Lyla Warren

"That sounds wonderful, of course I'll join you!" Humming softly to herself, Lyla placed her dishes in the sink and moved across to the door that led into the hallway. It hadn't taken her long to get through her fill of the food and drink, being about half of each. She wasn't much of a morning person at all, but especially where it came to eating right away. It would have been rude to refuse though, and she found she liked Dominic. Besides, he was a good cook and what she had eaten had been rather pleasing.

"I thought I'd heard someone else in here," she said, reaching out with her right hand to softly pet the little pig. Lyla giggled when Cauldron snuffled her hand. "She's adorable! All the animals here almost make me wish I'd had a pet of my own to bring along. Let's go though, I haven't been to the greenhouse yet. Don't worry, there are only a few people here that are so quiet I can't follow them." With that, she waited with a bright smile for her new companion to lead her out to the grounds and eventually the aforementioned greenhouse.

@PixiePudding

---

Morgan Selwyn

Once the final cinders were extinguished Morgan returned to Kiara's side, studying her with a soft and steady gaze. While he didn't particularly want to be right there if she ended up lashing out, he couldn't help the desire to try to find a way to help. When she rebuked him, the harshness in her tone caused him to flinch. He held his ground though, managing to only briefly avert his grey eyes from the anger in hers. Reflexively, his arms crossed low over his stomach for a moment before he forced them back to his sides with a minute shiver. For a rare moment, Morgan felt cold.

He heard the apology in her thanks, and acknowledged it with slight nod. It didn't quite touch home, but it was what she could give him. When Kiara reached for his hand, Morgan met her halfway and used the contact to tug her closer as he stepped up to wrap his arms around her tightly for a swift moment. When he stepped back and took her hand again, he finally spoke up.

"I know a place where I can guarantee some measure of peace and privacy out here, if you want. I've been meaning to show you anyway. It's almost reached the limit of what I can do alone." When Morgan talked, there was a slight rasp in his voice to betray his nervousness, both new and continued. Because of his magic though, the tear that had stung at the corner of his eye before he embraced Kiara never had a chance.

@Silent Observer

@Aspen Wren

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

Looking up at Sulleykaar from her slumped position, Lainie listened to his answer. Fear was the most dangerous thing? Wasn't recklessness far more dangerous? Surely some level of caution was sensible, especially for someone like her. One slip, and she could lose herself. She could hurt somebody, or worse.

"B-But I... this magic, you saw what I let it do to me... I-I've got to be careful," she answered, and instantly glanced down, regretting how she'd answered back.

Something, though, seemed to be whispering to her. Her other side, telling her Sulleykaar did have a point. Why had she lost control earlier, right after the nightmare? Why had she had the nightmare in the first place? Fear. She'd been afraid of herself, this side of herself... but how was it possible to overcome fear when there was a good reason for it?

There had to be some middle ground. She didn't want to be that person, the careless, volatile, destructive person the magic turned her into, but she didn't want to be the way she was now, either. If only she could be somewhere between the two extremes.

Struggling to her feet, she looked at the red mark on her arm. Not too severe, but painful. "I'll have to go to the nurse," she said. She'd have a lot of explaining to do.

- Laurel -

Full ruby lips quipped up into an easy smile at the witch's words. She settled herself in the chair again as the witch regained his strength by the minute. She didn't doubt him when he said that he would be able to leave not too long after he finished eating. He seemed to be rather impressed with the simple meal that she had brought him. She waved away his thanks with a broad stroke of her hand as if she were painting a picture in front of her. "It is no trouble. You aren't particularly heavy." She remarked with a soft melodic chuckle, her green eyes lightening up as she looked at him.

Laurel folded her legs beneath her once more, sitting easily in the high backed leather chair that was entirely too large for her. It could have easily sat three people her size or two larger people. She relaxed against the smoldering ruby cushions and the lighter golden pillows that filled the extra space around her. "I am what my people call a near perfect reincarnate. My only flaw is that my other form is that of a leopard rather than a lioness, otherwise I am the embodiment of Bastet. Do you know anything of Egyptian deities?" She questioned, sliding her slender fingers along the soft arm of the chair as she spoke, unconsciously stroking the tanned black flesh as one might stroke the skin of a lover.

She watched the witch easily, seemingly unaware of his aversion to her gemstone green eyes. The very same color as the aptly named cat's eye jade. Laurel had never been one to shy from eye contact, she wasn't a canine who broke eye contact with whoever kept dominance over her. Her gaze was solely focused on his own eyes, seemingly trying to decipher precisely what color they were. Her raven colored locks had grown long since she had been here, cascading down around her shoulders to touch the tops of her legs. As she watched him, one hand stayed perched along the arm of the chair while the other softly twisted a tendril of her dark hair.

@LuckyBlackCat


"You don't get it..." He took a breath and went to say something else but he stopped. She was a bit shaken by the experience and she was hurt so he simply opted to roll his eyes and stand up. When you first realize the amount of power your capable of it is beyond an exhilaration, more euphoric and that's fine, especially since you've never felt power like that probably. But that feeling will eventually go and subside until you make the realization that you CAN have that much destructive power. When you do it will humble you." He begun his walk back to the dorms, listening to her mumble to herself and he smirked. She has potential but if she's going to be like that every time she gets more familiar with her powers I'm going to have to take drastic measures. A frown appeared on his mouth as he rounded a cornet into the café and pass the doors back towards the halls where they slept.

Deciding only to stop in his room for his Taipan Kingpin, he made his way to the different rooms, seeing if any of his acquaintances were in to talk to. He would call them friends but he wasn't quite sure if they were. He liked them and trusted them but he didn't feel it was a two way street but nonetheless he was now bored and needed to do something. It wasn't until he came across @Aspen Wren@KuramaaaZ Laurel and Kiara's room did he manage to find some people. Laurel seemed to be with this - ugh. "Another elemental, great. Another FIRE elemental." He thought as he knocked on the open door with a smile. My dear Laurel. How was vacation? Never really had a chance to talk after break so I'm genuinely curious. Did you spend time with your family?" He awaited her response before glancing over at the boy with a thin smile and then back to her.

- Niall Collins -

Niall sauntered easily across the ground of the school's campus, he followed one of the many paths, headed for the stables to see his favorite creatures. Horses were always one of his favorite things, they soothed him like nothing else. Perhaps it was the fact that there was a creature giving and trusting enough that they would truly let a natural predator such as him sit on their back. It was essentially the ultimate act of trust, they let a wolf, a massive one, ride upon their back. He made most of the horses nervous still but they would allow his intrusion into their lives. He pondered their sheer will as he neared the barn, the smell of it spiraling inside his flared nostrils.

It was an unmistakable scent that he would forever know, something even a dull human's nose could detect though could not simply fully appreciate. The musky scent of damp straw, the crispness of pine shavings, the acrid burn of urine, the most dominant though was the signature scent of a horse. Warmth mixed with a soft dustiness and prey animal nervousness. It was sheer bliss when he smelt it either from the memories or the scent itself. His tough and well used leather boots made a distinctive noise against both the ground and the wooden floor of the barn. He wasn't sure why it was so common for horse barns to have wooden floors but he was grateful it seemed to be a reoccurring theme amongst them. He moved easily through the aisle, looking at each horse in turn. Most shied softly away from him simply because of his nature.

It wasn't until he reached the horse of his friend that he stopped. Laurel's personal horse, the vicious creature was the only one who dared thrust its head from the stall and try to bite him. A beautiful grulla mare, the color of a shimmering sword made many years ago, a family heirloom passed down for many generations. Inky black stripes covered her legs much like a zebra along with a black strip across the top of her shoulders. The hateful mare's sharply pointed ears were twisted in his direction, the same silver as the rest of her but for the black rim around them. She snorted balefully at him, her black muzzle twisting as she reached for hime once more in a vengeful lunge. Instead of fearing the witch he moved towards her, invading her space as she watched him with hateful eyes. The only lightness on her was the smattering of white spots on her rump that covered her hips and butt.

She was a horse who would forever have to be reminded who was in charge of the situation. He grabbed her halter swiftly, opening the door to her stall before stepping inside. He secured the leather creation around her face before snapping on a lead and withdrawing her from the stall. She pushed and shoved him, trying to bully her way out of the stall but he held her behind him. Once she was in the aisle she pranced, throwing her head high in the air and her hooves cracked against the wooden floor. The noise seemed to only excite her more. Once she was secured in the cross ties he placed the pad and saddle Laurel had shown him. After securing the saddle onto the mare's back he pulled the simple bridle from the wall and let her snap up the bit. He moved along beside her, unsnapping the cross ties and leading her outside before stepping into the stirrup and mounting her.

It was a careful dance, getting on her as she pranced about, almost dancing across the ground as he moved to sit on her back. Once he was on her she continued her dance until he pushed her into a brisk trot. It wasn't until he pushed closer that he saw Asmund aboard a large draft horse. The barn manager was along beside the gifted, guiding the horse along. "Mrs. Fairfield, are you giving a riding test?" He called to the woman who smiled at him when she turned to find him there.

"Yes! Mr. Collins, perhaps you could give a bit of a demonstration for what I'm asking for. Is that Ms. Demirci's horse? Such a foul creature really. I've no clue where she found such a mean horse. The woman had her hair drawn back in a severe bun while her voice was quite the opposite, animated and cheerful with a posh London accent. He nodded at her. He knew the drill quite well; walk, trot, canter, then circle in then out then try a counter-canter. Then they would try some simple-ish but more advanced things.

"Are you up for it Asmund?" Niall questioned, a wry smile on his face as he looked at the much larger gifted. He was one of the few people on campus who was bigger than Niall, especially by a significant amount.

- Laurel -

Laurel smiled easily at the witch before laughing at his sudden apparent excitement. "Yes, the Egyptian Goddess Bastet." She was about to make another comment saying that it was indeed her that carried the witch here after he had passed out. She didn't quite get too when a familiar face appeared in the doorway to her bedroom. She didn't remove herself from the chair but she did offer a soft smile. She did, however, stretch her long toned legs out and then lay them over the thick arm of the chair as she relaxed back into it once more.

She rolled her ankles, twisting her bare feet in circles as she looked across the room to the dragon. She offered another smile, "I didn't go home over break. My brother came briefly for a day, he has a business to run though. We had lunch and he left. How did your break go?" She shrugged lightly, feigning disinterest. Her green eyes flickering from the dragon to the witch in her bed. "Sulleykaar, this is Vladimir. Vlad this is Sulley." Laurel flashed her full set of teeth as she grinned briefly, wondering what it was the dragon thought about her resting easily in the chair while a witch lay in her enormous four poster bed. She ran a slender hand through her hair, dragging it around one shoulder and away from the other.

"Quite honestly I've been trying to find someone on this god forsaken campus that is half decent at tattoo work. I've been meaning to add some work and I think I've finally figure out what it is that I want done." She wasn't quite sure if the dragon knew of the sword that was inked into the flesh along her spine. He would either hate the idea of inky being sewn into the flesh of another being or be covered in inky himself. Laurel wasn't quite sure which of these opinions Sulley might have but she couldn't be certain though because she'd never seen the dragon shirtless. It wasn't something she was particularly interested in. Her mother would have a complete come apart if she didn't marry and Egyptian Gifted. Her mother was always shoving embodiments of Anubis in her face. Forever emailing her pictures and profiles of willing suitors.

---

For the gifted, it was a strange situation. Anxiety had almost become an alien concept for him, but when he had seen Mrs. Fairfield for the first time, the possibilty of failure had become his primary thought. Asmund knew that he probably was considered the impersonation of gross motor skills on the campus and one of the last ones who would embark on a riding skill test. Yet he had done just that. Luckily, the barn manager revealed herself to be very different from what the intial impression allowed to assume.

The dark-brown haired man also silently gave credit to the horse he was sitting on. Carrying him was bound to be a bit of a challenge and so far, it seemed to handle it well. If that was to change - he didn't know. Asmund now heard hoofbeats approaching from behind. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that it was Niall. The gifted knew that the other student was one year above him, but aside from that Niall rather was a great unknown to him. He didn't even know that he was a Lycan.

Asmund's eyes inspected Niall quite a bit longer than he originally had intended to. The man's appearance was quite striking and - not much to his own approval - Asmund considered it superior to his own. Someone who knew him would also know why the gifted's tremendous muscular mass had become wrapped into a thin, but noticeable layer of blubber. "Erm... I think that question will answer itself once we have started." Why was there this smile on Niall's face ? Was he already expecting a certain outcome or was it only because Mrs. Fairfield surprisingly had assigned him the task to carry out the tests ?

@Aspen Wren@FallenTrinity

@Aspen Wren@KuramaaaZ



"Ah I see...That reminds me." An "I just remembered" look and snap of the fingers for added touch followed.

"You're brother and yourself were interested in a business arrangement with me. I do need you to clarify what it is before put my two sense into it since we were rudely interrupted by my brother." He frowned and looked to the ground for a moment with a frown be fore looking back up to her with a more neutral expression.

"It was fine. Noone excepted my invitation to my summer home so I spent most of the time to myself. You would think it would be fun but I do prefer company. May I suggest next time you and your family come along." He offered a light smile before she started talking about tattoo's which gained a raised brow in interest from the dragon.

"Tattoos, huh? Never took you for getting inked." He went to say something else but the elemental stood up and with an edgy look passed by. Sulley's smile turned to a straight face as he passed. The boy walked a few feet before he called out to him.

"Vlad!" He waited for him to turn around before letting a plum of smoke exit his nostrils, followed by a toothy grin. His voice was smooth and calm yet held a certain feeling to it. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to our next encounter." He nodded lightly to him before entering Laurel's room a bit more, making his way to the bed and sat down. Glancing over he smirked.

So you have a tattoo? Never told me about that but then again after the ball most of those who I talked to seemed to avoid me like I'm sort of disease but it is fine. What kind of tattoo do you have?" He cocked his head to the side in interest.

- Laurel -

---

Laurel gave a fierce grin as she watched the witch's discomfort level rise, he was quick to rise and run again as soon as he was well enough. "Don't be a stranger." She called after him as he swiftly left her apartment. It wasn't until the dragon came fully into her room and questioned about her tattoo that she stood. There was little need for her to slow her movements down now that the witch was gone so she returned to her usual speed when she was in her home. In a matter of a couple seconds she was directly in front of the dragon, the painted on black top she'd been wearing thrown in the floor to bare the olive colored skin of her back to him along with the ink there.

Inked into the skin along her spine was an elegant sword, the top of the hilt rested just at the base of her where it began the curve up to the base of her skull while the tip brushed the top edge of the low slung dark navy jeans she was wearing. It was intricately done, so intricate it looked as if one could simply gasp the hilt and pull it from her back. It was the best skill money could buy. The pommel of the hilt was a golden crown that seemed to shimmer while the handle itself was black. An elegant golden cross guard lay next in line with a beautifully carved design. It was the blade that was really spectacular though, it gleamed along the outside edge while the inner surface looked like the sword had been passed down several generations, a family heirloom. Engraved into the blade in beautiful script were the words 'honorem in vita et morte', honor in life and death. Beneath it and at a slight angle to the blade lay the black and golden scabbard every bit as detailed as the sword itself. It seemed that no detail or expense had been spared on the tattoo.

Anyone but the blind would see why it would be nearly impossible for Laurel to find someone on campus with enough skill to do the hyper realistic style of tattoos she was so fond of. She stood nearly motionless in front of the Sulley, the entire expanse of her back bare along with nearly all of the rest of her from the waist up. She hadn't been raised to be shy and it wasn't as if he could see through to the front of her anyhow so she was rather unconcerned, more than proud to stand there to show off the extensive artwork on her back. "It is one of my most prized possessions." She breathed softly, knowing that his keen hearing would catch the words. Her long pitch black hair cascaded over both her shoulders where she had pulled it away from her back to display the artwork though now some of it was returning to its place along her back. Several of the long black strands settled along side the tattoo, their tips brushing against the top of her jeans.

@FallenTrinity@Aspen Wren

Morgan Selwyn

Kiara's sensual purr caused a surge of emotion in Morgan, but he maintained a cool detachment from his feelings for the moment. He tried anyway. He wasn't able to keep from increasing the pace as he led her by the hand deeper into the trees. Following his own mental map, he picked a path around the main body of the lake that would lead to the river. As they walked, the Warlock reflected on the Faerie's most recent outbursts. He had yet to feel the full brunt of her hostility and, to a degree, he felt sorry for those who had. Most of them deserved it though. As the sound of flowing water became clear from ahead, Morgan shook off the distracting thoughts.

This time he kept to the bank of the river, as walking against the natural flow would only hinder them. In a few places the bank was overgrown and the Warlock used his magic to let them use the water as a path around the blockage. Before too long, the flora around them grew to be more lush than the surrounding woodland and the local fauna seemed more active. Morgan could feel the saturation of his own power in the air, the ground, and mostly the water as they approached the clearing and his sanctuary. Stepping around the trunk of an ancient evergreen revealed his altar, the painting, and the pile of stones. Sounds from outside the circle of trees were muffled within, with the exception of the swiftly flowing river.

"I come from a family of traditionalists, I guess," Morgan explained as he led Kiara to the center of the clearing. "This is my sanctuary. I come here to meditate and practice every morning. If you can't find me at the library or lake, I'm probably here. Normally, I wouldn't dream of showing anyone this place. But..." After a few moments he shrugged, unable to verbalize a decent reason. In truth he knew not what had led to the decision to bring Kiara here, but all the same he had wanted to and it was done.

@Silent Observer

@Aspen Wren@KuramaaaZ



With her back turned and bare skin showing he simply smirked. Olive skin, smooth appearance with a tinge of a glow. A little sweat from possible earlier activity but it only added to her beauty. Her hair. Her hair cascaded down like a perfect onyx river, gracefully caressing her bare skin. His eyes glowed dimly for a moment before he turned his attention towards the tattoo. The time and effort put into such a tattoo must have been hours or days not to mention the steady hand needed to keep the lines straight. The sword was very detailed with intricate designs and seemed flawless. Quietly he stood and moved over to her squatting down to examine it better, or so it would seem. Sulley brought a finger just over the tip of the sword, tracing the outline with a claw and tender care. His eyes glowed a dim blue as they darted over each and every part of it. He brought up a second finger from the other hand, tracing the other side of it. His smirk etched into a grin as his fingers began to conduct an orchestra along her back, gently gliding over each part of the tattoo before moving away to another part.

He let out a plume of smoke as he begun to rise to his feet again, his eyes now glowing with a azure color when his fingers passed over the hilt of the blade. His eyelids lowered slightly as his claws glided over shoulder blades before resting on either side of her neck, his thumbs resting at the back of her neck. Adding a little pressure to his hands he moved them up and back down, his thumbs rotating in a clockwise and counter clock wise directions. "It is a beautiful piece of art. Well thought out, carefully drawn. No imperfections. It must've taken a long time to get done." He leaned into her, his hot breath caressing her bare skin. He rested his head gently on her shoulder as he glanced over to her, a grin on his face as his voice rumbled across her body. "So how did you meet Vlad? Classmates? Introduced by friends? No wait - You two bumped into each other in the hallway and dropped each other's things and as you went to retrieve them your eyes locked, destined to be one..." He looked over to her with a lopsided grin as he stood up and made his way back over to the chair. "I highly doubt the last one. He was way too skittish."

He remained silent for a moment before leaving a thin line of a smile. "I don't like him..." His eyes squinted as he towards the door, a brow raised. He sighed before glancing back over. "Anything I should know about him?"

- Laurel -

The twitch of the lithe muscle beneath the flesh of her back was the only indication Laurel gave that she had any idea Sulley was touching her. Other than the goosebumps that curled up behind his fingertip's path along her skin Laurel remained utterly motionless. It was only when his hands clasped almost possessively around the back of her neck did she lean into his touch, green eyes fluttering closed for a moment as she inhaled the scent of the smoke he released. She could smell subtle notes of sulphur mixed with the ever present scent of the cigarettes he was forever smoking among a plethora of other scents.

Her eyes opened back up when he rested his chin against her bare shoulder, one hand pinning her in place on her other shoulder. She didn't initially reply to his comment about her tattoo as she was too busy basking in the innate heat that lived inside him. Her own body greedily absorbed the heat while heating up her skin to the point that heat and soft tendrils of smoke rolled off her skin. She did however let out a soft husky laugh when he asked about Vlad, questioning how they had met. "He actually destroyed several of the trees in the glade and killed a bunch of baby animals. When I lit into him about it he spouted some darwinism nonsense about survival of the fittest. Some other people were pretty unhappy as well but he took off, tried to set me on fire. Twice. He burned himself out, passed out cold. So I packed him back here. He might be a jerk but I wasn't going to leave him laying, the birds might have pecked his eyes out or something with what he did."

She pursed her full lips when she finished speaking, having unconsciously shadowed his steps towards the chair to remain in receiving distance of the heat he provided. Her long dark hair was partially pulled over her shoulders, cascading down across her chest to obscure her breasts from view as she moved to remain within touching distance of the dragon. He was very nearly an entire foot taller than she was but it wasn't particularly something than bothered her. One got quite used to people literally looking down at them when they were her height, nearly everyone was taller than she was. It seemed to be quite appealing to males from what she could gather, they were a fickle bunch of creatures the lot of them. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her jeans, inadvertently pushing them down to further reveal the smooth skin of her lower stomach and the delicate lines of her hip bones.

The woman seemed totally unaware of the fact she was topless in front of the dragon, moving with ease and confidence until she was less than a foot away. Her body was naturally drawn to the heat, unconcerned with her bare skin as she stood more than close enough to touch, just a couple of inches away. "He's quite aggressive, I'll say that, and certainly not very friendly. Power hungry for sure though. There is a reason I didn't tell him you are a dragon." She withdrew her right hand from her waist to slide the painted black and golden fingernail of her middle finger along her dusky red bottom lip. Her moderately long fingernails had been painted a matte black with real gold leaf designs. They were simple but elegant looking at the tips of her long elegant fingers. Laurel was no fool, the word dragon was enough to make lesser men quiver with the need for power. The species was synonymous with power and wealth, had been for centuries. There was a reason there were so few dragons left and even fewer in the human realm.

- Niall -

Niall smiled broadly as Mrs. Fairfield led them both to a small outdoor arena filled with sand as was customary. Niall pushed the mare easily through the open gate, opening up her stride to a long trot. The mare seemed to glow in the sunlight, her coat shimmering dazzlingly. Mihnet was forever trying to push and pull and gallop full out through the sandy arena but Niall kept her back, making her display her power in other ways. She would try nearly anyone's patience but that was the nature of grand horses, they were always the most quirky and trying horses.

"Alright boys, just start by warming the horses up. Get their muscles nice and loose. Asmund, just follow Niall's lead. If you aren't comfortable trotting that quickly just get the horse to a brisk walk. Mihnet is much more animated than your horse so don't worry about how things look for now." Mrs. Fairfield smiled at both of them, watching Asmund carefully. Her lips twisted into a soft frown when she spotted the silver mare start to buck. Niall stayed on easily though, his seat was near perfect from years of formal schooling on horseback. It was a sort of requirement for the children in his family, his father was very old school. He'd even made Niall learn to fight with a sword and various other weapons.

Niall laughed brightly, pushing the mare, bumping her with his calves to get her to buck harder until she settled back down. It was only a minute or so that Mihnet bucked but the display was impressive nonetheless. She'd worked up a sweat and it darkened her coat and along the lines where her equipment met her skin a froth had worked up.