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Danni nodded at Night's words when he added to her explanation. Adding to that, she said, "A black magic sorceror/sorceress is a unique breed. The dark magic is inside us, coursing through our veins for life. We can either reject or accept it, but it'll always be there. Many go for years with untapped power inside them, having no desire to see what limits they can push, what strengths they can achieve. And, as I was mentioning before, when this power is mixed with intense emotions, it'll become stronger." She held out her hand, concentrating for a moment.

She did something that involved no whispered curses or incantations, nothing but instinct and skill. She squeezed her hand into a fist, and when she opened it again, a swirling purple-black ball rotated in her palm. "Bringing both power and emotion to the surface, the most basic form of offense. Emotions can be turned into weapons, energy balls laced with just enough darkness to make an impact." She said, pressing the ball into Maggie's hand so the other girl would feel Danni's power rushing into her, sense the emotions that had gone into the energy ball.

"Oh, s**t!" Danni exclaimed, not thinking and grabbing the ball without putting up an absorbtion charm first. The magic sucked back into her suddenly, the feelings it forced back into her soul makign her jerk, suck in a breath. "Sorry, should've seen that coming." She managed to say after a moment, then looked at Maggie's arm.

Lin then mumbled something in her sleep that had not entered her mind when she was awake. Something she didn't even think about or realize. "Dymetri, do you like me? I mean, really like me?"

There was a brief flash of anger of some sort behind Ophiuchus's eyes. "No, he doesn't," he said aloud. "He's a teacher, and you're a student. That can't happen." His words were firm, but his voice soft, as not to awake Lin. "And furthermore, as your teacher, I can't let you walk into a blunder like this."

Maggie watched Danni heal her hand. When it was all done, she clapped. "Woohoo! Umm, I guess since those were the basics, that's pretty much it..." Maggie looked up, the moon was coming over the treetops though the sky was somewhat still light. Last chance, she thought to herself. Her wings spread, thin and veined like a dagonfly's. Earth elemental marks appeared on her skin, and she meditated there for a few moments, absorbing some last bits of sunshine before the sky was too dark.

While Maggie soaked up sun rays, Danni was waiting anxiously for the dark. All this exposure to white magic using people had left her drained, and she needed the dark, the moon, to get her strength back up again. As the sun finally set completely, and the moon could be seen, Danni got to her feet. "Finally," She muttered, and a moonbeam seemed to come down and illuminate her ever so slightly. She breathed in deeply, letting her power rush out for just a bit, merging with the darkness and the magic in the air.

In the silence, there was suddenly the sound of a door slamming. It surprised Danni echoed, but she would've recognized that sound anywhere. Cook was back home in his shack. "Sorry, but I have...to go take care of something important." Without waiting for Maggie to reply, she dashed off, jumping over a rose bush as she made her way through open area to the shack, where lights were turning on, one by one.

The disownment contract felt heavy in her pocket as she made a dead run towards the closest thing to a home she had. Halfway there, though, she heard a quick bark, and she was tackled to the ground by eighty pounds of German shepard. She found her face getting licked, heard two other barks and felt paws on her legs and stomach. A golden retriever and huge black mutt joined the German shepard, and when she could finally sit up again, she wrapped her arms around them as they licked her face.

"Oh, there's my best guys. Moe, Sun Dance, Rusty...God, I missed you three bozos." She said, and they barked in agreement as Sun Dance, the golden retriever, nipped playfully at her ear, and suddenly the door to the shack opened, and Cook's hulking figure could be seen even from this distance. He whistled, and the dogs immediately sat at attention. "Moe! Sun Dance! Rusty! What're you three playing with? If it's another possum, I swear you're not coming inside tonight." He said, unable to see Danni in the dark.

"You callin me a possum, Cook?" Danni demanded, and from the light that illuminated his face, Danni could see the shock and surprise that entered his expression. "Danni...That note...What did you do?" He asked, still not able to see her obviously since he was looking someplace slightly to her left. So she stepped into the light, her eyes greedily taking in his face, the sauce stained apron he still wore, the bare feet on the wood floor.

She took the disownment contract out of her pocket, held it out to him. Hesitating only for a minute, he took it, read it over quickly. "Oh...oh, baby, do you know what you just did?" He demanded, and she looked up at his face, fearing he would turn her away from the tone in his voice. "I set myself free...I came home." She said softly, and before she could move, she found herself wrapped in strong arms, face pressed against a rock hard chest that smelled faintly of cooking oil.

"Oh, little one...You turned away from your family, that's what you did." He said, his voice soft in her ear. "No I didn't...You're right here, aren't you? You're more of a father than Pa ever was..." She said in a whisper, and Cook squeezed her tightly in his arms. "Damn, Danni...I didn't want you to have to choose to leave them just to see me." He said, but she shook her head. "I didn't. I left to get my life back." She said, and found herself being drawn inside the house.

"Well, you did that, and more...Come on, sit down by the fire where it's warm. Your chair's been occupied by the mutts, but they've been demoted to floor again." He said, urging her down in a cushy armchair. Just like all the other nights she'd stayed here, she thought. Sitting by the fire, the dogs sleeping at her feet, Cook sitting next to her...She'd missed this, more than she could say, more than he could know...

Heather was nervous at first when he started to grab her neck very tightly, but when he forcefully pushed her down on top of the desk, she saw what he was doing. He liked things a little rough. She didn't mind that... not one little bit.

She smirked up at him, thinking she was picking up on his hints, put her hand on the back of his neck, and kissed him deeply. God he was so incredibly hot and tasted amazing!

As she kissed him, she reached down and started undoing his pants.