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Raven stood quiet in the tower, casually watching the lightening strike outside in odd amounts. The girl seeming unchanged but the sudden loss of power as well. "Robin's right..lighting doesn't strike like this. Something is definitely up." She watched the tower carefully as it lay covered in darkness, the only light seeming to be from the lighting that struck. When she was given that chance she studied the tower, waiting to capture something out of the usual within the tower. "Aw maaan, you just had to say something didn't you BB? You know once you say that, something always happens!" spoke Cyborg, glaring over at the Beast Boy, as if to blame him for their loss of power. His red eye glowed dimly in the darkness of the tower, sighing he moved to stand once hearing Robin about staying alert. He calculated the tower, like Raven, waiting to something out of the norm. Starfire stayed close to Robin, a small squeak escaping from the girl as the power went out. She still was not quite use to the sudden power outage, making the tower seem to change completely. "Do you think we may be under attack?" she spoke in a curious tone. Raising her hand it quickly became engulfed in a green ball of energy, allowing her fellow team members to better see the tower then with just the light from the lighting outside.

The city was quiet except for the constant stream of rain and lightning that lashed out over the city. The thunder struck as lightning ripped across the sky. Beast boy sighed and sat back on the couch as he kept flipping through the channels, most not working due to the lightning storm they were experiencing. "Great nothing on and nothing working can this day get any worse?" As soon as he said the lightning tore across the sky and struck the ground knocking out the power to the titan tower. "Apparently it can." He sighed and just shook his head sitting on the couch. Robin looked outside and shook his head as the lightning kept arcing across the sky. "Something about this just doesn't feel right, Like its not natural and I know how odd that sounds but it just doesn't seem right and some of the lightning is actually striking the ground and that is RARELY normal to happen so many times." Robin walked back over to the living room and when the power shut off he knew something wasn't right. "All right now I know something is up. Titans be on guard." Outside the city where the lightning had struck the smoke began to clear. "Oh wonderful job." "I know what I was doing, it was a short cut." "You know what you're doing you know what you're doing, If I had a penny for every time you said that I wouldn't be needing this gold!" Fear growled ready to smack his brother Chaos across the head. "Both of you, shut up, We're here so now we need to infiltrate into the tower and take it over so that the defenses of this planet are gone. Then the rest of the team can get through." Fear and Chaos looked over and nodded. "All right all right." Shadow just shook his head and looked at them. "Remember we want them alive, No use in killing them so fear, ease off on the power." Shadow looked up at Titan tower. "First the tower then the world."

Cyborg snorted, shaking his head a bit "Your the one saying 'Oh it can't get any worse' So as far as I'm concerned, it's your fault BB." he argued with the green male. Though quickly put that aside once hearing Robin giving out his orders, a sharp nod coming from the half robotic man. "You got it. Let's go BB!" Quickly he took off through the tower, heading towards the basement to meet any intruders who may have already entered. Raven nodded her head "Right." Keeping her hood over her head she started through the tower, heading up towards the roof. Starfire was also quick to follow "Yes, please be careful Robin." she spoke, being as he would not have any partner to fight with. Flying quickly she caught up to Raven, the two girls now both flying through the tower to gain quicker access to the roof. Once reaching the top the two stood back to back, careful of their surroundings in the rainy, dark night.

Beast Boy looked at Cyborg and sighed. "Oh COME ON CY! it's Not my fault." He then looked over at Robin and Starfire and just shrugged. "well if something is coming this way don't you think we should get ready for what ever may be coming our way?" how true beastboy's words rung that night. They should bet starting to get prepared for what ever was coming their way but what was coming would be something they had never faced before. Robin looked at Starfire and nodded. "I think it may be a direct attack against the tower. Titans GO!" Robin quickly rushed out. "Cyborg you and Beastboy take the basement levels, Starfire, Raven take the top floors and roof. I'll take the direct center." The team was all ready for their raid against Titan tower. They had everything they would need to be able to subdue any of the titans which ever they met. Shadow looked at fear and Chaos. "Fear I want you to cover their top, Chaos you've got ground floor and I'll go to the front door and welcome myself to the new home." Fear looked at his brother and nodded before pulling their masking over their heads. The green glow of the illumination lights giving an eerie look to them. Quickly Fear moved through the cliff-side and up along the side of the tower keeping out of direct sight. He was right at the top ready to climb over the lip and onto the roof. Chaos quickly rushed out and went for the basement, sliding through an old window then creeping inside. Shadow walked up to the main doors setting the charges. "Knock knock".

"I don't know BB, but just keep an eye out ok? If one is coming up from the bottom, means there could be more elsewhere." he spoke sternly. He looked around carefully in the darkness of the basement a small light flipping out above his shoulder, about to agree with Beast boy and no one seeming to be down there, before he heard the voice. Quickly his actions changed, standing in a defensive mode now, turning to face the noise he glared at Chaos. "Who are you?" he had to question, in all their years of fighting he had never met this guy before. A small sherik could be heard from Starfire as she felt herself thrown in a different direction from the explosion. Though just as quick as she was to fall, she moved to hover above the ground, both her fists shining with green orbs. Raven grunted as she felt her own body thrown from the door behind them exploding, though like Starfire she moved quickly to raise as well. Both the girls now facing the door, waiting for their oppent to show himself to them.

Beastboy just shook his head and headed off with cyborg heading down the many stars of the tower before finally getting to the basement and looking around. "You don't really think there is anyone down here now do you? I mean whats the point in coming from the bottom, its too big to head up and you'd get spotted coming up." Beast boy just laughed abit and looked around. "See no one here." He was sient for some time before a voice replied to him. "Oh I don't think so." Chaosreplied as he had his sword resting on the ground lightly tapping his foot. "Its quite useful actually. attack the bottom and it all comes crumbling down." Fear climbed over silently in the darkness onto the roof. the glow from his eyes hidden by the darkness of the night, if spotted it would of been mistaken as just the reflection from the lights from something in the city. "I guess I always get the good ones." Fear laughed to himself once he had eyed up both the two girls Raven and Starfire. He licked his lips thinking that he was the lucky one of the squad. Slowly drawing his sword he watched the pair, he couldn't help but oogle them. ShadowWalked to the door and drew his sword. "Release" and with the words uttered the doors seemed to explode and fly out. Robin quickly turned hearing the explosion before he hardly got enough time to jump back from the edge of a sword to his face.

Chaos watched Cyborg and looked him over before hoisting his sword up over his shoulder letting it tap against the metal of his suit. "much alike you and I are. But yet, So different and unique." He looked over at Beastboy and tilted his head. "You...are jsut, well..weak." He sighed. "Not much of a challenge." looking back over to Cyborg, Chaos nodded. "I guess its only fair you know the name of the one who is going to beat you, I am Chaos, That is my name and all you need to know warrior, Now.. DIE!" He rushed at Cyborg and swung the blade down from his shoulder hoping to bring it to contact with Cyborg's arms to cleave them right off. Fear watched Starfire and nodded as he held his sword out and launched his chain. it shot in between them and stuck into the side of the tower behind the girls. He grinned and let it recall him giving him the needed speed to swoop past Starfire and grab her placing his sword across her neck. He stopped at the other side of the roof holding Starfire in one arm with the blade across her neck. his other hand free and able to draw upon many objects should raven try to fight. "Now now I wouldn't want to lop off your pretty friend's head just because you decided to attack. No it would be smart for you to just surrender now."

Coruscant. It was so very different than Naboo and yet, like all planets in all galaxies these days, it was familiar due to one commonality; war. War took place on Coruscant very differently than it had on Naboo. No droid armies threatening to tear down the skyscrapers that covered over all of the natural features of the planets surface, as they had done to the verdant and dense landscapes of Naboo. There were no guns here to fight with, in public that is, only words. The main arena was not the fields outside of Theed, but the Senate Building; where tempers flared, alliances were forged and broken, and liberty dangled upon a thin and breaking string before their very eyes Padm had witnessed more than enough of the atrocities of the Senate during her reign as Queen. Though her own council and her people had pleaded with her to take a second term, she was consumed by the thoughts of the Senate dismantling all that she had fought for in the name of peace. Resigning at the elected period to Queen Jamillia, Padm was supported by the new monarch to represent the Chommell Sector in the Senate A motion that would be welcomed by those who supported her unwavering dedication, and silently brewed upon by those who were certain they had seen the last of that poised and headstrong girl, whose tongue was sharper than any blade and whose eyes seemed to know all of your secrets without needing your confession at all Padm was well aware of how her deep sienna eyes captivated those around her; particularly one above all others. One whom she was certain hadnoidea that she would be there, standing in his chambersHe would be too weary after such a long journey to tap into that familiar throbbing in his heart that his senses stirred about when she was near.. It delighted her to know that she had the upper hand in this situation. To one up a Jedi Master was not an easily accomplished feat. Albeit, she had arguably done so since the mid reign of her nobilityNot simply in a friendly game of chess either When she arrived in Coruscant, Padm had been disappointed to learn that Obi-Wan and Anakin had been sent on a rather long mission by the Jedi Council. They had not made contact with an anticipated return time so Her -now- Excellency, Senator Padm Amidala of Naboo, had requested to be informed of when her esteemed diplomatic escort and his Padawan would be returning. Master Windu himself, on his way towards the Senate Building to no doubt tame the fires that had begun to spark surrounding the Jedi Council, had stopped her upon the steps to inform her that Obi-Wan was due in that night. Though utterly exhausted and flustered by the days prior occurrences, Padm had to muster the strength to not beam with delight at the Jedis words. She had nodded, politely, and thanked him with a pleasant and soft Senators smile. One that gave no inclination whether she was truly pleased or not Hours had passed standing beside the standard Coruscantian one way windowsWatching ships of all shapes, sizes and colors whiz byThree accidents, one fire, and even two fools attempting to race one another to the Stars know what destination. Padm had laughed to herself upon seeing thisThis was no race. Annie would teach them all a lesson. Annie Anakin was the reason she stood there in such formal gowns, instead of something loose and truly befitting more to a Cantina girl rather than a Senator. Well, she wore such thingsbeneathher formal robes Being a politician made one used to many layers and disguises after all. The gown was of a beautiful pale blue shade, soft silken materials that were pulled to hold tightly against Padms lithe and blossoming figure. A dark bodice of a more royally affiliated hue was decorated with symbols as traditional to Naboo as the stark white polish ever present upon the former Queens thumb nails. This bodice however, as part of her elegantly devious plot formed whilst dressing that afternoon, would pull away quite easily..revealing that her gown was not truly a gown, but a midriff top with a large diamond shape cut out of the fabric in the back, and a low set skirt that teasingly covered the rest of her body. She had draped an ornate white satin cloak with her familys crest clasping the front over herself, so that any seams or skin could not be seen without her permission. Padms long curls were pulled up with a thick band which matched the shade of her gown, ringlets elegantly falling about her face with such natural perfection. Perfection took planning, at timesIt had taken her at least an hour to dress, but the perfection of the moment when the two weary Jedis entered the elders chambers; its perfection was not due to any planning more elaborate and perfect than that of an eager heart She had been facing the windows still, when the doors made their familiarwhoosh. With no need to hide her endearment, Padms face lit up with excitement. She turned to face them, and as the Padawan gained his composure the moment his Master turned his eyes, Padm couldnt help but to giggle. Surprise! A giddy exclamation guilty of her age. Anakin dropped his bags, grinning with boyish delight as he rushed over, embracing her with the enthusiasm of a boynotquite his age Padm! What are you doing here?! The Senator smiled warmly, hugging the young Jedi whom even now was still that little boy back on Tatooine. With one slender hand stroking his feathered hair, those captivating eyes stared on towards the boys MasterHer smile elegantly, coyly, curling into a smirk of pleasure. I am a Senator now Check.

"Are they all to be this long, Master?' "Be thankful," Obi-Wan replied with a half-smile, half-smirk, "four and a half months isn't as long as some." "It's longer than most." The cloud car soared gracefully through the darkened sky of Coruscant, floating through the Imperial City with ease. This late at night it wasn't quiet, the Imperial City never truly sleeping, but if you could navigate its trafficked skies during the day you could navigate nearly anywhere. "Most we've been lucky enough to be assigned to, sure. More than once when I was a padawan Master Qui-Gon and I were sent on missions by the council that could last up to a year." "A year?" Anakin's brow quirked quizzically. "More than once," he repeated, a soft, brief chuckle accompanying the Jedi Master's lingering smirk. "What could you have been doing for that long?" "On the record?" Obi-Wan replied with a quick glance, a wide turn to the right and a sharp incline. "Establishing relations, more or less diplomatic work, but in areas too hostile for normal delegates to visit. Off," he said after a pause, "it was usually to seek out the cause of the lingering hostilities and deal with it." "...I hope the Council never tells me I'll be gone a year," Anakin said with a smile, the teenager leaning back against the soft cushioned chair of the crimson ship. "Even four months away from Coruscant has been too much." "Tell you?" And this came with a laugh. "I've never known Master Windu to give a time frame. He tells us when we're going. We tell him when we're done." "Well tell them we're done until further notice!" he replied in matching amusement. Anakin rubbed at his neck and closed his eyes momentarily, the feeling of a familiar bed at the forefront of his thoughts. ...No, at this point it couldn't so much be considered familiar, could it? Not after this long. An old friend, more like. Comfortable. Missed. "Me?! You'r-" A sharp, sudden turn at the last second saw them half-spinning to avoid colliding into another ship. This came almost seamlessly - almost - with the conversation only skipping a single beat. "Ha! You're mad if you think I'll be doing any such thing, Anakin! They'll have us out to Kashyyyk by dawn!" "And you're mad to not let me drive, Master." Yawning, "Are we almost there?" "We landed five seconds ago." The engines cut off. "Perhaps if I was more of a showoff like you we would have had a rough landing and you would have noticed." Even as they jested back and forth, even as tired as they were, it didn't take the two long to climb out of the ship, and even less time to drag themselves from the landing pad to the homes the provided for them. Yawns accompanied their steps. Things such as reporting in to the Council, even such as showering and eating could wait for the morning. If they didn't have droids to take in their bags that would have likely waited too. In fact, perhaps the only thing necessary right then was Anakin seeing Obi-Wan to his room, a gesture of respect that the master would be to rest first before the apprentice. Any energy that had existed with which to joke on the flight seemed dispersed, overcome now instead by grogginess, with quiet accompanying the two as the door slid open to Obi-Wan's home when they came to it on the walkway. Stepping inside, the lights in the main and any adjacent rooms flickering on, Obi-Wan rubbed at his face tiredly with one palm while the other, his glance back over his shoulder to his padawan, went to motion that it was alright to retire for the night. Though, the young Skywalker had an odd look on his face, one in which his was too tired to decipher right away. "Anakin? What is it?" But then he realized the teen wasn't looking at him, but past him, to which Obi-Wan's eyes immediately shot forward.

With the bewildered look upon the Jedi Knights face, the high ground was forfeitfor a moment. Anakin held tightly against her, as he had on those cold nights in space when they had first taken him from Tatooine...Back when she was both Padm and Amidala, but Padm only and always to Annieand more than either Padm or Amidala to Obi Wan Amidala was a faade put on by all Queens of Naboo, the same ethereal and austere nature differed only by a variance in regnal title. To act as a proper and efficient Queen, it was essential to be compassionate without being openlypassionate. The stark white makeup of the Queen was painted to present an air of unwavering confidence, split red lips to remember the suffering of her peoplePainted up, to hide her true self as best as possible..But to hide Padm was a difficult task for anyone, including herself. Her spirit was not relinquished beneath the extravagant gowns and courtly rules. Her persuasion and allure all the more enhanced by that ornate make upThough she had gladly cleaned her face of reds and whites, that elegant ferocity that made Amidala a notable force in the Senate had not been washed away. Padm was undeniably herself, despite anyone and anything, she could not forbid herself from being ruled by her heart. A tragic flaw for a politician perhaps, but Padm knew her heart better than most. It was dangerousThiswas so very dangerous But to deny it, was something they had already failed to do. It felt so much better to indulge Temptation had won years ago; the forbidden was far more satisfying. As he laughed, her momentary complacency in self proclaimed victory shattered. What was so funny? The former Queens eyes narrowed slightly, but calmed as the padawan clung a bit tighter, his words making his Master seem more at ease. Though that..incredibly handsome smile, would not excuse him from a few sharp words in private. Padm did not enjoy being laughed at, especially pertaining to her politicsAnd though she knew he had most likely just been taken aback by her sudden announcement mixed with her unexpected arrival,it would still be amusing to taunt him later..to hear him plead for her forgiveness.. The thought alone sent a tremble up her spine, her fingers twitched slightly but thankfully Anakin had already dashed off to select a wine that would be worthy of both their guest and his first time, as far as Obi-Wan was aware, of sampling alcohol. As he approached her, the Senators breath stalled in her throat. Soft pale lips trembled slightly as he leaned in towards her, that rugged scent of sweat and worry ever present uponherKnight. Missed was a tame word, one replaced with longedneededachedfor in their hearts. Dark eyes gazed up towards the man much taller than herself, a smile dancing upon her lips as her eyes for a moment waveredTrembling. This was no time to confess their longings in wordsLater.. From the pinch, her nose wrinkled slightly, her smile curling to a smirk as she took a seat on one of the sleek couches. After the glasses had been set, Anakin immediately sat down beside Padm, his eyes wandering over her face..Studying her to make certain she was alright. So if youre a Senator now, does that mean you can stay here? On Coruscant? Yes! Padm smiled, cupping her hands over Anakins out of a sisterly affection. I resigned a second term as QueenI believe that I am needed here, more so than on Naboo. Her eyes wandered towards Obi-Wan for a moment as the wine was poured. As she watched the clear lilac liquid bubble inside of the sleek glasses, the padawans eyes lingered upon the former Queen, upon his hands trapped between her soft fingertips. Padm elegantly withdrew her hands, taking up a glass, which Anakin immediately followed suit in taking his own. Though, The dark haired girl smirked, raising the glass to her lips as she stole a most vixen-esque glance towards the Master Jedi whilst his padawan eyed the wine before them, I think I may have already stepped upon a few toes in my short time here. I suspect the Senate will simply have to become used to me, without the restraints of Monarchy keeping me tame..

Check indeed. "Padm...?" It was whispered, very soft, barely escaping Obi-Wan's lips. So shocked, so sudden came this that he knew not how to respond. His body language, his face, and, when he would speak, his speech belied the Jedi's usual exterior of knowledge and control. "Anakin! Your manners." Beyond gorgeous... "Manners? But Master, this is Padm!" he exclaimed, his smile still a mile wide despite the chastisement. It took everything Obi-Wan had to gather himself in a moment's time. First he stood up straight, no more slouch; tired as he was, this wasn't the time. Second he let his padawan's informal greeting slide. They were in his private room right now, there was no one around for which standing on ceremony was necessary; he had gotten so used to the act, with her, that by now it came too naturally. Third, he fought to quell any thoughts of attraction, for should a blush appear up high Anakin was quick and would wonder, and should anything rise below the insatiable little brat would find time to tease him about it for hours - and not only with her words. And finally he processed, quickly as he could, what she had said. "...Senator? Are you joking?" Obi-Wan laughed confusedly. "And what happened to Queen, Your Highness? Aren't..." He paused, thinking a moment. "Shouldn't you be on Naboo? Isn't the reelection supposed to be soon?" "Master, do not be so quick to send her away!" Anakin said with a laugh, still hugging the young woman. "She has come all this way to see us!" Obi-Wan smiled. Then the smile softened, a bit embarrassed. Inhaling a deep, slow breath, hands clasped together at his front, he found those deep sienna eyes and in that moment... felt home. "She has, hasn't she?" His heart beat steadily. "Then we are indeed blessed." Another moment. Obi-Wan couldn't help the soft smile edging his lips. "A Jedi is never too tired for a guest, especially not one whom has travelled so far. Anakin, pick us out a nice wine." Those were the words that released the young man's arms from around Padm, his eyes flashing with perhaps even more excitement at Obi-Wan. "Master?" "Yes, yes, you can have some. I suppose can't take you across galaxies, teach you to use a lightsaber and then- ONE glass!" he called out as Anakin quickly rounded a corner for the kitchen. "And then it's straight to bed!" The moment he was gone - themoment- the Jedi's steps moved quietly across the carpeted floor to his guest. To a woman who was much more. He had all of two seconds before the eagerness of a young teenager would be allowed his first sip of alcohol. Obi-Wan's left hand slipped into Padm's right. He gave her a squeeze, firm and telling, as he leaned in, eyes lulling, an exhale of warm breath coming against her lips. He didn't kiss her. Stopping an inch short, instead, he whispered, "You have been missed." His thumb traced the soft inside of her palm. He had to let go when he heard Anakin coming back, however just before his student returned, just after releasing her had, the skillful man gave a quick pinch to that lovely little derriere. More so her hip, maybe, but it was close enough to count. When Anakin got back to the room Obi-Wan was already halfway to meeting him, taking the bottle for inspection as the youth set up the glasses.

She knew he was pretending, as he stared at the wine cradled in his handsHis calloused, worn hands that could feel so gentle and tender upon her skin, yet held the power to make her raw and aching still, begging for mercy at his feetOn those rare occasions where she demandedtoomuch, and the tolerance of her Knight was pushed too far, he held the power to make submissive, a very sultry and boisterous Queen. FormerQueen One little dark haired political minx, who believed herself to be much more intimidating than she appeared. Albeit, even being of such lithe and petite stature, Padm was quite capable of making men more than twice her size, and age for that matter, unsettled and unnerved in her presencefor reasons far beyond her looks. She possessed the wit and tongue of a politician far beyond her years, at least as far as those outside of Naboo were concerned. Her home planet very much focused upon the intellectual pursuits, political involvement and outspoken activisms of their youthThe Senate had been used to dealing with Padms predecessor, King VerunaAn older man who had been as corrupt as the majority of them. Veruna was power hungry, complacent with sitting silently in the Senate halls and counting his Republic marks. Unless someone challenged him of course; being challenged did not sit well with any person from Naboo. Veruna was why there were so few male monarchs on Naboo Young girls held an elegance, an ethereal grace that was revered and regarded with wisdom on Naboo. Padm, at twelve, had defeated him mercilessly in a debate, leaving the King shamed and exposed for his tyrannical reign..And leaving the Senate to deal with a young Queen, who sat idly for no one. Well, at least not forjustanyone.. Curious eyes watched the Jedi Master chuckle against his glass, using words so eloquently strung to tease her, in order to keep his padawan ignorant while her own blood boiled. She would not lose the upper hand so easilyNot yet. Padm leaned back against the couch, sipping at her wine as Obi-Wan jested of her ferocity in the Senate. She inclined her head delicately at his words, as if she had no idea of what he spokeand at the same time lifting one of those long, sculpted legs to cross over the other, parting silken fabric around her waist at the very high slit in her skirt, allowing her bare, smooth skin to be seen, as well as the silver, glittering straps of her clear heels which tied midway up her calf. Elongating that smooth stem, unblemished, and untouched since the Water festival on Naboo This display immediately caught Anakins attention, as all of Padmes movements tended to, but it was taken as a motion nothing out of the ordinaryThough he had inhaled his wine more so than sipping it, causing the young padawan to blush furiously. Plenty of women crossed their legs after all, it wasnt considered a sensual movement outright But with Padm, her intentions were just that. To torment the seemingly conservative man to near bursting.To ruffle his feathers and make his skin crawl far more easily than even AnnieShe wanted to control him, to see him red in the face and eager for an excuse to send Anakin away She loved seeing him twitchA sign of eminent victory. Incorrigible? Well that is certainly not the word I would use. She purred, sipping at her wine with a smile lingering upon her glossy lips. Though, I suppose for those still focused on theoldways An emphasis upon the word made with a quirk of her brow, My youthful voice and perspectives are rather exhausting. But time encourages change, it cannot be expected for things to remain as they were a long..longtime agoAround the timeyouwere born Obi-Wan. She giggled, and Anakin nearly spit out his wine. Covering his mouth as he choked back laughter, he exchanged a gleeful glance at Padm, who was giggling still. But yes..it is probably best to go to sleep. I would not wish to keep you up Obi-Wan she smiled through her laughter, placing her glass down upon the table as she warmly returned Anakins hug. Shall you both escort me to the Jedi Temple then tomorrow? She asked as she stood once more, that veil of silk resuming its place to keep her flesh from sight. I suspect you already have to report there, so I could accompany you and request your appointments as my bodyguards. She smiled to Anakin who was wiping a bit of wine from his chin that he had in fact spit out. He smiled sheepishly, nodding towards her. Padm then turned her gaze to Obi-Wan, brushing a few curls away from her face, twisting one slowly around her fingertip....Childishly...Devilishly... The sooner it is requested, the less trouble I will find myself in.

Vixen. Nymphet. A most alluring little succubus. He had touched her. A moment ago he had felt the warmth of her hand. That meant this wasn't a dream, didn't it? Obi-Wan stood there, his side facing the pair as he pretended to examine the bottle Anakin had brought. As he pretended to look at his glass, considering it. Considering something. Considering nothing. In truth he heard little of their words, but rather listened to their voices. Her voice. That it was real filled him with warmth in a way he couldn't yet afford to react. All he could do was take one breath after another. Slow. They had played this game long enough, she and him, this illusion of Queen and Knight and nothing more. He would have to suffer it just a little while more. "Already I get the feeling you will be a great boon to the senate, Your Highness," Obi-Wan chimed in as he lifted the glass to his lips. He paused for a moment before sipping - Your Highness? No, that didn't fit anymore, did it? Now that would be something to get used to! It should make for fun pillow talk later, too, that she was no longer royalty and therefor couldn't remain quite so bossy! Taking a hearty sip the master jedi smiled, "As much as you were a wonderful ruler for your people on Naboo I am sure you'll do them even more good here, where the planet's needs can be addressed on a greater level. And I wouldn't be surprised - nay, might even be disappointed if you hadn't stepped on some toes by now." With this Obi-Wan turned his face toward the pair, smiling a warm, familiar smile to Padm. To his Padm. He looked to her with a warmth she would recognize; not the face each knew to wear so often when others were around. "Smart. Strong. Fragile only in appearance. I pity any who would assume you to be less than you are." Another sip followed his words, this with a look of his eyes directly into hers. "Though despite my faith in your abilities, not all the rest of the senate here on Coruscant is quite as pure and innocent as you." Pure and innocent? Hardly! A private little joke, that. "Dare I say, some of them may even be corrupt." A smirk, and a bit of sarcasm. "I wouldn't be surprised if your... style, steps on quite a few toes in your time here, Padm. And I wouldn't be surprised if you go too far and someone attempts something foolish. And what do I always tell you about fools, Anakin?" Another good sip. "That their blades may be sharper than their wits, Master." "Very good." He looked to Anakin briefly, then back to the dark-eyed beauty. His. "If I might make a suggestion, speak to the Council soon on such matters. I suppose it would be best if Anakin and I are with you to explain to Master Yoda the situation." Another sip, and a lingering look to the woman, this with an amused, jovial smirk to it. "That situation being, Senator Amidala of Naboo is, by our experience, headstrong and quite incorrigible, and quite likely to stir up things both intended and unintended. It is in my opinion that though an escort could not tell her how to act, for such an attempt would never get anywhere, having a jedi in such a role could keep her from harm." "Could we be those jedis, Master?!" Anakin piped in excitedly, drinking heartily at his wine, loosening Padm's hand just long enough to pour himself a second glass before snatching the familiar warmth back up again. "Our assignments are rarely up to us, Anakin, you know that. Such a request would have to fall to the lady here," and with this he shot he a glance, "and, beyond even that, to the will of the Council. Ultimately I think someone should be assigned to her side for awhile, no matter whom that may be, as surely her... way of going about... will see her at ends with some of the more questionable members of the senate, and through that who knows what is to be discovered?" Obi-Wan paused. "Of course, forgive me for overly assuming. I am exhausted, it is late, and my apprentice picked an especially good bottle." Obi-Wan smiled to Anakin, a mirroring look on the padawan's face. Then, back to Padm, "I meant no offense, Lady Senator." The brown-haired man finished the last bit of his glass before setting it on the end table at the couch where the pair were sitting, beside the bottle. Scratching lightly at the beard at the side of his jaw, he mused aloud, "Later than I'd care to acknowledge, really. The sun is likely closer to being up than it is down. ...Anakin, I think it is time for bed." "Aww... but Master, I haven't gotten to see Padm in so l-" "Bed for us both, Anakin. All three, I'd say, if I might be so forward as to suggest," he said, looking to his sweet, fiendish, angelic little devil of a guest. "Miss Padm will see herself out when she wishes, I suppose. As for you and I, despite what she decides, we still have to report in to the Council in the morning." "...Yes, Master," Anakin said with a childlike whining of a sigh, setting his glass down and immediately wrapping that freed hand around the woman in a tired hug.

Judging by the way his eyes kept averting from her, never settling upon her form for longer than a glance to keep himself from looking rather suspicious, Padm felt rather secure in her triumph. In the Senators mind, she had executed her plan for a perfect seduction flawlessly. The element of surprise combined with his weariness from travel caught him perfectly off guardWhich permitted her to add an extra blow to his senses with that light, floral perfume spritzed with sparkles upon her neck and wrists, the bright color of her clothing in the dimly lit quarters and that innocent flash of skin when those absolutely trampish shoes were revealed Had he been alone, Padm was confident that he would have been brought to his knees before her And despite that vision being in her head alone, it brought a tremble of immense pride and satisfaction coursing through the young nymphets body. Nine sounds excellent, She concurred, moving to stand beside Obi-Wan as Anakin followed reluctantly beside her, knowing that he would be forced to leave her side soon. His hands lingered, tracing fingertips against the soft skin of Padms wrist, idly smiling to himself. Months had seemed like years away from herHow had he ever survived a moment without her warmth? The young padawan caught his Masters firm stare. He immediately retracted his hand and instead embraced the former Queen, who warmly returned the affection. Goodnight Annie, sleep well She smiled softly, watching the boy head quite unenthusiastically to his quarters for the night. Ignorant entirely of what he left behind, and what his absence would unleashUnaware of his place as a tourniquet for forbidden passions; the moment he was removed, such wanton desires were released at a near perilous force.. A force as strong as that open strike to the Senators pretty little face. In her swell of confidence, the little vixen left herself vulnerable for such an assault..Check She stumbled slightly, but was caught by the Jedis fingers twisting firmly into her pretty locks, pulling her back into place..Herplace..A place she needed to be forced into, for she wouldnt submit so willingly on her own. She could feel her feet rising off of the floor, and somewhere within her panicked thoughts she wondered how much strength of his own he was using to lift her Padm, after all, weighed as much as one of the many fancily decorated feathered pillows placed upon her bed. The second strike she was prepared for, preemptively wincing as she braced herself for the sudden blowand for the lecture to follow. She said nothing at first after being released, fuming with her humiliation as she gently rubbed her face. Feeling the blood rushing to the spots on her pale cheeks where his hand had impacted the harshest, bringing her a shade of blush no amount of makeup could recreate. Those sienna eyes trembling not with shame, but with fury. How dare she? How darehe! She may not have her crown, but she was still Queen! And she would make certain to remind him of such As he began patronizing her, Padm twisted her fingertips at her side, allowing him to blow off steam with words she would use against him later on to sate her own guilty delight in hearing him beg and plead for her forgiveness. Never out of malice or desire to hurt himbut when he scolded her soso , was it not just for her to desire to see him nuzzling at her thighs, whispering his pleas against her inner most intimate folds.. He was right, for many reasons.. He was right about her carelessness about coming to his quarters so late. She hadnt even considered the thought that other Senators could be spying on herHer heart had been beating too loudly for her to think of anything else but him Not even about Anakin, or his feelings towards her..Which she did not believe, mostly because the idea seemed as probable as being attracted to ones own sibling He was also right in thinking he wouldnt get through to her like thisScolding worked for some but like Anakin, Padm did not respond well to such things..In fact, in a manner almost exceeding the padawan in brattiness, the young Senator mostly ignored what was being reprimanded. Even Anakin paid attention, his mind wandered at times, but he was mindful of his Masters words. Padm however, focused on what she delighted in hearing, that he loved her. Words to confirm he was not incredibly mad, and that she still had a chance to win in this power play they constantly reveled in. Who would submit tonight Who would relinquish themselves to lay beneath the other, to obey the heated commands made between the sheets They needed the release, both of them didDespite Obi-Wans headaches, despite his protestsHe needed her, almost as much as she needed him in fact. To play this dangerous game, every move needed to be carefully plottedBeing mindful of the other players, the other piecesthe pawns. But at times, the most thrilling and satisfying thing to do, was to take a chance..To movecarelessly. To play on instinct and hearts desireAnd Padms desire, from the bottom of her heart, was to spend even a few hours with her Jedi Knighteven if they were both thoroughly, painstakingly exhausted for the entirety of the following day. Clothes off was it? The youth smirked in delight as she moved her hand to the clasp of her cloak, letting it drop to the floor in a fluid motion, pooling around her feet as her hands dropped to unclasp the pearls upon her bodice. Old indeed She mused, slipping her bodice off as she walked towards the couch, revealing the much more sultry attire she had been hiding under the guise of modest couture fashion. Her hands moved down the curve of her sides as she approached him, lifting a leg so that once again the thin silken material parted around the muscular shape of her thigh. So old that youve forgotten how to treat your Queenwhom you vowed would always be such, crown or not She purred, lowering herself to straddle his waist, making certain to bring herself quite close to him, her free hand moving to stroke his beard as she gazed up towards him with the most innocent expression. Havent you missed me? She pouted sweetly, pressing her breasts against his chest. Ive dreamt of you every night since weve been apart She whispered, moving her hand from his beard down to the one at his side, guiding it up towards her face And I was so anxious to see you..I could not wait until morning..and you greet me by hurting me? Yelling at me? There was a choke in her voice, one further emphasized by a sniffle and a pouted lipBut there was no hiding the lust in the Senators young, beautiful eyes as she gazed up towardsherKnight

She gave him goddamnshivers. Those shoes... those heels... Obi-Wan didn't look. He didn't look as in his face didn't turn, as in his head was still, remaining where it was, eyes forward to stare at whatever he could stare at to not lose his composure. He didn't look in that he kept his head straight, but a man could only do so much about his peripheral vision. He could only do so much about a sexual little minx sitting on his couch in heels that would fit right in at the skankiest of clubs. He could only do so much about an adorable youth flashing him those eyes, those hungry eyes, and about the way she girlishly played with her hair, making any man who looked feel like the worst of sinners. Deep breaths. One, and then a second. And then another to follow it. There was no other way to get through this. Blinking hard, if only Anakin wasn't lingering, he thought... It felt as if they were working together against him, to torture him, to drive him nuts, though in separate ways. Breathing, he knew the boy cared for her greatly, though not as he did. Not love. Love, yes, perhaps, but of a different sort. A young, naive sort. That was something they'd have to address sooner or later rather than to keep skirting around, but for now Obi-Wan could only acknowledge that briefly before his mind was pulled back to the issue at hand. The small issue. The petite, and adorably seductive issue. "We'll meet here in the morning then," he managed, a forced calm to his voice. Very forced. "I will see you both here by nine? That does not allow for very much sleep tonight, but Master Yoda does prefer promptness." Taking another breath, now that he'd started to talk again it was a little easier to regain himself, to concentrate on something other than her.Hisher. "Truthfully he would have wanted us reporting in now, I am sure, were it not already so late." Another breath. He gave Anakin a look that was neither harsh nor relaxed, but commanding, one that the boy had come to learn meant there had been enough procrastinating. Giving a weak frown as his only response, Anakin knew better than to stall anymore. Giving Padm one more quick hug, for in the mind of a youth in love it had been ridiculously forever since their last, he smiled to her as he stepped back. "Goodnight Padm," he spoke, letting go of her hand last. then, "Goodnight Master," before he finally turned, stepping out the door. "Goodnight Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, his tone already shifting from the uncomfortable forced-calm of a moment ago to something else. Would she feel it? Would she sense it coming, or did the little devil still think herself in control? The Jedi could feel it in his chest, throbbing, eager, that feeling he had learned to go so long without during their months apart. He looked to Padm from her side. He looked to her as she watched his Padawan apprentice leaving. He looked to her cheek, to her youthful face. He looked to the clothes that hid beneath something he could only imagine was equal parts filth and beauty, something he'd been gifted with a brief glimpse of already. He looked to her as one might stare at a painting, at a statue, admirably at first, then analytical at second. And when they were finally alone, when she began to turn to him any pleasure he might have felt in their privacy disappeared immediately. When she began to turn she would find nothing less than a hard, open palm cracking hard against the side of her face. "How dare you," he exhaled hotly. Reaching out, the Jedi snatched at Padm's hair, taking a fistful to then twist her to the side and slightly up, the tips of her toes briefly all that touched the rug. His opposite hand came up then to strike her opposite cheek, holding nothing back in his frustration. Letting go, he shoved her head forward, anger painting his face. "You little brat!" he chastised, not too loud yet for Anakin couldn't be far, but that didn't save his tone from any degree of fury. Hushed, yet sharp. "I have told you again and again Padm that we must be careful! And again, and again you push to see how far we can go without getting caught!" His chest rising and falling with each rapid breath, Obi-Wan raised a palm to run through his hair. Looking down at her, he continued, "I'm thrilled that you are here, but surprising me like that is risky! And what of someone else? What if another senator's spies saw you come here so early in the morning? Would you jeopardize us both?! ...And what is this 'senator' business?!" What was he to do? How was he supposed to respond? He had enough on his hands dealing with one teenager all day. So much stress, so much burden he had to constantly shoulder... Obi-Wan moved to plop down on the couch where she and Anakin had just been sitting, sighing into his hands. "Goddamnit Padm I love you, but I... ugh... I am thrilled to hear that you were chosen to be senator -thrilled- and it's still surreal to me, but I wish you wouldn't test the limits of what people would believe by coming here so late. And your actions in front of Anakin! He's not a kid anymore, no less than you! He's going to catch your actions one day, and how much he likes you is already enough of an issue!" He wasn't going to get through to her, was he? No more than he did any other time he went on a tirade. ...though, much as he didn't like to admit it, she wouldn't be herself if she were more well behaved. She would still be his, but there was just something so youthful about her free spirit with things such as is that he adored. And as such was her role to play, his was of the older, more mature that had to clean up any messes while being careful bigger ones weren't created while he was dealing with the first. And part of him was constantly terrified she'd resent him for that one day. "I love you," he spoke again, this one softer though, more calm. But instead of allowing himself to calm for long Obi-Wan stood. "And I think you'll forgive me because of that, my Padm, for what is coming." Standing, he reached over to the bottle Anakin had brought, to a small towel sitting on the endtable beside it. "I'll not have you dressed like that right now, whatever it is you are wearing beneath that. Like a whore." Did that word give her the same guilty shivers it did him? "I am too worked up, too tired, and you will not be allowed to seduce me into a quick forgiveness. So take everything off." He tossed the cloth down at her feet. "And when you've finished with that you can start cleaning that spot you caused from your joking. ...Old, am I? So old that Anakin thought it was funny and spilled on my rug. So old that you can disrespect my home?" Taking another long, calming breath, Obi-Wan returned to his seat. "I hear wine stains quick, and can be rather difficult to get out."

And so, for the moment, the white flag had been revealed Until moments later when said flag would surely be used as some sort of lewd restraint or gag, for the time being, peace was to be made between two lovers whom had been surviving off of the lingering taste of the other upon their lips for what seemed like a dreadful eternity... She felt him falter beneath the weight and warmth of her body. All of his anger and grouchiness crumbling as his arm rose up to guide her closer. Padm smiled, a sharp breath drawn inward as if she were choking back tears. A whimper stalled in her throat as she relinquished herself, for the moment, into the Jedis arms. Oh Obi-Wanshe whispered as he plead with her, her elation all the more intensified as his embrace encompassed her entirely.. There. Thiswas what she wanted.What all the teasing built up to; surrendering on both sides into such intimacy and trust forged upon necessary secrets. These brief moments in their game, when professions of love and affection took place, made such confessions all the more meaningfuland the illicitness of their affair all the more worth while. Padm curled herself closer against Obi-Wans chest, her lips softly playing upon the base of his neck as her fingertips traced the curves of his muscles through the fabric of his robesDropping those slender hands down between his thighs, seeking more warmth as her smile became a bit more playful. And I love you Obi-Wan She whispered in turn, And I have every intention of staying here for the remainder of the nightin you arms, whether you approve or not Those neatly trimmed brows raised with audacious intent. Would he submit now, and come crawling behind her as she went to his room? Would he nuzzle against those shoes he scoffed at? Would he relinquish all that it meant to act as severe and composed as a Jedi, and serve his Queen well that night, taking every ounce of humiliation with pleasure and gratitude? Or would his age demand he take his young lover back into her place? Did he desire her to be the one upon her knees that night? Well, starting that way at least A soft, aching moan escaped Padms lips as the hand in her hair tightened, for a moment, her back arched forward, pushing her breasts against his chest, grinding herself against his waistEagerly. As she was again tossed to the floor, Padm laid down upon her back, eyes intent upon her Knight as her own hands wandered down the length of her body. Smoothing down her waistline, trailing upon the curve of her skirts band. She arched her back in a rather feline-like display, twisting at the golden clasp upon her hip that held the very thin material of her skirt together. You dont bother cleaning upyourstains.. she mused wickedly, sitting up on her knees, causing her skirt to slip off of her body to reveal very sheer white panties that hugged against her body with what little material they were composed of. Finding the act more to her advantage than that of humiliation, Padm crawled after Obi-Wan, hips swaying elegantly in the dim light. Mmm and you wouldnt put me out on the streetYoure far too possessive. She smirked, pausing as she came to the threshold of the door, moving up in one very elegant movement to her feet, before guiding herself up to stand with her back against the wall, eyes ever so intently upon the Jedi Master Dont you remember Supernovas.

She would not break him so easily. He knew his Padm. He knew her devious little mind, her dirty little thoughts. As he said the words Obi-Wan knew she would turn the order to remove her whorish attire into an opportunity to striptease - and even if she didn't, even without any added effort, the revelation of a female's skin by itself sent shivers through the spine. Knowing this, his face was turned away before Padm could even be rid of her cloak. What were the ingredients in that wonderful wine? Blackberry juice. Filtered water from... how would you pronounce that planet? He had to squint to even see the small lettering on the label. Eventhishe found impossible to concentrate on! ...Was Obi-Wanreallyreading the wine? His eyes shut. A hand came up, fingers folded into themselves, fist coming to rest against his lips and chin. He had hit her. He hadn't seen her in so long, loved her, missed her, thought about her every day, craved her every night... he had hit her twice after being away for so long. And she wasn't mad; he could see her playful gyrations from the corner of an eye. This was all part of their game, he knew, everything from the attitude he was showing now to her clothes to... to everything. But right now he couldn't help but want to be rid of this nonsense for just a few minutes. And then she straddled his lap, pressing her thoroughly bared body against him. That did him in. The finger affectionately stroking his light beard. The warmth of her breath. The pouty, guilt-inducing voice that questioned whether or not he actually missed her. Obi-Wan cracked in that moment. Fuck his anger; one arm rose up around the bared skin of her upper back, hugging firmer the body which already fitted itself so close to his form. His other hand left his chin to spread its fingers, trailing around Padm's face, nails tracing a stained cheek, reaching to dig themselves in that softest of brunette hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered, voice shaky. "I'm sorry, Padm... don't... don't be mad at me, for this..." Guiding her head closer, Obi-Wan leaned forward, eyes still shut. He met her halfway, nuzzling his bearded cheek against her forehead. "I missed you terribly. I love you. You will always be my Queen. I promise, I promise..." Could they drop their game just for a moment? The time away seemed to get longer and longer with each tearful departure. Did their reunions always have to be like this, a power struggle? "I love you," again he whispered. "I've dreamt of holding you like this forever... I could go without this ever ending..." His fingers slipped out of her hair to instead stroke against them, soft, caressing the strands. His other arm drifted down to her lower back. His face fell to kiss at her jaw. "You mean everything to me, my Padm." Her hair was so soft. And what was that perfume? "Please... p-please, stay here with me tonight. We'll be up early, before Anakin, but I want you in my bed... my arms..." Obi-Wan took a deep breath. Oh, to end such a moment... He hated himself for it already, the thought. He could accept that though. What he worried about, instead, was similar, and always a constant. "You make me do these things, my love... you do." She was so soft, so warm. The taboo of even touching her hadn't worn off years later, the simple, intimate contact sending shivers through him still. "I know I must be this way so you can afford not to. I just... I just hope you do not come to detest me for it some day." The hand at her back ran around her smooth, feminine side to her waist. "Not for real." To her front, palm resting against her belly. "You mean so much to me." And then the moment was over. The game was back on. The hand at Padm Amidala's hair jerked her head backward. The other, at her abdomen, aided in shoving her away, shoving her off the couch and to the floor. Would she notice his own wince as he did so? It didn't matter. Obi-Wan's eyes opened to look upon her young teenage form as he stood, towering over her. "You are going to clean that before it stains like I told you to," his voice having sharply regained every degree of strength, "and you are going to do it now! And if you insist on dressing like such a galactic ho then we will simply have to put you on the corner where you can be one!" She was in check. Her turn. How would she move? "Aagh!" A grunt of frustration. Brows furrowed, Obi-Wan waved a dismissive hand at her before turning and walking off toward the bath.

Make up for what? The little brunette minx mused, inclining her head slightly as she slowly caressed her hands up her thighs, across her lean stomach and beneath her breasts that were still blossoming amidst womanhood. I dont recall doing anything wrong that night.Infact, if I recall correctly, after youdraggedme homeYou had me dance just for you A smirk curled on her soft lips, her hand reaching out to grasp at the folds of his robe as he tried to pass her. A move like that wouldnt be ignored He was trying to get away, to keep pacing so that he could come up with some sort of plan to retain what little dominance his gruff attitude had built up that night. As the Senators little fingers twisted against his robe, tugging at him lightly to turn and face her, theQueenin her decreed that this would not be so. Surely that under most physical circumstances, Padm would not stand a chance in winning against her Master Jedi; however, when the man was already tired, and his arousal was becoming to heavy and painful to bearthe soft tug from a young maiden half his age felt like a gravitational pull And thus the Master would find himself pressed against a giggling girl, whose hands moved to grasp his wrists before his Jedi reflexes could contact his sensesFor a young girl in heat was a dangerous foe, and her skills far more deadly than that of even the most renowned Jedi. Setting her trap by pushing her breasts against his chest, whilst guiding his hands to grope at her ass, batting her eyelashes with all the innocence of a desire demon.. Perhaps She whispered, one hand still atop of one of his wrists, keeping him there as her other hand moved down between their bodies. She lifted up her right leg, draping it around his waist to pull him closer, pressing the bulk of his arousal against her open palm. Those little fingers went immediately on their devilish task, stroking at the older man through the layers of cloth. Her hand positioned almost as a barrier between his length and the curves of her sex. Though his tuned senses no doubt could feel her heat still, her excitement clear from the glistening wetness against the slit of her white panties. Perhaps after the Senate meeting you will take me to another club to dance. Eyes intently moved up towards his face, her heels providing enough extra height for her to be able to nuzzle at his neck without straining upon her tiptoes. Her hips began slowly moving, back and forth in a slow grind to press her palm against his need. A dangerous question that she wagered her power on at that moment, as such a suggestion could snap her lovers carnal envy and cause him to regain control with a fist wrapped tightly in her hair, his other hand eager to teach her a lesson on endangering them with such excursions "I do love dancing..." She purred, her lips lining the curve beneath his jaw. "Knowing that out of everyone there, that you're watching me...That I am yours, and when we go home that night you'd remind me of just that..." Albeit....if her pieces had been lined out just rightHe would be so overwhelmed at that moment, by the sight of her...the smell of her, thefeelof her....that he would be willing to say or agree to anything, just to be able to melt into her delicate and most manipulative, nymphet hands

'You don't bother cleaning upyour stains...' That attacked directly at the gruff, frustrated, and frankly exhausted attitude. Obi-Wan couldn't help but crack a smile, thinking to himself how all of those stains were her fault too. Thankfully, though, he had already stepped into the bathroom, and since his back was turned she wouldn't have seen the pleasurable expression. As far as she would know he was still dissatisfied. This meant he had a moment to fight that smile, to make it go away. This also meant that he saw nothing of her stripping her lower half, the sheer white panties or the sultry catlike slink along the floor. "I would not put you out on the street?" he mused aloud, thinking on that a moment. True, he was very possessive. Very possessive. Padm was his. As determined to keep their relationship a secret as he was, there was no doubt between them of the mutual ownership, that they belonged to one another and that hell would freeze over before either would be seen in the arms of a third. But, still, the thought of putting Padm on a corner somewhere as punishment was so delightfully arousing. She already had the attire of a working girl. It was just a matter of some make-up, a squabble, a few harsh slaps and even harsher words, and Obi-Wan could see himself sending her to a seedy corner somewhere to stand among other prostitutes with a quoted amount in mind - however many customers it took, she would not be allowed to return to him until she made that amount. And perhaps from then on she would reconsider dressing like such a harlot. ...but as he thought this the jedi already knew how the scene would play out. He would follow her, using all his tricks to remain undetected. He would wait and watch for someone to pick her from the other girls, an event that would come quick as her beauty was both flawless and undeniable. Then, seconds into her stepping into the vehicle he would have to intervene, waving his hand at the customer to make the man or woman forget her while he dragged Padm back home for the beating of her life. That, or maybe he'd be the one to purchase the 'prostitute', bringing her back to his bed to have her fulfill all the desires Padm was usually too prissy to readily allow him. Either way, just thinking about it had the man hard as a goddamnrock. Smiling still, quite content with his thoughts, Obi-Wan turned when he heard her right behind him. He turned just in time to catch her back pressed against the door frame, to catch her rising up against it from a kneel, pure sex coming from her eyes, pure lust from her skin. His heart beat rapidly against his chest as he watched, no shame in observing. No shame in the protruding length that stretched against the typically loose attire of his chosen profession. "Of courseI remember Supernova," he replied with a purely lecherous twist of his lips. His eyes were on Padm's body, scouring the tantalizing inches of her young, taut skin. By the Force, they had been apart for far too long! "Fourteen years old, the night before your fifteenth birthday you begged me for an early present, in addition to the one I had already acquired you... so spoiled you were. I can see things haven't changed much." A smirk. His eyes continued to leer. "You whined for me to take you to the dirtiest, seediest place I could think of, and I eventually gave in. ...I do recall they asked us to not come back after your little performance on stage." It had been hard enough to sit idly by as he watched men stick currency in her garter as she danced around a pole, and worse after that, to sit still when offers for each of her holes were being shouted out... When the pair of wookies got too grabby it took everything in the jedi to resist using his saber, or even the Force, for such a display would surely be talked about. "I broke my hand fighting those thick-skulled beasts. Or did you forget? ...To be entirely honest, I am not sure you quite made up for that yet." Smug. Aroused and smug. Obi-Wan stood there a moment more, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her whorish attire even if openly chastised her for it. This game between them was always interesting, and always ever-changing. He took a few steps past her, out of the bathroom, not quite sure where to go or what to even do next. He had to keep moving, keep thinking or at least keep doingsomething,he knew, else she would be the little opportunist and seize control. And oh how terribly his soul craved then to simplysubmit...

He was weak to her. ...no. No, on a good day he was weak, at a time when he was well rested and mentally prepared. Times like that she still knew how to press all the right buttons, engaging in a game he had to be careful to keep control of. Like this, exhausted, taken by utter surprise by her presence, and suffering from months of emotional and physical need... he was putty in her hands. Part of the Jedi hated himself for that. The rest, right then, simply didn't know how to resist. She would have felt it when she touched him, his Padm, when her fingers danced at his robes. When she pressed her petite, youthful breasts to the stronger man's chest Obi-Wan had not a slight of fight left in him, gripping his beloved nymphet's backside with fervor when she guided his hands to those rounded, firm curves. And then the palm. That evil little palm, responsible for so many sweet, seductive sins, acting as both encouragement and denial between their loins - any lingering thoughts he may have harbored for one final resistance dissipated in that moment, the bearded Jedi's arousal growing to its peak against her slender, delicate fingers. "I love you," he whispered hotly, and in bittersweet defeat. The taller man's eyes drifted closed and a hand traced such smooth, flawless skin to grip Padm's thigh, keeping the leg hooked around him. The other was in no way shy in its tight grip upon her firm, supple ass. His Queen's body indeed had its own gravitational pull, the Jedi finding himself leaning... leaning... his back arching, leaning closer with every breath, until his lips latched hungrily to her neck. In that instant it was all over. She had won. Digging his fingers into that perfectly curved cheek, digging his fingers into a thigh which could make even the strongest of men want to fuckingsin,Obi-Wan held his young Padm firm to his chest as he lifted her up, and in one hot, lusting movement, turned them around until her back was pressed against the frame of the bathroom's doorway, her legs an inch too short of being allowed the floor. He pinned her. Perhaps too hard, perhaps too eagerly he pinned her, but perhaps too bad. Obi-Wan's hips pressed forward, pressing his hard, aching need into the curve of Her Royal Highness' palm, his loose clothing doing nothing to hide the size and shape she had come to know well over the past two years. And like that he grinded. Lustful. Shameless. He ground his loins against her palm, breathing with desperate need upon her neck. "I love you," came the words, a soft pant, "Ineedyou," the hand on her teenage ass holding firm, sandwiching her, as if the door frame wasn't enough. "I need...you." Quick, lusting kisses devolved into exhales of hot breath against her neck, Obi-Wan's lips parting to rest his teeth against her skin. "Wherever you want...whatever you want," he whispered, his mind flashing with the memory of that hot night after he brought her home from the club in a fit of anger. That 'night' had lasted a day and a half, their sweaty bodies entangled for an eternity that had been all too short. "Anything...anything... mine... tell me you'remine..." Pleading. Desperate. Obi-Wan was putty in her hand in a very literal sense. She could give her lover a sweet giggle, a quick hand release, he knew, and he was so weak for her then that he would take such, and take it gladly. But he wanted more. He needed her love right now. Games could come later, the next morning, when it was once again clear how deep their feelings for one another truly were. "My Queen," he whispered, teeth raking passionately up the side of her neck, below her jaw, to just below her ear, his beard brushing against her delicate skin.

Arden looked up from his drink as he saw a bag drop onto his table. From the sound of it, it contained money. That was good. He liked money. He looked up at the person who had dropped it. It was an attractive young girl. This was getting even better. Now he just needed her to take of her clothes and his day would be perfect. Of course, he knew he would be dreaming since things like that never happened to him. She did want to hire him though. All he had to do was take her somewhere. That seemed easy, but maybe a little too easy. He looked at her carefully. She didn't seem to be a fugitive. He could be wrong, but he didn't want any Empire ships stopping him and searching his ship. He leaned back and thought about it for a few moments. He took a sip of his drink before looking up at her again. He then looked down at the money and back up at her. He smiled. "Follow me." was all he said. He got up from the table and placed a few coins down to pay for his drink. He left the tavern without even looking back to see if the girl was following. He stepped out onto the streets and turned toward the nearest space port. He walked along at his own pace, never looking back to check on the girl. He had to make it look as if he didn't even know she was there. He didn't know who she was or why she needed him, but she might have people following her. He had to be carefull. As he walked he ran a hand through his black hair. There was a sparkle in his blue eyes as he winked at a pretty girl he passed. He was 6'2" with a broad frame. He was strong, but not overly muscular. His skin was lightly tanned. He wore dark brown pants and a black vest. The vest just covered his chest and stomach, having no sleeves. He arrived at the space port and entered the hanger where his ship was located. He loved that ship, the Phoenix Flame. It was a custom designed ship, perfect for smuggling. It had one main area in the center that contained a small galley, a sitting room, a bedroom with a small bed, two gun emplacements on the front on the left and right with a very wide range of motion, as well as one at the back. The bridge was simple with just two seats at the very front of the ship. On either side it branched out slightly and led to a pair of large engines. They only appeared large though. The main thing about it was that the engines were only about a third the size that they appeared from the outside. Yet they could power the ship to speeds that normal engines that size could. The rest of the space inside the engine housing was perfect for hiding things. No one ever searches inside engines. Other hiding places included a very well sealed compartment beneath the bed, open spaces above cockpit control panels, and some compartments on the outside of the ship, only accessable from outside. The ship was designed for speed in both space and planetary atmospheres. He turned around to see if the girl had followed him the entire way. He had no doubts that she had. It was not likely for someone to not follow a person they hired to take them somewhere. The only problem was if she had lost him in the crowd.

A small, hooded figure walked through the sand slowly, methodically, heading straight towards Mos Eisely. A sand storm was brewing, the wind whipping this way and that as the young girl made her way to the space port. Lara was a beautiful girl, and that was clear once she got into Eisely. The robe dropped off of her, showing a tight robe that clung to her frame. She wasn't wearing bottoms, but luckily, the robe acted more like a dress then anything. She had black curly hair that brushed against her shoulders, pale green eyes, pale skin, and a smile that could make even Emperor Palpatine smile for at least a few minutes. A few of the alien creatures turned to look at the girl, but she paid no mind, only headed to the bar before speaking quietly to the bartender. "I need a smuggler. One who won't ask questions." He pointed off towards a corner of the bar, the girl nodding and walking over before dropping a bag of credits on the mans table. "I need you to take me somewhere. I'll pay 25,000 now, and another ten when we make it. If you accept, you'll know the location once we get to the ship. It's far too crowded in here to risk saying anything. What do you say, can you do this for me?"

Arden smiled as he saw the girl still there. That was good. He could use the money. He listened to what she needed and smiled. She had an interesting accent. It made her voice sound even nicer. The problem was that he recognised what the accent was. He hoped there were no hutts after her. He did not want to have to deal with that. He let her continue telling him what he needed to do. So she was a rebel. That was interesting. He had never really liked the Empire or their ships. They weren't that hard to trick or out run, but they were annoyingly persistant. He would still take the job though. He didn't see any real problems. His only worry was the hutts coming after her. He turned toward his ship, pressing a button attached to his belt. The door opened and a ramp descended. He glanced back at her. "I can get you there very fast. I can also make sure no Imperial soldiers get to you. If they stop us you may have to hide in a cramped space, but they will not find you. I can guarantee that much. Well, let's go." He walked up the ramp onto the ship and waited for her to join him. He gave her a quick tour of his ship, showing her the bedroom where she could get a quick nap, the sitting room, the galley, and the cockpit. He also showed her where to go if they got stopped by an Imperial ship. He would help her get into the hiding spot if it was needed. He finished by going to the cockpit and sitting in the pilot's seat. He got the engines started up and let her go wherever she wanted to go on his ship. He had nothing to hide from her. He wasn't smuggling anything at the moment.

She had followed him all the way, after first putting her cowl back on. She had stayed behind him, at least five or six feet back to make sure no one realized she was indeed with the smuggler. Lara had come from a slave background. She had been forced to work on ranches and such, and was usually the one to take trips across the dune, risking being caught by Sand People, when someone needed something. When he stopped at the ship, she lowered the hood, tucking her black hair behind her ears before speaking slowly, with a little bit of a Huttese accent. "I need you to take me to Yavin IV, to the Rebel base. I need to get there fast....Can you do it?" She asked softly, looking over the ship a moment before continuing to speak. "The only cargo will be me, but you can not get caught by Imperial Storm Troopers. Granted, they won't know who I am, but I have very important information that if they find, our attempts at foiling the empire will be ruined." Her accent was actually pretty cute, and when she was done speaking, she looked up into his eyes, of course, taking time to look over his physique a bit. He was pretty cute, but she couldn't think about that right now. Right now, she had to meet back up with the rebels and get ready for whatever would happen next.

He was about ready to take off when the girl entered the cockpit. She had removed her cloak and what she had on now surprised him very much. She had only a tank top and pair of panties on. She was quite beautiful. He had to be dreaming. He was being paid a large ammount of money for taking a beautiful woman to a planet. He was quite happy about this now. She introduced herself to him and explained her background a little. It was relieving, knowing that no hutts would be after them. He nodded. Once she was buckled in he took off. The ship lifted off the ground smoothly. He pushed a lever forward and it started to move forward and up. He picked up speed until the ship broke free of the planet's atmosphere. He flicked a few switches and pressed a couple of buttons before relaxing. The ship was now searching for the planet's exact location and plotting a course. All he had to do was wait for a minute and then hit the light speed switch. He turned to the girl, trying not to stare at her body. He smiled slightly. "It is nice meeting you Lara. I promise to get you to your destination safely. I'm Arden. I have been flying this thing for many years. I've been stopped many times, but never caught, even when holding illegal things. You have nothing to worry about. Just sit back and relax."

She smiled as she was shown around, and once he left to get their journey underway, she got comfortable. She took off the cowl, setting it down on the back of a chair before taking off the robe and doing the ssame, exposing the girls slender yet curvy frame. She still had a tank top on, however, and a pair of panties, so nothing riske could be seen. After a few minutes though, she headed to the front of the ship and sat down in the cock pit next to him. She curled up, shutting her eyes slightly before looking out the windshield. "I'm Lara....I used to work for the Hutts, but I bought my freedom years ago with the credits I had accrued." She said softly, but sweetly as she buckled herself in. She hated flying, which was slightly amusing since she was practically always on a ship at some point. Whether it was smuggling Rebel plans, or trying to meet up with whoever, she was always flying. The girl's eyes shut completely, happy to be out of the harsh sun and whipping winds.

He was a little surprised to hear an attractive girl tell him to not worry about looking at her. She didn't seem to have any shame. Her explaination made it clear. He nodded but still tried not to look too much. He focused on the computer telling him how long it would be until the ship was ready to go to light speed. He nodded to her request, a little preoccupied. When she asked him what had made him become a smuggler. He glanced over at her. She seemed nice enough. He didn't tell many people his story, but something about her made him trust her. He pressed a few buttons and put his hand on a switch. "Get ready. Going to light speed in ten seconds." He flicked the switch and heard the engines starting to shift into the light speed mode to jump the ship up in speed. Once the ship made the jump he relaxed in his chair and sighed. "Well, I was an orphan since I was a young child. When I turned eighteen I left the orphanage and tried to make it on my own. I stole to survive. I stole once from the wrong guy. He caught me a few days later but I had spent the money already. He was about to kill me when he figured out I was an orphan. He had been an orphan as well. He decided to spare my life if I worked off my debt for him on his ship. It was this ship. He was a smuggler. I continued to travel with him when my debt was paid off. He was killed by an angry hutt a few years ago. I got everything he owned and continued to smuggle, though I never work for hutts or against hutts. I never have anything to do with hutts."

She smiled when he told her to relax, noticing him glancing at her and giggling. "Don't worry, I don't care if you look at me. If you had seen what the Hutts put me in, you'd understand how.... desensitizing it is. I could probably be bare and not really think twice about it." She laughed slightly and shut her eyes completely. It was nice to know he had done this plenty of times before. At least this way some of her worries left her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes again, looking him over one more time before stretching out. Her stomach showed a little bit, but she barely even noticed it. The girl shifted in her seat slightly before staring out the window for a few moments. "Well, thank you Arden. I appreciate this. Just warn me before you go off into light speed. Otherwise, I might faint." She smiled at him, running her hand through her hair lightly as she pulled her knees to her chest slightly. "What drove you to be a smuggler? I mean, it may be none of my business, but I'm just curious. It seems like a scary scary thing. If I were being chased by the Empire, I'd be terrified." SHe practically whispered, leaning her head on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs snugly.

Arden listened as the girl told him her story. It seemed she trusted him as well. That was a nice feeling. Most people did not trust smugglers. He looked over at her with a smile. Her life had been tougher than his had been. She seemed to be doing well though. He wished he could be as happy as she seemed to be. He glanced over as she left to go to the back of the ship. He simply adjusted a few things to make sure they stayed on course. They would have to stop a little before the planet to get past an Imperial ship, but that did not worry him. He was making the preparations for the encounter when he heard her footsteps returning. Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and one on his leg. He looked up at her. He couldn't avoid getting a good look at her body. The sight mixed with the feel of her hands caused him to become aroused. He looked away and stared at his computer. He hoped she didn't notice the forming bulge. He tried to speak. "I....Its ok."

"Stoopa schutta....The Hutts aren't something to mess with. My mother was a slave, my father wasn't....He was a bounty hunter. Jabba sold him my mom, and then I came along. When my father died on a job when I was seven, Jabba figured that he should "take care" of us. A few months later, he fed her to the Rancor.... Once I was older, once I got...sexy, I think the word is, I went from being a server to a dancer....I wore less then the Twi'leks...I had to sit at Jabba's side and be....a...lur....ing...Alluring! Sorry, my english isn't as good as it could be. I've only been speaking it for a few years. " She smiled genuinley, and it seemed that even though her life had been less the great, she was happy. Once in hyper space, shen unbuckled her seat belt, slowly standing up and walking out back of the ship. She grabbed the papers she had, slowly slipping them into her top before sighing and grabbing his money. She hid it on board, not wanting him to be able to get it before she decided to give it to him. Then, she slowly made her way to the front of the ship again, stumbling slightly and grabbing his shoulder to make sure she didn't fall down. The girl ended up with one hand on his shoulder, the other on his leg as she blushed and looked at him for a minute. "Sorry...."

What happened next caught Arden completely off guard. He felt Lara's lips press softly against his cheek. His arousal grew from the tender kiss and he blushed from nervousness and embarrasment. He swallowed hard and just stared straight ahead, not having any clue of what he should do. He nodded slightly as she said she would be in the bedroom for a nap. Once she was gone he tried to get his thoughts under control. Sure, she was a pretty girl, but he had a job to do. He needed to get her safely to the rebels and then she would be out of his life. He couldn't develop any feelings for her and couldn't let her develop feelings for him. It shouldn't be hard. They were only together for a short while. If something did connect between them, him leaving would become much harder and more complicated. He didn't want to get caught up in the rebellion. He wanted to avoid the Empire as much as possible. He sighed and just continued to monitor the computer.

Lara bit her lip, and then did something unexpected, even to her. She leaned forwards and kissed his cheek lightly and tenderly, a slight smile on her face before standing up and blushing. "Um, I'm going to go lay down for a bit. If you need me, don't hesitate to wake me up." She giggled nervously, standing there for another second before hurrying off to the back of the ship. She was embarrassed, and rightly so. As she climbed into the bed, she sighed, getting right under the blanket and shutting her eyes. She didn't go to sleep yet, though, only tried to make herself less awkward feeling. He had given her feelings she hadn't really felt before, and they were making her uncomfortable to say the least. She couldn't really get Arden out of her head, and she didn't actually want to, either.

Arden napped a little in his chair for about an hour. When he woke he checked the computer again. It seemed the rendezvous with the Imperial ship just before Yavin IV was inevitable. He sighed. He just hoped they would not be stopped or questioned. He changed course to try making a wider berth around it, lessing the chance of being contacted. When Lara eventually rejoined him he was preparing for the jump back down from light speed. He glaced over as she asked how far away they were. He focused on his control panels. "Um, about four or five minutes, if we don't get stopped. don't worry about that though." He glanced over at her again and smiled. She had a bit of a strange look on her face that he didn't understand. He didn't worry about it and hit a few more buttons. "Prepare to slow from light speed." He waited a few seconds and flicked the final switch. The ship came out of light speed. He started to direct the ship as far away from the Imperial ship as possible.

Lara hadn't gotten up again for a few hours, relaxed and well rested finally. The groggy eyed girl stood up, stretching slightly before walking out of the bedroom. SHe headed out to the cockpit again, sitting down in the chair next to his as she rubbed her eyes. "How far away are we from Yavin IV?" She asked slowly, crossing her legs and putting her feet up in front of here. She gripped the back of the seat as she watched out the window, trying to wake herself up a bit more, although, it was proving unsuccessful. After another few moments, she shut her eyes and curled up in the seat, still feeling quite awkward about earlier. She didn't know what to say at this point, but her eyes couldn't help but wander down his frame slowly when she did open her eyes again. Her lip was clenched between her teeth lightly, a soft sigh escaping the girls lips as she played with her hair for a moment.

Arden sighed as his passenger did exactly what he told her not to do. She was worrying. He let her got to the back of the ship. He changed course, deciding to take the route around the planet in the opposite direction as the imperial ship. He saw no indication that they were trying to contact him. In this part of the galaxy he was not well known and his ship was unknown to the imperials. They would not be looking for any ships like his. He heard the girl return and mutter in another languge. He knew it was an insult. He had heard it more than once before. He rolled his eyes. She sounded cuter than she did threatening. She gave him orders and he looked up at her. "Do you think I want to get stopped by them? Just sit down. We are not going to be stopped." Just then an imperial scout flew past. An alarm went off. He swore. He looked out the window and saw that they were close to the moon. He set his ship to go right to the rebel base on auto pilot. He then got up and ran to his gun emplacement. He wasn't about to be stopped. The ship sped up automatically. He just needed to last a few minutes. Once he got within the rebel defense line, he would be safe. He looked at Lara. "Get on the radio and tell the rebels who we are. We don't want to be attacked by them as well." He got his aim set and waited. If he attacked too soon, the battle would be crazier. The closer he could get to the rebels, the better. They were only a minute away when the final warning came. He waited another ten seconds and then took his shot. He destroyed the scout. He then ran to the rear emplacement to see more fighters on their way from the main ship. He took aim and fired to slow and divert them. He destroyed two more. The rest closed in. They got within their accurate range just as he pased the rebel defense line. He shot at them and destroyed one mroe as the others peeled off, realising that he was now protected. He breathed a sigh of relief as he retook the controls and piloted the ship toward the rebel hangar bay.

"I said stay away from the empire, not rendezvous with them! Oh god damn it...." She jumped up, running towards the back of ship and grabbing her things alone with her robes. She quickly put the robes on, tucking the plans into her tank top before shaking her head. Now, although the Stormtroopers probably wouldn't know her, there was a possibility they'd do a search of the both of them. And if they got the plans, well, the rebellion would crumple and they'd have no chance to overthrow the empire. The girl was panicking a bit now, and rightly so. As she ran back to the front of ship, she whimpered softly, cowl being pulled up over her head as she muttered. "E chu ta! Stoopa sleemo..." In truth, the way she sputtered Huttese insults was sort of attractive, but her anger was clear. "You best get us out of this....Because if I die at the hands of storm troopers, I swear I will be so angry...I was almost fed to the rancor, which is better then dying from a blaster ray."

Arden set the ship down in a rebel hangar. He shut down the engines and relaxed. He had been lucky. The Imperial ship had not attacked right away. It could have done that easily and he would have had a much tougher fight on his hands. Now he would get his money and leave. He could hear a commotion at the back of the ship, but he was sure Lara could handle herself. When someone entered the cockpit again he looked up and saw Lara. He smiled at her softly. She looked happy. He was glad. It seemed to have gone well. She even appoligised for insulting him and called him brave. Then she really surprised him. He watched her approach, expecting he would get money from her. Instead she leaned in, put her hands on his face, and kissed him. He looked up into her eyes, not sure how to respond. He took the credits from her without even really thinking about it. Then she kissed him again. He was still in shock when she left the ship. He recovered a minute later and he started to consider what he wanted to do next. He could easily leave and find something to smuggle on another system. Yet something told him he should stay with the rebels. It didn't make any sense at all. He had told himself he would never get in a situation that put him in conflict with hutts or the Empire. He knew what it was keeping him around though. Lara. He felt a connection to her like he hadn't with anyone in a long time. He had only known her for a few hours, and had only spoken with her for a little while, but he still felt something. Her kisses had probably just added to it as well. He thought she might feel the same. One kiss would not have meant anything in particular, but two meant that it was probably not just a friendly gesture. After some thought he made his decision. It went against all his personal rules and all his logic and reason, but he decided he would see if they wanted his help. Actually, he would just stay. He went out to find whoever was in charge. As he stepped off the ship he saw Lara. He went over to her and cleared his throat to get his attention. Then he started to talk before letting her say anything. "Hey. I did some thinking. It sounds like you do some dangerous things for the rebels. You need some protection and a fast ship all the time. You won't be able to find anyone better than me and my ship. As of now we are a team. I am going to go and tell the person in charge and ask what they need us to do next." He looked at her to see her reaction and what she thought.

Lara did as he said, running back and immediately contacted them. She hung up the communicator once she knew they were on her side, watching in awe as the ships exploded from the shots. WIthin moments, they had landed, but it wasn't all good news. A few rebels came onto the ship, one holding a blaster to her as she laughed and shook her head. "Dolpyee kikyuna. My name is Lara Sal." "How do we know you're not with the Empire?" "Do I look like I'm in the Empire to you?" "Why are you speaking huttese?" "I was a chik youngee. Dancing girl for the Hutts. It's the first language I learned." A rebel started heading for the back of the ship, which caused the girl to grab one of the blaster from another rebel before pointing it at him "Chuba! Koona t'chuta?" He stopped immediately, smirking slightly as she walked over and made him turn around. She took his blaster, sticking it in her belt before pointing the other one towards the ground. "This is not my ship. He's just a smuggler. You don't need to worry about him or us. Here....are the plans I was asked to bring." She said, pausing as she pulled the plans from her robes and handed them to him. They took them and left the ship, the girl smiling before grabbing the hidden 10,000 credits. She then started heading back to where Arden was, leaning against the wall lightly and sighing. "I'm...sorry I called you a Sleemo. You aren't one. You're very brave, and thank you very much for bringing me here." She slowly walked over to him, putting her hands on his cheeks and kissing his lips softly before pulling back slightly and looking into his eyes. "Here's your credits, and thank you. Chess ko, Arden." She leaned back in and kissed him one more time, sighing softly before standing up straight and heading off towards the front of the ship. She knew she had no chance of getting him to stay at the base with her. Why would he want to help them? He was a smuggler, and only had to do what he wanted to. She ran her hand through her hair, stepping off the ship before shutting her eyes and leaning against a dormant x-wing fighter.

Arden didn't know what to think when Lara said nothing and just pulled him along. He was confused, but followed along. When he saw an important looking person he smiled and bowed slightly. He let Lara do all the talking. When Lara was sent away he was a little nervous. He didn't know what to expect. Once Lara had left he looked at Mon Mothma and waited for her to say something. He listened to all she said very carefully. He was surprised that he would be set up to room with Arden. It made some sense though, rooms were probably fairly scarce. The fact that there would be a fight with the Empire surprised him more and made him nervous. He had hoped they would just need him to smuggle some more stuff or people. When she was finished he nodded and left. He walked slowly to find the room. As he did he thought. Did he really want to stay? He had told Lara he was staying and that they were a team. He couldn't go back on his word. It may be dangerous, but he needed to protect his new friend. He found the room and opened the door, looking inside and then entering. He spotted Lara laying on the bed. She was dressed in some clean clothes, barely. The girl definitely seemed to prefer skimpy clothes. He would have to get used to it. He rarely spent time around other humans, even less around girls, and almost never was around girls as attractive as her. He knew he would need to control himself around her to avoid awkward situations. He cleared his throat to get her attention and smiled over at her. "Uh, I was told that if I stayed I would have to share the room with you, even though there is only one bed. I have decided to stick around, even though we will apparently be attacking the Empire. I will have to teach you to use my ship's weapons so I can fly and you can shoot. Anyway, what do you think?"

When he cleared his throat, she jumped, looking over at him and starting to smile as he spoke. She couldn't help but be thrilled at the fact he wanted to stay, and she took his hand before starting to lead him away without a word. Finally, they got to where Mon Mothma, the appointed leader of the Rebels before she smiled and spoke to her. "This is Arden. He wants to help us defeat the Empire." "Is that so? How did he get here." "He's the one who smuggled me here." "Hmmm. Well, does he have a ship?" "Yes." "You can leave us, Lara. Go find your base leader and have them show you your room. Arden will most likely be joining you shortly." She bowed slightly, smiling at Arden slightly before leaving the room quickly. She found Korvas, and he showed her where she'd be staying and where her clothes had been moved to. She quickly went off, first taking a long shower before meeting back up with Korvas who was waiting in her room. She was in a tank top and shorts(if you could call them that), and the male laughed as she entered the room. "What?" "You're in hardly anything!" "So what?" "Well, normally, you cover every inch of yourself." "Shut up Korvas." "You like him, don't you?" 'Who?" "That smuggler." "Maybe. Why do you care anyways?" "BEcause, I know smugglers. He doesn't care about us or about you. He cares about the bounty." "He isn't a bounty hunter. You don't know him." "And you do?" "Better than you. I trust him." "Well, maybe your a fool...." She grabbed the man and shoved him into the wall, getting in his face as he went wide eyed. She had learned to defend herself quite well since her dancing girl days, since every man that came around tried to force himself on her. She smirked a bit, muttering in huttese before laughing. "A fool who'll teach you to keep your mouth shut. Now, go." The man left immediately, the girl laying down on the one bed in the room as she shut her eyes and messed with the blaster she had acquired. "Now, Arden, if you mean what you say, you'll have to share a room with Lara. Rooms have one bed each, so you two will get very close over the next few days. We have a week until the we attack the Empire and then move to our base on Hoth. If you still want to be a part of this, then go find your room and get some rest. Otherwise, leave before Lara becomes too attached to you."

Arden listened as Lara started explaining that he needed to stay for the right reasons. She had some good points, but he was afraid of confronting the Empire. His old mentor had always taught him to avoid conflict that you couldn't win. To him it didn't seem that the rebels had a shot at completely defeating the Empire. Yet she seemed upset at considering him leaving. She touched his chest and his face and lookde into his eyes. Some of her words even told him she cared whether he was there or not. He watched her go back to the bed. He thought for a minute if he really wanted to stay. He decided that he did need to help in any way he could. His main focus was keeping Lara safe though. He considered what to do now though. He felt a little wierd sharing a bed with her, but didn't want to go back to his ship in case she thought he was leaving. With a deep breath to calm himself he walked over to the bed and lay down next to her without a word. He tried to get comfortable without having too much contact with her, not wanting it to be too awkward. He checked the clock once he was comfortable and looked over at Lara. "We should get some sleep. It is getting late."

"You don't have to stay, you know. I mean, this is something I have to do. We need to be at peace. We need the old republic back. But you don't have to at all. If you want to leave though, do it now before you meet anyone and make any attachment. You need to be dedicated to this. You need to know that you could die, and so could I." She stood up, walking over to him and putting her hands on his chest before shaking her head. Her accent was thicker, the way it seemed to get when she was emotional at all. Her hands were shaking lightly, the girl taking several deep breaths before speaking softly again. "Don't stay because...of me....Stay because you believe in what we are doing....No matter what that kiss meant to either of us....But if you do stay....I'll make sure you don't regret it...." She smiled at him slightly, one hand movie to his cheek as she pet it lightly. She had never felt this way about a man, and the thought of him leaving made her stomach hurt and her heart slow down. She only had known him for what, a day, but she still felt like she needed him with her, That she needed him to protect her. "So, decide now. Do you want to be on our side, or do you want to leave and go back to Tatooine." She looked up into his eyes, blinking slowly as her breathing got shallow. She wanted to hug him and beg him not to leave, beg him to stay and protect her from everything bad, but she knew he had to be here because he wanted to. Because he knew the Empire was wrong and evil. Her hand slid down his neck, and before she did something stupid, she moved away from him and back into the bed. She looked down at her legs, her mind going back to Jabba's palace and how....safe it had been. That sounded odd to most, but there, Jabba killed anyone who tried to touch her. Boba Fett even shot someone that tried to kidnap her. The empire couldn't hurt her, and the men who tried in secret didn't ever succeed. And they met their end soon enough. She laid down on her side, sighing heavily as she traced the wall with her back to him. "If you're staying, come to bed. If you aren't....then....go now before I try to change your mind."

Arden was glad that Lara seemed happy. He didn't protest when she made him hold her. She covered them both with the blanket and lay close. He felt a little nervous, but also enjoyed it quite a bit. He relaxed after a minute and once she was asleep. He still held her and it felt comfortable. Soon he was asleep as well. His dreams were a mix of being very nice and unsettling. In a couple there was no war and he didn't have to worry about Lara's safety. What would have been confusing if he had remembered any of them would be that Lara was still there by his side. At that time he would have consciously thought that if she didn't need him there he would go on his own again. The other dreams made more sense, but also more intense. They involved battle and often Lara was in danger. In most of them he was able to protect her, but in the one that woke him she had been killed. He nearly leapt out of bed. The intensity of his worry and emotion from the dream was surprising. He felt the emotion and fear and tried to remember what he had been dreaming. It didn't work. The dream quickly faded from memory. He sat in bed and sighed, quickly calming himself down. He looked around and saw that Lara was gone. He found her note and read it, memorising the instructions to the dining hall. He was already dressed so he simply left the room and walked off to get some food. He got the plate and then looked for Lara. When he spotted her he smiled and walked over to her, sitting across from her. From the look of her plate she had not been there for long. He took a bite of food and then looked back at her once more. "Good morning Lara. I hope you slept well. I hope it was not too awkward sharing a bed with me. If so I can always sleep on my ship."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad you stayed...." She smiled, taking his hand and making him wrap his arm around her waist as she shut her eyes and smiled. She pulled the blankets up over them both, slowly rolling over to face him as she leaned her head against his chest. She felt warm and safe next to him, and fell asleep within what seemed like seconds. When she woke up the next morning, she normally would have immediately got out of bed and started her day. But with Arden laying next to her, she couldn't leave. She ran her hands over his chest slowly and lovingly almost, sighing softly as she shut her eyes again. She didn't ever want to leave his side, even though she knew her feelings were so wrong. But it felt so right with him. She laughed at herself, finding it sort of funny that before him, she though every man was a pig and couldn't stand any of them. Sure, she was nice, but only to be friendly. Anything they wanted other than conversation would never happen. But with him....he could try anything and she'd probably let him. The kiss had electrified her blood and sent it rushing through her veins. She had felt completely drugged, and she had loved it. Finally though, she moved out of bed, but not before kissing his lips softly and tenderly. "Oh Arden....I hope you made the right choice..." She slowly climbed out of bed, got dressed in a tight black long sleeved shirt and a pair of tight matching pants before slipping her boots on slowly and silently. She didn't want to wake him after all. She made her way from the room, after first leaving a note on the door telling him how to get to the dining hall. Once she got to the hall, she grabbed a plate of whatever they were serving before sitting down and starting to eat slowly.

Arden was very happy to hear that she had slept well. He looked over into her eyes and smiled softly. She asked how he had slept and if she had bothered him. He shook his head. "No, I slept well. I'm fine with sleeping like that. It was quite comfortable." He ate as she did, but he was slower. When she finished she got up and he stayed at the table, eating. He thought about her question and watched her take her plate to the kitchen. Her hips moved in a way that made her look even more attractive. He forced himself to look away and considered her question. He wanted to spend time with her. Yet he also worried that spending too much time with her would lead to a situation that might not work out well in the end for them. He knew he liked her, and he was definitely attracted to her. He just didn't know what to do. When Lara returned she sat right next to him. He had finished his food and pushed the plate away. When Lara leaned her head against him and put her hand on his thigh Arden was surprised. She rubbed his leg and le looked over at her. The look on her face told him everything. He was left speechless for a moment as he got his thoughts together. Then he finally responded. "Uh, I think it could be nice to explore the base. We could get to know where things are and where to go in certain situations." He shifted a little, feeling a bit uncomfortable. After another few moments he got up and grabbed his plate. He started off toward the kitchen to return it.

"I slept better then I have in such a long time. It was...nice..." She smiled and ate some more of her breakfast , shutting her eyes after several moments before glancing up into his eyes. "How did you sleep? I mean, did I bother you? If you want to sleep in your ship, you can, but I liked it." She finished her food, sighing softly as she thought about what the next week would include. They'd have to go through how to work the guns on his ship, but that didn't have to happen just yet. They definitely had three or four days of just quality time together, and that made her sort of nervous. She was starting to get feelings for him, more so then before. It was like the more she was around him, the more she needed him with her. She didn't like feeling so dependent on him, but she couldn't help it. "What do you want to do today anyways? I mean, I thought maybe we could just relax, but it's up to you. Whatever you want to do is fine with me," She laughed softly, pushing her plate over a bit before getting up and taking it towards the kitchen. As she walked away, her hips swayed slightly, the girl dropping her plate off before making it back to him. She sat down next to him this time, leaning her head on his shoulder as her hand moved to his thigh. She rubbed it slowly, not being very sexual but sort of letting him know that she was into him. Her hair fell in her face, the girls eyes shining out from under the curls as she looked up at him. "So, what do you feel like doing?"

Arms held behind his back, Dan paced. Night had fallen hours ago and some distant, long-buried part of him ached to get out, to go into the shadows where he belonged, where he couldfit inbecause he always looked uncomfortable during the day, out of place in any atmosphere. He wasn't himself anymore - he hadn't been since '77, not that he would admit it. He had told himself every day that the Keene act had been the best thing for them - sometimes he even managed to convince himself it was true, that a life as a superhero wasn't normal, wasn't healthy. It was something crazy people did, and he was reformed. He wasn't a hero anymore. Sometimes he even wondered if those days had really happened, if maybe he truly was insane, if he had made the whole thing up in a flight of fancy to get away from the mind-numbing monotony of daily life. Sometimes, he was convinced it had all been in his head. Sometimes he could carry on and be sure that this was how life was supposed to be - dull. An empty existence that consisted of going from day to day, writing articles about aeronautics, focusing as much obsession as he could into the study of ornithology. Sometimes he could even forget - or at least, push it all to the back of his mind. Act like it never happened. But then he would come home and find his front door ajar just a little, or he might smell something that was raw and familiar - the smell that came with dirt and grease and terrible hygiene, and he always knew what he would find inside. It was the reason he always left the can opener in the same spot; if Rorschach couldn't find it, there was no telling what he might do to crack open a can of beans. It was good to see his old partner sometimes, good to know he was still alive - just, Rorschach always came with complications. Even when he had little to say - which was usually the case - Rorschach had a way of reminding Dan of how things used to be, reminding him of what he left behind. And after Rorschach had left he would inevitably find himself standing in his basement, catch himself starting longingly at the suit, and he would always have to fight the maddening urge to put it on, start up Archie and just - go. Leave behind the lonely, pointless life of Daniel Dreiberg. Have meaning again. But then he would come to his senses. That's what he told himself he was doing, when he resisted. He just just being reasonable, obeying the law. The city didn't want heroes, they had made that clear, and only Veidt had been the exception in the whole thing, making a mint from his moonlighting days while Blake and Laurie and Manhattan had become government hires. The rest of them had faded away. They might even pass eachother on the streets sometimes and not know it. Though, some of them were hard to mistake. Dan swore he had seen Laurie just the other day, there was no mistaking her hair and the way it moved in sync with her hips - no mistaking that. Ever. But she was with Superman, that was how life worked anyways - he accepted it and moved on. But not really. For the last three years, it felt like he was stuck in one spot as one day blurred into another, nights of eating dinner alone and reading books until he was too tired to turn another page - which sometimes wasn't until sunrise. Days of being alone, broken up only by his weekly visits to Hollis, which he wasn't sure were healthy either, but it was all either of them had anymore. Some days Dan wondered if the rest of them were having the same trouble he was, if letting go seemed so impossible. He wondered if any of them had become as afraid as he had become. Fearful that they were insane. Dan removed his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a long time in an effort to settle his nerves. That night had been one of those rare visits from Rorschach, he had come and gone in a whirl of ink and dust and had left Dan feeling as though his world had been overturned all over again because he could swear he could taste the blood and the sweat and the dust of the streets and the fires and the war. He could feel the breeze on his face, the comfort of his suit pressed to his skin - the familiarity of it all. The feeling of beingwhole. And he was looking at the suit again, seeing his reflection in the glass that covered it. He put his glasses back on and took a good look at himself and suddenly - suddenly he felt angry. He felt miserable. He felt useless, and pathetic and lonely because he was thirty-four and empty and living by himself, wishing for days that wouldn't come back, days that he knew he shouldn't want. The suit had to stay where it was. He had to stay where he was. But god, that night, being alone was too much - he couldn't stop thinking. He needed - he needed - something. Someone. So he did something monumentally stupid, something he wouldn't have done in his right mind, he was sure of it. Too shy to go out and risk being turned down, Dan found an escort service - the first four times, he dialed the number but hung up before anyone could answer and between each call he would find himself sitting and staring at the phone for a longer period of time. By number five, he managed to wait for someone to pick up before he slammed the phone back down on the reciever. Six was the charm. A raspy, bored-sounding female voice asked him what he wanted and Dan had stammered and stuttered that he was looking for someone to come over; the silence on the other end convinced him he had said something stupid. After an uncomfortable wait, the voice prompted him: "Are you looking for anything specific, sir?" "Specific?" Dan repeated, "I - I'd prefer she was. You know. Female." Silence again. Dan could feel his face heating up. "Yes sir. They're all female." "And, you know. Whole. One piece." "Alright, sir. We've confirmed you would like a woman who isn't an amputee. Perhaps you could narrow it down a little more." Briefly, Dan had considered slamming the phone down again and hiding under his kitchen table until the shame went away, but he forged onwards, "Brunette." he blurted out, "I'd - I'd like a brunette. A girl with, with big -" Dan shifted uncomfortably on the couch, "- eyes." he finished lamely. After the fact, Dan had panicked because - well, he had just hired a call girl. He dropped his head into his hands and asked himself what he had been thinking; he was sure this was a new low.

New York City. If you can make it here, you can make it anywherePerhaps. In the most remote villages of Russia, if you livedthen it was a miracle in itself. If you could survive the filthy home birth or even filthier hospitals, acquire enough food not to starve to death growing up and find a job that would not require signing your soul or a member of your family to the higher upsthen perhaps you could make it. Maybe. Crime would be unavoidable...No one is guilty of crime, if everyone participates in it It would not be regarded so much as crime as it would be day to day living..If your neighbor has more potatoes than he can consume, and you have starving children to feedtake it. You could offer something in return, but desperations breeds greed more often than generosity. Your neighbor would want something outlandish Better to nourish his fields with his blood, than filling his pockets with your own.. New Yorkers knew nothing of desperation. Their city was nothing in comparison to the corrupt cesspool that formed an entire country..Even in Moscow, where even the slightest glimmer of hope could be seen through the polluted fogs lingering overhead, even there the greatest dream you could have was escapeSome disease or enraged cutpurse would claim you if the secret police did not..But Moscow was where Russians went, girls in particular, if they wanted to find means of escape. Plucking up young maidens from villages often went unreported for those seeking to sell brides or generate a few more bodies for the human trafficking business, but just because it happened in a major city didnt mean the crime would be looked into with any more care, than if it were out in the middle of nowhere. Besides..for the people in such a business, it was far more alluring to tempt a desperate girl with a career in modeling or acting than to simply snatch them up. It was all part of the twisted game..The more those eager doe-eyed girls believed that they would soon be on the covers of international magazines, the more sadistic gratification their sellers received from the deal No one played the hero in Russia..You wouldn't last a day as one.. The country was populated by villains, and victims...And at times, it was difficult to tell them apart. Magdalena Ivanov had packed what little belongings she had brought with her to Moscow, into a worn and tattered duffel bag, and boarded one of those planes with an American man named Harrison. She had thought their meeting to be a God sendOnly a few days in Moscow and an American man had stopped her as she came out of Mass to comment on how beautiful she was! How her deep gray-blue eyes were like the sky before a summer stormHow her dark hair flowed like silk curtains around a lithe body carved from the most perfect and fair stone! A sign for sure! The cathedral bells chiming in the background to serenade this moment! Oh and how this man had laid it onThickly too, with his charming American accent. Musing of angels and heaven and how God must have made her beautiful for the world to see. To outsiders, the mans pinstripe suit and greasy black hair would have sent up red flags immediately..So would the way he had snatched back his business card and shuffled through a portfolio of clients that he just happened to have with him at that moment. Russian models he claimed to help, fashion designers who were eager for the face of a liberated Soviet girl..Oh he would have been an obvious rat to anyone, except to a young girl starving for fame as much as food. To her, he was offering a chance she would be a fool to pass on After the plane would land in John F Kennedy Airport on October the 19th, 1979, she would know how much of a fool she was to think that God would send her anything but punishment for her vanity...For her pride...For her sins. A sleek black limo with tinted windows was waiting outside on that brisk autumn evening. Magdalenas bag was tossed somewhat carelessly into the trunk by a driver who would not look directly at her. Harrison told her to wait inside, and no sooner had she settled into a set close by the window, two tiny Asian girls wearing matching clothing came inside, whispering and giggling to each other. Were they models too? Magdalena had wondered this for a momentThen another girl with a beautiful olive complexion and thick black hair braided down to her thighs hesitantly entered the limo. She was clutching her slightly rounded stomach, as if it were paining her..But from the shape of the colorful sweater she was wearing, Magdalena could not tell if it was simply weight or.. The car door opened again. Along with Harrison, two other men dressed in similar garb with equally greasy hair came inside with grins as devious as foxes. They sat beside their respected ladies, and attempted small talk in base English about the landmarks they were passing by. The Asian girls stared with their hands covering their mouths in disbelief, and admittedly Magdalena had lost herself in the glittering sparkle of the New York night lights...but as she glanced at the dark skinned girl clutching her stomach with such stress upon her face, the charm and wonders of this new place seemed to fade Very soon, it would come crashing down entirely. ** Shhhmmm! A small couch pillow came whizzing through the air, crashing down upon a neatly placed group of white tea cups that clattered against the glass coffee table they had been set upon. The sudden noise caused nine skinny timid girls who had been in the cramped lounging room, to flinch defensively. Most all closed their eyes, some covered their faces...but all of them cowered and held their breath, awaiting a sharp blow to come from anywhere. Thistime, there was nothingJust a smug chortle from a lanky man in a pinstripe suit who stood in the doorway. His hair was far too thin to maintain any amount of grease. A gnarly finger pointed towards Magdalena, who had been sitting on the windowsill, gazing through the iron bars that had been installed for safety measures... Destiny, you got a John tonight, The man sneered, running his tongue against his yellowed teeth, Cabll take you to the place. Be down in five, And with that, he turned and morphed back into the dimly lit hallways..The familiar echo of Move your fuckin worthless ass! brought the girl to her feet, wrapping the red blanket she had curled up in closer to herself. In two months, she had seen plenty of villains..plenty of victims. Were there no heroes left? Had God deemed mankind beyond saving..? She smiled lightly to the girls around her, who had reanimated after the man had left, returning to their nail polish and magazines. She had, remarkabely, kept her faith...Despite everything, for the most part. If one could be religious in Russia, they could be here as well..There had to be hope somewhere in this city of dreams... Destiny, as she was now, walked across the hall into her room. Destiny..A name picked for her byhim.Hepicked all of the names for the girls...Candy, Ruby, Angel...All of them. Something short, sweet..Something the clients will remember. Curled up on a twin sized mattress sitting in the corner of the room, was the olive skinned girl whose tummy had rounded considerably in the last two months..Her breasts were swelling beneath the tiny pink tank top she wore, damp in the spots she made the most money from for the cliental with more..specifictastes. Destiny took the red blanket from her own shoulders , leaned over and draped it over the sleeping girl, kissing her forehead affectionately before standing up once more. Placing two fingers between the broken horizontals over the window, she peered out into the foggy city..Rain, again. Never had she missed snow so muchRain was horrible. She would have to pack extra to touch up her hair and make up before the client arrived. Her duffel bag long since gone, a pretty black tote bag with American Dreams embroidered in red white and blue cursive along the sides was used to pack her things. It sat upon the oak dresser that she and the girl she knew as Baby, shared. It was a long dresser, that would have stretched between the tops of the two mattresses, had Destinys mattress still been there. It was filled to the brim with clothes, costumes, jewelry..Anything and everything they had was either on the floor or in that dresser. The room was barely big enough for the two of them, the size of a walk in closet maybe. These had been storage rooms once..and in a sense, they still were. Into the large bag she packed a royal purple negligee, in case her client had opted for her to spend the night. Removing her jeans and I Love NY t shirt, she slipped on a corset of the same color, with black lace to match her garters. Black elbow length gloves, sheer black knee highs and stiletto heels that pressed her toes together too tightly, but they were the only pair she could fit in since the two girls who shared her shoe size refused to lend her their shoes. Her long black hair had been cut since arriving, styled with layers and blonde highlights..More of an American feel...Hewanted her to be exotic, but not so much to put off the clients... A make-up bag was placed inside with shades picked out for her by crotchety Rita who worked alongside ofhim, as well as a bottle of wild orchid perfume that Destiny had bought from a vendor on her own. She also slipped her rosary off of its nail upon the wall, kissing it softly before tucking it away inside of the bags inner pocket. Making her way towards the stairs, she held the rail tightly as she walked down the narrow, creaky stairs..One flight down and through the a door, the light was almost blinding. Taking a long gray military style trench coat from the closet immediately outside of the door, Destiny placed it on before taking one of the larger bags from the bottom of the closet...A bag with the American Dream logo written a bit more boldly with a phone number printed, as well as her name, filled with items that could be used throughout the night..if paid for. The stairs going downstairs felt more stable, but still she held tightly to the railing..The first floor always had soft classical music playing at all hours. The hallway adorned with statues and paintings of nude women, giant flower arrangements. It looked like a parlor to a private home..but the door to the left of the stairs read OFFICE in large gold letters, and the come-hither looking stare from the half nude, blonde haired, blue-eyed girl upon the poster beneath, stuck out significantly in the otherwise seemingly elegant atmosphere. As she made her way towards the front door, Destiny heard the door open behind her. You She froze, not daring to look back. The voice was deep, hoarse.. You offend again, and I will be takingyouout..You understand? Her lips quivered. English..You understand? Youre on thin ice. Thinfuckingice after your last stunt. I hear anything back like that again and youll be the next fucking Romanov, got it? Y-yes.

Dan had only just managed to settle himself down onto the couch, to calm his nerves enough to stop the endless pacing lest he wear a hole through the sitting room carpet - but he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He settled with leaning his chin onto his fist and flipping through television channels only to find that nothing could truly calm him - even the discovery channel couldn't supply a decent distraction, despite the fact it was presently airing a show on the moon landing. He had been twenty-five when Apollo 11 had landed on the moon in 1969 - everyone he knew had witnessed the original broadcast of it at 10:39 p.m. He had watched a re-run of it on the news because he had been out that night, breaking the jaw of a bank robber. Of course, Manhattan had witnessed it first hand. He had beenonthe damn moon with them. The sound of gentle rapping shook Dan out of his reverie, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin; suddenly on his feet, he stared at the front door, expression briefly anguished as he struggled between the maddening urge to run in the other direction, and the absolute need to be polite and answer the damn door. No running, Dreiberg. You've faced terrorists, crazed gunmen and neo-nazis. Dan took hold of the doorknob and very gradually turned it, opening the door half an inch, enough for him to peer out with one enormous eye, magnified by the thick lens of his oversized glasses. Yeah, but neo-nazis didn't ever have legs like that. A woman stared back; thin and brunette, she seemed almost like she was glittering from the low blue lighting emanating from his house, but he told himself his eyes were just going funny. "I - uh," Dan said, pointlessly, and then looked at the floor for a long moment, embarrassed, before he stepped back and opened the door entirely with a helpless, "Come in?"

It would have been easier to walk. Even in five inch heels, she would have moved faster than the traffic they were currently caught in. The fifteen minutes itshouldhave taken to get to this Johns house, would double easily. Her drive would be serenaded by the charming background sounds of the city; blaring horns, screamed obscenities and the occasional siren Just like home. With a large round mirror on the back of the passenger and drivers seat and an airplane-esque dashboard for make up to be set upon fastened to the chairs, the backseat of the white cab was like a motorized vanity. The time in the back of the companys exclusive cab often served as primping time, or time to look over the conversation the secretary had had with the John in case something specific was mentioned. Destinys English was base at the very best, but she knew key phrases. Bigeyes? She said this aloud, hoping it would make sense that way as it certainly hadnt within her head. Dark brown eyes with flex of green and gold, turned upwards towards the mirror. She placed her fingertips against her eyes, trying to measure them..Were they big? Or was this some slang term she was unfamiliar with..Something the few actualAmericangirls who worked for the company, had yet to mention to her. This man had not been specific at all. But that was the way some Johns were..Her first client, but not herfirstfirst..Hetook that privilege upon himself for every girl. No, her first John had been very specific. Right down to the shade and brand of lipstick she would wear, he gave the secretary a list of requirements that he personally inspected at the motel door before letting the cab driver leave. Some Johns were like that Using a charcoal base color, Destiny tried to accent her eyes with a smoky look. Blending the dark with a shimmery white to allow herself to sparkle a bit more than the sparkly orchid lotion she used on her skin that only glittered in the right light. Candlelight usually. Most girls overdid the sparkles, which got their Johns in alotof trouble. Lipstick could be washed off, and perfume covered by cologneBut those goddamn flecks of glitter were more condemning evidence than fingerprints on a gun. Destinys sparkles were applied just right..So that they would make her shimmer in dim light, like the ethereal and forbidden being she was supposed to be. SecretsThe world was filled with secrets. The Johns kept secrets from their significant others about where they were going at night. If they had none, they still wouldnt admit to anyone else that they knew about seeking a call girl..But those people denied the confession had secrets of their own. Darker ones perhaps. Something that in comparison, made indulging in the company of a fantasy seem miniscule. Not all of the Johns were corporate sleazes with a kink their wives wouldnt satisfy Most of them were, but not all of them. Destiny lined her lips with a soft red, glossing on a clear peppermint glaze to plump them out slightly. A pouty look was almost always endearing to a man..A subtle mark of innocence, vulnerabilityNeed. Twenty five minutes, almost double time. The driver parked, but kept the engine going as he took out an umbrella and expanded it. Making his way to her door, the tall chauffer adjusted the sunglasses that all of the drivers insisted to wear despite the weather or time of day. It was like a mask As they approached the door, Destinys heart began to race. It always did. Every new John was a clean slate As the driver rose his large hand up and rapped three times upon the wooden door, Destiny drew in a deep breath. Slipping a few gloved fingers through her layered tresses, she glanced towards the windows, trying to peer through the little opening in the curtains. There was light flickering insideA television maybe? Or a camera flashing.. It wouldnt have been the first time, or the strangest request she had received by far... She wouldnt know how to approach him until she met him, and waiting out in this deathly rain served as a bleak backdrop for the arrangement. It was dark outThe lights on the streets were flickering. Some Johns were ready to go as soon as she arrived, others were as hesitant as if she was their girlfriend and foreplay was necessary for her to say yes. Most got over that rather quicklyAs soon as their blood rushed to the right places.

Dan had never been good with women; in grade school he had been gawky, the kid with the glasses and the acne and the good grades, but genetics had given him the good fortune of being too tall to stuff into a locker and persistence had given him the kind of cardio that got him away from potential bullies with minimal effort. But girls had always been interested in the jocks; that was just the way it went. Senior prom had him shyly asking out a girl from the chess club, a night that ended with an awkward front door kiss and nothing else. His freshman year was when Dan first started hitting the gym - it was also the year when girls started noticing him. At first he had figured there was something on his face they were staring at, and when he looked back, they often continued to stare; it hadn't made much sense to him at the time - he had been used to being a nobody. His first had been that same year; a girl he had a sticky tryst with in her dorm room, something indelicate and too quick, but enough to show Dan what he had been avoiding - he kept shyly avoiding it anyways. Something about women did that to him - - and this one was no different. She was small and pretty and smelled good, the way all women seemed to; it was the sort of smell that made him want to lean in and discover where it was coming from. Her hair? Was there perfume on her neck? Dan's eyes dropped to the pale edge of a collarbone that peeked out from beneath her jacket and instantly averted his eyes as though he had been doing something terrible, "Destiny," he repeated; of course that was her name. She stepped closer, her fingers brushed his neck; Dan immediately flushed and gave a small, nervous smile - he stepped back he offered out a hand - for a handshake. "Daniel. I mean - Dan." Smooth. He did his best to recover, "Can I take your coat for you?"

When the door opened, it opened slowly..Hesitantly. The light from the house blocked out by a shadow that took up a good portion of the doorways height. An eye came into view, peering out searchingly, carefully observing through a thick lens. Studying..Wide, as if afraid. Destiny inclined her head slightly to the left, a light smile upon her lips as she tried to catch this wandering eye. Hello, She said softly, her accent apparent from the simple word. She could hear the door knob shaking from the inside, as if he was gripping it with all of his might and was unable to let go. As the man stepped back, asking her to come inside, the driver returned with his umbrella to the cab. She would call him to pick her up when the John was finished, and he would be billed appropriately for the time spent. Crossing the threshold, the last wind chill from outside seemed to linger even as the door was shut. Not enough to bother the Russian girl of course..Winters in Mother Russia froze the very blood in your veins after all..This chill here was just enough to send a shiver up ones spine and tingles throughout the body. A lot of John's liked the room cold...Helped them to sleep better after, and kept them from leaving sweat stains on their underthings. As he tended to the locks on the door, curiousity urged her to glance around. Usually these...encounters, took place in a pre-paid room. It was rare to actually be invited to someones home. This home felt very empty, but there was plenty inside. Even within the hall, there were books lined up neatly in shelves and photographs of various birds framed neatly and hung in a perfectly straight row upon the wall. Nothing seemed out of place...Save for the painted up woman in the long coat, dressed scantily beneath and the man behind her fumbling with the locks on the door. An air of dissatisfaction lingered heavily in this home...A potent emptiness that was present in some way with all of the Johns she had met. But this one.She could almostfeelit.. As an object that's purpose was to sate that sorrow..She could sense it easily now..Most would have recognized the tidiness and passed it off as a compulsive disorder or something of the likes. But this poor Russian girl could sense that the meticulous placements were meant to cover for something..To distract, from something.. Maybe someone. Elegantly, she turned to face him. Her ankles crossed slightly, her wrists folded in front of her as she stood in an almost childish pose, still smiling to him with her head inclined ever so slightly. He was cute. A little round in some places, but hey, it would help keep the bed warm. His clothes were well kept, no wrinkles and no stains. His face well shaven, and from the meek smile he had flashed her way as she walked in, his teeth were in good condition as well. A lot could be said about a John by the way he dressed when answering the door for a call girl. Robes were expected, but this man was fully dressed as if he was on his way to work. It wasrefreshing. Extending her hand out, she gently moved her fingertips to caress and straighten the collar of his shirt which had been upturned perhaps while anxiously rubbing his neck. Smiling, she took a step closer to him, closing in the proximity slightly..Her eyes turned upward beneath lashes that needed no mascara to be full and long. I am Destiny.

It occurred to Dan that he had probably gone for far too long without human contact because the slight brush of Destiny's fingertips against his calloused knuckles was cause for a small shudder to run through him, though he did his very best to cover it up. You need to get out more often, Danny-boy. His hand lingered for a moment after Destiny released it and it took a moment for Dan to realize he had left it hanging there before he curled his fingers in and withdrew it entirely; he watched as she turned away, unbuttoning her jacket, "Can I - get you something to drink?" Dan asked, "It's not very nice out - something to warm you? Maybe a cup of tea? Coffee?" A can of beans and an opener? What the hell? Dan was sure his brain fell out somewhere along the way because as Destiny slipped off her jacket and he moved to take it for her, he ended up frozen in place and missing the coat entirely; it slipped past his outstretched fingertips and pooled onto the floor. Instead of doing anything remotely useful, Dan gaped; in front of him, Destiny was scantily clad in lace and frilly things and the retired hero felt his entire face go hot - his ears felt like they were on fire. He closed his jaw with an audible 'click' and swallowed hard, "Oh." Dan said meekly and then fumbled to pick up the jacket, only to find his hands weren't being entirely obedient, his fingers suddenly clumsy; he dropped his eyes to the ground, a difficult task with her stocking-clad legs so close to him, "Um. Sorry. It's - yeah it's a little cold in here. I sometimes forget. Would you - would you like a sweater?"

The outstretched hand puzzled her. Formality? Nerves? Perhaps a bit of both. It was not unusual to be nervous when receiving an individual such as herself. Nerves were part of the thrill. It added to the adrenaline rush that some of the Johns craved so desperately. This guy thoughHe didnt strike her as the sort thirsty for an adrenaline kick. The handshake was new though. Nevertheless, she moved her soft gloved hand against his. Her hand significantly smaller in both height and width, so to make up for it, she clasped her other hand warmly on the other side of his. Intertwining their fingers briefly as she made the hesitant hand shakefarmore intimate than it was intended. Trapping his hand for a moment between her delicate fingers as he spoke his name, her fingertips outstretched to stroke along his wrist. Dan. She repeated, coordinating her nod with a gentle pressure made by her hands. Her fingertips stroked over his knuckles before releasing , turning around gracefully upon that thin black heel, so that her back would face him. One by one, she unfastened the round black buttons of her coat, before sliding the thick material off of her slender shoulders which became quite apparent quite quickly, were hardly covered so well beneath such a conservative piece of outerwear. Had he gripped the shoulders of her coat in just the right manner, he would have brushed against her skin She stepped forward, shedding the coat like a wolf shedding its sheep skin to reveal something far more menacing to the innocent lamb standing by. No claws or shaggy coat, no watering jowls and sharp teethBut black lace and garters, andverylong legs.. Turning her head to glance over her shoulder towards him, she smiled somewhat, running her hands up her arms and onto her shoulders, giving a playful shiver. So chilly in here

Dan's expression was akin to a deer in headlights as he froze mid-reach for the jacket, eyes wide when Destiny shifted a lean leg forward, her thigh exposed; unable to help himself, his eyes instantly followed the line of her leg up to that beautiful dip of muscle where the thigh connected to the hip, up to the thin and ornate lace panties that were barely covering a body that already didn't need any adornment. And if his face wasn't red enough, he was promptly given a very generous view of milky skin and gentle curves when she bent forward, her breasts within inches of his nose. Dan jerked back into a fully standing position, goggle-eyed as she picked up her jacket, a simple motion that he was sure shouldn't be doing such ridiculously pornographic things to his brain. Only a cave man would call up an escort, he reminded himself. I am such a knuckle-dragger He carefully took the jacket from her and half-stumbled to hang it up, barely daring to look back at her as he put it on a hanger and into the closet - though he certainly heard her. "I - I'll get you that cup of tea." Dan managed to get out, nearly sprinting for the kitchen, pausing mid-way to search for something he should say, "Please - make yourself comfortable. There's - I mean, the sitting room is warmer."

Laughing at the Johns was not advisable by any means, but Destiny could not help herself but to giggle as the man completely lost his grip upon her coat. His eyes as wide as an owls gawking, despite himself, from beneath those thick lenses. It was a wonder she had not seen his heart leaping into his throat! Or, perhaps that was what he was attempting to swallow back down.. Was his blood rushing yet? After observing him for a moment fumbling about with the jacket that seemed to be as allusive to grasp onto as smoke, Destiny turned and stepped towards him. One leg outstretched elegantly before her, so that as she bent forward, the muscles of those shapely stems became all the more noticeable. As did the swell of her cleavage promptly placed no more than a few inches away from the already thoroughly embarrassed mans face. If his blood wasnt boiling yetThat should move it along nicely. A cup of tea would be nice. She said softly, placing her hands on the jackets shoulders, picking it up as she regained her posture. But A mischievous quirk of her brow, a coy and playful pout upon her lips that women in herfield, mastered quite easily, without coming off as desperate and rehearsed. Instead, the intent was to lure the John out of his initial defensesEase him into allowing that carnal urge which bid him summon her forth, and permitting it to take control..If only for the night, if only just for her. I thinkyoucould keep me much warmer than a sweater..

Dan tried to still the strange shaking in his hands as he waited for the water to boil, staring intently at the stove as though he might will it to go slower - because, because - - well because he wasn't sure he wanted to go back out there. She was soft and pale and she smelled good and she was so, so -pretty. Too pretty, even. Dan had stared down the barrel of a gun without so much as a trembling lip, but beautiful women scared the shit out of him, and this one was no exception to the rule. The kettle began to whistle and Dan damned it before pouring out two steaming mugs of tea; he stepped out of the kitchen hesitantly and peered around the doorway, magnified eyes looking at the woman who was currently perched on his couch - completely silent, he observed as she flipped curiously through the book. She wasn't just poking around - she looked genuinely interested, a fact that nearly startled Dan. He realized then that his fingers were in agony as some of the boiling hot tea had managed to spill onto his hand, "Ngk!" Dan said, and hurriedly put the tea down onto the table, standing upright and shaking out his hand with a soft hiss, "Haaah." He briefly sucked on the burnt skin and gave it another shake before asking, as casually as possible, "You're Russian?"

Despite the bashful expression upon his face being quite flattering, Destiny was uncertain of whether or not this manwantedanything to do with her at all. She half expected him to hide himself away in the closet alongside of her coat! He had been the one to call the serviceright? Practical jokes had been played on unsuspecting friends of Johns back when the company first startedLeading to fuming wives and one of the girls getting a broken nose from a frying pan to the face. The company only permitted a girl be sent, and charged, to the John making the phone call.. He had to have been the one to callAnd yet he tiptoed around her as if she was some dangerous wildcat loose in his home. One that would pounce upon him and rip him to shreds at the slightest offense!.Did he want that? Was he being timid because he wanted to be controlled? No Destiny had seen many closet masochists and this man, with his owlish eyes and two left feet as he seemed to stumble over himself, did not seem like the sort wanting to break out the whips and chainsBut there was a sense oflacking, in the air. Something Destiny could not quite describe as she made her way into the sitting room, sitting down upon the leather couch, barely making an indentation, though she observed that the cushion upon the left side of the couch was very comfortably worn in compared to the rest...Everything piled upon the coffee table seemed to be organized in reaching distance from that spot. A smile curved upon her face. Placing her hands upon her lap after combing several fingers through her hair, knees bent inward to touch one another, Destiny glanced to a book with several pieces of paper sticking out laid upon the table.National Avian Society Field Guide: Birds of Eastern Europe. The title was printed across a picture of a large Eurasian Eagle Owl, of which Destiny recognized from the forests of her village. Her smile brightened, moving her fingertips between the pages of the large book so as not to disturb the carefully placed torn bits of paper lodged near the spine.

Dan froze with his fingers halfway to his mouth, watching as Destiny retrieved a kerchief from a spot that, all things considered, was incredibly convenient. Also distracting. He stared as she stood and approached him, gentle hands blotting away the droplets of tea that lingered on his skin, leaving the retired superhero feeling a little like a clumsy kid. I must look like an idiot. He was used to it by now - despite being of above average intelligence, Dan had been a member of thewatchmenand had thus been exposed to both Adrien Veidt and Dr. Manhattan on a daily basis. It was enough to make anyone feel like an idiot. But feeling stupid in front of women was a completely different thing; this made Dan feel bashful, a feeling he wasn't particularly fond of - he barely kept himself from scuffing his slipper against the ground like an embarrassed child would do or giggling about the fact he could see cleavage. I'm so immature. Christ. "That's probably because most of the people around here aren't exposed to other cultures, except for what they see on the television." Dan said, jerking his head towards the screen for emphasis; he looked back and found her curled up on the couch, patting what was clearly a well-used spot on the couch. Dan swallowed down his nervousness and edged his way over, settling into the spot with a nervous laugh, "So then," Dan said conversationally, "Your name isn't really Destiny."

Curiously peeking between pages, being mindful not to disturb anything, absentmindedly subsided as she drew the heavy book onto her lap. Her fingertips curled slightly around the torn pieces of notebook paper to keep them in place as she looked more at the pictures than the actual words. Language was far more than words, written or spokenThe photographs of each species of wild bird captured their essence just as well, if not better than the words that described them in the paragraphs below.. The twisted beaked vultures drawing strings of ligaments and meat from half frozen corpses buried deep in the snowPlump wrens curled up with their chicks in a nest made of twigs and stolen ribbonsThe Loons mating.. Ngk! Destinys eyes shot up, shutting the book immediately and placing it back on the table with a panicked start, as if she had been reading his journal or some other lewd personal confessional. Johns typically didnt enjoy having their items snooped over- understandably so. As he approached the table, placing down the apparently lava filled tea cups, Destiny stood up and produced, of all things, a kerchief from, of all places, between her breasts. A dainty almost doily embroidered looking cloth, with white lace and the initials MAI stitched in English lettering with purple thread upon the lower corner. Are you ok? She frowned, stepping close to him as she moved to wipe the kerchief against the drops of tea still upon his hand and cuff of his sleeve. As he sucked upon his finger, hissing slightly, she couldnt help but to giggle again. It was not funny to burn oneself by any means, but his mannerisms wererefreshing. Sitting again, closer this time to that indentation on the opposite end of the couch, Destiny wiped at the dripping tea cups, smiling still as he asked a question typically posed for an icebreaker. Not many people guess right on their first try. They are thinking I am German or PolishEven French! She giggled, wrinkling her nose up slightly as she shook her head. Her eyes wandered back up towards him, setting the kerchief down on the table beside the book before patting the cushion beside her. Please, sit. I am not going to bite...Unless you ask of course

Superheroes were not average citizens, this was a fact; any one person who donned a cape or a mask to save lives could never be considered common - but as far as Dan was concerned, amongst heroes, he fell directly on the line of mediocrity, it was a complex that came from years of working alongside the likes of the smartest man in the world and, well, Superman. However, Dan had settled himself with the idea long ago - he was of above average intelligence, but Veidt would always be more brilliant; his strength was impressive, but Manhattan's was immeasurable; he was determined, but Rorschach would always be more dogged. This was all fine, because Dan Dreiberg was humble enough to accept it, but he was also capable of acknowledging that he had provided a service that few other heroes could - he was the mediator, the leftist amongst right-wing extremists. As socially awkward as he was, Dan was perceptive. And he was perceptive enough then to see that there was much, much more to the woman who was sitting beside him, and yet again he hated himself for - ordering her. Like take out. "I want to know your name." Dan replied sincerely, his fingers entwined with eachother, a nervous attempt to keep them occupied, suddenly unclear on what he should do with them.

As he sat down, she scooted just a little bit closer to him. Nothing drastic, as she didnt wish to make him more uncomfortable than he already seemed to be, but just close enough so that her left thigh was pressing lightly against his right. She inclined her head slightly as she watched him, her long hair veiling over her shoulder, brushing against his arm slightly as she smiled; watching as his eyes darted back and forth beneath those thick lenses, trying to settle somewhere, anywhere but on her. And then he mentioned her name, and she reclined slightly. Her hands settling upon her lap as she smiled, forcing a soft laugh as she looked away, towards the Bird book on the coffee table. The light from the muted television flickering upon her face, casting shadows across them both before flooding them with temporary light, repeating itself as the pictures changed on screen. No, it is not She smiled, a twinge of momentary melancholy to her voice, before she turned her head back towards him. Not one of the Johns before him had ever questioned about her nameMostly because they didnt care, or had thought that her accent was put on to sound more exotic. To think she actually struggled with their language and wasnt from their country was not really a concern considering for the service they paid for As long as she had the parts, cleanparts, her name could be anything and they wouldnt seem to care. Maybe if she had a boys name there would be more of a reaction, but as far as Destiny was concerned, it sounded like a name good enough to f--- Youreally want to know my name? She asked, her brows furrowed in disbelief, but a soft smile still parting her glossy lips. His interest, whether forced or not, was most unexpected and yet incredibly.charming. Or pehraps she was just too dazzled by the fact he had actually noticed her name, or bothered to ask where she was from, that if he was feigning sincerity...that she didn't seem to care.

Dan Dreiberg frequently had cause to feel clumsy and cumbersome, and the situation he presently found himself was no different in that regard; as Destiny - Magdalena - scrawled her name across the margins of a notebook, he had to pause to observe the elegance of it. The more introspective part of his brain observed that she had clearly spent a long time writing and had put a great deal of thought into every stroke she made with the pen - which was more than any American could say, most of them stopped using cursive in grade school. Not to mention the tiny little heart made his own ache a little, for reasons he wasn't sure of. Maybe because it reminded him of a girl in high school, doodling in her notebook at her desk. Not for the first time, it occurred to him that she was likely quite young - but even with all of his social ineptitudes, Dreiberg knew better than to ask a lady her age - it was rude. Instead, he gently took the proferred pen and scribbled his own name down - left handed, the words all tilted to the right, written out with little flourish, the legible but untiny writing of a man who has spent years writing out painfully long papers - usually about physics or birds. Or sometimes both. He held out the notebook for her to see, feeling for all the world like Tarzan trying to communicate with Jane, "Magdalena." Dan repeated, "It's a beautiful name."

As he affirmed her question, her purpose for being there seemed to traipse fleetingly from her mind. It was almost like they were having a conversationan actual conversation that neither party feigned interest in for the sake of awkward small talk before business was taken care of For a moment she seemed to forget, or at least ignore, the fact that he was a John and she was a call girl. For a moment she forced herself to believe that she had a life outside of theDream. My name is Magdalena, That radiant smile widening upon her painted lips as she picked up a notepad and pen from the coffee table, writing neatly in the margins of the page Magdalena Ivanov in elegant cursive loops. The first letter of both her first and last name slightly larger than the rest, and the first stem of the M had been looped into a small heart that she colored in with black ink as she looked up to him. Magdalena Ivanov, with v not f she giggled slightly, tilting the paper towards him. Many people say Eefahnoff she pursed her lips slightly, to emphasize theffs I suppose they are not use to such spellingsRussian is harsh sounding language to some Twirling the pen between her lean fingertips, she placed the notepad on his lap, slipping the pen between his clasped fingers before gesturing to the page. How do you write your name?

An airship was on its way to Fanelia, carrying supplies toward the nation that was trying to rebuild itself. They were a group of merchants, skilled fighters and traders from Austria. Their leader, a young rebellious woman who was the daughter of their former employer, stood at the front of the bridge, glancing out at the glass windows that allowed them to see everything before them. Noting the flames that were coming out of the forest, her brows rose with interest. Her sub commander came to her side and noticed the flames as well. A dragon, he said slowly as he glanced around the bridge. They all knew that there were dragons around Fanelia, for it was one of the most known facts about the small country. It was one of the reasons why merchants preferred to not travel on foot throughout the land, fear of running into one of the beasts. It would surely kill them and all their merchandise. This did not detour the young merchant though. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant who had passed away shortly before Zaibach had fallen. Thus it became her job to take care of the company, which she did more than willingly. Not being able to stand court, she eagerly ran off to run the family business. It was in her blood, having the same sense of adventure that her father had while he was alive. Leaning closer to the glass, the woman smirked and started barking out orders to her men to lower the airship. I want a closer look at this dragon. She said in a slightly husky voice. The men began to protest, not wanting to risk the ship, but a firm scolding from her got them to bow in submission. Soon the airship was descending, and the young merchant went outside onto the bow of the airship. She had climbed it all her life, ever since she was a child, and knew that she would keep her bearings. Crouching low to the bow of her ship, she held on and glanced down at the forest that was getting closer. She saw the slain dragon, and a few men corning the one covered in dragon blood. The situation immediately appeared to be fowl. The men were fighting the lone knight, who appeared to be from the area from his garb. She immediately grabbed onto a loose cable and jumped off of her airship, swinging downward into the forest. Landing on top of one of the men who were going to attack the man covered in dragon blood. Unsheathing her blade, she brought it down on another and kicked the man she landed on down so he would stay there. With a playful smirk on her face, she winked at the man holding the huge sword and stood beside him, holding up her dainty saber. It had elaborate writing on it, clearly indicating that it was an antique. Need help stranger? she asked in a chipper tone. The bodice around her torso was made of leather, as was the brown trousers on her legs. She had boots up to her knees and a sash wrapped around her hips. Her white shirt was fluffy around the shoulders, cut short to reveal her tanned skin. Wearing gloves over her hands, she gripped the sword tightly with her right arm. On her left was a jeweled ring, signaling that she was a member of a higher glass family. Her long curly locks flew about her shoulders and back, soft and silky looking as the sunlight hit it. Her green eyes flashed up and met the crystal blue ones of the errant knight.

Maximilian Draco was what many might call a loner. So it was no surprise that he was in this age old forest alone despite the fact that most would fear even coming near to these woods or the ruins found within. But Max was also not a man known for fear, far from it as he was one of the few in the many kingdoms who could be called Knight Errant. He was a wandering swordsman and in fact a knight though he had no sworn oath of allegiance to any given kingdom at the moment. But that was another story all together. He moved through the trees swiftly and confidently wearing a jacket of light sectioned armor. At his hip hung a beautifully crafted sword and upon one arm was a collapsible shield. The odd part about his attire however was the large wrapped bundle that was strapped to his back, sticking from its wrappings was what appeared to be the hilt of a sword though it was larger than any typical blade would have... then again the bundle was a good deal larger than any typical blade as well. It made for a rather odd sight to behold should anyone else be lurking in the woods. His stride was filled with purpose and determination and his eyes scanned the woods as if looking for some sort of sign or indication of something in particular. Finally he paused and keeled to examine the foliage and the way the trail he was on was marked and nodded his head a bit as if confidant he had found what he was looking for. There was the sound of snapping brush to one side and Max dove into a roll just as a gout of flame filled the space where he was moments before. With a flick of his wrist the shield on his left arm unfolded just in time for him to use it to parry a second gout of flame before diving over the tail of the Dragon that had finally revealed itself. His motions were graceful and lightning quick which was surprising given that he looked to be quite powerfully built. At the moment he also wore a makeshift helm with visor but that seemed more a determent than a help at the moment as it narrowed his field of vision. He dropped into a crouch and raise the shield just in time to take the brunt of another gout of flame before the dragon roared thinking it had won. Suddenly though there was a resounding click as the flames died down and Max stood tossing the charred shield and several sections of the armor aside. He likewise tossed the helmet to reveal long flowing black hair and eyes of crystal blue which seemed perfect suited to the dashingly handsome face that was now revealed. His right hand went to the massive pommel over his shoulder even as his left reached around and pulled a drawstring on the bundle freeing it and letting its wrapping fall. Now the powerful young man was brandishing a sword easily four feet long if it was an inch and he moved with surprising speed now freed of the armor. He dove over the dragons first swipe spinning as he did so and slashing across the beasts limb in the process earning a howl of pain... he had drawn first blood. But he did not pause when he landed but instead pivoted and swung that mighty blade even as the dragon scrambled away, still he scored a large gouge in the beasts side. He saw the tail coming and ducked low as he charged forward... the dragons tail narrowly missed him but his charge forced the beast to rear up in order to scramble backwards. That was the moment he had waited for and suddenly he stood and brought the sword up in a might vertical swing that gouged the beasts belly, and then with a final lunge he drove that giant blade through the neck of the wounded beast. As the dragon fell to the ground in its death throws Max dropped to a knee and mumbled to himself, "And to think Alan claimed me a fool for asking the Master to learn that style... will have to make sure to tell him about this next time I am in Asturia." He stood only when the dragon was clearly dead and made his way over drawing the sword at his hip, he used it to carve and force the wound in the beasts belly further open and then reached in with a gloved hand to draw out what he had came to these woods for in the first place, a Drag energist. No sooner did he have it in his hand than he heard the approach of men behind him and a rather exaggerated applause before a gravely voice spoke, "Bravo... now when we finish we can tell them we killed a dragon slayer not just some fallen knight... you are going to pay for what you did to my brother."

Hearing the strangers comment of not wanting to be rude only brought a smirk to the young merchant lips.Oh hes goodshe thought to herself when she saw how effortlessly he wielded the huge blade.Hes really good.Her green eyes flicked around the group, taking in the six men and immediately analyzing how difficult it would be to defeat them all with this stranger. She was rather skilled with a sword, for a woman, but she knew that with this stranger beside her it should be no problem. Knowing the hum of her airship anywhere, she could tell that it was getting closer, descending into the jungle to look for her most likely. The dispute between the two didnt really concern her thoughts. From what she gathered this man had injured the others brother and the whiny pipsqueak wanted some revenge so he got the gang together.How pitifully pathetic. Not even man enough to fight his own battles on his own...Glancing to the experienced swordsman beside her, she smirked seeing his blade and raised hers once more. Clearly they both had more in common than was originally thought. The mentioning of guymelefs intrigued her even more as well. She had her own locked up in the airship, but that was a matter to be attended too later. Her brows raised highly when she saw how swiftly he had parried the first threes attack, and it made her smirk devilishly.Okay, he is better than good... I know that fighting style, he must have trained under someone incredibly special, just like- Her thoughts had been cut short. Two men from behind rushed her but luckily she had heard the snapping of twigs. Immediately spinning around, her thin and graceful form bent as she moved, contorting almost to what seemed to be impossible feats. Her blade immediately whipped out and slashed at one of her attackers swords, sending it flying into the air. She immediately kicked him square in his jewels before slamming her booted heel into his jaw, a loud snap being heard. Clearly she was stronger than she appeared. Whipping around to the second one who was charging her, her arm stretched forward and unleashed an array of quick slashes toward his blade, moving almost faster than he was able to process. Thus the difference in their skill. He was a crude excuse for a swordsman, and she was an above par example of a swordswoman. Her father had seen to that little fact. Quickly flicking her wrist, she slashed at the second mans belly, cutting deeply, and held her blood soaked blade up toward the others that were surrounding them. Her chest was slowly rising and falling as she breathed, the bodice making it a bit difficult, but she was managing nicely. Spreading her feet out from underneath her, she grinned at a few and let out a low growl, meant to intimidate them. Well come on! she shouted, egging them on further. Whats wrong, are you scared of a petty little woman? You are a bunch of sleazy beggars who deserve nothing but the divine punishment of our blades. I would sincerely advise that you reconsider your options. A wicked grin spread across her lips as she spoke; clearly she was rather enjoying this whole adventure. Suddenly the group that was attacking them heard ropes flying through the air and a crash through the forest. The nose of the airship suddenly appeared above them, and ropes were dangling down from the tip. A large figure was descending down toward them, and landed with a rather large crash. Standing upright, the bandits were faced with a man so tall it made even the errant knight appear tiny. Grabbing a large hammer, the giant man swung it toward a three of the bandits, making contact with one. The sound of his ribs breaking immediately filled the surrounding area. Wielding the large weapon with ease, the mans bulging muscles and scar ridden arms showed that he was someone not to mess with. Clearly he could take out multiple men with one blow of his weapon. This in turn scared the bandits beyond belief. About time you showed up, Brawler. The merchant woman said with a snicker. She jumped for another one of the men attacking her, landing squarely on his chest and slamming him into the ground, knocking all of the breath out of him which rendered him unconscious. Of course Mistress, the huge man said with a deep bear voice. It made the errant knights chest quiver; it bore that much strength to it. Brawler then spun his hammer around the errant knight and took out another two of the attackers. All that was left was the leader and two of his goons. Brawler and the young merchant each took a side beside the errant knight, wide smirks across both of their faces as they stared forward. So, care to dance? she asked the leader as she flicked her blood tipped saber at him, taking a fencers stance.

Max's gaze was calm and collected as he took in the situation and flashed the young woman a rather dashing smile. He turned his crystal blue gaze to the brigands who had tried to jump him... he counted six of them standing but was fairly sure there were more of them than that. He recognized their leader as the younger brother of another brigand who had tried to get the drop on him in what was a less than fair fight to begin with... it had not ended well for the brigands. He smirked a bit and let his eyes drift to the massive sword still stuck in the dead Dragon. Without a word he took it and drew it from the beast and with a flick of his wrist sent the dragons blood flying to the crisp green grass at their feet. He brandished the massive blade with a shocking skill and grace before smirking and finally answering the young woman who had so recently arrived. "It would be rude of me to refuse aid out in the middle of nowhere, and I would not want to seem rude." He turned his gaze back to the brigands and then drove his massive sword into the ground beside him before he once more drew the ornate longsword that hung at his side. It was beautifully crafted and seemed the sort of thing that would not be out of place in one of the royal courts or as a gift from the nobility. He dropped into the stance of a trained swordsmen as his eyes held a certain fire to them, "Since you did not bring any Guymelefs this time I guess I will stick to my longsword today." The leader of the bandits snarled, "You used that sword to take my brothers arm you bastard." Max smirked a bit and then shrugged before resuming his flawless stance, "Then your big brother should not have brought a guymelef to a sword fight." The leader of the brigands simply snarled and nodded in the knight's direction, three of his men charged without a second though. What happened next was to say the least rather surprising. The young man parried the first thrust with a downward stroke then with a shift of his wrist reversed his blades direction even as a swift kick of his heal through the first parried blade wide... on its upswing it batted the second brigands thrust aside and then with a lightning quick motion it snapped back to stop a mere inch or two in front of the third brigands throat even as drove the elbow of his free arm into the second brigands jaw while simultaneously using the return sweep of his foot to take one leg out from under the first brigand. In what amounted to a few breaths he had grounded two and held the third on the tip of his blade. "Then again... maybe you should have brought Guymelefs" In the end however the wisecrack was meant to prod them into sloppy mistakes, three men out of twelve as impressive as it may have been... was not a feat that would ensure overall victory. Max knew that he was fast but if more of them rushed at once he would be in a bit of trouble. So he taunted them and hoped the young woman who had descended from the airship was as capable as she seemed.

The female merchant was staring at the whole scene with wide eyes. Shed never heard of anyone taking on guymelefs before on their own. It was simply unheard of! But here this knight was, defeating them even. She was simply amazed and awed, a bit shocked as well. This was definitely something she wasnt accustomed too, and it was a pleasant surprise. Brawler stood beside her protectively, a bit unsure if the man they had helped would turn on them next. It was his duty to protect the young woman beside him. With one hand constantly on the hammer, his free hand held her shoulder, dwarfing her appearance even more. As the pair watched the knight fight, the merchant sheathed her sword after cleaning the tip. Crossing her arms, she smirked as her eyes followed his every movement. Once he was finished scaring the piss out of the ring leader of the group, she watched him gather his things before staring him boldly in the face as he introduced himself to her. Reaching out her hand, she grasped his in the way many wandering merchants would, checking for a blade. She didnt fear him though; she was doing it out of friendship. There was a wide grin on her face and she promptly bowed her head to the side as a proper lady would. No need to mention it! What else are your friendly neighborhood band of merchants for other than to bail a friend out when theyre in trouble? She chuckled softly before speaking more seriously, but it was clear that she had a sense of humor about her. It is nice to make your acquaintance Maximilian Draco. I would definitely say that you are a grand swordsman. Its so hard to find men nowadays with your skill. Theres just the King of Fanelia now and Sir Alan who possess such skill. I must say, I am rather awed by your performance. Brawler now took his other hand and gave it a gentle shake, clearly not wanting to hurt him in any way. Impressive lad. He said simply as he stared down at the young man, clearly still testing his intentions. Oh my manners! the merchant exclaimed as she tipped a nonexistent hat toward Max. My name is Bridget La Fontaine. Giving him a wink, she quickly darted away from the two men and jumped up onto one of the damaged guymelefs, clearly inspecting it. Hey! Do you think we could salvage this and sell it for spare money!? she shouted as she started tugging at part of it to see how durable it was. Brawler immediately shook his head and rolled his eyes as he glanced down toward Max. Clearly Bridget was a merchant through and through...

Max was a bit surprised at the new arrivals size, people that him a bit over-sized just because he seemed a match for Balgus... and though he was a big man with the muscles to back it up this new arrival dwarfed him in size and strength it seemed. He was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth though and so was all to happy for the help as he noticed more thugs pouring from the woods to meet them. He also noticed the well muscled but still rather curvy young woman holding her own with the help of her giant friend. But then he heard a sound that would have frightened most in this situation and with it an angry howl from the bandit leader. "Funny you should say that mister cocky knight... because I actually brought two friends of my big brothers with me today." and just as he said it two Guymelefs came crashing through the trees. Max closed his eyes and shook his head as she sheathed the long sword once more at his hip and walked over to the massive blade he left in the ground. It never ceased to amaze him how few people out there seemed to realize that he was probably one of the few men who would not be intimidated even by a Gymelef. He pulled the sword his master had gifted him from the ground and dropped into a very different combat stance as his gaze fell upon the new arrivals and he spoke only a few words though they were uttered loud enough for all to hear, "Guess you didn't learn last time." What happened next was something most never could have imagined. This man without any heavy armor and that massive sword in hand charged the Guymelefs. Using his impressive physique and a well timed jump fueled by his own power as well as the weight of the suddenly swinging sword... He leaped over the giant of a man who had been addressed as 'Brawler' and even as Max flew through the air and swung that massive blade over his head. The first Guymelef managed to parry his blow with a resounding ring of metal on metal, only for the swordsman to plant his foot on its chest and kick off spining so that his blade swung in a horizontal arc towards the second Guymelef. His second opponent brought up a shield to gaurd against the blow and Max kicked off that with an impressive back flick that landed him just out of range of the first Guymelef's counter attack. He charged forward once more ducking under the sword of the second Guymelef and then shifting his grip planted his stride on the foot of the first Guymelef and leapt up following that leap with a second bound off its leg... and with a powerful upward arc of his blade he cleaved straight through the arm of the first mech sending its blade and limb to the ground even as he planted his foot and pushed off raising his sword to parry the blow from the remaining Guymelef. The blow spun him but he landed gracefully on the ground and used the force of that spin to continue into a spiral even as he charged forward and with a second mighty swing cleaved through the leg of the remaining Guymelef sending it tumbling to the ground. In the confusion of that moment as the two Guymelefs were reeling he leaped up driving his blade through the energist of the fallen mech, then pulling it out with a leap and a spinning slash drove it into the energist of the now one armed Guymelef before kicking off and landing gracefully once more. As the bandits looked on in shock and fear he casually raised the blade and then rested it across his shoulders with a smirk... most of the thugs were already fleeing in fear and the color had drained from their leaders face. "I think we are done here... unless you would like to go a round with me on your own... proper honorable combat given you think I wronged you... or we can let this end and be done with it." The bandit leader looked to the fallen Guymelefs and then back to this strange Knight and then simply nodded before turning around and bolting like a frightened child. Max then with one last elegant swing buried his blade in the ground once more and walked over to retrieve his armor and the wrapping for his massive sword. He gathered his things and then double checked to make sure the drag energist was stowed safely in the satchel on his belt before he turned to those who helped him and smiled. "Thanks for the assist, I am Maximilian Draco... wandering swordsman and general trouble maker if you believe what they say about me in the taverns."

Bridget heard the comment about Alan and nodded in agreement. She understood what he meant. Alan was a different type of fighter than this man. If anything, he resembled the King of Fanelia more. The merchant was completely oblivious to what was going on after that, she was too engrossed in figuring out whether the guymelefs were salvageable or not. Brawler noted how Max discarded his armor and said that he should junk it. it was true that armor like that would not last for long against a dragon, or in heavy fights, thus why the larger man didnt invest in it. But the young lad had an effective strategy and he couldnt think of a way to suggest a change without seeming rude. Brawler turned toward Max, watching him pay respects to the fallen dragon. He immediately could register that the lad was from Fanelia, and upon hearing the question, nodded his head. Indeed we are. We are bringing supplies to the king. Giving you a lift should be no trouble at all Sir. He said softly, trying to not ruin Bridgets excitement over the suits. She was already writing numbers in the air for how much she could get for the metal and other working parts. Shaking his head once more, he spoke to Max, leaning closer to him. Just, pardon her eccentric behavior. He whispered before standing straight again, whistling up at the airship before shouting. Come get these pieces that Our Lady desires to salvage! His voice was certainly loud enough to be carried up to the airship, and men could be seen scurrying about it as they started to descend on the ropes. Apparently they were used to salvaging things they found. Bridget was now jumped off of the guymelefs and returned to Max and Brawlers sides. So, did I hear something about a ride? she asked, eyes sparkling up at Max. No problem at all! Just climb aboard! And with that, Bridget jumped onto one of the ropes and swiftly began to climb up the 100 feet or so that the airship hovered above the ground. Her agility and strength was rather surprising for a woman, but if you knew Bridget it would all make sense. Brawler in turn grabbed a thicker strip of rope, clearly to support his added weight and started to climb the rope at a much slower rate. Need any help Sir Max? He asked before getting too far off the ground.

As the young woman spoke Max was once again wrapping that massive sword of his carefully and fastening the ties around it once more before hefting it and placing it on his back once more. He was used to the looks of shock since to his knowledge only two men ever fought the way he just did, and his master had passed on in the heat of a battle defending Fanelia... so that just left him. He took her hand in a firm grasp and shook it when offered, he noticed the way she checked his wrist seemingly out of habit which was something he had seen often from merchants in his travels. He could not help but chuckle when she mentioned other swordsman, both of whom had trained under the same master as him and one of whom he had actually trained with before they parted ways. After his chuckle he did decide to make a comment and inquiry though, "Sir Allen? You mean Alan Schezar I am guessing... yes I suppose he is rather skilled, never beat me when sparring though... but a good man and a noble knight just the same." He flashed a rather amused and somewhat cocky smile as he then took the hand of the large man noting the gentle nature of his handshake. Brawler was clearly a man well aware of his own strength and the way he eyed Max seemed to suggest that he was also rather protective of the young woman and cautious given what he had just seen. Max nodded his head slightly in a show of thanks and respect before answering the large man, "Not as impressive as the man who taught me I fear... maybe someday I can do his name the honor it deserves." Max nodded his head to Bridget as she introduced her self, then almost laughed as she leapt to the damaged Guymelefs that were the results of his handy work. Her excitement and comments made it clear his estimation of her handshake was correct... she was indeed a merchant. As Brawler shook his head Max was inspecting his light armor and then shook his own head before he mumbled to himself, "Damn light armor never seems to survive a bout with a dragon... fire slagged the shield mechanism too... might as well junk it." Max then sighed a bit and walked over to lay his ruined armor at the feet of the dead Dragon as he took a knee and bowed his head in respect. It was true he needed the energist but that did not mean he could not show respect to the powerful beast and honor its sacrifice for his need. He remained that way for a few moments before he stood once more and then walked towards the others. "I do not suppose you are on the way to Fanelia by chance and could offer me a lift? I have a small place just outside the city proper and need to make my way there to take care of a few things before I head out again."

Brawler eventually got up onto the deck of the airship, and promptly walked past Max as he entered the cabin. The large man vanished inside of the ship and remained to be unseen for quite some time. Bridget was in the meantime barking orders out to her men on where to store the guymelefs. They loaded them into the cargo bay of the airship, hoisted up from the ground with cables and rope. The merchant quickly took her spot on the bridge, watching as they got closer to Fanelia to make their way to assist the rebuilding country. Bridget turned toward Max and nudged him with her elbow, noticing how good looking it was. It made her smirk, but other than that she appeared to have a good amount of control over her feminine urges. So tell me, what are your plans after going to Fanelia? Are you travelling anywhere in particular? Because we could certainly use someone like you around when we have more precious cargo to transport. Her hand slowly reached up and her fingers slowly toyed with the leather belt that was wrapped around her throat a few times, forming a collar almost with the way it was coiled around itself. Lowering her hand, she glanced up into his crystal blue eyes with her emerald ones. But dont feel obligated or anything, its just an open ended offer. I can compensate you more than enough though for your services. She said softly as she walked toward the front of the bridge. The sash that was tied around her hips gently whisked around as she walked, there was an obvious sway in her hips that most women had, although hers was less ladylike for a woman of her noble blood. Her hand rested upon the silver saber at her side as she stared forward, the airship preparing to dock in a designated area where they could unload their supplies. Im hungry, she said sporadically toward Max before walking off of the bridge. Come join me! she said ecstatically as she dragged him through the belly of her ship. After many winding corridors, they reached the mess where Brawler was cooking something that smelled delicious. She immediately stole a roll from a pile and sat on the counter that the giant was using to sort ingredients. I cant wait until we get some better food supplies. Im tired of eating beans. She said with a sigh patting her belly. Bridget acted more like a man at times than a lady, but it was rather refreshing for many of the crew.

Max simply shook his head politley and double checked to make sure the massive blade on his back was secure before he leaped up to grip one of the ropes and began a rather rapid ascent. His travel worn attired hid a physiqe that was not simply well built but also toned and defined, it was the mark of a man who spent a great deal of time training his body as well as his skills. So while it was true he did not match brawlers considerable size a seasoned warrior would likely think twice before engaging this strange swordmsan in combat. It did not take long for Max to reach the top of the rope and vault over the railing with one hand using the other to balance his landing, another subtle hint at the mans skill as it suggested he was used to carrying the weight of that massive sword on his back more often than not. He stood gracefully, his long black hair billowing in the wind making him almost look like something out of a fairytale. He realized he had not been back to Fanelia proper in quite some time. It was true that he stopped at his families little home by the waterfall outside the city from time to time, but that was more because of the hidden cave where he could hide his armor among other things... and because that was home, a place to rest his head from time to time when he needed a break from wandering. But he realized he should spend at least some time in the city itself, if nothing else he should visit his masters grave and memorial. His only worry was that remnants of the royal guard might recognize him, and that could attract the attention of the king. He was not a fugitive or anything of the sort but he was not yet sure that any noble deserved his oath of fealty... and knowing that the young king trained under Balgus after his fathers death he worried that if Balgus had spoke of him the king might approach him hoping for a new Knight of Fanelia. Max had nothing against Van Fanel, in fact quite the opposite... he seemed an honorable and noble young man. But Max was yet testing his mettle as his master had before him, that is why he wondered far and wide pushing the limits of his skills. He knew that when he was in the court there were comments about Balgus finding a proper heir for his teachings but Max did not feel he was worthy of such praise just yet. He would not even consider such an offer from the king nor would he seek out the remaining Blade Masters of Gaia until he was sure he was worthy of the praise people seemed so quick to give him. Skilled though he may be he was not Balgus, and he did not feel he was yet ready to stand beside the legend of his master. He watched as they hauled up the damaged Guymelefs and could not help but notice the puzzled looks of many of her crew. So few had ever seen such damage done to the massive suits of armor and he doubted anyone outside of Famelia had any idea such a thing was possible. He made his way towards the cabin and stood outside it looking out in the distance at the capital of his home nation and spoke softly to himself. "I should at least pay my respects before I see to Kaiser and get back on the road... just have to hope things don't get complicated."

Everything on Maxs agenda seemed more than adequately possible on Bridgets itinerary. She gave him a swift nod so that he would know it was plausible in her mind. As they sat in the galley, Bridget was quickly eating a roll like she had eaten nothing for the day. Watching Max set his blade down, she slowly set her saber between her crossed legs and handed Brawler spices whenever he needed them. If you did decide to join my gang, we would do whatever was needed to get things done for you. We dont mind making pit stops. After all, it could be profitable for the gang and theyhave been complaining for more shore leave. She sniffed hungrily at the food and her stomach let out a rather loud growl. Brawler, how long until foods ready? she whined softly at him. Turning to face Bridget, Brawler held up a few of his fingers. Whimpering again, she slowly nodded and waited for the meal to be finished. Looking at Max, she gave him a soft smile and a wink as her fingers once again began to play with the belt around her neck that acted like a collar. So tell me, are you been travelling for some time? she watched him curiously as she toyed with her neck wrapping. Even for being a merchant, she still smelled nice and was feminine enough. After we go to Fanelia, we were planning on returning to Asturia to get the ship worked on. Does that interest you at all? The only thing I can promise is that with our gang, therell be a lot of adventure. If that fits your fancy, perhaps you should consider my offer more thoroughly. She smiled softly and turned to Brawler as he handed them each a bowl of hot bean soup. Sighing a bit as she blew on it, she slowly began to eat it once it was cool enough. I cant wait to have some meat... she said longingly as she imagined having fresh stores of food. It was apparent that she really wanted to land and replenish the stores of the ship.

Max was a knight but he was not blind, so the way Bridgets full bust bounced as she bounded around as well as the rather exagerated swap of her lush hips leading to those toned legs was not missed by him. He reminded himself though that he was a gentlemen and so had to remind himself that he was not supposed to stare no matter how appealing the curvy captain of the airship might be. He was thankful when she spoke as it gave him a distraction, he really needed to spend less time in the woods all alone.. maybe then he would not find himself stairing at the first georgous woman who came along. "I figure I might visit my masters grave... then head to my families place outside town to finish a bit of a project I am working on. No idea where I will go from there to be honest. I am mainly traveling to test and hone my skills as my master did before me. The way I see it a swordsman can not know the limits of his skill or improve them if he does not test his metal." Her offer held a certain appeal, a warm bed might be a nice change of pace from knights under the stars... especially on those colder nights. Bridget seemed playful enough but he also thought he caught her eyes lingering once or twice and that made him wonder if maybe she had a bit more of an interest. He pushed that thought aside though. Allen had always been the one who the women fell over not him. He considered her offer though explaining Kaiser might be a bit complicated, after all it was not the most common sort of thing to come across and she was a merchant after all. But he also knew that because of how his prized machine worked it could not be taken by force since it simply would not work for anyone else. Before he could answer though she had grabbed his incredibly well muscled arm and was dragging him through the myriad hallways till they reached the galley. Max took a seat beside Bridget though he was a bit more willing to wait for Brawler to finish preparing whatever meal he had in the works. Max unslung the massive blade from his back and leaned it against the wall beside him as he noticed how Bridgett seemed far less worried about the niceties of conduct than most women... maybe that was part of why the group full of men did not really eye her over the way she likely would be by most men. Max however again could not help but notice, but in the end reminded himself that at the moment he was simply hitching a ride and even if he did come back she would be his employer in which case such thoughts could get him in trouble.

Bridget turned to Max and rested her hand on his knee, giving it a good pat or two. Dear, what you fail to realize is that we are always getting ourselves into trouble. Seriously, dont stress yourself out about it. We are a tough crew. Hearing him mention wandering before the war with Zaibach, Bridget nodded and continued to eat her soup. She noticed how Max ate with better manners than her, and tried to be more polite. The woman had been raised with manners, just had forgotten a lot of them being stuck on a ship with a bunch of men for months on end. When youre away from high class society and life for long periods of time, things tended to get jumbled, at least in her case. They were now alone in the galley; Brawler was disbursing soup to the other shipmates and had waved his hand at Maxs thanks for the meal. the man was used to being in charge of feeding everyone on the ship. Despite his large appearance, he was rather sweet once you got to know him. Hearing Max sigh, Bridget turned to face him and listened intently as he spoke about attracting trouble. Slowly lifting her hands, she unclasped the belt around her throat and slowly unwound it, holding the leather in her hands as she stared at him. There was a long scar along the right side of her throat, and she flicked her hair back so Max could get a clear look at it. I was serious when I mentioned trouble not being an issue for me and the gang. Trust me, we will be alright. Quietly rewrapping the belt around her throat, she covered the scar up once more and smiled at him as she re-crossed her legs. Im not saying you have to make up your mind right now, but think about it. We will be docked in Fanelia for a few days, so we wont be going anywhere. Finishing the rest of her soup, she slid off of the counter and put the bowl in a sink. Gripping her saber, she winked at him and started leaving the galley. Now if youll excuse me, I need to go make sure we land correctly. You are free to wander the ship and explore, just dont break anything. She flicked her hair over her shoulder before climbing up the stairs that led away from the galley. Her chest bounced as she ascended, and it only made her femininity stand out more boldly.

Max unwittingly let his eyes linger for a few moments on the lovely curves and toned figure of the captain. He chuckled a bit to himself without explaining why, he really did need to spend less time in the wilderness... though he had to admit there were many women who did not possess the toned body of Bridget let alone the full bust and hips to make it seem all the more alluring. But Max imagined that Brawler frightened most who noticed her more enticing traits away before they even had a chance to comment. He considered her offer but then decided she deserved fair warning even if he was not sure he would tell her about his little toy just yet. "Perhaps, would be easier to find ways to test my skill if i did not spend so long in the middle of nowhere... but it is only fare to warn you that for several reasons, trouble seems to have a way of finding me.... as for your other question, I have been away since before the Zaibach war for the most part, my master died early in the war and my family passed before that so I have not had much reason to linger here." He nodded his thanks to Brawler and then blew softly on his soup before letting it rest for a moment then began to eat. Even how he ate hinted at his upbringing for he handled even something so simple with practiced manners and elegance. He heard the comment about Asturia and remembered talk that Allen had helped King Van with the Escaflowne... maybe he should pay Allen a visit after all. He nodded his head slightly in appreciation to Brawler for the meal then took some bread to dip carefully into the soup. He had at least one major concern though and it was the very thing that had brought him back to Fanelia in the first place. The drag energist for Kaiser had cracked and he needed a replacement, but how was he supposed to explain that a wandering knight not only had a guymelef tucked away... but an Ispano Guymelef. He gave a puzzled sigh of sorts and then looked to the lovely Bridget before he spoke once more with a rather serious expression. "I may have actually understated that last bit... there is a good chance that if you take me on it will attract some very unpleasant people, but I can not say much more than that."

The members of the crew who were in charge of the cargo bay were a bit shocked when they saw Max approach from inside a Guymelef. It wasnt something they were expecting. Granted they knew that Bridget had a strange ability to attract those who had interesting pasts or things they were carrying with them, but this by far was the largest surprise they had ever seen. Someone spoke to Max, informing him that Bridget wasnt onboard but that she would be relatively soon, and that he might as well just part his Guymelef in the back because they had a feeling Max was going to join the crew. Actually it was less of a feeling and more of the fact that Bridget had shouted it to all of them before leaving the airship. The men scurried around the floor of the cargo bay, moving things around so that Max could walk inside with the machine without ruining any of the crates that were being removed. Eventually the crew started to fight with each other about what should go where, but Brawler soon took care of that. The large man was delivering more food to the crew, and had seen Max from within the Guymelef. His face didnt change much when he saw it, Brawler actually remained quite calm. After a few orders being barked out by the huge man, the crates were moved and he motioned Max further inside of the cargo bay. Directing him with his large hands, Brawler eventually got Maxs Guymelef to one of the mounting seats, next three other Guymelefs. The one that was directly next to his though was unique, too unique. Once Max was done setting his Guymelef in the seat, he would be able to properly take a look at the Guymelef beside his. The Guymelef wasnt as large as his; it was a bit shorter and possibly faster. The cape wasnt pulled over it; instead it was fully exposed to view. Clearly it wasnt being hidden from anyone. The suit appeared to be functional, but Max wouldnt be able to tell without investigating it, which he couldnt do because he didnt know who it belonged too. The Guymelef was black like his, but almost a bit lighter in color. The bone-like pieces that comprised of the suit had some gashes and scratches, clearly having been used in battle more than once. The head of the suit had a distinct look to it that Max should have been able to recognize. This was clearly not just any regular Guymelef, this was an Ispano. He could see the crystal cortex that would house the energist that powered the machine and surprisingly there was one inside. This suit must have belonged to someone on the ship. Or perhaps it was being delivered somwhere? He couldnt say for sure, but it was definitely something hed have to investigate further. Brawler turned to look at the opening of the cargo bay to see Bridget coming on board. She was debating with a few people, clearly about how to deliver the supplies to Fanelia. It was clear from the expression on her face that there was quite a few things she was dealing with at the moment, and Brawler immediately shifted his form, causing a few of the men swarming around Bridget to back off. Clearly he had quite a bit of influence in the crews behavior around her. Perhaps he was the reason why Bridget wasnt married? He was the knight fending off suitors. Perhaps it was due to her request, or her deceased father? Regardless, Bridget looked up at both of them and gave the men a tired smile. After wiping her brow with her gloved hand, she stared up at them both and put her hands on her hips. I swear, they argue so much the night before they get shore leave its not even funny. She was referring to the fact that many members of the crew were trying to get their job done as quickly as possible so they could go raid the nearest pub. Bridget wasnt as frugal as some merchant pilots, but nothing could beat getting drunk in a pub at night. She was considering it herself when Brawler snapped her from her thoughts. Perhaps we should stay at an inn tonight? the way he spoke to her was clearly that of a father, perhaps Brawler had been more of a surrogate parent to her than was visible to the naked eye. Bridget contemplated over the thought for a few moments before Brawler patted her shoulder, leaving the two to talk. I will deal with the men, you take care of him. He was clearly referring to Max, and the large man started shouting at the crew, scaring them into working faster. Bridget smiled as he left and turned to look at Max. She hadnt seen him for a few hours and realized what he had been up too. Her eyes were immediately transfixed on the Guymelef next to hers, and then stared at Max blinking a few times. I take it thats what you were referring too when you mentioned trouble. She held her hands above her head and stretched before folding them behind her head. Standing there for a few moments, her body swaying as she thought, she smirked at Max and gave him a wink. Its nothing we wont be able to manage. Its not the only suit we have on board, so dont worry about it. she said pointing to the other suits that were across from him. It appeared that she also had two regular functioning Guymelefs along with the two that they were going to try and sell for a profit. Clearly Bridget was a collector with unique taste. It wasnt surprising at all that she was a merchant. Turning away from Max, she started to walk down the cargo bay before pausing, motioning him to follow. Well dont just stand there, lets go get something to drink at the inn. She gave him one of those winks that she tended to give quite often, and kept walking out. The crew appeared to be leaving as well, rather excitedly actually as they piled into Fanelias streets. Bridget made her way through the bustling crowd and eventually arrived at a local inn. Buying rounds for her men, she held up her pitcher of ale before taking a hearty swig from it. She retired to the upper floor of the establishment and crossed her legs, leaning back in a chair as she enjoyed her drink. Watching the men laugh and drink, telling stories shed heard a million times, a smile crept across her lips. This was her home, her family. There wasnt anywhere else she would want to be. Glancing up at Max, she smiled at him warmheartedly, clearly pleased that he had decided to follow her into the town. So, how did visiting your Masters grave go earlier? She asked as she lowered her feet off of the small table, inviting him to sit beside her as she watched the men enjoy themselves.

Max could not help but notice the way her large breasts bounced as she made her exit. He marveled at the fact that no one around seemed to see her as the busy and toned bombshell that she clearly was. He did not know why but he was not going to press the matter. His thoughts drifted to what he needed to do back at his home... renewing the bond and setting the new energist would not take to terribly long but he could not just walk into Fanelia without draping the large cloak over Kaiser to ensure no one realized it was an Ispano. It was no crime to own a Guymelef or even an Ispano Guymelef but Max always worried about drawing undue trouble because of it. He finished his soup then reached down to his hip to ensure he had the treasure that had brought him to that forest in the first place. He felt the weight and warmth of the energist where it rest at his hip in the satchel. He stood and nodded to Brawler again then made his way up to the deck. His gaze was out on the woods of his homeland and the fast approaching city. If he took her offer, even if it was just to save him time on the trip to see Allen, he would need to bring Kaiser to the ship and that could be trouble if those bandits had not given up. But if he did not try he ran just as much if not more chance of someone noticing or finding out as he traveled to Asturia. He would visit Balgus' Grave when they landed then would go see to the neccesary preperations on Kaiser and make his way back to the docks. He would simply have to hope that nothing went wrong. IT did not take long for the ship to land and make port. Not long after that he was in the area near the palace and made his way to a stone monument to the fallen blade master. He took a knee there and closed his eyes before speaking softly, "I am not quite there yet Master but I am getting closer... I will travel into the other lands once more and seek out challenges and ways to improve... and maybe when I return I will be a worthy successor." He then stood and made his way out of the city and down a winding path to a fanciful house that seemed partly carved out of the mountain wall. To its side was a beautiful waterfall and it was towards that sight that his gaze drifted. In the end he made his way inside though and took a quick shower then grabbed a fresh change of clothes and packed up several changes of clothes and a fresh set of armor just in case he needed it. With that satchel thrown over his shoulder he made his way not towards the bolted door at the front of the house but rather towards an ornate bookshelf at the back of the house. He ran his hand along the bottom of one of the shelves and found a catch there pressing it even as he pressed down on a bevel in the desigh and there was a loud click. Max slid the shelf out a bit to reveal a hallway behind it and then pulled it closed behind him. Moments later he was unlocking a large armored door and entering a cave that was hidden behind the waterfall. There standing near a platform was a sight to behold... a black Ispano Guymelef with ornate trim, one of its arms adorned with what looked like a shield and a red cape draped from its shoulders and at its hip what appeared to be a wicked looking blade. Max made his way up to the platform and then took at the Drag Energist mumbling something softly as if speaking to the giant suit of armor and then he cut his own hand and pressed the energist into the receptacle in the armor. He then bandaged his hand and opened the great suit of armor placing his satchel inside and then climbing in himself. The Guymelef came to life at his touch and with a massive hand reached out to retrieve a simple black cloak which he then draped over its massive frame. The hood of the poncho like garment also served to hide the rather distinct look of its helm. Suitably hidden from prying eyes he opened the massive metal gates and then locked them behind him before walking out through the waterfall and making his way back towards the city proper. It did not take long to reach the city using Kaiser as his transportation and he stuck to the main roads in the city itself so that he would not have trouble traveleing towards the docks. Even wrapped in this traveling cloak the Guymelef drew stairs but Max did not dally enough for it to be an issue. Soon he was at the docks gazing on the ship once more and called out from within his Guymelef, "Is Bridget aboard... she made me an offer not long ago for passage and maybe a bit of work." He ignored the shocked looks of the crew, he knew that they likely would not have expected him to arrive with a Guymelef but he could not leave it unguarded for long... he would not risk his families home that way.

When she heard his comment about the grave, she nodded slowly and drank from her ale. She herself knew that sometimes visiting graves could be consoling while other times aggravating. I wasnt asking about trouble Sir Max. Bridget narrowed her eyes at him before smirking at him. She hoped that he would understand what she meant, and she went back to drinking her ale before his next statement hit her. Her eyes shifted toward him as she blinked a few times. Sometimes it can be hard being a female merchant. Men dont take you seriously, so sometimes I need to be a bit more forward and brash than usual. Dont worry thought, everything is under control and will be fine. Smiling at him she leaned back in her chair and took a glance at her men, barking at them because she could tell that a few might get into a fist fight with each other. Were here to celebrate fools! she yelled through grit teeth. Turning back to Max, she nodded before answering his question. My father died when I was younger. And of course being daddys little girl, I got the family business much to my mothers displeasure. Brawler was my fathers right hand man, thus why he is mine. He helped raise me and has been like a father after mine died. There was a warm smile on her face as she sipped her ale. Max could tell from the look in her eyes that she did love Brawler like a father. Then a playful smirk crept across her cheeks. I guess your Guymelef impressed him. She giggled playfully at him before looking back down at the main floor of the tavern. Dont worry; it doesnt bother me at all. And if you want to talk about your Melef then Ill listen. But I wont force it out of you. I will however let you know that the one next to yours is mine. Her emerald eyes met his crystal blue ones, a glint of mischief in them as she watched him.

Max was securing the massive form of Kaiser, still covered by a simple beige hooded cloak that obscured the truth of what it was including the ornately carved mask that was part of the helm. He exited his concealed treasure and made sure it was secure before his eyes glanced to the smaller black ispano seated beside it. That was a bit of a surprise though he said nothing about it for the time being. Instead he simply turned his gaze out over the cargo bay and noticed the way that Brawler acted in the defense of Bridgett, a surrogate father it seemed... that was something he had once upon a time in his master but the war had taken that from him. He heard the comment assuming that it was just having a Guymelef that was the trouble he was referring to earlier and shook his head, "Not quite... but all things in due time." He leaped down elegantly from Kaiser even as Brawler so willingly left Bridgett with him. It was an act that surprised him given how protective Brawler had seemed only moments before and he was sure that his random glances had not gone unnoticed by Brawler. He wondered if that meant he had impressed the large man or earned his trust in some way. He tried not to let his mind linger on it because he did not want to get himself into trouble so soon after arriving. He could not help but watch the sway of her hips as she insisted he follow her to the inn and pub though. He still had his sword strapped to his back as he followed and his thoughts began to wander as he thought on the fact that she might have something to say about Kaiser sooner or later, at the very least she would likely want to know where he had acquired such a Guymelef. He followed her to the inn and for the first few moments was by himself off to one side of the pub, at least until she motioned him over. He made his way over and sat beside her. When she had her legs kicked up, shapely though they are, it was easier to pass her off as just a member of a ships crew... but when she shifted as she had and invited him closer it was far harder to ignore her feminine whiles. He shrugged a bit at her question then answered, "As well as can be expected I suppose... there was no trouble so to speak, seemed that some of them men you were dealing with were a bit more forward than Brawler approved of though I noticed." He accepted a drink and took a sip then pondered his next words carefully, "He seems rather protective of you, I was actually rather surprised when he left you alone with me after seeing that."

Zaibach took my father as well, Bridget said grimly as she stared into her ale. The colored liquid was a pretty color to the woman, and she could see her eyes reflection inside of it. Not directly, but it was defiantly due to the war and their lust for power. She glanced up at the dimly lit inn, her crew now fully intoxicated and trying to pick up the local women. A few soldiers ambushed and raided the ship, in turn killing him with their blood lust. I remember watching him fall on the desk as the soldiers left. I held his giant hand in my small one until he finally passed. Her eyes shook a bit as she remembered the event, but quickly wiped them to prevent any tears from falling. Now they are gone though, and thats whats important. Its our job to prevent another power, another empire like that from ever rising again. Thats one of the reasons why Im helping Fanelia out of my own pocket; we need more nations like theirs to change the world. Seeing how much ale Max was ordering, she couldnt help but smirk to herself. Then she noticed how defined his muscles were and forced her gaze to divert. Other than Brawler, she wasnt used to being around very strong men. It was rather common to see her beating up on the crew than them beating each other up. Bridget had managed to establish that she was an equal, and they feared her wrath if they dared to put her in a bad mood. She wasnt able to drink as much as a Max, but she could still hold her own rather well. Perhaps this night she just wasnt much into the mood for drinking like the others. From a passing bar maid, she ordered a second round of ale for herself and some roasted meat. Bridget could feel eyes on her, and shot a glare around her as she searched the second floor. Seeing that no one was looking at her, she suddenly realized that it must have been Max. A very faint blush slowly crept across her cheeks but she immediately took a large gulp of ale. She knew that she was rather attractive for a woman, but had always had issues accepting it. brawler had done a good job of scaring men away, so she didnt have to deal with the fact that she was seen as pretty by people. The scar upon her neck, as well as a couple others, was what she considered beautiful on her body. She was rather backward compared to women of the time in her standing, but it was simply how she was raised. Her father had come from a long line of strong, independent women, women whose example she desired to follow. As the roasted meat and ale arrived, she tipped the bar maid well and started to eat. Offering some of the meat to Max, she winked at him as she chewed on it, savoring the taste. Ive missed this... she said as she chewed and watched her men. Ive missed the happier times... Now leaning closer to the table as she ate, the distance between her and Max was less. Her emerald eyes glanced over at his as she wiped her cheek with a napkin, not all of her rich upbringing went to waste. I suppose you arent used to a lot of interaction with people hmm? After being out in the woods for so long. Part of me envies you. Ive thought about buying a cabin in the forest for quite some time now, just living there in the peace and quiet without a care in the world.

Max shook his head a bit but it was with a smile, "No not here, to many ears for my taste to discuss that subject... and I somehow doubt Brawler is keen on leaving you alone with some wandering rogue of a swordsman who has been drinking." He chuckled a bit at that part, though she had called him sir he seldom really felt like a knight these days. Aside from his skill and his family name there did not seem to be much in his eyes that set him apart from any other wandering warrior out there in the wild world of Gaia. He sipped at his ale and then ordered another before leaning back and stretching, unwittingly giving quite the view of his broad chest and sculpted arms to those who bothered to look closely enough. "My father died when I was young so I can relate to that, all I had after that was my Master... but the beginning of the Zaiboch war took him as well so now it is just me by my lonesome. So I have not spent much time in any given place. Just wandered and tested my mettle against any challenge that the world gave me. It has not been an easy life but it has been interesting more often than not." His crystal blue orbs met her sparkling green gaze and he could not help but wonder what mischief danced in her eyes. He knew that she was a strong woman and that seemed able to handle herself. The scar she had shown also suggested that she had seen her share of trouble over the years. But still he wondered what exactly she might have in mind. He downed the recently delivered ale and then ordered another as well as something a little stronger. His eyes wandered a bit without him realizing it as he took in Bridget's large bust and toned body once more, she might be called amazonian if she were taller but as it was she was simply a very tempting and well muscled package. He smirked a bit and then downed the recently delivered ale and leaned back to rest a bit. He realized he should know better than to eye her like that... if Brawler caught him looking at her like that he might find himself in a bit of trouble. Part of him however wondered if it just might be worth it.

I envy you in that you are making your own path. Granted I am doing the same, to an extent. But I know that being from noble family of Asturia my loyalty is secured. I do primarily keep to myself as well, excluding the crew. I avoid my family as much as possible, which youll probably see once we dock in Asturia. I am sure that my mother will be there waiting to whisk me away and put me in a dress. Bridget made a sour face at this thought. Ill probably sneak out in a crate again... I do hope though with this new found peace things should be much easier for me and the crew to travel and trade, discovering long lost treasures. Thus why we are here in Fanelia. I am paying for this little adventure out of my own pocket because I want to see other nations and more people rise up to change the world. With Zaibach gone we have a chance at doing that finally. Sipping at her second ale now, she glanced over to Max as he mentioned Brawler leaving her alone with people. She couldnt help but chuckle and immediately nodded. He is rather particular about that. I dont know if my father made him promise to keep me unwed or what. She laughed a bit before staring at the glass in her hand. I am thankful though, he keeps my mothers attempts at marrying me off in a stand still. There was a bit of sorrow in her eyes. Like most women who were well to do in Asturia, it was highly probably that Bridgets mother was trying to marry her off into a wealthy family to keep their family wealth booming. Max could clearly see that an arranged marriage was not on the young womans agenda. I actually got the idea of living in a cabin from him. Before he started traveling with me on the ship, he had retired to a little cabin in the country. It was always so peaceful there when my father was still alive; he would take me there to visit when my mother was away traveling. She gave Max a bright smile and finished off her second helping of ale. Perhaps youre someone he actually feels Ill be safe around. She said as she ran her finger around the rim of the glass, clearly in thought. The ale was clearly affecting her, her cheeks were pink and her eyes a bit glossy, but she still had firm control over herself. Her eyes were wandering a bit more and she caught herself staring at Max more than once. Realizing that she should probably retire for the night before she made a fool of herself, she slowly got out other chair and bowed her head to him. I think Im going to take advantage of this opportunity to sleep in a real bed, so I will see you in the morning. She winked at him before walking up the stairwell to the third floor of the inn, disappearing at the top of the stairs. Upon entering an empty room, Bridget removed her boots and collapsed on the moderately sized bed. Letting out a loud sigh, she rolled over and held a pillow, enjoying the freshly cleaned sheets. It had been quite some time since she slept in a nice bed, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. Removing her clothes, she lay in her undergarments staring up at the ceiling. She was wondering about Max, his past, the Guymelef, and why she couldnt keep her eyes off of him. Smacking her cheeks a few times, she rolled over and held a pillow close as she forced her thoughts to go silent, passing out where she lay.

Max finished his ale then downed the glass of potent spirits as well before accepting her offer and savoring the roasted meat of his homeland. He also motioned that his drinks should be replaced. He did not speak for a time as he thought about what she said. He had always been a bit of a loner and so had never really given it much thought to be honest. His families home was outside the city after all and so the woods and mountains were more home to him than the city really was. They traveled to the city for needed supplies and so his father could speak to the King... his father had sworn fealty to the King but there was no familial oath for the house of Draco. It was why he was technically considered a Knight Errant. Finally he spoke, "I suppose I am more used to keeping to myself... my home is no small cabin but it is outside the city and more a part of the mountain and forest than anything else. I suppose my wandering has given me a lot of time to myself as well, just me and Kaiser out in the wilderness save for the animals and the land." He sipped his fresh ale and continued to work at the roast meat when it was offered to him. He was also suddenly aware of just how close Bridget was to him and had to force his eyes, and his mind, from wandering once more. It was part of why he was nursing the tankard of ale and eying the hard spirits once more. It was a distraction to dull his senses just enough that he could fool himself into thinking she was just another merchant and not a powerfully built and buxom beauty, he smirked and suddenly thought that might take more ale and spirits than the pub had to offer in the long term. One advent of the long times he spent alone is despite looks that easily rivaled those of the knight he used to train against, and a body of sculpted muscle much like that of his late master... he had far less of an impression on how it affected those around him. So he was neither cocky or overconfident in his appearance. He slowly nursed his ale before he continued with his earlier questions. "Yes the prevention of such abuse of power is why my family never offered a familial oath of fealty... each generation choose a king or kingdom and it ends with the death of the one who uttered the oath." He took another sip of his ale before continuing even as his crystal blue gaze stared out into the night, "So I am guessing Brawler is rather particular about who he leaves you with then... seems the protective sort... though I suppose out in the woods he could relax a bit if he wanted."

Bridget awoke the next morning early as she always did. After stretching around in the bed, she picked up her scattered clothes off of the floor and got dressed, pulling her boots on over her feet. Making her way downstairs, she was adjusting her bodice as she met the person in charge of the inn. Not even caring to see the tab, she just asked how much it was and paid it before making her way toward the ship. Knowing that most of the men were still asleep, she took the chance to return to the ship and take a quick bath. Once cleaned up, she rubbed herself down with some fragrant oils before putting on a fresh shirt and trousers. Attaching a bodice with embroidery on it around her middle, she pulled part of her hair up into a high bun then wrapped the belt around her throat to cover the long scar on the side of her throat. Now she was ready to get to work and would do so. As the sun rose, Bridget sat in her small office in the airship, writing up request orders for supplies that she would take into Fanelia with her. Once the sun had gotten an edge on her, Bridget left the ship and walked through the busy streets of Fanelia. She rather enjoyed the liveliness of the city, already seeing some of the supplies they had delivered being put to good use by the civilians. Stopping at an armory, market, and linen store, she ordered what she needed before deciding to take a leisurely stroll through the industrial district. After ordering some raw materials that could be used for repairs on their ship, Bridget found herself sitting at a little bakery eating some bread. Her emerald eyes flicked around the crowd a few times before shifting the saber at her side. It had been a long time since things had been so peaceful, but it was a pleasant change to how things had been during the war with Zaibach. Once she was finished with her breakfast, Bridget started walking toward the ship, a bounce in her step as she waved to members of her crew as they started to emerge from the inn. When she was closer to the ship, she barked a few orders out to the crew who were loading up supplies. Grabbing a few things as she inspected the crates, she helped the men secure a few in place so they wouldnt move once they were back on route to Asturia. Smirking a bit, she went to the bridge and patted Brawlers shoulder in greeting as she sat upon the railing between the upper and lower levels of the bridge, her legs swinging a bit as she watched the members of her crew monitor the instruments of the ship. It was all typical maintenance they did while docked somewhere for more than a day. Bridget glanced around at the ship a few times, wondering if Max was wandering through the city or somewhere on the ship. Immediately feeling her cheeks flush a little, she shook her head and smacked her cheek to get her head out of the clouds. She had things to do, and she did her best to distract herself with them as the afternoon slowly approached.

Max felt the ale and spirits having an affect on him though not quite the one he expected. Even as he noticed Bridget taking longer and longer glances at him while she spoke of Brawler trusting him and her desire not to simply be married off to some rich family... his own eyes went more and more to her lush figure and those fiery eyes. He found himself tempted to mention that generations of knighthood had left his family fairly well to do but that he had no such concerns since his mother had died in childbirth and his father fighting at the side of the King of Fanelia. When she stood he found his eyes glued to the sway of her full hips and the bounce of her large bust when she went up the stairs. He shook his head a bit and then looked down at his ale and finished it and the meat she had ordered. He wondered why he could not stop looking at her as far more than just a merchant or employer, when he looked he saw a strong and very attractive woman. Part of him wondered if Brawler had some agenda of his own but that simply made him chuckle and then he finished the glass of powerful spirit and leaned back to close his eyes. Though his minds eye was no less affected by his thoughts than those he had just closed, and it too was filled with images of her lush curves and toned limbs. He felt himself flush at those thoughts and something inside him stirred a bit. He shook his head clear for a moment and then stood and walked over to the barkeep, he tossed enough currency on the counter to cover his drinks as well as everything that Bridget had ate and drank and a decent tip for the server. The barkeep raised an eyebrow and spoke softly, "The young lady already payed for everything." Max shook his head a bit then spoke softly as well and slide even more currency across to the man, "Let her pay for the crew, but this should cover her room as well as the meal and drink we had and my room... so you can remove those charges from her tab." The man shrugged but then nodded and took the money. Max made his way up to the room that had been arranged for him , he wondered for a moment how large the rooms on the ship were... he did not mind cots or even bedrolls but he had the means ti get a few beds for those deserving if the room were large enough and he new a few craftsman in Asturia so perhaps he could see to something when they arrived there. For now he striped down to his undergarments folding his clothes and placing them at the bedside upon a chair, he leaned his weapons against that chair as well and then lay down and closed his eyes. He lay there with his powerful frame uncovered and simply relaxed on the lavish bed letting himself drift off to sleep.

Bridget saw Max going to the front of the ship as she worked on a few things with her crew. She also noticed how he began to do the dances with the swords, and how his form was eventually revealed. After catching herself staring a couple of times, her thoughts wandered back to the night before and couldnt help but blush. She immediately smacked her cheeks, a reflex to combat her feminine urges, and left the bridge of the airship. Going down a few floors, she entered her small room and shut the door behind her. Leaning against it, she let out a heavy sigh and stared up at the ceiling.What has gotten into me?she thought for a few moments before looking forward. Bridget didnt have any special accommodations, regardless of being a captain. Her room was as big as the crews, a small rectangular room about ten feet long by six feet wide. Her bunk didnt have one underneath it, instead there was a small dresser bolted to the wall that contained her possessions. Against the window was a small desk with a chair and a mirror upon it that she used as a makeshift vanity. She opened the small window and let the cool air of the countryside in. Taking a deep breath, Bridget slowly climbed up the small ladder that lead to her bunk. Lying down on the pile of quilts she had up there, she stared up at the ceiling and pressed her palm to it. She hadnt ever felt drawn to anyone like this before, and it honestly scared her a little. Bridget wasnt used to such things, and it was something shed never been taught about. Where she came from you married for money, not love and desire. It was simply how things were done. Closing her eyes, she held her face in her hands and groaned a little to herself. She had removed herself from the deck because she didnt want to be seen gawking at Max. Bridget had never been in this situation before, and it was slightly discomforting. She stayed hidden within her room for a while longer before eventually forcing herself down from her bunk. Leaving her room, she wandered back to the bridge and slowly glanced to the bow of the ship, seeing that Max was apparently done with his sword dances. She sighed a bit with relief and slowly walked out onto the bow, towel in hand, watching him gather his things up. After collecting herself, she forced herself to strike up a conversation to get whatever was going on through her out of the way. You are very skilled. I can tell that you were indeed taught by Balgus, and that hed be proud to see you there now. She smiled at him gently as her emerald eyes made sure to never make direct contact. Tossing a towel at him, she turned and walked to the tip of the bow, glancing down at the city before them.

Max had woken early as he often did. The inn was still quite when he rose from the bed and then donned his traveling garb silently. He moved with the practice ease of a man who was used to being out on the road rather than at home, he quickly found the small wash basin and used to rinse his face and then strapped the ornate long sword to his hips before once more shouldering the larger sword and securing it to his back. He tossed a few coins on the counter of his room for whoever was tasked with cleaning up the rooms and then made his way out into the city even as it was just waking. He had a set of decent enough clothes stowed back on kaiser but if he was going to see merchants, artisans, and eventually the court it occurred to him that he might need a bit more. So first he headed outside the city and back to his home in those early morning hours and retrieved a tightly wrapped parcel from his dresser. He had not worn it since he had attended the funerals of his father and the king but it was the sort of finery expected of a proper Knight. He then retrieved a small lock box from his desk and opened it, inside lay a signet ring, a pendant with his family crest, and a bound volume whose pages held proof of his lineage... marks of a noble birth. He sighed a bit and shook his head, it was something he was not particularly proud or fond of to be honest. Somewhere down the family lineage the knights of his line had been wed to various daughters or sons of noble birth, never any heirs to the throne mind you but nobility just the same. He was glad though that his mother had been a simple attendant to the queen and his father a knight... he had grown up here outside the city and though he visited the royal courts had never been forced into being a part of them. He secured the lock box and the parcel holding his court finery. He made his way back to the city with a practiced stride. He noticed the merchants were setting up for the day and he purchased some sweet bread for his breakfast as well as a few packages of local blends of tea to take with him. He made his way back to the ship even before the merchants had brought their wears to be shipped. He was not sure what they wanted him to do, especially as his skills lay mainly in swordplay and the occasional need for diplomacy if he was on familiar terms with those he was dealing with. In the end he simply checked on Kaiser and stowed his things there before sealing up the impressive Guymelef once more. He then double checked to make sure the large beige traveling cloak still hid the true nature of his Guymelef and that the crimson cloak affixed to its shoulders was neatly hidden beneath the traveling garb. When he was satisfied with that he made his way up to the deck where he saw everyone busying themselves starting the days work. He found a quite and secluded corner of the deck behind the captains cabin and sat down with his long sword in his lap and the great sword he carried laying in front of him and closed his eyes. It was an old practice and most swordsman never bothered with it anymore but max found that centering himself and clearing his mind every so often was rather helpful. By the time the others were into the full swing of the things and Bridget was looking out over the deck he was making his way out towards the front of the ship. There he began to go through sword forms his motions were smooth and practiced. He started slowly and elegantly at first and when he finished with the long sword he began the same exercise with the great sword. He took a short meal break to find some food in the galley and then returned to the deck for further practice. By the time afternoon rolled around and the day was warming up he felt a bit warm and so carefully removed his jacket and shirt folding them neatly and then began to go through his forms though this time with a bit more speed and force. By the time he took up the great sword again there was a light sheen of sweat to his muscled form. By this point Max had switched back to the long sword once more and it sliced through air with the sound of rushing wind. The glint of the afternoon light on his sword seemed the perfect match to the way the light reflected off that light sheen of sweat on his tanned skin. He was oblivious to any who might have looked his way as he performed this dangerous dance that set his powerfully corded muscled rippling with practiced motions that came as easily to him as his next breath.

Yes I did find out about you, she said with as smirk, watching him wipe the sweat off of his body. As he asked her how she had learned, she simply smirked and winked at him. A girl as her ways. She said playfully before turning around to glance at the scenery around them, then at her ship. It was slightly battered; suggesting that theyd encountered trouble, and Bridget thought to herself that they should probably get the left levistone replaced once they reached Asturia. Her eyes then flicked over his body and quickly went back to staring at the ship, her booted foot kicking at a ding in the hull. As Max mentioned going to Asturia and making things easier for her, she shook her head and smiled a bit hearing his title, her own echoing in the back of her mind. Thats not necessary, but thank you. But if you would like to see the King and Allen Schezar Im sure that it could be arranged. She gave him a sweet smile before holding her hands together behind her back. Her expression was thoughtful, as if there was something on her mind. When she heard Max mention her mother, Bridget quirked a brow at him before blinking confused. My mother? she asked puzzled before putting it together in her mind. A-Are you suggesting that my mother would throw me at you!? she squeaked out. Max could see Bridgets face fully flush at the idea of her mother trying to marry them if she knew of Maxs lineage, and quickly turned to hide her face. She had barely just met him and he was already suggesting something like that? Perhaps he was interested in her?... Shaking the thoughts from her head, Bridget patted her cheeks before speaking once more. I am perfectly fine with you not wanting to broadcast your title. I will be sure to have no one speak of it if they learn. As for Brawler, your secret will be safe with him if you so desire to inform him. However he may put two and two together if you keep wearing fancy clothes like that. She motioned to his nicer garb. One from Court would immediately be able to recognize you. Bridget herself had but she wasnt going to admit to such things now. You are Max while on my ship, just like I am Bridget, or Captain if you so prefer it. Winking at him once more, she waved her hand a little before walking backwards, toward the command post of the airship. Now I think is time for me to return to my post. I hope that youre thinking about my offer, Maximilion~ We will probably leave port tomorrow morning! she said with a smirk as she vanished inside the airship. He could see her walking to Brawler and talking to him before vanishing off of the deck to go do more work.

Max caught the towel and then casually began to dab at the sweat that still glistened on his powerfully muscled form. So she had figured it out in the end it seemed and now knew exactly whose grave he had visited. He did not bother to cover himself back up but instead bundled his clothes. He for some reason felt like showing off just a bit and did not really understand why. There was just something about Bridget that seemed to have that affect on him. He looked into her eyes and managed a rather dashing smile that was made even more so given his state of undress as he spoke, "So you found me out huh... yeah I was Balgus' student and he was the one who watched for me after my father died. What gave it away the shirtless training?" He chuckled a bit as it was no secret his master was built like a brick wall just as Max himself was, and that he trained without any form of armor or protection to instill his believe that one had to fight with the intention to do harm. His eyes were drawn to her figure and he had to remind himself this was his employer at the moment and so he turned and looked out over the city to hide his blush as he spoke once more, "when we get to Asturia I can actually make things a little easier for you. Tell them you are bringing Lord Maximilian Draco of House Draco to see the King and Sir Allen Schezar on a matter of personal import... should get you right through any custom checks." He did not go into details of his nobility distant though it may be. It was not something important to him in all honesty. He had little care for the politics of the course and little need for his families fortune given that he was happy to live in his home by the waterfall and the simple life of a knight errant. It is why he had not thought twice about paying for rooms and board at the inn. It is also why he never thought how it might affect how others thought of him... but he suddenly realized he had just told a merchant about it, one who admitted her family cared very much about those things even if she did not and suddenly he put his hand over his eyes and sighed. "Of course now I realize this means what you said about your mother earlier could cause a whole other set of problems with it... I will figure something out just don't start going around calling me lord or sir or any of that drivel. It is just Max... and maybe keep it between you and me and maybe the big guy... not something I particularly care about or want broadcast for the most part."

Bridgets mind was reeling a bit from what he told her. Max seemed so backward in terms of court that it was hard to believe that he had such noble lineage. But then again, his body said otherwise. His long dark hair and eyes told her that he was from noble blood, just like her eyes and hair gave hers away. The very thought that he had been hinting at her mother wanting them to wed made her think that he did like her more than just in a friendly manner. Perhaps it was true. She wasnt bad looking, she knew that much, but she had never had this type of thing happen to her before in her life. It was definitely something to think about. When he came back onto the deck, she turned and noticed he was wearing a new shirt and fought a blush, focusing on brawlers vest instead, starting to count the stray threads on it. When he addressed both of them, she turned and blinked a few times but Brawler beat her to the talking. Thats more than acceptable. However they wont inspect us when we enter the country. However when we leave for shore leave you may get some stares. And if you desire to go to court to visit anyone or make a social call, you should dress accordingly. I know that I will be changing my garb as well. Brawler then looked down at Bridget and raised a brow seeing her inspect his vest. She squeaked with surprise then smiled innocently, glancing up at him timidly. Im sure that we all will look odd once dressed up in our formal attire. Im sure that eventually Im going to be put in a dress. The captain of the airship made a sour face and then tugged at her cheeks. I better get used to being pinched too. I can hear her now...Bridget you need to make your cheeks blush~. Bridgets tone got really nasally and artificial, clearly mimicking that of her mother. It brought a smile to Brawlers face and she let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth so she wouldnt snort. Turning to Max, she bowed her head slightly and then spoke normally once more. I am sure that things will be fine Max, dont stress yourself out about it. Well manage to get by as we always do. She patted his shoulder firmly before lowering it, letting her fingers drag along his arm for a few extra moments. Bridget was secretly gauging his reaction, wondering what it was that he felt for her. Granted they had just met the day before, but she was a hopeless romantic and did believe in fairy tales of falling in love at first sight.

Max had already made up his mind and wondered if she realized the reason he avoided the court here was because the court of King Van Fanel would recognize him for who and what he is... a lord of noble birth. He noticed the way she balked at his comment and also the slight flush to her cheeks which made him wonder if maybe she liked that idea more than she was letting on. He smirked and nodded a bit, "If she found out about me she well might, a few generations back you can find ties to one royal line... and further back than that another. I am no where near being in line for any formal position but from what you say the title and my family's wealth would be enough to wet her appetite." He wrapped and shouldered his great sword once more and sheathed the long sword at his hip before he spoke once more, "I just do not care much for position or title myself is all, do not see that I have a need for them... I would rather be a wandering swordsman than a lord of the court... I prefer to be judged for who I am and what I do rather than who I can trace my lineage to... call me crazy." He watched her go and his eyes seemed to once more gravitate to the sway of her hips and the muscular tone of her long legs. He had to force himself to look away and remind himself that his stares were likely to earn him a talk with Brawler at this rate. He gathered his things and then went down to Kaiser to grab a fresh shirt. He made his way back up to the cabin intended to talk to Bridget and Brawler there. He made his way inside and nodded to them both before he spoke once more, "So any chance of a private room, Don't mean to impose but I am not exactly used to be around people when I sleep and old habits die hard." he looked directly at Bridget for the next part but he trusted that Brawler would not speak of it, "And in confidence between us three.. I will have to break out real finery when we reach Asturia, they will not admit me unless I am properly garbed... and I apologize for any trouble it causes you with your mother Bridget."

As his arm pressed to hers more, Bridget couldnt help but snicker to herself and gently let her nails run across the fabric, letting the touch become a bit more intimate. Hearing the comment about her looking pretty, she immediately let go of his arm and waved her hands around. Hey hey now! No need to get excited. After all I will be complaining the whole time about it. She giggled a bit before smiling up at both of the men beside her. Brawler had been watching the two and couldnt help but smile to himself. His gut feeling to push the two together was clearly working, he could see it on Bridget, and was pretty confident that Max was falling for her as well. He had noticed how Max kept smiling around her, staring at her, and blushing softly whenever he glanced at her. The larger man crossed his arms and spoke softly in his burly voice. Worst case scenario, we will just send you out with Black to fix any problems. He said toward Bridget, a hint of playfulness in his voice. To this the merchant woman nodded and flexed her arms a bit. I can take on anything! she exclaimed happily until the thought of her mother came back to mind. Bridget immediately wiggled in her spot and sighed heavily. Except for when it comes to mother... I am going to hide in a crate once we get to port in Asturia. I dont want to deal with her when we arrive. Ill see her after weve been there for a few days. She appeared to slip into deep thought for a few moments, before swaying a bit on her heels. I wonder, is there anything we need to do before we leave Fanelia? I think were just waiting on orders. Her emerald eyes met Maxs for a few moments, her cheeks getting a little pink. Do you have anything else you need to do? We can stay longer if you need too.

Max nodded as they spoke, then smirked a bit... if she thought he would look out of place in formal attire she was in for quite the surprise. Properly done up he looked every bit the dashing noble and he knew it would turn heads and garner quite a bit of attention. That was part of his concern as he knew the instant he stepped off the airship there would be murmurs and whisperings that would filter back to the courts and the various noble houses. Part of him actually had a hope that her mother might try something, after all he found his eyes always drawn to the strong and beautiful Bridget. His father had once told him when he met the right woman he would simply know and he began to wonder if just maybe his father might have been on to something there. He then felt her hand lingering on his muscled arm through the thin fabric of his shirt. He turned his eyes to Bridgets and met her gaze with a warm smile. He actually shifted his arm so her hand pressed more firmly to it wanting to show her it was ok... he suddenly realized that just maybe the reason she blushed so fiercly earlier is she actually liked the idea of her mother forcing them together. He smiled a bit more brightly thinking that maybe there would not be that much force needed if it came to that. His mother and father had been true romantics and he grew up hearing their stories about the first time their eyes really met and how they just knew. True love and love at first sight, many thought such things fantasy but there was a part of Max that wanted to believe. That part of him reminded him that since he had met Bridget his eyes always seemed to drift back to her no matter where they were. That same warm smile never left his face as he enjoyed the feel of her touch on his powerful arm and for the first time he began to wonder if just maybe this was exactly what he head heard about. The way they always watched each other, and now as he truly gazed into her eyes for the first time he could not help but feel a powerful connection and a spark there as he spoke softly, 'I am sure you will look lovely Bridget, and yes we will manage I am sure."

Hearing Maxs stubborn remark to keep complimenting her, she slowly turned her head and simply made a hmph sound to the male. This made Brawler smirk a little, but he quickly straightened his face. When her mother was mentioned yet again, Bridget turned and raised her brow at the two men. Oh? Is there conspiring going on that I dont know about? she crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she scolded the two. But Maxs touch upon her arm as he took it startled her, and made her snap out of her scolding mood. Blinking at him a few times, she stared into his eyes and slowly turned her face away to avoid blushing more. When she heard him mention going out to his home, she stared at him once more and blinked softly toward him. Brawler seized the moment. Pushing both of them toward the door, not even letting Bridget answer, the colossal man forced them off of the bridge and waved before shutting the door behind them. Bridget was staring at him, completely shocked and flabbergasted. Clearly she didnt think Brawler had that in him. Muttering a little under her breath, she was forced to stare at Max again, realizing how close they were in the tiny corridor. The blush immediately returned to her cheeks, but it was harder to see in the dimly lit hallway. S-Sure. She said slowly as her eyes flicked about, searching for an escape. This had never happened to her before, and part of her was panicking because she didnt know what to do. But Maxs arm around hers once more calmed the merchant, and eventually they got off the ship and walked toward the outskirts of Fanelia. Keeping quiet for most of the walk, Bridget eventually relaxed and held onto the cloth of his arm as they walked. She could point at pretty flowers or plants, occasionally stopping to smell at them or investigate them more. It was clear to Max that she hadnt explored much of Fanelia before, and was clearly enjoying herself. This was the real Bridget, the one that was hardly seen while on the confines of a ship. Returning her arm to his, she smiled a bit as she leaned against him, a skip in her step as he continued to escort her. Thank you; I forgot what it was like to relax like this out in the forest.

Max took a chance now and reached out his own hand to place it lightly upon Bridgets as he took a single step towards her to look into her eyes once more as he spoke with a chuckle, "Fine you complain and I will compliment... should balance out nicely in the end." This time he let his hand linger softly on her arm. It was at this point that he heard Brawlers comment and realized that the two of them at that point looked to very clearly be interested in one another... and he was not objecting at all, in fact he was actually smiling. Max began to wonder if this is what the big man had in mind all along and that thought just made him smile a bit more and nod his head a bit. The geasture might have seemed odd to Bridget but he was certain Brawler would get the gist of it. He chuckled and decided to test the waters in a more extreme fashion as he half jokingly said to Bridget, "Could always have me and Brawler deal with your mother... tell her I was interested and flash my little book of noble heraldry... that might get her to leave you alone." He smiled and then took Bridget's arm in his own with a smile without even thinking about it and gazed into her eyes again with a playful smile. It just felt so natural and even with the joking tone it just sort of clicked in a way that made it seem so very natural to Max at least. He pondered her other question for a moment then decided given the topic he would make what only seemed a natural offer to him, "I suppose if you want to kill some time I could take you down to see my estate... it is nothing overly fancy but it is outside the city in the woods and there is a lovely waterfall there. I do not need to stay longer though per say." He found his eyes drawn to Bridgets once more and again found himself gazing into her eyes only this time he realized they were a good deal closer to one another. In fact they were closer than they had ever really been before and he had a sudden impulse to lean in and kiss her in that moment... It took a great deal of self control for him to restrain himself but he managed. So he stood there smiling and gazing into her eyes as he held her arm in his.

Max enjoyed the walk to his home a great deal more this time than he had the last few times in recent days. He wondered why, though it would be more truthful to say he tried to convince himself that he needed to wonder why. He really had not expected Brawler to push them out like this but he was glad the large man had done so. Here away from the ship and the crew he did not have to be so shy about letting his eyes wander to Bridget or flashing her that dashing smile of his. He knew it was because Bridget was here and it was just the two of them. This felt quite a bit like a date that the large man had pushed them out on and he was beggening to think that had been his plan all along. When she clung to his shirt it made him smile, as did her smile and the bounce to her step. When she pressed herself lightly against him to lean on his powerful frame he flushed a bit. It was clear she did not realize what sort of affect she had on him but that too made him smile for some reason. He chuckled and smiled as he answered her, "I am glad you are enjoying it, this is where I grew up... my house is just ahead, you can hear the waterfall from here." He lead her forward a bit more and through a grove of trees to reach the home where he had for so long lived alone. There before her was an elegant and lavish home set right into the wall of the mountain. Its walls were whitewashed and formed a stark contrast to the darkly colored stone of the mountainside. The front of the house was decorated in a rich navy blue trim and out front there was a lavish natural garden whose flowers filled the air with a pleasant scent. The path leading to the house was cobbled in slabs of dark stone carved from the mountain side and it split about halfway to the house so that one path curved towards the door and another towards the breathtaking beauty of the waterfall and the pool of sparkling crystal clear water at its base. Without thinking MAx pulled Bridget a little more closely to his side as he spoke, "Well here it is, be it ever so humble there is no place like home."

His tail twitched as he watched. Through the copse of trees and down the path leading to the Rabbit Hole. Oh, the Rabbit Hole, source of all the abnormal energies. Legend says that was how Wonderland became wonderland, how everything became altered and people were able to do things they weren't able to do before. How some were able to disappear, grinning widely. People like himself. Padding out of the copse he gingerly made his way to the Hole, keeping a careful wide eye on the girl inside who seemed to be quite distressed. She looked awfully familiar... Darting to the edge of the pathway, Cheshire peered in, his ears undulating as he sniffed. That scent was awfully familiar too. Jumping up, he floated to the top, slowly disappearing, from his tail, to the last of his smile and hung just right above the entrance, waiting. He would find out who this new arrival was, perhaps she could help them. Ever since Alice had left years ago, Wonderland had deteriorated, pulling itself into ruin after the Queen of Hearts began a rampage in vengeance for all that Alice had done. Now, there was no Wonderland, you couldn't call it that, anyhow, every day was a struggle to survive as battallions of cards roamed the kingdom and the countrysides bringing in those suspected treason, or stuck on some other ludicrous charge. Cheshire had managed to evade capture so far, but even an invisible cat can't keep one step ahead forever. The Hatter was bound to talk, he was mad after all, and when they caught him and his little group, Cheshire would follow soon after.

The day was slightly muggy outside that morning and most of the afternoon, but it was not as if the young teenage girl could much differentiate the weather outside at that moment. The young blond teenage girl was wandering through the more wooded area of the city in her blue and white dress that she was still wearing after five or so years. Though obviously as she had grown and her body had grown from little girl to a young woman's body, the dress had been re-made and sowed again to fit her new form. In those past five years Alice had grown up quite a bit. Her body was a bit taller and a bit filled out, but still not to the point that she was considered anything but petite. She still had her lovely blond hair and her beautiful blue eyes that sometimes did make her look like the perfect portrait of innocence, but she had grown up quite a bit in the past five years. She wondered very much after her little adventure down the Rabbit Hole and wondered how much of it was real and how much of it was her mind. It was hard to figure it out and too many things had happened in her life now for her to be worried about the Rabbit Hole and the crazy things that happened in that weird place. After she had gotten out of the Rabbit Hole, she had learned that she had to grow up and stop living in her world of nonsense. She definitely did grow up and learn the things that she needed to and perhaps a little more than was appropriate for a young woman her age in their time. Though as of the last few days things had gotten worse. Her family had just been lost in a fire in their house and Alice knew that she was to blame. Those kinds of thoughts in a young female her age were not good for the mind and Alice wasn't in a good frame of mind to begin with right now. There had been a fire that Alice had smelt before everyone else and she had panicked and ran outside in a panic. She had forgotten to tell everybody else about the smoke she was smelling and so her family was gone in a world of red and orange flames. Alice didn't know how she was supposed to deal with this grief and the blame with her family gone. She didn't know how she was supposed to survive in this world! It was hard to know how she would make it without a family to help her along or how she was supposed to marry a respectable young man. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she walked along the dirt path in the woods and that was when it happened. She gasped as her baby blue eyes widened in shock and fear and she slid down a hole. And once again, she couldn't help, but wonder if this was her mind. She had been asleep the last time that this had happened, hadn't she? Or was she really awake? Lord, she didn't know anymore! She covered her eyes as she felt herself falling slowly through the air and she wanted to push down her skirt of her dress, but she didn't want to open her eyes to meet what sights and sounds she would surely meet when she opened them. She knew that she was going to have to open up her eyes when she hit the bottom, so it was probably better to do it now than any other time. Alice opened her eyes and was shocked to see the sights that awaited her. The world around her, the Rabbit Hole, was torn and dark and almost bloody. It was darker than she remembered it being there and when she looked below, there was nothing, but darkness. The hole itself had changed and it was made up of sharp thorns and shattered mirrors that had once been whole. Her image in them was distorted and rather scary, so she looked away as she tried to remember that it was all in her mind. Within another few minutes or so, she landed on her feet, once again upside down and she softly let herself down to the floor below. Her soft brown shoes made a soft sound as they hit the floor beneath her and she looked around with wide blue eyes. It wasn't the same place that she had landed before at all. Sure there was a floor beneath her, but it was just a couple of squares of checkered tile and then there was nothing, but dirt ahead. She looked around more and the trees looked like something out of a nightmare. They were a dark color and they seemed almost as if they were monsters ready to strike her at any moments notice. She felt a few tears start to well in her eyes as she thought this couldn't be the place that she had known before.

Ah ha! Nowthat'swhy she seemed so familiar! It was Alice after all, come back from the dead! Well, not really dead persay, but it would fit into the situation at the moment. And why not? Cheshire had stealthily followed her (as much as an invisible cat can stealth) after she had made her way out of the darkness of the Rabbit Hole, tracking her movements as night quickly fell and the forest seemed more grabby than ever. Which was an annoying point to be sure, some of those trees sure could be clingy, just one night, and next thing you know you couldn't get their roots off of you. Cheshire laughed suddenly at the thought, the sound seeming very, oh so very out of place in the evil looking forest. Everything had changed after all, and Cheshire really couldn't recall when last he heard a laugh, aside from his own, that wasn't tinged with madness. Wait...scratch that, even his own, at times carrying the hint of insanity. Why, just the other day he was having tea with the Hatter, the poor Dormouse and the Mad March Hare excluded because the poor beggars were deceased. The Dormouse taken out of the false charges that he had attempted to poison the Queen, when all the daft thing ever did was sleep. He was beheaded. The Hare was killed in a daring raid on the Card Castle. Daring it was, alright, but heavy with failure. Nowadays, it was only the Hatter and Cheshire who came together for tea, ah, for the old days. But, anyway, just the other day: "My dear Hatter," exlaimed he, "I would like to discuss and wonder as to why we are referred to as 'mad' and also as to why whenever we get the chance to laugh, which is rare in these days, why it sounds as if we are hysterical." "My dear Cheshire," remarked the Hatter, dipping his pocket watch into a pot of hot tea and then smearing it with butter. "I've no bloody clue." Then, to which we both erupted into peals of laughter. Mad laughter that is. I laughed again, hanging suspended and still quite invisible, just right over the head of Alice. I didn't think it fit to answer her request at the moment, and through sick humour, which I had aquired after this world was changed, I wanted to see her fret about and wonder as to where, perhaps, this laughter came from.

Alice didn't understand a single thing that was going on as she fell into the Rabbit Hole and landed there on her feet. The world around her wasn't light up and bright with colors and interesting characters at all. It was so dark and lonely. She didn't really see anyone around her and that was even more frightening in this place because it was dark and there were many trees that looked as though they wanted to attack her or hurt her. Though she knew that was impossible because they were trees, right? Trees didn't attack people, but in her defense for that absurd thought, it was the place that had the impossible. Though, she really did wish that she would see a friendly face, but she knew that she was also frightened of seeing any of them because what if they had changed as she had? What could she expect from them? Were they just as crazy as before or even more so now? Though, she knew that one person that she didn't want to see was the Queen. That woman was more than likely even more insane than before, but the thing that was confusing Alice was how much Wonderland had changed. She didn't understand how it had become so dark and horrible looking like this. It was as if something evil had taken over Wonderland with how scary and monstrous things were looking on the inside. She started to walk from the small tile of checkered floor that she was standing on and it was quite hard to see what was in front of her like this. Her small feet weren't really making any noises as she softly walked further into the almost impenetrable darkness. Her blond hair and her bright dress were the only things that were really standing out in the incompassable darkness of the forest. She felt like crying at that moment, and she was honestly thankful that she wasn't actually a huge size or a tiny size like before, but that was just another oddity that had happened to Wonderland. She couldn't even call it that anymore because where the forest had been bright and full of cute and odd little creatures, now there was just gnarly trees replaced that looked almost as if they were even bloody and their bark almost looked torn. Alice felt as though she had been walking for quite some time in the darkness and she was certainly starting to feel completely lost in a world that, once again, was complete nonsense. There didn't seem to be anything around her that made sense as she looked around for the same signs that had led to different parts of the world, but there was nothing on the trees except for bark. The branches didn't even have leaves and Alice felt as though she was starting to become chilled in this cold and lonely darkness. In her opinion this was probably worse than feeling alone in the real world after losing her family like that because of the fact that here there were supposed to be people who she knew. Though, she was sure most of them would more aggravate her than anything else right now, but at least she would feel as though she were safe again. Perhaps the Cheshire Cat was somewhere around here because he was the invisible cat and perhaps he could help her, although his riddles were certainly enough to drive her out of her mind at times. But to her, at that very moment, she thought that it was worth a shot to at least try to see if he was around. "Cheshire Cat? Are you there? It is Alice." she called out. Unfortunately, there was nothing, but darkness that met her sweet voice and the only hope that she had was lost.

"Why, my dear Alice," began he, allowing his grin to appear right in front of her as she tramped her way, seemingly grumpily, through the dark forest, each tree straining to reach her, whispering in their husky, leafy voices that only the Cat could hear, begging her to stay, only one night. Sickos, the lot of them, beggars, one and all. "You insult me with your non-tolerance. As much as I can remember of you, you seemed to be quite open..." Cheshire's eyes then appeared, blinking slowly at her, "Whatever happened to the young Alice of old, hm?" The eyes disappeared, yet the grin remained, floating in midair, following Alice. "And mad, Alice? Must I reiterate once again what I told you so long ago, as I seem to remember...what was it you said? Ah, yes, you asked whether you should meet the Mad Hatter, a fine fellow by the way, or the March Hare and I said:" "Oh, visit either you like, they're both mad." "But, I don't want to go among mad people," You said, in that simple minded logic of yours, to which I replied, "Oh, you can't help that, we're all mad here, I'm mad, you're mad." And so on and so forth." A paw appeared out of thin air and waved away the conversation. "But, it IS awfully good to see you again, Alice dear, whatever brings you back to the old haunts?" The eyes appeared again, followed by a second paw, then the rest of the head, then the body, "Oh, and as you can see, not quite as fat as I used to be." One yellow eye winked lazily at her and he flipped over backwards, reclining in the soft forest breeze to show off his new thin physique. "You did hear of the Queen's takeover, did you not? Or is it correct to assume that when you go back to your world you don't hear anything of ours?" The Cat flipped over again, resting his head on his paws, "Either way, we're all living in terror, Alice, that is, those of us who've retained our sanity. Lost a couple of the old fellows along the way, I don't suppose you remember the Hatter, do you?" Cheshire's paw straightened out his whiskers much like one would straighten out their mustache, almost in a very villiany manner that didn't really help with his appearance as he wasn't very good looking to start with.

Alice really should've been scared when she heard that mysterious and rather mad sounding laughter, but to her very much delight, she placed her hands on her slender, but curved hips in the same dress she had before and wasn't afraid to confront that as always creepy laugh. "Okay, Mister fat purple and pink cat, if you think that is going to scare me more than you are mistaken. That is obviously you, so why don't you just come out and inform me about why everything is so different? Or perhaps just throw out your confusing riddles and then disappear annoyingly with that stupid wide grin of yours? Or are you even madder and crueller than you were before?" she said in a voice that was quite sane and firm. Alice had heard that laugh enough times to know whose laugh that was, though it certainly sounded different than it did before. She was certainly not that naive little girl who would just sit there and look every which way to figure out where it was coming from. She had grown up quite a bit in the last five years and she was not afraid to treat this insane people and creatures with authority. It was quite obvious with the way that she was handling herself for the most part that she had grown into a young woman instead of a childish little naive girl. "I have nowhere to be and I can do this all day, Cheshire, so either come out and explain everything to me, or take your creepy insistent laughter elsewhere, understand?" she said to the darkness. Normally in her life she wasn't as firm and authoritive as she was being, but he was being a bastard as always and it wasn't as if she wasn't used to his behavior. After all, she had had many dreams about her adventure down the Rabbit Hole and the characters and creatures that she had met. She remembered most of them with amazing clarity and she had always figured that it was hard to forget them because of how mad and insane most of them really were. As she was standing there in the dark, she got rather close to a tree and she jumped back slightly when she watched its roots come out and try to grab her. "Oh that is just fantastic. The trees actually do attack. Brilliant. Fine, you creepy fat thing, stay hidden for all I care." she muttered grumpily. She was rather tired of her life taking bizarre turns for the worst and it was rather annoying to have some stupid fat invisible cat following you and trying to scare the life out of you with his creepy laughs. She was more afraid of the trees than she was of that stupid thing. She started to walk again as she was mindful of the roots to the trees because that was the last thing that she needed right then. She felt as though she was starting to get rather thirsty and hungry at that moment, but there was nothing around her, so that was hopeless. She sighed wearily as she finally stopped after another twenty or so minutes of walking through the dark forest and she crossed her arms over her chest. There had to be a way out of this creepy forest to perhaps somewhere she could find food, though most of the food in Wonderland made you big or small, and some place that she could rest for a while. Though, she wondered if she really wanted to sleep at all in this place, but she thought she might need it if she was going to have to withstand some of the crazy things that were surely her way. With that thought firmly in her mind, she started to head off of the path that lead almost straightforward and started through the trees. The darkness was almost enough to make her trip and stumble her way through, but she didn't suppose that mattered if she didn't make it out of there. If only that damned cat was more helpful than he really was then it wouldn't be so hard.

"Pish, posh, Alice, you really are making my head hurt with all your 'Oh, is this real?' nonsense, if you don't think about it, it won't bother you, now will it?" Exlaimed the Cat, rather frustrated. He let himself down, his paws touching the leaf carpeted forest floor daintily and he wrapped himself around her legs, his tail entwining around her calf. "Grown up? No one grows up, Alice, everyone just gets quieter, that's all, just a little bit silent than they started out, still filled with their own thoughts, wondering, theorizing." Cheshire slid between her legs, almost sensually before padding out in front of her, "I'd do well to forget the March Hare, Alice, he's dead. A lot's happened since you ferried away, you know, lost a lot of your old friends. The Duchess, remember her? The one with the boy who turned into a pig? Couldn't stand the fact that he was really gone and committed suicide, nasty business that. The White Rabbit? He's off rotting in some dungeon in God knows where, himandBill the Lizard, both in chains on some trumped up charge or whatever." Cheshire scoffed as he lead the way, "Twiddledee and Tweedledum separated after they got back and decided to finish that bout over the broken rattle, the crow that passed by that last time you were there, Alice, came back, swooped up Dum and we haven't seen him since. Or, rather, I have, I just don't think I'd tell Dee on the account of it'd be too shocking. Disgusting way to go, really." Sighing he looked back, "The Queen's gone mad, Alice, more mad than any of us could even dream about, we're all crazy in our own little way, yes, but Her Highness," said he, with a hint of sarcasm and disgust, "Has really gone off her rocker, has ever since you disappeared Alice, claimed you messed up this world, came through and ruined the natural order. She's sent battallions of her card soldiers throughout the country side, jailing and executing left and right without remorse or second thought. The Hatter managed to get away with the Caterpillar and a few others, got their own little group going, they do, a little rebellion against the Queen. Can't say that's been going well, we've lost so many..." Cheshire stopped, sitting back on his haunches, staring out into the darkness of the forest, his purple back to Alice, "We've all changed, my dear, we're linked to you somehow, for the life of me I don't know how, but we are. Take a look," His paw encompassed the surrounding area, "Dead. You might have some people blame you, Alice, they've got every right, we've gone with your sanity, and I know you're slowly losing it, we all are. Slowly changing with you." He turned to face her and sat up on two paws. With each passing second he grew taller and lengthened, his face shrinking and morphing in a seemingly horrible manner, to accomodate a growing nose, a wider face and slightly smaller eyes. The fur disappeared along with everything else, save his tail and his large purple ears. In no time at all stood a slim semi-human figure, a thick purple striped tail sashaying behind it, the ears twitching occasionally. He was clothed, suprisingly, one would think that he would shift quite naked, but that was not the case. A purple jerkin covered his top half and tight fitting breeches (also purple) adorned his pants, leaving his feet bare. "Although," He said in a low sultry voice, a little different sounding than when he was a Cat, "I can't say it's been a bad change..."

Alice rolled her eyes at the stupid cats words. This creature was possibly the most annoying creature that she remembered aside from that damned ugly Queen. Though it was rather ironic in her mind because she rather liked cats especially her own little kitten that had grown up to be a beautiful and sweet cat, but that like everything else in her life was gone. So, the fact that she thought this cat was rather annoying was so ironic to her that she actually almost laughed despite the obviously crazy situation she was in AGAIN! She thought it was rather amusing for her that he had expected her to be the same little girl that she was five years ago or perhaps time worked differently in this world than it did in the real world. She thought that that was probably a very plausible thought. This wasn't exactly the place for people with a sane mind or the way even a sane world would work, so it should only make sense, ha, that was funny, this place make sense! But it would only make sense that perhaps time was warped down here or something. That was rather funny though and she actually smiled just a little at the very thought that that had been such an ironic thought. Though that really wasn't the case here, now was it? Hadn't he just said something about the Queen taking over? Hmmmm, now that sounded rather odd to her and she wondered why the Queen would take over Wonderland like that. The last time she had seen her, she had been rather content and happy in her little place with her stupid games and her ridiculous accusations, so what would make her take over Wonderland? Was it because of her and what she reallyhadn'tdone? She looked at the Cheshire Cat and was rather impressed with the fact that he was not the ugly fat thing that he used to be. He wasn't the best looking cat in the world, or er, whatever, but he was certainly looking much better than he did when he was so ugly. He had a nice whiter coat a bit with the purple strips, but really he looked more just like an evil somewhat and somehow beautiful cat rather than just a fat old thing with a sick sense of humor. There was the strangest compulsion in her to actually reach her hand out and pet his fur just to see if it was soft as it looked, but she thought that that must mean that she was REALLY lonely these days to feel that way about this obnoxious creature. "Well, to tell you the truth, Cheshire, I grew up after I left this place. I realized that places like this didn't really exist and that it truly must've been a dream. Although, the fact that I am down here again makes me truly wonder if it is just another weird dream of you odd and insane creatures, but the fact remains that obviously the Queen has changed Wonderland and it certainly is not very wonderful anymore. How could I forget the Hatter or the March Hare?" Alice said with a slight tone of sarcasm. Her rather childish side was wanting to ask how they were in a rather childish manner, but this wasn't the world she had known five years ago. This world was dark and it seemed like it was a terrible place now. She could only imagine the kinds of things that now went on in this place. "So, why did the Queen do this to Wonderland? And it is correct to assume that when I am not here I hear nothing of this world. I do not even know if this place actually exists, Cheshire, or if you are just in my mind. It would make sense with how dark this world is in comparison to my own mind right now, so that really wouldn't surprise me that much. What did everyone do to the Queen to make her do this?" she asked curiously. She wasn't sure that that was the right thing to ask, but she was going to ask it anyways.

Cheshire shrugged his human shoulders, his ears flattening slightly as his tail curled itself around his calf, "I don't know myself, it just happened one day, and about a week after that the Queen went on her little...thing." He waved a hand dismissively and trotted down the path, his tail reaching out behind him to beckon to Alice, "Do hurry up, if we want to reach the Hatter's before nightfall we're going to have to make some fast tracks." She smelled funny when she saw him, the look in her eyes smoldered with...with...well, Cheshire couldn't quite place it, it wasn't really something he saw every day. But hehadliked that smell, so heavy, so sweet, and if he tried, he could still catch whiffs of it in the breeze. His tail curled tighter around his calf in spasmic delight. He looked back at Alice and raised an eyebrow, "Well, are you coming or what? We need to find-" "The Hatter?" Cheshire was cut off suddenly by a figure who stepped from a small group of trees. "Dear Cat, you've found him already." The figure stepped into the light, a hand placed on the brim of his tall stovepipe hat. He had also drastically changed in appearance since Alice had saw him last, now thin and gaunt, sideburns reaching from his temples to his chin. His eyes glittered dangerously it seemed as he took in the Cat and Alice. "Good to see you're still alive and moving, Cheshire, but may I ask who is this lovely young lady with you?" At the mention of Alice he proffered a low bow, sweeping his large hat off of his head and bringing it across his chest, revealing very matted and greasy hair that managed to actually look good on him. "It's not often we see women of your stature in these dark woods, fair one." Smirked the Hatter, sticking his hat firmly on his head. With a sudden move he drew a flintlock from the innards of his coat, pointing it unflinchingly at Alice, "Which I could only mean to assume that you are a spy of the Queen's, and therefore must be shot." His sudden change in politeness was certainly startling to the shape-shifting Cat, "But, Hatter, this is-" "Quiet!" Barked the Hatter, his pistol unflinching, "You should know by now, Cat, that the Queen has many ways of bewitching you and bringing you into her grasp, why else would she send such a dainty looking creature this far into our territory? Hm? Recall what happened to the Carpenter?" Cheshire nodded, slowly, then said solemnly, "I do, Hatter, I remember, but this is-" "Then, youshouldknow, Cat, that this woman might be a whore who would look to slit our throats while we slept! Just as the last witch did to the Carpenter!" Before Cheshire had a chance to defend Alice, the Hatter gave a piercing whistle and from behind every tree and emerging from every bush, poking from every hole in the ground, came the most motley assortment of individuals imaginable. Things ranging from what looked like walking hedgehogs, to a crossbreed of a centaur and an eagle. Of course, with a smattering of humanoids among them. "Now, reveal yourself, whore," Challenged the Hatter, not allowing Cheshire to get a word in edgewise, "You work for the Queen, do you not?"

Alice felt the Cheshire Cat move in between her legs and rub sensuously against her stocking covered legs. It was a move that she was sure even the most insane and somehow intelligent seeming cat would probably due when near a human. She remembered the many days and nights her own kitten would rub that way against her legs and it was a horrid reminder of the things that she had done. And yet at the same time she couldn't find herself to be upset with the Cheshire for doing it. Alice listened to everything that he had to say with growing sadness and it only seemed to bring on much more guilt than she wished she could feel. She had grown up and lost that childish pettiness, so shouldn't all of them have as well? Perhaps, including the Queen? But not apparently, that wasn't how it worked and although that was the case, Alice couldn't help, but feel as though Cheshire was the only one who might've retained a bit of sanity. She wondered why that was and even more curiously, she wondered who everyone in Wonderland was supposed to be represent in her life. Or what they represented. It was saddening for her to see that this place had changed so drastically and once again it was her fault. But there was something in her that thought that at least some of them were gone and didn't have to live the rest of the horrors that some of them were having to be put through right now. Alice truly wished there was a way to bring peace to this world. Even though she was older and everything and probably just as afraid of the Queen as the rest of them, she knew that this place was like a safe haven in her mind. A place for her to find peace and yet at the same time the chaos that obviously was a part of her soul. She didn't really think that she was mad, but the Cheshire was right that her mind was starting to slip because she didn't even know what day it was. She had just been wandering aimlessly through the city and that was how she had ended up here again she supposed. Although, Alice wished that she could stay here forever instead of having to return eventually to that world and facing the cruel realization that there was no one left for her. At least here there were still friends, though, she didn't know how good that would be if most of them blamed her for what was going on when it wasn't as if it was something that was easy to control. They should all try to live with the guilt and pain that she had been living with for the past....Her baby blue eyes widened slightly as she realized that she didn't even know how long it had been since the incident had happened. It was as if time was completely stripped away from her and she didn't know anything about when it was or any of those normal things. Oh, perhaps the Cheshire was completely right and she really was losing her mind. She was about to say something when he turned towards her and then leaned up on his hind legs. He looked much like a dog begging for a treat when he was doing that, but that wasn't how it stayed for very long as she watched in mild horror as his features changed immensely. They elongated and morphed into human like features. Her eyes widened to large pools of almost innocent blue jades eyes because of how shocking it was to see him of all creatures in human form. It would've have been like watching the White Rabbit become human except for maybe a bit more horrifying than that had been. But how in the world had he done that? Apparently he had changed the very most since she had left and she couldn't help, but feel strangely curious about it. He wasn't even full human with his fluffy white and purple ears that were twitching occasionally like a cats and his beautiful thick tail that was swishing back and forth. Her hand slightly came up to cover her mouth as she acted the part of a Lady that she had been raised to be in the last five years, but she couldn't help except step closer to him to look at his features. Of course, she didn't know how close she stepped until she was barely inches away from him. It was weird that he was actually a handsome human figure with his grey like eyes and his very long purple and pink hair that just made him look his part, but so very male and she wasn't sure what else. The tone that he took as a human or at least almost human form, the voice and tone he had sent a delicious string of shivers down her slender spine and she realized then that she was standing much too close to him. She stepped away, but she couldn't help except to continue to look at him in fascination. "I don't understand. How can you do that?" she asked curiously. There were other weird feelings that she was fighting within her that she didn't understand either. It was almost as if there were this magnetic pull towards him and his handsome features and that soft and smooth as velvet voice that sounded so....sensual. She thought that perhaps it wasn't right for her to be feeling those kinds of things for a Cat, but he certainly didn't look the part of a Cat. At least not wholly. And somehow the fact that he had only had his ears and tail made him look so much more majestic and mysterious.

"Alice?" Exclaimed the Hatter increduously, yet he lowered his pistol an inch, "TheAlice? The Alice of old?" Now the pistol was lowered to his thigh and he took a step forward, squinting. Cheshire managed to have a sigh of relief, glad that the whole lot didn't just jump on the poor girl and bludgeon her to death. The Hatter took another step forward and his eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. "Alice! Of course, I didn't...oh, my, I could've..." He rounded on the Cat, pointing, thankfully, with his finger, "Why didn't you tell me?" Cheshire laughed and raised his hands in a 'what?' position, "I tried to, Hatter, I tried." The Hatter sputtered for a minute before bounding forward, clasping Alice's hands in his own thin ones, "Alice! Oh, so good you're back! Terribly good, we've all gone to...well, I'm pretty sure you can see and figure out for yourself, you are a big girl after all..." He stepped back and appraised her, chuckling to himself, then looked askance at Cheshire, "And what a girl, eh?" Cheshire only rolled his eyes, laughing quietly to himself. No, he wasn't blind either, he had noticed to what lengths Alice had grown, filling out all the places she lacked in years ago. He got wind of that smell again and glanced over at her, his body getting numb for a moment before he got control of himself and looked away quickly. Meanwhile, the Hatter had reduced to rambling, "We don't blame you no, well, yes, maybe we do, after all weareconnected to you, so we're heavily affected, and you can't imagine! After the March Hare died, I...well, I really couldn't-but never mind that, what have you been up to? Oh, never mind that either, this is neither here nor there." Cutting away adruptly he clapped his hands officiously, gaining the attention of the rabble surrounding them. Cheshire slinked away from a thing that had a man's body and a crow's head, clutching a wicked blade in his hands. The head whipped around and regarded the Cat with beady black eyes, then its beak began clacking open and closed and it was a moment before Cheshire realized it was laughing. At him. The nerve! A bird, laughing at a cat! Well, not much to be done. "Friends," began the Hatter, "Our day has picked up, we are now in the possession of one new friend and saviour!" A ragged cheer rose from the meager ranks, it had been a time since they had any comeuppance against the Queen, and from the way Hatter talked, perhaps Alice would be their way out, although, keep in mind it was a ragged cheer, many kept quiet, grumbling to themselves as they eyed her form, remembering vividly what had happened while she was here, and especially after she had left. "With this new aquaintance, we should be able to turn the tide, comrades, soon and very soon, we will usurp the Queen of Hearts!" This time everyone joined in, although Cheshire kept to himself, quite aware of what affect the Hatter's speeches could have on his followers. When he mentioned pushing the Queen off of her high horse, it was only natural that everyone have a hand in, no one, even those who harboured something against Alice, wanted the Queen to stay in power long and anyone who mentioned taking her out, they were in with them. "Disperse, friends, our day is done!" Announced the Hatter, clapping his hands again, and everyone turned and melted back into the forest. Facing Alice the Hatter gave a deep bow, this time one of meaning and not falsifications, "Come Alice, "I believe it is tea time."

Alice was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she really wasn't paying much attention to what the Cheshire was saying. She had obviously heard him say that he didn't know how this had happened, but she stayed in her place as she watched him start to walk ahead. There was just something so different about him in this form and she couldn't quite place it as she looked on at him. He startled her a bit from her thoughts as he looked back at her with those gray eyes of his and asked if she was coming. She nodded slightly and started after him, only to be startled once again when she had another man appear. Although, he looked a bit familiar and she found out why when the Cheshire said "Hatter." So, that was who this was, but even for all his politeness, there was a dangerous glint to his eyes as he looked at her. She wondered honestly what that could be about and why he didn't recognize her at all. That, in and of itself, was revealed as he pulled a pistol out of his jacket somewhere. Alice's eyes widened as she saw it point at her and then heard his words. Anger and shock flashed through her baby blue eyes as she looked at him and she opened her mouth to say something to him, but he started to talk again. So, they couldn't even recognize her anymore? Had her mind and state at that time really affected them so badly that they couldn't tell it was her and not some spy of the Queen? Though, really, his words were quite insulting considering that he was calling her a whore and a witch when she was absolutely no such thing! It infuriated to a point that she didn't know she had and when he finally finished talking, she gave the Hatter a lethal look that surely could've killed him with a single glance. "First of all, I can see that obviously I have grown up too much in the past five years, which for the record, I do not look that different except for maybe a more young woman look than a child's look, but for goodness sake, I am still me! I really do not think that I have changed that drastically over these past five years or else I would not even be wearing the same clothes! Has my mind entwined with this world really done that much damage to all of yours? I was not trying to cause chaos here when I left, but I was going to die if the Queen got a hold of me, so what else could be expected?" Alice paused for a moment as it actually felt like heart ache at the fact that her coming and going of this world caused them this much pain. For some of them they might hate and blame her for what had happened, and could Alice truly and honestly blame them for thinking such things? No, she really couldn't blame them for thinking such things because in all reality shedidcause this chaos for them. She just wasn't sure what there was that she could do about it. She was sure that if the Queen saw her again, it would be hard for her to make it out of there alive this time because surely the Queen wanted Alice's head more than she wanted anyone's. And there was some dark corner of her mind that wondered if that perhaps wouldn't be a bad thing to happen. She wondered if everyone in here would be better off, just like in the real world, without her. That was an even more depressing and dark thought that she had thought it would be, but truly what was there that she could do? In many ways, in the past, she had looked upon her memories here and even truly missed some of them, but now she came to a world were some of them hated her. Now how was she supposed to deal with that? Wasn't it bad enough that she had killed her family, but now she had to deal with the guilt that she had caused a lot of deaths here as well? Those kinds of thoughts truly were enough to make her want to cry, but she pushed it back for the most part because the crying would never stop anything from happening and she was sure that was what she must prevent. She knew that she mustn't hurt any of them anymore than she already had. "Hatter, it is me, Alice. Do you not remember me? Do none of you remember who I am? Although, I am sure that some of you hate me for what has happened to this world and I truly cannot blame you, but let me try and help you fix this. I am here now and that is what matters. I would never side with the Queen over any of you because most of you mean quite a bit to me, so please, let me help you stop this madness." she said, not just to the Hatter, but to Cheshire and the rest of them. Though, she couldn't really understand her feelings for Cheshire right now, she felt as though she could depend on him more than anyone at that moment and she found that rather odd considering how unhelpful he used to be. Her eyes found him and she looked at him before she looked away again. Feelings stirred inside of her that she couldn't understand. Perhaps it was attraction? That was the only plausible thing that she could possibly even think of. He was a handsome creature now and to make matters worse, she was no longer a 12 year old little girl who knew nothing of desire and attraction. Sure, she didn't exactly know what it felt like to feel those things for anyone, but everytime she laid her eyes on him, she felt a little spark inside of her and it heated her body and she was sure her cheeks turned rosy everytime she looked at him for the thoughts that ran through her mind. Alice thought that that might be the biggest problem of all. As much as she wished she could stay here forever, she didn't think anything would allow her to. So, would it be right to feel this attraction and desire to the Cheshire's human form when she knew that eventually she might have to go back? Was it right? More than likely, no, but she couldn't help but to feel it and it was hard to keep her gaze from wandering back to him just to see his handsome features again.

"Do come along." Urged the Hatter, literally skipping his way down the path, humming a tuneless song that occassionally required words such as: 'Boop', 'Kalakway', and 'Uterp'. Cheshire brought up the rear, making sure that Alice was in between the two of them. Although the Hatter didn't seem like he'd be ready if trouble showed, appearances could be decieving. He was just as alert as Cheshire was, just with an added 'Lorunie' to his step. Flexing his hands, the Cat casually scanned the trees around them, wary of objects that would move even though there was no breeze to push them. Most of the trip was taken in complete silence, leaving Cheshire enough time to think. Enough time to think and watch Alice's swaying rear end. Naturally, he couldn't think of how it ever came to be in his line of sight, but it did, and itwasa nice looking rear too. He coughed and looked away, quickly, really quite unable to explain a rush of feelings that was going through him and his...bodily reactions. At the moment he sincerely wished he could tear off his jerkin, he was starting to hurt, just a little bit. He coughed again, trying to clear his mind, vainly attempting to focus on trees, dead grass, oddly shaped shadows, soft curves, shapely legs. Growling he shouted up to Hatter, "Hey, how much longer? Night's falling." Which indeed it was, the sun was quietly pulling the clouds over its head and closing its eyes, darkness descending over the forest. "Not long, Kitty dear, not long, we've got, oh..." The Hatter replied in a sing-songy voice as he pulled out his stop watch which obviously didn't work and was clearly stained with food and other unnamed things, "5 minutes? 2 hours? I can't tell." Shrugging nonchalantly he shoved it back into a green pocket and continued to skip. Cheshire growled, running long fingers through his purple hair and casting another glance at the lengthening shadows and at the trees that seemed to loom over them, gnarly branches reaching. "Wish you'd hurry it up, we don't have long..." He muttered, then hurried up next to Alice, walking by her side. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then murmured, "Stay close to me, I don't trust these forests enough." Cheshire flexed his fingers again, then said something under his breath. The tips of his fingers grew a little longer, fingernails growing into razor sharp claws. "And whatever you do, don't freak and start running. Just in case." He was only too well aware of her closeness and the warmth radiating off of her body, assaulting his heightened senses. And he then realized how much he wanted to touch her, for a moment all his temporary worries were gone, his desires remaining. He wanted to run his fingers over her soft skin, at least it looked soft, then lace them through her flowing blonde hair. His nostrils flared as they took in that scent that still lingered about her, that sensual heady scent that left Cheshire's head swimming. If something attacked right now, he would definitely be in a bad spot of trouble. Very bad indeed. As if to underline that subject the bushes behind them rustled causing the Hatter and Cheshire to pause. A flash of white was seen from behind the grey green leaves and Cheshire's stomach jumped. Cards. Oh, sweet Wonder, not the Cards...

Alice, needless to say, was quite relieved when the Hatter actually recognized her and lowered the pistol. It was quite unnerving to have a pistol pointed at you, no matter what state of mind you are actually in. Or at least, for the most part on the majority of people. There were that small percentage that actually would like to have a pistol pointed at them and fired. Though, she actually blushed quite a bit when the Hatter said that about what kind of girl she had changed into and her eyes moved to the Cheshire Cat and say him look at her and then quickly away. She wondered what in the world that was about, but could it possibly be that he felt something similar to her? She thought that could almost be impossible, right? Who in the world would feel that for her? And the way he had reacted to the Hatter's comment made her think that he didn't really see anything different in her, so perhaps she was just being ridiculous about this. And yet even still, she couldn't quite help, but to feel, what she was sure was attraction and desire. She couldn't be completely sure because she had never felt that way about other males, but all it took was one look at the Cheshire Cat in that form and her body would just start to tingle in a way she didn't understand. She was, by all rights, was a virgin and untouched. And on top of that, Alice highly doubted that the Cheshire knew what attraction and such things were, right? After all, he was supposed to be a cat, for heaven's sake, so how could he know what it was to feel attracted to a female. That was a sorely disappointing thought in her mind because she doubted that he even if he knew what those things were that he would want them with her. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? Most cats just mated because it was nature and it wasn't like the Cheshire had grown up as a human, so it was hard to imagine that he would feel the same things that she was feeling at that moment. She sighed softly as she watched the rest of the group of creatures disappear. She could certainly feel a bit of hostility in some of them despite what the Hatter said. Although, the Hatter was, in her humble opinion, madder than the Cheshire Cat, but there was something distinctly matured about him at the moment. His ramblings hadn't changed that much, to be honest, but his appearance, like Cheshire's, certainly had. She thought that the two of them were rather grown up compared to what she remembered of them and perhaps that was due to the fact that she had grown up as well. She wondered about that though because surely they were still not quite right because of how she was right now. Sure, she was still sane, but she knew that it was slipping. Alice looked at the Hatter and nodded with a soft smile. It was at least good to feel as though she wasn't completely an outsider anymore. She looked again at the Cheshire Cat, and that was when she felt something that she wondered distinctly what it was. Looking at him like that, she felt an odd warm and wet sensation in the apex of her thighs. She wasn't sure what it was, but her thoughts were turning to weird thoughts. Such thoughts as wondering what it would be like to let her small hands wander over his bare skin that was hiding beneath the jerkin that he was wearing, or what it would be like to touch his lips that looked rather sensual to her. They were such odd thoughts to be thinking because she just didn't understand why she was having them for him of all people. But there was something about him that made her think of him like this, something sensual and desirable about the way he looked in this form that made her thoughts wander down such a road. She wished they would go away because she was sure he wasn't thinking the same thing of her, so why should she be thinking these thoughts at all? Alice tried to shake them off, but unfortunately it didn't help that when she looked away, his face and body was there in her mind, slightly torturing her mind and body in the most sensual way possible.

"Hatter..." murmured the Cat low, beginning to crouch, "Watch over Alice, whatever happens, we can't lose her. She's going to be the key to this whole mess." Cheshire shoved her, a little non too gently in the general direction of the Hatter who had his pistol out, as well as another. Checking briefly over his purple shoulder, Cheshire made sure that she was, at least, semi-well protected before crouching on all floors on the forest ground. It began with his tail, slowly dissolving into the air, followed by his legs, torso, then the rest of it. Before he disappeared completely, he grinned wide, letting it linger a little longer before it too flashed away. Not a moment too soon, before the bushes burst apart and a small company of Card soldiers trooped from it, their muskets pointed at the Hatter and Alice. The one who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, a jack clearly seen on his body, his face enclosed in a helmet. "Just like the Queen said she'd be. She's here." He said, quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Cheshire, unseen, had floated above their heads, waiting. The Cards formed a circle around the pair in the center, the Hatter with his pistols pointed vainly outward, and Alice, just as helpless. "You are to come with us." Ordered leader Jack, "Resist, and wewilluse necessary force." "She isn't going anywhere, old boy." Snarled the Hatter, pointing both barrels at Jack. "She's just fine with me." The leader chuckled, shaking his helmeted head, "I'm afraid it can't go that way, Hatter. I've found one of the best catches in my life time, the 'brave' leader of the 'rebellion' and Alice herself. It's been a while Alice," He addressed her, "Needless to say," He now encompassed the forest with his arms, the musket still tightly gripped in one hand, "We've missed you." Cheshire slowly floated down above the Jack's head, smiling to himself. Cake. This wouldn't be the first time he'd wiped out a Card unit like this. They never saw anything until almost all of them were rent from shoulder to hip, bleeding their pitiful cardboard lives out onto the ground. However, being the curious cat that he was, he waiting a little longer, wondering what Alice would say to the Card.

Alice started to follow the hatter and she could feel Cheshire behind her and somehow that feeling was rather peculiar to her. He was walking behind her and no doubt getting a view of her backside...And where the hell had that thought come from? She blinked stupidly as she thought that she really shouldn't be thinking about his grey eyes intently watching her swaying backside in the skirt that she was in. It really wasn't that appropriate of a thought, especially when they were actually in danger and she was becoming very aware of that. She could tell from her experience with both of these two that they were both very aware of their surroundings. Even though the Hatter didn't appear to be aware of his surroundings, Alice knew better than that because he was much different than he used to be and she could tell that there was a certain air of awareness to the both of them. She didn't quite know what to think of the two of them because they were so different from what they used to be like. They were much more mature and she wondered if it was because of what had happened here in Wonderland that had made them change. Or was it because of the changes that she had gone through in herself that had changed them? After all, Wonderland was connected to her and her feelings as well as her mind. But then why had their appearances changed so much? Hatter looked more like an older gentlemen than a short little crazy madman. His hair looked quite awful, and would look horrible on most other men his age, but for him it fit. Which was surprising really that it did, but she was glad that he had seemed to wise up, even if he was still a bit of madman. That would always be okay in her mind because he was the Mad Hatter and that was just part of who he was. If he had become sane while she had gone than she might've gotten concerned because that just wasn't part of who he was. So, yes, it was good that he had changed and matured a bit and his new appearance suited him quite well for the person he had become. Although, she wasn't surprised when he pulled out his pocket watch and it was covered with food and other sort of things. She almost chuckled at the sight, but there was something that stopped her. It was Cheshire. She heard the way he was making little growl noises and she was surprised that it was making her petite form slightly shudder from....something. She wasn't quite sure what that was about or what it was that she was feeling because she really had never felt these kinds of things before. And that was what brought her about thinking about how much Cheshire had changed. In fact, it seemed like it was more of a drastic change than the Hatter was. His appearance had changed far more than the Hatter and so had his personality. Well, at least, for the most part. When she had first gotten there this time, he had been much like his old self and in his cat form he was, but in his semi human form, he was mature and absolutely devilishly and charmingly handsome. It was so very disconcerting to poor Alice because she was used to a fat old cat who was a jerk, but this side of Cheshire actually seemed protective over her and not the snotty little annoying cat he normally was. His looks matched his behavior and she noticed that when he came up beside her, that he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and she swallowed hard as she looked at him. She wasn't nearly as nonchalant about what she was feeling as he was and she looked at him with almost everything clear in her baby blue eyes. At least, it would be to those who actually know what desire and passion and arousal were. Even Alice didn't completely understand what she was feeling for the Cheshire because she had never in her life felt these kinds of things before and she didn't even know if all of them were really real. They could all just be in her mind and here she was actually wanting to stop and wrap her arms around his neck and press her lips to his immensely tempting lips. Dear Lord, she didn't even know what was wrong with her anymore. She looked away from him and tried to focus on something else besides the very tempting idea of his slender and yet masculine body pressed against her own petite and feminine body. She noticed that it was getting rather dark outside and because of that that the trees were actually starting to look even more scary than before. It was like their horribly gnarly branches were stretching out even more with the growing shadows and even though Alice prided herself on being a brave young woman, the thought of those tree branches snagging her or getting a hold of her was enough to send a chill through her veins. She was actually startled enough that when she, the Cheshire and the Hatter heard a movement in the bushes behind them, her small form jumped slightly and she slowly turned around to look at the bush. She didn't run at all, but she stepped behind the Cheshire and kind of stayed rather close to him because she could see his claws and that he was more than ready to fight and that made her feel a bit more safe than normal. She swallowed nervously as she looked at the bush and waited to see exactly what was following them.

The Jack laughed lightly, shaking his head. The Card was well accustomed to hearing insults thrown at the Queen when he hunted down Her enemies. It was normal, not accepted, but it was normal. When he was younger, he wouldn't have stood for any such words, it got to be that the prisoners he was supposed to be bringing in alive kept ending up dead because of their big mouths. Now, the defiance just rolled off of him as easily as butter on a hot plate. "Please, Alice, you must have more tact than that. Firing off insults when you are in a clearly undefensible situation. The Hatter here will die for you and we will soon have you in the dungeons. Where does that leave us? The Queen is not the bitch, Alice. You are, a helpless defenseless bi-" "That's enough." Said the Cat, descending quickly on the Jack's head and twisting. It is rather unsettling to hear words that come out of nowhere, then to watch your commanding officer's head nearly twisted from his neck, and just as unsettling to watch a Cat appear out of mid-air. And floating. The Cards directed their rifles straight at the Cat and fired, puffs of smoke bursting from the muzzles and flash pans, obscuring everyone in a thick blue smoke that stank of gunpowder. But Cheshire had disappeared, appearing next to a hapless Card he slashed once, then vanished again, killing yet another before the first one had fluttered to the ground. The Hatter's pistols added their own smoke, shredding two Cards, leaving ragged holes in their thin bodies. With a muted cry, he dropped his weapons and drew a short sword which was well hidden beneath his long green cloak. More broken bodies joined their comrades as Cheshire and Hatter moved fluidly among the Cards, unseen for the smoke except for the occasional glimpse. Not very well seen, that may have been, but you could certainly hear. You could hear the chilling cries of the Cards as they were massacred, the grunts and yells of both of Alice's protectors as they prevented her taking. And then all was quiet. The blue smoke, still reeking of gunpowder slowly drifted away to reveal a bloody Cheshire, breathing heavily and the Hatter, clutching his arm, his sword drenched in red. Cheshire looked over at Alice, a long cut dripping blood from his cheek and several others across his chest and arms. And he smiled and began to laugh. Hatter chuckled, then quickly joined in and the two friends stood among the mangled corpses, the ground drenched with life and laughed mad laughter to the sky.

Alice nearly stumbled onto the Hatter when the Cheshire Cat shoved her quite hardly into him, but the Hatter caught her and pushed her behind him. They both watched as Cheshire disappeared from sight and Alice watched that stupid grin of his linger longer than any other part of him and she rolled her eyes at the very sight of it. Although, that was the last thing on her mind as she suddenly watched a group of cards appear around her and the Hatter. She sure as hell hoped that Cheshire knew what he was doing. She was sure that he did, but she didn't much like being surrounded by all of these guns and she didn't cling too closely to Hatter as she probably would've with Cheshire, but she stayed as close as she could. She stayed silent for the most part listening to the Hatter and the Jack exchange words because there wasn't much she could say, but then she started to get more mad than she was scared. Well, of course, she was scared because Alice had never been raised to participate in fights and this was so far away from what she was capable of. She thought it rather irritating that the Cheshire was just floating somewhere in the air and not attacking at all as her and the Hatter stood there with guns aimed at them and the threat of worse things to come. Alice certainly didn't dare to look above her into the air because she knew that that might give away that he was there and that he was hiding. Although, with her luck, the Cheshire would still be the stupid little arrogant cat he was and not help at all, but part of her was certainly hoping that that was wrong. "Look, pal, I am not going anywhere with you and you can go tell your stupid bitch of a Queen that I will not come anywhere near her and her ridiculous charges. She is probably the most insane one in this world and you just expect to turn around and say something sweet like "Oh, who me?" Pfft, yeah right, buddy, sorry to disappoint, but I am not the Alice that you all once knew, so you can take that order and shove it up your....Well, you can just shove it, pal!" Alice yelled at him bravely. She knew that her words could probably mean the death of her if necessary, but she wasn't just going to let them order her around as though she were a slab of meat. It was a ridiculous notion that they thought that she was just going to do as they say and follow their orders. She had certainly grown up in the last five or so years and she certainly wasn't going to put herself in harms way and just because she didn't know how to fight, it didn't mean that she wasn't going to try.

They didn't stop. Not for a long while. They fell against each other and gasped, holding their sides, falling to the ground amongst the carnage, laughing at the sky. Finally, Cheshire managed to stagger to his feet, leaving the Hatter giggling on the ground, holding his hands to his face. The Cat ran a finger over the cut on his face and cut loose with a chuckle, wiping the blood on his tunic, then, as he leaned down to help the Hatter up, he glanced over at Alice and raised his eyebrows when he saw the look of fury on her face. "S'matter?" He asked, immediatly finding that someone had knocked a tooth out as it dribbled over his lip. "Did we do something wrong?" The Hatter sat up, fingering a busted lip and he didn't pay the girl any mind as he resheathed his sword and tucked his hat back onto his greasy head. "C'mon, we're late." He stated as if they had done nothing but dilly dally by a stream. He set off at a brisk trot, but Cheshire wasn't as quick to follow. Instead he sidled up next to Alice, "What happened?" He asked again, his claws shifting back into normal looking fingers. He waited a moment for her answer, then directed his chin at the Hatter who quickly disappeared among a small group of trees crying out, "Tally-ho!" "If we don't follow him soon, we'll be lost. EvenIcan't remember where he keeps his dratted abode." His tail wrapped around her ankle and tugged her along as he walked forward. He looked back, blood still running freely down his cheek as well as on other parts of his body. "What was the matter?" He asked a third time, as curious as ever. He was a Cat, after all.

Alice watched in slight horror as the Cheshire ripped apart that Jack who had most certainly been ready to call her a bitch and she stepped several feet back from the scene as the blue smoke made it hard to see anything, but there was certainly no loss of understanding what was going on as she heard the cries of the Cards and the soft grunting noises that were probably the Hatter and the Cheshire tearing apart Cards. She had never known that these two could have such a way inside of them. Surely, both of them before had shown no way to be able to tear people or rather, Cards, apart, but the cries she was hearing was surely that enough to presume that they were definitely tearing them apart. Although the reality of the horrific scene was more than enough to make Alice's normally innocent blue eyes widen in fear and shock as she watched the smoke slowly start to fade away and the Hatter and the Cheshire were revealed. There was a slight concern in her mind that obviously the Cheshire and the Hatter were hurt, but it was quite scary how they looked. Her eyes sought out the Cheshire and she watched as his eyes met her own and she swallowed in fear because these two were capable of so much more than they looked. They were obviously capable of such killings and she didn't quite know what to think with the scene before her like this. It was quite scary to see them like this and none the less to hear the way they had obviously slaughtered the Cards. It should've been comforting that they could protect her like this, but rather it was scary. They had torn them apart and left nothing, but shreds of their pale bodies and blood spilled out onto the ground. She was going to try and help them with their wounds because she was very good at tending to wounds, but she was actually shocked to her core to see them do what they did next. The two of them started to actuallylaugh! They had just slaughtered a group of Cards and were looking like some kind of battle warriors and they were actually laughing? It was puzzling to Alice in a way that she couldn't understand and it showed her that they certainly did retain their madness within. She didn't exactly know what to do while they were just standing there laughing their heads off. She was frightened and they were laughing? If she really thought about it, it was quite infuriating and rather terrifying that they thought that that had been humorous, but she was much too stunned to actually say anything, so she just stood there, watching and waiting for them to finish their bouts of laughter, so that the two of them could get cleaned up.

"Whoa, chill." Cheshire said, slowing down a bit so that she shot ahead of him, "Youhaveto laugh it off, trust me. Seen guys who just dwell on it, they end up messed in the head." He grinned widely, "Get it? Messed up in the...oh, never mind." Cheshire waved and trotted up next to her, his eyes searching for where the Hatter might have vanished. They both dived through the trees and the Cat caught sight of his friend's bouncing green cloak before he was swallowed up by the night. "There he goes," He muttered, "Bastard's gonna lose us." He jogged forward and pushed aside a bush, revealing a trap door well concealed in the ground, "Or not..." A thump sounded from below, then the Hatter's muffled voice, "Hurry up!" He bellowed, thumping again. Cheshire reached down and grasped the iron ring, heaving the door up, then looked back at Alice, his grey eyes taking in her young supple form, her wild unkempt hair that seemed to add to a primal attraction. And he felt himself react. He purred before he could stop himself and looked away, disguising it with a cough. "Ladies first." He offered in his low sultry voice which had become just a bit more sultry and even seductive. "Wouldn't be hungry by chance, would you?" He asked, suddenly, his eyes flashing, "We've got some stock down there and I'm pretty sure you're starving. Especially after our...ordeal." He gave her a lopsided grin, the sight of the shredded cards still fresh in his mind. "Either way, you might wanna hurry and get down, more than like the others'll have found the bodies and will be searching for the forest for the perpetrators. Wouldn't want to be strung up, would we, hm?" Anything, just keep talking, distract himself from giving her once-overs again and again. Images kept flashing through his head, slipping her-no, no. Where was that coming from? Biting his tounge, he said, "I'll see you on the other side. Close the door behind you." Then, he shrank, fur sprining up over his body, and as he transformed back into a feline, he felt the ache, the longing slowly move away. Still there, still apparent, but not as strong. Flicking his tail in her direction, he dove into the trapdoor's open hole.

By the time that the two maniacs had finally decided that it was about time to be moving, Alice was absolutely furious with the both of them. It was one thing to do what they did and protect themselves and her, but it was a completely another thing to sit there like crazed lunatics, which Alice knew that they still were, and laugh their selves silly while she was standing there in terror. That had probably been one of the most dramatic and traumatizing scenes that she had ever seen in her life and they were just acting as though they didn't have a care in the world while they laughed their heads off. It was absolutely infuriating to a girl who had grown up like she had now a days and only now the Cheshire Cat was showing interest in the fact that she was furious with both of them! Pffft! That was just plain stupid. Obviously, if anyone couldn't tell, Alice was much too upset to consider the fact that Cheshire had actually gotten upset at the fact that she seemed furious like this. He obviously cared about something, but Alice was a little too peeved at that moment to actually take much notice to that fact. She didn't even really know how to respond at the moment to their insanity because she was still too shocked with the scene that she had just witnessed before her eyes. It had been absolutely terrifying to hear the two of them rip apart those cards as though they were warriors when before neither of them probably could've handle a gun properly! And now here they were ripping apart cards and saving her from a beheading. It was all so very confusing in her mind at that moment because she just couldn't understand it. How had they become such fierce men? One of them had been an animal for the love of God and the other had just been a raving lunatic! So, how had things changed that much in here? It was absolutely amazing to see this and quite terrifying as well, to be honest. She walked towards the way that the Hatter had run off to and she sighed as she turned to look at the Cheshire Cat. She really was getting a bit tired and hungry at this point. Not to mention, she felt like she hadn't bathed in days and that was really only adding to her mood at the moment. "Look, I am sorry I got upset, but I was absolutely terrified and then the two of you just started to laugh!? Do you know how stupid the both of you looked? Well, of course not, because as you always used to tell me everyone is mad here, right? Including me? Well, at least I have common sense not to just sit there in a pool of blood and laugh my head off." she said, much more angrily than she originally meant to be. She really couldn't seem to help her temper right now because of how upset this whole thing was getting to be at this point. She was getting very hungry and tired and she wanted a bath. And of course, as she thought about having a bath, all she could then think about was taking a bath with Cheshire Cat and it made her a little less angry and a little more aroused. The thought of all of his smooth flesh bared for her to see and touch actually send a large shiver down her spine and she had to turn away from him before he could see the look in her eyes that was only tell tale of how she was feeling inside. "So, we better hurry and follow him or else we won't know where we are going."

Warm candlelights lit the tunnel that they travelled through and there was a distinct dip in the floor as they ventured further. The Cat slinked his way through the hall, his shadow being cast upon the wall along with everyone elses, a loping black form. His purple fur gave off an unworldly sheen in the yellow light as the Hatter led them deeper, "Not far..." The madman said looking back, but his voice trailed away as he caught sight of Alice, the clothing in her hands, and everything else. Cheshire glanced up at the Hatter, confused as to why he quit talking then looked back as well. Oh, my. He turned back to his friend, "It's quite rude to stare, my dear Hatter," He flicked a tail in Alice's direction, "Her clothes are dirty, she has freedom to remove them, just," He turned back to her and fixed her with a hard glare, "Not all the way off, it's hard enough to keep our minds on the task at hand, hm?" He directed the 'hm' back at the Hatter who coughed suddenly, and quite violently facing forward, "Quite right, quite right my dear Cat, forward we tread then." Which they did so in silence, although even through his dulled senses, Cheshire could not help but glance back one more time before dismissing the incident entirely from his mind. The tunnel sloped deeper and it got a little warmer as the chill of the forest was left far behind. Presently, they arrived at a large wooden door, upon which its surface was carved into a large face with a very big nose, beady eyes and thick lips. The eyes glinted with as much colour as oak could allow: I see travellers three, those who wish to enter me Weary from their adventures, yes, but returned because they are the best And two I know so very well, as well as any tolling bell The Hatter with his magnificent headpiece, and the purple Cat still in one piece Yet, lookie here, a new arrival? Where comest thou, oh glowing angel? The Cat rolled his eyes, glancing back at Alice, "Ignore him, he's always trying to be mysterious with his poems and chants, but you'll notice they lack a bit of...flair..." The door fixed his small eyes on Cheshire, "Now see here, Cat," It protested, "I do my best, it is hard to think when people constantly open and close me!" Cheshire waved his paw, obviously uncaring, "I don't care, are you going to keep prattling, or are you going to open you sorry piece of firewood?" The door grumbled and creaked open, revealing inside a very wide room. The opening led to a balcony that spanned the huge expanse, a space in the middle showing a lower floor. "Welcome to the underground." The Hatter said lowly, sweeping his hat from his head.

Alice just ignored his ramblings for the most part because she was rather used to them at this point and who wouldn't be used to those kinds of things at this point? Especially when you had been a guest in this crazy world before. But there was something distinct about what happened to his voice. It got low and more seductive and sultry than before and she swallowed a bit nervously as she looked at him with every feeling in her eyes apparent. Obviously, Alice didn't know how to hide her feelings and that was obvious as well as she looked at him. There was a moment there when she had thought she had heard him start to purr, but then he coughed and Alice was distinctly aware that he was trying to cover something up. That was when he brought up food and she hoped that some sleep would follow that, but she wasn't sure if it would. She could only hope though, at this point, because she was absolutely exhausted from everything that had happened lately. Though there was something that was toying about in her mind as she watched him transform back into the slender, sleek feline that he was when he was an animal and she smiled a bit before she walked over to the trap door and sat down on the edge. She jumped down into it and landed on her feet before she leaned up to grab the door and shut it behind her. She really hoped that no one noticed that door or else they would be in quite a bit of trouble at this point. Alice was thinking about the fact that it was quite obvious who she was with her normal attire on like this. She still had the same blue dress, and the same outfit, so wouldn't it be better if she changed into something that might make her look a little different. She stood there for a long moment without following the two before she made sure that were ahead enough that they really couldn't much see her and she changed out of her dress quickly. She took off her petticoats and stockings as well as her shoes because it wasn't going to take much for someone to recognize her. She stood there in her undergarments, well, mostly. They were made of white silk and lace and cotton and she sighed as she thought that the outfit bared a bit more of her skin at this point, but she thought it looked much better than what she was wearing before. The outfit that she had on now was a short white under dress that went beneath her normal dress, her pale legs were bare with no stockings or shoes, but she had walked barefoot on rougher surfaces than what they were walking on now, so that didn't bother her at all. She took out the black headband that was in her hair and that kept her hair back from her face and some of her blond strands of hair fell forward and the whole outfit made her look quite seductive. Her hair was starting to slightly curl a bit and she sighed as she walked after the two of them, completely unaware of the fact that she made one of the most seductive pictures that anyone could ever see.

Cheshire raised his feline eyebrows at her eruption, rebuking him for his comments and he repressed a laugh that threatened to burst from his throat. Instead, he contented with muttering to himself, "Well, pissy much? Take a girl out of her world and she goes crazy..." He padded out in front of Alice and the Hatter looking through the railing to the center of the room where there milled a gathering of what couldn't really be called people although there were some human looking ones down there. "You're lookin' at the rebellion, Alice. We're all that's left to halt the Queen." Announced the Hatter, grinning down at the gathering. "And maybe," Added Cheshire, looking back at Alice, "With your arrival, we might actually get someplace." The Hatter took the lead, leading them around the edge, his hand resting gently on the bannister, "C'mon, let's go, I'll introduce you." He said, over his shoulder and suddenly in front of him appeared a set of stair which definitely wasn't there before. Acting as though this was just a part of daily life, which it was, the Hatter descended, Cheshire following and slowly shifting into his human form as he walked. The crowd noise that usually accompanied...crowds, had stilled as they watched the two 'men' walk down the stairs with a young woman in two. It wasn't long before whispers began to spread like wildfire as they gazed at her, speculations, guesses, but even talk was stilled when the Hatter strode up to a podium that wasn't there before. And it wasn't. Holding his hands up for silence, although there was no need, the Hatter began: "Wonderland. We are in black times. A time of fear, of death, of pure abject horror." Cheshire stepped next to him, his grey eyes scanning as every eye was fixed upon the speaker. "What if I told you we could end it? What if I told you that our solution was a mere grasp away?" "Yeah! Like you've said before!" Came the shouted reply, followed by some laughter, but others shouted him down. The Hatter nodded, "Yes, yes, I admit, this wouldn't be the first time, but, my friends, this time, I'msure! This is what we've been waiting for,thisis our freedom!" He looked over at Cheshire and nodded. "We've found her." The Cat said, his hands clasped behind his back, the air was still as everyone awaited his next words. "We've found Alice." This time, a gasp was apparent as it rippled through the crowd. "Alice?" "TheAlice?" "I heard she died..." "She's come back?" Cheshire waited patiently for the noise to subside, "Alice is the key. With her, we will end the Queen's reign! We will take back what is ours, and we will make Wonderland what it should be!" He roared, bellowing the last line and holding a fist straight up in the air. The crowd blew up, their cheers resounding and echoing as they threw their hands in the air and jumped. At long last, Alice had returned. Alice had come back. They were saved. Cheshire looked back at her and grinned, wide as was his trademark, then gave her a short nod, wondering silently to himself as to how she would be able to take this. He hoped to God she wouldn't cry, he had no clue what to do with a crying female.

Alice didn't quite like the fact that she had to do this with her clothing, but it was a better way to keep herself disguised as some new comer and not who she was. She didn't like the look Hatter got and she squirmed uncomfortably as she walked. She then heard Cheshire Cat's words and she stopped walking again before she put her slender hands on her shapely hips as she looked at him. "Thank you very much, but I will only take off my clothes and be naked for someone I care about and not to just be some whore for men, understand, Cheshire?" she snapped rather meanly. She didn't really like the implication that he implicated as he said that to her because she wasn't some slut who was going to take off her clothes for any man that thought that she looked good with less on. "This is just a way that it will be harder for people to recognize me if I do not look like my normal self. I realize I look a bit whorish, and while I do not wish to look like one, do you really think that there are other options that I can take to disguising myself? I am open to them." she said. She followed them silently after that and that was when they came across the famous door that she remembered from her last trip. Though he was a bit different and she shook her head at his words. She certainly wasn't going to pay attention to a door that sung like that and his singing, quite frankly, sucked. She wondered briefly where exactly she was going to discard her clothes at this point. Alice was quite surprised to see what exactly was behind the door. It led to a large expanse of floor and she walked through the doorway and into the Underground as they called it. She couldn't believe that there was a place like this beneath the surface of Wonderland. She looked at the two of them as they stood behind her and she sighed softly. "Wow, this is quite the place." she said softly.

Mid-grab Cheshire shifted back into his human form, leaving Alice in hold of his hair, a very tight hold, which caused his teeth to clench together and a very low growl to rumble from his throat. Being released he ran his fingers through his hair smoothing it out, giving an affronted look to Alice, laced with slight arousal. The Hatter straightened his coat pompously, sniffing and tipping his tall hat at a rackish angle. "Mad?" Asked Cheshire, "Do you even have to ask?" He threw a hand back at the assembled masses, "Look, Alice! Look at them! Despite a few hateful glares, look at the hope in most of their eyes! If anyone's going to get 'em out of this mess, it's going to be you!" "Not to mention," added the Hatter, "Youcan-" "Shut up." Cheshire interrupted, a bit too quickly, then said, as if to amend, "I mean, you have the power, Alice, not like...well, not that you're powerful, I didn't say that, you can be powerful if you want to, it's just you-" "What Cheshire is trying to say," Said the Hatter, interrupting in turn, "Is that you can control these people better than any of us can, you are a new face, a new hope AND you can-" "Shut up." Said Cheshire again, shooting Hatter a warning glance. "Besides, Alice, it's too late to turn away now, I mean, after we hammed you up and all." He guestured back to the podium where the people were waiting expectantly, "They need you Alice, they need someone who can get them somewhere, throw over this evil reign and lead us to freedom. Believe me,we'vetried," He waved a hand between him and the Hatter, "It's just that, although we do ok, we're never going to make it because we don't have the..." He coughed, then shook his head, "Please, Alice. They need you." He repeated, "...Weneed you." The crowd began to grow a little restless and somewhere, Alice's whispered name rose, climbed, soared and soon the congregation was chanting, chanting her name over and over, even the ones who were doubtful, who weren't sure, even they had been turned by this unnatural tide of trust, of even desperation. A smile flickered in the corners of Cheshire's mouth and he waved to the podium again, this time finding that words were not needed, he believed she knew what to do. The Hatter merely rolled his eyes, "They're waiting."

Alice honestly didn't know what to expect as they walked down the staircase, but there was quite a bit of people or creatures from Wonderland in there. It was quite surprising, really. She didn't really know what to do when they walked down to a bit of a podium that had just appeared out of nowhere. She really didn't understand much of this right now. She also couldn't ignore the stares that everyone was giving her. She could hear whispers and she wondered why they were all whispering about her. It wasn't like she had died or come back to life or something along those lines. Some of the stares were quite hostile and others were open and welcoming. It was quite a hard thought to know that some of them actually thought that she was to blame for some of these things. The Queen was quite mad all on her own and she didn't really think that it was her fault that the Queen had gone this mad. Well, unless you counted the fact that it was kind of her own mind in here. Or at least, she thought that it was. What was weird to think about was the fact that most of these creatures were just a part of her mind and that some of them were parts of her heart and mind put together. And that was quite the scary thought because the Hatter, though matured now, was quite insane and so was Cheshire, to be honest. And the fact that she had some dark part of her that had made up the Queen and some older characters that she remembered. Like the Jabberwock. Alice shuddered at the thought of that mean old thing and she hoped that someone had actually killed him. He was probably a little bit more cruel than even the Queen was. Or at least, he used to be, but she wasn't sure about that now. Alice looked at Hatter and the Cheshire as they said that she was the key and she wanted to hit them again. How could they say that? She had only managed to escape the Queen and her guards last time! She had not managed to defeat them and she thought that that was what they were expecting to happen. Of course, her attention got split when she heard some of the audience whispering that she had died. Her blue eyes widened and she looked over the crowd silently to see them mostly watching her and not the Hatter or Cheshire. She watched as the crowd threw back comments at Hatter about how he had said stuff like that before and Alice almost groaned in frustration because it was obvious he still didn't always know what he was doing! And he was acting as though it was just a simply matter of Alice just being there and it wasn't! She was going to have to defeat the Queen and she honestly didn't even know how to do it! She watched the Cheshire and she glared at him angrily when he said all of that and then she heard the crowd roar with enthusiasm and she couldn't believe that these two had managed to get them excited when Alice was just a teenage girl! She smiled as best as she could at the crowd, but she wasn't actually going to say anything this time and she just smiled kindly at them before she grabbed Cheshire in his cat form by the scruff of his neck and grabbed Hatter by the back of his shirt and pulled them away from the podium to a more private section in the room. The crowd mostly watched with interest, but started to talk amongst themselves as she had Cheshire hanging by the scruff of his neck in her hand and Hatter stumbling backwards before she let go of both of them. "Okay, are you two mad?! Well, okay, let me take that back because it is quite apparent that the two of you have completely lost it!!! I do not know how to defeat the Queen!!! I only managed to barely escape last time and you two are telling all of them that I am thekey?!? Either there is something that I do not know and you are not telling me about this or else you two are justhopingthat I know how to destroy her!" she whispered harshly to the both of them.

Alice truly felt like she had a migraine coming on now because of these two total lunatics. It seemed as though these two really had lost their minds even beyond what she remembered. And she was beginning to wish that she honestly had stupid tea parties that were absurd to worry about than stand here and listen to these two actually argue their way through their statements. And besides that, there was something that was bothering her quite a bit right now. They seemed as though they were hiding something from her that was about her. That was not something that she liked either and she knew she had to get them to tell her what was going, for real and not their made up version of things. Because there had to be a reason that they so vehemently believed that it was her who was able to make such things happen when she had just been a child before! At least now she had the sensibility to deny them what they were saying because she just could not defeat the Queen! And she needed to make that known to them at this very moment! "If I must say so myself, you two are really in need of a mental hospital, you know that? I think you two need a reality check!! How am I supposed to defeat her? With my little bows in my hair?!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. It was quite obvious that she was becoming infuriated with the two of them. "Aside from the fact that she has an ENTIRE army at her side, you two, does she not also have the Jabberwock? Who, if I remember correctly, was quite a vicious beast and I do not want to go up against him either!! I do not even have the means to defeat her! And you two are hiding something from me, and I know it. Why is it exactly that you two have such faith and confidence in my ability to defeat a woman and her army when even me myself does not think I can?!" she questioned firmly. It was quite clear that she was not just going to let these two get away with making her make a pretty speech in front of these many hopeful people. Besides that, it was cruel to put it into their minds that she COULD defeat the Red Queen or the Queen of Hearts. Oh Lord, whatever they liked to call her now. She honestly did not like the idea that they were putting false hopes into those peoples hearts and minds when Alice really had no way of defeating the Queen.

Whether it was a case of nerves or the simple fact that the bacon she had scarfed down for breakfast wasn't agreeing with her, one thing was for certain, Lexie feltterriblyill. The moment she had stepped foot into Hogwarts, a strong feeling of nostalgia had struck her harder than one would expect. Of course, one couldn't truly admit to enjoying school without sounding completely pathetic but she would not lie to herself. Her years at Hogwarts had easily been the best she'd ever experienced in her short life. Many would expect a child born of great wealth to have a certain claim to a happiness robbed of the less fortunate and while she had been rightfully spoiled in material aspects, Lexie could not truthfully say that she was happy there. She had always been completely different from her parents. For one, she didn't care for their constant desire to mingle with those that they deemed superior, nor did she care for their negative influence. No matter how many times they had attempted to hammer this pure-blood supremacist thoughts into her young mind, Lexie simply had not listened. Right from the beginning, her parents had feared that their daughter was not living up to their expectations and Lexie would not dissuade them from such notions. She had a fascination with muggles that could possibly rival that of Arthur Weasley and her habit of befriending those of a lower social class clearly worried the parental unit. But perhaps the greatest blow of all was when their precious child was sorted into the dreaded Gryffindor house, eternal enemy of Slytherin where both Mr. and Mrs. Stone had been sorted years ago. Naturally, Lexie had been ecstatic. In her eyes, nothing could be more fulfilling than being sorted into the house she had secretly dreamed of for years. The rift that this caused between her and her parents only grew as the years passed and as the days darkened, so did their hearts. Many a family had been torn apart ever since the return of Voldemort who's name she refused to fear even then. It was no easy choice for her to abandon the parents who while had forced their own ideals onto her, had still clothed her and fed her and perhaps even loved her, faults and all. But there really could not be any other choice. Lexie would not side with those who agreed with such ludicrous ideas. She was 17 when she last spoke to her parents. Every year at Hogwarts had been cherished and now that she was back, she intended to make the most of it. Even if she meant to teach now rather than learn. As a student, Lexie had always been fairly adept. She had gotten top marks in transfiguration and charms and did quite well for herself in defense against the dark arts. Her only real weak point had always been potions. Lexie would have liked to think that she was nowhere near as incompetent as her old potions professor had led on but then, taking anything the man said to heart was foolhardy indeed. Anyone with a half a brain knew well enough that the old git went out of his way to embarrass and insult those belonging to Gryffindor house. She had been no different. The girl couldn't help but frown at the unpleasant memories of dealing with the overgrown bat's leering presence behind her as she mechanically chopped her ingredients. He was truly terrifying in those days. Regardless of how well she did, the git had no praise in him and as such, there came a point where she simply stopped caring. Sighing, the considerably tall young witch straightened out her posture, long black hair now held in a tight bun. She felt rather odd dressed the way that she was. Usually she would let loose her dark locks and stroll about in the finest of gowns but shedidintend on making a good impression and she hardly expected Snape to care for physical attributes. Lexie held a natural grace that allowed her to appear as if she were utterly calm and collected even if she were anything but. The sight of the potions master was already making her stomach knot uncomfortably. The old embarrassment of having him talk down to her was already beginning to colour her cheeks, despite the fact that he hadn't even said anything yet. Though, shewasa Gryffindor for a reason and she wouldn't stand there idly and allow him to intimidate her anymore. She was no longer the student. He would have to respect her as an adult. She hoped. Clearing her throat to get his attention, Lexie put on her most reserved of expressions before speaking out in a formal tone. "Professor?"

In spite of Severus Snape's pretenses to the contrary, he remembered her. Gryffindor. Obnoxious. Less dense than some, more spoiled than most. It had been a few years since she had left Hogwarts, and it couldn't be long enough. Now, as her interview drew near, he was decanting a Philtre of Focus for the seventy-first time. Soon it would be ready, and the miserable little imps he had been tasked to herd would cease to be a distraction for good. The annoyance could have been worse, perhaps - he could have been forced to remain Headmaster - but that was cold comfort. Everything had been easier when he had been roundly hated. Just that morning, an idiot Gryffindor had smiled at him! What did a man have to do to make his stance clear? Now the very same people who had whispered 'Coward' for years wore the mask of affability, beaming, inviting him to drink. Doubtless they expected him to 'forgive their misunderstanding.' Worst of all, as always, were the students. Children who had lived in fear now lived in fatuous complacence, as if the Dark Arts had ceased to exist when the Death Eaters had disbanded. Potter himself was growing lax in his Occlumency, and Granger had taken 'time off' for 'personal reasons.' Well. Nobody would ever accuse him of letting his pupils become fat and weak. When the next evil came, they would face it, secure in the knowledge that it couldn't possibly be as awful, as cruel, as horrific as Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin, Potions Master, and Professional Greasy Git. And the new order would begin with this interview. Twenty years old! Madness. Even if this 'student teacher' candidate was one of McGonagall's old favorites, and could thus be assured of her place, he would show her the seriousness, and tenuousness, of her position.

Of course. One could never dream of interrupting such a delicate procedure. He was practically performing some sort of muggle method of open-heart surgery, wasn't he? Lexie resisted the urge to roll her bright blue eyes and reminded herself that her esteemed potions professor had an obvious hard-on for such things. She could almost remember his little speech during her first year. It was hard to forget. What was it?Bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death?Right. At that age, she had been far more fascinated with the uncanny billowing of his robes than putting a stopper in anything. Though, she couldn't think too poorly of him now. He had really shown his true colours throughout this entire nasty ordeal with Voldemort. Lexie tilted her head to the side, almost as if this allowed her a better view of Snape at work. She wasn't as guilty as others. Oh no! She had definitely been among those rare few who deemed Severus Snape agood guy, as it were. Dumbledore was the reasoning behind this. She had always put her full faith in the old wizard, partly because her parents had done the complete opposite. Aside from all that, Lexie had always deemed his malevolent appearance too obvious. Perhaps she spent too much time watching those muggle horror films but if that were the case then Snape would definitely not be the bad guy. Nay, in some strange twist he would be the one to save them all! In a sense, he had. The man had done a lot and Lexie did not easily forget. Gaze softening considerably, Lexie broke away from her thoughts only to be met with the usual reprimanding tone that only Snape could dish out so well. Her eyes immediately found the clock and she couldn't help but frown just the slightest. Late? It had not even occurred to her that she ought to check the time. The momentary panic that washed over her was quickly masked by a look of utter neutrality. Choosing not to honour him with a reply unless absolutely necessary, Lexie strode over to the directed chair across from the potions master, crossing one impossibly long leg over the other as she sat. Her posture felt stiff to her but she refused to allow her aching spine some release. Impressing Snape was no easy task and she was the farthest thing from Slytherin without being Godric Gryffindor himself. As a student, she had always felt terribly uneasy under that stare. She always had the nagging suspicion that he was invading her mind and discovering all kinds of nasty things to use to his advantage. Naturally when she had discovered his being a Legilimens she hadn't been the least bit surprised. Still, it was unsettling all the same. Resisting the urge to chew her lip raw as she always did when nervous, Lexie attempted the impossible task of occluding her mind to any and all probing he may have deemed necessary. One could never tell with Severus Snape. The sarcasm in his tone was not missed and Lexie made it a point to not react. Why play right into his hands and give him what he desired? She would not lose her temper and she wouldnotlose this job. All at once, the fierce Gryffindor determination seemed to return, those blue eyes practically blazing with ambition. Her gaze dropped down to his fingers and for a moment, all thoughts of Occulumency escaped her as she studied the slender fingers. This was perhaps one of the few things, if not the only thing that she had always admired about Snape. He had the most beautiful hands she had ever seen. The fingers were long and pale and capable of performing all kinds of near-impossible tasks. They appeared to her, the hands of an artist and while Lexie had no real love for potions, she could grudgingly admit that it could be seen as an art-form. For what seemed like the umpteenth time, those smooth, velvety tones cut through her reverie and Lexie had enough sense to catch the bold question. She could already feel the anger flaring up in the pit of her stomach. What kind of a ridiculous question was that? She was here to teach, not to be bullied into submission by some git who could not even afford to mend his robes when they clearly needed it! Quite forgetting herself, Lexie narrowed her eyes and directed her cool gaze at his elbow. "You might want to take care of that,professor." Never mind that she had no business saying anything about his attire but then, she would silently justify her actions by reminding herself that he had no business treating her like some sort of incompetent child. "While life is a continuing learning process and believe me, sir, Idointend to learn from the best," here her eyes would flicker back to his face and linger there for as long as it took for the message to be made clear, "I think it would be counter-productive of you to treat me as a pupil if I intend to break past those boundaries and become a full-fledged teacher." There. She had said her piece and now she could only await his scathing rebuttal with bated breath.

Snape raised his left hand in the universal gesture for 'Do not interrupt this delicate and dangerous work.' Stir clockwise. Clockwise. Clockwise. Clockwise, but more slowly. As the brew reached the turning point, a cloud of choking, green smoke rose from the cauldron and dissipated away from Snape; his visitor may, perhaps, have caught a whiff of Ashwinder eggs. Now counterclockwise, slowly. Then counterclockwise again, but faster, faster, and faster still. Add a half-pinch of Siberian Ginseng. Hold the phial up to the light, and wait for the very instant the green liquid begins to cloud... there. Decant at once. It was done. As Snape stoppered the bottle and sealed it with wax, he spoke without looking up from the task. "Miss Stone. You are late." The girl could hardly argue with the looming grandfather clock, could she? Surely she could see that the big serpent was on the nine, and the little snake was on the one. And even if this wasn't absolutely accurate, it was absolutelyright.Any clock could show you an accurate time, but this one showed visitors the time they ought to see. The time they deserved. A little peevishly, Snape waved Lexie to a chair, like a grown man forced to tolerate someone's misbehaved child, then settled behind his desk and appraised her appearance. Once again, matters could have been far worse. She had unusually reserved dress-sense for a Gryffindor, and her hair was almost practical. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that she hadn't dressed this way as a student. Therefore, either she genuinely respected the 'interview process,' or she genuinely feared his disapproval. Better to keep her off-balance, then. He leaned forward slightly, causing a few strands of disheveled hair to fall into his eyes, and humorlessly smiled. "A student teacher! How interesting." He settled back slightly and steepled his fingers, unconscious that this revealed an unseemly rent in the left elbow of his robes. Had he known that even a newcomer could see how the past month's revelations had worn on him, he'd have been mortified. A spy should not wear their heart on their sleeve, or at their elbow. Nonetheless, uncharacteristically blind to these signs, Snape confidently baited his hook. "It makes one wonder if I should treat you as a student, or as a teacher. What do you think, Miss Stone?"

Lexie, who had been clenching her hands so tightly only became aware of this when her sharp nails threatened to break skin. She may have been high-strung but she would never be accused of ever interrupting. Regardless of the fact that she was being talked-down to by the most infuriating of individuals that she had come across, she would always manage to allow others to say their part. What Snape had to say would have been enough to instigate a verbal argument of epic proportions if it weren't for the sudden realization that she was there for a reason. Breathing through her nostrils, the girl silently composed herself and focussed on the spot just between Snape's eyes. She didn't dare look directly into those dark pools of black now. She was almost certain that it would cause her to erupt and royally destroy her chances. "What I meant to say is,professorthat you may treat me as you see fit but I'm here for one reason alone and that is to teach." All right. So perhaps the frank bitterness in referring to him in such a manner was a little more apparent than she ought to have made it but her answer was the plain and simple truth. As much as shelovedthese little battles with the potions master, she had come there in hopes of becoming a part of what she liked to call the Hogwarts family. It was true that she was often too easy-going to even be considered for such a position but she was ambitious and held a fierce love for Hogwarts that could not be easily tarnished. Lowering her gaze for the briefest of moments, Lexie observed the sharp indents that were now visible on her pale palms. She really did need to learn how to control that anger. Perhaps it came with being a Stone or perhaps Snape was just that much of an arse. She opted to believe in the latter as her eyes once again found that horribly pallid face. By Merlin, that nose was extraordinary! If it weren't completely inappropriate to do so, Lexie would have laughed out loud at her own silly but perfectly valid thoughts. Unable to conceal the slight smile tugging at her lips, Lexie felt the former anger momentarily evaporate as she spoke out in what she hoped was a respectful tone, or at least enough to placate the bastard. "Teaching at Hogwarts would be most rewarding, sir, and I believe you'll find that I am quite capable of performing the necessary tasks required of my position." Lexie paused, almost as if having an after-thought. "It'll be fun."

Legilimency wasn't even a remote temptation. If Snape were caught prying into a student teacher's mind, it would mean a scandal, but his reluctance ran deeper than that. As much as he scoffed at Gryffindor ideas of chivalry, the war's end had left him the luxury to establish cleaner rules, and one of them was that Legilimency was for special circumstances only. He was a private man, and if he infringed upon the privacy of others without reason, how could he possibly consider himself their better? It was different for a spy, of course, but he was a spy no longer. In any case, why bother? As far as he was concerned, the girl had little mind to read. At best, he could hope to see the idealistic hero fantasies of a young, dense teacher. At worst... he preferred not to contemplate the worst-case scenario for the contents of this girl's psyche. Snape's brow furrowed ever-so-slightly when she looked at his elbow.Ah. Lamord must have struck closer than I thought. Not terrible, as first strikes go - from him or her.But if he was surprised that Stone had taken the offensive so quickly, it didn't register on his face. After all, this was how Gryffindors were; doubtless she would get on splendidly with Minerva. "Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Miss Stone. Perhaps you'd care to recommend a tailor? A shampoo?" If she rose to the lure, he would crush her like the impudent thing she was. Simple as that. But if her first sally had been reasonably adept, her next response left her so vulnerable that he'd have been a fool not to press the offensive. "'A continuing learning process?' 'Counter-productive?' 'Break past those boundaries?'" said Snape, a touch incredulously. "Such language may pass at the Beauxbatons Business School, but we arecivilizedhere. Answer again, if you please..." He drew himself up to full height, and peered at her over his hawklike nose. "... in English."

The air in the room had suddenly grown chilly and while Lexie was one of those rare cases who actually preferred cold weather to the the warmth, she still couldn't help but rub a soothing hand down her goosebump-ridden arm. Whether Snape noticed this or not, he gave no indication and she ceased her movements entirely, gaze now fixed upon the notice he had slid forth. It was true. Ever since Voldemort's fall, wizards and witches alike had lulled themselves into this false sense of security. Many people had begun to think that with the likes of Potter and Snape himself alive, they were perfectly safe. Lexie would never have considered a realist by any means. She had a habit of daydreaming about a desired life and often such dreams could cloud her judgement but one look at the maniacal wizard and she knew thatsafewasn't exactly the operative word. Did she feel even the slightest bit of fear? Not exactly, but this was partly due to the fact that she had yet to see what she was up against. As expected, the daunting weight of her responsibility was becoming more and more apparent to her now as she continued to study the notice, the words long since having stopped making sense. Was she ready for that kind of responsibility? Finally tearing her lovely eyes away from Lamord's unpleasant mug, Lexie rested her gaze on Snape who easily could have been scrutinizing her and justwaitingfor her to cave and submit to cowardice. Hey, she couldn't contradict her Gryffindor tendencies now, could she? All thoughts of presenting a desirable demeanour now diminished and she was left with nothing but understanding and compliance that rarely crossed the beautiful features of her youthful face. "I understand, sir, and I'm willing and..." A pause, albeit a short one. "...and able to do what is required of me. I give you my word that you'll receive nothing but my best effort in ensuring that I'm valuable to Hogwarts and its students." Eyes darting to her delicate hands for just a moment, Lexie quickly glanced back up at her former professor and finished off what she meant to say. "...and its staff."

It took no special gift to see the fire here, the anger, the ambition that could flare and fade at a moment's notice, as needed. This was no mere Gryffindor defiance; ending on the rebuttal would have been that. But relaxing into a smile, as if nothing had been said... the girl had promise. But Snape did not smile back. "'Treat you as I see fit?' I shall hold you to that." A moment's pause. "But if you are to succeed, you must not be here solely to teach. Not even if you find it more 'rewarding' than the Flamel Prize and more 'fun' than... whatever your friends do to amuse themselves." His gaze waxed intense. "You must be here to protect and punish, to stand fast and move swiftly, and tolearn.If you do not learn quickly..." He slid a notice across the desk to her. "... this man will kill you." A handsome wizard in his fifties smiled gamely from the notice, poised and confident, projecting a wholesomeness that belied the text underneath: RODERIC LAMORD Known aliases: The Edge Wizard; Mr. Black; Mr. White Wanted for murder, treason, conspiracy, and traffic in the Dark Arts. Do not approach! We will meet in three hours, twenty-two minutes, and five seconds to discuss this threat. This meeting is ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY for all staff and prospective staff! - Prof. S. Snape As if on cue, Lamord's grin twisted into a sadistic rictus, lips parted to reveal teeth filed to vicious points. As the fugitive preened, the time continued to tick down as Snape spoke. "I would have preferred that you remain off our campus while we attended to this... but it seems that Professor McGonagall wishes you tried in the fire, as it were." He gave a bemused shrug. "I do hope you are as competent as you claim to be." At that very moment, unknown to either of them, a two-headed crow swooped low over Hogwarts. Three caws split the air, and it was gone.

Snape relented, almost. As vital as it was to assert his position, it wouldn't do to rub Minerva the wrong way right now. She'd suggested that he restrain himself, and, while he resented the implication that she knew better, her point was taken. He didn't have to put on a front for the Dark Lord anymore. Showing Gryffindors their place was enjoyable, but it could harm her chances of synchronizing with her Slytherin partner. And the last thing he wanted was to get his own candidate of choice killed. The boy was one of the few Slytherins with the sense to oppose the Dark Lord, and he would make a marvelously principled teacher, the kind that brooked no nonsense and suffered no stupidity. "I suppose we'll see," he said, turning away slightly to check how his philtre was settling. "I'm not impressed with your performance thus far, Miss Stone, but I've seen worse." A compliment! He never thought he'd see the day he'd so extravagantly compliment an insouciant Gryffindor.Tempora mutantur. The fight - at least, the fight againsthim- had gone out of her, for the most part. As much as he enjoyed their sparring match, it was time to move on to better things. He put down the potion and gave the girl his full attention once more. Two more questions, and they would be done. "I have another question for you, Miss Stone. Answer well." He had been told that he 'talked like he couldn't let his lips touch his teeth,' and that may have been true right now. He spat the words like venom: "What do you need to live?"

In the land of the Norse, the death of men is not meant to be the end. For the bravest of warriors, it was only the begining. Legends speaks of Valkyries, choser of the slain, battle maidens of the gods whose job is to bring the souls of brave warriors to Valhala. The clan that Kratos just slew, was perhaps the most powerfull clan in the region. By mortal standards, these dead warriors are amongst the finest, it was just bad luck that they had to run into the god of war. As the crimson blood stains the pure white snow, a heavenly light descended upon the encampment. A glorious sight it was, as Valrisa, Choser of the slain floats down from the sky into the battleground. She surveyed the chaos, knowing full well that there are plenty of worthy warriors amongst the dead. Her eyes caught a more interesting sight though, a warrior dressed in a strange manner. It would seem that he was the one who brought this carnage about, a truly worthy warrior, but one that does not belong here. "Who are you warrior? You are no mere mortal" Her voice was regal, powerfull, not a helpless damsel but one with the bravery and confidence of a true warrior. "You killed this one before he even drew his weapon. A shamefull death, one not worthy of a great warrior." She anounced again, turning to point at the corpse of the chieftain. As she does so, her flawless golden hair swirled around her head, before landing once more on her shoulders, framing the ever so lovely cleavage visible in the exposed area of her armor.

A crack tore open the skies over Norse lands, the green field instantly turned black as the sun seemed to dissolve in a fiery blackness. The people of this land, a small viking clan that prowled the coast, watched in fear and fascination as the sky tore itself apart as if some monstrous beast was trying to claw itself through. The clouds burst into blood-red fire and the for the scared mortals on the ground it seemed as though Ragnarok had truly come at last. Unfortunately for them, it was something much worse. "KRATOS!" The Greek god Zues bellowed from atop his chariot, all his might being used to cast out the God of War Kratos. For all his might Kratos found himself being ripped apart, his actions finally pushing Zues to this end. Not death, but banishment. The Greek Gods had found Kratos and his crimes to heavy for their lands to bear and have decreed for him to be cast out, far from land of his birth and indeed the birth of any Spartan. The lands of the Norse, a land under the rule of different Gods that those of Mount Olympus dared not trifle with for fear that the ensuing war would unmake all of existence. It was their, they believed, Kratos would surely meet his end. The God of War fell from the heavens, a blazing comet that lit everything around as it cut the air. Kratos showed no fear as he got one last look at the god of Olympus, only boiling rage, as the rip in the sky folded back in of itself and Kratos crashed into the ground. The land shook as the impact tore through the ground creating a huge crater in its wake. The Norsemen watched and waited from a safe distance, waiting for the smoke to clear before approaching. The proud warriors had no fear, only caution as they approached the smoldering hole. Their leader took the first look over the side, casting his gaze down towards the center were a human-shaped figure could be seen climbing out. The men readied their weapons as a large, pale hand rose from the crater and dug into the earth. Lifting him up Kratos got to his feet, twin blades already drawn ready to cleave something in two. His expression was at once calm and boiling over with raw fury, an interesting combination for the vikings. "Where am I?" The God of War spoke, his tongue strange and unheard of in these lands. The viking clan leader stepped forward, sword drawn. He was the largest and most fiercest of his clan, never once defeated in battle and a body composed of pure muscle. His armored body sported the scars of many battles, none of which had been enough to kill him or even hamper his ability to kill. "Drop your weapons stranger, least I cut of your hands and take them from you myself! I am...!" Almost faster than could be perceived Kratos stretched out his arm sliced the man lengthwise, the chain drawing the blood-coated sword back to his hand. He looked to the other so-called warriors with an unimpressed glance, quickly growing annoyed with the lot of them. "I said," he repeated. "Where am I?" The Vikings almost fled at the sight of their leader killed so easily. This stranger was clearly in a league far greater than their own. That was until the bravest, or perhaps the stupidest, raised his mace and charged Kratos with the intent to kill. All it took was this one act to bring down their entire clan upon him. Kratos merely gritted his teeth, annoyed at having to deal with such flies. What happened next was hardly a battle and more akin to a slaughter. His chain blades tore through the mens bodies like air, body parts flying raining a shower of blood over the land. Not a single hit was landed on the god of war through the entire exchange, and in the end he had barely moved more than a few feet while circle of gore outlined the area around him, armor, weapons, and guts all laid out in yet another gruesome fight. At least this new land was starting out on familiar territory.

Cocking her head to the right, she tried taking a measure of the newcomer. He was without a doubt a warrior worthy of Valhalla, yet he claims to be an outcast of the Greek gods. For many years the Olympians were considered a weaker pantheon by the Norse, their claim to be civilized is one that didnt impress the Aesirs, who would much rather embrace warfare than abhor it. Perhaps it is that this man was meant to be here, instead of Greece. "This, brave warrior.." She started, stepping forward undaunted by the blade pointed at her. "Is Midgard!" A sudden lunge forward brought her within a few feet of Kratos, short wide bladed sword flashing at the man, faster than any Greek heroes ever managed. She was no mere maiden, no mere servant of the gods. She is a Valkyrie, a warrior supreme that stands heads and shoulders above any mortal. And she wants to test him.

Kratos watched as the woman descended upon the battlefield, at once impressed and angered by what he saw. The woman was indeed beautiful, putting many of the seductresses of Greece to shame, but she was also clearly one of the gods or at least a servant of one. That always lead to trouble. Still, his eyes traveled over her womanly form with ease. She had the body of a goddess at least, as well as the nature of a fighter. This could be interesting. "I've cleaned greater warriors off the bottoms of my foot," he said without remorse. He studied the woman intently, thinking back on how long it had been since he had lain with a woman. Maybe he would have a chance to rectify that soon. "And I care not for any claims of worth from these wretched souls. He should have minded himself." He stepped forward into a puddle of blood, hands gripping his chained swords. "I am Kratos, cast out from Greece by the gods for insulting their infernal pride and you woman," he raised his arm, weapon in hand, strait for her. "Will tell me where I am."

Blow for blow the valkyrie matched him, their speed being on equal footing. He was impressive, far superior than any other warrior she ever met. Her blades flashed around her to block the fluid motions of his Chaos blade. The battle went hours and hours at such a violent pace that any mortal would tire by now. "You are a great warrior!" She yelled out, rushing him with a lethal stab aimed at his stomach, but he was too fast. Crashing forward, she went straight through the wall of the nearest house. It was the hall of the clan, a stone building with a large long table in the middle. Here the clan would have their feasts, telling tales as they enjoy their food and wine. Today, it willl be witness to another feast, far more glorious than food and wine. Today it shall be the witness of an act of carnal lust so savage it will be the start of Asgards downfall. Rising from her knee, the Valkyrie slowly turned around to face her opponent.

Kratos saw her muscles tense the second before she moved, giving him just enough time to react. The God of War, the most powerful warrior in Greece and soon enough this barbaric land, his swords blocking her attack and redirecting it to the side. He stepped back, eying the woman's voluptuous form and movements, finding himself feeling that age-old desire he had in between his bloodlusts. This woman was unlike the others back home, being stronger that even the men of Sparta it seemed. This was something that interested him. He decided he would have her. With a battle cry he lunged forward, blades thrusting forward in a blur of red steel. He exchanged with her a flurry of blows, testing her defenses and seeing just how strong she was. Each and every time his blades landed the blood from the vikings flew off, a grim reminder of how they got here.

She wouldn't see him coming. All she would see were the twin blades slam into the ground beside her, pulling the God of War towards her and slamming him into her backside. The Valkyrie was sent colliding into the Celtic wall, the wood splintering beneath her. It was a blow that would have killed any mortal woman but not her. If it had Kratos would not have been nearly as interested. "Come here!" He growled, whipping his blade so one wrapped around her upturned leg. Before she would have a chance to react he dragged her to the middle of the room before he charged, grabbing her hair and twisting her body up so that the red chains could wrap around her chest, pressing her breasts upwards and her arms to her sides. Now the viking angel was soundly trapped, her body captured for anything Kratos might have planned for it.

Another hour went by without interruption and Batman was beginning to think it was time to give up for the night. It was four A.M. and his search hadnt yielded so much as a hint of foul play. By now, the vigilante was halfway across the city, only about five miles from the Narrows. He calculated it would take perhaps fifteen minutes to get back to the manor. As he rose to his full height from where hed been crouched atop the Surh Complex he caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye. Spinning round he saw a woman, middle aged and wearing a business suit step across the roof of the building opposite. Her eyes were shadowed and she seemed completely unaware of where she was. Drawing ever closer to the edge Batman realized her intent and jumped into action. He had to be careful not to alarm her, which was easier said than done since hes specifically designed his image to be intimidating. Miss, he called carefully, not wanting to startle her. It was awkward, he was unused to addressing people in this manner. Normally interactions consisted of him sneaking up on a criminal and beating the ever loving shit out of them. The woman turned her head slowly to look at him and he was struck by how empty her face was, how completely void of any sort of emotion. She paused, and he took a few steps closer. Dont be frightened. Im just going to help you down. This statement resulted in the first semblance of expression from the female. Her brows knit together and she backed away from him. I cant take it anymore... Stay away from me. She was only a few stories above him. He could swing across and grab her before she got any further. Batman reached for his utility belt and his fingers closed around the grappling gun. Stay calm, Im coming down to get you. Blank eyes stared through him as he upholstered the gun and raised it towards the roof, taking aim. Dont move, just stay there. Dont move. She disappeared from his line of sight. Damn! He fired, the cord shot up and hooked over the edge of the roof, pulling him up with it. Come on, come on Batman hit the other side with a thump and hoisted himself the rest of the way up just in time to see the flash of skirt as the woman hed been trying to save vanished over the precipice. No! He raced after her and dropped to his knees to catch anything he could reach. But it was too late. He body hurtled down forty stories and crashed into the pavement below before hed even reached the ledge. The whole thing had barely enough time to register when a block down at almost the same time a man stepped out from the curb and right into the path of an oncoming bus. All the masked crusader could do was gaze, shocked at what hed failed to stop and wonder how in the hell two people had decided to commit suicide at the exact same time.

Commissioner Jim Gordon sat with his head in his hands because sometimes things got so overwhelming that the only solution was to try and pretend - just for a moment - that the city wasn't there. After the Dent incident, Barbara had nearly begged him to leave Gotham, convinced that this would only be the first of many attempts on his life; she had told him they could borrow some money from her parents, use it to get out, to move somewhere - anywhere but Gotham. It was a conversation that been repeated many times since, the most recent of which had been that very evening. In retrospect, his response probably hadn't been the best one: "Where do you suggest we go? Metropolis?" "This isn't funny, Jim!" "You're damn right it isn't funny. If I leave now -" "- then they'll just find some other idealistic sap to take your place as Commissioner, someone else to - to slip poison to!" It had ended with Barbara sobbing into the phone and Gordon feeling like an ass, just the way he did every other time - but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't just - leave - like so many others had done. There was too much to be done, too few who could be relied on, and beyond that - how many allies did Batman have left? Gordon wasn't even sure he counted anymore, not since he had been forced to destroy the light on the GPD rooftop - one of the only moments in his career in which he had felt nothing but shame - and had severed his public ties with the Batman. But god, he was still with him - but the darkness was closing in more each day, seeping into the city more and more, driven by some horrifying, unstoppable force. Every time they made advances, they were pushed back again, there was no quantifying it. The phone rang and the sound of it caused Gordon to jerk violently, half-lunging for the receiver. At first, he listened. Then he protested. Then he fell into silence, set the phone carefully onto his desk and stood from his chair; he approached the enormous window that served as a background to his office and drew open the thick curtains. He stared out at Gotham and then picked up the phone again, "Yeah. Yeah, I see it." he said, and the distant flames reflected in the lenses of his glasses. Dr. Phillip Unger liked to think of himself as a philanthropist, an altruist who only wanted what was best for his patients - that was why he gave them all that big, bleached white smile and talked to the inmates like they were three year olds who just needed a good nap and a big, shiny needle to calm them down. He had made the mistake, at first, of trying to analyze his newest patient - one he had been particularly excited to meet after seeing his face across the news and witnessing the extent of the damage he had wrought on the city. A fascinating patient indeed. Inmate 3747 had been brought into Arkham Asylum with his hands cuffed behind his back and his make-up badly smeared, but he had been bizarrely docile. Unger had moved around him, looked him up and down, asked him questions - but all he had received was silence as the patient's dark eyes regarded him with something like very mild interest. Unger didn't like to classify his studies in terms of success rates - every patient varied, after all - but when it came to the Joker, the interviews - all of which were carefully taped - were consistently failures. The first interview occurred on the same week the Joker arrived at Arkham, and it began with a calm, professional Dr. Unger asking 3747 for his name, a question he never received a direct answer to. The fourth interview had the doctor reviewing the crimes that 3747 had committed; the man had alternated between peering around the completely white room, staring at Unger, and drumming out a rhythm on the table in front of him, very occasionally raising his eyebrows in mock surprise or acknowledgement. The seventh interview had 3747 looking utterly bored while Unger uneasily asked why his cellmate had committed suicide. The response was a shrug. Interview eleven had a tense Unger bringing up the subject of the Batman. For the first time, the inmate spoke on camera to point out that the doctor's tie was tacky and he should really stop smoking because it couldn't be good for his health - or his little three year old son's health, for that matter. Or his pregnant wife. Lydia. The interview ended suddenly when Unger walked out of the room while 3747 looked at the camera and rolled his eyes. Interview twelve came months later and the first several minutes were filled with silence; 3747 shifted in his seat boredly before finally asking Unger how his wife was. The camera continued rolling as Unger leapt over the table and began to brutally beat the cuffed inmate, the sound of strikes punctuated by hysterical laughter. Interview thirteen could hardly be called such; it consisted of Dr. Unger entering the room, sitting in the spot where the inmate would normally sit, dousing himself in lighter fluid, looking at the camera, and setting himself on fire. That night, the east side of Arkham Asylum went up in flames and when the smoke cleared, the Joker was gone.

Glowing red digits on the side of Gotham City Bank told Batman that it was now four AM exactly. An hour since hed planned to head back to the cave. During that time he found two more dead in addition to the original suicides hed witnessed. Both deaths were self-inflicted. One, he didnt see personally, but heard about through the wire: a doctor at Arkham had sat down in front of a security camera and set himself on fire. Four deaths and no one was responsible. No one was saved. The improbability of it all had driven him to investigate much longer than intended, but with no leads and no way to contact Gordon, the trail dried up before hed even started. Four o three. That made it over thirty-two hours since hed last slept. He couldnt push himself any farther tonight; it was time to go. Batman ducked into the shadow and began his descent from the skyline of Gotham into its core. At last he dropped safely into the dark alleyway where his night had commenced. There was a soft splash when he landed in the middle of a dirty puddle on the pavement. I had rained a few days earlier so the streets were still wet. The water stilled around his boots, glistening faintly in some imperceptible source of light. God he was tired. Everything felt so incredibly heavy as he moved forward in the direction of his vehicle, hidden somewhere nearby. So very exhausted was the vigilante that he almost failed to notice the twitching body lying prone behind him. The sound of frantic, uneven breathing was what grabbed his attention and he spun around sharply. Someone, a man, was curled on the ground, almost hidden by an open dumpster. His legs jerked about, and drawing nearer Batman could see his entire body convulsing violently. Quickly he dropped down beside the man and turned him over, trying to steady the other as best he could. But when he saw the mans face he froze. Dirty blonde hair tainted with green and scars stretching from each corner of the mouth in a permanently garish smile. The Joker. Batmans blood ran cold with hatred as it always did when he encountered the criminal, but this time that knee jerk hostility was accompanied by something else. Alarm. Hed never seen the Joker in this state before. Whenever they met the man was always confidant, and collected. Or as collected as it was possible for the Joker to be. Even when Batman was pounding the ever loving shit out of him he still maintained this air of control, continuing to laugh and mock the Dark Night as blood stained his teeth, This was different, wrong. The Joker was vulnerable. Batman stared down at his nemesis, for the first time unsure of what to do. His initial instinct every time was to inflict as much physical damage as he possibly could, in some subconscious and futile hope it would make up for the twisted scars the Joker left on his psyche. Right now was not one of those situations where he could do that. The easiest thing to do was take the convict straight back to Arkham and let them deal with it, but what good would that do? Hed just escape again and theyd be back where they started. Besides, it grew wearisome to find new ways to escape the police that turned on him the second the Joker was in custody. Still at a loss of what course of action to take, Batman lifted his enemys upper half from the dirty blacktop and held him securely until the shaking stopped. One arm supported him while the other searched through his clothes for any concealed weapons. Experience had taught him never to underestimate the other. In the Jokers hands, anything was a weapon. After the last time the two of them had fought, Alfred had to give him a tetanus shot for the rusty screwdriver the criminal had driven into Batmans leg.

Gordon flipped up the collar of his suit jacket to protect the back his neck from the wind; the Gotham night was hot as hell but the air was so sticky that it felt like the city was licking his skin every time a breeze brushed by - it wasn't a pleasant feeling. With his hands tucked in his pockets he stood at ground zero and stared down at the charred, blackened, and vaguely human-shaped remains in front of him; he barely resisted the bizarre urge to prod them with his shoe. To his right stood the newly appointed Detective Heaney - understandably, they'd had to let Ramirez go, there had been a sort of trust issue - Heaney wasn't new to policework, but he still managed to look surprised. "Guy didn't even get out of the chair." Heaney said, vaguely appalled, "It's bad enough that he killed himself - but he sets himself on fire and he doesn't even get up? Christ, he should have been running around like a maniac, trying to put himself out." Gordon's moustache bristled; he stared through the enormous hole that had been burnt through the side of Arkham - a doctor had just killed himself in what had to have been the most agonizing way possible. "That's concrete and reinforced steel." Gordon said plainly, and Heaney could only continue to look at the dead doctor; with some effort, bits of Dr. Unger's face could still be made out, but mostly it was the stretched, gaping wide hole that indicated a mouth was present, rather than actual visual cues, "Fire ate it like it was cardboard - smells like a tanker in here, too. Must have used an accelerant." His eyes continued to scan the room; the walls were devoid of anything significant save for a steel table, which was now warped and twisted by the heat. Eventually, the Commissioner's eyes stopped on the corner of the room where, high up, something charred hung from the pathetic strands of wire. "There was a camera in here." Gordon said, "I'm going to see if we can get lucky - maybe some footage survived." "What would cause a doctor, of all people, to do this?" Heaney asked. "In a place like this?" Gordon replied, knocking a bit of rubble away from himself as he headed out the door, "What wouldn't?" He'd say that things didn't work out quite the way he'd planned but the truth was that he never planned anything, not really - the world just happened around him and he went with it because - because - - well, because people were soeasyto predict. All it took was finding the right wound to open, everyone had them and some were deeper than others and he just liked to get one long, dirty finger in and pry a couple of them open to see what he could do to them. What he could do with them. See how far the hurt went. Even the Bat had them but he had been dissappointed by the wounds, he had been so dissappointed that it had been something so - so -standardfor the Batman. A girl. A woman. The lady of the Batman's dreams and the one who wouldn't have him - he hadn't needed to hear any details to know the truth, he'd just had to watch the Batmanthrowhimself out a window to go after her, he'd just had to watch theheroleave a group of defenseless, innocent civilians standing around with nothing but shrimp cocktails to defend themselves against the guns that were still inside. Leave them alone withhim. And it would've been so easy right then to just - just cut one of their throats. Make a real mess and leave it for the Bat to find but - but, but - there was nosportin that. There was no, uh, enjoyment in that. The moment was over once what's-her-name was saved, but the fun had just begun becauseDentwanted her too - the girl was a hot commodity. They - they had been like a chess game. Opposite sides of the board. Black knight and white knight. Except they both wanted to save the - save the queen. Joker chortled to himself; his skull ached, ribs were cracked, fingers were broken, bits of him were bruised and bleeding and his nostrils were filled with the smell of burnt rubble; he could feel the ash coating his skin, coating his tongue and leaving his mouth filled with a thick, gritty paste from dehydration. Mm. Tastes like Gotham. He wasn't sure which way was up anymore, though, so it took several tries to get back on his feet and each fall caused a brief burst of laughter to escape the clown. Yes. Yes. He could feel it, just like the doctor had said he would, he could feel it in his veins, coursing through him, something dark and nasty and oh, what a wonderful thing the doctor had created. Imagine the chaos it would cause. Giggling uncontrollably, the Joker couldn't tell if he was having trouble walking because of the drugs or because of how funny it all was. How - how funny it was. How funny it was that he could see the Batman right now. How funny it was that he seemed like a distant, dark dream that came on wings and fury and all dark eyes and anger and open wounds that had only taken a little C4 to turn them into scars. How funny it was thatheknew how the Bat had gothisscars. How funny it was that suddenly everything stopped working and he was collapsing, falling, tumbling down to the ground of the alleyway and collapsing amidst rubble and chortling even while a violent seizure took hold of him. How funny it all was.

Even through the violent shaking, Batman could see the Joker's smile and had to fight the urge to knock the bastard unconscious. It wouldn't have made much of a difference. The escaped convict was well on his way there, the way this was going. Tossing the contents of the man's pockets aside, he shifted the body in his arms so that there was a little more support on the head. Holding the Joker like this felt wrong and it took all his self control not to just drop him there and go on home. No, he already knew where that would lead. Besides.... Something was definitely off. When the spasms began to die down he knew it was time to make a decision. He removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt and clicked them around the Joker's thin wrists. No need to take more unnecessary risks than he was already about to. God, this was the worst idea he'd ever had. Batman got to his feet, hauling the other man up with him. Anyone else would have though he was being rough, but the Joker would notice the restraint in effect. the vigilante was being considerably gentler than he would have under other circumstances. Batman returned to the pod, practically carrying his enemy along without a word of explanation. Sirens were wailing in the distance so there wasn't time for hesitation or questioning. At least not here. That would come later. The top to the vehicle slid back when they drew near, a new adjustment he was grateful for. Lucius had made several fine modifications to the pod a few weeks earlier. It was roomier, for one, without making the vehicle bigger and the overall look was sleeker. It stood out less, looking more like a car than an experimental military tank. Of course, that hardly meant the bat pod was inconspicuous, but then it would never really be that anyway. Once the Joker was secured in the passenger side of the pod, Batman slid in beside him and the roof closed again. For several seconds he sat there, hands resting on the control and know idea of what to do next. His eyes shot over to look at the soaked, filthy form of the man who made his life hell. Perhaps he should have invested in some way to shut him up before the Joker recovered the use of his voice. He really was not in the mood to listen to the cracked, gloating voice urge him towards something that wouldn't ever happen.

Gotham's black and grey palette had become a blur, a swirling mess in his vision that was dotted by the occasional strobing yellow of a passing car or an office window - what felt like a lightning strike passed through his entire body from head to toe as the Joker lost all motor functions to the violent grasp of a clonic seizure. The sensation of lifting from his body followed suit as the Joker suddenly found himself watching his own fallen form spasming on the wet pavement, and as fascinating as it was, he was more interested in the dark figure looming near. Oh yes, he would recognize it anywhere, there was no mistaking that one, no, no. He wanted to greet the Batman, wanted to say hello like they were old friends reconnecting at a high school reunion, old buddies getting together for a drink, maybe give the hero a genial slap on the shoulder - but, dissappointingly, he couldn't do anything except twitch. But he couldfeelthe Bat, looming so close, so near, so very within his reach that body heat was emanating, breezing over the skin of his face, seeping through the damp, filthy material of the suit he had taken back from Arkham Asylum. He could feel him. What would he do? How would the masked man react when his nemesis was laid out in front of him on a silver platter, spasming and - even the Joker would admit to this - utterly helpless. He couldn't do a thing. Anyone else might have panicked but the prospect only made the clown gleeful. Would the Bat give in to the temptation? Yes, he was looming over him, staring down at him, his cowled face registering a pensive expression, something conflicted and dark and oh, he knew the Batman was thinking about it. How could he not? It would be so easy, and no one would see, no one would see a thing and the clown would die oh so happy if the Batman would just do it. Do it. Come on, Batsy. Do it. Just break, no, just bend those rules a little, just an eensy weensy bit. He wanted to say it, he wanted to goad him, but he only managed to make a soft choking noise as his back arched up off the pavement, skinny frame jerking from rapid muscle contractions, sweat and filthy water running down his face and leaving streaks in the war paint he wore, mottling the side of his face. But no. The Bat didn't do it; there wasn't a single strike, not an iron fist to the face or a steel-toe boot to the ribs, nothing except - except - - was that anarmaround him? Was the Batholdinghim, lifting him, picking him up? No. No that couldn't be right. He could feel the solid chest plate against his side as he was held up from the pavement, an effort that prevented his head from hitting the pavement any further during the spasms, and once they died away to stillness, the Joker was left feeling as though he was floating, dream-like, through the alleyway and back to his own body. His voice and motor functions did not return at the same time. As Batman's hand's rummaged through various pockets - and would locate a sharp shard of glass, a fountain pen, a packaged syringe, and several marbles - the Joker felt himself fading away. As the masked man's hand dug into his pants pocket, the Joker wished he could get his voice back long enough to ask the Bat to buy him a drink first.

For several seconds after settling into the driver's side, Batman just sat there, debating what to do next. There were two options he could choose, the first was obvious. Take the Joker back to Arkham where he'd be treated and escape within the next few days. Or.... What? He'd already taken a step in that unfocused direction, but where did it lead? Dark eyes flicked over to the man slumped in the seat beside him. Oh he could see the gears turning. Even in this state he could tell that the other was thinking of all the things he'd be doing if his body wasn't in such a sorry state. The words he'd spew had he been able to speak were practically audible. Batman hated the way those eyes never seemed to blink or change focus, always watching him. He grunted and looked away again. Too much more of this and the Joker would begin to suspect that he didn't actually have a plan and that all this was just him floundering for a course of action. The illusion of control needed to be maintained. Panels lit up as gloved fingers flashed over the buttons that brought the vehicle to life. The engine thrummed and a pale, electronic glow was cast over the cab. Okay...Time to make a decision. Batman threw the car into gear and tore off with the kind of fervor he normally observed when leaving the cave, not returning to it. He wasn't going to give himself the chance to change his mind. The Joker had been allowed to get away with too much. Every time they met nothing ever veered from the set expectations, it was the same cycle over and over again and nothing was ever accomplished. Well not this time. This time he was going to make sure the Joker stayed someplace where he wouldn't have a chance to hurt anyone else. And he could only think of one place where the man would be under his almost constant watch. The bat cave. They were both going to get what they wanted in a way. Batman would have his nemesis safely away from the citizens of Gotham and the Joker would have... well, him. Jesus. The dark knight clenched his jaw as the tumbler swung around a corner and onto another street. Alfred was going to think he'd gone crazy, and right now, he wasn't entirely sure that wasn't true. Because a sane person wouldn't even consider bringing a known terrorist into their home. The cave couldn't really be considered his home, but it was the only place where he felt truly secure. He'd almost rather have the Joker tearing up Bruce Wayne's penthouse. Almost.

The peripherals of his vision were fading away, leaving the entire world soft around the edges; light was becoming scarce and every part of the Joker's body was aching, muscles twitching and twinging from the after-effects of a full body seizure - it was urging him to let go, to fade into unconsciousness. But no. He wanted to stay awake just a little - just alittlelonger because the Bat was there. Because, out of every creature and cretin and sad little citizen that lived in Gotham city, it was Batman who found him, Batman who was giving him that pensive look, Batman who was touching him and man-handling him. It was a gleeful moment for the Joker, being so close to his nemesis, so close to the man he loathed and adored with everything he had. It was so nice, really it was, it was worth the agony, always worth the beatings and the falls and the broken bits of himself because those healed and went away, but the memories - oh they stayed with him. He couldn't remember much about his past, and sometimes the days were confused for the Joker, but he always remembered those times with the dark knight. How could he ever forget them? And besides, for all he knew, he would wake up in a white room all over again. Or another jail cell. Or maybe the bottom of a well, if the Batman gave into his urges - it would just be a shame to miss the moment that the caped crusader broke his rules. He wanted to see that, it was almost perverse how badly he wanted to watch the man break, crumble, crumple, fall and completely lose himself. He wanted to see what would be unleashed if the Batman was unrestrained, oh he could be so muchmore. Joker was aware enough that he could feel something cool and heavy click around his wrists - yes, yes. Cuffs. Arms beneath him, the feeling of the ridged armour again, and then the strange sensation of being lifted - carried. Unable to remember his childhood, the Joker had no memories of experiencing anything like this, but he rather wished he had the mental capacity to kick his legs a little and shout 'wee' just to make the hero uncomfortable. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. He blinked once, slowly, and realized he was sitting in a vehicle - but not the seat of an armoured car or the rolling gurney of an Arkham ambulance, no, the LCD screens that flashed as a blur of blue in his vision told him he was sitting inside of the Tumbler, or what the Joker had mentally and lovingly labelled the 'batmobile'. Classy. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many pretty buttons he could have pushed. The Joker managed to turn his head to the left a little, catching a glimpse of the dark knight as he climbed into the passenger seat. There was a long moment where the clown juststaredat Batman, an unfocused look that was coupled with one of the clown's unnerving smiles, something giddy and almost child-like, before his eyes rolled back and he slumped in the seat. He would have to push buttons later, then.

"I'll remember to to mention that my armored car needs to be a little quieter next time I see him." The door was already opened and closed before Alfred had posed the suggestion. At the end of a long night it was always a comfort to hear the older man's voice greeting him. The butler was the one constant in his hectic life, the person he trusted more than anyone else. When everyone else had come and gone Alfred was still there, and some part of Bruce expected he always would be. Right now, he was relying on his oldest friend not to throw in the towel when he revealed what was waiting in the tumbler. "Listen Alfred...." He dropped his voice an octave, glancing back at the tinted windows as he spoke. It was the first time in while that he hadn't removed his cowl upon returning home. "Remember what you always say about bringing my work home with me? Well I might have pushed that a bit farther than you're used to." Without trying to explain any further, he went around to the passenger's side and opened the door. In a few seconds he was carefully hauling the unconscious Joker out of the seat, his hands still cuffed, and slamming the door shut again. There wasn't much he could say. The presence of the criminal did all the talking for him.

Floral patterned fine-boned china teacups rattled on their saucers and shook the glass doors of the cabinets they had been lovingly laid out in; Alfred put a hand out to stop the violent shaking, glancing down at the floor and frowning disapprovingly - it had been a mistake to put anything delicate near the South-East wing, but leaving the area completely bare was more suspicious. That, and he rather liked the look of malcontent on the young Master's face every time he saw the flowery things after just stepping in from a long night of crime fighting - it tickled some distant funny bone of his. But Alfred was quite sure there would be nothing to laugh at that evening - not if the sound of the tumbler roaring home was any indication; it was relatively common for Bruce to leave the household in a hurry, tearing out of the cave so quickly that it would leave plumes of dust and smoke, but by the end of the night, he was normally too worn out, too exhausted to have the energy or enthusiasm for that sort of thing. So the sound of the engine blasting back in was enough to set off alarm bells in the caretaker's head - he immediately went for a first aid kit before making the rattling trek down to the cave, expecting the worse. The last time this had happened, Master Wayne had brought Ms. Dawes back with him, scarcely alive. Now, of course, he knew it wouldn't be her - he couldn't imagine who else the Master would ever bring into the dark little world he had built in the Wayne Manor foundations. The elevator opened and Alfred stepped out onto the sleek rocks, immediately hit by the familiar, organic smell of the cave; he wasn't as fond of it as Bruce was, however, everyone had their eccentricities. For some it was collecting porcelain dolls, or having too many cats - for others, it was donning armour and flying out in the night. For good cause, of course. Always. But from time to time the painfully paternal part of him wanted to always make sure Bruce was safe and out of danger - he had seen the scars that the Master had received during his self-appointed duties and he knew there would be many more of them. He just hoped none of them would leave anything more than a surface wound; Bruce had enough deep ones already. Alfred picked his way across the rocks and towards the tumbler, first aid kit slung over his shoulder, calling out: "Perhaps Lucius should have a look at that machine," he said, "Or maybe give it a bloody muffler."

Bruce smirked in response, mouth twisting in a semblance of good humor that didn't reach his eyes. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. Thank you Alfred." There was a room in the back of the cave he sometimes used on nights when he was either too hurt or too exhausted to make to the manor without collapsing. It would serve a different purpose now. Luckily no changes needed to be made to suit its new occupant. The furnishings were simple- a single twin bed in one corner and a sink with a cracked mirror in the other. An arch with a plastic curtain instead of a door led to a smaller room where there was an open sower and a toilet. Bruce didn't spend much time in it, so he'd never bothered to fix it up. He supposed, in retrospect, it did rather resemble a prison, but he wasn't about to add any homey touches to make it more comfortable for a man he hated. What would the Joker even consider 'homey touches'? H decided he'd rather not know. Carrying the unconscious clown to the room in question, Batman called back "I may need some medical supplies though. He's sick, maybe dehydrated. Oh, and some dry clothes." Without waiting for a response he ducked into the rest area and laid his enemy carefully on the bed. Now what? He had to be crazy as the Joker, bringing him back like his, and yet it still made some twisted kind of sense.

Having raised Bruce from a baby and taking on the parental role following the passing of his mother and father, Alfred had become accustomed to being able to read Bruce like an open book, despite his closed off personality. However, the cowl made things more difficult, so Alfred found himself watching Master Wayne very carefully - the very presence of the mask was foreboding considering that he normally would have removed it by now, but it was the surreptitious glance towards the tumbler that made Alfred especially suspicious. There was something - someone? - in the vehicle. Alfred said nothing, he simply waited in silence as Bruce went to the tumbler and removed a rumpled mess. It took a moment of focusing to realize what was in his arms, partly because the sheer filthiness made it difficult to identify it as a human being, but the mess of make-up - he had seen it before, of course. Who in Gotham city hadn't? It was the face that had been broadcast on cameras, cackling gleefully and waving a knife. It was the face of the man who had invited himself to the Dent fundraiser - the man who had taken hold of Rachel and dangled her out a window. The man responsible for her death, and for the death of Harvey Dent. Alfred remained admirably stoic, but a crease formed between his brows, eyes flicking from the Joker and back to Bruce; the Joker twitched, once, in the Master's arms. "Should I put out the fine linens, then, sir?" he asked drily.

Bruce only grunted in response, eyes fixed on the slowly emerging human face beneath the Jokers paint. It unnerved him somewhat to see his enemy like this, so vulnerable. Almost like hed walked in on him naked. For a few seconds he stood transfixed, but then shook himself out of it and placed the clothes on an old wooden chair by the door. I wouldnt worry about that too much right now. Doesnt look like hes going to wake up for a while. And when he does, Ill be the one dealing with him, not you. There was no way. For starters, there was a good chance that seeing Alfred would lead the Joker to piece together clues about Batmans identity, but more importantly, Bruce had lost enough friends to this man. The last thing he needed was for his oldest and closest confidant to get hurt trying to take care of him. The dark suited man stepped out of the room, returning moments later sans cape and padding. He was tired and hot and right now the only part of himself he was really worried about protecting was his face. With the Joker in this state he hardly thought weapons and heavy padding necessary. By this time, the sleeping madmans face was almost fully revealed and if it hadnt been for the scars and greasy green tint to his hair, Bruce might not have recognized him. There really was a person under all that after all. Not that it changed anything. But it did make him wonder what it was that caused to Joker to act out the way he did. Was it just insanity or had something provoked this, the same way the murder of Bruces parents had spurred him to become a vigilante? Nothing about the Joker was simple. Asking him would likely only result in mocking laughter or another useless story about his scars. And hed heard so many.

There had been times in the past where Alfred had questioned Bruce's mental state - after all, who could blame him for occasionally being concerned - but all of those instances had been terribly brief before he would convince himself that Bruce had managed to keep his sanity intact despite an arduous history in his relatively short life. However, at that particular moment, Alfred found himself miserably trying to fight off the thought that perhaps some fine wire inside of the young Master's brain had finally snapped under the weight of the city. And now he was bringing clowns home. And putting them to bed. Thankfully, Alfred had always been possessed of endless self-restraint; he followed Bruce into the stone-walled room and set down the medical kit he had brought with him before exiting again, dissappearing to retrieve dry clothes - which he dug up from the guest bedroom in the form of a pair of cotton pyjamas, the proper sort with buttons up the front, lapels, and a little breast pocket - and as an afterthought, taking a stack of towels. He handed the clothes to Bruce, "I'm sure the colour will do wonders for him." Alfred said, eyeing the unconscious criminal; though he wanted to deny it, he found he could follow Bruce's line of thinking. Chances were that Bruce had come across the Joker in his current state - morals and self-ordained rules had deemed that Bruce couldn't simply kill the Joker, but turning him in to Arkham asylum had proved a fruitless endeavor time and again. He understood why Bruce had chosen this - he just wasn't sure it was the best option. Even though it was the most humane. Alfred eyed the sorry state of the criminal, then reconsidered that; the Joker, as he understood, had referred to himself as a mad dog from time to time. It was a metaphor that had Alfred considering that Bruce Wayne was a much better man than he would ever be, because in the world that Alfred had come from, rabid animals got put down. Maybe it was the make-up - the ghastly red and white and black that had been smeared from the elements and were running in rivulets of colour from sweat, sticking in cuts and matting hair. He was filthy. He hardly looked human. Alfred reminded himself that the Joker was a human being; it was difficult to do. "You've got your work cut out for you, then." Alfred said, crossing over to the sink for a moment; he approached the clown with the air of one approaching an atomic bomb that has only a few seconds left before detonation, armed with a damp cloth. "If he bites, by the way,you'renot stitching me up." he added, "I'll be going to a bloody doctor, is what." He brushed the cloth against the Joker's temple, a single drag across skin that took a mess of grease make-up with it, leaving a small, bare patch of pink. How - - human. He moved the cloth down again, and the Joker stirred, as though protesting to the removal of the make-up even while unconscious.

Dr. Thomas Moreau sat at his dining table in the lush villa, the living quarters on this paradise island, finishing up his afternoon meal while going over notes from his latest experiments. He sighed as he set the papers aside along with his wire-framed reading glasses, leaning back in his chair as he drank from his coffee cup. The rich taste of the well-ground beans filled his mouth as he took a sip and lamented over the fact that he'd need more genes for his project. Human genes. The ones he was already using, his own and a few he'd brought in sample cases with him were not working as well as they had at first. Running a hand through his short blonde hair, he made a mental note to consult with Julia about bringing more people to the island. It was a matter they had to handle discreetly for if too many people came, it could mean disaster for all of their work.

Dr. moreau was a great man he would always be .At least that's how Julia saw it .she worked in silence a person below her moaning weakly as she sedated them .A sudden anger filling her ,her greatest teacher dead in the jungle because of some small minded fool.she nearly spat in disgust but she held it back tending to her unwilling patient poor girl had fallen off a cruise ship to bad really such a lovely thing,.she thought smiling knowing she woudl be even more beautiful soon .her hands working carefully to keep the other alive threw the process once finished she left her sleeping to finish out the change.she had worked so hard for so many years to prefect his formula and changes she was of course a descendant of his assistant his journals had told her much and that of the traitor as well.she had sent out several invitations to invite new patients to the paradise she called home an evil smirk coming as she removed her mask her lovely face catching light with her two different colored eyes one blue one green.she looked bakc at the new pet who had began to already grow fur her breathing weak and coming in small pants.

Thomas sat at the cleared dining table musing to himself and occasionally glancing at his watch. The table was cleared of the meal that had been presented earlier and the man wondered with a slight suspicious heart beat where she was. Looking up as she entered the room, he smiled grimly at her. "You missed supper," he said in his deep, slightly raspy voice. "If you're still hungry, I could have one of the attendants heat it up for you." Seeing the weariness in her eyes, Dr. Moreau stood from his seat and came to stand in front of her, his body close in his nice pants and button up shirt, his sleeves rolled up at his elbows. Breathing deeply of her scent, he looked down at her with a piercing gaze, his expression and voice pensive. "Working late? On what, pray tell?" Despite his easy tone, there was a sense of interrogation in the question, of him picking her brain and his body was very close to hers almost touching. Moreau was not a predictable man but he prized trust and loyalty above all else. Being one who kept secrets, he was naturally paranoid.

julia had returned to the hut she was working in .she was stressed jittery even jumping at every sound but forcing herself to focus.at last it was done the reversal complete or at least to the point she had hoped.at last her hard work paid off she was breathing heavily sweat trickling down her brow she wiped it away and began packing up her supplies.she had to be careful Thomas was never much for trusting others and easily angered if he knew she had been hording supplies for this project she shivered at the= thought of what he might do to her.she smiled despite this thought though down at the young one laying ion the table this data was every thing they needed it woudl send the original project into a climb this was the break they needed with the reverse complete it would show the way for the original formula to produce the results the Drs. sought.she smiled placing the notes she had taken into a filing cabinet for later glancing at here watch she sighed she was two hours late for dinner he woudl search for her soon sh hoped he would assume her working late.she looks back at the sleeping girl and sighs leaving for a moment and driving a jeep up next to the building a few moments later.she got out opening the door to the passenger side and unstrapped the girl from the table she looked up as a silence filled the area a set of storm clouds heading for the island .she placed the still from in the back and covered her with a tarp.setting off into the jungle with the soft rumble of the engine. and hour later Julia walked into the villa looking tired .she had missed inner entirely but at least she was finished for now.she wore a fresh set of cloths having to ditch the others to clean later.she wore a red tank top and tight bluejeans . her hair tied back in a pony tail she had bags under her eyes but was other wise completely calm looking.there was an excitement in them also besides the weariness. ***jenny didn't stir for a good six hours her body lay on its side still her only sign of movement was the soft breaths and the rising and falling of her chest.a burning could be felt oh it hurt so much .she thought weakly her eyes fluttering open the burning was her very breathing her body still adjusting .she was only a awake for a moment before the darkness claimed her again.the next time .she woke it was completely black strange sounds and calls filling her ears .the darkness wasn't so dark as her eyes adjusted she realized she was in a cell bars and a locked door.her eyes darted around the room furiously as she scrambled to sit up regretting it .she clutched her side as her breathing came in quick gasps and she froze.what was under her hand it was soft and warm her hand she could feel it moving over her skin and the odd warmth soft with a light padding on the fingers and palm .her eyes were saucers and a piercing yowl like scream filled the forest around the abandoned building she was in.the building was small it but it had over twelve scells in it m ost made for animals when Dr. Moreau ruled over the island it was close to the village but not on the direct path taken by Tomas daily and so Julia had stowed her prize here a place easily hidden.

Dr. Moreau let the woman pass him by, silently chewing over her response. There was something here...a ripple of deceit that he could feel. But he wasn't sure if he really felt it from her or if it was just his imagination. He did have the occasional habit of letting his paranoia think for him. Logic told him her story was plausible and really all he had was a gut feeling about it anyway. so he let it slide. Instantly his expression cleared to a more cheerful one although still serious which was his default emotion. "Well, that's good," he said sincerely. "If you wouldn't mind sharing your notes, I'd like to see them as soon as possible. I on the other hand need your help with something." He walked around the table, passing her seat, his shadow drifting over her in the fading evening light that came through the patio doors. Picking up the papers he'd been studying at dinner, he showed her the scans of the volatile DNA strands from the subjects he'd been testing. "They're too weak," he said as she picked up the pages and studied them. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hesitating with the gravity of what he was about to say. "I need new samples. We need to bring in new blood to the island." The real situation was they needed new samples for DNA for the transformation process, but any volunteers they got, willing or not, would not be allowed to leave the island once they arrived.

julia had expected many thing when she entered late .what she hadn't expected was his closeness her breathing picked up a beat but she kept her face a cool mask.her eyes not leaving his ."yes i was working late iv been working on our project ...i have made small breakthroughs and will be comparing notes to the data we have already in the morning."she says looking away once shes finished and brushing past him letting her hair tickle his face in passing before the took a seat in her chair ."and im not hungry i ate some fruit on my way up.''she says pleasantly letting herself relax in her seat. *** jenny was pacing desperately her eyes wild like the animal in her.her tail flickering back and forth in agitation. her hands kept running over herself her ears splayed back with her fear.her hackles raised to the point at witch her she looked a good twice her size with the puffed out fur.her hands ran down her front over the soft smooth white fur on her stomach and then she lifted her hands looking at them her eyes completely at home in the dark surroundings .she winced at the sight of the claws jutting from her fingers tips."....someone please god help me''she yelled beating her fists against the bars holding her in tears streamign down her face.

Moreau nodded to her goodnight and went about collecting the file and took it to his lab and put it away until tomorrow. Late in the night, staying up in his study drinking the bottle of whiskey he had stashed away, mulling over the complexities of the problem they faced, the problem they were trying to fix. So much of the old doctor's notes had been lost that they'd practically had to start the research over almost entirely from the beginning. And occasionally he got morose wondering about it, if they'd ever have the answers to creating the perfect being or if it was all folly. And not to mention this new development made him nervous. More people to the island meant more chances for exposure and everything they'd accomplished would have been in vain. And people were the real monsters, the real animals, so deceitful and full of malice. It was the exact thing they were trying to achieve on this island and they were bringing possible destruction straight to the island. In the dead of the night, Moreau went up to Julia's rooms entering the door silently in the dark holding the liquor bottle in one hand. Silently he sat upon the foot of her bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. When she became aware he told her, "Don't turn on the light." before taking a long gulp from his bottle. *** "Not to go on all fours; THAT is the law." The woman on the makeshift dais intoned in a sing-song voice. The crowd of creatures that surrounded her repeated in their guttural voices, swaying rhythmically as if entranced by her voice. "Are we not men? Not to suck up drink; THAT is the law. Are we not men?" Olivia continued her sermon as it had been told to her by her father and his father over the years, her bright alien eyes looking over the crowd and her voice strong and feminine. "Not to claw the bark off of trees; THAT is the law. Are we not men?" Her plush lips, long lashes and smoothly angular features marked her out as female, but on her head there was nothing but a half an inch of fuzz spread uniformly on her scalp and a single golden ring pierced the septum of her nose made her look a bit androgynous. The light fuzz of fur that covered her from head to toe accentuated her alien appearance and the rest of her body was long and slender with small curves that were drawn thin. "Not to eat of the flesh or drink blood; THAT is the law. Are we not men?" Her eyes drifted over the heads of those gathering to listen to her evening chant and she spied at the edge of the crowd the newcomer. Still speaking aloud her eyes did not leave the young jaguar woman, holding her gaze. "We are men because the Father has made us men!" The crowd erupted in animal noises of rejoicing and agreement and still her gaze held fast to the stranger she had not yet met.

julia sighed contently her eyes lazily looking past the lids at him."oh coarse ill share my notes what good would come if i didn't ",though of coarse she had no intention of showing him the notes that showed connection to a full human but she had a few put away to give him other wise.she looked up at him at the mention of new samples and took his files sighing as she looked it over ."then ill have to do something but what we could approach a cruise ship and offer a vacation ''.she says hopefully before setting the notes aside."im willing to give a small supply to help hold us for a short while at least until ample subjects are brought along.''she says sliding the folder back to him and scooting her chair back ."ill see you in the morning doctor my brain is to sluggish to think properly at this moment in time.''and with that she walks out the door to head back to her room. *** she stood outside breathing heavily one arm limp and bleeding her eyes gleaming in the darkness towards the small village the lights drawing her as the beast in her took over her mind to numb from pain to think clearly.her nose pressing to the air picking up strange smells her ears swiveling to pick up the sound of laughter and voices as she lurched into the forest her body moving rigidly at first before it began to smooth out the mind becoming used to the body the tail used for balance the pads making no sound in the ground as she moved.

Thomas glanced at her in the dark, his eyes tracing over the outline of her figure under the bedclothes. In his trousers he felt a familiar stirring at the sight of her like this, helped along by his inebriated state. It had been about five years since he'd last touched a woman and working close to Julia only made him realize every day how long it had been. It seemed so easy, so reachable in the dark, to just reach out and touch her the way he wanted to, the way he ached to. But instead he looked away. "We have to keep our heads," he said aloud, his raspy voice moving like sand in the wind. It wasn't clear whether he was speaking to her or talking to himself. "People always bring trouble. We have to stay strong together." Finally he fell silent and sat there for several moments more not saying a word before getting up and leaving, closing the slated door behind himself. *** Olivia noticed from where she stood that the newcomer had been injured and watched silently as she fled back into the jungle. Having finished her sermon, Olivia stepped off of the small dais she had been standing on, her dainty feet ending in cloven hooves and her heels angled upward and off of the ground so she was walking on the balls of her feet. Quietly, she pursued the mysterious jaguar, using her nose to guide her as she encountered the unfamiliar scent, letting it lead her slowly away from the main square of the village.

julia had been sleeping peacefully after hiding a set of notes in her favorite book in the bookshelf in her room .she was sleeping flat on her back her chest rising and falling in her peace .that is until she felt the sligth pressure change the shape of the bed her eyes snapping open on instinct .her eyes trying to adjust and Tomas's voice rang out in her room her heart nearly lept from her throat her hand had been just hovering above the switch on her lamp...."why are you in my room Tomas.''she says defensibly hoping this wasn't another drinking bought he could be very violent as it was.she took a few minutes to see his outline her eyes adjusting to the dark more easily now but they were wide and her heart thumped against her rib cage. *** jenny walked in an almost trance finding herself at the edge of a clearing surrounded .she looked up her eyes meeting with a stranger who spoke up to the crowd her heart catching in her throat the person was a beast human she had horns it had horns .jenny was starting to come back to her senses her eyes caught the others and she backed away one arm holding the hurt one close to her chest.she backed away a look of fear on her face as they chanted like a cult would what mad place was this was she in hell she wondered nearly dropping into insanity there. she fled back into the forest letting the beast take its place again her body moving swiftly avoiding trees and fallen branches until she came to a small clearing full of house having popped out in a left out part of the village . her eyes darted around but the smothering feeling was gone and she looked around trying to find a place to curl up ,to hide, to heal.

The morning brought with it a slight throbbing pain in his head, but getting up and taking a shower helped to ease his discomfort. Moreau remembered everything from last night but chose to ignore it as if it didn't happen. He knew occasionally he let himself go while he drank, but so long as he didn't do anything drastic or unrepairable, he was willing to let his mind forcibly forget it. As the sun rose over the canopy of the exotic treetops, he watched while sipping his coffee in his lab while going over his notes for the day and awaiting Julia's arrival so they could plan the needed steps to bring new subjects to the island. He felt that familiar anxiety stir within him but it was less than it had been before and easily ignored. *** Olivia's eyes widened at the threatening display of the other as she approached and she felt the instinctual fear surge up inside her, the desire to flee from a predator. But her intellect held it down and she continued to walk forward, her head held high and her footing sure. She knew she made the right decision and breathed a sigh of relief as the jaguar crumpled down to the ground before her eyes, weeping. Crouching down beside her, Olivia put out a gentle three fingered hand with fingers like hooves on her back and made soothing noises with her lips. "Shhhh, it's alright now," she said, her voice soft and quiet, smiling gently. "You're among family now. The Father has given you a new existence. He has remade you in his image so that you may be human. A glorious gift to be treasured." It was obvious that Olivia thought her to be another experiment made by Dr. Moreau. "What is the name our Father blessed you with upon your creation? Can you speak yet?"

julias eye met his for along moment.fear was there but it was well hidden .she was breathing slightly heavier anticipating a strike at her or worse .she could see it the hunger in his eyes they were dilated and dark .she remained silent as he spoke to her glad she had a knife hidden beneath her pillow her hands grasping at the sheets that surrounded her as he finally moved to leave.once she was sure he was gone she stood shakily and placed her night table agaisnt the door it would alert her if another attempt to get in was made by him.she sat up fro a good three hours before she felt safe enough to sleep once more her hand under her pillow clasping at the knife in her sleep. *** jenny moved swiftly her foot pads not making a sound her furn was on end .she felt defenseless corned her mind wandered back to the forest wanting to hide in the trees she wanted to be hi up she needed it.her head snapped back to look at the trees and she froze like a deer in headlights as the thing from the center of the crowd walked out into the open .she didn't think she just reacted hissing deeply her tail swaying back and forth in warning her fangs displayed rather well .as she began backing away all the fur on her shoulders and back standing on end .before she realized what she was doing her eyes filled with fear and confusion and the face crumpled ads she collapsed into sobs not even trying to run anymore.

Moreau looked up as Julia entered, nothing in his eyes hinting about last night. After she spoke, he set aside his work and picked up his overcoat. "I'll go with you," he said in his graveled voice. "It's been a few days since I've seen the Children. They'll be happy with the visit." He caught up to her walking past her between the cramped spaces in the lab, his body and breath close to her for a split moment before walking ahead of her and out the front doors to the lab. It was only after she had exited too that he noticed the stun gun. "Expecting trouble today?" There was that hint of interrogation in his voice again. *** Olivia's eyes widened as she heard the other speak, holding her close as she leaned upon her. There were a few other beasts around but most kept their distance from the pair. Olivia looked around her eyes searching for answers. How could this be? Where did she come from if not created by the Father. Although she didn't fully understand, Olivia had a bad feeling about the presence of the jaguar. "We're all human here," she said as she continued to rub the other's back, wondering what to do. "Just like the Father..."

julia was up a little after moreau.stretching she walked off to the supply cabinet .walking into it she pulled out a trank riffle and a small belt used to stun when a creature became violent.Julia reported to the lab as she had expected moreau sat waiting for her.she dropped a venala folder onto the desk in front of him before turning way ."i will be seeing the beast village this morning i want to check on there progress in development.she says her eyes steady with his a natural coldness there reminding him that she was just as untrsuting of him as he was of her or even more so.she turned away and walked towards one f the cabinets full of jars with preserved fetuses and other things in them. *** jenny curled up ion on herself tears streaming down her face .she flinched the first time the other touched her but after that she whimpered accepting it for it wasn't trying to hurt her at least.her eyes lifting to meet the others soft green they had rounded pupils instead of slitted .her hand reached out and grasped the others she pulled it close her eyes staring at i t."i dont know were i am but i know my mother and father arent here and ....i want to go home it hurt so much ."she says letting go of the hand and clinging to herself .i am human or ...i was.''she says the tears starting to fade a hunger growing in her stomach. she leaned against the other letting her head rest on its shoulders she felt safe with it at least it seems like her .though she couldn't understand what it was talking about .

Considering the logic of what she said he nodded. "Fair enough." It eased his suspicion only a bit. As he sat in the jeep driver's seat and turned the keys in the ignition, he glanced at her and noticed the way she sat with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry," he said mock soothingly. "Am I putting you out?" And he smirked jeeringly at her as he put the jeep into gear and drove off towards the beast folk village. Sometimes, he thought of her like a petulant child. She had to remember who was running the show and he didn't mind occasionally reminding her. The road through the jungle was merely a rutted dirt path with a wall of trees hugged it on both sides, occasionally broken by a field or clearing here and there. The road itself was unpaved, full of bumps and holes, bouncing the jeep along as they made their way to the center of the island. *** Seeing the injury, Olivia's eyes latched onto it. "We're home," she said obliquely. Even though he was a few miles away yet, Olivia's ears perked up as she heard the familiar rumble of the jeep coming. "You are hurt. The Father will help make it better." She took the jaguar's hand and started to lead her to the square of the village, pulling her along gently, nodding her head comfortingly. "The Father will help make the blood go away." It occurred to her to ask how the wound came to be in the first place, but the things the jaguar said confused her and she was eager for answers from the man who ruled the island.

julia didn't like being to close to Tomas it wasn't that she hated him she had natural fears that anyone would.but she also found him unstable he needed to learn medication could have helped him some but she doughted he would take it and so said nothing.as he came so close she stiffened a Little but kept moving she came out behind him something she didnt like doing to often encase he was waiti9njg with somethign unpleasant."i always go prepared its not always safe one could be pitching a fit or regressing they revere you and would not harm you me that's somethign different.''she says calmly though she had helped birth all most every one of the creatures on the island in her own way. she climbed into the waiting jeep crossing her arms she had hoped to go alone today . *** jennys eyes closed and she just sat there for a long time her mind trying to understand.she pulled away as Olivia started speaking to her and stood her legs shaking ."i dont know who she is and if your human like me then...were am i ''she says quietly looking back towards the forest witch seeming to haunt her mind she wanted to go back to run and hide .her hand rubbed her injured arm and she winced as she hit the slash in it.her tail rapped around her and her ears splayed she had to find other humans to seek help but she knew she wouldn't get far .

"Oh please," Moreau said with a small sneer. "Get over yourself. When did I ever say that I didn't owe you everything? If you want to be treated with respect, then act like an adult and be truthful with me, that's all I ask. Otherwise you're useless to me and thus expendable." And he shook his head irritatedly as the pathway opened up ahead of them and the village came into view. There was a clamoring going on in the square but most if not all the beast folk reacted to the jeep's presence. Moreau drove a little ways past the small huts that were the start of the village but then parked and got out. The villagers mostly kept their distance, a few afraid to touch him, but some came close with hunched back and bowed head, allowing him to caress their heads lightly or pat them on the backs. Thomas smiled at the humanoids who assembled before him, feeling his heart soar as he regarded the distorted bestial faces. His creations. Every single one he remembered the birth of. Under his knife in the laboratory as he altered their flesh, cutting so deep he reached their DNA. Every single one was unique. Glancing up to the center square he noticed the newest creation and his smile disappeared into a penetrating glare. "What is that?" There was anger in his voice as he realized that among his children, there was a stranger, a creature that had not been birthed from his hand. And it just opened a can of worms of the questions of 'where' had she come from. *** Olivia smiled calmly as the jeep drove up into the village proper. Holding the hand of the jaguar girl, she waited for the Father to call her forth, standing in place regally. He would have the answers for sure.

she side letting the bumps in the road her hand resting on her forehead.''you may be in charge but without my help they wouldn't even be alive you could at least show some gratitude there ..and ignolagment from them would be appreciated instead of being just a shadow they don't even recognize.''she says in annoyance before looking away watching the jungle flash past them.as the village woudl be in view soon.she closed her eyes her hair was put back as usual.it was going to be a hot day.she thought wearily one hand rubbing at the crown of her forehead. *** "home?'jenny asked absently as the stranger lightly tugged her along .a sudden fear filled her if the father made the other that way what woudl he do to them.''n-no ...please ill be fine.""she says a tone of fear in her voice witch was close to breaking.as she tugged back but soon found herself in the circle of the beasts .she felt others surrounded her fur was standing on end her tail rapping around the others waist as if she were a tether that would protect her.

Moreau watched as the jaguar woman ran off into the jungle, his mind seething with rage as he stepped forth from the crowd that surrounded him, stalking like a man on a war path. Walking up to Julia he grabbed her arm before she could walk off, jerking her around to face him, his body close and threatening, his gaze cold and filled with rage. "What the fuck was that Julia?" he asked, practically spitting the words he was so mad. "What the fuck did you do?" The animals around him were visibly upset by his anger and he glanced around and softened his tone, speaking to her quietly, the anger still dripping from his words like icicles. "You've got about 5 minutes to give me an explanation before I bring you to judgment right here and now." His grip on her arm tightened to emphasize his threat; he was a strong man and could probably kill her with his bare hands. At the moment, it seemed he was right on the edge of doing so.

julia sighed gun in riffle sitting ideally in her lap as they drove up .she watched them pretty much tackle him from all sides there love for him obvious .it wouldn't bother her so much normally but ..she was alone among many faces on this place the dr.he was unapproachable by any one but his so called children and so she normally spent the day in doors working for a cause that seemed to benefit only him.her mind wandered until she heard his angry voice her eyes darting up in reference to the that he spoke of.she nearly had a heart attack as she spotted project z among the group of moreaus creations .she clicked the safety off the riffle having a feeling she would need it as she climbed from the jeep.her eyes meeting jennys the girl froze of coarse she would. *** jenny found her hand gripping Olivia's forcing herself to be care3ful with her claws her body was the perfect combination of human and animal. her tail went slack as she gaped at the stranger the others crowded around and he stared at her her eyes meeting julias she turned and fled her body moving for the forest she left Olivia among the others .her heart felt like it woudl fly from her chest. she thought as images flickered at the back of her mind and she found herself in the forest once more.

Moreau kept a hold on her while she spoke, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he listened to her explanation. When she was done and threatened him with the gun, he looked down at it silently before sighing and releasing her, his anger somewhat reduced to a simmer. "You should have shared this with me the moment she came onto the island, Julia," he said pointing a finger up to in front of her face in warning. "You know how much I fucking hate surprises." He stood staring at her for several moments before turning away disgustedly stalking back to the jeep and getting in behind the wheel. Without another glance in her direction he backed the truck up and drove out of the village, leaving her there with the beast folk. Several minutes later he was back at the compound in Julia's rooms searching through her things. In anger he upturned her bed, pulling the sheets away and upending the mattress, not noticing as the knife clattered to the floor. Then he searched her closet and dresser, pulling the drawers out and tossing a few clothes out so he could look through it. Running his hands through his hair he growled frustratedly and kicked her nightstand over. she didn't just pull this project out of thin air. She had to have notes on it somewhere and they were most likely hidden in this room. He couldn't believe she'd lie to him and keep it a secret. The only one he was close to, the only one he'd ever come close to trusting. Spying the bookshelf, he started to go through each one, tossing them away when he found them lacking what he sought. Finally he found it in one of the books, hidden papers within it's pages. *** Olivia watched everything happen so fast. Jenny running off into the jungle and then Father getting angry at Dr. Julia, the Mother. They argued for a moment before Father left and Olivia felt a burst of confusion fill her, wondering what was going on. Where was the Father going? Would he not help them understand the mysterious newcomer that was changed from a human into animal? After the Father had gone Olivia's eyes watched the Mother looking for answers.

julia had anticipated the Dr.s anger her eyes meeting his as a pain filled her arm .the one he held stiff she didn't dare show her fear past swallowing instinctively.her eyes darting to the creatures around them knowing they would simply watch her die if it came down to it.it took a moment as his whispered words hit her ears her eyes met his fully and she didnt dare look away the mussel of the trank gun pressing against his stomach ."i may be under your rule but damn it if im not a scientist moreau i have rights back off and ill explain.''she didn't wait for a response to start."our resurch has come far but it hasn't gotten much father than your ancestors that's because we only had one side of the spectrum and so i went in search of the other .we had no other humans on the island so it was all theory until ..."she took a breath ."until a young woman washed ashore .she was hurt confused and close to death as it was and so i used her in my theory and managed to create the reverse of moreaus resurch. and get the data needed to continue and move father than before. i hid her in order to wait until the proper time to tell you but it seems eh found a way out of her cell.".she looked away at this and pressed the gun closer."now if you dont mind this may not kill you but it will sure as hell hurt Dr.''she says her eyes narrowing. *** jenny ran and ran until she was deep in the jungle . her body finally relaxing without thought she climbed a tree curling up in the crook of its branches .she caught her breath her wound was drying some but still hurt badly .her tail rapped around her she had climbed easily she was meant for the trees for swimming and for many other things.she was scared the woman had hurt her but ...this body it scared her more she enjoyed how .she heard things and saw thing snow how she could move so well how nothing escaped her attention but she was afraid she was loosing herself

Olivia could not help but smile as the Mother addressed her. "Yes, I will," she said in calm tones. "I will bring you to her." As she walked beside the doctor, she smiled and said softly, "Thank you, Mother." Olivia was not worried in the least that the Father had abandoned them. She knew that he loved all of his children, her included, and whatever had made him leave had been a disagreement between the two doctors and did not concern the beast folk. Walking through the jungle, Olivia stopped at one point and put her nose to the air, her soft, flat nostrils flexing as she breathed in the scents around her before looking confidently in a westward direction. "There," she said pointing. "A few spans that way." And she lead the way as they hiked through the trees, eventually coming upon Jenny.

julia stared at him as he spoke her eyes unwavering .she watched him leave feeling for the first time in a while exiled .she wouldn't dare return to the compound for a few days.the only thing she would return for would be a radio at most probably nothing in the end.she pulled the gun strap over her shoulder. her eyes meeting with Olivia's"you have questions i can tell but it will have to wait i saw her wounds and i can help her if you are willing to guide me to her ."she says calmly and moves towards the entrance jenny had taken to the forest.she walks in not afraid .she couldn't remain with the beasts ether he would search her out she had betrayed his trust she knew that and he wouldn't let it go so easily he never would .she was completely alone now. *** jenny slept a fever breaking over her young body .she twitched in her sleep every sound affecting her her eyes flicking open every few minutes.

Olivia smiled at the Mother's praise, and then blinked in surprise as she watched the woman shoot the gun at the leaping jaguar. That instinct to flee again surged up inside her, the blind fear of an animal that is startled, but like before she successful quelled the urge. She somehow understood that the Mother had not injured Jenny and that the jaguar woman was just asleep. So when Julia addressed her again, she nodded resolutely and led the way back to the village, going slowly and stopping occasionally to make sure the Mother was still following her. She offered the Mother one of her personal huts, and helped the woman lay the sleeping creature upon a bed clothe upon the rocky soiled ground. Hay strewed about on the bottom of the hut covering the dirt and it smelled slightly like a barn, but was otherwise clean and big enough for the both of them to stand without encroaching each other's space. ***Moreau sat on the edge of Julia's bed pouring through the notes she had made, his anger clearing as he went over the collected data. Yes, she definitely had found the key to something, and although it appeared that the creature still acted like an animal, those urges could be curbed. They could refine the technique and eliminate the hate and violent emotions from the beast folk this way. They were definitely on their way towards finding the answers and for once, Moreau felt hope. Gingerly stepping over the things strewn about the floor, Moreau closed the file and left the room. Tucking the file away, he stopped back at the lab and got back in the jeep bringing with him supplies for first aid before driving back towards the village. Thomas reasoned to himself that she'd need help tending to the creature and they had to keep the experiment alive if they were going to harness the power and perfect it. And they had to do this together. The truth was, he needed her now more than ever and although he was still angered by her betrayal, he understood why she had done it. If she'd brought the woman to him in the first place, he would have taken new samples from her and then ordered her execution, not allowing Julia to do what she had planned. And it would have been a waste. He could see that now.

julia rested her hand on Olivia's shoulder smiling at her .she had never told anyone but Olivia of all the people was her favorite she held a special bond with her .she was the first to bear julias human DNA and one of the few remaining .she pulled her hand away after a moment she thought of this one as a true mother would her daughter.she smirked as Olivia so easily pointed out the otehrs location julia feeling proud of her smiled "very good Olivia thank you .."she says in soothing tones before getting down on one knee her gun in hand she took careful aim watching as the girls head shot up and she leaped for another tree squirming in midair as a dart hit her and she fell to the ground lying still.julia stood and pulled the gun back on its shoulder strap walking towards the sleeping jenny she bent down and scoped her up ."Olivia..ill need to borrow one of your huts."she says and begins walking a little slower towards the village once more. *** jenny had been resting when it came the sound of voices.her head shot up searching for the source when she spotted it her heart nearly stopped .she worked on instinct leaping only to feel a sudden pain in her side the ground flying at her....

Listening to the Mother explain it made the last vestiges of fear melt away inside of Olivia. "Yes, Mother," she said with a small, calm smile. "I understand." Her eyes were bright and confident as she listened to Julia instruct her to get water. Now she had more faith in this woman than ever reestablished so by the way she treated Olivia like a person, talking to her as she would an equal. When the Mother fell silent there was a small hubbub heard from outside and Olivia turned her head to face the door to the hut, her ears pricking up. "Father's here," she said with an innocent smile. ***Moreau drove up to where he had moments before and stepped out of the vehicle carrying the case of medical supplies. Around him the beast folk were hesitant at first, but with encouraging smiles and soft words from him they lost their fear and came up to him willingly allowing him to touch them as he walked through the village. He didn't know where Julia was at the moment but when he spied the Sayer of the Law carrying a beaten up pail of water towards her hut, he thought he had an idea. Especially with the way she stared at him as she walked towards the doorway. As he approached her he gave her a smile and she smiled back in an adoring way. "Hello, Olivia," he said in an easy tone. "Is Julia in there?" "Yes, Father," she said with a nod, waiting by the doorway respectfully as he entered first. When he entered he took a deep breath and approached Julia where she knelt by the jaguar girl, setting the medical case by his feet as he crouched down beside her. "We need to have a talk," he said calmly. There was a hint of remorse in his voice but it could have just been the quiet tone he was using. "But it can wait. Is there anything I can do to help?"

julia layed jenny on the bed her eyes calm she sat beside her and began ripping peices of her own shirt for clean cloth not seeming to care that she was only in a bra ."listen Olivia im sorry you had to see me shoot at her i know i frightened you "she glances back at her laying out the strips."i just want you to know i would never harm you or the others i love you all very much ...what i did i did because it was a necessity she would have hurt herself if i hadn't ."she speaks calmly her tone on the edge though as she began cleaning out the wound on jenny's shoulder."im going to need some clean water..she already has a fever from this "she calls back over her shoulder. as she puts the last few strips aside to use with the water.

Thomas nodded and got out of her way while she worked, standing in a pensive pose near a wall of the hut, watching her as she worked. His mind started to drift as he looked at her, his eyes traveling up her backside as she leaned over the jaguar woman to work on her. Noticing that Olivia was watching him, he grunted and cleared his throat and looked elsewhere until she was done fixing up the girl. In response to her suggestion, he nodded and glanced at Olivia who was kneeling obediently upon the ground by the doorway. "Yes, I think the Sayer of the Law is the best person to do so," and he smiled at the goat girl as she beamed at his praise. Then he spoke to her directly. "Olivia, would you mind leaving us for just a moment. I need to speak with Julia privately." Nodding her head with a humble expression she replied, "Of course, Father." Then she bowed and left the hut, closing the flap door behind herself. turning back to Julia, Moreau said, "I found the files you have on her. I know now that if things hadn't gone the way they did, I probably would have told you not to go through with it and we wouldn't be as close to the answers as we are now. For that I apologize for my behavior earlier... but I'm not sure how to go on from this. You kept secrets from me... How can I know you aren't keeping more or you won't continue to keep things from me? We can't bring more people to the island if we don't have absolute trust between us. I need your word that you will include me from here on out. No more secrets. No more lies." *** "You son of a bitch!" Pepper screamed angrily as she trudged upon the beach towards the pilot as he came sputtering out of the water. Her blonde hair was sandy and soaked with sea water as were her designer clothes, her make-up smeared on her face from getting wet. The sandy beach did not provide a solid footing so she fell a few times as she ran up to Cole, carrying one of her shoes that had not fallen off in the crash and swinging it at him hitting him on the head and back with it while she continued to scream obscenities. Brendan Cole was still dazed from the crash they'd been in, coughing up water and trying to get his bearings and her attack only made him more disoriented. "You asshole!" Pepper screamed, practically sobbing as she continued to beat him with her expensive footwear that was now ruined by seawater. "You crashed the plane and almost killed me! What kind of pilot are you!?" Finally when Cole got ahold of himself he grabbed at her flailing arms and pushed her back and held her down in the sand. "Shut up!" he said as she squirmed and spit beneath him. "Just calm the fuck down!" "How can I calm down when I was just in a plane crash, you bastard!?" and she spit in his face making him jerk back but not loosen his hold on her. "Just listen to me a moment, alright?" he shouted trying to be heard above her screeching, his piercing blue eyes trying to knock some sense into her with just a look. But she just continued to squirm and glare back. Glancing up from her, he saw the jungle that spread out before them and wondered aloud, "Where the hell are we?"

julia sighed as Olivia spoke of moreau."i know"she says calmly as Olivia left to fetch the water Julia was on the verge of simply taking her new daughter and leaving with her for fear of what he would do to them both.she worked sweat coming easily for her she rapped the wound to stop the bleeding .she felt him enter hearing his footsteps as he drew closer she was t5ense .she nearly stood as he came to crouch next to her."you wouldn't understand her bodily structure ill use the supplies though that is help enough''she says trying to sound respectful.she pulls the bag to herself and riffles threw it pulling out some peroxide and a needle and thread.she went to work calmly cleaning the wound and the blood that oozed free before sewing it shut it was jagged in some places and she was forced to cut the skin so it woudl heal properly.before she was finished returning the supplies to there case."what do you want to talk about ."she says sitting on the bed and turning to face him."shell need teachings and i have decided that Olivia will be her guide and will help me care for her''.

Moreau watched as Jenny roused and he was intent upon the interaction between the two women. He saw the way there was fear in the jaguar at the hands of the woman who had altered her and it made him reconsider letting Julia do what she intended. It would be a hard experience for anyone whom they decided to change and it might cause them to rebel in fear and loathing. It was different with the animals becoming humans because they gained a higher consciousness in the process; it was like being reborn for them. With the humans, transforming them would not erase who they were before hand and they could possibly be traumatized by the event. But as he continued to watch, Jenny slowly became more calm looking up at Julia and he noted the bond forming between the two. Maybe that was the key. All of the beast folk so far considered him the Father and Julia their Mother. It tied them to the doctors on an emotional level and kept them obedient. It would be hard for any newcomers on the island to accept them as new parents/Gods, but everybody in a new and frightening situation that was out of their control needed someone to look after them and lead them. Thomas and Julia would do that for them. Silently, Moreau left the hut to find Olivia sitting on a barrel outside, her feet barely touching the ground as she sat braiding some grass leaves together and humming a song to herself. When Moreau left the hut she looked up with her alien pupiled eyes and smiled, her golden nose ring winking in the sunlight. "Father," she started with a bit of hesitation. "I was an animal before, but now I am human. You made me like you, yes?" Dr. Moreau stood by her giving her the smile a Father might observing their child and spoke to her in a calm authoritative voice. "Yes, Olivia. You were a goat before I remade you." There was a pride in his eyes as he looked upon her as if looking at a grand masterpiece and it made her blush and look away with a small smile. But the smile disappeared as she sat thinking silently for a moment. "Jenny...she said she use to be human..." Moreau's smile faded as well. "Father, I-...I do not understand... If she was like you, already...why did you change her?" Instead of arguing with her about who actually made Jenny the way she was, instead he spoke in serious tones. "Because, Olivia. Even though she was a human, she was sick inside. The things that make humans cruel to each other existed inside her still and she needed to be fixed. To be made better. So she was brought down to a purer state by mixing her with animal genes. Do you understand?" Olivia smiled and nodded, her curiosities placated. She liked it when the Father talked to her like a person too. ***"How the fuck should I know?" Pepper said angrily in answer to Cole's question. God, she fucking hated this idiot. "You're the one who decided to 'land' the plane! Now let me go!" Cole barely listened to her screeching as he looked around at the scenery going over the last calculations he'd had on his monitors before they'd gone down; there shouldn't be an island here. So where were they? But finally he looked back down at the writhing woman underneath him and reluctantly released her and drew back, watching her warily, in case she decided to attack him again. But she didn't. Once he let her go, she rolled over and sat up, her anger fading as she looked around herself. Spying not too far away her trunk coming up from the waves she got up and ran over to it hauling it from the water up the beach. Unlocking the latch she looked inside and felt at her clothes and started to weep loudly. They were ruined! Cole stood looking out at the ocean in the other direction and could not see any land masses on the horizon anywhere, nothing by which to orient himself. Noticing Pepper sobbing loudly he wandered over to where she was. "Stop it!" he said urgently with a bit uncertainty. She was as unpredictable as a wild cat. "Stop that right now!" Warily he cast a glance around at the jungle before looking back at her. "Shut up!" she said pouting and sniffling, her tears making her make-up look worse. "Leave me alone!" She yelled as she packed her things back into the trunk and stood to start hauling it away, continuing to bawl her eyes out. With the renewed noise Cole lurched for her and put his arms around her, one hand holding her and the other clasped over her mouth. "I said be quiet!" the intensity in his voice and the force with which he held her made her go quiet and stare at him in shock. "Do you know where we are!? Do you have ANY idea?" When she shook her head fearfully he continued. "Neither do I. But from the foot prints in the sand I would say we're not alone and whatever it is it's big and it's not human. so unless you want to be made into something's supper, I'd suggest you stop making the noises of a wounded and frightened animal. Do we understand each other now?" Pepper's eyes widened and darted around wildly looking for whatever made the footprints but she remained quiet.

julia sighed looking down at jenny her eyes had an odd twinkle to them as her hand light stroked the girls face and hair in her sleep.she looked up as Olivia was asked to leave not liking that .once Olivia was gone of course he apologized sorta close enough she supposed."i didn't lie about anythign i was honest on most things i had been working late and i was working with the formula as i said.i"she hesitated feeling she owed nothing to him but she forced herself to submit.''very well i give my word no more lies no more secrets.also if others were to come here you would have to act civil you must remember they are living beings making sacrifices for the greater good there last moments should be content not afraid and tense.''she says calmly her eyes burning into his .she only looked away as jenny stirred.her eyes lit up and she softly pulled the girls head into her lap intending to make her waking moments happy as she would her masterpiece deserved this at least. *** jenny shifted and moaned some her arm hurting a little .she felt someone holding her crooning over her a soft pair of lips touching her forehead .her eyes flickered open confused not even her mother had been this way to her she had always been ignored to her sister."mama?"she asked hoping her rears perking forward her eyes opening fully as her hair was brushed from her eyes in a tender manner she gasped at the woman who looked down at her fear filling her once more btu something was even more unnerving the way she was looking at her ."no my dear but i can be if that's what you want "she whispered to her confusing her further her heart fluttered but she felt safe and better this woamn was scary had changed her but jenny for once in her own way was happy no one had ever cared for her she didnt trust Julia fully but that look was one she had seen otehrs give there children and it made her warm inside.

As Julia and Jenny came out of the hut Olivia got off the barrel she was sitting on and reached out and took ahold of Jenny as the Mother handed her over, letting the jaguar lean upon her. "Yes, Mother," Olivia said nodding with an obedient smile before helping the woman on her shoulder to another hut that she owned. She couldn't help the feeling of excitement that coursed through her and made her want to leap in the fields for joy. Mother was staying with them! Every day Olivia spent with her people, giving them sermons and helping them be more like humans, but most of the time she had to talk to them down at their level as many were at different stages of animal than others. It dulled the mind, and she tried to keep herself intellectually growing by reading books that the Father had given her long ago, but it was so much greater getting to speak with someone else who had a higher intellect. Sometimes Olivia struggled with her own animal nature and talking with the Mother and Father helped her feel more human. Walking with Jenny slumped against her, she eased her into a makeshift bed on the floor of her hut, putting a blanket over her before settling down to sit beside her, petting her lightly and watching over her as she slept. As the two wandered off into a hut together, Moreau turned to Julia and said, "So you're staying here?" He wanted to convince her to come back to the compound, to question her about staying here to tell her it was a stupid idea, that she didn't need to stay, but instead he sighed and said. "Do you want me to bring you anything?" *** Cole looked around once more before looking back at her drawing her gaze back to him as well. "Now listen, what we're going to do is find any of the things from the plane that might have washed up on the beach and then we're going to build a fire, okay?" When she nodded against his hand still clasping her mouth he then said, "And we're going to do it quietly." Then he released her and stood back and she looked around her worriedly, her hair beginning to clump as it dried and her clothes wrinkling as they grew less damp as well. Heaving a big sigh Cole said, "Alright then," and wandered off up and down the beach looking for things from the plane. Silently, Pepper followed his lead and went the other way along the beach, her arms held in front of herself nervously and her head whipping around trying to look every which way in case something should try and sneak up on her. Within an hour they had collected almost everything from the plane: Pepper found her medication bag and make-up bag and when Cole wasn't looking she'd popped a few vicodin. Cole found the case with a flare gun and her rack of shoes, most of which were rendered useless on the sandy beach and he also found two parachutes and a silver case. Bringing it over to where they were setting up camp just before the tree line, he sat down and unlocked it, opening it up. Pepper looked on in interest as he pulled from it a .9 mm and inserted a bullet clip into it and cocked it. Spying the other one within the case she asked. "Is that one for me-?" but went silent as he closed the case and locked it back up without saying a word to her. Stuffing the gun into the waistband of his pants he glanced at her and asked, "Do you know how to make a fire?" She nodded and he blinked a bit surprised. They both set out getting a bunch of twigs and branches to make the fire with and soon they had it all set up. Watching her intently as Pepper knelt by the pile of sticks he was shocked and confused when she held out her hand to him. Not understanding, he tried to put his hand in hers only to be slapped away and given an annoyed look. "What?" he asked frustrated. "Where are the matches? I need them to start the fire. Hell-o!" she said as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. All he could do then was rub his hand over his face and groan.

julia smiled at jenny in a gentle way lightly running he hand threw the others beautiful long hair''Your such a lovely girl jenny before this even "she says softly her tones motherly.jenny sat up hesitantly with the help of the other who offered her a tin cup with water in it.she drank readily savoring it and licking her lips."why did you do this im not even human anymore i cant..i cant focus im im having urges i shouldn't."Julia smiles gently and hugs her close her arm rapping around the others shoulders."shh now ..no worries.its natural to have urges its the animal but i will help you threw them and Olivia the same she is close to you and will be your sister i promise you she will not hurt you ."she says lightly stroking jenny's face as she helped her out the door having given her meds to help the pain and any lingering fever.she looks up spotting Tomas and Olivia together "Olivia deer will you take jenny to another hut please were she may rest she will be staying with you and i will being staying with the both of you for the next few night to help jenny adjust ok''she speaks a little rapidly smiling for the first time in a while as jenny leans agaisnt the a soft like purr rumbling in her chest. *** jenny felt a little odd from the water she had been given realizing it was some sort of drug .but oddly it didn't bother her she was just glad the acheing had gone withe the headache the pain was gone to.she found herself leaning agaisnt the other her eyes meeting olivias as she tilted her head wondering if this one was the sister they had spoken of and what things woudl be like from now on.she feklt oddly happy at last she would have the knowledge of what it was like to have a family though the man scared her more than the woman she trusted Olivia more than the woman hopping maby she could trust them all someday she had nothing to turn back to anyway.her ears went limp as did her tail in a sudden tiredness that seesed her.

"I'm not going to fucking argue with you, Julia," Moreau said sternly in response to her little rant. It was why he didn't say anything but with the way she'd reacted, he might as well have. He sighed and made a mental note of all the things she requested and smirked a little at her comment about her books. Then he walked back to the jeep, saying goodbye to the rest of his children before climbing in and driving back to the compound. *** Olivia smiled widely as she turned to the doorway of the hut and saw who entered before looking back down at the sleeping jaguar before her, her hooved fingers gently caressing her hair away from her slumbering face. "She's very beautiful, Mother," she said as Julia came to sit beside her. "Father said she was sick before. I'm glad that she was made better." *** Sitting by the now made fire, Pepper's hair was completely dry but a mess in the process, her clothes hanging on her stiffly from drying on her, she regarded Cole who sat across from her, his eyes scanning the sea. "How are we going to get out of here?" she asked finally, her tone somewhat demanding but calmly curious as well. Cole looked at her and raised an eyebrow before looking back out to sea. "I don't know," he said with a sigh. "Nobody knows where we are, and according to my monitors before we came down, there shouldn't be anything here except water. They won't know to look for us here." His words made her scared so she folded her arms and set her chin stubbornly. "They'll come for me," she said proudly. "I'm a high-ranking fashion model, you know." Cole rubbed the bridge of his nose in between his two fingers and decided not to argue with her about the point, instead deciding to look back out at sea. Pepper watched him silently for several minutes before finally saying, "When we get back, I'm going to make sure you get your license taken away." His head whipping around to look at her, he scowled in confusion. Before he said anything she said, "It should have been an easy trip between New York and London. But you were too ineffectual to make it." Shock and anger filled Cole's face as he stood from where he sat and looked at her piercingly. "What the hell!?" he almost shouted. "You were the one who insisted I fly. I fucking TOLD you there was a storm coming and I couldn't do it! Unbelievable!" And with that he stalked away from her towards the jungle, leaving her sitting there alone. "Where are you going?" she called after him. He didn't stop walking away but called over his shoulder, "To find some food and stuff to build a shelter. I'm hungry." And he disappeared between the trees. "I wouldn't waste your time," she called. "I told you, they'll be coming for me soon." *** She watched from the cover of the trees, the golden yellow orbs reflecting the light that filtered through the canopy. Watching silently as the two women on the beach conferred, her tail flicking behind her menacingly and her stripes making her invisible in the underbrush. More people like the Mother and the Father...humans. Her plush lips drew back in a seductive smile as she continued to watch them, continued to...stalk them.

Julia couldn't help but smile as Olivia led her new sister to the hut they would be staying in . her smile faulted some though when she spotted the look on Moreaus face.his question made her more angry it was in his tone she could even feel it ."yes im staying here i feel jenny will get more out of being with others more like herself.i must be there for her and it will help me understand the otehrs more easily to see how they work .''she sighs and rubs the temples on ether side of her head."yes i need writing pencils a note book and small knife for sharpening the pencils ill be staying for a while but will return to the compound once a week to report and help make plans towards new subjects.''she says her voice over all calm but annoyed she turns away .''if we dont live among them how will we ever understand there beliefs there feelings there pains and fears .they have more than what we just give them Tomas."she says lifting a hand tiredly her eyes closing as she walks towards the hut entering and pushing the tarp aside to let some cool air in.she looks back once more ."ill need copies of my notes and as many of my books that are left i know many are broken or torn ."at this she enters sitting down with Olivia . *** jenny leaned heavily on the small woman who led her she was a good foot taller than her but the other seemed not to mind.her eyes kept falling against her will her lids closing .her face rubbed again the others at one point it was then she found herself in a soft warm bed her eyes cracking open for only a minute her body to limp for her to fight the sleep any more ..her face moved into the gentle hand touching her as she drifted into a deep sleep.