Welcome to Gaia! ::

Outwardly Soren might have appeared to be marginally composed though there was a slight shake to his movements as he stepped back allowing the rest of the students to file out of the room. In his head however he was anything but calm, cool and collected.

“OhgodOhgodOhgodOhgodOhgodOhgod…” Over and over those words went through his head. He was being left alone with the emperor. Never mind that the man was an Incubus he was without a doubt one of the most powerful people in all of Axiom. At least it seemed that way to Soren. The young man’s thoughts drifted for a moment and he momentarily cursed himself for being the only person brave enough to stand up and speak their mind. His attention was brought back to the here and now when the emperor addressed him directly.

"I'm interested in what exactly you'd like to learn. If you feel like disclosing that to me, then we can get started. But," He raised a hand which to Soren was the man’s way of saying, “Be silent mortal for a god doth speaketh unto you!” "Add your name to that compilation, please. I dislike not knowing the identities of people I'm acquainting myself with, especially when I'm offering them so much."

“I-I…” Soren cleared his throat furrowing his brow. It would not do to keep stammering over his words. Nothing could be gained by standing there acting dumbfounded to just be standing in the other man’s presence. “I have been told once that I have “untapped energy”. I don’t entirely know what that means but I know that I have an affinity for the arcane. My whole life I have had something of a sixth sense when it comes to magic. I just feel it. It’s like a buzzing sensation all over my skin.” He suppressed the urge to shiver. There was no doubt in his mind that Raphael was a powerful practitioner of magic. Soren’s head felt fuzzy and there was a dull ache behind his eyes.

“I’ve done menial labor most of my life so I’d like to put my brain to work instead of my muscles for a change.” He glanced at the floor. “If you think it wise, that is. I-I’m not opposed to learning how to fight with my fists I just…” He shrugged his shoulders at a loss for words as to how to explain what he was feeling inside.

“It feels right. That probably sounds stupid but well…there you have it. Sir.” He cleared his throat then suddenly remembered he was asked other questions.

“My name is Soren Dagara, most people call me Dagger but you can call me whatever you want.” Soren wanted to slam his face into a wall after that. He must have sounded incredibly stupid. He did a mental shrug.

“Oh well, too late now.”

“As far as I know I’m an ordinary human, Your Majesty. My mother once told me that I was implanted with the potential to understand the higher mysteries. I suppose that means magic. I’ve never really put it to the test. I haven’t exactly had the opportunity to live the life of a scholar.” His face flushed. He quickly glanced away from Raphael before staring at the floor.
“Not that I haven’t enjoyed my life here in Aramil. It’s been great! Well, except for…err…never mind. I’ll just stop talking now.”

“God! Can you be any more of an a**, Soren? Pull yourself together man!” Closing his eyes he took a deep breath then squared his shoulders doing his best to stop playing the role of a flustered school-girl. Not an easy thing to accomplish to say the least given just how nervous and overwhelmed he was feeling but he managed to compose himself a little more.

“I presume to know only what fools know, Your Majesty.” For the first time since being in the same room as Raphael it seemed like Soren spoke with absolute certainty. His head tilted to the side slightly. There was a bitter humor to his words as a slightly cynical smirk touched his lips. The humor did not touch his eyes however. Those cerulean irises would have been impassive to normal men. Flat even. That was the truth of where he was in his life at the moment. He was without purpose. He was without any true belief other than he wanted to see himself grow stronger that he might stop feeling like a coward. From that statement though Soren drew a little more strength. The buzzing in his head lessened and he managed to relax his stance ever so slightly.

“So I have come to replace the whims of a fool with the strength of a wise man.” Beneath his nervousness there lay a poet. Soren was no less intimidated or overwhelmed by Raphael’s presence he was merely choosing to focus on the Incubi’s words rather than let himself drown in his internal confusion. Raphael’s words were beginning to anchor Soren amidst the maelstrom of lustful, high charged energy that seemed to roll off the other man. The young man didn’t think he would settle down completely any time soon but he assumed his uneasiness would lessen as they began the lessons. Time would tell.

When Raphael went into explaining one of the basic principles of magic Soren listened very carefully. Now that they were generally off the subject of himself and on to something productive he was able to focus more easily. Soren had never been very comfortable talking about himself in any situation no matter who the person was. He genuinely felt as if he didn’t have much to say, so he listened. Soren was of a sharp mind. He usually did his best to think outside of the box with anything he did unless it was just impractical to do so.

“Instinct.” The young man mulled the thought over in his head for a moment. Instinct was something he could work with. He knew virtually nothing about the actual mechanics of magic they were foreign to him. Coupled with the fact that he’d been bereft of the time to really focus on understanding the deeper principles of it he had less than a desirable amount of knowledge on the subject. What he knew was rudimentary at best.

“I am familiar with the concept but not much beyond that. Instinct is something I can work with though. As for patience?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve waited a long time for a great many things, Your Majesty. I’m patient by nature.” He cracked a half-smile slowly being put more at ease by Raphael’s straightforward manner.

Straightforward he could do. Straightforward was good. If a bit unexpected. Soren had expected the sovereign ruler of Aramil and Pronta to be a bit more…political. If anything the Incubus was very direct and blunt. That was something Soren was more accustomed to.

“If I am to understand you correctly if I wanted to command the powers of Water I would just have to find an instinctual connection to the element of Water? Or is there more to it than that?” For a moment all formal pretenses dropped as Soren became more interested in the concepts being explained to him. He remedied this upon realizing his error.

“Your Majesty.” He inclined his head clasping his hands behind his back adopting a less stiff stance but one that made it very clear he was still cognizant of the fact that Raphael could kill him on a whim. His feet were shoulder width apart. His shoulders themselves were still tense and he gripped his wrists behind his back a bit more tightly than was necessary but it was only to be expected.

Soren listened carefully as Raphael explained just how simple it was to bring a spell into fruition. The young man hadn’t imagined it would be so simple. He nodded as he listened declining to really comment. He was focused on the knowledge that the Incubus had to offer. It struck him a mildly ironic that he was willingly consorting with a demon in search of knowledge. Part of him believed that there would be a price to pay for what he was being taught right then.

“Isn't there a price for everything, though?” Soren knew there was. When Raphael had finished his explanation and taken a step back the young man studied his emperor for a moment. It seemed the tall demon really did believe it was that easy so Soren assumed it must be. Looking over the manuscript of spells and techniques he was immediately fascinated by the section denoting the element of Water.

“Water is fluid Change. The element of continual motion.” He mumbled to himself. That struck a chord with him. Water was something he’d been around all of his life. It only seemed logical that he would be more prone to understanding it than anything else. He read through the description of one particular spell. There was some mention of an incantation or something but according to his sovereign there was no need for such things so he paid little mind to it. What he focused on was the meaning of the spell, the way the tome described the flow of the magic. Taking a deep breath he sighed nodding more to himself than anyone else. He was certain that the emperor was likely getting a little annoyed with his silence. Raphael did not strike Soren as a patient man. At least in most things.

“Alright then, Dagger, let’s give this a go.” Taking a deep breath Soren adopted what was the most comfortable stance to him at the moment. He stood with his feet shoulder width apart, his arms down at his sides, head held high and his eyes closed. He took a few calming breaths and concentrated. He found himself focusing on the annoying buzzing sensation he always felt. He was beginning to recognize this as being able to identify magic. The way it surged all around him when he was near something of varying levels of power. Being in Raphael’s presence made his head hurt whereas being in Judai City period gave him a constant itch that he was sometimes able to ignore. As he focused on that buzzing sensation it dulled slightly becoming clearer.

It became less of an ache and more of a deeper intuition. There was nothing specific about it. It was merely the acknowledgement of something…strange. Something was beyond the normal state of being for an average person. Soren vaguely recalled glancing over a spell known as Detect Magic in the tome given to him by the emperor. He must have been living with it all his life without truly knowing what it was. With that realization came a relief so sharp it made Soren gasp. His eyes opened swiftly. He brought a hand to his temple touching it gingerly with his fingertips. He laughed slightly. It was a laugh of relief.

“It’s gone! That itching, buzzing, ache is gone!” The saying about never knowing about something until it’s gone came to Soren’s mind. He quickly composed himself focusing on other things such as the new vitality that seemed to surge through him now that he wasn’t constantly combating the dull itching ache in his head. He was more sharply aware of Raphael now but only in the capacity that he knew Raphael possessed magic and not so much as an annoyance.

Soren brought his hands up before him. His eyes were closed but he felt as if he could see them clearly. The palms turned upwards, the fingers of his hands spread slightly apart. He took a few more deep breaths.

“The old man once called me a prodigy, let’s see if that holds true.”

As he breathed, Soren thought on the element of Water. He thought about how it surrounded all of them at this very moment. He thought about how it flowed with the strength of a thousand great war machines but just as easily bubbled over landscapes with the tranquility of a summer breeze. Soren captured this understanding willing it into existence in the palms of his hands. He opened his eyes watching as his hands suddenly glowed a bright red then changed to an azure blue as droplets of water formed in the air just above his hands. The light faded slightly causing Soren to furrow his brow in concentration. The light returned only more vibrant than before and the water became more tangible as two spheres of water.

Soren suddenly felt very cold. He felt a little more tired than he was before as if he’d just hiked up a great flight of stairs. It wasn’t exhausting but it made its mark. As the shift in his understanding of the room’s temperature became evident the water in his hands rippled splintering as they froze over becoming shards of ice. The abrupt shift startled Soren.

“s**t!” He exclaimed breaking his concentration causing the shards to drop, the light around his hands to blink out of existence and his hold on the magic to dissipate. Soren blinked at the ice that fell to the floor shattering harmlessly upon it. His breathing was slightly elevated but he didn’t care. He marveled at what he’d just done. After a moment he became aware of Raphael once more. The young man turned his attention back to his sovereign clearing his throat.

“I-I had no idea I could do something like that.” There was a note of humble pride in his statement. It wasn’t arrogant it was genuine appreciation for his accomplishment.







Note: Learned Detect Magic and Ice Shard spells

“Stay in motion. Got it. I will have to work on that once I…you know…get a better handle on things.” He nodded to the Incubus. It wasn’t a hard concept to grasp in and of itself but the logistics of it would prove difficult. Stand still during a fight and you’re liable to get hit. Easy. The problem was that Soren barely had a grasp on how to summon the energies that were now apparently at his command. He understood it on a basic level but the fine points of it were lost on him. He would have to practice between spells and movement when he had a firmer handle on just how to do the first of the two better. For now he decided it would be best to get himself up to speed on more spells.

The young man grabbed the tome again reading briefly over the description of another spell that had caught his attention. It was an invocation that would prove useful in a combat setting. At least it seemed as though it would prove useful. He furrowed his brow as he thought about how to make this next one come into being. He glanced at the looming emperor who seemed as if he were a fount of infinite patience. The man’s silver red eyes both were a little unnerving. Soren got over that though. It wasn’t easy but he put the thought of wondering what was going on in his new Master’s head out of his mind. Thus far the sovereign had been keen on critiquing him as he saw fit. Soren didn’t anticipate that would change.

Taking up his place before Raphael, Soren opted for a more relaxed pose. He willed his shoulders to lose their tension. He calmed the butterflies in his stomach then he dropped his hands to his sides with the palms facing forward. Closing his eyes he tentatively welcomed the dark that he usually hid from. The brown haired young man furrowed his brow in concentration thinking hard on the spell he wanted to achieve. He envisioned a mirror. He envisioned three mirrors to be exact. Each one held his reflection from a different angle exactly as he was standing now. He could feel the warmth blossoming in his hands that signaled that his grip on his energy was falling into place. He felt for that energy. He shaped it. He saw it enveloping his whole form illuminating his body with a blood red light. He then saw that light step out away from him retaining his shape.

Soren opened his eyes. He looked to his right seeing a vaguely humanoid shaped construct of glowing red light. It wasn’t quite what Soren wanted but he was getting closer. He focused a little more willing detail into the light in front of him. As soon as he put a little more focus into the undertaking it was as if a painter splashed colors across a red canvas. Slowly the light faded revealing a construct forged by magic in the exact likeness of the aspiring mage. It retained the face of concentration that Soren had moments ago. It wasn’t completely filled in as one could see partially through it but it was a start. The apprentice leaned closer to inspect it slightly impressed with his own work. He was getting hang of this whole magic thing but he attributed that to the fact that he was in the presence of a particularly gifted magician. He wondered briefly if he would be able to pull these things off as easily when Raphael was not around.

“Amazing…” Reaching out to touch the illusion as soon as his fingertips brushed the lightly constructed image it blinked out of existence. The sudden disappearance of the illusion made Soren snatch his hand back. He turned to his teacher.

“That little trick might be useful in a tight spot. Especially if I can get to the point where I can make several of them. I will probably just need to practice.” He gave Raphael a half-smile a little off put by the perpetual silence. When there was no outward response to his attempt at conversation, Soren cleared his throat picking up the tome again. He read through the next spell that had drawn his attention. The next one would be easier to do at least compared to what he’d been doing thus far.

Without putting the book down he brought up his left hand opening his palm concentrating once more. He furrowed his brow focusing on the center of his palm allowing his arcane energies to gather there. Once he was satisfied that enough had gathered he willed it into being envisioning a sphere of pure energy that radiated the sun’s light and warmth. No sooner had he drawn the connection then the ball of light winked into existence. It shone brightly, illuminating the room in a scarlet light. It shed no warmth but he was pleased that he had been able to do it. It was harsh on the eyes to stare at as it was highly concentrated. Soren squinted as it blinded him briefly. He closed the palm of his hand causing the light to go out immediately. He gave a lighthearted chuckle.

“Maybe not so concentrated next time?” With a half-shrug of his shoulder he made a mental note to practice with creating magical light a bit less harsh next time. He read over the next spell that he thought would prove most vital in his future efforts. It seemed simple enough and its applications were fairly straightforward. Setting the book down he brought his hands up in front of him glaring at the space between them in concentration.

The vermillion light surrounded his hands once more. He willed it to gather into a sphere between his palms watching as the energy collected becoming a ball slightly larger than one of his fists. He concentrated focusing on creating an intense heat. He had little to draw on as a source of information for this heat. So he thought, quietly, carefully. He thought long and hard. As he closed his eyes he was suddenly struck by the memories that haunted him so deeply. The sharp fear that coursed through his body. The horror he felt when he was a boy. The whole reason he had come to Helicanth. He grit his teeth.

“No! I won’t be helpless like that. Not again. Never again. I refuse!” He opened his eyes, the vermillion energy filling them as his anger grew. The sphere of energy drew from that anger igniting into a sphere of brilliant red fire. The red hue left Soren’s eyes and he blinked at the fireball floating between his hands.

“Ha! I did it! I did—“ He moved to accentuate his achievement with a pump of one arm into the air but nearly dropped the fireball in the process. He quickly focused his concentration to maintain control over the dangerous magic. He swallowed.

“I probably shouldn’t do that should I?” He chuckled nervously. “Okay…soo…now to get rid of this thing without setting fire to the whole academy.” He looked around the room. There really wasn’t anything to do absorb the blast from the fireball. He thought for a moment then focused on the hold he still held over the magic. Drawing upon that hold he slowly began to pull the energy away from the fireball. Ignorant of how to absorb the energy again he simply let it dissipate until the fireball diminished until it was extinguished with a hiss.

Soren dropped his arm releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He was feeling a little tired but not nearly as tired as he thought he would have. Learning magic was certainly taking its toll on him already but he still felt as if he could stand to learn a few more things.

“Your Majesty, I saw a couple of spells in that book that mentioned drawing upon the world around me. May I ask what that means?” He was of course referring to the elemental techniques that utilized the natural elements already present in the world as opposed to creating them strictly from magic.

Note: Learned Projection, Light and Fireball spells

Soren’s brow furrowed as he listened intently to the Emperor go on about the finer points of elemental manipulation. The idea of projecting his energy into an already existing substance as opposed to fabricating it out of thin air seemed much simpler to the young man. The display of power that his sovereign commanded in the form of lightning followed by the explanation afterwards had the young man’s eyes widening ever so slightly.

“That seems like it would take a lot of time and study to master.” He’d probably been around Raphael just a few hours practicing with this magic and already he felt as if, despite his increasing understanding of how to control the magic now at his fingertips he had quite a long ways to go. Soren thought hard for a moment. He didn’t bother picking up the tome on magic again. He was interested in practicing the technique that Raphael had just mentioned.

“So I extend the energy within me…” He brought up both of his hands. The young man slid his feet outward. His right foot he planted slightly in front of him while his left he moved just a little to the rear. He dropped his hips lowering into an almost defensive fighting stance. Both of his hands were out in front of him. He closed his eyes wincing slightly at the darkness that was brought on by such an action. The flashes of memories better left ignored for the time being fluttering across his mind’s reverie. He bundled the energy there was to be found in his forearms pushing it outward to extend just beyond the reach of his fingertips. This time it wasn’t so much that he saw the energy brought into being as scarlet light it was more that he could feel its presence.

Soren looked around the room until he saw an unused bucket of water nearby. It was most likely going to be used as mop water later but it would serve his purposes now. He rotated his right wrist pushing his arm out toward the bucket demanding his energy flow into the water. Within seconds the energy he was dimly aware of surged forth dropping into the water mingling with it. Soren grunted as he felt the resistance of the element pull away from the foreign energy being infused into its natural flow. He felt the muscles in his arms bunch up, his shoulders tensed, he planted his feet more firmly on the floor. With a great exhalation he pushed forward willing the energy he was still grasping onto to push forward as he did. His motion was met with resistance. It felt as if he were pushing up against a wall, an invisible wall that would not give no matter how hard he pushed.

“Come on…” He gritted his teeth pushing harder against that invisible wall feeling it give ever so slightly. The more he struggled against it, the more he felt it give way. It was slow and tedious but he was beginning to feel his own energy integrate with that of the natural element. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he struggled for dominance over the inherent force already present in the water until he finally felt his own power fall into place. The breaking of that resistance was so sudden and abrupt that Soren quite literally stumbled forward almost falling onto his knees. He quickly caught himself forcing himself to concentrate so that he didn’t lose a grip on the water he’d just managed to get a hold of.

Balancing himself he took a deep breath resuming his stance he decided to try something less stone-still. Though he was hesitant to do so, he closed his eyes willing himself to envision the currents of the Great Ocean. He thought about the tides of the seashore. He focused on the flow of a river over land. He forced his body to relax. He stepped back pulling his arms back as he did so willing the water to flow with him. He didn’t open his eyes to see whether it obeyed his silent command or not, he trusted that it would. Bringing his hands up he thought about the rolling ridges of a winding river and how the water flowed around great boulders that jutted out of the water. He held up his left hand envisioning the water circling his wrist to flow around his forearm like a stream before collecting into a sphere of water in the open palm of his right hand.

Rising to his full height he swept his right hand over his left envisioning the water in continual motion weaving around his left wrist to collect into a sphere in the open palm of his left hand. He stepped forward bringing his arms up thinking on the waves that roiled in the ocean…and the storms that followed…and the hurricanes that grew from them….and the screaming….

Waves crashed all around Soren. He could hear the guttural moans, the screeching wail, the bitter keening of a chorus so wicked their song shredded the soul. He could see the storm. He could hear the cries of his parent. He was back on the boat.

Soren’s eyes flew open, the water that he’d been manipulating splashed to the floor at his feet. He let out a haggard breath shivering slightly suddenly feeling terribly cold. He stumbled back grabbing on to a nearby shelf for support. He felt as though his legs were about to give out right beneath him.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I th-th-think I may have overestimated myself.” He gave his emperor a shaky smile but there was a horror in his eyes for a brief moment. He looked away quickly regaining his composure. This was why he hated the dark behind his eyelids. The memories always came. Whether he was awake or asleep…they always found a way to poison everything he did. But he wouldn’t be dissuaded. Not anymore.

Ignoring any inquiries about his wellbeing he surged forth with renewed vigor utterly determined to at least get one personal victory this day. He released his hold on his energy once more directing it into the water that he’d allowed to fall to the floor. It came easier this time but it was still not without difficulty. Instead of getting angry this time he took a deep breath and thought on letting the water flow with him rather than dominating it. He breathed steadily doing his best to gain control over his rapidly beating heart. He brought his hands up upon inhalation then lowered them slowly upon exhalation willing the water to flow with his movements. When he felt comfortable that the water was in synch with his movements he planted one foot rotated his right wrist and pushed forward with a bit more force. The water on the floor surged forward rippling slightly before whipping out haphazardly splashing against the wall opposite of the aspiring mage.

Soren’s shoulders dropped slightly, the effort obviously having taken its toll on him. He looked at the floor for a moment before looking up at his Emperor.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I-I lost my focus there for a moment.”

Note: Learned Streaming Water and Water Whip elemental techniques.

Akeem sat on the ground with his back straight. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be meditating. His slumber had cost him a lot in terms of physical capabilities. There was a time when Akeem could call himself an expert in many fields. As a Djinn he had conquered many others of his kind and was able to use the force with relative ease. There was little he did not know of physical combat. And yet here he sat, a blank slate. Akeem knew this was the price he had to pay for what he did. A grimace set in to his face as the memory was recalled. Akeem did not let it linger. He rose to his feet and set back to work.

At this point in time Akeem could rarely call himself a proper Djinn. His knowledge of their abilities was still existent, but for whatever reason he could not perform them. Akeem closed his eyes and concentrated on the natural force around his body. Djinn did not deal with the worldly elements, instead they had access to a special ability called force. With it Akeem could manipulate his body and the area around it with a mere direction of thought. He recalled that feeling of the force and strengthened it, directing it towards his feet. Akeem crouched and pushed off the ground, launching himself straight forward at high speeds. A Djinn grew up with the force affecting him at all times, and moving in such a way did not affect his perception in the slightest.

When Akeem landed the shock still had little affect on his body. He rose to his feet and focused his force once more. This time he crouched as the energy enveloped his body. In the blink of an eye Akeem was standing exactly across from where he had started without having to move a muscle. Akeem circulated his energy once more and wrapped it around his legs. He launched himself into the air, much higher than any normal being could jump. Akeem ducked his head as he neared the ceiling, figuring it was time to wrap his body once more with the force. Instead of merely coating his body with this energy Akeem crated a shell around him. Suddenly his descent speed increased and Akeem rocketed towards the ground. His impact left a small crater around his landing zone.

Akeem began to arrange a set of dummy's around himself in a circle, all roughly five feet from one point. After he was done, Akeem stood in the center of it and concentrated his force once more. Djinn could not only use the force to manipulate their own body, but could physically manifest the force to strike out at targets. Akeem closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he opened his eyes Akeem's energy shot outward. All of the dummy's at once began to rock and crack with such force. Akeem merely stood still with his arms crossed over his chest. He directed his eyes to a dummy farther away from the others. An arc of energy shot out from Akeem and smashed down into the dummy, sending it to the floor.

The force was such a beauteous power. Akeem could amplify his own abilities for a time. He focused the force within him and bolted, using his speed to sprint around the area like a gazelle. He targeted a dummy and ran at it. Akeem slid past it and wrapped his arms around its neck, and his legs around its body. He channeled the force from inside of him and shot it into the dummy. The wood cracked and the leather split. He frowned, actually wishing it had been an organic being.

xxxxx

TABTAB Selena's day start off wonderfully, but then turned... unusual.

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TABTAB She use to run with a group of assassins. They would do random things, generally for pay, though Selena never did it for the money. The blood, the screams, the look in your enemy's eyes as they know they've lost... it sent chills down her spine. The group had disbanded some months ago, though their contact still handed out marks to those that were still alive, to keep their skills keen. Selena's target this time was some noble man named Sebastian. He was a pig and a womanizer, the kind of person Selena loved to break. He apparently broke it off with the wrong woman, who now wanted him dead. Inserting herself next to Sebastian was simple: pose as a maid looking for work, let her assets seduce the man and he let her into his home. Soon, it became clear he liked to let his hands wander. That was her ticket to completing the mark.
TABTAB It would not be long before she found his hands roaming her body briefly. Much to Sebastian's surprise, Selena faked enjoying the attention. Three weeks into Sebastian's employ, Selena found herself moaning as Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist and bit into her shoulder. He was behind her, so he could not see her smirk. Mortals were easy to manipulate, men even more so than women. Act like they have control and you can easily be the one breaking them. When the prey believed themselves to be the hunter, they were easier to destroy. She softly grinded her hips against Sebastian's, somewhat disappointed with what she discovered. It was not that he was small. No, she would say average, and she had been surprised by the pleasured that followed such a size. It was the fact he had been talking as though he was packed and was naturally curious about such features. Still, she continued with the partial act, letting her body react as it willed and faking certain sounds or motions as was needed to get Sebastian to be more aggressive, to give more into his primal urges. When he did, that was when he would be most vulnerable.
TABTAB When he was ready, by Selena's calculations, she broke free of his partial assault, took his hand, and led him towards the basement. When asked why she did not want to take it to the bedroom, she turned to him, looked him dead in the eyes with as much of a hungry look she muster and calmly spoke. "Dark places make me want to do naughty things." Hook, line, sinker. He was completely dancing in the palm of her hand now. She found a chair, presumably discarded for later trash out taking and sat him in it. Then she got on her knees. Sebastian felt a pleasure; apparently Selena was as experienced as she looked and acted she was. She knew how to move certain things, know when to move and when to stay. It was overwhelming. The other women he had dragged into his room were never this eager or skilled. He was close, then felt the release. However, Selena let out a sort of... sigh. "Is that seriously all you have?" He felt her hand slowly slid up his stomach, then chest, then up to his neck, then felt a force shove him backward. He was now laying on his back with the chair being broken beneath him. Selena was on top of him, still having her hand on his neck and now squeezing with both her hand and other areas. He tried to croak out... something incoherent. "Shut up and let me sorta enjoy this." She loosened her grip briefly on a high bounce long enough for Sebastian to speak. "You mean us?" Her hand force itself around his neck again, harder this time. "No. You're not. I might be able to." Sebastian only now tried to fight to get away, but Selena seemed to have an almost demonic amount of strength out of nowhere. That's when he saw it: fangs protruding from her lips, nails as sharp as razors on her hands. She grew a more demonic appearance that seemed to phase back and forth from her human appearance every time she raised and lowered herself. Then he felt it: the pain. A burning sensation that was in his waist, like his insides were melting. The last thing he would see was Selena throwing her head back.


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


TABTAB Selena sat on a bench within the training grounds with one leg crossing the other. Her blades were by the side just in case something would get her blood pumping. So far, her day had its up and downs and she was looking for something to kill time before she got another call from her contact.




"Afraid of the demon within, or afraid you'll enjoy her?"

STRENGTH, HONOR, ⊰XＰＥＲＦＥＣＴＩＯＮX⊱ I EMBODY ＡＬＬ OF THESE.

████████XX☽ [ｙｏｕ ｗｉｌｌ ｎｏｔ ｗｉｎ ] ☾XX████████████████████


Fresh from the showers, Akeem Makel emerged from one of the many doors of the training facility. Lately he had been staying here, working on keeping his body in top physical condition. There had been so few people coming to train that no one had cared, let alone noticed. Akeem rubbed a towel on his head, drying off the strip of hair he had on his head. He tossed the now dampened cloth to the side and stopped in his tracks. There was some gorgeous and wonderfully built woman standing around, talking about how shitty this place was. Akeem ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it backward and out of his face. He approached the woman, standing tall and with pride. The first thing Agatha would probably notice would be Akeem's hot pink skin. There was not an inch of skin on him not that color. His eyes were tinged with molten gold and seemed to glow. The sides of his head were shaved, exposing a large scar on the left of his head. His body was the literal definition of fit. There seemed to be no ounce of fat on him. Akeem sported loose white sweatpants and a pair of swanky djinn shoes. Tattoos covered his arms as well. "Not completely dead; I am Akeem Makel, the only active Captain around here." He said in his gruff voice.

I, will defend the weak and powerless from the, horrors and monsters,
I have the ability, the strength,
And courage to protect the world.