I get a little bit back when I go but this project takes a lot of magic out of me."

He watched her face and body for reactions to what he had been saying and he couldn't help but notice how nice her body was. He was after all a sexual being who needed it to do more magic. He moved his hand in the air and a small table with a whistling kettle appeared. "Tea?" He asked as he poured himself a cup. He poured one for her and handed it to her before settling back in the chair again. "Of course the place called to you. Lena wove magic into the walls using mine and her powers. Unfortunately again though it is also running out. She has been gone for far to long and with her my source of being able to recharge my own magic. A reliable source anyway, I can still turn into a human and go into town but it has become harder to do. Photographs make it hard for the same human to show up ten or even twenty years apart and look the exact same."

He took a sip of his tea and then said "Alright start with the questions I know you have many. This is going to take a while to answer them all so in a little bit we should move this conversation to the kitchen so I can make us something to eat. I prefer to eat things raw but I know you will need it cooked."

[User]
Seren was quite confused at the way that things were going. First, this demon man had commanded that she not leave with her ancestor's things, then he'd given her a tease of what he knew, walked away, and finally he was offering her food and tea? What on earth was occurring? She knew that this manor was bizarre and it almost seemed as if she were in a different world, but she hadn't expected this. She had expected dusty books and ancient artifacts. Perhaps a portrait or two. Sure, she hadn't explored the entire manor. It was entirely likely that there was a portrait somewhere of Lena Koller herself. Seren would have sold her soul to see it.

As she sat down in a chair opposite of Azazel's, she couldn't help but to stare in wonder when he summoned a table with a tea kettle, but only after he'd summoned fire. Her mouth hung slightly open for a moment, but she closed it and accepted the tea that he held out for her. "Yes, uh... thank you." She seemed dumbfounded. Magic could summon---not monsters---but tea. How... practical.

"Yes, I have a lot of questions." She paused. "I'm not hungry right now," she lied, but it wasn't as if he could sense that she hadn't eaten since morning. She wanted to stay right in this room, where she could feel somewhat in control of her own fate. "So... you're a demon that was bound to Lena Koller in the past. She chose to die instead of living forever. Sounds dumb, but I can understand why she'd want that. Living forever could become quite the burden to bear..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose just between her eyes before officially beginning her questions.

"One, how do I get a demon bound to myself to perform magic? Two, what do you mean 'recharge' your magic? How do you recharge it?" She cocked her head slightly, placing her backpack loaded with Lena's books on the ground.

[Assistant]
Azazel watched Seren's face as she took the tea and he knew that she was hungry. He could tell by the smallest twitch when she turned it down. No matter he would feed her later. Humans thought themselves such very good liars when the exact opposite was true. He waved his hand again and next to the tea kettle some sandwiches appeared. She didn't need to know there were from the kitchen and he was just bringing them her by magic. He was going to have some fun before she learned everything.

"She has not been the only human who decided to die instead. They are few in number but they have existed before and I do believe people will continue to turn it down. Some are afraid to live forever because as you said it can become quite a burden. I should know seeing as I have lived here in her house for a very long time with just myself and my thoughts." He said. He took a sandwich from the plate and nibbled on it. Food was not the way he got his energy back and he knew this is the part she would hate.

"The answer to the first question is a simple one for the most part. You have to either find a demon that is willing to bind itself with you or you have to use a trapping and binding ritual to force them to. Be warned though, that is the more dangerous option. Keep a demon on a chain and make it stay in the human realm and do things it doesn't want to do and just like with a mistreated dog, It will bite back." He said with a wicked grin on his face that showed off his fangs nicely.

Azazel leaned forward and for the first time since he had shown himself to her his demeanor changed. He sat up straighter and he took on a air of seriousness that hadn't been there before. He then in a low voice so nothing but her could hear he said "Ah now this is the part that you will have trouble with. Demons come in different types and forms, I am a demon that needs sex. I need to have sex with the person I am bound to for my magic to recharge. Any sex or any form will do except well forgive me for being crude but my own hand if you get my meaning. I haven't gotten to have sex with her seeing as she is dead so my magic is running out. Pity she like you was a very pretty girl. See for yourself."

He then moved his hand and the fire in the pit seemed to grow and intensify. Over the fireplace well away from the flames was a single portrait untouched by time. It was as clean as the day it was painted centuries ago, a task he had spent a lot of magic on. Lena sat in a chair by the very fireplace under the photo with her hands crossed in her lap and a smile on her face. The white summer dress she wore clung to her body nicely and made her look even more beautiful. Not that she actually needed help. The resemblance between them was very obvious.


[User]
Putting up with the kiss, Mekal allowed himself to be picked up. Belly up, he squirmed in Jeremy's arms before he settled against the crook of his elbow, his head craned to the front of them, eyes taking in the direction the man brought him. One of the few blessings he had despite the curse was his understanding for the human language. As the Goddess did not always ask for him to fetch people from the same tribe---Mekal was able to understand all languages, including this human's.

A drink didn't sound like a bad idea but he could definitely appreciate some food more. He allowed the repetitive swaying motion calm him down until he spotted what they were headed towards. It was the large metal creatures with black legs. Mekal tensed up and sniffed at the air warily, all that filled his senses was the smell of oil, rubber and metal. He scrunched up his nose at the nauseating smell before he realized he was being set down. They were parked beside some kind of gazebo and tent, it seemed it was connected to the back of the car. He trotted closely behind the human, feeling his paws seep into the sand as the grains got between his toes. His couldn't help but kick reflectively in the air with each limb, trying to shake off the sand.

There was never this much sand back when he was awake. He sulked as he waited for the man to unpack his supplies. Soon, a dish with chilled water was set in front of him. Mekal eagerly lapped it up, refusing to come up for air until the bowl was licked dry. His sand paper tongue went around the rim meticulously. Glancing up he saw the man taking his own drink from some kind of cup---well that was fine as the scent of food caught his nose. It came from the same box that held the drink---clearly it was meant to be eaten!

Mekal barely gave his new owner a glance before he give himself a quick body shake and leaped into the box. His first reaction was to let out a loud meow as his paws came upon something freezing, his claws attempted to help him land but only resulted in scratching across the plastic ice pack. He saw the man peer into the box and gave an angry meow.

What was this cold block doing in the box! He lifted his paws gingerly off cold offending object before nodding through the plastic. He swore he smelled some smoked meat... giving a triumphant growl, he snapped the plastic package with his fangs as he felt two hands lift him up and away from the food holder. The plastic bag of meat slipped from his fangs and he gave a longing look towards it.

He stared up at the man as he was settled before giving a pointed look towards where his bag of meat was. If he couldn't even piece together this charades, Mekal was probably doomed to starvation. He gave a shrill mental cry as he urged the man to present his meal to him.

[Assistant]
Jeremy headed over to the car and set the cat down to pop open his cooler. The hot desert sun was brutal, so he'd made sure to fill it up with plenty of stuff to keep the cold in. Mostly frozen water bottles, but there were a few more traditional ice packs down below. A fact which the cat discovered as he proceeded to leap right into the box, before mewling in discontent as he stepped directly on one of the ice packs.

"Yes, I know," Jeremy said, picking him up again as he complained. "It's cold, isn't it?" He'd slipped into a sort of baby talk voice, as he often did when talking to animals, especially cats. Saying inane, obvious things, an commiserating with a creature that surely couldn't understand him. "Anyway, that's my sandwich, and you can't have it. I'm surprised you can even smell it through all that plastic. You must have a good nose on you, yes you do." He kissed the cat's nose, then firmly closed the cooler before setting him down again. "I'll get you some pet food once we get back to the hotel, okay?"

He didn't have a proper water dish for the cat, but thankfully he had an empty tupperware container which had previously contained his breakfast. The water would still probably taste strongly of the nuts and hardboiled eggs that had been kept in there until that morning, but he doubted the cat was going to complain. Instead, Jeremy poured a generous amount of water in and pushed the bowl towards the kitty.

Sitting down on the edge of the trunk, he mulled things over. The tomb wasn't going anywhere, and it wasn't as though anyone was going to steal his discovery. He was the only one who knew about it, and they were in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it would be kinder to take the cat back to his room now, to get him situated with a big bowl of food and water, and then Jeremy could get to the task of properly examining the tomb.

Having a kitty to come home to would definitely brighten up the room. And the hotel did allow pets. With a longing glance back toward the tomb, Jeremy sighed. "Come on kitty," he said. "Once you're done with your water we can go back into town and get you some Meow Mix. You're coming home with me."

[User]
His ears perked, betraying his curiosity, what in the world was meow mix? Mekal tilted his head to the side and peered up with large emerald eyes. As he polished off the bowl, he made his way with the human over to the vehicle, the hulking machinery towering over the cat. Of course he was going home with him, he thought with a scoff, it wasn't like he could exactly live in some desert now could he?

As he was settled onto the passenger seat, Mekal stuck his nose in every crevice, whiskers twitching with curiosity, what was this thing? It was only then when the door slammed shut that the monster roared to life. His fur bristled as his claw sunk into leather seats. He gave a startled yowl as he looked to the human beside him. The man seemed extremely calm and was turning some big black circle---Mekal slowly relaxed as his body gave a shake to rid himself of the jitters. He crawled onto his hind legs and peered out the window, the jostling of the car often had him scrambling for balance.

It wasn't long before they were back on urban roads that held buildings on either side. The sun was still high in the sky as people strolled about on the streets in the heat. The merchants were hollering from their stands, trying to sell fruits and other various objects---all of which provided vastly different scents to the cat. Suddenly catching a whiff of plenty of stalls fish, Mekal sat on his hunches and gave a loud meow at his human. Clearly this was the place to be!

[Assistant]
"Careful, sweetie," Jeremy cooed, resting a hand on Mekal's head. The cat was clearly a bit anxious about the car, and who could blame him? He was probably a stray, more used to dodging cars than riding in them. And it was something of a long trip as well. The tomb was buried deep in the desert sand in the middle of nowhere, which was the main reason it hadn't been discovered for so long. Not the only reason of course.

As always, approaching the city was a surreal experience. There was no gradual increase in vegetation, grass sprouting up as dirt turned to sand. Instead, there was a hard line. On one side there was nothing, while the other side was bursting with greenery. Even the sky seemed to change color as the dust and sand settled.

Jeremy's car wound its way through the narrow city streets. The small Egyptian city was a perfect mix of old and new. Merchants hocking their wares, ranging from hand-woven carpets to bootleg cell phones. Rising up above them were modern brick apartments right next to traditional sandstone temples. A mess, but a beautiful one.

His hotel was on a side street, with much less of a view, but it made up for it with the generous parking space they'd reserved for him, not to mention the hefty discount they'd granted him for his long stay. There was a corner store within walking distance, so he decided it would make more sense to take the cat into the room and let him get acclimated before Jeremy went out to pick up some pet supplies. So, parking, he scooped up Mekal and began to carry him toward the hotel.

"Oh, I bet you're ready to get out of the sun, aren't you?" he said, cradling the cat in his arms. The air conditioned lobby was pure bliss, and as he strolled into his cozy hotel room and let the door swing shut behind him, he let out a sigh of contentment. "Welcome home, kitty. I guess you're gonna need a name, aren't you?" He lifted Mekal up in front of him, examining him. "Now what should I call you?"

[User]
His tail flicked lazily back and forth as he looked down at the man holding him up. A name? He already had a name---although he suppose the man wouldn't know. He gave a conversational *meow* as the man tried out different names. He presented his clear distaste for one offered choice with flattened ears and a hiss. As he finally deemed one worthy of him, Mekal started to squirm to be let down. This building had all sorts of scents he had never encountered before, he couldn't help his curiosity and wanted nothing more than to investigate each one.

The human finally seemed to realized his intentions and let him down onto the carpeted floors. His paws pressed into the soft plush happily as rugs used to be a luxury only available in the emperor's room. He definitely appreciated the lack of dirty and stone cold floors. He scampered under the bed without another thought to his previous hunger pains and chased after each lingering scent along the ground. Entering a room with white sterile floors, he could see weird ornaments and some kind of metallic box on top of the counter. There also seemed to be a silver snake that sat between two knobs as well. The whole set up was extremely unique and Mekal barely acknowledge the sound of the door closing before he attempted to leap up onto the granite stone. Claws scratching against the surface as he slid across---kicking down toothpaste, cups, among other skin care products as he finally stabilized himself by the sink.

Looking up at the large square, Mekal paused at the sight of a pair of cat ears. Another cat?? Standing up on his hind legs, he soon came to realize that the cat in the reflection seemed to be himself. He raised his paw and batted his ears, having not seen himself for at least a century, and noticing his scruffy appearance, he soon was overcome with the urge to groom himself. Meticulously licking down all his spiked up fur, Mekal gave himself a full body shake as he leaped down onto the ground.

A slight fluttered of white snapped up his attention and before he knew it, he was pouncing on the roll of soft white tissue, batting it across the room before it rolled back into the bedroom. How dare it run away! He gave into his natural instinct to chase and only when he cornered the white fur ball did he bite down into a mouth full of cotton. Immediately losing interest, Mekal made his way into the kitchen, the slight scent of food luring him in. Although this counter was larger, it held similarly also a snake as well as even more metallic boxes. He scampered up a stool before making his way to nose the toaster and microwave.

What were these weird objects humans had nowadays? He use to be able to knock of jar lids and eat his fill but it seemed all of these things were made to guard him against food. Something shiny caught the corner of his eye as he spotted the metal claw peeking from the drying rack. Some kind of foe? Mekal reached out slowly before sharply batting at the fork, sending the utensils scattering across the floors. The sharp cacophony of knives hitting the counter right after sent Mekal leaping off to the safety of under the table. He hissed at the spinning objects as they gleamed under the kitchen lights.

Generally making a nuisance of himself around the living room and digging up television wires, Mekal finally exhausted his energy and laid out under the sun spot beaming through the window on the couch cushion. A low purr rumbled from him as he dreamed of his earlier days---back then, he had been a favorite of the pharaoh and spent all his time being pampered like he was a deity.

[Assistant]
Jeremy bounced through a few names, but none of them felt right. The cat seemed to agree, or maybe he was just tired of being held for so long. As he started to squirm a little more, Jeremy smiled as the perfect name struck him. "I'm gonna call you Sandy." The perfect name for a desert cat. Laughing to himself, he let Sandy free and headed out of the room. It was perhaps a bit of a risk letting the cat roam, but how much damage could he possibly do? At worst Jeremy expected to find a few clawmarks on his sheets or something. The cat was probably too tired and hungry to kick up much of a fuss.

With these thoughts in mind, Jeremy slipped out and headed for the corner store, which was full of everything a cat would need. Dry food, litter, bowls for food and water, and as a final touch, a few toys. He had a laser pointer in a drawer in his room that he was sure Sandy would love, but he got a fishing rod with a toy mouse on the end, and a few balls for the cat to bat around. Thanks to how thoroughly stocked the store was, it was no trouble to find everything, and less than 30 minutes later, Jeremy returned to the room with two large bags in hand.

"Sandy, I'm home," he called, pushing open the door. As soon as he did, his breath caught in his throat. It looked like a bomb had been set off. "What the---?" Half his silverware had been knocked off the kitchen counter. The bathroom was a complete mess. His sheets were pulled off the bed, and the sink was running, nearly overflowing. He rushed over to shut it off before that could turn into yet another disaster, and then he turned to see his new pet, just sitting there lazing in the sun without a care in the world.

Jeremy stared at him, incredulous. "Did you do all of this?" he asked, as though he expected an answer. As though there could possibly be any other culprit. "I rescued you, you know. You could be a little more grateful." He sighed. It wasn't like the cat had known what he was doing. Groaning, Jeremy set his bags on the counter and poured some food and water for Sandy. "Hopefully that will keep you busy for a minute." Then he turned back to the kitchen and began the long, arduous task of cleaning up. Apparently the cat was going to need some training before Jeremy could head for the tomb again.

[User]
Ears twitched as he heard the keys jingle in the doorway, sleep still thick in his eyes, Mekal didn't bother glancing at the door as his new owner stepped in. The man's shocked comment had him lazily opening one emerald eye, seeing the man carrying bags that smelled of food and plastic---his interest definitely piqued. Tuning into the male's voice, Mekal tried to gauge how angry the man was but he seemed relatively calm---considering his whole room was in a disarray.

Leaping off the couch, the Egpytian Mau scampered across the floors into the kitchen with large curious eyes. He weaved in-between the man's legs as the smell of tuna filled the air. His hunger came back full force as he tunnel visioned in on the food and buried his head in his food bowl before it was even fully lowered to the ground.

Oh Bastet, what in the world was this? He was often fed raw fish and meat, occasionally seasonal vegetables, but whatever was in this mush seemed to taste even better. He cleaned out the bowl before he finally came up for fresh air---his sandpaper tongue licking at his chops with meticulous swipes. As he lapped up the fresh water, Mekal studied the male as he seemed to be setting up some kind of other contraptions, pouring what seemed like gray sand in a large open box.

Was he burying someone? He made his nosy way over and meowed at Jeremy, circling around the box left and right as he sniffed about. Overall this human seemed alright he supposed, the man was competent in feeding him and housing him---at least he won't be cold and starving. He promptly laid himself across the man's toes and rolled onto his back meowing---demanding pats. Letting out a purr to show his content state, he batted at anything within claw reach.

It wasn't long before the human stood back up and Mekal flipped back onto his four paws, eager to accompany his new owner how that his hunger was abated.

[Assistant]
Sandy ate up his dinner eagerly, which was a good sign. At least he wasn't ungrateful or picky. Apparently pleased with the meal, the cat rolled over, exposing his warm, fluffy tummy to Jeremy's hand. "I just can't stay mad at you," he complained, reaching down to scratch him. Of course, the gratitude only lasted so long, and Jeremy ended up with a few little nicks on his hands as Sandy started to bat at his hand. Sighing, he stood up and turned back to the matter of putting his apartment in order.

Over the course of the rest of the day, the tomb was frequently on Jeremy's mind, but with the matter of cat-proofing his little room, there wasn't too much he could actually do about it. Still, it had been there for thousands of years, it could wait a few more days. He knew already that the site wasn't on anyone else's radar, and it wasn't as though anyone was interested enough in his research to follow him.

So, with a reasonable amount of effort, Jeremy managed to get the apartment in decent shape. Temptations like toilet paper and paper towels were shut away in cabinets. All the doors had knobs rather than handles, so without thumbs Sandy wouldn't have a chance of getting them open. But just for good measure, he hooked bungee cords on each of the cabinet handles, ensuring that they were pulled tight enough that no amount of batting would dislodge them.

There were still a few problem areas; most notably there was nothing stopping the cat from messing with the kitchen or bathroom sink, but it would have to do. By the time he was done, the sun was hanging low in the sky, and it was far too late to drive out to the tomb. So rather than be reckless, he decided he'd go to bed early that night, and get cracking on the project right at dawn.

So it was barely 8 pm when he settled into bed, lifting the cat with him and setting him on his chest. "Do you want to go to the tomb with me tomorrow?" he asked. "As long as you don't make trouble, I would love the company." He patted Sandy's head, then closed his eyes. Based on the cat's adventurous nature, he figured he wouldn't stay there all night, and Jeremy's grip was loose enough that he could easily squirm out.

So, trying to quell his excitement, Jeremy very slowly drifted off to sleep.


[User]
Oh dear, no advance warning? Just the sudden appearance of Bowser's copter as Peach leaned against the railing? Something important must be happening for him to come on such short notice to play their little game. She was well aware, after the first time, that his ''kidnappings'' were merely how Koopas like him invited diplomats and nobles over. So she made an attempt to run, only to be quickly bound up and grabbed. He was getting better with those ropes...

"You'll never get away with this!" Peach shouted as the copter took off. Struggling for a little, she managed to peek out over the edge as the castle vanished from sight. "Good, we're gone..." She whispered, though she didn't want to stop playing along. She struggled against her bindings, arms tied behind her back causing her chest to press out and bounce in the wind caused by the speed of the copter. Her long dress and high heels made it difficult to stand, but clearly she didn't seem to mind her predicament as she couldn't help herself from smiling.

"So what brings me to your copter today?" She asked. "You didn't even send a Goomba to announce your plans, is something wrong?" She at least managed to sit up against the wall of the copter after trying to get to her feet and falling back against it. "Or did you just want to show off you've been practicing your rope tying?"

[Assistant]
Bowser laughed again, his unique, powerful laugh, when Peach played along. He laughed as he lived, powerfully and fully giving himself to it. "That's right, princess, my masterful plan caught you entirely by surprise. You never expect the Koopa..." He stopped himself when he realized that she might not be playing along with her question. "You're... serious? But you clearly said... Here." Between two delicate claws, he held to her the letter she'd sent to him after the last time he'd kidnapped her. It had been quite an experience and she'd included the sentence ''If it will always be so enjoyable, you can kidnap me any time.''

She should, perhaps, have realized that subtlety was not something of which Bowser partook much of. He had likely taken her at her word. And given the time since her recent kidnapping and when the letter might have arrived, hadn't waited long either. "Was this wrong? Do you not want this?" he asked. He was aware, too, of the gap between how his kind saw things and hers. Such misunderstandings had already brought them to the brink of war once, after all. He placed a finger next to her wrist. He could be almost frighteningly gentle. Given his size and power, he could do anything he wanted to her, so every act of gentleness was a deliberate one. "They're not hurting are they?" he asked, concerned. "I've been trying to learn..." He was clearly waiting for a signal from her. One of three words they'd agreed to during the last kidnapping. One would have her directly back at her castle, another untied and discussing things more plainly as they headed towards his and the third... the third would return them to the play kidnapping, at least until they reached his castle.

[User] Peach saw the letter, and her face scrunched up in an expression that told Bowser exactly what she was thinking before she said it. "I... forgot." She admitted. "Forgive me for being so forgetful, darling. Ahem-Cinnamon." Cinnamon was her word for returning to the play kidnapping. "You dastardly fiend! I only hope it is enough for your cruelty to steal me and only me away!" She said, as she mock fainted a little, trying her best to get back into character. "I won't listen to your demands this time, no matter what you do to me! No matter what, like those Latex Shrooms, or those Metal Boxes, nothing!" She was in fact pointing out what she might like to play with on this encounter... no winks or anything to try and let him know she was now leaning into it. Hopefully her behavior was doing that well enough!

[Assistant] Bowser smiled when she said their word and lovingly put her letter away. "Bwahaha!" he laughed returning to his character. "You're mine now, princess. My prisoner to do with as I please until you're ransomed off. And until then, I'll be sure to have my way with you until I'm satisfied. And it takes a lot to satisfy the king of koopas!" From where she was, Peach would be able to see his big, lizard cock start to push out of its sheathe at the barely concealed suggestions she made. He had been nervous the first time he'd shown her his wall of powerups, and even more delighted at her response to it, especially when she had started making suggestions about their uses. Very, very interesting suggestions. One he wouldn't have expected from a koopa, let alone a human. And soon... soon they'd be back at his palace and would be able to enjoy each other for a good while. Maybe even try out some of the new additions he had acquired.

[User] The ''ransom'' he requested for these particular meetups was always something more symbolic. A flower, a single coin, or even just a restock of his power ups. The ransom was more of a... tradition thing, as she understood it. "You monster! It'll take days for your ransom demand to arrive... and I didn't even get my clothes!" She thought about it. "Oh no! You're planning on putting me in a slave outfit I bet, or dressing me up as your little pet! Or worse! How rude!" As she struggled in her bindings, her breasts were bouncing, threatening to shake loose of his bindings as the sky changed to indicate they had reached the border of his lands. "Truly, I am yours now! Oh woe, my fate is sealed!" As she said this, she was certainly smiling. It threatened to break character, though they seemed to be close enough.

[Assistant]
At other times, it could consist of other, more substantial things, trade arrangements, payment for services and the like. For instance, a toad family might be ''kidnapped'' into a luxury hotel room for a unique vacation in exchange for a ''ransom''. The koopas seemed to favor strongly a sort of evil aesthetic, which hid a quite pleasant nature. They seemed to think it made them seem more fierce, though it also, paradoxically, created a strong culture of consent and explicit agreement regarding most things.

Of of those items that would show this double nature was Peach's bindings. They were strong enough that she could struggle as much as she wanted without breaking them, gentle enough that she wouldn't hurt herself doing so and had, just withing reach of her hand, a conspicuous end that she could tug at to unravel the whole thing. That and, at a word, Bowser himself would certainly free her. Bowser who was still laughing as his cock peaked out more at her suggestions. "That's right, princess. I'll make sure you never wear that pretty dress while you're my prisoner. I have plenty of items to make you into a perfect pet for your entire stay. You can't even hope to take advantage of my back being turned to use my items against me instead," he added, indicating that he was open to a role reversal, too, should she wish for one.

Bowser's copter was surprisingly fast, for how silly it looked, and it wasn't long until the pair arrived at the castle. Bowser picked Peach up and jumped out, landing hard enough to shake the ground, before entering his chambers. There, he undid her ropes and helped her up. "Applesauce," he said, indicating that he was breaking character now. "I would love it if you took off your dress. I want to see your true beauty. And then, we can go to my wall of powerups. I was hoping to have a lot of sex with you in the next few days... unless you would like to eat first? Or see the sights?"

[User]
Peach's hand did touch the loose end that would let her untie herself, but she quickly withdrew. She had acquired a taste for being tied up, so why should she release herself? Plus it gave him an excuse to pick her up and carry her, another thing she had grown fond of as despite his act and his size, his massive claws were the gentlest of touches. His impact from the jump was so massive that she actually bounced an inch out of his hands but quickly landed in them again, the gravity of the Mushroom Kingdom (and the Koopa Kingdom by extension) was always a little floaty. That, plus a touch of her magic, allowed her to float quite well, with the small drawback of being easy to knock off her feet. Then again, was that really a drawback?

As he said ''applesauce'' and released her, she smiled, allowing the act of the damsel in distress to come loose. His request was honored immediately. After her first kidnapping, she had her wardrobe altered to be much easier to remove. Simply pulling and lifting the neckline of her dress allowed it all to come off with a flourish, revealing her ample bosom, the gentle curve of her hips, her plump rear, her long shapely legs... She remained in her heels, but took off her crown and placed it in a nearby cabinet for safekeeping. Didn't want it going wild. "A powerup or two sounds lovely... see the sights? I've heard you had quite the industrial boom in the last year, I wouldn't mind seeing it. Do you intend to drag me around naked?" She thought about it. "Oh that would be so incredible... it's been a while since I indulged." Peach had a small reputation for exhibitionism, and while Toadsworth was always going on about how a princess should keep herself covered, Bowser gave her an outlet to just go for it. Often it was presented as Bowser showing off his ''trophy'', but it was clear that Peach enjoyed being shown off.

"If you do have your heart set on a power up or two, perhaps you could surprise me? I quite like surprises."

[Assistant]
"Beautiful," Bowser whispered, dropping to a knee in front of her to caress her cheek and place a gentle kiss on her lips. He grinned at her suggestions. "I think, sometimes, that you have the soul of a koopa," he said. Koopas, of course, were much more comfortable and open with nudity and the like, with clothes being used more as accessories than as a way to hide anything. "We can do anything you want, of course. This time is ours. Cinnamon." As the act returned, he gave Peach's cheek a long lick before standing up. His cock was now fully out of its sheathe and as impressive as ever. It had taken much work to get it fully into her that first time, but had been definitely worth it.

"And if you're going to be my pet, I'll be making sure you look the form. Bwahaha!" he picked her up again, carrying her to the place that was dear to both of them. Opening a curtain, he revealed it, his wall of powerups. From the more common, mushrooms, tanuki leaves and fire flowers, to the more obscure, it seemed to contain every powerup one could imagine, all self-replenishing. And they would all respond to their user's wishes in their own particular way. Bowser picked up three and placed them in front of Peach, a latex mushroom, a cat bell and a rabbit carrot. "Because I'm feeling generous, I'll let you choose, princess," he said, leaving her free to choose one of them or maybe more than one. But also, she seemed to be conspicuously close to some new additions, a spiked collar that looked like the straps he wore and a crown that looked a lot like here. And, of course, he'd likely offer her anything else she wished from the wall.

[User]
Peach liked Bowser's sweeter, sensitive side, but she also enjoyed his laughingly evil side too. Honestly, she was in love with the Koopa King. The comment about her having the soul of a Koopa was a bit saddening. Sometimes she wished she could just be here all the time... royal duties were such a pain. The public face she put on was only one side of the story, after all, there was far more going on beneath the surface at the Mushroom Kingdom. She had made an effort to alter the system of government so her ''kidnappings'' wouldn't result in complete anarchy, but reforms were slow, despite everyone in favor of it.

She was perked up by the wall of power ups, which always did a lot to improve her mood. Power-ups had a bit of magic to them, always able to detect exactly what a user wanted, so long as it generally fit the theme of that item. After being invited by Bowser to select a favorite, she grabbed the latex shroom, the black rubber turning pink in her hands. She had a color theme, most powerups turned pink at her touch. Pressing the shroom to her chest, she closed her eyes as the rubber began to spread over her form. It looked like a form fitting catsuit from the outside... but her insides were changing, turning her into a hollow, living rubber woman! Sometimes, the change stopped at the neck, but she was feeling even kinkier today, so it continued to spread up her face. It left her facial features alone, so she could be instantly recognized, but she looked like a rubber mannequin used for display instead of a person wearing a suit. The rubber even coated her hair, turning her blond locks into pink rubber ''strings'', that could still be brushed but felt like even more rubber. Her heels changed with her skin, becoming fused with her body, and preventing her from sliding out of them!

"Mmm..." Her voice was light and airy, as if her whole body had to inflate just to speak. "I beg forgiveness, my captor. I did not even ask what these items did! But, would you please grant me a small mercy, and tell me what this collar does? It looks so much like the ones on your wrists, I am surprised you even let me have the chance to take one from you!" She was acting the ''captured diplomat'', trying to get intel out of the one who ''kidnapped'' her, an act she was very comfortable with.

[Assistant] In a way, they were a match in this, for him, a fierce outside paired with a sweet inside, for her, a sweet outside hiding the kinkiest person Bowser had ever met, in his kingdom or out. The way she so eagerly took the mushroom, making it change her both in and out was a treat. Few would be so brave, or kinky, as to want to become latex entirely. He rewarded her for it by grabbing at one of her breasts roughly, her current form much more able to withstand his power. But when she showed him the collar, he reeled away in fake surprise. "How... how did you get your hands on that?" he asked. "One of our biggest trade secrets, able to give someone the form of a royal koopa, like myself. Why, if you were to put it on, you might become a big, strong lizard like me!" He quickly regain composure. "Bwahaha! But even that will be useless to you without the princess crown, which can give anyone the form of a lowly human female, even I, the great koopa king!"

[User]
Oh, she got it. He was looking for something a little more... a devious thought popped into her head. Something he clearly wanted. "Oh, well let me just put this back then..." She moved the collar farther away from the crown, and then, even if his eyes weren't following the collar, she grabbed the crown and jumped up high, slamming the crown on his head! While her transformation was slow, step by step, this was a far more fast paced change, taking place almost instantly in a flash of light... as Bowser was left looking like Princess Peach herself, naked and without any power ups of her own!

With that taken care of, she grabbed the collar and wrapped it tight around her rubbery neck, unsure how it would affect or change her, but she could feel incredible power floating out of it. If that wasn't enough, she had a sudden instinct that both crown and collar might be cursed, and not allow either of them out of their altered states unless both agreed to it...

[Assistant] Bowser looked a bit disappointed when Peach put the collar back. That was, until he saw Peach leap up and... was it her imagination or did she see him smile and lower his head so that she could place the crown on him more easily? And then, suddenly, he... was her. She still had horns, a small shell and a tail, showing her to be not human, as well as a pair of cute fangs, but she looked far from the usual, powerful king of the koopas. And as for Peach, the moment she put on the collar, she could feel herself grow and grow. In height, in power and in fierceness. If this was how Bowser felt all the time, it was a wonder that he could keep such a sweet nature. Her form shifted as well, breasts growing bigger and thighs larger. She had the strange sensation of growing a small muzzle, a tail and a shell, until she looked like a cross between her former self and Bowser. Or, at least, how Bowser used to look. Except, of course, still made up all in pink latex. Bowsette, for her part, looked at Peach with her mouth gaping, nipples hard in arousal and her new pussy becoming wet.


[User]
Being a teenager meant going through changes, but for Dylan, things were suddenly far more drastic in a far smaller time frame. Saturday evening, while away at a theater arts competition, he lost his virginity to a girl from another school. A significant life moment sure, but for the raccoon, things woke inside of him. By Sunday he was feeling off, by Monday morning he woke with what felt like the flu. Soreness, a fever, vivid erotic dreams. The symptoms were still there on Tuesday but there was also a ravenous hunger.

While he was out, news of his exploits might have trickled among a knot of drama kids. It was a bit of a surprise to any who heard it and cared; the Dylan that had left was sweet, funny, but cute in a cute sense, not an attractive one.

The Dylan that showed up Wednesday was a whole different kind of cute. He'd grown an inch and a half taller and some of his body had filled out as well, his hair and fur held the glossy shine of health, his voice was smoother, even silky, and the same clothes he wore simply looked better on him. Even his scent was better. Though he wouldn't realize it until later, he could now see perfectly without his glasses.

By Thursday, the raccoon's movements were relaxed, confident, maybe even graceful, and he felt that way too. Before he had been held back by hesitation, uncertainty of what people would think, how they would react, what if he made a mistake, looked stupid. Now all that simply didn't matter to him. It would work out. That was especially true about girls; while they had been on his mind before, it had been in the context of who he wanted to talk to, who he wanted to ask out. Now it was who he would talk to, who he would ask out.

Inside him were several new senses. One of them was a feeling of who was attracted to him, who was already receptive to his attention. That magnetic draw hadn't wiggled much through the course of the day. All those students had seen him day in and day out their whole school careers, their minds already been made up about him, even if they might now react to him a little better. There was a few crushes out there, a few interests, but they were not in his classes this year, he had no interest in them, or they were out today. There were also a guy or two and that was a world that hadn't even registered to Dylan yet.

So the first person to really draw his attention was Miss West, the new TA. Coming into 3rd period, he'd felt it as he passed her. When he sat down at his desk and settled in, there was a moment of eye contact, and something that had been quiet the last few days stirred. And it looked out through his eyes and into hers.

[Assistant]
It had been a little strange to return to high school for Lidia. She'd graduated more than four years earlier, though she'd continued her education, working hard to earn her teaching credentials. And now she was back, still learning, but now helping to teach, as well. At least, that was the theory.

The teacher she'd found herself assigned to as an assistant taught a creative literature class that all of the junior class students were required to attend and not fail in order to earn the required credit towards their high school diploma. What that turned out to mean, in practice, was that most periods were spent with the students writing, or more often, texting while the teacher reviewed the papers she had gone over the previous night. For most of the day, she found herself with precious little to do other than answer the odd question.

The first week of class, the questions had been mostly about the teens who attended trying to figure out who she was. The next week was more invasive and inappropriate and led to her changing her wardrobe from her normal choice of blouse and khaki combo to skirts. And while that change did stop some of the questions it didn't stop them all. After a couple of weeks, she got used to dodging the usual questions, and figured that if she could make it through a year of teaching teenagers on the cusp of legal adulthood without letting them get too distracted by her presence, that it would be good practice for her future as a teacher.

Of course, the issue wasn't helped at all by the fact that some of these young men were more than a little attractive. She did her best to put all of the students she came into contact with in a category prominently labeled ''kids'' in her mind, using it to distract herself from the fact that by the end of the year, there would be more than a few of them who would be full adults. It still would be completely wrong for her to express any interest in any of them, but at least it wouldn't be actionable. Beyond her losing the chance to become a teacher that is.

And when the theater arts competition came and went, a number of the students that she saw over the course of her day being involved. She didn't think much of it until later the next week when one of the quieter students returned from a couple day's absence. She'd noticed him before and done her best to ignore that she found his type of cute to be attractive. But the moment he stepped back into the classroom, she knew something had happened to him. He'd somehow transformed from cute to hot and it wasn't until he met her eyes that she realized she'd been staring, her eyes dropping to the papers in front of her, thankful that it wasn't just bare desk. There had been something in that look, in the way he gazed at her that reminded her of the men she saw at the club.

If this was a sign of how the rest of the year was going to go, her job placement just got a whole lot more difficult.

[User]
For now, the new predatory part of Dylan ran on instinct alone. As a raccoon, he didn't even have much of that natural drive, so that the primitive framework for that kind of reaction and innate thinking was mostly new. While Dylan's appetite had kicked up two notches, there was a different hunger aching below the surface. Desire for sex was there, but there was more to it, the need to touch, to feel, to conquer, to have. The teen couldn't put his finger on it. The instinct though... at school, the air was rich with hormones, with a brief flash of carnal urges here and there, but it was nothing to feed on. The baby predator was trying to quench a thirst by licking dew off leaves.

While Dylan had found Lidia attractive, especially that first week when her clothing flattered her figure, he wasn't at home going through tissue after tissue thinking about her. Inside though, he sensed prey. Through class he was on autopilot, his whole being focused on her, even if he wasn't actively staring---both conscious and unconsciously knowing that was too obvious, too offputting. _Damn, why am I so obsessed with her?_ he thought. Normally this class was interesting, the raccoon a naturally creative teen, but today he couldn't think of much else but the TA. The writing assignment was a half-assed ramble about a feline woman.

One of Lidia's responsibilities was the day-to-day grading. The teacher would look over both the students work and her assessment, record the grades, and leave handing the assignments back to Lidia. Dylan had been absent Monday when a worksheet had been given back, so she had to return it to him. When she did, the raccoon saw her coming, his eyes on Lidia as she approached, and when he reached out, Dylan touched her hand.

For Dylan it was a spark, a feeling that raised the fur along his back and fluffed out his tail as a surge of arousal left him. Sudden and blunt as a slap, clumsy enough that the students in front of and behind him felt a tingle. The weak and hungry predator in him was taking its first experimental swipes. With that push of lust into Lidia, there was a pull too, a probing to sense what excited the serval, what appealed to her most. While a typical incubus couldn't read minds, they could intuit fantasies, all the better to help seduce, and conserving power while maximizing a prey's desire.

[Assistant]
Lidia stayed safe behind her desk as the teacher called roll, ensuring that each of the students was in attendance in in their place once the first bell had rung. After that, she turned back to her own work, a stack of writing assigned the previous day collected before her. But, to the side, was a page from a previous assignment, one that would have been handed back earlier that week had the student to whom it belonged been present.

The feeling is vague, but there is something disquieting about the raccoon that hadn't been present the last time she had seen him. Something had happened in the last few days, and she was finding herself reluctant to close the distance between them that would be required. Swallowing such trepidation as nonsense, she shook off her nervousness. It was just a paper, and he was just a student. Nothing would happen. She would drop the paper on his desk and then return to hers, keeping a light eye on the students as she looked over the work they'd turned in as they filed into class.

But when she moved to slip the paper atop his desk, he reached out, his fingers brushing against her own. She bit back the his of surprise at the electric shock that seemed to pass between them at the touch. She made her way back to her desk a little stiffly, a sudden sense of desire, of need having come with the shock. And for just a moment, a memory of one of her recent sessions at the club sprang into her mind. She had been on her knees, bound in place, awaiting the command of the man who stood over her. And then it was gone and she was behind her desk staring at the papers before her wondering what had just happened, worried that someone might know, might discover what it was she did with her Saturday nights. Afraid that such a discovery would bring an end to her dram of becoming a teacher.

[User]
_What. The. Fuck._ Dylan sat stunned, watching Miss West walk away, totally at a loss for what just happened. He had a brief impression of her tied up, kneeling... the teen didn't have much of a frame of reference for the notion, beyond the things he'd seen in movies: being kidnapped or held hostage. That definitely didn't match the impression he'd gotten. Yet with it had come with it an echo of emotion, of feeling controlled, conquered, excited. This would've just been chalked up to some stray thought, some weird association your brain does, or a flash of creativity for something, but it was so sharp, so clear to him.

Coupled with that was the drive to do more. To chase the serval across the room. To put a real dicking to her. But more than that, to... to... what? His ears were flushed, his pants too tight.

Like that, class was over. For him, Fourth period was lunch. And while Dylan was hungry, the predator was hungrier. Something happened. Dylan steered the conversation towards girls. Girls that were hot. Dylan mentioned Miss West, and the consensus was ''Hot but dresses lame''. Inside, the predator gave the mildest push, and the hormones at the table rose as the other guys talked about how awesome Her body was or what they'd do she'd love. It got crude and the boys were all flushed. Another subtle push, until one announced, "I uh... I got to go to the bathroom." And a few seconds after him, a second got up and followed.

Dylan didn't know why, but he followed. Inside, the hunger had tasted all that arousal, and followed the promise of food. In the bathroom, the two boys locked themselves in stalls and the dull slap of masturbation filled the bathroom. They didn't acknowledge each other, just focused on their need and that hot image in their heads. Dylan was compelled to interrupt, to get involved... but he rejected that impulse. Instead he told himself he was standing watch at the door, making sure no one interrupted them, but he felt something. Some itch getting a momentary relief, something satisfying and relaxing, as the hunger drank in their excitement and pleasure and inevitable release. While really only a snack, this was more than he'd ever had.

It left him going to home room confused. Was that... gay? There had been an impulse, but nothing like what he felt towards most girls in general? Why did he feel both pleased, and in need of more? What had that impression with Miss West been about?

Haunted by these questions through the rest of the day, when the final bell rang, Dylan found himself going to the creative literature class. He stood just outside, unsure what he was going to say. What he was even really doing there. Finally he stepped inside, for the first time that day feeling... uncertain.

[Assistant]
Once third period had ended, Lidia did her best to put the strange incident out of her mind. Burying her attention in her work as a teacher's assistant, the rest of the day seemed to pass in a bit of a haze with no other incidents, like that or otherwise, disturbing her concentration. By the time Mr. Krikian had left her in charge of the room, she was feeling much more comfortable.

The door was locked, but propped open in case any students needed something left behind in the classroom or had a question that she could answer before she, too, departed for the day.

As she ordered the papers she'd gathered from that day's assignments and as she sorted them, she spotted his name, her breath catching as she remembered the flash of memory from earlier. she quickly shuffles it between two other papers, as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, doing her best to forget all about whatever it was that had happened. Hopefully, it was a one-time thing and she'd never have to think about it ever again.

She caught the shadow as the student stepped into the room, speaking as she turned to loo up at them. "Yes, can I help... you," the last word was a whisper as she saw him, the young raccoon. Dylan.

Lidia swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to fight down the sudden urge to flee, as if the slim teen just inside the door were some sort of predator that she had to fear. She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Did you need something?" she asked, doing her best to force herself to sound normal as she asks the question.

[User]
That newfound confidence been knocked off his stride most of the day. The weirdness in 3rd period, then the even stranger events at lunch. And while the new voice was _I'm going to go up and hit on her,_ that doubt was still there, with a far more realistic voice: _But she's a teacher._ An authority figure. Any teen girl could just laugh at him, but a teacher had power. At that moment, he wasn't ready to challenge the idea of an authority figure. Miss West had noticed him though and he had to say something.

So he seemed almost shy as he said, "Yeah, uh... the assignment..." It was ready in his bag, and it was an excuse to get close to her. Close enough to look at the paper even as she held it. "Can you... explain what you meant here?"

The raccoon was taller than her, could rest his chin on her forehead, could look directly at the tips of her tall ears. So he leaned over her, and his breath ghosted off one of those ears. Which meant his muzzle was turned towards her, rather than pay attention to the paper.

Dylan interrupted the explanation. "Why'd you start dressing like this?" Even with them so close together, alone in a room in an emptying school, his words were quiet, intimate. "Different, from when you first showed up..."

[Assistant]
Watching as he hesitated, Lidia's mind conjured up all sorts of absurdities. The kid in the door was just a kid. A teen. A student at the school she had been assigned to do her TA work at. He couldn't possibly know what had gone through her mind earlier, and he most assuredly had nothing to do with her thinking it. That was on her, and she was going to have to deal with that on her own, and not anywhere on school grounds.

She smiled as he brought up the paper she'd handed back to him, feeling her way back to familiar ground only to lose sight of it again as he moved up next to her, almost against her. Her ear twitched at the warm breath that brushed over the sensitive hairs at the tip, and she did her best to concentrate as she started to go over the notes that she had made in the margins.

Her words cut off mid-sentence as he asked about her clothes, and it took her several seconds to shift her thinking to understand what it was he'd just said. She swallowed again, that sense that she was trapped here with this boy stirring a sense of panic. The emptiness of the room and the lack of voices coming in from outside the door building on the realization that, for that moment, they were alone, with all of the possibilities and dangers that such a situation carried with it.

"That's... really not an appropriate question," she told him, holding his paper out for him to take back from her. She'd become accustomed to some of the boys trying clumsily to hit on her, but this was different, somehow. The question itself was simple and not particularly inappropriate, but the way he had said it and the tone of his voice were so very close was getting a reaction out of her that was inappropriate.

She gathered up the paperwork that she'd been going over and shoved it into her bag, pulling herself upright and starting to back away. "I really should get going," she told him. "I'm going to need you to take your things and step outside so I can close up the room." As she spoke, she kept moving, doing her best to put the desk between them

[User]
Dylan stepped back as though Lidia had burned him, and even dropped his shoulders slightly like he wanted to be seen as smaller, less threatening. Because he did. The teen realized in an instant that Miss West was alarmed, uncomfortable, and he didn't want to make her feel that way. Interestingly, the same reflex was true of the predator inside of him: an incubus fed on pleasure and desire, things far removed from the mind of a fearful, unwilling victim. Prey could be soothed and seduced by using raw power, but that was costly and well outside of Dylan's reach right now.

Despite her moving first, Lidia was moving away from the door, because he was closer. Not that it mattered. Dylan scooped up his bag and backpedaled to the exit. But something stopped him just outside of the room. While she had looked like running, what the feline had said was that it was ''inappropriate''. Not no. Not a sign of rejection and disinterest, but perhaps of setting. Where they were. Who they were. That was all matters of the head, not thumping hearts and flushed loins. In the doorway, he managed to make eye contact with her. There he said, "I think you should dress more interestingly. Especially... underneath." The boy's voice had deepened to something husky and rich, firmed to something that made it more a direction than an observation.

And then he was walking away, ears red. Where had that come from? That was rude, that was crazy. The serval was a capital-A adult, a teacher. Dylan was growing up in the MeToo era, he understood harassment, and even his dumb ass could see she was uncomfortable, so why was he pushing? What was wrong with him?

Later at home on his computer, Dylan searched online, trying to piece together the impression he had gotten of being tied up and kneeling. What he found gave even more questions. That mixed with the puzzling events of the day.

Waiting in Lidia's bag, with the rest of the assignments collected today, was the raccoon's piece. Little more than a lavish and hungry description of an attractive feline woman, not a girl, not a teen, one that was only thinly veiled.

[Assistant]
Lidia stared at the empty doorway, the teen's words still echoing in her ears, her cheeks burning as his comment brought to mind the sorts of lingerie that she saved for the weekends, for those Saturday nights at the club. None of it was appropriate for wearing to school, she'd discovered. She'd tried wearing some of it under her skirts, but the change in her own attitude for knowing what was hidden beneath her clothing had invited a similar response from some of the boys in her classes and she'd given up on wearing any of it during the week unless there was no school that day.

Once he was gone, she suddenly felt silly. She glanced down at the desk she had retreated behind, shaking her head at the thought that the boy was some sort of threat. After all, he hadn't even so much as touched her. But he'd been so very close, and then that comment about her undergarments was definitely crossing a line. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to clear her head. Maybe it was just something related to his absence and tomorrow wouldn't be quite so strange.

Later that night, as she read through the day's assignments, she fell into the comfortable rhythm she'd developed, hiding the names of the students before reading their submissions, marking them as honestly as she could. Partway through the stack was one paper that seemed to be slightly less coherent than she was used to, even from those students who were only putting in the minimum effort. But more than that, there was no denying that the meandering collection of words was an ode to a woman, a feline woman whose description was so very close to the reflection she faced in her mirror.

Shaking off her embarrassment at being the object of his apparently newfound interest, she did her best to reassert her professionalism. She really shouldn't be surprised that one or more of the boys, young men, some of them, might focus on more than just her instruction. But, unlike them, she was an adult, several years out of high school. It was incumbent upon her to provide a good example for the students she found in her care and she set her resolve that she would do so. She was a professional, and she would have to try harder to act like one. Even if she was, herself, still learning.

By the next morning, she was feeling much better than she had, the events of the previous day seeming small and slightly ridiculous in the light of a new day. She didn't even think anything about it as she dressed, forgoing her normal cotton underthings for a set in black silk, cut conservatively, but still more provocative than she was wont to wear when she was to be on duty in class. The first period passed as usual, the kids taking time to settle in for the day. The second period quieter as the students worked on their assignments for not only the class they were in, but often for later periods as well.

By the time the bell had run and students were making their way to their third period classrooms, she'd all but forgotten the awkwardness of the previous day.

[User]
Searching out the impression he'd gotten from Ms. West only lead to more confusion. He sort of understood this whole BDSM thing, kind of. It simply seemed so counter intuitive. Except... well, it did fit in the idea that girls liked guys who were tough and in charge. But there was so much more there that left him puzzled. Had what he said to her before leaving been a command? Or an order or something? Would she come out of it like that?

That, plus the rest of the day, left him all mixed up. One part of him felt ashamed of what he'd done to Miss West, cornered her, scared her. Another part wanted to chase. Wanted to pursue. If not her, than anyone. Sex was a part of it, to feel that again, but... but there was more to it. His dreams were troubled. Sensual but kind of sinister at the same time.

The sense of offness keyed up even more once he got to school. The football team had a home game, and the habit was for the cheerleaders to wear their uniforms all day. Which had hormones higher than normal. That was what batted Dylan back and forth like a ship in stormy waters. The thing inside of him was not starving, but still hungry, and with it, impatience. To act, learn.

It was in that state that had him staring at the top of his desk in third period. Trying to actively avoid acknowledging Ms West existed, focusing on anything at all but her. Well, anything but her or the cheerleader in the next row. The raging erection was not helping.

[Assistant]
Third period started much as the previous two periods had. The students trickled in over the several minutes they had between classes, with a knot of them dashing through the door as the bell rang, and, as was always the case when there was a home game, three of the players darted in just past being tardy. She made note, but didn't say anything. While she had some measure of power, being the teacher's assistant, he was the true power in the classroom, and he had explained to hear the day of the first game that he gave the players some leeway on game days, provided their infractions were not egregious.

Once the class had settled, she took roll, finding only a single student not in their seat and marking them with the single mark that indicated that they were tardy, the rest of the mark to denote a full absence not added until the class had ended. Once that was done, she took her seat, sorting through the papers to be returned from the previous day's writing assignment. She had already ordered them, but she made a point of confirming that they were as she needed them while the teacher went over the writing assignment they were to do for that day's class.

Once he'd taken his seat and the class had quieted but for the sounds of writing and fidgeting, she got up and started returning papers. Some had managed to fill multiple pages over the course of the thirty minutes or so in which they'd had the previous day, while others had barely managed a single sheet. The mid-week writing was not something that was graded, beyond ensuring that at least some degree of effort was put into the writing. Instead, they were critiqued, with standard corrections for things such as spelling and grammatical errors, and additional comments regarding readability issues such as ambiguity or repetition. Dylan's paper, while much shorter than his usual contribution, was also much more heavily marked than was normal.

Regardless, she did her best to act as though nothing had changed between last week and this as she made her way down the row, placing each student's work on the desk, or in their hand as was most convenient as she moved.