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Catching the smokes, he finished what was left of his already lit, and flicked it aside before following upstairs.

"Then I have a task. I told him I would give them the chance to run, I'll keep my word. If this Tomas chap wants to 'ave a go though like I reckon he will then i'll 'ave him and any other that steps up."

Lighting a new cigarette he exhaled with fatigue slwoly setting in. That had been quite the display after all, and he probably should have not bothered. Instead just gone with what worked in the end.

"I'll get to it right away, soon as I've had a drink."

He stopped in his tracks hearing the news that the pack had already been slaughtered. Unsure exactly how he felt about it. She was right, it wasn't him that did it, and had no knowledge with every intention to allow them to run.

It took a moment, but he took the glass from Jan with a nod, taking a gulp before he spoke.

"I said I would give him a clean death, just not when. This Tomas prat, don't suppose you know which he was and how he died?"

"You already told me why, though not in so many words."

Downing the glass as he entered the room after her, he sighed, tucking his hands into his pockets with a brat's cocky posture, smoke slowly rising from the dahb in his mouth.

"Don't get me wrong, I ain't goin' soft on you boss. ******** 'em. More pissed I now got nothing to do for the rest o' the night. Suppose I could go back to reading..."

Raising his right hand from his pocket he examined the exposed digits, trying to remember how those holy binds felt, thanks to the geezer Fenrir.

"What ever happened to that other kid from the Tabernacle tha' was always hanging about?"

With a defeated look exaggerated on his face and a hand rubbing idly at the back of his head, he gave in to reason. After all, his back WAS still tender, and a bother. Best to let it heal, especially with the sound of these three stooges returning. Something was going to happen it seemed, and he best be prepared.

"Alright, i'll behave for once."

Tilting his head at the tv, he groaned, and instead turned his back.

"If you need me y'know where I'll be."

Exiting into the main hall he'd then ask Jan to bring him any medical text books they had on blood along with a bottle of whiskey before returning to his room, where he'd spend the rest of the evening reading, drinking and smoking.

"Bored..."

Wandering out of his room, the Fledgling sighed with his hands crossed behind his head bottle neck of some whiskey dangling precariously between two digits. Lit cigarette between his lips he idly stared down the hall as he trudged looking barely awake.

"Boooored..."

Reaching the end of the hall and the top balcony at the top of the stairs he surveyed the main room below briefly, taking a moment to move his smoke, take a swig of his go-juice, then return to his lazed state.

"Where teh hell are those pillocks?"

Referring of course to the others Roan had stated would need to return and be debriefed from their current job, before there would be more work.Glancing downward, he contemplated hitting the training room, or perhaps even visiting the mutt downstairs. His back was pretty much fully healed now, though scarred in a way that'd be satisfactory to his Sire.

"All dressed up 'n' no party to go to."

Eye narrowing and a faint hiss as the Fledgling's left shoulder hit the railing and he rolled over boot heels flicking up at... Nothing?

Landing in a crouch in the main room he snarled at both the lack of an enemy for his counter to hit, and the fact he'd obviously just been played, like the furry downstairs had been by him.

"The ******** the room around him quickly, he rose up from the crouch and turned to regard the TR, or at least the direction it was in. Hands deftly brushing his weapons to assure himself they were there, he contemplated for a moment what had just happened, and who the hell could be behind it. For a moment at ******** it."

Marching off, he'd enter the TR without hesitation and survey, his right fist clenching and un-clenching with ire.

"Who the ******** is there? How teh hell you get in here eh?!"

"I think I should be asking that of you. The Lady is usually so careful who she loses her temper with these days..."

The voice followed him downstairs, a presence at his shoulder, yet not there at all.
The lilting warmth now held a chuckle to its timbre, causing a subtle vibration across the skin as it spoke, to go with the heat it caused. Like someone was massaging the back of the young DeSeer's neck with words alone.

"I have many names, little one. I'm sure you will pick one as you see fit for who I am.
You will need to enter a specific code. It is going to grumble when you do and demand a scan before it will activate. Cut your palm. Spread your blood. The machine is too stupid to realise you aren't the Lady."

As it said 'pick', Corbin would feel as if something had lightly pricked his skin on the right side. The word 'grumble' caused another flash of hot then cold. 'Cut' induced another feeling of a slice to his flesh, this time to his left cheek. 'Blood' had a very unsettling feeling to it, like a lake of viscous fluid warmth choking him. It was also apparent this effect was not intentional, simply some part of whoever it was speaking to him.

"Type in 'Order X-13 R 99 Clearance DS Alpha."

-------------------------

Meanwhile, in the garage, a figure appeared in front of Dagoth. This one was NOT sinister or imposing... at least at the moment... It was Jan.

"Sir? Can I be of assistance? You look as if you would not say no to a stiff drinka nd some sustenance?"

"You wont be needing those, little one. Leave the gear aside."

The VR suite was... hellish. The scenery on the walls had shifted to shades of red, purple and black, light playing over the walls, thankfully showing the lines of the rectangular room, the only conformity in the maddening swirl of colours that seethed across each surface.
It was like watching some organic cell structure rupture, weaken, disintegrate and fresh living tissue grow in its place, but with no sense of rhyme or reason as to what happened where or when. The odd flash of nacreous white only made it worse.


From the usual wall, one of the drones moved drunkenly out, weaving a little on its stabilisers, not quite as smooth or well controlled as with a usual routine. The reason became apparent.
Corbin wasn't wearing a VR helmet to superimpose features over the construct, and yet it was growing features. AND growing to boot. it had to be about 7ft tall, if not more so. The skin was pale, with a chase of bronze over it, like a mica seam in rock, catching the awful red light periodically.
The hair was white. Stark, clear white. And it framed an angular face with jet black eyes, quick and intelligent. A cruel smile curved across deep purple lips as the figure stretched, black leather armour groaning at the movement, moving supply over the lithe figure beneath. The armour was layered, angular, offset with chases of red and purple, silver studs and chains crossing at the waist.

And yet, the construct could be vaguely seen through the features overlaid on it. The figure wasn't quite real, but was real enough it would seem. An aura of death settled across the room, death and oppression, though the figure made no move towards Corbin, or to harm him. Instead, it flicked a tail around from behind it. Spaded, wickedly tipped, it then used to appendage to prop itself up as it leant back casually, indolently.

"We meet face to face. Or near enough. You are shorter in person than your personna. Time will change that. You follow orders well. Thankyou for that."


Now the figure had something of a physical form, the feelings when it spoke were still more intent. Any feel of cutting was immediately followed by the feel of hot blood seeping down from the wound... as unreal of course as before, but the feelings were much more believable, harder to shake off. And it would seem Chimestry was not the cause. No matter what mental strengthening Corbin put himself through, the voice was ever present, as if it was somehow already deep within his own mind, behind those defensive lines.