Thread: Flirting with the Devil [Shaelinn and Dreamer-]

Though Lara's face revealed about as much emotion as average obsidian statue, the tension in her shoulders spoke tons about how comfortable she felt during this particular conversation. She hadn't expected Arcadia to be tactful enough to let the topic slide, but that didn't mean the demon's eagerness to stick her nose into her personal affairs was a dream come true. My life's most prominent tragedy, she answered, searching in her wardrobe for clean clothes. The daily ritual of digging through the neatly folded fabric occupied her hands and conveniently disguised any signs of trembling. The day I found out my parents were too poor to throw me a birthday party in Disneyland. You have no idea how traumatizing it was to have my childhood destroyed in such a brutal manner. The lie didn't deliver a heavy blow to her consciousness Lara had absolutely no qualms about withholding the truth from someone who'd probably laugh at her mercilessly for the rest of her mortal life and maybe even longer. The cost of Arcadia's services boiled down to giving up her chance for decent afterlife if she wished for easy access to her privacy as well, she should have included that clause in their contract beforehand. Lara did possess somewhat loose lips, but there were few topics where she drew the line and Arcadia was lucky enough to stumble upon one of those. The component that caused women to philosophize passionately about the contents of their wardrobe and whether it was a deadly sin to combine a stripped trousers with a dotted T-shirt hadn't developed in Lara's brain. Angsting over numerous outfits in front of the mirror seemed completely pointless to her as long as they fit her humble criteria defined by comfort, she was okay with pretty much anything. In other words, had the fashion police been empowered to enforce their law, Lara would have spent a significant portion of her lifetime behind the bars as a notorious offender. Just like always, her attire for today was chosen more or less randomly a blue, V-shaped shaped sweater that complimented her hair color and tone of her skin and dark, close-fitting jeans. A down-to-earth combination that wouldn't insult anyone. She slipped from her nightgown like a snake out of its skin and put on the clothes quickly, averting Arcadia's gaze through the entire ordeal. Getting dressed in front of a stranger wasn't on her wishlist of erotic fantasies, but she sure as hell didn't intend to hide as an overly self-conscious teenager. My own flat has transformed into battlefield of psychological warfare. Yay! What's not to love? As Arcadia delved into explaining the basic principles of magic, Lara immediately switched into her attentive mode not only she embraced the change of topic with open arms, but common sense told her that not taking these matters seriously would be like asking for family unfriendly death. Hmm... Really? No weird midnight rituals, no virginal sacrifices and no hunting for suspicious ingredients such as unicorn's tears? I'm sold so far. Shaolin-esque manipulation of energy certainly didn't give her a vibe of forbidden art practiced by soulless sociopaths only it looked like the church had decided to twist the truth once again. Not the biggest surprise here, considering they were undeniably the greatest society of compulsive liars in the mankind's history. So I guess you can say the magic is subject to the law of conservation of energy? she asked, observing the radiant orb in Arcadia's hand closely. How much damage could that tiny ball of light do? Lara didn't inquire out of creeping suspicion that Arcadia might demonstrate its effectiveness on her belongings. Okay, that concept isn't difficult to grasp. Here goes nothing. Closing her eyes in order to improve her concentration, the young hunter put her hands in the same position that the demon had assumed mere moments ago and tried to squeeze out the energy from her body. Needless to say, the task itself proved to be infinitely harder than the theory. A single drop of sweat trickled down her forehead as she attempted to bend the energy according to her will it was so frustrating. Lara sensed the strength locked away somewhere in her mind, but every time she reached after it to remove the chains and unleash the beast, it just retreated deeper into its hiding place. Passing seconds gradually turned into minutes most of humans would admit the defeat at this point, but her stubbornness ruled that possibility out without even considering it. Come on, Lara. Your daily quota of incompetence has been met already, no need to strive for better results. Maybe the ability to control the energy relied on imagination more than she anticipated this thesis was basically begging for confirmation. And so Lara withdrew into her fantasy. She imagined the energy as a golden-colored, pulsating liquid flowing in her veins instead of her blood. Her heart distributed it evenly to her body with every beat her limbs began to feel somewhat warmer, though she couldn't say whether something was truly happening or her mind was just fooling itself. The blonde didn't notice her breathing falling out of sync with her heart it got much slower and more shallow as if someone had put her into hypnotic sleep. With the image in her head vivid, Lara let all the energy pour into the visible spectrum through her hands... And gasped aloud when the decrease of power left her weak in her knees. Somewhat bewildered, the girl opened her eyes only to see a yellowish ball of light in between her hands. Flickering and swirling around like a mini-tornado, her energy didn't really resemble Arcadia's disciplined orb at all. Corners of her mouth twitched in a smile for there was nothing quite as satisfying as picking up a new skill. See? I told you it couldn't be so difficult. After all, you demons do it all the time... Before she could bathe in the shine of her success further, her hands suddenly started burning with agony acting purely on instinct, Lara threw the source of pain away... The ensuing explosion was deafening. The particles of dust mingling with tiny splinters obscured her visage and made her cough violently her lungs itched as if she had smoked twenty cigarettes in one go. The fuck?! Lara cried out in surprise, completely abandoning the vocabulary of a well-behaved young lady. The mess slowly settled down to display a giant hole in the wall well, hole in the wall and equally amazed neighbor staring right into her bedroom through the created tunnel. Oops... Good morning, Mr. Svenson...