[User]
The entire ordeal left the petite blonde with a headache about a mile wide. It was not exactly easy to try and hack new augments with her outdated equipment, it was actually very dangerous. Of course, she did it anyway because both she and her sister knew it was the only way they were going to get out of where they were. "I really don't know," Elyssa responded as she gazed out over the city. "Do you plan on always winning contracts?" she grinned softly oddly cheerful considering that she'd just been told that she and her sister needed to remain separate while the entire situation was sorted out.

"Ruby will take good care of Emraeal, they'll suit one another perfectly." her voice was encouraging even while her eyes betrayed worry for her sister. There was nothing Ruby couldn't fix, alter, change or update despite the fact their resources were extremely limited. The smile did falter a bit when her equipment was mentioned and she shrugged. "I know it's outdated, most of what I have is composed of bit and pieces of other things, Ruby made them. She made her gear too when you grow up down there, you learn how to make the most of it." For her part Elyssa did not seem upset or embarrassed, she'd had several years to come to terms with her situation, of course, that didn't mean she accepted it, but none the less.

"I don't even know if you could optimize these old things, they'd probably just burn themselves out." slowly she turned away from the view of the shopping center and sighed softly. Elyssa really did not know what to do without Ruby, the redhead was the voice of reason, the voice of sensibility. She knew how to keep Elyssa from getting carried away or somehow overextending herself. Without her how was she going to help Linnea? "So first things first, I guess we need to discuss a safe house right? Someplace we can hide out while we gather more information on the people who are after your designs. My place is out of the question corporate goons are probably already swarming the place. Do you perhaps have somewhere?"

[Assistant]
Linnea smirked at Elyssa's question and found she couldn't give any answer other than, "Yes. It's my pride as an inventor!" She began talking just as much with her hands as she did her mouth. "Dangerous or no, I just have to create!" She paused and cleared her throat to try and play off the sudden outburst before she nodded at Elyssa's comforting words about Ruby and Emraeal.

When the topic switched to Elyssa's equipment, Linnea failed at suppressing a cartoonish smile. "Say no more! Actually... say a lot more! But what I mean is... I want you to come home with me!" She twisted her lips and looked thoughtful for a second. "That came out weird, but listen! Because of my work, I go through a ton of gear on a monthly basis. Lei-Liang keeps me up to date, so I can loan you some of my slightly older equipment. Even better, I can customize it to your specifications."

She dismissively waved her hands to shush any incoming protest. "Now, I know you probably don't want me to go through the trouble, but it'd be my absolute pleasure. I'm always up for a new project!" She was so caught up in her rambling that Elyssa's suggestion of finding a safe house was slow to come to her. When it did, she tilted her head. "What? A safe house? But if we do that, I won't be able to retrofit your new-old equipment. I mean, aside from the spy, Altair hasn't made any serious moves yet, right? They're just watching."

While she knew that going home was a risk, she was so eager to work on a new project that she was willing to ignore her common sense... even as it nagged at the corners of her mind.

[User]
It really had been a bad idea to pair Elyssa up with Linnea, the blonde was always looking for a new way to update her equipment and someone was actually offering to do it! The small sensible part of her knew it was a really, really bad idea to go back to Linnea's house. If people were after here they would, at the very least, have someone watching the place but she had a point they really had not... attacked yet. Sending someone to watch was different than actively trying to kidnap someone. So what if they went to her house, the people watching would assume she was a private client and since as far as they knew they spy had not been discovered yet... "Sure why not?" she finally admitted with a grin. "It's not like they're trying to kidnap you right? I'm sure if we just head to your place and grab some equipment it won't raise any alarms."

"After you're done we can try to find a safe house, that way you won't be at your place for long." Pushing off of the wall she headed towards her companion. "Serenata is busy, and I already said goodbye to Ruby, why don't we head there now? The sooner we get in and take care of everything the sooner we can find someplace else to hide out right?" There that was a good compromise, at least in her eyes, she could get her updates and then she could get Linnea someplace safe so they didn't try to kidnap her from her own home. In the files she was looking over there were no capture orders, at least not yet.

There was also the fact that Elyssa simply did not spend that much time in this part of Elysium. It was so different from the rundown apartment she shared with her sister, all the lights, and so many people. People dressed in the newest fashions glittering with beautiful augmentations that she ached to get her fingers on. Her own clothes were something she put together, bits of scraps abandoned by designers and thrown away. "So where do you live by the way? I don't think I ever bothered to look it up, I was more concerned with... other things."

[Assistant]
The suddenness with which Linnea clapped her hands together and widely grinned made her appear as some ecstatic supervillain or dominatrix that was about to have fun with a new pet. "Excellent!" She cleared her throat before speaking rationally, "But would it be possible for you to do a bit of scrambling along the way? You know... in case they don't have physical eyes on us? Maybe fiddle with cameras and sensors? Stuff like footage looping and all that. Better yet, while we're at my place you could probably bump up the AR and VR encryptions to keep intruders out."

The mention of a safe house put an uncertain, lopsided smile on her face. She didn't know the first thing about those but, "By the time we're done at my place, Serenata might be done with that spy. If anyone can help us find a safe house, it's her." Instead of answering Elyssa's question about her place directly, she brought up a private AR map panel for their eyes only. After tapping on one of the well-off residential districts to zoom in on a series of high-rises, she tapped on one. "There. We can get on the nearest hyperloop when you're ready."

[User]
A bright flush covered Elyssa's face when she realized she had not even considered scrambling sensors. "Yeah, sure just give me a minute," she said after a moment. Tapping her left temple a display appeared in front of her eyes which began to grow a faint electric blue as the data fed through her implants. "Let's see here," she muttered. A look of intense concentration appeared on her face and her fingers danced on a holographic display. Breaking into street cameras and sensors was child's play to her, the encryption was three phase and the patterns predictable. "So... a bit of this and some of that..." five minutes later she tapped her temple again and the displays vanished.

"So I temporarily ''lost'' our identification codes in the sensor database so they won't pick us up if we walk by one, all nearby cameras are on a 20 minutes loop with a bit of image distortion thrown in so they don't notice the traffic cycling. Not that they will because I may have overloaded their alarms with junk data, we should be good." she clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. "So let's get going, shall we? Once I'm at your place I'll take a look at the security protocols."

With her piece said she began to head towards the nearest hyperloop. Her eyes were still glowing faintly. "I'm still inside the cameras," she told her companion. "Partially anyways, I'm feeding it junk code to keep them occupied. The longer they focus on the errors the less likely they'll notice the cycling traffic." eventually they made it to the Hyperloop, now it was time to head to Linnea's home.

[Assistant]
Linnea watched Elyssa work with barely-contained glee. While it was interesting to see how the woman got down with her hacks, she was more focused on thinking of ways the equipment she planned on giving the Survivalist would optimize each process. More than that, she was thinking of the additional tweaks she'd make before handing it off.

Distracted by the chain of thoughts as she was, it took her a moment to snap back into the physical world. "Huh? Oh. Oh! That's great! Thanks!" She looked about to burst with enthusiasm when she added, "You are going to love everything I have for you! I imagine doing all of these with developer-grade equipment that's only a few months old!" She lowered her voice for Elyssa's ears only. "Lei-Liang tends to cycle out their systems every year or so, but they've switched to a different framework and decided it would be more cost-efficient and less time consuming to simply bring in new systems with everything built in, instead of introducing workarounds and trying to fit square pegs into round holes."

The hyperloop ride was cozy, but short, and the shopping district whirred by them to give way to the residential district Linnea called home. A short walk and lift got them to her apartment. Once they were inside, she gave Elyssa a sheepish smile. "Sorry about the clutter. And mannequins. They probably look weird. Because they are. But I design mech cockpit technologies and system integration outfits, so... it's useful to know how it'll fit people of different shapes and sizes. I know most people would ask their partner robots to tidy up things for them, but it's organized chaos for me, so... well, and Savitri spends most of their time in the garage with me readying smaller components and... I'm rambling. Welcome to my place! Make yourself at home! Would you like something to eat? Drink?"

[User]
Midway through the hyperloop ride, she lost the ability to maintain a strong connection to the cameras so the overload of data began to trickle off. Not that it mattered because it turned out they weren't that far from Linnea's home. By the time they arrived, they'd already passed all identification censors in the area. Her companion began speaking the moment they walked inside causing Elyssa's eyes to widen alarmingly. Mannequins... robots? She had nothing of the sort in the tiny three-room apartment she shared with her sister. They were expected to clean up after themselves and they hardly had space for much of anything other than a bed and their equipment. "It's okay," she responded with a soft smile. "And I'm okay right now, thanks." she wasn't hungry or thirsty, but she was developing a headache and there was still more to do before she could turn off her implants.

"Let me get the security protocols updated for you before I settle down." once again her displays popped out and she started toying with security protocols once the activation code was given to her. "So..." she said as she looked over the complex algorithms and started entering her own streams of code. "I can't do much, my equipment isn't up to date enough but I put in some codes marking anyone in Altair corps facial recognition files, their badges, identification codes and genetic sequences to be treated like hostile attackers. I also put in potential spies, assassins, and kidnappers from the international criminal database. Pretty much anyone who isn't you, Serenata, me, my sister or Emraeal will be attacked by your security system if they don't identify themselves within five seconds." then she sat down and deactivated her implants.

Her head was pounding now, not a good sign. So she closed her eyes and leaned back rubbing her temples gently. "I think I overdid it," she told Linnea. "I strained the implants again. I'm surprised they didn't burn out." she winced as her head seemed to throb in agreement. Hopefully, the newer equipment she was being offered would fix the problem. The last thing she needed was to short-circuit her brain.

[Assistant]
Linnea was in the process of raffling through crates and shelves for her older gear while Elyssa worked on those security protocols. Though seeing update flashes of her home's permissions and lockout database put a smile on her face, she eventually became curious and decided to look over at her ally. Seeing the woman in obvious discomfort prompted her to run a quick visual analysis through her AR and she frowned at the results. "Yeah. You really did. I'm gonna get you that water, and you're going to remove those ancient implants completely."

She looked annoyed as she stepped into her kitchen to get and fill a glass, "I can't believe those things can still be found on the street. I'd lecture you for risking burnout, but you did save me with that outdated stuff... which really says a lot about you." After stepping back into the living room, she handed over the water, "Drink up. I will not accept no for an answer." then moved to pick up what looked to be some sort of metallic tiara with neon blue lighting. She sat down next to Elyssa and indicated that she wanted to place the device on the woman's head. "I want to make sure it's safe to update before we start replacing and installing things. May I?"

[User]
"We work with what we can, which is normal stuff other people got rid of, or old surplus that companies threw out. They don't recycle nearly as much as they say they do." her voice was soft and her eyes remained closed. The headache was beginning to fade leaving her feeling as though she'd been hit by a single hoverbike rather than an entire race's worth. She accepted the water and began to drink it opening her eyes when half of it was gone and sighing softly. "Thank you," Elyssa said with a smile. "I know when I work the way I do I risk burning out the implants, but I never have. Ruby usually stops me, she's always monitoring my implants when I hack." At the moment she felt a keen sense of loss in regards to her sister, she already missed the older woman and they'd only been apart for an hour. Hopefully, her mission was going well too.

"Oh sure go ahead." she bowed down her head so the object could be placed on top of it. Elyssa knew what the device did, it was just not something her and her sister could afford. Obviously, with implants like her, it was a good idea to make sure that updating and removing would go off without a hitch. Old implants had faults in them and some of them could be quite difficult to remedy. As far as she knew it wouldn't be any hassle to get rid of the ones she had because she wasn't suffering any ill side effect aside from a headache when she overworked them and it was fairly mild compared to some reports. More like a nasty migraine, some people used to compare the pain to having one's head cleaved in half. Normally that implied fusions and fusions required surgery to remove.

"Thanks again for doing this Linnea," she said with a smile. "I really appreciate it, my implants were getting to the point they were compatible with the higher end security tech. Which would've made my job impossible. We were trying to get our hands on new stuff but companies suddenly started obeying disposal laws so the chance to find one intact enough to fix was becoming rare." It was to prevent other companies from stealing it and people like her from repurposing them, she knew that... it didn't mean she was happy about it.

[Assistant]
"''Never have'' isn't the same as ''never will'', Elyssa." Linnea replied as she gently adjusted the device over the hacker's head. Close as she was, a faint smile touched her lips when she realized that the woman was actually quite pretty. Maybe she'd tell her at some point, but for the moment, upgrades took precedence. She released her hold on the device and commented, "Try to relax as best you can and limit your movements for a minute or two." before she waved her hand and an AR panel flashed between the two women. There was a slight hum as the device started up, and its light cast the room in a soft blue glow as it searched through the drivers of the previous upgrade, then patched, uninstalled, added, and cleared as necessary.

Because of the age of Elyssa's equipment, several drivers had to be updated through nearly a dozen repeats of the process. Though she tried not to, Linnea couldn't stop herself from frowning as the display was filled with old and occasionally dangerously outdated drivers. "This is awful... I know that these drivers were state-of-the-art five to ten years ago but..." She let out a sigh. "Now? You're lucky headaches are your worst side effect. Especially since you've been using this gear to get on corporate servers. I bet it created tons of extra work for you due to so many of these processes being locked out and hot-fixed out of modern systems." Well aware that sitting still for what was past two minutes now was likely bothersome even without the device rooting through and modifying everything it could touch, she asked, "How are you holding up? It must be tickling your brain pretty hard, right now. But as it finishes, you'll probably start to feel really clear-headed, smarter, and faster." as she reached forward in an attempt to give Elyssa's hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

[User]
It was an odd sensation, to be honest, she could feel tiny pulses as the machine did its job. She knew they were outdated and desperately needed to be upgraded, Elyssa just didn't realize how bad it actually was. "Well yes," she admitted after a moment, a faint flush colored her cheeks. "How do you think I got as good as I am? It requires a lot of creativity to get around the hot-fixes and patches." There was also the fact she sometimes... intentionally overclocked her implants in order to work past potentially difficult defenses. That was something even Ruby didn't know and she certainly wasn't going to mention it to Linnea because she had no doubt the other woman would be easily twice as furious as her sister would have been. If they overheated or shorted out it could leave her with irreversible damage to certain parts of her brain.

At this point, she was beginning to get uncomfortable, if only because the tiny pulses made her entire brain itch. "I'll be fine, it's no worse than when Ruby has to check them out, we don't even have this." she gestured to the crown on her head. After a moment she closed her eyes and allowed the device to finish its work trying to focus on anything other than the tingling in her brain. Elyssa returned the squeeze with one of her own, grateful for the comforting act. Without realizing she almost began to doze but then the pulses stopped and she opened her eyes yawning widely. "I take it, it's done now?" she questioned as she reached up and removed the crown returning it to Linnea with a bright grin. She already felt ten times better. Her brain no longer felt as though it was being slowed down and the fuzziness she would occasionally on the edges of her vision was gone.

"I was living closer to the edge then I thought I was, wasn't I?" she finally asked. "Things I didn't even realize were an issue are gone now." The edge she referred to was the risk that something horrible could've happened to her brain or the implants could've just... stopped working rendering her useless in a world that was built on technology. "Thank you for your help, Linnea. I appreciate it, you've made my job much easier now. Not to mention now I no longer feel like I'm moving too slow." on a whim she gave the Fey a grateful hug. A moment later she released her and moved so her hands were placed on her lap. "Is there anything I can do for you to show my thanks?"

[Assistant]
"That's one way to look at it..." Linnea replied in a dry tone on Elyssa's creative approach to working with bad equipment. "We'll likely have to bring your sister up to date, too. If she handles your diagnostics, it's going to be difficult-to-impossible with her own gear so far behind." She nodded when the process ended and she was asked about it. "Yup! And you were! You're ready to make the leap now, though."

Since diagnostic and upgrade process conveniently highlighted Elyssa's upgrade ports, it was easy for Linnea to find something workable in her stash after she hopped up and bounced back over to it. She shamelessly bent to find what she sought and seemed oblivious to the fact that she was still clad in a leotard and wiggling her curvaceous bum in full view of her company. Eventually frustrated by her long, cascading hair, she paused in her search to reach for a hair-tie on a nearby shelf.

"Sorry! Just one more minute." She said as she secured her hair into a loose bun, then resumed her search. Moments later, she exclaimed, "Finally!" then hopped over to plop back down on the couch. She then leaned in close to look over Elyssa's implant ports to make sure it was recent enough to accommodate the one she had. However, once she found it, she realized she was just inches from the woman's face. A soft smile grew onto her lips and she began to blush as she openly admired Elyssa's beauty and met her gaze.

Though something told her she should look away, Linnea found she could not and instead played it off by holding up the implant between them. "Do you want to do the honors or... should I?"


[User]
A full moon bathed the fields of the valley in silver light. Rivers and streams from the mountains were running fast an high, the early melt from winter filling them to their banks. To the north of the valley sat the Southern Gate City, a jewel of the Empire under Heaven and central market for leagues in every direction. The largest concentration of wealth south of the capital, Southern Gate City drew all types in search of wealth and prosperity. Including those seeking it through less than honorable means.

Cold winds danced through the streets, a reminder of winter's last lingering hold. Hunched against the unsteady breeze, Ling ran her hand against the plaster of a tall, very solid, wall. She was young, just coming into womanhood. Or she should have been, under more fortunate circumstances. Orphaned years earlier, the Tiger had set out on her own. And did damn fine for herself, thank you very much! Life on the streets of Southern Gate City was hard, but that bred strength. Something that the old windbags at the monastery would say, between chanting and listening to butterfly wings. Ling sneered at the dark wall. What could they really understand about the world anyway? Spent all their time in that one boring temple, sitting around and ''contemplating the universe''. She might have stayed had they spent more time in the training yard, thought her more of their fighting skills.

Ling's round ears twitched and swiveled at the sound of approaching footsteps on the cobblestones. Quickly she spun, leaning against the wall and pulling the wide straw hat down over her face. Her clothes were simple and sturdy peasant's wear. Not too strange to be seen out at night. The shirt and pants were both big enough to hide her femininity, and raise a little less suspicion. A pair of city guards marched past, barely paying Ling an errant glance. Success! Feeling clever, she hardly waited until the patrol was out of sight before her linen wrapped hands continued their search. Some gap in the bricks, a spot were the plaster has given way, any kind of hold she could use to scale the wall and get inside.

Beyond the wall, she knew, was the estate of one of the wealthy families in the city. Administrators, bureaucrats, tax collectors, all part of some system so complex it may as well been sorcery. While Ling didn't know anything about tax policy, she was good at climbing. If either guard had glanced back, all they would have spotted was a striped tail vanishing over the tiles lining the outer wall. Inside the courtyard featured an immaculately tended garden. Pathways marked by stones from the earliest foundations of the city. Bridges crafted by the best carpenters in the region. Ponds shadowed by trees as old as the estate itself. Trees with thick branches, enough to support Ling easily as she made her way towards the house. The last dead leaves fell as she passed, a shadow over the creaking of ancient wood.

A soft grunt and thud signaled her drop in front of the doorway. Careful to make little noise, she opened the front door slowly. The long low squeak of a rusted hinge brought a wince. Stopping, wide eyes scanning the dark for any sign of detection, Ling slowly removed her simple sandals and set her hat over them before entering. She might be intending to steal anything she could carry, but there was no need to be rude about it. Feet wrapped in the same cloth as her hands, she moved slowly over the floorboards inside. Already treasures seemed to hide in the shadows, begging to be taken and fenced. Ling could already taste the celebratory dumplings she would buy, and her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu's rabbit-like ears twitched. She perked up, rising from the position she'd been sitting. She had been seated on top of her legs, contemplating the moon that hung full above the courtyard. She rose, gathering her robe around her, and silently slid across the floor, towards the source of the noise she'd heard. She had dark hair, a pale complexion, and distinctive rabbit ears sprouting from the top of her head, a relic of the sign she'd been born under.

Her father was the district magistrate, and had used the position to his advantage, amassing considerable wealth. As a child, Nuanxiu had not wanted for anything, and she still knew little of the outside world. Her learning, instead, had been focused on the inner world and cultivation of her own internal energies. She'd been quite proficient at it, although she did not yet understand just how special that made her. Martial arts had simply been the area of her studies that she was best at, and the one which she most enjoyed.

The idea that someone would steal from her family wasn't nearly at the forefront of her mind as she explored the house at midnight that evening, if you had asked her, she might have said that she hoped to find a fox that would be her friend, or something of that nature. What she found instead was a tiger girl gingerly lifting a valuably carved bone flute from its display case in one of the seemingly endless hallways.

An impish smile on her face, Nuanxiu struck out at the intruder, a simple hand strike that she didn't bother to conceal or feint. The tiger girl easily dodged it, and the two of them set to a (surprisingly quiet) sparring match. Her fighting style at first wasn't flashy, simply consisting of basic strikes and dodges. Nuanxiu wasn't striking with any real intent to harm, and as the fight progressed, she realized that at some point it had switched to both of them showing off their skills. Her moves became more elaborate, her clothes whirling around her as she spun and danced. Giggling, she lead the intruder on a whirlwind chase throughout the estate (although both of them remained obligingly quiet, save the occasional giggle, so as not to wake anyone).

Eventually, they stood on the rooftop. Nuanxiu ducked another strike, but didn't retaliate, instead pointing at the sky, where the moon still hung. "Look, isn't it beautiful?"

[User]
Instinct more than thought saved Ling from the sudden strike. Dropping the flute back onto its stand, the tiger did her best to catch up with the unexpected fight. Quick to get on the offensive, she retaliated with flurries of blows, mixing kicks and knees in to try and throw her robed assailant off balance. Nothing worked, every jab, hook, and swing was blocked or redirected easily. The rabbit even had the audacity to laugh! Anger building, Ling grit her teeth and threw herself into her assault even further. Still minding the silent house, her grunts and shouts were only mouthed breathy whispers under the soft thump of yet another blocked attack.

As the spar continued, Ling felt herself warm and loosen. This was a far better fight than she'd ever had in the monastery, which had all ended early citing her 'lack of restraint.' But this girl, dark hair framing a pale face, gave no sign of excess. The tigress adjusted her attitude, wild swings melting into measured strikes and mindful defenses. Somehow they'd gotten into the rafters as their fight became a conversational dance. Questions asked and answered with movements instead of words, an open palm turning way a falling axe kick in place of shallow chit-chat. From the rafters to the open roof, their fight brought them out into a strange public privacy.

Stepping into her next kick, Ling flexed from her hip, tensed her butt and shot a Donkey Kick strong enough to crack one of the Pillars of Heaven! And the rabbit ducked it. Off balance, Ling twisted to answer a counter that never came. Settling her footing and catching her breath, she looked up to where the rabbit was pointing. "It is." she said between heavy pants, unbuttoning the heavy shirt to let the cool breeze reach her skin. Underneath the dark fabric, a trim sun-tanned body glistened with sweat. She closed her eyes, letting the moment seep into her as the wind played with her shoulder length, scruffy hair.

Gold-green eyes opened and turned to the delicate looking girl with rabbit ears. "Who are you, anyway? Like, a demon or something? Little rich girls can't fight like you." She was either ignorant of her rudeness, or just didn't care. Eyes turned back to the moon, both halves shining in the night sky. There were countless stories about how it had been split, ranging from jaded lovers to betrayed kings. "I'm Ling, by the way."

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu was more than content to end the fight there. She was glad to see the tiger girl relax at the same time. They stood there for a moment, next to each other, the night air whisking droplets of sweat from their skin.

"Who are you, anyway? Like, a demon or something? Little rich girls can't fight like you." The question came as a bit of a surprise.

Nuanxiu raised an eyebrow. "We don't? How many have you fought?" She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a small demure laugh. "I'm Nuanxiu. This is my family's house."

Ling introduced herself, and Nuanxiu bowed politely. "At first I thought you were some sort of ruffian, but from fighting with you I can tell that you're a good person. So, you must be an adventurer, right?" Her eyes almost gleamed at the idea, and it was clear that she was excited about the prospect. "Why don't we come down from here, I'll get you some tea and you can tell me about your travels!"

The chance to speak to an outsider fascinated her, since she'd never really had the chance to speak to many other people beyond her tutors and her father's friends and associates. Certainly she'd learned a lot from them and the various social circles she was allowed to move in, but she wanted to know more about the outside world, about the spaces between the orderly and righteous paths on which her family walked. Ling could be her window into that world.

[User]
Nuanxiu's answer caught the tiger by surprise. For a moment she stood still in the wind, rearranging her world view. Did all rich girls know how to fight like that? If they did, all the bodyguards would only be for show. The rabbit's introduction and invitation were very nearly lost in the confusion.

"Yes, um, tea sounds... good. Tea is good." Ling stumbled over her words with none of the grace she had fighting. She wasn't normally like this, so off center. Something about this pale skinned girl just completely threw the tigress' balance. A cold gust of wind was a sudden reminder of her open shirt, and wrapped chest exposed to the air. Hoping her blushing cheeks weren't visible in the night, Ling pulled her shirt closed and made back the way they'd came up.

"You, you want to hear about my travels?" She hadn't any travels to talk about. Inside, walking along the maze of halls lined with priceless treasures, Ling felt her mind racing. Nuanxiu and her family had money to spare. If the tiger stole even one item a week, she could spend the rest of her life feeding off them. And if she could make friends with this rabbit, she might not have to steal at all.

"Really, I'm surprised you haven't heard about me already." She said, setting her shoulders back and tossing her head aside. Taking her best devil-may-care stance she settled down for tea, and the tallest tale she could tell. "Granted, not many in this city get around enough to know of the Black Cloud Tiger, Ling! Fists like hailstones, and roar like thunder."

"I've trained in two... dozen, monasteries. But few can withstand my full assault." She took a sip of tea, doing her best to look casual and nonchalant. "You are good at fighting, but I couldn't really let loose. It would be rude to wake up the whole neighborhood." Ling took another long sip, watching Nuanxiu to see if she was buying the story.

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu giggled at Ling's tall tales. She didn't know enough to know that they were exaggerations, but the way the tiger told them lent an air of humor to the telling. "Incredible! Exciting! Doesn't a reputation like that get in the way of stealing things, though?" The question was posed without malice; having already decided that Ling was a good person, Nuanxiu knew that her thefts could only be honorable ones.

"We'll definitely have to find somewhere you can show me the full technique sometime!" Already plans were turning over in her mind. She couldn't exactly keep Ling here, even with her strongest insistence and explanations, her father's housekeepers wouldn't stand for someone like her just hanging around if they caught her. So, maybe she could go with Ling? Nuanxiu had always wanted to adventure, and this might be the perfect opportunity. Still, they hadn't known each other quite long enough for her to feel comfortable posing the question. Wouldn't it be rude, this early?

She leaned forward, her blue eyes wide as she inspected Ling up close. "I wish I could go on adventures. They only rarely let me leave this house at all, and then it's under guard." She sat back and smiled. "It's really nice to finally meet someone my age, you know?"

[User]
"Oh, my reputation makes theft almost impossible!" Ling tried to find her way out of this growing lie. "But with some of the gangs in this city, they'd track me down in a heartbeat if I just announced myself." She took another long sip, finishing the tea. "I'll be happy to show you sometime, maybe outside the city." If this girl was as sheltered as she seemed, going out those gates should terrify her.

As those big blue eyes came close, Ling felt her heart flutter. In that moment, all the sappy poetry in the world made a little sense, and she felt a profound lack of vocabulary to articulate her own feelings. "P-p-pretty." She muttered, a song to make the mountains sigh crashing into her lack of grace. "Oh, pretty lucky I came by then!" Excellent recovery. "I know how we can get over that wall."

The tiger looked down the hallway towards the door leading to the garden. At least she was pretty sure it was down that hall. "Though, it's unwise to set out on an adventure while so tired. We could spend the night, and set out at dawn?" He eyebrow popped up with a suggestive and hopeful smirk. Might be able to get a warm night out of this too.

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu may have had some slight doubts about Ling's story, but lacking any actual contradictory evidence---and infatuated with her Tiger guest anyway---she declined to press the issue. "Getting over the wall is easy, I just never really knew what I would do after that, so I just stayed here. You're right though, better to leave early. I'm usually awake before the rest of the house rises, so we can go then."

She stood up, and held out her hand. "We should definitely get some rest before that. Do you mind staying in my room with me? I don't want to trouble the housekeepers by waking them and asking them to prepare separate rooms for you."

Her room was rather sparse, given her station. Although the bed and other furniture were finely made, they were simple things, almost monastic in design. Still, they were clearly high quality. Nuanxiu didn't seem to think any of it would strike Ling as out of the ordinary. "The bed's large enough for the both of us. Oh! And I can draw you a bath if you'd like?" She gestured at a small room in which a carved wooden bathtub sat, separated from the main chamber by a partition.

[User]
Ling took the offered hand with a note of victory. It was a testament to her wit that she was avoiding actually getting caught, and now getting a free bed for the night too. In the morning, it would be simple to leave Nuanxiu behind and be about some more profitable business. Maybe find a---did she say share a room? "I wouldn't mind at all. I mean, you're right, shouldn't bother the housekeepers." Plans for the morning broke apart like waves on a rocky shore.

Once in the room, it took all of the tiger's composure to not be stunned by the luxury on display. A real bed, not just a mat with a pile of old blankets. Why, what else would the daughter of a rich man have? There was other furniture as well, most of which Ling could hardly guess the purpose of. Perhaps it was other sets of clothing? Absently scratching herself, Ling was lost for a moment in self consciousness. She felt dirty, and somehow unfit to be under those sheets. And then the rabbit offered that social salvation.

"Bath? Yes, please." Unashamed, she had already started to remove her clothing before even reaching the tub. The heavy outer shirt dropped to the floor and Ling shimmied out of the loose pants, taking note of a new hole that needed patched. The pull at the linen wrappings around her hands and feet was the only warning before she removed the binding around her chest and slipped into the water. Bare skin bore bruises already forming from where her defenses had fallen short. Water lifted dirt and sweat as the tiger slowly melted into the tub relaxing.

It had been years since she'd had a proper bath. At the monastery it was considered best to meditate under a cold waterfall. And in the past few months since going out on her own, there had been scarce privacy from prying eyes. "So," Ling tried to make conversation. "Any siblings? Extended family?"

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu sat by the tub, leaning on its edge while Ling bathed. "Family? Oh, I've got lots. Two older brothers, although they're much older than me, already out in the world with their own families and everything. I don't see them much. I don't see anyone much, you know? It's always just been me and my tutors."

She shrugged, not really considering it especially meaningful. "How about you? Do you have someone waiting for you somewhere?" Nuanxiu was gazing intently at Ling while she bathed, her eyes wide and curious. If she had any sense that the situation was at all improper, she didn't show it.

Once Ling was done, Nuanxiu washed herself quickly, and then changed into a light nightgown and went to prepare the bed. It was large enough for the both of them to use comfortably, and quite soft. "You must be tired. You gave me quite the workout, and I suppose you weren't expecting something like that when you came here."

[User]
Ling froze in her washing. Really set herself up for the bombshell of the family question. What else to say, but the truth? Even if she hadn't made any headway in her goal, and had no clue on how to get there. Somehow, the rabbit sitting on the edge of the bath was the least awkward thing for the tiger.

"Well, my parents were, slain." She took a breath, even after years it didn't hurt less, but she had grown. That's what she told herself, anyway. "And it is my quest to avenge them." It sounded so cheesy, so impossible, saying it out loud. Still, she puffed up her chest to play the part. "I must bring the villains who killed them to justice, with my fist!"

After getting out of the water, Ling had hardly dried herself before Nuanxiu has done washing. Looking at her own dirty clothes and then to the inviting clean bed, it felt like a grave offense to dress. Nude worked well enough alone, and it would be a lie to say she didn't want to get in bed with that rabbit.

Although, the tiger had no real idea on what to actually do once she slipped into the soft bed. Thoughts of ravaging Nuanxiu melted away along with the sore muscles. Arms wrapped around the pale skinned girl, fingers toying with the hem of the nightgown. Hands played across the rabbit's thighs, wanting to explore between them.

Heart racing, Ling tore apart her mind searching for something to say. "Have you ever shared a bed with another girl before?"

[Assistant]
Nestling in Ling's arms, Nuanxiu smiled slightly. The tiger was warm, and soft, and very comfortable to lean against. She was a bit handsy, but Nuanxiu didn't mind at all. She shifted a little, so that she could look her in the eyes. "No, of course not." She fell silent for a moment, her hands sliding around Ling's body, resting on her side. "I've never had a friend like you before."

It struck her as a bit bold to describe Ling as a friend after such a short time, but she knew that the tiger had a good heart, and she trusted in that. Nuanxiu considered herself a good judge of character, whether it was expressed through a contest of conversation or of arms, and she knew that she had only rarely met someone with the integrity and strength of character that Ling had. That was why she had decided to invite her to stay, and why she planned to leave with the tiger in the morning.

She rested her head against Ling's shoulder. "We should get some rest. It's already quite late, and we'll have to get up early if we want to get out unseen."

[User]
"Right, rest." Ling said as she settled into their embrace. Everything was so warm and soft. There was no leaking roof, or draft from cold winds. Even though she had scaled the walls with intent to steal, she didn't feel the threat of another coming in the night. For the first time in a very long time, the tiger felt safe.

Somehow, that safety led to a nagging sense of dread, as if it would be snatched away at any moment. Best to sleep lightly, tempting as the warmth of the bed was. Although, surely Nuanxiu would wake her before trouble came. Tense muscle relaxed and eyes slowly closed before Ling fell into a deep sleep.

Waking with a start from a very pleasant dream, she held still in the covers. The details of her plan returned to her mind, and the reality of her warm night was done. Still, it seemed best to let the rabbit lead while inside the walls. With a gentle rub of a long ear, the tiger whispered. "It's nearly dawn. Ready for a taste of adventure? Let's get over that wall and get out of here."

[Assistant]
Nuanxiu awoke to someone rubbing her ear. Her eyes snapped open. It was a nice feeling, and for a brief moment she wished she could stay just where she was and perhaps ask Ling to do it again. Instead, the call of adventure still spoke to her. She hopped out of bed, and went to the wardrobe to put on clothes suitable for traveling. She turned back to glance at Ling. "Yeah, we should hurry. I don't know if any of these clothes will fit you, but if you'd rather wear them than what you had yesterday, grab whatever. I won't be coming back for a while, so it's no trouble."

Fortunately, few others were awake at this hour, and they were able to easily slip past the few housekeepers who were awake. They passed by the gallery where Nuanxiu had first caught Ling. Nuanxiu held up her hand to indicate that they should stop, and then quietly padded inside. She picked up a small piece of jewelry, golden and inset with precious gems, and slipped it in her pocket. "Traveling funds" she mouthed, silently, to Ling before turning back and heading toward the wall.

They climbed over the wall in a small alcove, hidden from view by a couple trees. Nuanxiu hopped on Ling's shoulders and then jumped to the top of the wall, and turned back to extend her hand downwards to help Ling up. "We should be safe from here, and we can slip into the city without too much trouble." Nuanxiu put on a large straw hat, concealing her ears. "I'm so excited! I've never had an adventure before."


[User]
Caves. Why was it always caves? Flint brushed a hand against the cave wall, the stone and dirt slick with condensation. He kept alert, ears open for any sounds of life. He might meet the bandits around any corner-or the captives. He'd forgone the use of a torch, his eyes were better than a human's in the dark anyway.

He'd tracked their footprints all the way up the mountain to the entrance of an abandoned mine. There had been three large sets, and three small ones. Three bandits and the three children they had taken. It should have been an easy job, yet with every passing moment things seemed to get worse. The entrance to the mine was guarded, and he'd counted five men coming and going. There could be dozens more lurking about in this rat's nest.

There---movement. He froze, carefully reaching for his shortsword. A man, just up ahead. One quick stab at the back of the skull and he'd be dead before he hit the ground.

Wait. Flint hesitated, not releasing his grip on the shortsword. The man was crouched low, peering around a bend in the cavern. He wore what might have once been a fine shirt and trousers, now dirty and torn. The hand he used to brace himself against the wall was scratched and dirty, with dark purple bruises about the wrist.

This wasn't a bandit. This was a captive. The man was likely terrified already, and coming upon an armed half orc during his escape might set him yelling. Flint couldn't afford yelling. Well, he'd terrify the man either way, at least he could do it quietly. Releasing his sword, he grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth. "It's alright, don't scream. The town of Starvil sent me, I'm here to help."

[Assistant]
The cave was mostly quiet. He made sure to check that out before settling in for whatever rest he could get. Taliesin was so very hungry, and so very tired. He'd been in the cave for a couple of days, some of the time spent simply passed out, both from pain and sheer exhaustion. The place wasn't entirely safe but he'd managed to find a small corner with a dead end that could be somewhat defended if he needed to.

Sounds of walking echoed through the walls, crunching gravel and stones beneath boots. Not being trained on how to fight, Taliesin could only presume it was the goblins or kobolds that he'd seen wandering around. Steeling his breath he huddled down, trying to keep as quiet as he could. He didn't have the energy to fight, not really, but a few sparks would scare them off, right?

He was still taken by surprise when the hand clamped over his mouth, most certainly not belonging to a smaller goblin or kobold or whatever lurked in the caves. Panicking, his pale eyes widened and he screamed on instinct, disregarding the creature's words, not registering anything other than the fact he'd been grabbed and his mouth was being covered.

_They found me they found me they found me---_ Taliesin grabbed the arm over his mouth and pulled as hard as he could, which wasn't hard at all, but in his attempt to escape he used what little magic reserves he had to heat up his palms to a hopefully stinging temperature to coax them into letting go.

He prayed it worked, because he didn't have much else in him.

[User]
Most people tended to freeze when grabbed. This man did not freeze. Flint felt the sting of heat against the back of his hand and arm, a sizzle like brushing up against heated metal. "Ah-shit!" He hissed, wrenching his arm away reflexively. This gave the young man a chance to try and wriggle out of his grasp. He scrabbled at the packed earth, clearly weak but still wiry.

"Stop! Stop---" Flint grabbed at his wrists, whispering harshly. "You're fine, it's fine! Stop---I came to help!"

He pulled him down, pinning his arms at his sides. He held him there, waiting for his struggles to weaken and the battering of his heart to slow. "I'm not with them, you don't need to run. It's alright. I won't let them take you." Flint's tone softened, as though he were soothing a frightened animal.

After a few moments, the man seemed as calm as he was going to get. "I'm going to let go." Slowly, carefully, he loosened his grip.

[Assistant]
The moment he was let go, Taliesin scrabbled away. He knew he didn't have the energy to run, so when his wrists were grabbed and pinned he could only struggle for a few moments before finally giving in, the man's words finally sinking in as exhaustion overcame him.

Breathing harshly, Taliesin looked him over with frantic eyes. The man's calm face and tone did soothe him somewhat, but he was still suspicious. While there hadn't been any orcs or half-orcs in the ranks of those he was running from, it didn't mean they wouldn't hire people to look for him.

But he was tired and weary, so all the mage could do was limply pull away when the grip loosened, slumping against the nearby cave wall, and silently watching his ''saviour''.

His eyes were piercing blue, almost like ice, and if the earlier attempts at burning his assailant didn't give him away then the markings on his face certainly would've. He earned those markings. The color of them was slowly fading back to dark brown from red as the fire magic he'd attempted to use faded from him.

"Who are you?" Taliesin eventually asked, voice raw and strained.

[User]
The marks of a mage. That explained the burning hands, at least. "Flint." He gave him a nod.

He took his canteen off his hip, offering it to him. Rummaging about a pouch on his hip he produced a handful of smoked jerky as well. He held it out like a child offering scraps to a stray. The poor man looked starved.

"The town sent me. Some of their kids got snatched- two girls and a boy." Flint weighed his options. The man was in no condition to be taking on bandits. He also wasn't in any state to sneak through a bandit-infested forest on his own. And in any case, Flint had been exploring these caverns for hours now, and would need a rest soon himself.

"I found a hollow a ways back. Come on, It'll be safer." He gestured back up the same way he'd come.

[Assistant]
Taliesin eyed him warily, gaze flicking between the food and the man's face whilst weighing up his options. Take the food and risk whatever drugs were on it, or ignore it and argue with his grumbling stomach for however long it took to find another meal. His stomach won out, practically snatching the jerky before it could be taken away or he could be grabbed, doing a similar thing with the hip flask.

It hardly sated his hunger, but it was enough to stop the pains that had been twisting in his gut since his last meal. It was hard to simply trust the man, Flint, whatever he was, but with how tired and weary the young mage was he hardly had a choice.

"Don't think because I'm following you I trust you." He said with as much confidence as he could, but his legs were shaking as he stood. He kept behind Flint for their short journey, keeping as sharp an eye as he could on his surroundings and the man leading him to supposed safety.

[User]
Flint gave a little shrug at the comment, brow furrowed in irritation. Most people didn't trust him, that was just how things were. He was too big, too green, too toothy. It unsettled people. You'd think this nameless man might be nicer to his rescuer, but still.

Flint retraced his steps back along the tunnels, gesturing for the man to follow him into a secluded alcove. It was a small space, about the size of a small room, but it would do for now. This part of the mine seemed sparsely traveled, if at all. They could rest here in relative safety.

He shrugged off his pack, digging around its contents to produce some bread and hard cheese. This too he nudged over towards the man, after tearing half the bread off for himself. He was quiet for a moment, studying the man. "You got a name?"

[Assistant]
Once in the alcove, Taliesin shakily took a seat on the rocky floor. It was mostly unwillingly but he legs were about to give out from just how weak he was feeling. He took the bread, but pointedly waited until Flint had taken a bite first before tentatively nibbling at it himself.

Keeping his guard up was exhausting, but his need for survival was greater than his want to give up. He'd had a moment of weakness with the other food but it was never the first bite that was drugged. In his experience anyway.

He was silent for a good minute or two before finally deciding to answer the question after weighing up what the answer would mean or could be worth. "Taliesin." He replied, "Now let me ask you something. If you've really been sent by the town, who are you looking for and who sent you?"

Not that he'd know if the names were made up, though it would at least give Taliesin an indication of if the man was a good liar or not just from how he acted. He so badly wanted to believe Flint wasn't associated with who he feared.


[User]
Lady Anya de Beaumont stood outside the Magics building at Stockton University, wondering what on earth her parents had been thinking in sending their human daughter to an academy full to the brim with pureblood and regular vampires alike, instead of the university that she had wanted to go to... but her father's word was law; she must network amongst the high ranking students to find herself a good match. They thought that if she found someone powerful, Anya would be turned and kept safe from the dangers that lurked in the light. Her head began to ache ever so slightly, Anya groaning as she ran her hands through her ginger hair to massage her temples. Every day since she had turned nineteen had brought the same thing, headaches and white flashes like she was seeing something from someone else's memories, but only for a second before it vanished again to return the next day. It scared her, but what scared her more currently; meeting her professor on the first day of classes.

With a deep breath, Anya straightened her posture and began carefully making her way inside, her green-blue eyes darting around nervously to see if anyone was looking at her. At about five feet five inches, she wasn't exactly the most imposing figure at parties if it weren't for her family name. The Beaumont name had remained as one of the most loyal to the emperor before he died, knowing that the heir was out there somewhere though they had told her that they did not know where he was. So instead of putting their hopes on a man who was not there, they decided to send her here to find a suitable match.

Anya felt her temples squeeze once more as she laid her eyes upon the man standing beside the door of ''Blood Magic 101'', assuming that he was the professor. She made her way up to the man, her lips upturning into a soft smile even though her head was hurting. "Afternoon, Professor... I'll admit I don't know your name, but I hope you don't fault me for not looking through the staff directory before arriving. I only just got here last night." She nodded her head down in respect, before her eyes went upwards to gaze into his own. "Anya Beaumont, at your service." It didn't seem like the best move to flaunt her title to someone she had just met, even though that was pretty much the whole point of her being here.

[Assistant]
Professor Constantine tipped his head down as Anya approached him. His nostrils flared slightly as she neared, catching the almost-entirely pure nature of the girl; as if she were a complete and totally normal mortal with only her breeding to set her apart from the remainder of the class. Well, he conceded internally, her breeding was the entire reason she would be allowed to attend the prestigious university. It would also be the only reason she was likely to survive the semester. Even surrounded by the most refined, restrained, and disciplined of Vampire kind, it was difficult to universally guarantee anyone's safety who smelled as decadent as this one.

Jaw tightening, the only sign of the magnificent man's thoughts, the Professor spoke. His accent was strange, a bit of everything---he'd lived a long time and traveled far, so there was a hint of mystery, as well as precision to every word he spoke. "Anya Beaumont. Yes, I saw you would be attending my class. I'm excited to see how you do. We shall talk after my presentation, alone." He didn't bother explaining why he expected to see her after the class, just turned and walked into the room---as if she were the last student he was expecting to attend.

The interior of the class was spacious, yet cozy. There were maybe twenty other students, each standing next to a table adorned with various implements oriented around the art of blood magic: vials of different strains of blood, knives, cages with mice, and so on. Walking to the front of the class, to stand in front of a dry erase board, Constantine began speaking.

"Blood magic is natural for vampires, but any creature with a spark of magic can use it, as we will no doubt see from Miss Beaumont as class progresses..." He then began to break down how basic blood magic worked, the runes and simple phrases that could activate and manipulate blood. As he spoke, part of the man's attention remained on Anya. Studying her face. Her features. Feeling a thrill of hunger and a twinge of memory. Could this be the girl he was to be betrothed to, those few years ago?

[User]
Anya instantly noticed the tightening of his jaw, her breath catching in her throat as she thought about him wanting her blood. Her parents had warned her to be careful around vampires in the outside world, as not every one was as cautious as her inner circle, but there was something about him that made her want to completely ignore their warnings to let him do as he wish. When he finally spoke to her, his voice only left her more confused as she could swear she had heard that very voice before, in her nightmares which plagued her every single evening that she had been nineteen. Though her ears did perk as he told her he wished to speak with her alone after class, cheeks reddening as her mind went places it probably shouldn't. "I will do my best to meet your expectations, Professor. I do have some abilities, but they aren't as good as they should be." With that, the professor turned around and walked into the classroom.

She quickly followed behind him, making her way to a free table and sitting down amongst the various implements as she listened to the professor speak. But every so often, her focus was broken by him constantly looking in her direction... almost as if he was peering into her soul to find answers. For what, she didn't know. As the lessons progressed, her abilities were shown as she moved her hands absentmindedly over an open vial of blood as her eyes focused on the dry erase board. Blood flowed upwards out of the vial as her fingers moved, making its way down to a rune that was laying beside the knives and cages. It dripped onto the rune which started glowing ever so slightly, showing the symbol beneath: memory.

[Assistant]
Seeing Anya's manifestation so early in the class drew not only the nearby vampires' attention, it also silenced Constantine. His eyes glittering, lips thinning, he walked down the relatively cozy lecture hall to look down at her accomplishment. "That rune, did someone teach it to you, or did it come to you on its own?" Constantine gestured at the memory rune, hands flourishing with a natural grace that belied the ancient man's raw physicality.

Near Anya, two Vampires paused what they were doing and went still, utterly and completely still. Just watching what the girl had done. Of the attendees in the class, only a few had managed to make their blood samples tremble and dance, let alone flow into a rune. And of those, only one seemed to have more advanced knowledge: forming ice-like crystal lattices of solid blood around her wrist as ornamentation. Despite the skill she displayed so casually, even that girl (haughty, arrogant, and incredibly blonde), was glancing over at Anya, though her expression was filled with something closer to rage than awe.

[User]
For a moment, her eyes continued to be locked onto the dry erase board as the lesson continued, but she became confused as she suddenly felt every paid of eyes including the professor staring at her. Anya's eyes widened as she realized what she had just done, her focus breaking as the blood splashed against the rune and began to soak into the rune's indents. Anya looked upwards as the professor began walking towards her, the muscles in the sides of her eyes tightening almost as if by magic as she looked straight into his eyes with an expression of a frightened doe. "I... I do not know. No one's ever taught me how to make a rune, and besides, that's not we were learning. So.. why?" Her voice softened as she choked out her last word, her heart tightly and heavily beating in her chest like it was entrapped in an iron vice. There was something terribly wrong, this wasn't supposed to happen. No one had ever taught her blood magic before.

*ting* The bell chimed to signal the end of the first day of class, as today was meant to be a half day so students could network and get to know each other for the other half of the day. Anya could see the blonde girl gracefully walking past her desk with a seething glare, the blood leaving her face as she grew pale from the exertion of all that magical energy. Placing her hands on the table, she quickly got up but froze in place as she remembered that the professor had wanted to see her after class. So, instead of running away as she desperately wished to do, Anya stayed in place to await whatever it was he had to say to her... perhaps he could tell her how she had managed to do that rune.

[Assistant]
Constantine stood near Anya as the students filed out. These were ''newer'' vampires in that they'd been born sometime in the past two hundred years. With the reduced fertility and birth rates of the purebloods, this stock represented what might have been one of the final generations of their kind to attend the university at all. Oddly, the elder vampire didn't care much about the creatures walking past him; he wasn't worried about their day-to-day lives, or even the lives of any dozen of their kind. He was far more concerned about the fate of their empire.

Watching the rune melt away, Constantine felt certain that he'd remembered correctly. This girl was the one he'd been betrothed to. But she hadn't been a human, had she? The family she'd been from had been prestigious and well-connected. A scion of that family would have been more than a politically-savvy match for Constantine: it would have potentially aided his future rule and more.

Once they were alone in the class, Constantine gestured off-handedly with one hand. A spilled drop of blood spiraled into a double-helix of glowing amber energy and shot to the doors, closing and sealing them with an ornate emblem (Silence/Privacy).

Certain they were alone and would be undisturbed, Constantine murmured, "Anya, who are your parents? What is your lineage?" As he waited for the reply, the elder looked his pupil over, trying to discern what was off with her. What had changed in the short time since his father's murder.

[User]
Her hands shakily fell against the desk as she collapsed back onto her chair, eyes still wide as she watched the rune she had created simply vanish into thin air as if it had never existed. Her ears picked up the sound of the doors closing and locking, but it was so faint as she nearly went into herself from the shock. Words as soft as a feather flowed into her ears, Anya glanced up at the professor and shook her head. "I truly do not know. Legally, I am a de Beaumont. They are truly the only family I can remember, but if I am being truthful.." Anya stood back up and carefully walked away from him towards the window, trying to gather her thoughts before she told him what had never been said anywhere except in the safety of her family estate.

"..I do not remember anything from the age of nine, ten whole years of my memories are completely gone from my head. My first memory that I can recall is walking through the woods covered in blood, shivering because it was December and so terribly cold out. I was only wearing a embroidered evening dress and thin leather shoes. Mother found me while she was out on her evening walk through the grounds of the estate, collapsed against a tree shivering... so she took me back and tended to my needs all by herself, drawing me a hot bath and gathering warm pyjamas from her daughter's room so I would not be cold anymore." Anya turned around to face him, her eyes glistening like moss on a oak tree as tears pooled in her eyes. "Anya isn't even my real name, professor. It was a name Lady de Beaumont bestowed on me when I could not remember my name after hours. But please, can we speak of why you wanted me here? Surely it was not to ask me who I am... not that even I know the answer to that." The laugh that came from her lips was more pained than anything, her throat was beginning to hurt rather badly.

[Assistant]
Several facts seemed to coalesce in Constantine's mind at once---several facts and quite a few suspicions. His father had been murdered. His betrothed had vanished, an event that he hadn't really spent much time thinking about---what with the whole empire being in an uproar. And now here she was, apparently human and apparently exceptionally gifted with blood magic. He realized immediately that keeping this girl close was not an option: it was a mandate. She'd potentially been his people's key to salvation years ago, and she still might be. If not, she might help him solve the mystery of his father's murder. But how much to tell her?

Constantine's lips compressed into a tight line as he considered his options. Confess it all to her? Perhaps scare her? Perhaps cause whoever was out to get her and his family to run or, worse yet, surface and attack again before he was ready? No. He couldn't do that. Worse yet, he couldn't be certain what had been done to the girl to mutate or suppress her vampirism. Could it have also ruined her fertility, the trait that ran so strongly in her bloodline? Fuck. Too many questions.

Forcing a smile onto his hard-angled face, Constantine reached down and adjusted his sport jacket and tie. The motion helped ground him, return him to discipline. "Miss Anya, regardless of your past, you have the traits of one of the most innately powerful blood mages I've ever encountered. I would like to take you personally under my wing---as a tutor, mentor, and protector for the duration of your stay here. Do you understand?" His words were firm, but not unkind as he spoke, the rich tones of his accent filling the space around them with power and promise.

[User]
It felt like an eternity since she had finished speaking, yet he still just stared at her with her having no idea what could possibly be going on in his head. Her story must have seemed a bit far fetched, a girl with no memories of the first nine years of her life and covered in blood roaming the woods... but it was honestly all she could tell him, because it was the honest truth. Something had happened to her that night and she feared that all these headaches and sudden show of blood magic, was her mind's way of trying to remember what had happened that night she had been found. Her heart dropped at the sight of his tightened lips, fearing that he was just going to tell her parents about this. If they found out that she had learned so quickly and that people had started to ask questions, they might force her to come back home to attend studies within the walls of the manor... completely alone.

But her fears were unfounded, as he gave her a smile and offered to train her personally... to protect her while she was here. Without even thinking, Anya ran into his body and wrapped her arms around it, breathing in his scent as she did her best to calm herself down, just so incredibly grateful that she was not going to have to leave her first taste of freedom. "Thank you, professor! You don't know what this means to me, truly... I'm frightened of what's happening to me, but if I have someone beside me maybe I'll discover who I am in the course of these three years here." Looking up, her cheeks reddened as she realized she was face to face with this man whom she had just spilled her darkest secret to, and feeling rather conflicted about being so close she could feel his breath on her face.

[Assistant]
Constantine wasn't a man. He was a vampire. More than just being a vampire: he was a king of kings among their kind, an ancient and powerful representative of their race. An apex predator who had 'cut his teeth' hunting humans for centuries before they'd grown strong and brave enough to fight back. Moreover, the man was a powerful sorcerer and enchanter: a truly alien being compared to most who were currently alive on the planet.

His reaction to the girl's sudden 'assault' on his person was one of pure and unadulterated reflex. As soon as her arms wrapped around his iron-hard, fit body, he met her eyes. Anya was probably protected from what happened next, possibly immune to it even, but the sheer psychic weight of what Constantine did was something approximately akin to putting a collar on a slave: his mind extended and pushed against hers. Demanded obedience. Faithfulness. Loyalty. When she touched him, his response was precisely what he'd have done if anyone else had attacked him---he attempted to utterly subvert the girl's psyche. Worse, because Constantine's subconscious mind knew of the girl's potential as a mate, there was a strong, decidedly intimate, burst to that psychic attack. It didn't just scream at her to obey him, it attempted to flood her mind with desire, with wanton and careless lust, with the thoughtless hunger that only a true beast could feel.

Only once he realized the girl had been thanking him did Constantine return to himself, shaken by what he might have done, uncertain of the outcome....

[User]
A gasp escaped Anya's lips as a wave of electricity flooded through the young woman's lithe frame, pushing her back ever so slightly as she attempted to catch her breath while holding onto him. Her hands gripped her head as her brain began to pulse, not quite sure what had just happened to her body but feeling as if something had been shaken loose. But as she looked back up at the professor, shaking her head ever so slightly as she took a step forward as if willed to. "I... feel strange, but yet, I feel unlike I've ever felt before... you know?" Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck as she once again found her body against his own, her chest pressed against his hard, toned body. Anya could tell something had been done to her brain, but she lacked the ability to care that something was different... only that he was very attractive and there had to be a way she could repay him for everything he had and would do for her.

She leaned in towards him, her breath hot against his lips as she looked up at him with a sparkle of desire in her eyes. "This feels terribly out of character, but I need you... or I fear I may shatter in your arms from lack of touch." Anya lifted her head up, closing the distance between them as he placed her soft lips against his own which felt firm. But quickly things took a turn, her throat burning as she felt a growing hunger from within that caused her to deepen the kiss as her fingers gripped the back of his head.

[Assistant]
Constantine had just hit the poor girl with a powerful psychic assault. Literally most of the vampires on campus, other teachers included, would have been writhing on the ground, begging to please him. Yet this girl was not. If anything, she was responding in a way he could not have possibly predicted. The kiss was sudden and hot, and hard. Too hard. One of his sharp canines smashed into his own upper lip, drawing a single dollop of blood that smeared across the girl's lips. Potent stuff, his blood---a mortal consuming that drop would, as with the psychic attack, become bound to him. Empowered, but also bound, as a familiar.

Oddly, Constantine was now convinced that such a bond would not happen to Anya. Everything was different around her. He'd known her less than an hour, yet in some odd way felt that he'd known of her for years now. A young woman of promise, from an incredible family, with a spark of legendary fecundity in their genome. A future queen of an empire. Despite all that, her facility with magic, her mental ability to transform his attack into a strength---those things were beyond perplexing.

Despite himself, the elder vampire felt a strong surge of desire thrum through his body. Inexplicably, he felt himself wrapping his arms around the slender girl, pulling her tightly to him. The outline of his need grew against her pelvis, making his substantial approval of her presence known almost immediately. All while he tried to puzzle away what to do... and that drop of blood pressed between them, into the girl's mouth.

[User]
Everything about today had been so strange for Anya, nothing happening the way she thought it would go. First she had shown an incredible display of blood magic, creating a rune which only the more experienced of magic users was able to create. Secondly, she was now kissing her professor in the middle of the lecture hall and wanting to go much, much further than simply a kiss. But why on earth was she feeling like this? Moments ago she had been just so relieved that she wasn't going to have to leave the university, but now here she was thanking him in an entirely different way than she was sure either of them were expecting from her in the state she was in before.

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt him pull her flush against his body, his desire clearly evident against her pelvis as she opened her lips ever so slightly to deepen the kiss. But as she did so, the drop of blood which had been smeared against her lip and went into her mouth where it rested on her tongue. When it dissolved, it was as if every nerve in her body began to sing with delight. A surge of energy passed through her like a jolt of lightning, her hands resting on his chest as she pushed him against a nearby wall to continue the kiss. He had done something to her body, that much was clear, but as much as it confused her to feel like her body was moving entirely on its own... she craved so much more.

[Assistant]
Constantine felt the electricity pass through the girl and realized, almost too late, what must have happened. One of his canines against his lip. His blood in her mouth. Her mostly human mouth. His mind whirled as he thought of the implications of making his bride-to-be ---was she?---into his familiar. But then he felt something totally different take root. Energy flared within him, energy that his vampiric eyes could see---and it lashed out, like a whip, tethering his chest to Anya's. He gasped as he felt something enter him, a sense of almost human emotion, of desire and... empathy. For a moment he, too, felt confused and scared.

But then he pushed that emotion to the back of his mind, aware of it but not feeling it. He couldn't know how this bond had been created, what insane magics were at play to make Anya who she was, but he was increasingly certain that she was important. No, more than important. And he knew he had to keep her even closer.

With his strong, nimble hands moving around Anya's hips, he delicately ran his fingers across her ass, squeezing, spreading warmth despite the chill of his skin. Looking down into her big, frightened, passionate eyes, he murmured in that cultured voice of his, "Dear Anya, if you continue to kiss me, I fear I shall behave quite inappropriately. And will not be able to stop myself.."

[User]
Anya felt her chest twitch forward ever so slightly as the electricity passed through her, wrapping around her heart like a vine and creeping into every part of it. All she wanted was to be near this man, as if being away from him for even a moment would cause her agony unlike anything she had ever felt before. But why? Was it his blood that caused her to act like this, so completely out of character? It was clear that she had to have him, though it felt more like a need than simply just desire. His name echoed in her mind, as if she had heard it before in a distant memory. _Constantine... Constantine..._ Her eyes widened as she looked up into his eyes, those mesmerizing eyes and felt so very happy. Reaching up and resting her hand gently upon his cheek, all Anya could do was smile as she replied.

"Constantine... that's your name, isn't it? I... don't know what had come over me, but if it is you that gives me this feeling of being a different woman then please, give me more of it. I beg of you, do not forsake me now... never." Anya reached her other hand up to rest on his other cheek, pulling him down to her level until his lips were just hovering over hers as she finished speaking. "I need you, Constantine.." With that, she leaned up to gently press her lips against him. Knowing full well that once he kissed her back, there would be no turning back from what they would do together. Their fates had been sealed the moment that they had first laid eyes upon each other.

[Assistant]
Low music seemed to fill the room as Constantine kissed his once-betrothed again. His lips seemed softer now, more pliant, as his hands worked up and down her back, coaxing her---stopping to spread fire whenever he caressed her ass. His pelvis against her lower stomach became a point of white hot, rigid, fire as he continued to gently, deftly, explore her mouth. Taking his time. No doubt such kisses were only deepening and shaping the magic that now connected the two together, entwining them. No doubt, some part of Anya could feel the rush of desire that flooded Constantine's body---not her romantic, idealized, version of what she felt towards him but pure, almost bestial, need. Just as he, in the back of his head, felt blossoming love.

The mixture of both sensations: hard lust and romantic affection were almost nauseating, as if each desire was similar enough to mingle---yet so different they could not occupy the same body. In one moment, the man wanted nothing more than to claim the girl's flesh. Mold her into his raw, lust-filled sex slave. And in the next he wanted to please her, to take her to the heights of joy. To take his time. His mind reeled as his hands tugged at her, pulling her closer, while the rest of him seemed almost paralyzed. For a vampire of his age, a successful psychic assault was nearly impossible---thus the man was totally unprepared for what was emerging now.

"I want to taste you. Feel you. Own you. Shape you." He said the words, accent thick and hot, barely able to breathe. Breaking the kiss, he leaned down and began to lightly trail his fangs and tongue across her neck, spreading a strangely unique warmth and danger as he did. Wanting. But uncertain of how to navigate the moment. Unmanned by this innocent young woman. Yet more alive than any time he could remember.