Masha looked at Crotes with a look that was close to freezing. “I’m sure she has very good reasons for calling out if she’s stayed this long working for you,” she said flatly. She wasn’t certain that he knew it was her that had been with Nikki the night before when he’d sent his men to attack her, but he didn’t need to know that just now. Or maybe even ever. But she was sure he’d find that out sooner rather than later. She could keep things separate, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a habit of flirting. “Well it may take a bit more than that,” she murmured as she took a sip of her drink.

She watched Darius turn, turning to look as well at the newcomer, looking them over with her own appraising eye. She couldn’t sense the power like Darius could, but she was good enough at looking most people over to know when she might be out matched. And while, socially, she was sure she was equal, there was something about her that made even Masha feel very out classed. The Fox tensing next to her only helped confirmed that.

She placed a small hand on his arm, only for a moment before she straightened up and smiled invitingly. “Come on over, we don’t bite,” she said with a little purr almost, gesturing the commer over to the bar with her cigarette free hand.

---

Damian's blush couldn't help but grow once more at the red haired woman's words, the insinuation causing him to quickly shake his denial as he worked to formulate a proper response.

"N-N-No. I d-didn't see anything, I swear. It's j-just that, um. . . " I've never seen someone as pretty as you before. The boy thought as his voice trailed off, trying to think of something less absolutely embarrassing and pathetic to say. Fortunately for him, the woman didn't seem to dwell on the matter too much, continuing the conversation by offering her name and her hand. Glad to move onto introductions, Damian was quick to return her hand shake with a tender grip of his own.

"A p-pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs.Quarin and I hope that your meeting with Mr. Nabriales wasn't too jarring. He can be a tad . . . eccentric and demanding at times. However, whatever it is you needed done, I can assure that you'll few, if any, others who are as capable an alchemist as he." Damian spoke with an almost reverent tone, as spending a month working with the horned man had shown him more than enough proof that there were few things that he couldn't do with his concoctions. "Oh, and my name is Damian, by the way, just Damian. I'm a relatively new hire at the shop, only been working for about a month or so."

Damian might've said more, but the pair was suddenly approached by another stranger, a stunning dark haired girl with blood red eyes. To his relief, she wasn't as toweringly imposing or teasing as Mrs. Quarin, but she was still a rather attractive woman and that made Damian even more nervous about possible screwing something up and making a fool out of himself. As this new person asked for a tour of the shop, Damian was quick to nod in agreement, feeling glad in his ability to possibly get a customer into the store. As such, he took a moment to focus himself, disguising the action by appearing to think on the matter for a few seconds.Just play it cool, Damian. Be nice, be courteous, and give good service.

"Well. . . yes, I'd be glad to give you a tour of the place, though I'd have to advise against touching anything, for your sake and that of others in the store. Mr. Nabriales stock contains a few. . . hazardous items and it can be hard to differentiate them at times." Damian shivered, remembering a time he almost broke a potion that held a rather nasty curse inside of it, something to do with eternal nightmares if he recalled it correctly. Before he led the new woman into the store, however, he turned to address Mrs. Quarin, feeling it'd be rude to just leave without saying something "You're very welcome to join the tour as well, if you'd like? I know you've finished your business with Mr. Nabriales, but perhaps there is something else in the store that would suit your fancy? He does have a grand array of products such as his potions, perfumes, and . . . l-l-lingerie that I feel m-might appeal to such an obviously fashion forward individual as yourself."

Damian internally cursed himself at his stuttering and light blushing over the mention of lingerie, but given the woman's previous comment, he couldn't help but anticipate a similar comment being made, which made him freeze up and hesitate. Whatever the case, the offer was laid out, so he'd just have to be ready to accept whatever came his way because of it. Though honestly, every passing second of silence would seem to stretch out for an eternity as he resisted the urge to turn his gaze completely to the ground, instead directing it up and away from her, gazing at basically everything but the woman he was addressing.

@Raijinslayer & @13org

---

Upon hearing the silky smooth voice, Lily tilted her attention to the newcomer's direction. She took quietly stock of the woman who had politely invited herself into their conversation. The woman was about average in height, 5’5-6” to be more precise, with a fragile appearance and porcelain colored skin. The Siren initially didn’t trust the outward appearance on sight as most people might’ve because the woman’s aura wasn’t human. Upon noting the fangs peeking out from under the lip with each word, Lily’s attention began to examine the aura for additional evidence and found the traces of Licenti within the woman.

After taking notes, she began to realize both individuals had auras similar to nightwalker kin. Was this a convenience or planned plot of sort? The thoughts about if it was the latter put her on edge. She inhaled briefly to calm herself, recalling the impression Szayeis had made on her when she first met him and caused her to shiver inwardly.

Hybrids or not when it came to dealing with nightwalkers and their kind, the cautious route was best. The whole species were considered risky and trouble by most Licentia in Torqueo and she doubted that would change in Medius. However, being impolite wasn’t fair either. Keeping her experience and knowledge in mind, she found no indication to worry… yet. Using that to make her relax, she easily hid her discomfort.

She returned her attention to the woman, “It wasn’t as hard as a bump as it looked and I’ve had worse. Through I think he’s blushing enough to pop a blood vein at this rate.”

Lily continued to enjoy the boy’s flustered attempts to recover from his stuttering, her comment likely not helping at all. She considered the mention of Mr. Nabriales being eccentric to be an understatement but decided to water down her incoming comment, “It’s alright, no harm done. Mr. Nabriales is certainly a character I will say, even for me, but he was polite and accommodating enough.”

When Damian brought up the lingerie, she chuckled and her smile became deeper. With clear amusement on her expression, Lily shook her head then gently declined, “While I would love to replace the lingerie set from this morning, I like having the ability to pay for things when I go window shopping. I’ve already gotten the impression my credit card won’t work here. Besides, I have an engagement with a certain Fox later and I don’t want to be late.”

---

---

Corinna simply watched quietly as the boy spoke. It was simply... delightful! He was so innocent, so clumsy, shy and he was cute as well! She would have so much fun with that boy... The woman, on the other hand, seemed to be very cautious of her surroundings. As soon as Corinna started to talk, the woman looked at her, studying her. Her eyes appeared to hover mostly on her face, that was when she realized that she had forgotten to be careful with her fangs. Differently from other Nightwalkers, Corinna didn't have the ability to shapeshift herself freely, so she had to take certain precautions to not be discovered.

“It wasn’t as hard as a bump as it looked and I’ve had worse. Through I think he’s blushing enough to pop a blood vein at this rate.” the woman said, after studying Corinna with cautious eyes.

"Shh" Corinna turned her face away from the boy, looking to the woman with a mischievous smile, putting one finger above her mouth and winking to her.
She didn't want others to be afraid of her, or discover that she was more dangerous than she looked... Not yet. It was too soon for that.

"Indeed, he is rather shy, isn't he? He is so adorable!" Corinna said with a giggle, looking to the redheaded woman after she said about the boy. She seemed to enjoy teasing him, and that was something that Corinna could relate to. Getting friendly with that woman, or at least showing herself to not be a threat to her would be very useful to keep her true self hidden.

Getting her attention back on the boy, he turned to her, saying that he would be glad to give her a tour around the shop, but to be careful and not touch anything.

"Thanks for the warning. I promise you I will keep my hands off of the dangerous looking stuff." Corinna said, with a smile on her face.

"You're very welcome to join the tour as well, if you'd like? I know you've finished your business with Mr. Nabriales, but perhaps there is something else in the store that would suit your fancy? He does have a grand array of products such as his potions, perfumes, and . . . l-l-lingerie that I feel m-might appeal to such an obviously fashion forward individual as yourself." the boy said, inviting the redhead to join them.

Although it wasn't enough to make him one of Corinna's obsessions, it was enough to spark her interest. He seemed to be... deliciously fun. At least until she found something more substantial to play with. Of course, that would depend on how that boy would react to her little games... But for now, it is safe enough to say that she has her eyes on him.

“While I would love to replace the lingerie set from this morning, I like having the ability to pay for things when I go window shopping. I’ve already gotten the impression my credit card won’t work here. Besides, I have an engagement with a certain Fox later and I don’t want to be late.” the redhead answered, gently declining the boy's offer.

Hm... A store that didn't accepted money as a payment? Most people would be scared by that, but that only made Corinna even more interested. She could use some... specific things that were rather... complicated to find in other stores. Maybe that store could offer her some interesting things... Mainly perhaps something to help her to erase someone's memory or something like that. It would certainly make her games much more easier. And no more loudmouths talking about her real intentions.
What could that Nabriales guy want as a payment? That was very interesting.

"Would you mind telling me your names?" she asked the pair.
"I'm Corinna, its a pleasure to meet you two." she said, offering her hand for the blushing boy to take her inside the store with a gentle, yet slightly mischievous smile.

"Oh~ I'm sorry to see you go. Maybe we should meet again to talk a bit more and drink some tea?" she said, looking to the redheaded woman. She seemed to have... interesting tastes. Maybe they had more in common than she realized?

"About the store, It doesn't accept money as a payment, correct? That is very interesting." she said to the boy, genuinely interested.
"What do you sell here? And what are the... 'prices'?" Corinna asked to the boy.

---

Damian's body tightened ever so slightly as the red haired woman talked about meeting a 'certain Fox', having a good idea of who this Fox might be, though he did his best to not let the recognition show on his face. Instead he'd give an understanding nod before giving her a small wave of good-bye as he started to turn towards the shop, hesitating slightly as he thought a bit on what she said.

"Oh, um, Mr. Nabriales may not take cash for his more. . . personalized products, but when it comes to the more run-of-the-mill items, those can be bought with regular currency. Actually, part of my job is handling such transactions while Mr. Nabriales does. . . whatever he ends up doing on that particular day. But if you have somewhere you have to go then I won't stop you. I hope you have a very nice day." After about a month working for the man, Damian could firmly assume that he was anything but a creature of habit, and that what he was doing at any point in the day was near impossible for anyone to really guess but himself, and even that seemed iffy. The man seemed to be driven purely by his whims and whatever interested him at any given moment, making it a bit difficult for the young Licentia to read him. Turning towards the other woman who he had promised a tour, he couldn't help but notice the slight emphasis she placed on the word 'pleasure', and how it sent a few unpleasant shivers down his spine. However, he pushed the feeling aside as he reached out to meet her outstretched hand with one of his own, giving her a warm smile as he did so, but noting that her hands felt a bit strange underneath the pure white gloves that she wore.

"No problem at all, really. My name is Damian, and it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Ms. Corinna. As for the kind of items that are in stock, well, it depends. Mr. Nabriales specializes in matters of alchemy, specifically that of creating potions and tinctures of a various sorts, and everything else we have here branches off from that central practice. To be more specific, I guess it could be said we have a little bit of everything? Or, at the very least, the means to make it." At this moment, Damian realized he was still holding Corinna's hand, having gotten to caught up in his thoughts to remember to do so, but as soon as his eyes landed upon the entwined appendages, he was quick to release his grip, the color that had been leaving his cheeks slowly as he time passed since his initial embarrassment now creeping their way back onto his face. "A-Anyway, lets make our way inside for the tour, shall we? I'm sure if you have any further questions, Mr. Nabriales would be glad to assist you. . . well, mostly sure."

On that somewhat hesitant note, Damian would open the door, though instead of entering he'd hold it open for the raven haired woman, the manners his mother had spent decades beating into his head along with every thing else taking hold of him immediately. Once she was inside, Damian would follow close behind, sparing a final parting wave towards Lily before disappearing behind the door. Once inside, Damian set about searching for his horned employer, motioning for Corinna to follow him.

"Mr. Nabriales? We have a customer that may be interested in buying something?"

---

Azulia hummed as she entered the house. Scratching at her skin, she looked at her arms and blinked at the sight of hives forming along her skin. She scratched at them confused of what could have caused them. The only thing that could cause such a reaction was animal fur. Frowning, she retraced her memory to earlier that day and frowned deeply when it hit her.

“!” Making a shocked noise, her mind went back to a lady she met today and she just so happen to have a dog with her. She groaned and scratched in frustration. How, in all her careful movements around animals, could dog fur got on her.

“Oh, there better be something for these damn things” she rushed to the bathroom after dropping her bag near the front door. After minutes upon minutes of rummaging through everything, she found an anti-itch cream in some of the drawers. Sighing with relief, she began to rub it into her irritated skin.

A loud creak was heard in the foyer. It was followed by a loud thump when Charles shut the door on his way inside, his feet dragged across the wooden floor and stepped heavily into the living room. He casually removed his coat then hung it up the rack nearby. Every movement seemed to be weighed down by a sense of depression after his visit with Lilith, his mind conflicted and confused as usual by her condition. Each visit the symptoms seemed to wane and wax much like the phases of the moon, resulting in more conflict within himself.

He rubbed the back of his neck to sooth the risen hairs lingering there. Upon briefly hearing the thunk of the cabinet, he paused in the middle of his walk and pulled back to glimpse down the hallway toward both the bedrooms and bathroom. His eyes narrowed a moment before he began to shift his direction to there.

“Azulia, is that you? Everything alright?” He asked in a calm, but cautious tone. It seemed he was prepared for it to be someone else.

Azulia, not noticing the footsteps coming towards her position, continued to rub the salve into her skin, which had turned a bright red from her constant scratching. She jumped when she suddenly heard Charles’ voice come from outside the bathroom door.

“U um y yeah, it's me,” she said, her arms twitching. She let out an impressive growl of annoyance as she lightly scratched the hives once again. “Say Charles, how long does this anti itch stuff take to kick in?”

Charles overlooked the growl, assuming it was directed at the hives, and entered the restroom. He shook his head then reached for the anti-itch cream as he read the instructions. The professor frowned then answered, “According to the instructions, in about five minutes for twenty-four hours relief. I suggest some witch hazel or an oatmeal soak, the later likely best.”

He gently took the young girl’s arm and examined the botches before confirming his suspicions, “Yes, an oatmeal soak is more likely. I’ll go get the oats, while you try to avoid itching it.”

“Thanks, ugh can't believe that dog got fur on my skin, I was so careful” she muttered as she gripped the toilet trying not to itch the annoying bumps on her arms.

“From my understanding of physics and animal fur, it's not hard. They shed everywhere so avoiding it is like trying to avoid air: impossible. In fact, trying harder has likely made it worse,” Charles commented as he returned, overhearing the tail end of Azulia’s frustrated words, and then placed the oatmeal container on the sink’s counter.

He gestured for her attention as he pulled down the salve and unscrewed the lid to show her the contents. The slightly off white wax was soft and room temperature, ideal for spreading it across skin. He thought for a moment and decided to check his assumption, “Do you have any experience in how to prepare an oatmeal bath or do you need me to demonstrate for you?”

Tightening her lips, she looked at the oatmeal. She never had to do it since she was never exposed to animals back when her mom was alive, her mom was extremely cautious about it, so she never had to take an oatmeal bath.

“Well, mom was a cautious person, so she made sure I was never exposed after we found out about the allergy when I was a small child, so you would need to demonstrate it for me” she said with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders before scratching the hives again, muttering something that sounded like a cuss word.

Charles looked harder at Azulia, either appearing to try to understand something or determining if she was bending the truth. After a moment, he let his facial features relax as he stated what was on his mind, “I’m sorry to say, as parent myself, trying to shield your child from exposure to an allergy is easier said than done. Especially with something commonly found in everyday life. It might also explain your reaction being so terrible as well.”

The professor moved toward the bath, his hand gestured for Azulia to move before he sat down upon the toilet lid and started the warm water. He popped opened the plastic lid then showed her how finely it was chopped by shifting it through his fingers. Finally he waited until about an inch or so of water had filled up the bottom when he began to measure out and dump about four hand scoops into the water. As the last one fell in, he then stirred the oatmeal until the water was a pale and watered down milky color. His hand withdrew from the water, shaking the excess water off a bit, to turn off the faucet.

“I’ll leave you to soak in there for about twenty to thirty minutes. That should stop the inflammatory and itching. After patting, not rubbing, yourself dry put this on,” he passed her the salve as he made his way out, adding to his earlier words.

“It should prevent the itch from emerging again,” his hand closed the door behind him.

Azulia nodded and undressed. She got into the bath and laid there, lost in thought. She remember the day like it was yesterday. Her mom finally got a day off work to finally take her to the zoo like she always begged her for and the zoo happened to have a petting area. Azulia could remember petting one of the goats there and then a bunch of red bumps appearing on her skin. She could never forget the look of fear and panic on her mother’s face, not even a million years.

She was in the hospital for a day and a half getting treated for the allergic reaction. She sunk more into the water and oats, her mother’s panic face clear in her mind as she drove her to the emergency room.

“So much for getting a puppy that Christmas” she chuckled softly to herself. Thirty minutes went by quickly and soon she got out of the bath tub, wrapping herself with a towel nearby and patted herself dry. She looked at the slave Charles had gotten out and began to rub it into her skin.

When she finished, she got redressed and exited the bathroom. Looking around for Charles, she found him shortly.

“So am I still going with you to explore the college?” She asked.

“Yes, you are. Through I wasn’t expecting you to have a breakout when we did. Are you sure you feel up to it?” Charles asked as he lowered the newspaper he read during her soak, his attention pulled from it. Part of him had been rereading the article over the jail break in hopes a second review might reveal additional clues, but as expected there wasn’t any. That fact worried him on the inside.

It was pointless to worry about it now, his exterior revealed little about his tension or stress over the matter to Azulia. Currently he appeared to be a calm individual waiting for her reply.

Her eyebrow twitched as he said that. As if she was expecting it either and she gave him a look. She sat down and sighed, opening her mouth.

“Yeah I am up to it. This will be the very first time I actually get to spend time with my adopted father. It's still strange to be here. I always wake up thinking my mom would come through that bedroom door any second now with a smile on her lips” She said tracing the table with her finger.

“Did you ever think like that when someone you loved died?” She asked looking at him.

“All the time.”

Charles leaned forward and placed the paper upon the coffee table at his side, folding it neatly on instinct. His eyes took a moment to casually study his adoptive daughter, taking the time to consider his next words carefully and finally broke the silence building between them, “I have lived a very long life and experienced almost every emotion a man should and can. You would assume eventually someone like me would grow numb.”

He let the words sink in a moment before he continued before he could be interrupted, “I still feel it as if it was the first time. Even now, time to time I expect to walk up and hear a loved one’s voice calling to me to wake up. Some days, I find myself not wanting to even stir and rise from my bed. So I know very well about what you talk about.”

Azulia was silent after he finished speaking, her mind wrapping around his words intently. They made sense to her now, but if she had heard the words months before, she wouldn't have been able to. She looked at him.

“What were your thoughts and emotions when you found out I was coming and when you read the letter my mother wrote to you?” She said as she struggled to find words.

“I only saw a few emotions when you read it, but I couldn't decipher them.” She said, her finger stopping its movements completely, pointed at an angle towards Charles.

“Honestly? I was shocked and a bunch of other emotions all mixed up. See, I had an unsavory encounter with a Prae arriving at my home and questioning me before your arrival. An incident I prefer to avoid getting into,” Charles stated, his figure rose and gestured for Azulia to follow him toward the coat rack.

“With my lifespan being rather lengthy, my memories aren’t the same as everyone. I have compartmentalize them or the past and present become hard to tell apart. Your mother was a wonderful, but sadly timid individual. Something you both have in common,” Charles began to place on his coat, his arm passed a umbrella toward her which indicated he wanted to be prepared incase it rained.

He turned to size up Azulia, noting her facial features reflected her mother so well and brought the familiarity of depression to rise to the surface at knowing she would near again grace his or her daughter’s life ever again. At least she was in a better place, he thought bitterly.

“I’m sad you’ll never get to see her pride at the woman you will become, but current I see your presence as a gift. An unexpected and precious one. It’s the biggest reason I want you to enjoy being a child for however long you can because it’s an experience you’ll never get back and everyone should have once in their lifetimes.”

Azulia stood and followed Charles to the door. She listened to his words carefully. She could tell he cared a lot for her mom and it made her feel happy. She somewhat knew that her life here wasn't good, but never knew why. She grabbed her purse.

“I may not know what happened to mom here, but I'm glad she had someone here who cared for her like you did. She always used to say ‘My professor could have easily ignored it like everyone else, but he chose not to.’ She never truly gave your name for some reason, saying that when the time came, I would know.” Her eyes down casted a bit.

“Being a nurse, she knew how short lives could be and how unexpected it could be taken away. She always told me stories of how she held some people’s hands in comfort as they slowly passed away, even if they did make her cry.” She looked at him.

“I thank you for being a part of my mom’s life and even my own, Charles, or dad. Still don't know what to call you through,” she said blushing a little bit.

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” Charles said as he opened the door and guided her out with a hand upon her shoulder.

“If it helps I haven't been a father in a long time so I'm going to be bloody rusty at this, but keep in mind I have your best interests at heart. I intent to not fail your mom’s memory if I can help it.”

Azulia smiled brightly and wrapped her danity arms around his midsection in a somewhat tight hug, her eyes closed as she felt a surge of emotion rise in her throat. The emotion was strong, but not strong enough to allow tears to fall.

---

---

She couldn't say that she wasn't slightly curious about the 'fox' that the redhead had mentioned. But she was certain that she would meet that redhead again sometime. Until then, she had some more interesting things to do, mainly, new toys to play...

"No problem at all, really. My name is Damian, and it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Ms. Corinna. As for the kind of items that are in stock, well, it depends. Mr. Nabriales specializes in matters of alchemy, specifically that of creating potions and tinctures of a various sorts, and everything else we have here branches off from that central practice. To be more specific, I guess it could be said we have a little bit of everything? Or, at the very least, the means to make it." he said, quickly letting go of her hand, getting really embarrassed again.

Corinna couldn't help but let out a discreet smile as the boy held her hand, perhaps for a bit too long, as he took her inside the store.
It was really a very unique place. Now with the redheaded woman gone, they were alone. Corinna was having fun studying the boy's reactions.
He was indeed getting calmer after the redhead went away. She did like to tease him... She could be an interesting company...

"Damian... You have an adorable name!" She repeated his name with a smooth tone.
"You are a sweetie! You don't need to be so embarrassed!" Corinna said, giggling lightly as he started to get red again.
"The other woman sure did like to tease you a lot, didn't she? I can't blame her, after all, your reactions are rather cute!" She said, with a feminine giggle.
"Oh, you don't need to be worried. Most certainly, I wouldn't make anything like that in public. I am a delicate lady, I would never do such uncouth things..." Corinna said with an almost motherly tone, doing her best to sound harmless and friendly.

"Mr. Nabriales? We have a customer that may be interested in buying something?" Damian said, as they stopped in front of the counter.

Behind it, Corinna could se a very interesting man. With beautiful blue horns adorning his head, the man had a very youthful appearance and wore eccentric clothes. He certainly had an exotic beauty.

"Oh! You must be Mr Nabriales, right? I'm enchanted to meet you." Corinna said, bowing her head in a discreet greeting.

"I've heard many things about you from the adorable Damian here and the tall woman that just got out. I need to say that I got very interested after hearing them." Corinna said, looking at Damian with the corner of her eyes in a discreet, but surely charming stare.

"You said Mr. Nabriales is an alchemist, right Damian?" She asked, genuinely curious about the man. The more she heard about him, the more interested she was. Maybe he could have some potions for her? Things that would be pretty fun to play with...
"I may be interested in some of your special products, Mr. Nabriales." she said to Nabriales with a sly smile.
"Oh, and about some of your more ordinary products, you do sell some fabric here, don't you? Maybe some clothing?" she asked with a smile.
"Its particularly difficult to find good black dresses around here, especially a good dark fabric to match with my hair." Corinna said, looking to her own black dress.
"Maybe Damian could help me to find something, I must say I'm tempted to accept that offer you made to the tall woman a little back earlier." Corinna said to Damian, with a seductive smile.

Nabriales... That man certainly wasn't just a regular human. Especially with those horns. Something felt different about him.
"So... Mr Nabriales... what kind of potions do you sell? And about the price? I will admit, I am rather excited to hear about it, especially after what I've heard, about you not accepting money." Corinna said, holding out her hand with the palm facing downward in a very antiquated, elegant and traditional greeting.

---

After a few hours of investigating, all Raiden’s leads had brought him to Apollo’s Spear. If the name didn’t subtly suggest that it was an alternative club, then the line of eligible bachelors and not a single woman in sight might’ve. It was one of the few clubs outside the entertainment district and still considered independent from the the ‘Fox’s’ claws. They also suffered a heavy price for it. Being on the slum’s outer edge and without protection, rash break ins and vandalism happened on nearly a daily basis. Now the owner’s insurance skyrocketed and rumors flew about that he going to sell it before he moved on.

Mr. Nabriales. Victorious Secret’s shop owner, would’ve certainly thrived here, thought Raiden. He was unique enough to.

When his peripheral vision caught a young ‘chicken’ briefly pause to size him up, his attention shifted from his internal thoughts to his surroundings with a trained ease. His eyes tightened as his aura flared, giving off an intense aggression to his appearance. Seeing no opportunity for a one night stand, the young man moved onto better prospects and stepped into the lengthy line.

Relieved it worked, his hand reached up to adjust the toothpick in his mouth. He had given up smoking around Emmett’s birth, but old habits and twitches died hard. Having something in his mouth soothed his nerves right now.

The young man wasn’t the only one that seemed interested. After surveying the scene, Raiden found himself becoming the unwanted target of several other men glancing into his direction. This made him extremely aware of his fashion sense as he looked himself over once more. A simple black tee-shirt, jeans, belted leather jacket and boots were all he decided to wear. Personally, he considered it plain and inconspicuous, but with the string of sudden attention now, he began to have lingering doubts.

To distract himself, he casually pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at it. The screen saver illuminated his features in the darkness outside the club.

A small smirk broke his sober expression while he recalled the exact memory in his head. It was fresh as the day it was taken. Emmett leaned in between Olivia and Alice, both sitting at the kitchen table. The boy’s arm raised high enough to place two extended fingers on top of Olivia’s head and gave her ‘bunny ears’ for the picture perfect moment. Olivia, oblivious to her brother’s antics, had merely shifted over and posed for her father. Her smile was purely genuine since she was the people pleaser of the family. Of course, Alice, being the ever vigilant mother, had already spied the mischief. She moved to slap his hand down and started to scold Emmett when the phone clicked. Despite her appearance, Raiden could easily see the warmth in her eyes over her adopted son’s actions.

Raiden’s emotions of joy and pride quickly faded into the depression. These precious times were fleeting and brief, too short for his liking, as he recalled how rough a hunter’s life was. Long hours and the ever present risk he might never return one night stood in the shadows of their lives. It could be overlooked, but as long as he was a hunter, it would never be gone.

A familiar paranoia resurfaced once more. It had been growing stronger over the last few days, coupled with Alice showing signs of odd worry and stress, to the point it was difficult to leave the apartment at all. A month since it started and not a single incident had happened. It was both a good and bad sign in his opinion.

One individual came to mind that he could count on: Mairyell Kasio, the Sanguine. A fellow hunter that might at least understand his concern about Alice and humor his request to check on her. Almost instinctively, his thumb was clicking over the contacts page then scrolled down list of names to rest upon Mairyell’s number. He clicked it causing the message screen to pop up. Raiden frowned at the small space for his message. He might’ve not been an dinosaur when it came to technology, but he was a bit old fashion. He prefered to ask an individual in person because he took things like this seriously and intended to pay it back when he could.

Seeing no other way to lower his paranoia, Raiden’s fingers quickly flew over the touch screen. He would have to keep the message as short as possible since this was the only way.

Hey, could you check on Alice and the kids? I’m worried and please do me a favor, if you see Emmett try to make it sound like more of a casual visit. Else he’ll never let me forget it. I’ll pay back the favor later.

He read the message at least three times. With each round, he debated over the casualness and seriousness in the word choice he went with. No matter how much he tried, it all sounded rather childish to him. The man exhaled. They really needed to sit down over a whiskey shot or something soon else this stress was going to kill him on day.

Not enjoying where his headspace was, Raiden sent it and placed his phone back into his jacket. Now he just had to wait for a few hours. With any luck, his target should hopefully show up.



Scouting out a club for hours wasn’t much fun as Raiden’s fingers toyed with the toothpick in his teeth, passing the time while he observed the crowd. He knew what he was looking for. After several chats with locals, a few of the reports stated to have reoccurring details on the suspect. He was a young man, about mid twenties, with long silver hair and golden eyes. Every night he was seen leaving with often an older man before the victim wound up dead in some dumpster blocks from the club.

IHO suspected it was a banshee as proven by the reports they received. The victims all had a restful but depressed expressions, like they had given up on living. The coroner’s notes confirmed that each man’s body had seemed to mysteriously stopped functioning. The pigment in their skin, hair, eyes and numerous other features seemed to be bleached pure white. It was unsettling over all.

Raiden’s vision shifted to the nightclub’s exit and managed to catch a glimpse of two patrons discreetly drifting out through the back. His eyes narrowed as his figure pushed off the wall, lightly doused by the recent rain. Careful not to draw attention to himself, the hunter turned about and walked casually down the alley after them.

He noticed the place seemed to become more and more isolated the farther they walked. Not a soul was in sight and the flickering lamp posts lined the area, indicating they were heading into one of the worst parts of the city. When they took a right into another alley, Raiden knew he had to act fast.

Immediately he reached for his hidden gun in his back pocket. His thumb flicked off the safety and increased his pace into bolting speed. When he entered the alley, he expected to spot the two individuals still walking, but it seemed they had vanished into thin air. Raiden blinked in confusion. His gun was still readied as his right foot lead his way deeper in. His attention shifted from side to side until something caught his attention. A body, slumped up against the right wall, covered at the waist by a blanket.

He recognized the man from the before by the red hair, thick built and casual dress. However, something wasn’t right. The buzzing of flies grew louder, increasing the sensation something was dead wrong. The man didn’t react to the insects crawling upon him as they continued to hover and fly off in a natural pattern. Cautiously, Raiden lowered himself just in front of what he suspected was nothing more than a corpse. His suspicions were proven right. White filmed the man’s pupils, his expression relaxed and lifeless.

A sick, guilty sensation knotted Raiden’s stomach. This man had been dead for at least several hours. He seemed planted here for someone to find, but why? The question rattled around his head before the sound of clapping broke the silence.

Raiden quickly jerked about. Looking to the way he just came was the very man he was originally tracking. Unfazed, the ‘banshee’ smirked upon being noted and his clapping ceased. He folded his arms behind him once more, a glint of malice mingled with sadistic intentions in the expression. Raiden’s heart sank a bit in noticing this.

“Congratulations,” the man began, seeming to praise the hunter, “You’ve gotten my attention and now, I think it’s time to say good bye.”

Raiden raised his gun directly at the man. Meanwhile his other hand moved to his pouch, his words aimed to distract rather than threaten, “I think you’ll have to try a lot harder than some pretty words to prevent me from either killing or taking you in.”

“It’s not me you should be concerned with…” The man’s eyes looked past Raiden to something lurking on the opposite side.

The hairs on Raiden’s neck rose up and his head glanced over his shoulder to locate the source. His eyes widened upon finally sensing something there. Something...huge. Underneath his breath, the hunter had enough time to utter a single curse, “Fuck…”

It appeared to be at about nine foot high in comparison to him. His mind failed to answer how he missed such a large creature sneaking upon him and without a single sound. Had it just materialized? Unable to dwell on the question, the piranha like face pulled its already too short lips and made a rattling hissed. The red, beady eyes danced with hunger creating a fresh shiver down the hunter’s spine. As it stepped into the dimly lit alley, Raiden noticed the numerous stitching, fresh scars, along its joints and various appendages despite the blue coloring and scales that tried to hide it. Long fin like hair trailed from its squat head shaped like a tank dome on its board shoulders.

It hissed then charged forward on all fours. Its thick, ape like arms took most the weight. They slapped the pavement with its palms, each finger held a dagger long claws sharp enough to slice, with each lunge forward. Raiden’s figure wheeled around and took quick aim. He pulled the trigger, firing one, two and three precise shots into the head. Each bullet flattened upon impact before it fell upon the ground with a clink.

Unfazed by the beast bolting toward his direction, Raiden’s original target merely exhaled and turned on heel to walk out. His hand waved across his torso and his disguise promptly dropped as pain rippled along his figure. The sound of cracking bones were heard echoing in his wake while he seemed unfazed by it on the outside.

Spotting the man’s departure, Raiden’s other hand-now charged up with magic- jerked at the man’s back. There was a sudden release of magical energy in the form of a lightning and it rapidly shot after the target. It seemed about to hit, but suddenly clashed into some invisible shielding. The magical barrier shimmered, seemed to absorb the attack, and then faded once more.

Not turning to face his attacker, the man spoke back to Raiden, “I came prepared. I wish you luck surviving my little project.”

More shots were fired in reply before Raiden screamed and everything fell into silence once more. Only the sound of crunching bones and a dragging body was heard.

---

Emmett had become covered in sweat. His body twisted and turned, the soaked sheets intertwined tightly about his legs. He struggled to purge himself from the nightmare that latched onto his young dreams. His mother, corpse like and decaying, reached bony fingers out to him. She asked him to stay with her forever causing the young boy to recoil in disgust. Fear pounded through his veins and seemed to echo within his head, the beat relentlessly chasing him through the darkness like a hell hound on the hunt. His foot slipped then his body fell to the side. He tumbled into an abyss as it swallowed him up.

Abruptly the boy jerked upright in his bed, wet with perspiration. It took a moment for him to realize where he was: home. Gradually his heart, still painfully beating, began to slow and relax. The anxiety refused to leave him however. His head turned to spy Olivia still sound asleep. His expression softened before he began to work on untangling the bed sheets and then tossed it onto the floor.

Carefully placing his feet, one then the other, upon the wooden floor, he took a second to steady himself. He navigated the room’s series of squeaky boards so not to wake Olivia. He noticed she had tussled the covers to one side in her slumber and she now started to shiver from the room’s chill. His eyes narrowed in confusion. Usually Alice, who had came into check on them, readjusted Olivia’s cover and went to bed herself. Swallowing the sensation something was off budding in his chest, Emmett reached for the thick covers. He flipped them over his younger sister and after tucking the edges underneath her, he carefully tiptoed toward the cracked door.

A mistake he would come to regret.

A dark, wispy figure was floating toward the bedroom. His eyes widened in terror and mouth dropped, his mind quickly becoming numb by the terror filling him. It seemed to prick him like thousands of little needles. They fixed him into place. Unable to think, the shade drifted into the room through the door. The feminine head turned and spotted him near her.

“Y-You…” It was only word Emmett could managed to get through his lips.

This brought amusement to the vaporous form, her shadow seemed to crack upon the lower part of her head and form into a crooked smile. It seemed pleased he remembered it causing more ice to dart across his veins. His shadow convulsed underneath him then ripped upward. It seized his throat and lifted him from his feet in one single motion. Impulsively, his hands wrapped about the shadowy tendril and pulled up to ease his choking. It didn’t help much.

His eyes were fixed, best they could, to the creature that murdered his mother. Its shape finally reached his personal space and seemed to look him over. He got an unsettled sensation from its gesture. It was confirmed the moment it spoke, things were about to get much worse. Briefly, her attention swayed over to Olivia’s form causing Emmett’s hands to try to pry away the shadows despite the terror that rippled within him. His sudden but pitiful movement caught its attention once more. Its head snapped back and seemed to get pleasure at his failing attempts.

Another tendril rose out of the floor and seemed to extend its tip to the Shade. It placed something into the tendril’s grasp, something lighter in color, and then gestured at him. The dark snake like shadow shot forward. It pressed its cold, strange appendage against his mouth, forcing something about the size of a marble down it. His struggles increased.

“Do it, or you’ll watch your sister die…” Came the raspy voice against his mind, like sandpaper, causing Emmett to flinch in obedience.

It then replied with a slight mockery in its tone, “Very good boy.”

A sound caught its attention and became tense, its attention aware of its surroundings and waiting for something to happen.

---

Either Cortes had skin of fur or pure ice as he stood against the frigid glare Masha gave him, seemingly unfazed by the reaction to his antics. Darius doubted the man found the woman much of a threat, but he was confident that would change. His eyes were still fixed on the Eximius that had walked through the very club doors causing his eyes to tighten, the only tell he gave to his confusion, before he felt Masha’s hand brush his arm.

It took all his will not to flinch away at the touch.

With such affectionate actions, he often expected a pocket knife to swiftly follow it. His attention jerked into her direction on instinct, finding her unaware of his reaction and already focused on her first parton. He wanted to warn her to tread carefully. Few individuals ever pissed off a powerful Licenti and were found bragging about it.

Thankfully, nothing happened. The woman seemed distracted or otherwise preoccupied with another matter that she didn’t seem to hear Masha. He gradually relaxed and settled back into his chair. His attention focused on Cortes but his whisper was to Masha herself, “Careful. She’s reached her final stage and very dangerous.”

He covered his whisper with a paw extended upward to order a different drink. This time a scotch then held it idly in his paws. His senses, trained thanks to his time sitting in a room filled with vipers, extended to keep himself alert. Anything happened, he would be among the first to note it and react.



During the hour or so, Ms. Sane had managed to make her way to the bar. She sat and chatted with the male bartender, her figure became overly comfortable in the setting. His eyes darted to the nearest clock to note over an hour had passed. It was time for him to leave as he still much to do today.

Casually he rose to his feet, his scotch gone, then turned to Masha. If they had been alone, he might’ve actually taken her hand and gently kiss it upon the back in a gentleman's fashion. Sadly appearances had to be kept up. He bowed instead, his eyes never leaving hers, when he spoke, “I’ll leave you two to settled and get to work. I expect to see things starting to improve within the upcoming week, specifically customers filling out vacancies. Have a good evening.”

---

Damian was. . . uncertain about how to feel about Corinna, unused to anyone really giving him this much attention without anything to prompt it. . . or some darker ulterior motive, which he hadn't completely ruled out. Though what she could possibly want with someone like him was something that Damian couldn't really fathom at the moment. Shaking his head clear of these thoughts, he turned his attention back to the cause of his distrust, feeling his face reddening somewhat more as she called him 'adorable' while discussing with Mr. Nabriales and offering only a bit of a nod towards her following question while he focused on arranging a few of the potions on a nearby shelf.

He soon found himself torn away from this task, however, as Nabriales came up to pull him to the side, the somewhat excited look in the horned man's eyes being one that Damian was quiet familiar with. He often wore that look when he was about to conduct am experiment of some sort, and Damian had little doubt that he was to be the guinea pig for whatever this one turned out to be. Looking down at the potion, Damian gave a small sigh before slowly taking a tentative swig of the unknown concoction.

The purpose of the potion was soon made readily apparent as he felt a . . . strange surge of feelings course through his body. A haze fell over his mind as he reached out to grasp a nearby shelf, letting out a shaky breath as his brain was sent reeling with an influx of intense confusion. Looking back up at his employer, Damian gave a light nod and 'excuse me' before making his way over to Corinna in order to give her that promised tour.

Ms.Corinna . . . she's rather pretty too, now that I think about. Damian's eyes seemed to sharpen as his gaze fixated on the woman before him, focusing on her feet before making it's way slowly down the length of her. The desire that the potion instilled in him was obvious, burning with the emerald depths of his eyes, it radiated off of him like heat from a furnace. But that wasn't the only thing the came off of him, however. With this activation of his primal desires, Damian also unleashed the full affect of his natural Incubus aura, something he often kept under wraps whenever he could so that he didn't accidentally influence people. It's effects were subtle and gentle, like the boy himself, likely taking the woman's current interest in him and fanning the flames ever so slightly.

As he reached her, Damian reached out a hand to her, his innocent smile somewhat wider and somewhat less innocent then before as he spoke to her.

"Are you ready for your tour now, Ms. Corinna? Despite the relatively small size, I assure you that this store has many interesting things to see." His voice came out somewhat deeper than normal. That wasn't the only change, however, as Corinna would notice that in the time it had taken for him to walk over, he had grown just a bit taller, perhaps an inch or so, and that his features had gotten a bit sharper and more rugged, almost as if he had aged up a year or so in those short strides towards her.

She didn’t like being snubbed like that. But she held her tongue, rolled her eyes and went back to her drink, smoke, and pitted conversation.

Masha frowned a little when Darius announced that he was leaving, but she didn't think that it carried much more than disappointment of losing a nice conversation partner. “I'll be sure to keep you informed,” she said with confident smile. And she meant that two fold. She would keep him informed on the club. But she would also be getting in touch with him for less professional reasons. And she was sure he knew that.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't do,” she said with a teasing, kinda sounding tipsy laugh. She wasn't really that tipsy. But she was on her second drink here, let alone the wine from lunch, and her other addictions. So she was not sober. But she was plenty sober enough to deal with Cortes.

Turning to him, she put out the end of her latest cigarette and gave him a smile that was edged with teeth. "Now, let's get started."

---

---

Corinna watched as Nabriales complimented her appearance. The man was indeed mysterious, smooth voice and gentle movements. He was certainly quite a character. It seems the rumors about him were really true. All his movements seemed to be calculated and elegant.
As Nabriales called Damian, Corinna simply watched as he simply materialized a distinct looking potion on his hand.

"I need you to test this particular potion for me. You can take it before giving Corinna her tour - it will certainly enhance the experience!" Nabriales said winking to Corinna as Damian took it on his hands.
His tone when talking to the young Damian was still the same, but there was that touch of authority and firmness on his voice, as he was reminding Damian that it was an order.

"I wonder what exactly he means by 'enhancing the experience'..." Corinna thought to herself. She was genuinely interested to see what effects that potion would have on the young boy, after all, she heard some interesting things about Mr. Nabriales' potions...

"Oh, it's working!" Corinna said, with a sly smile on her face, not even trying to hide her amusement. She couldn't help but feel curious about the potion's effects. Some people may even think that she was being rather insensible or cruel, as she watched Damian grabbing a nearby shelf, breathing with difficulty, but for Corinna, it was simply amusing. She didn't have an ounce of guilt.

But as soon as Damian came walking to her, she noticed something different. The boy had his eyes fixated on her, studying her figure from her head to her toes. The way he was walking, how he was looking at her... The effects of the potion became immediately apparent.

"Are you ready for your tour now, Ms. Corinna? Despite the relatively small size, I assure you that this store has many interesting things to see." He said extending his hand for her. He was definitely different. His voice was deeper, he didn't seem to be as shy as he was before, his smile wasn't that innocent anymore... And if all that wasn't enough, he was a bit more taller, more mature... All of that made him look even more... delicious.

"Of course! I've already saw many interesting things on the short time that I've been here. I'm sure that this tour will turn out to be very exciting." Corinna said, her fangs showing under her lips a bit more than before. As she took his hand, she turned her face to Nabriales with a mischievous smile on her face, indicating that the potion certainly would make things more interesting.

As they walked away from Nabriales to see the rest of the store, she noticed that it was slightly harder to control herself. She didn't know it was due to that potion, or due to the boy's change in both appearance, voice and demeanor, but it was certainly getting rather hard to hold herself to not sink her fangs on him, and make him her plaything.

"So Damian..." Corinna said with a seductive voice.
"I'm at your care, what will you show me now?" Corinna asked, carefully looking to the boy's body.
It wasn't only just an impression, he really got a bit taller and more mature... She wondered if that was really the effect of the potion or there was a bit more to the young and innocent boy than it meets the eye...
"He may turn out to be a better toy than I initially thought..." she thought to herself as she waited for his answer.

Hellish Night Part 1

Location: Erin’s home
Time: 12 am (Day 3) to about 6:37 am (Day 4)

The house was completely quiet except for the gentle footsteps of a single figure heading in a northern direction, before step, as if listening closely for something to appear suddenly. This scenario was very unlikely due to the time but then again the darker half had been wrong before. After a few minutes her foot inched towards the floor making sure not to allow the wood underneath to creak in defiance. Clara sighed in relief as her shared body passed from the stair case with ease. The last thing the Ifrit wanted to do was explain why she was up at midnight. Then again it would be very ease to leave that pest parent less once again.

The thought sounded sweet inside their shared mind yet the young woman placed a hand against her heart with a small pained scoffed. She knew humans were filled with everything other than their primal instinct, granted the lighter half seemed to have lost most of those feelings, making her bark much more annoying. Perhaps this was the beginning signs of weakness? If this part was true then the darker half knew that she would have to remind Erin just who was in charge once again. What better way than to poison her favorite teacher?

” I might be borrowing your body Erin but you’re just a child to this little game. So if you don’t want to be good then I’ll just have to teach you.”

She commented as she went to work. After about an hour or two passed and the licentia was no more closer to finishing the deadly cookies for Charles. To make matters worst the human’s aunt had peeked into the room twice with a concerned look. Clara was able to manage to fool her with a smile and a cookbook in front of her. All the girl had to say was a simple word and the woman seemed to back off like the plague. After a few more minutes the darker half removed the baked goods from the oven and set them down on a cooling rack. A yawn worked its way up from her chest making the already tired figure to crawl into a deep slumber at the table.

---

A voice sounded from the darkness making the gentler side to groan in displeasure. Another muffled sentence along with the usual angry screaming. Wait...screaming? Since when had her guardian started to take up that monster’s mannerisms? Her eyes slowly fluttered opened, only to be greeted with a fiery figure and dervish smirk on its lips, making that small frame of minutes darken instantly.

” Dia duit ar maidin Erin. Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú ag mothú ag an nóiméad? Is féidir liom a bhrath leid beag le fios don phobal agus eagla?”

(Translation: Good morning Erin. How are you feeling at this moment? Do I detect a small hint of despair and fear?)

” Ugh. Cén fáth ní mór duit scream i mo chluas? Fan. Cén fáth sa ifreann Tá mé thuas staighre agus sa chistin?"

(Transition: Ugh. Why must you scream in my ear? Wait. Why in the hell am I upstairs and in the kitchen?)

” Thit chodladh ag déanamh staidéir ar mo parasite beag. grab Fearr na fianáin do mháthair arna dhéanamh chun ollamh toisc go bhfuil tú ag rith níos déanaí ná mar is gnách. Agus nach bhfuil muid ag iarraidh na gráid a ghlacadh Léim dhéanaimid?”

(Transition: Fell asleep studying my little parasite. Best grab the cookies your mother made for the professor because you're running later than usual. And we don't want those grades to take a dive do we?")

” Is fuath liom é nuair do ollphéist ceart dofheicthe. Just a guí nach bhfuil an ollamh fháil amach Tá mé ag cur do thástálacha arís.”

(Translation: I really hate it when your right invisible monster. Just pray that the professor doesn't find out I've been taking your tests again.)

---

“I’m more careful than you,” Darius softly warned. His eyes jerked upright and noticed Cortes’ gaze, their eyes locked for a moment. If looks could create sparks, this one would’ve set a wildfire. Lingering well after Cortes forced himself to turn away, the Fox adjusted his suit and gave one last bow before departing. He trusted that Mash knew what she was doing. If not, Afua would ensure the woman didn’t die.

Upon reaching the exit, his phone rang and vibrated in his pocket. Darius carefully pulled it out then flipped it open to review the messages. Two names caught his attention promptly: Mr. Aeon and Ms. Quarin. He hadn’t heard the latter in a long time as a mixture of dark and light memories surfaced to his attention, ones which took place during his time in Torqueo. It was a strange place for him. A time he didn’t wish to ever remember.

He snapped back into the present almost immediately.

His thumb darted over the touch screen to arrange the two meetings. Lily, despite her latter timing on her request, was scheduled today. He requested she wait for him at the Sinner’s Luck casino where he would pick her up and continue their meeting at his estate. Aeon’s would be tomorrow afternoon because of his impatience. It surprised Darius that such an ‘elderly’ individual would actually behave like his physical appearance. Either something was wrong, or Aeon wasn’t nearly as old as his manners seemed to portray. Finished with his current business, Darius pocketed his cell once more and stepped into the waiting car.

---

Cortes’ head turned slightly from the bar and from the corner of his vision, watched the exchange between the two. He eyed specifically Darius very carefully. It was difficult to play a viper in the grass especially being this close to the Kitsune. One misstep and it would all come crashing down in a horrible fire of failure. He couldn’t allow it to happen. The thought crossed his mind as he leaned into the bar, his arm reached for the shitty shot of whiskey his second rate bartender poured.

It was a ruse they both developed in order to prevent business from thriving. If this place went down, Darius would consider selling it and place it on the market. During that time, the gang he associated with and began to lead would chase off any potential buyers when necessary. Then they would create a nest to overthrow the Fox from his comfortable throne.

Distracted by his thoughts, Cortes barely realized that Masha had turned her attention upon him. He coughed to hide it as he twisted about in his chair and set his attention onto her. With the Fox gone, he didn’t have to tiptoe as carefully.

“I’m surprised you really want to turn this [i[place[/i] into something more,” He politely put it, trying to keep the charm up and hopefully talk her out of it. He took a sip of his whiskey then crunched his nose. It was disgusting by his standards but he beared through it, managing to hold his constitution past the burn down his throat and until the very end. He was a little disappointed that the aftertaste didn’t fade too.

Not willing to drink more, he slide the glass over to his employee to clean up. His words still directed to Mash, “However, you’re the boss and you’ll find out soon enough. Where do you want to make changes first?”

---

Damian chuckled slightly as Corinna took his hand, some part of him wondering why he wasn't more nervous about the woman's forwardness. While he still felt a twinge of anxiety with every word and action she made towards him, it was quickly smothered by these overwhelming urges to get closer to her. This feeling urged him to bring her nearer to his side with a firm, but gentle, tug of her hand, barely noticing the slightly strange texture he could feel beneath the silken thread of her gloves.

"Well, Ms.Corina, it'd probably be best to start with the main draw of the shop, right?" Leading her away from Nabriales, he brought her towards a rack of potions and what not that made up some of the alchemists less . . . 'hazardous' stock that he thought might suit her fancy. With a careful precision, Damian reached out to pick up a small vile of clear liquid, the glass upon it decorated with a few magical sigils that enhanced the longevity of the potions shelf-life. "Like right here, we happen to have a few examples of Mr. Nabriales' more general tinctures. Here, we have a potion that will cure any common illness within moments of consumption after a single dose, and next to it is a elixir of clarity, which helps enhance mental focus. And from what I've heard, it also makes a good cure for when you're hung-over, not that I expect a lady as refined as yourself to drink in such amounts to warrant such medications."

Moving on, Damian brought towards a section of potions that were all encased in glass bottles that held a tinge of deep red to them. This was a much larger section than the one before, with a wide plethora of options to choose from, as well a sign hanging above them. Instead of words, however, it showed a picture of two people wrapped in a loving embrace, the appearance and gender of the individuals seeming to change every time you look at it. As they approached closer, a certain scent could be smelled in the air, a light flowery scent that brought with it past memories of love and happiness, as well as darker obsessions and hedonistic endeavors to those who dabbled in such matters.

"Right here is a section of potions that have to do with passion and love. As you could probably guess, this is a rather big hit with most of the female customers that come through here, most of them being of the younger sort. Love, Lust, Obsession, you name it and we have a potion here that's related to it in someway." Reaching out, Damian pulled down a large vial that shown a bright crimson as it was hit by one of the sunbeams that streamed in through the store windows. "This one here is a bit scary, if I do say so myself. Inspires complete and utter devotion for either the first thing the person who drinks it sees, or the person who had Mr. Nabriales tie their Vis into the potion, though that service cost an extra fee." Turning towards Corinna, Damian's omni-present grin took a bit of mischievous tilt as he let go of the woman's hand, instead using it to play with the stopper just a tad.

"Can you just imagine how that would feel, Ms. Corinna? To have your entire being become one of subservience to one person, perhaps someone you don't even now, without anyway of fighting it. . . quite the scary potion isn't it, and yet. . . " With a deft twist, Damian removed the cap of the potion, letting the scent of the crimson liquid in to the air of the store. It was a warm, summery scent, one that brought images of sunny skies and wide open meadows, of peaceful days spent by the fire with a book in one hand and your love curled up next to you in the other, and most importantly, of long forgotten nights of passion and lust that came to for with a worrying intensity. "The scent of it, however, is one of the most tantalizing in the store, so much so that it makes you want to drink it right then and there, despite . . . or perhaps, because of the danger."

As Damian spoke, he brought the lip of the potion bottle closer and closer to his lips, looking like he was about to actually drink it for a moment before he ceased it right as his lips,lowering the arm so he could quickly stick the cork back in, nice and tight. "As much as I don't think I'd mind being in service to a kind and beautiful woman such as yourself, I don't think I'm ready for such a commitment at this moment."

Damian had a chuckle at his little joke, putting the vial back before going around to show Corinna several other different types of potions and the like, slowly but surely leading to them to another side of the store that she had announced some interest in earlier in, though as he drew them closer to it, the beating of Damian's heart only seemed to increase to crazy levels, almost certain that she could hear the pounding of the blood-pumping organ against his rib-cage. Not only that, but he could barely keep his eyes focused on the products he was talking about, taking longer and longer glances towards her , which served to only cause the feeling inside of him to grow more potent and demanding.

And so, after a quick speech about a group of sleeping potions of varying severities, Damian brought Corinna to the section of the store where the non-alchemical goods were kept, the most prevalent of which was the wide array of well-made and fantastically design lingerie. Instead of giving an explanation of this area, Damian merely looked Corinna up and down, the slight hunger within hsi eyes abated by a more analytical gaze, before he turned around and started shifting through the various styles.

"From what I can tell, you seem to be a fan of a more gothic styling, so if you wouldn't mind, I could pick out a few styles that might like to try on. Oh, and something to know is that while these ones are untreated, most of what you buy in this area has been treated with an aphrodisiac of some kind. Just something I thought should be mentioned, in case that sort of thing doesn't quite suit you." As he spoke, Damian already worked at picking out a few pieces that he thought might interest her. His mother had been a fashion designer of some note before she had met her father, and while she had given up that career after getting married(and a few scandals), she never stopped practicing her craft, and liek everything else, worked to beat the knowledge into Damian's head. As such, it took little more than a quick glance for Damian to be able to pick out lingerie that fit Corinna's body near exactly.

Can't say I ever expected to be using this tuff, but I guess life has a strange way of surprising you.

Masha looked at Crotes for a moment before sighing. He was dense. So very dense. And she was already becoming eager to put the fool in his place. “Well, something have potential,” she said simply. “And sometimes, things aren't worth the time. But it isn't really any of your concern which one I think it is.”
She finished off her drink, pushed herself up off the stool that had been her seat for far too long and pulled her bag up do dig through it for a second in search of her glasses case. “Lemme take a look at your books,” she said with no room for negotiation in her tone as she looked at him again. “And if you could write me up an employe list, who they are, what they do, what they get paid, you know. That sort of thing.”

She needed to know what money was coming in, what money was going out and where, and who was actually needed to be around anymore. Or whose paychecks needed to be trimmed. She was sure that the list would not actually be fully accurate, but she could ask Nikki to clear things up if she found anything that was dubious. The other girl might not know everything, but she was more in the loop than Masha was just then.

Location: Charles’s home
Time: Day 3, About 5:00 am

Killian grumbled as his phone alarm clock’s ringtone filled the usually quick air. His eyes shifted towards the annoying thing, making his nose wrinkle in disgust, as a hand slammed against the bloody object. A small groan worked up from the young man’s throat as every bone in his body seemed to crackle and pop. What time did he get home last night from the fair? He wondered as sleep lingered inside his mind. Oh, right it was about midnight when the human dropped off Emma. So perhaps maybe about 12: 30 am?

He slowly worked his body from the professor’s bed, making a mental not to never sleep half way on the floor again. A simple stretching motion made more bones crackle causing another groan. ” I really need to fix that sleeping habit of mine.” He mumbled.

The young man hurried around the house gathering his school things and such. He even pinned a note to the refrigerator telling CHarles and Azulia that he was picking up a friend. And with that done Killian left the house and worked his way back to Emma’s house.

---

---

Whatever it was that Nabriales had given to Damian, it was working. The same boy who flinched just from looking at her a few seconds ago, was completely different. Confident enough even to grab her by her hand and take her away from Nabriales, to show her the rest of the store. Their first stop was near a multitude of different alchemical potions, with many colors and aspects. Lifting a clear vial, with a strange sigil on the bottle, Damian proceeded to explain that specific potion's effects and another one that was nearby.
Their contents were incredibly interesting... Both a potion of clarity (which by his own words was a very effective remedy against hung-over) and a potion which would cure any common illness. Although they were indubitably rather... mundane potions, they were still interesting. Not for Corinna, of course, but interesting nonetheless.

"Oh, you flatter me, Mr. Damian. But don't worry, I'm not into strong alcoholic beverages, or anything stronger than a good wine." She said, looking at him surprised, analyzing the boy's behavior, body language & etc. Was he flirting with her?

"That will be interesting... She thought to herself, continuing to follow him through the store. Thought she had to admit... She was holding herself to not go all out on the boy... It wasn't time, at least not yet.

The next section of the store they visited had potions of a deep red blue and a wonderful and alluring floral smell to them, that coupled with the sign above the vials, that showed two people wrapped into a loving embrace made their purpose rather obvious. That section was clearly bigger than the other one... The reason for that became quite clear after Damian's explanation. The love potions indeed were quite popular with the young ladies nearby.

But the potion which made her even more interested was the one he grabbed a few seconds later. A large vial with a bright crimson content.
"This one here is a bit scary, if I do say so myself. Inspires complete and utter devotion for either the first thing the person who drinks it sees, or the person who had Mr. Nabriales tie their Vis into the potion, though that service cost an extra fee." he said, letting go of her hand playing with the vial's stopper.

Corinna couldn't help but give a very discreet smirk after hearing what the potion did. It was almost too convenient to be true... That was a seriously powerful potion... And incredibly fun for her... It would be so amusing to see it's effects on her prey... And the thought of having a toy which wouldn't run away from her, no matter what she did to it was almost too good to be true.

"Can you just imagine how that would feel, Ms. Corinna? To have your entire being become one of subservience to one person, perhaps someone you don't even now, without anyway of fighting it. . . quite the scary potion isn't it, and yet. . . " Damian said, opening the vial, letting its dangerously alluring scent out. It was quite the dangerous potion, even it's scent was hard to resist. On one hand, Corinna would love to have such potion at her disposal, but on the other hand, that made her think about Nabriales a little bit more carefully. He was more dangerous that she initially thought... Anyone with his charisma, and the capabilities to produce such dangerous substance should not be taken lightly.

"As much as I don't think I'd mind being in service to a kind and beautiful woman such as yourself, I don't think I'm ready for such a commitment at this moment." He continued, putting the vial dangerously close to his own mouth, only to put it down shortly after, putting the cork back.

Corinna was literally licking her lips as he did that. It was getting hard to resist... She wasn't used to being teased. Normally, she was the one who teased others...
"Oh, my dear, little Damian... You tease me too much! I wouldn't mind having such an... interesting toy to play with." She said, smiling mischievously to the boy. If he paid a little attention on her, he would perceive that she was holding her own hands, almost like she was trying to contain herself.

"Not yet... Not yet..." She repeated to herself, breathing deeply.
She could hear the boy's heartbeats... She could perceive how he was looking at her, how aroused he was, his burning desire for her stamped on his eyes as he looked at her... It was clear for her that Damian wasn't even looking at the potions anymore, instead taking longer and longer glances at her.

After a few minutes, they arrived on a different section of the store. Instead of potions, this one had many lingerie of varying styles and colors on display. They were all incredibly beautiful and stylish, certainly the type of lingerie that you would expect from a famous designer or something like that. Getting there, Damian stopped, looking at her up and down. But differently from the glances he was throwing at her a few minutes before, his eyes now weren't so full of hunger. Shortly after, he got a few lingerie, showing them to her. Surprisingly, they were exactly the type of clothes she liked. But it didn't matter how beautiful they were, Corinna had her eyes on another thing right now... She held herself for too long now... Both her and Damian were alone, far away from Nabriales or anyone who could interrupt them... A tiny little bite wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Well... At least not her...

"Those are exactly my style! I'm surprised that you was able to grasp my fashion sense in just a short while, and..." She said, inspecting the lingeries he picked up for her.

"Those are exactly my size, right?" She said, getting closer to him with a surprised smile.

"I wonder how did you figure out my measurements so fast..." she asked him with a mischievous smile and a suggestive wink, suddenly pinning him against the wall, seductively touching his mouth with her finger. This time she didn't tried to hide it's sharp features, running it through his cheeks and pressing it against his neck.

"You are terrible at hiding your intentions... Did you know that?" Corinna said, holding him firmly against the wall, approaching her lips from his giving him a short, but deep kiss before biting his lips, drawing little bit of blood.

"You didn't make any moves on me so I got tired of waiting... I was never the type to wait, anyways..." She said, studying his reactions.

"I can feel your heart beating faster... Your burning desire when you look at me... Your eyes carefully studying my body..." She continued, holding his face with a firm, but delicate grasp, making him look at her eyes, impeding him to see her spider legs slowly appearing from her back.

"You're my prey now, Damian... Don't resist... You know you don't want to resist yourself... I think you will make a fine new toy... The only question is how much it will take for you to... break..." Corinna said, her spider legs rapidly closing around him, as she opened her mouth, her sharp fangs clearly visible as she licked his neck, ready to bite him.

"It will hurt... But I promise you, you will love it..."

@Raijinslayer