Shattered Trust In A Broken World (OPEN)

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

Darkness enveloped the cobalt wings of the creature as the shadow being slithered over his form; wrapping him in it's cold, tender darkness. It's dozens of tiny legs and chitinous segments clicked eerily against each other as it moved over him. The creature licked him here and there, it's tongue both hot and cold against his flesh. He gritted his sharp teeth against one another and growled deep in his throat; jerking away from the creature that was writhing all around him. The growl turned into a groan as his movements caused him yet more intense pain. The shadow creature’s tongue was trailing over the edges of a wound along his neck. The wound was hours old by now, but had yet to even begin to clot.

The venom of a vampire was the only thing that could really threaten Aemilius’ life and it was pulsing through his system already. He could not heal his wounds until he had fed. Fresh blood was the only thing that could clear his system, but his enemy had dropped him in a ghost town, in a dead country on a dying planet.

The smell of mold and straw and dirt was thick in the rickety old barn. It's massive shriveled wood doors hung only partially on the hinges and creaked and groaned in protest of the wind that whistled around the old place. Dust and cobwebs covered everything; from the old tractor lying broken with no tires, to the stacks of ancient straw; half decayed and turned to dust. The dust was so thick on the floor that as he fell a cloud of it swirled around him and fell to coat his blue-black leather duster with it.

"Masterrrrrrr." the shadowy creature purred in a skittering voice as it slithered round his neck and shoulders, it's dark, nearly featureless face pressed against his cheek. "Master you mussssssst feeeeeeeeeeed." It's high pitched, metallic voice screeched.

'Lius grabbed the creature's head in one of his hands and wrenched it down away from him so that he could look into the glowing blue-black pits of it's eyes. It squealed and writhed in fear and pain. "Cease your ignorant muttering and find me someone to kill!" he snarled and ripped the creature's long frame from around his body. As he pulled it away, a section of it's body caught on the sharp edge of his powerful wings and it was sliced open a bit; spewing black liquid shadow onto the barn floor that faded into it's home realm once separated from the body. The creature squealed and mewled plaintively and hurried to free itself from Aemilius’ reach.

If he could have spared some of his energy for something so trivial he would have inflicted even more damage upon the creature to vent his frustrations. Instead the shadow being slithered quickly away to follow his command; whimpering as it went. Aemilius rolled over and pressed his back up against a stack of dusty straw bales. His eyes slipped closed and he took several deep breaths as he worked on clamping off his pain receptors. It took several minutes, but he managed after intensive concentration and steady breaths. There was still some discomfort, but the stabbing, burning pain was gone. All he had to do was wait now. The waiting gave him time to reconsider his choice of shadow companions this evening. The creature was mostly obedient, but it was also devious and cruel and conniving.

Sooner than he would have thought, the shadow creature returned, it's clicking, scraping movements heralding its arrival. But within the noise of the creature was the sound of another being. It entered the old structure through the collapsing doors, it's long and slender, segmented form slithered rapidly around a shuffling figure, a soft, terrified whimpering coming from within the coiling segments.

With a sudden lurch the creature jerked away from the whimpering child and it stumbled and fell into Aemilius' arms. He caught the small girl easily, and as her frightened eyes looked up at ‘Lius; his hands turned gentle and he cradled her close to his chest. He could hear her heart beating frantically in her tiny chest, her blood crashing wildly through her veins. She couldn't have been more than eight years old and she was thin, emaciated really and quite dirty.

Aemilius clenched his jaws together, his eyes faded from silvery green to white as he looked up at the shadow creature that was watching him avidly. He could feel it's own bloodlust brushing against his; driving him to a deeper hunger. "You have failed me, Zirn." he said in a low and dangerous voice, carefully speaking the creature’s True Name. The creature's eyes widened in fear and shock and without hesitation Aemilius ripped a hole between the realms and shoved the creature back into it's shadowy domain in the most painful way he could manage. It screeched and howled in pain, but the sound soon faded.

The child in his arms was simply staring at him with wide-eyed horror, unable to move any more than enough to breath and shiver. His silvered eyes watched her black ones with an almost tender expression for several seconds. Taking a deep breath he sat her up on his lap and brushed her long, dirty black hair away from her neck.

"I am sorry, little one." His voice was laced with calm and assurance, trying to soothe the girl in any way he could. "Take a deep breath." his steady voice told her firmly. The girl was so terrified that she obeyed without hesitation, the calm command in his voice. Once she had inhaled deeply and he felt her muscles relax a bit he leaned in and sank his razor sharp teeth into her tender flesh. The tiny girl writhed in his grasp and let loose an awful screaming, but he did not stop. Her lifeblood pooled in his mouth and slid down his throat. He could feel the child's warm blood entering his system; slowly at first and then more rapidly, easing through his veins and deep into his tissues. The jagged flesh along his wound stitched itself back together and the burning venom was erased from his veins.

The child's heart rate was slowing and her entire form had gone slack, her screaming turned silent. He released her as soon as he could and laid her limp form across his lap. He ripped a piece of black cloth from his shirt and pressed it against the wound on her neck and tied it carefully around her throat so as not to restrict her breathing. Her heart beat was slow, and just a bit weak, she could live through this easily if she had been healthy, but she certainly was not healthy, still, she had a chance. He’d been careful. He wasn't completely healed, and if he didn't feed again soon his wounds would reopen. He was not about to drain a child dry to save his own life, even so, his instincts had taken more from her than he would have liked.

Aemilius got to his feet with the child in his arms and laid her down on one of the straw bales. His fingers brushed gently over her cheek and he kissed her forehead tenderly, as self-loathing burned through his veins. "Rest easy, my savior." he whispered and stepped away from the child.

With a flick of his fingers another rift between realms opened and a tiny shadow creature slipped forth in answer to the summons of his will. This one had six legs and a short compact body with a disproportionately large head and glowing blue-purple eyes. It had large appendages similar to ears that were currently flopped down and hung along side it's head. The shadow mist around it swirled in a gentle rhythm. 'Lius held out his hand to the creature and it obediently leapt into his palm.

"Ro." he smiled as he spoke the creatures name. "You are to watch over this child until she is well and entirely safe. Do not let any further harm come to her as long as she draws breath. If you fail in this, you will be trapped here forever, with nothing but half shadows and burning light to keep you company." He said with a smile as he caressed the creature. "If you succeed and the child lives you may collect another name from me.” He sealed the creature's will to his own with the command and then set it beside the child. The shadowy thing wiggled and pushed until it had slid beneath the girl’s arm and rested there beside her; as if made to sleep in that tiny space.

With that, he folded his wings along his back and left the barn, moving out into the fading night; lit brightly by the full moon.
”SPEECH”

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

"What kind of fucking supplies are we going to find here?!" Balthazar's voice practically exploded from the speaker on the side of Scalder's radio cuff, it was also equipped with a holographic screen that was projecting a map that was currently being made. Two small drones, about the size of a pool ball, were hoovering below, mapping out the expanse as Scalder flew up in the clouds. They needed either gold or diamonds to trade for fuel, as their reserves were running low, and the raw materials would get them more than enough. Yes, for those that weren't criminals, it would have been easier; but this planet wasn't as advanced as others, and their presence here would likely go unnoticed.

"Quit asking me questions you should already fucking know, get an update from the android-and while you're at it, give me radio silence so I can get this done. This world literally smells like shit and death."

The winds howled hard enough that the cigarette perched between her full lips was ripped away, causing a round of curses to spew out. That had been her last one, and they were special; hand rolled by the sheikh himself from Zilderan. The winged woman refused to fly after it, she'd wanted a smoke, but it would take too much effort, she had more important things to do. Besides, she didn't want to spend any more time here than needed. Crimson wings stroked the sky feverishly, fighting against the wind whilst trying to keep her body level. Her dreads had come loose from the leather strap she'd bound the strands with, but with the force of the wind, at least they were kept out of her face. The black jumpsuit wasn't providing much warmth though. When her teeth began to chatter, she was forced to fly lower to warm up and escape the howling wind.

The altitude didn't affect Scalder as she drastically dropped lower and lower, looking more like a stone rather than a flying creature. But once the leaves became clearer on the trees below, her wings expanded like reaching fingers, easily halting her swift free fall. The wind had immediately died down to a soft breeze thanks to the mountains to the north, but being closer to the ground increased the chances of her being spotted. Her gaze seared the ground as she squinted slightly, focusing her sight as she spotted a cleared path that led deeper into the forest until it eventually disappeared. There were scents of humans, creatures she wasn't familiar with, and even some tracks in the mud below; but they looked like they were months old. Something was off about this place, Scalder could feel it. Suspicious, she flew even lower, grasping gently at the pine needle tree tops as she flew by. They swayed under her touch, looking almost black despite the bright moonlight.

Trying to ignore her feelings, she kept flying east, following her map and cursing under her breath as she went. Nothing out of the ordinary revealed itself, that was until she reached the edge of town. The stench of decay wafted over everything, each building looked damaged in some way, some leaning to the side, while others were missing roofs and doors. Personal items were strewn in the streets, bones of long lost animals peppered here and there, everything was dipped in aged chaos. Perhaps it had been a bustling town in its time, but now everything looked apocalyptic; something awful had happened here.

Scalder chose to land, her heavy boots making a squishing sound as they touched the muddy ground. The tips of her wings would have likely dragged, and so she kept the stalks angled upwards even after she folded them up. A part of her expected something sinister to jump out of the shadows, she could feel evil here, but only the sound of the wind reached her ears. Stealthy she took three steps forward, making sure to hold the tools hanging from her belt against her legs so they wouldn't clank noisily. The hoovering drones had completed their scans of the surrounding forest and the town, but upon their return, one of the sensors disappeared; that only happened when they were manually turned off or destroyed. Even a downed drone would give off a signal. Someone had to have intercepted it. To top it off, the material they were looking for was no where to be found. Nothing but mud and remnants.

"Fuck." Scalder's expression turned sour, her full lips turning into a thin line as she pressed them together and gritted her teeth. She'd have to retrieve the drone. They were too fucking valuable to just leave behind. Abandoning her previous mission, her wings unfurled and aided her in lifting into the skies once more, the red feathers standing out against the pale wreckage of the town below. Before she could lose anything else, she clipped her tool belt onto the drone to send back to the ship. It whined mechanically under the weight. But, with the push of a button on her cuff, it increased its center of gravity and easily catapulted into the sky, and back towards the ship that waited just past the planet's exosphere. Every time she took it off it made her feel slightly naked and uncomfortable, but she still had her gun belt, and that was something she rarely took off. Hell, she'd even worn it in the shower a time or two.

The weight of the laser gun in her hand put the winged woman at ease, she was a skilled marksmen, but when she watched another individual lift themselves into the sky, her heart dropped and adrenaline was poured into her veins. The last time she'd seen another with wings was when she was back at home on Amzrill. Despite the chilly weather, she broke out into a cold sweat, and immediately dropped herself back onto the ground again for cover. "Be on alert for reinforcements, somethings up." Scalder immediately assumed it had been the winged stranger to take down the drone. A green light blinked once to let her know they'd heard her request. Taking aim, she shifted the guns targeting range, allowing for a lengthier, but still accurate shot. "I've got you now-" A loud crunching sound broke Scalder's attention, causing her to pause in her actions and slowly turn her head to the right to peek around the building she'd taken cover behind. A deformed looking humanoid was crouched in the middle of the street, gnawing on the sparking drone; when it broke in half under it's crunching teeth, it squealed and tossed it to the ground.

The being looked like it had once been human, pants and a tattered shirt still clung to it's decaying body, and it had a bracelet of some sort around it's left wrist. But over all it looked deformed; a hunched back, uneven shoulders, smokey white eyes, and razor sharp teeth that protruded even when it's mouth was closed. Thoughts were running rampant, trying to place where she'd seen something like this before, but she couldn't dwell on the thoughts for long. She needed to focus and just get the hell out of here. Scalder stole a glance of the being still in the sky, but when she returned her gaze to the unknown creature, it had disappeared. "Fuck!" She whisper yelled, cursing herself for taking the chance. Just as she was about to take her chances in the sky, the creature jumped down on top of her from the roof. It's teeth clamped down onto her right arm, using it's weight from the decent to try and drag her to the ground. Immediately Scalder raised her weapon and shot it right between it's fucked up eyes, blowing a hole in it's head about as wide as her fist. It yelped loudly and fell over, it's body slapping on the wet ground and splashing up dirty water onto her pants. Before she had time to assess her stinging wound, a loud distorted howl echoed everywhere, rattling through the empty buildings and sending a chill down Scalder's spine. She should have left with the other drone.

Like cockroaches they began to crawl out from the forest that surrounded the town, all of the screeching and squealing as they ran supernaturally fast. There had been just enough time for the winged woman to take to the skies again, but she was rattled, and could feel some form of poison seeping throughout her system, causing her vision to blur for just a moment. It had to be magic based to affect her this strongly. Not taking any other chances, Scalder pushed the big red button on the side of her cuff. Her crew would be here soon, as she'd never in their time together needed to use it. Her strength was draining quickly, and so she landed on one of the sturdier buildings, hoping to keep her strength, but they easily climbed up the side and ran towards her. Skillfully she shot five off the building, but once they started coming from all sides she was forced back into the air again. Her muscles ached under the poison's duress, but she'd shoot herself in the fucking head before she'd let these fuckers tear her apart.


It wasn't her style, but Scalder fled; she fed most of the energy she had left into her wings, the red feathers whipping through the air furiously as she tried to make it to the mountains to the north. They were fast, but not as fast as her wings. "I've been bitten boys, some mutant mother fuckers are here, don't land! Just follow my tracker and I'll fly up to you!" 'If I can still fly by then.', her thoughts muttered, but it was cut short when her consciousness was taken.

Scarlder's body plummeted towards the ground, but she landed on her abdomen on a massive branch; the tree trembled with the impact, but remained steadfast. The bulky lazer gun dropped towards the ground though, landing with a thud a few yards away from the pine tree. She was out cold, her red wings hanging limply behind her, threatening to tip her backwards and off the branch. The deep bite had begun to bubble, and the torn skin was starting to turn a moldy green, reaching outwards as the minutes passed. The creatures were likely to catch up to her momentarily, but she'd remained unconscious, and unaware of anything going on around her.

>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

He paused just outside the barn and looked up at that full moon for several moments. He’d never fed on a child before. He’d had many enemies and been in many scrapes throughout his lifetime, but he’d never before been forced to break his own code. When he caught up to the son of a bitch that had put him here he was going to rip his fucking heart out and shove it down his own throat. His hands clenched into fists at his side and his teeth ground together as he thought of how difficult that was going to be. He look down at the ground and forced himself to take a deep breath. He had no idea who his new enemy was, only that he liked to talk in the third person and so Aemilius knew the bastards name; Pan, and he knew what he looked like.

Aemilius glanced back into the dark barn and saw the outline of the pale child lying there. He would kill Pan. He knew exactly where to start his search. A contact he had, had for decades had put him and Pan in the same room together. It felt like a set up now. She had to know something. And even if she didn’t want to tell him, he was going to be sure that she did.

He turned away from the child then and his wings unfurled at his sides; the serrated edges gleaming in the moonlight. He crouched slightly and his wings lifted. With a single, powerful downstroke of his wings he was airborne. He had no fucking clue where he was, even though dead and dying worlds were his forte. He had definitely never been to this one before. It had a very particular odor to it and the unnatural feel of the place was distinct. Even the air felt rotten.

HIs wings beat in long strokes as he worked to get enough altitude to look around the rotten place; wondering where Zirn had possibly managed to find the little girl. For miles there was nothing but death. Dead fields, a dead town and half dead forests. Yet he still felt as if there were eyes on him. Everything was a sort of grey with subtle tinges of green, yellow and blue barely visible here and there. Suddenly, though, he thought he saw a flash of vivid red, but when he turned to look there was nothing there. His senses were probably just playing tricks on him. He still certainly felt nowhere near right. There was still a hollow ache throughout his body; an after-effect of that fucking vampire’s venom. He needed to get the hell out of here and back home.

He took a deep breath and called up the shadows within himself and concentrated on finding the shortest pathway through the shadows that would take him back to his own world. It was easier for him to move between the dead and dying places than it was to move between living, bright places. The shadows had a stronger hold here and in his own world than in a world untouched by apocalypse. As a black swirling cloud began to form he saw the flashes of blue-black light that told him his powers had latched onto a pathway. He started towards the shadowy, swirling doorway when suddenly there was a wave of movement below.

He looked down to see a mass of dark, bent creatures running from the tree line. Even from this distance he could see their pale, dead eyes within their half rotted faces. They looked like rotten, twisted and broken imitations of humans. Some of them had parts broken and bent and other parts of them were completely missing. Their skin was a sallow shade of decay; flaked in some places, oozing in others. The only thing similar from one to another of them was the look of insane, ravenous hunger on their faces.

“Son of a bitch!” There must have been hundreds of them, he didn’t take the time to count. Instead he pivoted mid-air, letting the shadow-portal fade and diving for the barn. They were headed straight for it and that little girl was completely and utterly defenseless because of him. Ro was tricky and intelligent, but it wasn’t built for fight, only for flight.

He had speed on his side and he managed to stay ahead of the ravenous creatures. Still, he wasn’t about to take any chances. He reached for his gun belt and pulled Nora from her sheath. Nora, his trusty plasma pistol, was always at his side and ready to play. He took aim quickly and squeezed the trigger a few times; leveling a few of disgusting creatures who in turn tripped up a few of their friends. He fired off several more shots and slowed the horde down only a few seconds at most, but it was plenty of time. He hit the ground at a run just a few steps beyond the barn doors. As he did so there was a sudden, horrendous keening from every direction. He glanced back to see the swarm of beasts mouths all twisted in various versions of frenzied hunger. His wings folded half a second before he darted through the doorway.

The little girl was exactly as she had been left, breathing shallow but steadily. Ro was perched atop her chest, tho, his glowing eyes a fierce shade of blue, like the flash of lightning in a midnight sky. He looked dangerous, despite his minuscule size.

“Good work, Ro, but the horde outside would devour you in this realm.” Aemilius assured him as he ran at full speed for the child and scooped her up gently but quickly in his arms. “Hold onto her.” He ordered the little shadow creature. He positioned the girl against his right shoulder, her head resting against his neck as his arm wrapped tightly around her. He aimed Nora at the cracked; rickety ceiling of the barn and fired a single shot. The plasma blast tore through the ancient would and shingles easily. Aemilius vaulted up ten feet or more onto the straw pile just as the first of the creature came screaming through the doorway. He didn’t spare a glance for the disgusting things whose smell was more unbearable than the sight of them. He leapt up toward the hold in the roof at the same time his wings beat furiously to launch him out into the sky. He felt one of the creatures’ fingers brush his leather boot, but it found no purchase on the polished surface and then he was beyond their reach.

He slid Nora back into her holster and gripped the child more securely to his chest as he gained altitude. He spared a vicious glance down at the disgusting motherfuckers before he turned and headed away from the frenzies sound of them. Just as he turned he saw that same flash of vivid red from earlier and this time his eyes tracked it steadily. Vibrant, crimson wings carried a pale women quickly into the night air and below her a mass of the same disgusting undead things tracked her movements. Instantly he desired to add her to his collection, he had gained several winged women of various species over the years, each with a different color set of wings; he had yet to acquire red. He growled at himself and stamped the thought out as he gripped the frail child more securely in his arms.

He was about to call up another portal when he saw the women falter mid-flight. She was over a mile away, but he watched easily as she plummeted suddenly and uncontrollably toward the earth. “Shit!” he snarled. He would have let her be if she’d been able to flee, but there was certainly no sense wasting a perfectly good chance at a new collectible if she could survive her injuries. He darted toward her as she fell; his jet black, shimmering primary wings making a sort of whistling sound as the bladed edges sliced at the air with each downstroke. Even his secondary set of wings many a soft sound as the beat against the air furiously. He knew this was reckless behavior. He wasn’t fully healed and here he was rescuing maidens. “Idiot.” he said aloud to himself. Ro chirped inquisitively from his perch within the little girl’s hair, but Aemilius didn’t respond.

The red winged woman had disappeared below the tree-line and Aemilius knew the horde was closing in on her position; he could just make out their movements beneath the half-dead canopy. Aemilius flew in a straight line toward the last position he’d seen the women. His silver-green eyes searched the shadowy trees below until finally he saw the women draped precariously over a large branch. The horde was less than a half a mile away by then so he moved quickly. He slid his leather jacket off; carefully moving the tiny girl from one arm to another as he hovered in mid-air. Ro was wrapped about her shoulders and half hiding in her hair; clearly nervous of what Aemilius was doing. He wrapped the child in the jacket, slung her over his back and tied the sleeves of the jacket around his chest; just under his arms. The jacket would protect the girl from his razor sharp wings and free up his arms.

The moment she was secured in place he dove down through the tree tops. The half dead pine needles fell in massive cascades all around him as he pushed through the branches. Branches cracked and wood and needles fell everywhere; even on the women but she was completely unresponsive. He could hear her heart beating, but the sound was thready and uneven; he could smell rot on her; in her blood; like a subtle version of those in the horde. Her fall ad created an opening in the trees, so luckily he could still use his wings, even as he moved lower and closed in on her. She was still more than fifty feet from he ground. She was lucky the trees had broken her fall. The smell of divinity was faint in her, but he hoped it was enough to let her heal from what injuries she already had.

Finally he was close enough and he reached for her; securely grabbing her belt, he planted his feet on the branch and pulled her up. “Fuck!” he snarled as he felt the muscles in his neck and abdomen protest her weight. He was putting three lives in danger by helping her, but he had to admit this was mostly selfish. He was intrigued by her. Finally he had hoisted her up enough to grasp her with both arms; one under her legs, the other under her back as he rolled her toward him so that she was face up. His silvery eyes traced her striking features and for a moment he just grinned triumphantly at his new prize. He herd another set of howls then and he shifted her against him; hugging her tighter to his chest and preparing to launch from the branches again. At the last moment his eyes landed on shining metal down below. Instantly he recognized the outline as a weapon; a nice one by the look of her lines.

“Christ Aemilius, but you’re an idiot.” he snarled at himself. He couldn’t leave the gun, not if the women was even the least bit attached to it like he was to Nora. He shifted the women closer to himself again and turned the hand under her back toward the ground and concentrated on the gun. His power flickered meekly in his grasp for several seconds until it suddenly flew from his fingertips and took hold of the weapon. Within a second it was in his hand, but by then the horde was all around them.

Snarling, twisted, rotten faces stared up at them for half a second and then dozens of the creatures were scaling the trees, including the one he was standing on. He bent his knees and leapt up at the same time his four wings beat the air and sent branches and needles flying again. His heart was pounding by the time he made it above the tree line. Ro was chittering nervously, clearly disliking the proximity of those disgusting creatures.

Aemilius wasted no time; he called up shadow and constructed another portal through darkness and back home. The portal was small, barely wide enough for him and his entourage to fit through, but it was all that he could manage. He dove through the opening and plunged into shadow. He felt the uneven edges of the portal clip the edges of his wings and he snarled in pain. The pathway was rough, not the best, but he’d simply latched onto one the moment he found it. It wasn’t the shortest or straightest path and he caught his wings multiple times on the edges that were made of power and oblivion each time he had to bank around a curve. Purple and blue flashed around him in the roiling shadow as he went. He moved as quickly as he dared, knowing that if he hit one of the sides hard enough he would be lost in a world of only death. He wasn’t sure but he suspect that these pathways were lined with mordite just beyond the shadow and he had no desire to visit Ruination anytime soon.

Finally the pathway opened up and he could see his compound in the distance. He folded his wings and dove for the opening. The moment he was through his wings opened again and he closed the portal as he let himself glide down into the vibrantly green courtyard. He managed to land on two feet but he collapsed to his knees after only one step. He slid the winged women to the ground carefully and took a deep breath. His eyes slipped closed and his head fell forward as he worked to keep the pain blocked.

“Aemilius!” he heard Fiona call from behind him. She was a pale, willowy built women; half fairy, half nymph; one of his earliest collectibles. She never called him ‘lord’ or ‘master’, none of them did though, it simply wasn’t his style. He turned to look at her over his shoulder and her dark black hair fell all around him as she bent to collect the child from his back. “You’ve been busy.” she commented, half amused. she looked at Aemilius then and her eyes went wide, by then others had gathered around them, she handed the child off to one of them and knelt beside Aemilius; brushing her hair back from her neck and reaching for him. It took all his strength not to give in to the instinct to sink his teeth into her warm, willing flesh and take his fill, but he managed to control himself.

“The child needs one of the healers, she’s only human and she's in a bad way.” He said. He didn’t command any of them or struggle to keep his voice steady and hide his weakness, they all knew him, and though he had laid claim to them he didn’t treat them as slaves.

“Aemilius, you need to feed.” Fiona pushed gently but Aemilius shook his head.

He turned to look at the winged women then, still unconscious. He laid her gun across her stomach. “She appears to have been bitten by a walking corpse with some sort of venom. I’ve no idea what she is so find Cal.” Cal was a centaur with the uncanny ability to know the exact origins of any creature he came across. Aemilius had never seen him be wrong. “Make sure she has her gun within reach when she wakes.” he added as she was lifted to be carried away.

Fiona took his hand then and moved closer to him. “They will be taken care of.” she assured him. Again she brushed her hair back from her neck and tipped her head to the side. He heart beat steadily and he could smell her sweet blood rushing beneath the surface of her smooth skin. He gave in then and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He took a deep breath; his nose gliding along her skin and savoring the delicious smell of her. He sank his teeth into her flesh and her warm blood spilled into his mouth. Fiona’s arms wrapped around him and she melted against him, a slow moan escaping her lips. He had never abused her complete trust in him and he wasn’t about to start now, so he was careful despite the need in him. He listened to her heart closely and paid attention to her arms around him. It was difficult, because, damn she tasted so good and the darker instincts in him wanted to drink until there was nothing left. As always though when her arms began to lose their grip he stopped; releasing his bite, though he held her to him still. She sighed softly, but after a few deep breaths she moved away from him and stood up only a bit unsteady. Aemilius rose as well and kissed her cheek softly.

“You should get some rest, I’ll make sure our new guests are watched over.” Fiona smiled. Aemilius nodded; intending to do exactly that.

—————

A few hours later, Aemilius was heading toward the winged women’s temporary quarters after he’d rested. Last he heard she’d yet to awake, but Cal and some of the healer’s had tended to her wound. They were not sure if there would be any lasting effects but they were hopeful she would recover.

As was always done with newcomers, the women had been brought to one of the rooms on the outer edge of the main house; their the outer wall was glass, so that they could see out into the courtyard and not feel trapped. Her door would have been left open as well, and as instructed her weapon had been left on the table beside her bed.

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

Scalder was swathed in darkness; she only felt this hollow and numb when she chose to dabble in things she dare not speak of. A part of her missed it, while another was screaming uncontrollably with a crazed fear, putting her moods in a teetering motion. At first it was the unyielding emptiness that left her feeling nothing, then without warning it would give way to a gut wrenching drop. She'd fall until the numbing sensation returned. Over and over, nothing then falling. The cycle was cruel, but Scalder was a fighter, and she'd been through worse than this.

Unbeknownst to her, the infected flesh had been cut away, the bite cleaned, and a magic salve spread over the lacerations for pain and regenerating her skin. Thanks to the combination of her fae and angelic ancestry, her body was working double-time on healing. Scalder's inner white light pushed back against the poison in her bloodstream to keep it from spreading, and her fae abilities purified all that was already affected. Broken ribs were mended, bruised skin lightened, and other various cuts healed. In no less than an hour she'd completely recovered, her strong heart beat returned, and even the bite mark had disappeared as if it hadn't been there. Once again lady luck favored the feisty being.

Had Scalder not been so comfortable, maybe she would have woken up completely startled and on edge. But, instead, her eyes blinked open slowly and she yawned lazily. Stretching, her arms reached above her head, the tips of her toes pointing as she flexed and grunted happily. Thankfully her wings had disappeared from her back, preventing any kind of damage. For a moment she just layed there, staring up at the ceiling, gathering her thoughts. But eventually she sat up and stole a curious glance around the room, wondering if this was where her crew had taken her. It definitely wasn’t their style, and no sane person would have invited those sick fucks into a fancy place like this. The bedroom was decorated down to the tiniest detail; white crown molding, pale blue walls painted with white vines and leaves, off white furniture, a floor length mirror in the corner, and a king size bed with a white canopy frame. A sheer blue gauze like material adorned the top of the bed, it's lengths reaching to the floor and giving her a feeling of privacy. Instinctively though her eyes began searching for her gun. There was a gap in the material over to her left, and there rested her comrade, atop the nightstand in his holster. Pleased, she rolled lazily across the large bed to reach for it, realizing it had been obviously placed so she could have easy access. That comforting weight balanced in her hand as she pulled it towards herself, immediately making her feel better, as if she was whole again. Prepared to wrap it around her waist, she was redirected and paused in her movements when she saw her thigh bag resting atop the table behind it. Usually it was attached to her tool belt, but she left it on her leg when she’d sent it away on the drone… Earlier? A day ago? She shrugged and snatched up the bag as well, retreating to the center of the mattress to lounge. Old habits die hard; as always, the small leather bag was filled with a flask of tartucan, her serrated shiv, and a couple of joints. Without hesitation she gulped down a few swing of the delicious liquid, savoring it’s taste with an audible groan. That welcoming feeling of inebriation crept in, casting the woman out to a sea of uncaring.

Many would have been worried, downright fearful, but Scalder realized that if they’d intended harm, she wouldn’t be in such a comfortable room; her gun wouldn’t have been right on the night stand along with the rest of her shit. The only thing that made her uneasy was the glass walls. Many of her siblings used to collect bugs, and often times they’d place their dead treasures under a glass plating, their limbs stapled to the wood or cork, only to lay there for eternity. A shiver ran up her spine, looking out through the glass now. Scalder swallowed hard only to realize her throat was completely dry again, and so she took another long drink from her flask.

After the anxious thoughts had run their course, Scalder slid to the edge of the bed. Silk caressed her skin as she moved, providing even another comfort she hadn’t realized she’d missed. Slipping through the gap in the canopy, she opened up the drawer of the nightstand to discover her clunky ship bracelet was inside. It looked to still be running, but the speaker had been visibly damaged along with hologram projection system. Thankfully, the tools for its repair were cleverly built into the contraption. Placing it atop the nightstand, Scalder strode across the room, her movements almost dancing, swaying and twirling as she went. The tartucan had taken over her mindset, she was rather giddy despite not knowing where the hell she was. When she finally stepped out to look through the open door, the hallway was completely empty, but the echoes of voices could be heard reverberating along the walls, and even the trace of cooking food swirled in the air. It made her stomach turn, and immediately she retreated and closed the door behind her, breathing deep and trying to keep from wretching across the floor. Another swig from her flasked helped calm her turning gut.

Scalder was dressed in some kind of hospital gown, she could feel the air running across her bare cheeks, and the fabric was stiff and uncomfortable against her skin. For a moment she wished so much that she had a cigarette, but remembered the joints. In a moments notice she’d snatched one up from her leather bag, and lit it up. Much better, thoughts chided happily, and so she turned to explore the rest of the room.

The dresser had multitudes of women's clothing. She browsed each drawer filled with neatly folded and obviously organized stacks of clothing, but the uniformity was gone as soon as Scalder's hands rummaged from top to bottom. But nothing of interest was found, and so she left the drawers agape, clothes hanging from the furniture as if a tornado had come through. Sights were turned to the closet. But of course, the damned thing was filled to the brim with dresses, skirts, and various sparkly things that made Scalder sigh. She wasn’t being picky for selfish reasons. If eventually she needed to flee, trying to run in a fucking ballgown would be ridiculous. By then she'd reached the back and was ready to give in, but she found a man’s black suit. It was a little big on her when she finally got it on, but it had black suspenders to hold up the pants, and she ditched the jacket and wore a white spaghetti-strap shirt instead. Among the other fur jackets, she found a sturdy black leather bomber that was definitely her style. Stiff but warm, and with pockets fucking everywhere. More than pleased when she looked in the mirror, Scalder cinched her holster belt back around her waist, pulling it tight just so she could feel the leather pinching her skin. In a way it pleased her, turned her on even. Full lips sucked life out of the joint, at least what was left of it, and she held in the last breath of the smoke, her eyes looking around for something to get rid of the rest.

”Shit mother fucker….” White plumes curled from her mouth as she muttered, even slurring just a little. She’d been dropping ashes from the joint everywhere, especially in the closet…. Her expression twisted in mock fear, and then she giggled in the strangest tone; Scalder didn’t necessarily feel bad, but then again, she didn’t want to get bitched at about it later. Tape would help…. But was it around? She wondered, walking along the southern wall and realizing there was a small gap in the smooth surface. Seconds later her feeling fingertips discovered a cleverly hidden door in the wall that led to a bathroom, and it was even bigger than the bedroom.

From wall to wall there were various plants; exotic flowers in full bloom, bright pink, blue, and yellow peppered here and there. Vines gripped the walls but stopped abruptly at the ceiling. As soon as she stepped inside the roof began to slide back to reveal a bright blue sky, casting a warm light that engulfed the entire expanse. At it’s center was a large warm pool big enough to hold over ten people comfortably, four romanesque columns surrounded it, and you had to climb four stairs to get into the thing. Scalder wasted no time. The butt of the joint was dropped to the ground as her mouth hung agape, her light blue eyes sparkling with excitement. As soon as her clothes were shed, mind you her gun holster was kept on, Scalder ran towards the water and dove in. Naked bodice pointed at the water, blonde dreads splayed out behind her as she dove beneath it's placid surface. Aqua splashed out around, cutting through the water skillfully and coming up at the other side. It was only about six or seven feet deep, but it felt amazing to be wet. She should have been working on her tech bracelet, or at least figuring out where the hell she was, but as always, Scalder’s priorities were [a lot mixed up.

“Holy shiiiittt.” The curse was drug out as she spoke softly, the words clinging to her lips as she turned to face the door of the bathroom. Her lean arms draped themselves across the edges of the tub, and she paused to allow her tail to form. The scales emerged quickly and covered up her tanned skin, shifting perfectly until the mauve and black mertail was all she could see. It was beautiful, the horizontal flipper was wide and strong; she splashed in the warm water gently, enjoying it’s feel when it had grown completely. Unlike many in her family, she didn’t need to bask in water often to retain her health and strength, and until now, it’d been three years since she’d summoned this side of herself. Breasts bobbed as she sunk down into the water, her blonde dreads drifting out. The tartucan had a strong hold of her, but eventually she’d be craving another drink. For now, her gaze was cast at the ceiling, her mind lost in thought on who would have helped her escape the flesh eating fuckers.
>Flighty< [/sfont]

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

As Aemilius neared the girls room he could smell the sparkling taste of her aura; clean now, she’d clearly healed. He also smelled something vaguely familiar. It took him a moment to recognize it and he chuckled when he did. Clearly someone was letting herself relax. He rounded the last corner to the hall in which her room was; his hand running absently along the smooth, pale brick walls as he went. He stopped just outside the door and knocked softly and then waited. There was no response after several seconds so he slowly walked through the door, being polite just in case but suspecting that she might be sleeping once more or simply resting as she enjoyed her marijuana.

He looked first to the bed only to find it empty and then his eyes tracked over the rest of the room. The place was in shambles. He laughed as he looked at the clothes spilling out of the closet; all them clearly found to be unsatisfactory. He shook his head at all the sparkly, pink, girly outfits here and there. Of what he’d seen of the women so far she wouldn’t be caught dead in any of that. None of it was anything like the clothes she’d been wearing when he found her. Of course most of what she’d been wearing was stained in blood or shredded beyond repair from her fall. Still, he was certain that Andra could have chosen better stock for the closet for their newest guest. Andra was in charge of preparing the rooms for each new arrival. Despite the short notice of her appearance here, Andra was usually better than this. It seemed as if she’d intentionally stocked the closet with everything her new housemate would hate.

Aemilius chuckled again and shook his head. Andra wasn’t normally the jealous type, but clearly she was being spiteful here. She was a lavender winged fairy, shifter cross that he’d found a few decades ago, and she was the last winged women he’d added to his collection and easily one of Aemilius’ favorites. She clearly didn’t like her newest sister. Aemilius would have to have a talk with her about her behavior. Or maybe he would have Fiona say something, if he did it Andra was likely to be even more unwelcoming.

Aemilius moved around the mountain of clothes and headed for the open doorway to the bathing room. He grinned slightly as he moved, enjoying the thought of getting to know the women so that he could more easily get her to accept this as her home. She was clever to have found the door so quickly, most new arrivals had to be shown the hidden doorways and secluded passageways in his labrynthine home. She was also a fighter and resourceful, as evidenced by the way she was dressed and the fact that she'd survived that planet.

Aemilius slipped into the bathing room quietly, but moved no further than the doorway. He watched the surface of the water in the raised pool rippling and he knew she was beneath the surface. He did not want to disturb her, so he shifted his wings slightly and let them hang at his sides and leaned against the pale cement wall. His black wings, black t-shirt and black leather pants stood out starkly against the pale wall and amongst the exotic greenery that clung to much of the walls. He would simply wait for her to see him. He crossed his pale arms over his chest and bent one leg; pressing his boot against the wall; the picture of ease.

[[C]ontortionist]

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Scalder allowed her body to sink to the bottom, immediately noticing the gorgeous mural painted on every side of the bathing pool. It’s theme was underneath the sea, frozen in it’s ethereal magnificence, it would stay beautiful forever; there were multitudes of colorful fish swimming around a reef, long waving seaweed, and even a pair of sea turtles. Only one face of the pool had a picture of open ocean, an endless blue that either frighten or inspired. Scalder was enchanted by it. So much time spent up above, when she could be swimming down below, exploring places and things that likely few had ever seen. The warmth of the water and the tartucan were casting her into a very relaxed state, and she had half a mind to just stay here until someone came down. Bubbles flitted from her lips and she smiled broadly, light eyes sparkling as she made a silent promise to herself that she’d head for the ocean as soon as she could; her gills kicked back to life as she began breathing the water, and stayed underneath the surface for a while.

The sound of footsteps caught Scalder’s attention and pulled her away from adventurous thoughts, casting her back into reality, but rousing that curiosity she’d felt earlier. The big question, who the hell had brought her here, and why? It was a singular person, they were in the bedroom now, their pace slowing as the stranger likely looked for her. They sounded heavy, just like her own and the rest of the crews, thumping against the floor once they’d made it into the bathroom. ’Definitely boots.’, she decided silently, her fingers dancing along her scaled hips. Here the sane being would have contemplated a game plan, and at least prepared for the stranger’s arrival. All Scalder had done was wreck the bedroom, get drunk, get stoned, and soak in the pool.

Whoever they were, they’d stopped moving around. Scalder rolled her body effortlessly and made a singular thrust with her fluke, taking her to the surface of the water. Eyes peeked above the waterline for just a moment, easily spotting a man adorned in black and framed by onyx wings. Having heard his footsteps, she’d already had a good idea of where he’d be. Confidently Scalder emerged further by swimming to the opposite side of the pool, flashing her bare bodice by partially floating on her back and staying along the surface. She wanted him to see, especially her tail. Her expression was obviously flirtatious, a one sided smirk accompanied by a singular lifted eyebrow. Once she’d reached the opposite end of the pool, she curled her body backwards and disappeared beneath the water again. A few seconds later she popped up alongside the wall closest to the winged man, her arms lazily resting over the side as she got comfortable. Her breasts were concealed behind the wall, but her dreads had moved to the front of her body, covering them anyways. Still fairly buzzed from the tartucan, Scalder laughed for no reason in particular, but kept her flirtatious gaze stitched to the mysterious man. Lifting her tail, she waved her fluke at him a couple of times before dipping it slowly back into the water.

”Grab my leather bag off the bed handsome.” If he obliged her, she likely didn’t have too much to worry about, but there was a chance he wouldn’t. It was more of a command rather than a request, and Scalder couldn’t remember the last time she’d uttered the word please.

It took a moment, but the woman’s lungs began working normally again. She inhaled deeply through her nose, and rose out of the water with the exhale. Strong arms had easily pulled her weight upwards, and with a flick of her tail she popped out of the water and landed on her ass. Silently she promised her tail she’d summon it again soon, and watched as the purple scales disappeared beneath her human skin. Within the span of five breaths her mertail was gone, and her long lean legs had return, she pulled with out of the water and turned to face the stranger for a third time, unperturbed by her bare body.


>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

It took only a moment of waiting before the women’s head broke the surface of the water; just far enough for her eyes to peek at him. He grinned; a one sided and entirely devilish expression. In the pale, well lit room his eyes flashed nearly white and looked entirely dangerous. He didn’t move other than to smile and he simply watched her, wondering what she would do. There was a fire behind all the smoke in her eyes and he was certain he was going to enjoy having her around before she even said a word.

She rose further out of the water and toward the other side of the pool and his eyes didn’t stray from her for a moment. He wasn’t about to spare a thought for anything, but taking in the sight of his newest prize. His eyes darkened to a stunning shade of silvery blue as he watched her; admiring the rather gorgeous curves. When he saw her tail, his grin faded somewhat and his lips parted; his tongue running along the back of his teeth as his eyes widened. His wings lifted slightly as he pushed off of the wall and took several steps toward her. Mermaids, Ichthio-Sapiens, finfolk, caesg whatever you called them, were rare and not easily acquired. So rare in fact that Aemilius had yet to acquire a single one, until now.

The coy look on her face was a bonus and he just grinned back. She certainly couldn’t have any idea how completely she was sealing her fate. There was no way he was going to let her slip away, even if he had to keep her in a cage, although at this point she seemed to be perfectly content on being a more gracious guest than that. She ducked under the water then and Aemilius moved closer, not ready to stop admiring his newest collectible just yet. He hadn’t made it to the steps leading up to the pool yet, by the time she surfaced again. She laughed then and the sound was like dark and dangerous music; a sound that might send chills down the spine of weaker men, while they grew curious of the beauty of it.

That same coy expression remained on her gorgeous face and her light blue eyes danced with utter mischief. Her pale hair hung around her shoulders in gorgeous dreadlocks and he realized that none of his others had dreads either. She was quickly climbing to the top of his list of favorites. She flicked her tail above the water several times then, adding to her flirtatious mannerisms. He wondered just how buzzed she was at the moment.

“Grab my leather bag off the bed handsome.” she said as she lowered her tail back beneath the surface. Aemilius laughed, and the sound was more expressive than imaginable in its condescending rebuke. “I think a ‘please’ might be in order.” he said with a chuckle. At the same time, however he lifted his left arm toward the doorway and with a bit of will and subtle power he grabbed her bag and pulled it toward him. As he did so, she slipped up out of the water and he took note of the lean muscle of her arms and back with an appreciative smile. He watched her tail disappear and then she turned toward him; entirely naked except for the gun belt which was securely in place. That somehow made her sexier though; clearly he liked the dangerous ones. He had more than a few collectibles capable of harming him and more than one that could kill him. He'd never given any of them a reason to do so, of course.

With a subtle, smart-ass smirk on his face he climbed the steps toward her; his eyes darkening to a silvery blue-black as he closed in on her. He didn’t know how fast she was, but he didn’t try to move quickly enough to keep her from slipping away either. He just leaned toward her as he mounted the last step and placed one hand on either side of her on the wall of the pool; her leather bag hovering just over his shoulder and out of her reach. He leaned in close, completely disregarding her personal space and his eyes met hers squarely. “What exactly are you?” he asked, not caring in the least if she found the question offensive; he intended to get an answer. He let his eyes wander down her body then and he grinned as they slowly made their way back up to her eyes. “Other than entirely fucking gorgeous.” he added.

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

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Scalder was no stranger to that look in his eyes, a part of her thrived on it. She’d been looked at like that by many individuals, all of them different, but connected by one singular thing. Possession. The reality of it should have put her on edge, made her guts wrench uncomfortably as the feeling of flight settled in her bones. But, the tartucan didn’t allow such feelings, in fact, it fueled her ego and placed a flimsy certainty that she could handle this winged man, no matter what he was. The gun belt squeezing her hips made her feeling pretty damn comfortable too. Who would test an automatic plasma gun of this caliber?
Blonde dreads stuck to her breasts, rivets of water cascading down her sunlit skin and creating puddles on the steps. Scalder laughed inaudibly, his comment replaying in her mind like a song, feeding her a piece of how this little interaction might go. He wanted manners, and that was the last things she was going to give him. But, in the end, he’d gotten her bag even in the absence of a please. She liked that; it seemed he was eager to make her happy, and she’d surely use it to her advantage many times over.

Smooth features lifted as a singular brow rose, and although her expression was still obviously flirtatious, there was an edge of warning as he suddenly drew closer. The smoldering heat of his eyes caused her heartbeat to rise, watching the hues curl into one another until they became darker, like a tempest was growing in his mind with each step he took. There was no denying the physical attraction she felt, but Scalder’s instincts immediately pulled her hand to her gun, her body laying back onto the stairs so they wouldn’t touch. The movement was smooth and nonchalant, and although the gun remained in it’s holster, it would take the slightest of efforts on her part to take it out and blow a hole in him. His blue black eyes gleamed, the onyx reaches of his wings making him feel larger as he leaned towards her and planted his hands on either side her. Again, Scalder should have felt alarmed, or at least a little on edge, but her focus was starting to split, a part of it stapling onto the floating bag over his shoulder. She wasn’t surprised he had abilities; and she wouldn’t put it past him if he had even more. When he spoke she could see the sharp points of his teeth, “What exactly are you?”, his tone had been just as commanding as her’s. Immediately Scalder’s flirtatious demeanour melted; the smile became a hard set smirk, and her light blue eyes gleamed with a ferocious intensity, unwavering in his own radiating gaze of extreme curiosity. It wasn’t the command, nor his question, just that particular look in his gaze. As his eyes raked over every inch of her skin, she stole a glance at his wings, noting how they shined like blades in the sun. How unique, were they sharp? She wondered silently before her attentioned moved back to the bag. Her buzz was starting to wear off. “Other than entirely fucking gorgeous.”

Her chest rose and fell with laughter, full lips presenting a wide almost mocking smile. With the slight push of a soft thought and focusing her energy, she commanded each water droplet still on her body, and in her hair, too pool together and form a spherical ball above her head. It happened rather quickly, her wet bodice becoming dry. Almost casually she dropped it back into the pool behind her, landing with a loud ‘kerplunk’ and making the still water writhe with movement. While his attention had been diverted, Scalder reached out to grasp her bag nonchalantly, but it lifted just out reach at the last moment. Brows furrowed slightly, her light blue eyes flicking back over to catch his challenging gaze.

”I’d bet you money you say that to all’ve your toys.”

It was a playful statement in disguise, a way to figure out just exactly how he saw her. Before he could reply, she removed her right hand from her gun and reached out for his shoulder, snaking it around his neck. Using his body she lifted her own, easily pulling herself up until their upper bodies were firmly pressed together. Scalder moved as if to kiss him, but instead snatched her bag from behind his shoulder, a part of her finger grazing along his onyx wing. It stung, and crimson immediately seeped from a deep laceration along the side of her index finger. So they were sharp. Still only millimeters from his face, Scalder snapped her teeth playfully, as if she was going to bite his lips, but she gently dropped her body back down onto the stairs.

The smell of her blood was pungent, but the pain had been welcome. At times she felt she was bordering masochism, but then again, over time that kind of shit lost its appeal, and so the tinge of pleasure was short lived. Scalder used her other hand to dig for her flask, quickly finding it she unscrewed the top, accidentally dropping blood onto her bare chest, and then across her cheek when she brought the open top to her lips.

>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

He saw the fierceness in her eyes; the easy alertness of every muscle in her body and he knew without a doubt that she was ready to defend herself violently if need be. The expression on her face seemed to ask if he was seriously stupid enough to get closer to her. Aemilius had no intentions of warranting violence. He was arrogant, pushy, and even brash, but he wasn’t a complete asshole. His eyes sparkled with flashes of silvery threads through the deep blue as he admired the way she moved. She was relaxed, but still he saw the vigilance and was aware of the way her hand caressed her gun. He wasn’t entirely worried about the weapon actually putting him down for any length of time, but he wasn’t in the mood to get shot either, so he didn’t touch her.

His arrogant grin widened and he chuckled softly when he saw her gorgeous blue eyes wavering toward her bag. When he questioned her heritage he watched her eyes flash dangerously and he wondered why the question seemed to set her on edge. He breathed a laugh; impressed by the way she met his gaze. He hadn’t had anyone this feisty in a long time; she was going to make things interesting for a certain. It didn’t hurt that he was attracted to her in a way that he wasn’t to any of his other collectibles.

She laughed at his blunt compliment and he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in interest at the way her chest moved with the sound. The way she smiled, almost a sneer, made her eyes sparkle, like fire dancing in her eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a drop of water fall and then halt in midair for a brief moment before it rose up. Before he could turn to look at it, every drop of water on her body was rising up into the air. He smiled, a genuinely amused and rather pleased expression. He had a few elementals, but certainly none of them could control water to such a subtle degree. He chuckled when the water splashed back into the pool behind her; leaving her completely dry. He was only very slightly distracted by the display so when she tried to reach for her bag he moved it from her grasp and chuckled again, still waiting for a ‘please’.

The expression on her face when she turned to look at him was utterly gorgeous; partly annoyed, partly perplexed and entirely provocative. “I’d bet you money you say that to all’ve your toys.” she then, the tones almost playful but Aemilius was not amused. The grin faded and his dark eyes flashed for a moment before settling into a deadly shade of bluish white. Aemilius took a slow, deep breath to steady himself and at the same time her hand was suddenly away from her gun and sliding around his shoulder before settling on the back of his neck.

His eyes narrowed as she pulled herself up toward him and pressed herself against him. His smile did not return, but he was certainly distracted by the way her body curved against his. She leaned closer then, but he saw the unfocused look in her eyes and felt the duplicitousness in her and knew she was about to do something sly. Still he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to touch her. One arm coiled about her waist; his fingertips caressing along her silky smooth skin curiously, but he didn’t move his arm any lower; he really wasn’t an asshole. His eyes turned back to a bright, silvery blue as he savored the moment.

She moved fast then, but not fast enough that he couldn’t have kept her bag from her. Still, he was enjoying having her body against his; her skin beneath his fingers. She smelled delicious too; he was certain she was at least partially divine, only angels, some demons, and other similar creatures smelled quite as amazing as her. It was a sort of clean, flowery scent, but there was something earthy and rich about her scent too. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply of her scent.

His eyes snapped open suddenly as he felt her skin graze across one of his feathers. He felt her muscles tighten at the same time that he let go of her back and he turned his head to look just as she drew her hand and bag back over his shoulder. The smell of her blood filled his senses and little eels of crimson leached into the color of his eyes and writhed this way and that. He could feel a drop of her blood gliding down the bladed edge of his feather and then drip down onto the one below it. He tucked his wings along his back then. She snapped playfully toward his lips and his tongue pressed against the back of his teeth as his throat burned with thirst and his body filled with desire.

She dropped herself away from him and he let her go as he struggled silently with himself. He could still feel the blood drop slowly inching down his feathers as it began to congeal. The sensation didn’t serve as a distraction, but rather pushed his thirst toward the edges of his control. Aemilius had never truly practiced restraint, but he’d been around long enough that he’d had to learn control. Still, it was never easy for him, especially when it came to divine creatures. Their blood was filled with power and strength unlike any other and called to him rather intensely. It was even less easy when he wanted someone physically as well.

He looked up at her then, hearing her rifling through her bag and his red limned eyes tracked her bleeding finger. She pulled a flask from her bag and Aemilius watched a drop of blood fall onto her chest as she brought it to her lips. He didn’t need to feed, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to at all.

He closed his eyes and stepped backward, moving off of the stairs and away from her. When he looked back at her there was more blood on her face. He wasn’t particularly worried about hurting her, clearly she could heal quickly. Still, it didn’t sit right with him; the thought of feeding on her after the condition she’d been in just a few hours ago. Nor did he relish the idea of her thinking even less of him. His thoughts turned back to her comment about toys and he turned away from her and moved toward the outer wall where there was a large array of exotic flowers.

He plucked a pale blue passion flower from the vertical garden and spun it by the stem, back and forth for a moment. The color reminded him of the girl’s eyes. He let his thoughts wander this way and that for a moment and then he looked back up at her. His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath as he put his thoughts together. He could still smell her blood, but it was easier to bear with the distance and the sweet and tangy smells of the flowers so close.

“I don’t keep toys,” He said then. “And I don’t like playthings,” he went on and there was a sharp edge to his voice for a moment. “Everyone here is unique, a one of a kind." he explained with a possessive pride. “I keep them safe; protect them, provide for them… I will do the same for you.” he offered.

He moved back towards her then, feeling like he had himself under control. “Clearly you can take care of yourself up to a point, no doubt, but you were seconds from being the meal of a walking corpse out there.” He moved up the steps along the side adjacent to her and leaned against the wall of the pool. He continued to twist the flower back and forth in his hands, watching it spin as he did so. “It’s better if you just accept that this is your home now.” He went on. He wanted to be sure that she understood that he wasn’t asking her to stay, the decision had already been made for her. “The amount of freedom you retain, however, is up to you.” he added. “All you have to do is behave.” he said with a smirk, wondering if she could even begin to do so. He was actually rather certain that she was going to be trouble in every way imaginable. He was also certain that she wasn’t going to meekly accept her new situation. He hadn’t peaked into her mind yet and he wasn’t about to without permission; he didn’t know what her life had been before, but no one ever accepted this on the first day. He was pretty good at reading people though and he was damned sure she was going to feisty at some point.

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

The slow ebbing of sobriety was banished as soon as the first drop of tartucan graced her tongue. Such a delicious array of flavors, like fingers performing the most perfect glissando, they rippled across every taste-bud. Enveloped by the moment, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back, drinking down a good portion until all that remained was another swallow or two. A warm bubbling erupted in her belly, working its way up to the top of her head, and making her vision swirl enjoyably until all returned to its respective shapes and colors. The rigidity of her expression had melted, making way for a broad smirk that looked more over pleased.
It was then she’d noticed the stranger had moved quite a ways away from her, was he really that upset with what she’d said? Scalder wondered silently, her gaze slowly dragging itself across the room and over to his winged form. Despite the massive uncertainty she felt, there was no denying the admiration that reflected in her light eyes when she looked upon his turned back. His onyx wings were nothing short of a deadly beauty, eached bladed feather glinting at her almost purposefully, perhaps trying to draw her in. It was then she remembered she’d been cut, but by the time she looked to the laceration it was long gone. All that remained was the crimson, the powerful red substance starting to congeal along her hand, chest, and face.
Scalder reached back into the pool, dipping her fingertips in the water until the blood was gone. All it took was a few swipes with her wet fingertips to remove the rest from her face and chest, and with a quick glance at her reflection in the water she deemed herself clean once more. The stranger’s body shifting drew back Scalder’s gaze, but the look in his eyes wasn’t as soft as it had been earlier. It was obvious she’d offended him, perhaps her intuition had been wrong. ”I don’t keep toys, and I don’t like playthings.” Even his tone matched the sternness in his eyes, he wanted her to believe him, but what followed only confirmed what she’d been thinking from the beginning. ”Everyone here is unique, one of a kind.” Had it not been for the tartucan, Scalder’s smartass streak would have likely reared, and offended him even more. Instead, the comments stayed in her thoughts and she actually listened, giving the lad a moment to explain; such a rare moment for the wild woman. ”I keep them safe; protect them, provide for them… I will do the same for you.” The look in his eyes didn’t match his lyrics, his words spoke of something that had already been decided, but his eyes looked at her in a questioning manner. ”Clearly you can take care of yourself up to a point, no doubt, but you were seconds from being the meal of a walking corpse out there.” So it had been him who saved her, the creature she nearly shot from the sky. He gravitated back towards her, the movements so smooth that it looked as if he hoovered above the ground. Confidence exuded with each step he took back up towards the pool, and as he leaned up against the wall adjacent from her his eyes remained glued to something in his hand. Her curiosity was fleeting though, as his next statement was jarring and not something she’d expected. ”It’s better if you just accept that this is your home now. The amount of freedom you retain, however, is up to you. All you have to do is behave.” At first she was just insulted, but then the drink got into the mix, and made everything he’d just ordered more over amusing. Scalder didn’t know why she held back the laughter, or why she didn’t at least tell him to fuck off. The only thing that was clear was her expression; it was pulled tight, her smile firm, but her eyes gleaming nothing but hostility.
Scalder invited a silence after his words, lifting the flask to her full lips she drank down what was left and tossed it back into her bag. He was lucky. The tartucan was definitely the aiding factor here, keeping her calm, and ironically making her really think about what she was going to say or do next. Sober Scalder would have mauled the possessive creature, and used every ounce of power to tear this place to the fucking ground. Her freedom had nearly been taken before, and she wasn’t about to let such a self-righteous and prideful brute like himself steal it away.
She rose slowly from the steps and moved back towards the pile of clothes near the hidden doorway, dressing with her back to him she let the silence hang in the sun kissed air. The feeling of his eyes on her back was irritating, that hostile part of herself still wanted to remove his tongue from his mouth, but the tartucan led her thoughts elsewhere. She turned to him when she was fully dressed again, pushing her dreads off her face she sighed and crossed her arms sternly.

”No.” A laugh escaped her, it was soaked in sarcasm and mocking in every which way. Her chest rose and fell with the sound, ”I would have fucked you for saving my life, but after that cute little speech you won’t get as much as a thank you. You can have this though.” She freed a hand for a moment and shot him the middle finger, winking along with it. ”I’m leaving in an hour.” With that she stepped back into the bedroom from where she’d come earlier and swiftly closed and locked the door behind her. She lied, she’d be leaving immediately.
Scalder wasted no time in grabbing the tech bracelet from the nightstand and sticking it in her bag. If she could just get the hell out of here and get a few minutes to fix the damn thing, maybe she could get word to her crew. They were dastardly bastards, most likely unconcerned with her well-being, but she’d built in fail safes on her ship, and any distress call from her would make the ship turn tail and head towards her no matter what they did at the helm.

Scalder cursed nervously under her breath as she made one last glance around the room, waiting to see if the fuck head was going to confront her further, but all was quiet. Nothing else in the damned bedroom would aid her further, and so she swiftly moved towards the door and swung it open. There was a rather large looking man standing directly in the way, his expression was smooth, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to move. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Scalder slammed the door in his face and locked it. Granted, she assumed the mechanism was purely aesthetic, if they wanted to come in they most likely could, but she sure as hell wouldn’t be here when they did. A nervousness settled into her bones when she looked towards the glass walls, they were more daunting than when she first woke, but it seemed they were going to be her way out. Scalder moved with urgency towards the edges of the glass, looking for a button or a latch that would open them and finding none. ’Fine by me.’ She muttered under her breath and picked up a decorative statue, it was heavy enough to do the job. But first she summoned her wings, the crimson hues bursting through the shirt as they unfurled themselves fully. As she backed up she stretched her wings, wound her arm back, and hurled the statue at the glass. It cracked ever so slightly, but didn’t shatter as she’d hoped. They were indeed thick and strong; likely a measure taken after another kidnappee tried it. Scalder didn’t give up though and picked up the statue to do it again, but just before she could she heard the door unlock and swing open. Instinctively she drew her gun and spun on her heels, aiming it at the head of the intruder.

>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

He waited patiently for her response. He could almost feel her shock in the utter silence that followed his statements. He had learned long ago not to expect a quick response from everyone, and he had also learned never to let himself assume he knew what anyone would say. He was rarely every surprised anymore, but he was never impatient. He breathed a chuckle when he heard her throw back the last of her drink. Something told him that he was probably rather lucky she had the drink. He was becoming rather certain that she was a girl of action far more than she was of talk.

After a moment more she stood up and he turned to watch her walk away, wondering what she was thinking, though still he did’t pry into her mind. He would much rather allow her the privacy of her thoughts and be surprised, he thought with a grin. He watched, still grinning as she dressed with her back to him. Something about the tension in the muscles along her back assured him that she was annoyed at the very least. The silence only added to his certainty. To be truthful though he was rather hoping for a more forceful gesture of her dislike. She looked like a badass to be sure, but he was starting to doubt it when she finally turned back to look at him.

He stood up and started to walk toward her when she pushed her dreadlocks out of her face and sighed expressively. He managed not to laugh in sheer pleasure at the look on her face, but only barely. He stopped about half way down the steps when she replied. “No.” the single words was flat, stern and broached no doubt whatsoever and the hard edged laugh that escaped her only added to the certainty of the her tone. “I would have fucked you for saving my life, but after that cute little speech you won’t get as much as a thank you. You can have this though.” she added and his eyes narrowed. As much as having her in his bed might sound intriguing beyond belief he wasn’t prepared to settle for just a night or two with her. The gesture that followed her words was not at all what he’d been expecting, but it was certainly amusing. He chuckled, not at all regretting his decision to bring her home with him. ”I’m leaving in an hour.” she said with absolute certainty and quickly moved back into the bedroom and shut the door.

He heard the lock engage and he laughed as he trotted down the steps. He pressed his thumb against the cement wall over a hidden panel beside the door. Instantly a touchpad appeared and he typed his personal code into it. A screen appeared above the touchpad and glowed softly blue until he entered a set of commands on the touchpad. By the time the screen flickered to a live feed of the bedroom he watched her slam the door to the room and lock it behind her. Someone must have been right outside. He didn’t bother to call up the view of the hall, he just watched what she planned to do next while he entered yet another set of commands quickly into the pad. The smile hand’t left this face, he was still amused and looking forward to what she planned to do next. He’d known the moment she’d set a deadline that she had no intention of wasting any time trying to escape.

Aemilius wasn’t going to give her the opportunity though. Even if she managed to evade him and escape the compound she’d likely get herself killed out there in the wastelands. Rather than take the chance he initiated lockdown and alerted all the guards. Just as he hit the final command he heard a crash from the other room despite the thick cement walls. He looked back up at the screen to see her picking up a heavy stature from the floor. He saw a crack in the outer glass wall and realized she was about to throw the statue at it for a second time. He laughed again and entered another command. Before the steel door could slide into place over the massive glass wall she spun around and drew her gun.

“Damn it!” he cursed as he watched Samuel’s massive frame enter the room. His heart flew into overdrive and before Sam could even raise his hands in a meek defense, Aemilius slashed a line of black shadow into thin air and stepped through it. Instantly he was in front of Sam, shielding him from the damn girl. Sam was more than a little slow, but he knew well when someone meant him harm and he looked completely terrified.

“Just hold on a damn minute!” he snarled at the women. “Sam, you need to get out of here.” Aemilius said calmly as he turned his head so that he could look at Sam out of one eye and still watch the women. He was pretty sure he was going to end up with at least one bullet hole in him by the time this was over. He didn’t care so much about himself, but Sam wasn’t going to recover easily if she shot him. He was regretting his decision to let her keep her weapon.

“Sam was looking for you, ‘Lius.” Sam said in his thick voice, his words rolling out slowly. Aemilius was certain he’d rip her head off if she hurt Sam. Aemilius had ordered everyone to steer clear of the women’s room for now but Sam never had been one to grasp the seriousness of his orders.

“I’m a little busy, buddy.” Aemilius told him quickly. Sam had been with Aemilius almost his entire life. Aemilius had found him in the outskirts of one of this world’s cities as a young boy. The other street kids had been cruel to him, but Sam had somehow survived most of what they did. When Aemilius had found him though he’d been nearly dead. Aemilius had brought him here and had been taking care of him ever since.

“She looks mean.” Sam said quietly, but he was incapable of whispering. He reached reached beneath Aemilius’ outstretched wing and took his hand. Aemilius sighed and looked back at the women fully, his eyes wild with uncertainty at what she would do next. Just then the steel door slid down over the glass wall and a loud thud echoed through the room. “Let’s go play, ‘Lius.” Sam begged and tugged on Aemilius’ hand, sounding like nothing more than a child.

“Don’t hurt him, please?” Aemilius said softly. He still had no idea what she was capable of nor which of them was the fastest and he wasn’t about to test her with Sam in the same room. “Sam, get out of here. Now.” Aemilius said in a harsh tone he’d rarely ever used with him. Sam’s hand slid out of his and Aemilius could feel the hurt in him without even looking at him. “Go!” he snapped when he didn’t hear him walk away. After another second though, he heard Sam turn and walk back out of the room. When Sam pulled the door shut behind himself Aemilius felt the tension bleed out of his shoulders. His eyes narrowed. “Every single person here belongs to me. Every single one of them is in the same position as you.” He told her, hoping she might take some pity on them and not go through one of them to escape. Without warning he drew his own pistol and set the charge to stun with a deft click of his thumb a millisecond before pulling the trigger.

The plasma bolt hit her hand a fraction of a second after she had fired. He was too busy keeping his eyes on her to evade the shot she’d fired. As her gun flew out of her hand he was struck in the shoulder. Pain somewhere between a burn and a shock tore through his flesh and nicked his clavicle. He snarled and flicked the barrel of his pistol toward hers and the gun skittered across the floor and disappeared under the bed. “Son of a bitch, women.” He growled as he sheathed his gun and lifted his hand to his wounded shoulder. Blood seeped from the wound slowly, but it wasn’t all that serious, it just hurt like a bitch. He really was an idiot sometimes. Next time he'd confiscate the fucking gun.

“If you prefer a cage, I can provide you with one!” he snarled as he worked to close down his pain receptors. The wound was already healing quickly, but it would hurt for days if he didn’t shut off the pain. “If you want to try to escape I assure you the world outside of my home is far less forgiving than I.” he added in a cold voice. He dropped his bloodied hand from his wounded shoulder and took a step toward her. “Unless you’ve the ability to move between dimensions you won’t find your way home anytime soon anyway.” he went on. “Now, if you’re done with your little tantrum we can take a look at a room more fitting to your styles, or if you prefer we can visit that cage.”

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

It was moments like these that branded her name, they’d shaped her, taught lessons not many even thought of let alone sought after. Scalder was a genius when it came to constructing weapons, and she’d created and modified so many other versions to sell, that she became well known for her craft in many criminal social circles. Her own weapon had been constructed entirely by hand; labored through countless hours of work, plenty of mistakes, and deadly encounters.
Oh yes, there was adrenaline, but it was channeled and controlled. She used it to hyper focus on the situation for the best possible outcome. Even then, she was more than ready to pull the trigger, in fact her finger was practically aching to feel the gun fire. She'd been given enough reasons by now, but the look of pure innocence and terror in the man's eyes that had stepped through the door caused her to falter. A millisecond later and Scalder had her desired target. The atmosphere split and the winged man jumped through the wielded darkness almost effortlessly, shielding the larger and screaming at Scalder to wait. The angelic ancestry in her blood gave her the ability to sense innocence in any creature, and although he was massive, it was easy to tell he was no more than a child. “Sam, you need to get out of here.” The pair went back and forth, their exchanges sounding more like a conversation you'd hear between father and son, not from a abducting madman and his prisoner. Maybe he just didn't know any better.
Every muscle in Scalders body was poised for action, she should be mowing them both down! Instincts roared for her to do it, and with no moral voice to whisper sweetly, there was only rampant screams of proposed violence. Her wings splayed widely, shoulders squared, and her stance wide; she was ready to deliver a blow that perhaps even the the winged man couldn’t withstand. Teeth grit as she inhaled and exhaled heavily, her lips pressing into a hard line, her expression nothing but hostile.. “She looks mean.” Molars ground together as her finger stroked the trigger momentarily, eager to prove what this Sam had said to be true. Like a nervous child he reached for Lui’s hand, but Scalder stayed rooted in her stance. A second longer and the feeling of the room shifted, she could the static energy as electricity poured through the wires connecting to the room, releasing multitudes of mechanisms. Metal doors, she could hear the iron whining from the movement, and then the massive slam of them hitting the ground. A raging anger framed by fear erupted deep inside Scalder, one that rarely was brought on in such sobering moments; it was a wild thing she didn’t know how to control yet. The fear curtled her guts and began crawling up her spine, eager to invade her thoughts and take over. Again Sam requested that they run off and play, but Lui turned his full attention onto Scalder once more. “Don’t hurt him, please?” Crimson plumes ruffled as she folded her wings and rested them against her back, releasing their summons they disappeared completely. But her intense gaze remained, and she visibly gripped the fun tighter in her hand, knuckles going white. “Sam, get out of here. Now.” The left corner of her lips twitched uncontrollably, fueled by the knowledge that blood would surely spill.

There would never be a situation when she wouldn’t fight to her last breath to keep her freedom. Not because she was careless with her life, but because imprisonment was death to her.

Sam receded his embrace but was reluctant to leave, making Lui yell until he complied. That unrelenting anger scoured her insides, and her eyes bestowed utter hatred when he spoke. “Every single person here belongs to me. Every single one of them is in the same position as you.” She should have fired; they all were dead already.
He was skilled and very fast, she wouldn’t deny that. But within the span of him shifting the firing power, Scalder altered her’s. Beam shifted to a launchable but inactive explosive; once it was shot and rested, the device would activate itself in a matter of three seconds. Pulling the trigger would make it explode. Poised and on target, she’d aimed just barely above his left shoulder, knowing it would go through the door and lodge itself in the hallway wall. But she was unable to confirm this as electricity invaded her hand, and then the rest of her body with such a force it sent the gun flying out of her hand, and locked up every single muscle in her body. It was painful but bearable, and none the less she dropped to the ground like a stone. Scalder watched her gun slide across the floor, the hue of it changing as it did so, going from a flat black to a luminescent red. The bright red glow was flickering underneath the bed like sunlight reflecting off water, indicating the security measure she’d created was activated. A directly placed kiss on its handle would deactivate it, thanks to a small chip she’d implanted in her lower lip. If it was picked up before deactivation, it would cause the planted bomb to detonate, and then shut itself down completely. She’d been almost fatally wounded by her own weapon once, and after surviving that she made sure it wasn’t going to happen again. “Son of a bitch, women.” The sound of him cursing roused a smile on her face, despite the battery on her body she was still riding out. The shock had stopped, but she was still struggling to move, clenched muscles refusing to let go as she caught her first few breaths. Her dreads were likely fried, she thought, amused and slightly relieved that she had at least one more fail safe besides her broken bracelet. At the thought of the mechanical tech, she rolled onto her back with a slight groan, still fighting random muscle spasms. It was open on the ground, but the important tech was still tucked away inside. Thankfully she hadn’t been holding it or the damn thing would have been fried. “If you prefer a cage, I can provide you with one!” Finally her muscles relaxed again, and the pain receded, but she stayed where she was on the floor. She turned her head, directing her light blue gaze up at him. Her feral expression from earlier melted away completely, and now all she wore was an amused smile. “If you want to try to escape I assure you the world outside of my home is far less forgiving than I.” While he spoke she slowly sat up and grasped the bag that was only an arms length away, pulling it to herself she slipped her hand inside and threaded it completely through the lengthy bracelet. The chip in her arm activated the device, causing it to grip and holdfast to her arm. When he took a step forward, she stood, not allowing him the pleasure of her looking up to him anymore. “Unless you’ve the ability to move between dimensions you won’t find your way home anytime soon anyway.” This roused an audible laugh, but he continued none the less. She made sure to keep her hand in the bag, but by now he was very likely to have noticed and become suspicious. Even still, it was now or never. “Now, if you’re done with your little tantrum we can take a look at a room more fitting to your styles, or if you prefer we can visit that cage.” With a flickering movement Scalder pressed a tiny button on the underside of her bracelet, setting off the tracking device and reporting her whereabouts to the ship log. To enact the safety control of the helm though, she’d need to fix the damn thing completely, otherwise her crew would likely care less about the signal...The bastards.
It was like being hit with a freight train, Lui came at her quickly, pushing her back until she slammed up against the wall and was immobilized, throat clutched in his hand. The smell of his blood invaded her senses, flooring her, and igniting that hostile look from early, more than ever eager to challenge him further.

“Put me where you’d like…” She was barely able to press the words out. They were raspy and forced, but they fell from her lips nonetheless. “Have home, will travel.” A smile filled with nothing but mockery spread itself across her face. “If you don’t give me the choice to leave, I won’t give you your choice.” The smile morphed into a rather maddened and frenzied look. “I will take everything from you.”
>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

Aemilius was truly astonished at the beauty of the infuriating women. As terrified as he was that Sam had been so close to harm and as furious as he was with her he still could not deny the appeal of her. Dangerous wasn’t always his favorite, but every now and then he had to go and get himself tangled up with someone that could ruin everything. He knew it was stupid, but sometimes the idiocy was just part of the fun.

She was stunning with her wings splayed out and that fierce, ravenous look in her eyes. Something deep beneath the veil of violence kept her from action for a few key seconds, something that Aemilius was certain even she was not aware of. Maybe he was imagining it, but there seemed to be hesitation in her, and he appreciated that. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to teach her a lesson for what had transpired, though.

As she hit the ground from the exchanged shots and he quickly worked to control his pain he was barely caught sight of the glowing light of her gun as it disappeared beneath the bed. Smart bitch! he thought to himself, once more commending the utter danger of the women. Aemilius wasn’t all powerful, but his collection had grown enough throughout that years that by association he was. He had empaths, telepaths, clairvoyants, soothsayers, demons, angels and more under his control. At least one of the clairvoyants had likely seen all of this coming or at least some version of it, but he’d instructed them to stay out his future. He liked the surprises of life. He chuckled to himself, sometimes he wasn’t just stupid he was a complete fool.

There was one person that didn’t listen to his orders though, one that he knew would have seen this coming and would hear his thoughts. (Lix, darling.) he let thoughts of her fill his mind. He received only a purr in answer, but he hadn’t expected anything else. (Why don’t you come join me, love.) he offered. He received a grin in answer this time and he knew that she was already nearly to him. She could have teleported, but it wasn’t in her nature to hurry if it didn’t please her to. He ground his teeth together as he watched his newest prize reach for her bag and drag it toward her. His wings snapped out behind him and he laughed; a feral warning to the sound, not that he figured she’d care.

Everything she did was purely defiant and promised him that she’d no intentions of living as one of his collectibles. He of course had no intentions of letting her do anything else. He watched her closely, saw the muscles twitch in her arm; her hand hidden within her bag, but he knew she only had the one gun. He also knew though that clearly her technology was intricate, something innocuous might actually be dangerous. As he took another step toward her she stood; defiance written on her features. He grinned; a mocking expression, but behind the mirth there was real respect. Her soul was rather unshakeable and her will refused to bow to him.

(Maybe you shouldn’t let her play with her toys.) Lix’s voice flooded his mind with an amused and sarcastic edge. Despite the relaxed almost playful edge to the thoughts Aemilius reacted quickly and violently. He rushed for the red winged women and slammed her into the glass wall with all the strength that he possessed; using his dark matter energy to speed his movements and enhance his profound strength. He pressed the forearm of his injured arm into her throat and forced her chin back; a snarl ripping up his throat. The aggressive, defiant look in her eyes made him grin as he raised his gun and pressed the barrel against her shoulder, in the exact spot that she’d injured him.

“Put me where you’d like…” she choked out, the worlds feisty despite her current situation. He didn’t even try to hold back the lustful look that gleamed in his eyes at the statement, but he remained still. He became certain that she had more tricks up her sleeves, or in her bag rather. Very few were ever that confident if they didn’t have something planned. “Have home, will travel.” she said with a mocking smile that lit up her stunning features rather amazingly. Aemilius shoved his arm harder against her throat, but that didn’t dissuade her. “If you don’t give me the choice to leave, I won’t give you your choice. I will take everything from you.” she said the last with a look of madness on her face. Maybe she was crazy, or maybe it was an act, but he wasn’t deterred in the least.

He leaned closer to her, his eyes shimmering in a torrent of electric blue and glistening silver. He let his lips glide across her cheek very, very lightly as he leaned closer still. He felt Lix slip into the room, but he ignored her for the moment. “I look forward to watching you try.” he assured her. His cheek was touching hers lightly and his body moved closer to hers, pressing against her. He had absolutely no intentions of actually breaking his own code, but she had no idea what rules guided him, if any. “However, I’ve become distracted by the thought of putting you exactly where I’d like.” he said in a low, lascivious whisper. On the last word he kicked one of her feet and forced her legs further apart. His bladed wings loomed above his shoulders and curled slightly until they pressed against the glass on either side of her; further enclosing his hold upon her. The black, blade-like feathers screeched as his muscles flexed against the glass and dug furrows with their diamond hard edges.

His wound was still bleeding and it dripped a steady amount down onto her chest the entire time he’d held her. He leaned back slightly; his bright eyes tracking the crimson liquid down her chest for a moment as a one-sided leer spread across his features.

Lix moved closer then and Aemilius’ grin broadened further still, knowing that he had no way at all of predicting what she would do and looking forward to it. She was holding the women’s gun in her hand and there was something lifeless and dead about the metal of it. She sidled up to Aemilius from behind and pressed her frame against his; her green eyes on the red winged beauty. Her pale arms coiled over his shoulders; she knew exactly how to get close to him without hurting herself on his vicious wings. Her blonde hair fell over his right shoulder as she pulled herself closer still.

Lix tapped the gun against his chest and smiled with a cruel edge at the women. “Her gun is dead, her little bomb stilled and that adorable tracker on her wrist is silenced.” She said softly, her eyes never leaving the women’s. “Mmm.” she purred, her feminine, feline form pressing tighter against him. “Eowyn…” she sighed the women’s name, clearly taunting her with the fact that she could slip in and out of her mind as she pleased. "I've broken all your toys." she assured her. “Will you share this one with me, my love?” she practically begged; her arms tightening around his shoulders. “She looks delicious.” she whispered as she reached out and touched Eowyn’s cheek; Lix’s long, silver fingernail tracing a trail down her face and over her lips. Lix sighed longingly and pressed her black lips against Aemilius’ cheek. “Let me have a taste, my lord?” she begged, the words practically a moan.

Aemilius wore a patient, bemused grin the entire time, some part of him entertaining the idea of sharing Eowyn with Lix. The stunningly beautiful cyborg goddess didn’t often offer him intimacy and it was entirely tempting. Grinning cruelly he lowered his head to the red-winged women’s chest and licked his own blood from her skin as he holstered Nora. His tongue and lips left a trail across her skin and stopped just over her left clavicle. Without any warning whatsoever he sank his teeth into her flesh; the shop points of several of his teeth striking the bone. Her blood spilled into his mouth and a violent frenzy ignited within him. He pressed his arm tighter against her throat and his other arm coiled about her waist and pulled her violently against himself. His mind coiled around hers and fed pleasure directly into her psyche in exchange for the divine blood that pooled onto his tongue and spilled down his throat. He lost himself in the bloodlust and sank his teeth deeper into her flesh.

Lix knew him well though and her arms tightened around his shoulders and her lips pressed against the back of his neck. (Easy, Aemilius.) her thoughts slid into his mind and steadied him. She was a complicated creature, and as much as she wanted to ravage Eowyn, she wouldn’t dare without his permission and she wouldn’t think of letting him do anything he would regret. He released his bite then and his tongue glided over the wound as his angelic powers stirred and stitched the wound shut in the same instant.

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

All she could smell was his blood now, and despite her unfortunate position, Scalder was moreover pleased as it dripped like a fountain down onto her chest. She pledged then and there that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d make him bleed. Adrenaline poured into her system, the thrumming of her heart thudding in her ears as she screamed obscenities at him in her thoughts. It was obvious Scalder was a brazen creature, and anyone who knew the hellcat well enough was smart to take heed when she started handing out threats. Still, she was the one stapled to the wall now. Her pain receptors were nearly flaring at every joint in her body, and now her windpipe was being flattened against her spine by his broad forearm. The throbbing pain tried to ebb at her anger, but the heat of it only grew hotter when he leaned in, tracing a line along her cheekbone with his lips. His expression was flippant, seemingly unperturbed by her threat, “I look forward to watching you try.”

That was fine; Scalder’s thoughts concluded, her eyes narrowing, and her jaw setting when his frame pushed closer, and he leaned in until their cheeks touched. His vocals dropped down to a raspy whisper, making her want to shake her head to be rid of the annoying sound, but there was no way she could have moved more than an inch at this point. “However, I’ve become distracted by the thought of putting you exactly where I’d like.” Pain erupted along her inner thigh when he kicked out one of her feet suggestively, she’d tried to stop the movement, but in the end she’d only hurt herself more. He planted himself between her legs, the movements speaking more to Scalder than what he’d already verbally relayed. Always with the scare tactics, thoughts mocked inaudibly, her blood boiling to its highest degree as she tried to breathe evenly through her flared nostrils. But the weight of his arm was making it difficult, his bladed wings creating a cage around them, their tips careening down the glass and causing her ears to ring momentarily. But her defiance reared its presence; she tried keeping her expression neutral, her gaze refusing to leave his even as he made space to trace her bodice suggestively. Mm, leering she was used to, but he was vampiric, and that smile and gleam in his eyes spoke of something more dangerous was ahead.

Scalder could sense another once they entered the room, her light eyes kept glancing from her captor’s to the background, but she was unable to see them completely. It didn’t take long though; just as she witness a pair of legs beyond the edges of the bladed wings, a strange energy tapped at her consciousness. Scalder didn’t bother looking back at the man now, whomever was behind him was much more powerful. Since the first time she’d arrived, Scalder felt a trickle of fear dribble down her spine, and her ego shrunk away like a wounded animal. There was a short glimpse of blonde hair and curious green eyes at first, but soon enough the mysterious creature slithered over her captor’s shoulder like a serpent. Each movement was fluid and flawless, her expression amused as she hung her arms across his chest, one of her hands lightly gripping Scalder’s gun. The neutral expression melted into a glare when she spoke of disarming all her fail safes, and proceeded to rummage around her mind. Granted, the winged woman couldn’t possibly know what she was looking through, but there was no denying that feeling of another being inside you. It was daunting and uncomfortable. She tried to speak, but his grip didn’t allow it, and so her eyes screamed ‘fuck you’ instead. But, the slinky woman was deterred in the least. Her lips pressed together in a seductive ‘mmm’ sound before they spilled her birth given name in a breathless heap. Scalder bared her teeth then, feeling an animalistic anger rising up deep inside and not knowing how else to express it. "I've broken all your toys." ‘You fucking glorified toaster oven!’ Thoughts bellowed, eyes flashing with a biting glare as she continued to speak as if she wasn’t there. “Will you share this one with me, my love?” That dribble of fear grew, and as it dropped into her stomach, her gaze returned to the hungered gaze of her captor. “She looks delicious.” Scalder knew what was coming next, she could feel it commingling with the fear in her guts. The woman draped about his shoulders caressed her cheek and tickled her lips with her fingertip, but now she couldn’t look away from the man, knowing what he was about to do. The calm and amused expression bothered her to no end, and although her fear was likely a shining beacon and easily detectable, Scalder wouldn’t dare give them anything else. Just as the woman planted a soft kiss on his cheek, a rather hellish grin dominated his expression, revealing the multitudes of sharp fangs in his mouth. ”Let me have a taste, my lord?” As soon as he began to lower his head closer to her chest, the usually explosive woman turned inward, something she hadn’t done since she was a child. It wasn’t a power, but something learned, a way to tune out and protect herself in any way possible. The winged woman stepped outside herself, she had no body, only a view, one she could choose to watch or turn away from. This time she didn’t, but, Scalder couldn’t escape everything. She knew that once his tongue was done with it’s trail, that his teeth would surely land next, and they did. The pain was inescapable, but this way at least she could keep herself from screaming or giving them any kind of fuel to keep going. But, the tighter he gripped her throat, and the moment he pulled her body against his, her focus began to drain quickly, igniting a frenzy of thoughts she’d hoped to conceal. Second later, her own body betrayed her. Feel good emotions flooded everywhere, causing a small moan to slam against the back of her teeth, her rigid stance practically melting into his, even as he stole another bite. More and more energy drained away, and as she grew certain that she would die, the opposing feelings made it all okay. Fuck it, thoughts murmured, but he finally stopped and even healed the gnawing bites he’d created. Despite feeling totally exhausted now, she mustered up a sickened glare, and practically spat out her next words.

“Feed from me again, and know that one day I’m going to stick my foot so fucking far down your throat, I’ll be able to tickle your asshole with my toes you parasitic mother fucker.”




>Flighty<

[>Flighty<]

"I used to be the one with the halo,
But that disappeared when I had my first taste,"

He regained control of himself as Lix’s hands squeezed his shoulders. His dark silvery eyes met Eowyn’s for a moment. He had many vampiric attributes, but he’d never honed them. Those that didn’t come naturally to him were mostly ignored, left dormant. Because of that he couldn’t sift through her mind as he pleased and blood memories were only bits and pieces. Still, as those bits and pieces flashed behind his eyes as her blood spilled into his system he could see that this was not going to get him anywhere.

She was a natural at being a rebel. Some creatures were just wired to be free to a degree that most could never understand. Like Aemilius she was beholden to no laws save her own, only her own moral code could constrain her. He was certain that she’d been a dissident, and insurrectionary in every situation she had ever found herself in. Rebellion was so ingrained her that even here, all alone, and clearly having little chance of escape she wasn’t going to bend.

“I think this one is my new favorite, Lix.” Aemilius said with a devilish grin as he saw the last of his pleasing influence fade from Eowyn’s features. The look on her face was part hate, part disgust but it changed. He watched as her pale blue eyes moved to Lix and no matter how hard she tried to conceal it he saw the fear there beneath the icy surface. He chuckled. He didn’t have to hone any of his other abilities when he had creatures like Lix that were completely and utterly loyal to him.

“Feed from me again, and know that one day I’m going to stick my foot so fucking far down your throat, I’ll be able to tickle your asshole with my toes you parasitic mother fucker.” the fiery blonde practically spit the words at him, despite the fact that he could feel her weakening beneath his grasp.

“Aemilius, my lord,” Lix said with a breathy chuckle. “You may have bitten off more than you can chew with this one.” she said as she slid away from him and moved around him, ducking under one his wings to stand close to Eowyn. Lix reached up and once more traced her index finger down her pale cheek at the same moment that her mind slithered all throughout hers once more. There were escaped memories there, thoughts she would want no one to know; surfacing in her mind as Aemilius tried to assert his control. Lix knew she was no where near to breaking, it simply wasn’t that easy with a creature this complex, but if he pushed her he would only strengthen her.

Beings like Eowyn took a certain amount of finesse. Aemilius was good, god he was so good, she thought with a smile, but there were some personalities he simply wasn’t capable of breaking. “Let me have her?” Lix asked as she stared at her pale blue eyes.

Aemilius’ eyes narrowed and he turned to look at Lix. Lix met his eyes and her green eyes flashed. “Please, my lord, my love, I want her.” she begged, not something she made a habit of doing, even for a master she loved as much as she loved Aemilius.

Aemilius’ grin turned one sided and he glanced back at Eowyn and let his eyes trace all the delicious contours of her body. “What would you offer me in trade, Lix?” he asked, amused, though he continued to watch Eowyn.

“Forever, my lord.” she answered without hesitation. Aemilius’ eyes widened and he turned to Lix. He stared at her and she stared back, assuring him that she meant what she offered. Lix had earned her freedom years ago, but true to her own nature she had sold herself back to Aemilius. He had purchased two centuries, after that she was to be sold to another. She’d explained the deal as a way to alleviate boredom. She had said she could never be in any one place for much longer than that. She was offering him eternity now, for this hybrid. He’d never thought there was anything that could purchase such a thing. Eowyn was intriguing, certainly fun, and might have been his favorite for a few years maybe decades, but nothing, no one could compare to Lix.

“Done.” Aemilius replied fervently.

totally not where i thought this was going. if you're inspired to reply to this please do and then my next post can be the one to move things a long like we discussed!

[[C]ontortionist]

[smear:e0fff3]S C A L D E R[/smear:39574b]

---

Weariness gnawed at her bones, the adrenaline had stopped, but at least his arm was off her fucking throat now. Again and again she swallowed, blinking a few times as if she were fighting off sleep, but the pain and fear remained. Dimming gaze locked onto the woman, noting the name as she mentioned he’d bitten off more than he could chew. Glaring eyes only confirmed what she said, and for a fraction of a second she believed that she might harbor intentions of helping her. Silver toned sinew moved around Aemilius almost casually, her bodice effortlessly avoiding his wings as she sidled closer, tracing Scalder’s cheek once more. Like the serpent's skin, she could feel her slithering throughout the confines of her mind, likely enjoying the fear she’d induced. “Let me have her?” The fraction of hope she’d felt earlier quickly died, and for a moment she wondered if she’d be better off with Aemilius. Mechanical intuition allowed Scalder the ability to not only realize just exactly what this woman was, but the massive complexity that came along with her existence. Perhaps that was what truly frightened her. Would these be the new world gods? “Please, my lord, my love, I want her.” Scalder followed Lix’s eyes even as they sought Aemilius, he seemed surprised in the request, but Scalder wanted to know what exactly she’d be doing, but for now she stayed still and silent. What the fuck was she to do at this point anyways? “What would you offer me in trade, Lix?” Lix, that was her name. Her gaze narrowed on the woman, ignoring Aemilius, and expecting something along the lines of currency to be offered. But, Scalder wasn’t prepared for what was said next. “Forever, my lord.” It wasn’t hard to tell that Lix was referring to herself, her assuring expression said it all. Aemilius was taken aback, while Scalder concealed her surprise as much as she could, choosing to tilt her head back and stare at the ceiling. Why in the hell would she offer her freedom, just to own another? Thought after thought flooded her; but overall she concluded that greed begets greed, she knew that at first hand. ”Done.” Her eyes closed at the sound of Aemilius’s agreement, teeth grinding together with the simmering anger.
”Fuck you both.” The sound of her words were faint and raspy, but she chuckled nonetheless, wishing she had enough spit in her mouth to aim it at Aemilius, but it was as dry as a desert.







>Flighty<