Emma had had a surprisingly lovely evening. She’d not expected it to go the way it had, but it had been good. She’d had to go home and check on her little puppy dog, but she’d been good. Going to sleep had been relatively easy for her surprisingly. Killian had been a nice conversation partner and she knew they’d make good friends too.

He’d said he’d be by in the morning to walk with her to school. She knew how to get there herself, she had done it for a few weeks now after all. So she got up when Agatha had head bumped her enough to get her up to go out for a little walk. She pulled on a baggy sweater over her t shirt and shorts she’d worn to bed and took her out on a leash that she didn’t bother to hold because there was no way that she was going to go running off. Especially not on the short walk they were going to do around the apartment complex that they lived in. She was running over the check list of things she was going to need for the day and wondering when it was that Killian was going to show up and if she she put her tea in a travel mug or not.

Agatha started to bark some and Emma perked up out of her groggy thoughts to see who it was that had set off the little pup.

---

Damian, unaware of the change in Corinna's demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle with slight embarrassment at her words, eyes shifting to the side as he began to explain. "It's just something I picked up from my mother. She often made me help and watch her desi-H-Hey!!"

Damian was surprised(and somewhat frightened) as he found himself suddenly pressed up against a nearby wall, the proximity to Corinna sending filling his mind with a dull haze. His breath hitched slightly as he felt the sharp tip of her finger makes it's way down his face, her taunting words barely piercing the fog of his mind before he suddenly found his mouth fiercely assaulted by the predatory woman.

Brief as the kiss('My first kiss' he couldn't help but think in the back of his mind) was, it served enough to set a slight thrill of exhilaration through him, the teasing way she held at his lip a moment afterwords seeming to speak to some deeper desire that he himself had never quiet been aware of until now. As she spoke to him in those low, sultry tones, he felt a different hunger take him, this one both familiar and strange. For as she forced him to look into her eyes, he would not only see her intentions very clearly written on her face, but also the surging pool of Vis that lay within her.

Just ripe for the taking.

As the Licentia woman pulled him in closer, preparing to sink her fangs into her 'new toy', a sudden chill would run up her spine as Damian placed a hand upon her shoulder. Instead of pushing her away in an attempt to escape, however, Corinna would find herself brought even closer to Damian, his other hand snaking around her waist to pull her into a more intimate embrace.

"Prey, am I?" Damian's voice seemed to reverberate through out his being rather than coming from his mouth, as his whole body seemed to visible vibrate with every uttered syllable. "Normally, you'd be right Ms. Corinna. But right now. . . I'm tired of being prey." As he spoke, Damian's form seemed to suddenly loose form and definition, fading away into a dark violet mist that swirled around the Licentia's form, expanding around her like a cloud of shadow. The bright show lights above each display would be swallowed by the thickening darkness, making the decadent showroom little more than an yawning abyss.

And it was within this abyss that Damian would stay, his form hidden from both sight and senses within the shadowy quagmire. And yet Corinna would feel an intense sense of foreboding course through her body, a fear that would likely be heightened by the sudden sensations of cold that ran through across her flesh. Not even the shadows that lay beneath her clothes was safe from the Nightstalker's influence, and while they seemed to do nothing but squirm and writhe uncomfortably against her skin, their purpose would soon be made clear as she began to feel a slight tug at the core of her being, a gentle stream of Vis being coaxed from within her and into the darkness that caressed her so.

With every passing moment, however, the pull seemed to get just a twinge stronger, just a bit more intense, drawing more and more of her strength into the yawning void. It would be readily apparent that the longer she stayed here, the worse her position would be. Escape, however, was yet to be an easy thing to come by. For when she tried to move her legs, she'd find a great deal of resistance to the action, the shadowy tendrils that held her constricting in such away as to make movement slow and cumbersome, as well as more tendrils rising from the ground to hold them in place, though these proved to be more of a minor nuisance at best.

Not only did that hinder escape, but so to did the void that embrace her, as without the ability to see in this darkness, navigating the unfamiliar space would prove fairly difficult to say the least. And throughout all of this, she would be able to see Damian watching her, as a multitude of glowing violet eyes formed in the shadows, watching her with that same gentle look that had drawn her to him in the first place.

He said nothing, and besides moulding the shadows around her, he did nothing. He simply watched and waited for the right chance to strike. Somewhere deep down, he felt abhorred by what he was, but yet in place in his mind far deeper, within the heart of his Subconscious, he reveled in this. Even if only for a moment, he had gained a position of control, of power, of dominance and it felt very satisfying in a way that Damian couldn't say he had properly felt before now. If he was in a proper state of mind right now, Damian would be horrified at himself by these thoughts, these emotions that seemed to go against everything he thought he knew about himself, but thanks to the effects of the potion and his own gluttonous instincts as an Incubus, such inhibitions were gone. And thus, all he had left to do now was indulge himself, even if it was only for just a while longer.

---

Aeris’ body ached as she regained consciousness. The sun greeted her through the curtains, and she groaned. ”Ugh. Fuck this." She growled, and rolled over to bury her face in her pillow. When she did that, however, her phone let out a quick vibration, letting her know that she had an unread notification. With an exasperated sigh, she rolled back over and fumbled to grab the device off of the nightstand.

It was her personal line.

It was Mai.

She immediately sat up, and unlocked the device, navigating the interface until she reached her messages.

”The 'Break went well Sis. I'm gonna crash. Head over tomorrow and wake me up maybe? Hope to see you ;) .”

The vampire chuckled, a soft smile parting her lips. She was going to reply, but after a moment of thought, decided it would be better to surprise him in person. With that in mind, she pulled the blankets from her body and slid out of bed. Once she was on her feet, she was able to get a look at herself in the mirror above her dresser. Another groan left her mouth. Overall, she looked dishevelled. Her hair was frizzed, and out of place; her shirt had come unbuttoned and was hanging off her shoulder; her skirt had risen well above her thighs, giving an almost complete view of the panties she wore beneath it.

She just looked unhappy. Thankfully, she wasn’t going to be seeing anyone else today… if she had any say in the matter. Thus, with a mildly disgruntled look on her face, she turned to the wall next to her bed. As she walked toward the wall, she moved a shadow along it until it was her size, and pressed her hand against it. Moments passed before she slid inside the shadow without a word to anyone else in Darius’ mansion.

In the darkness, she moved with a purpose. She knew exactly where she wanted to go, for once, allowing her to walk as though in a straight line to that destination. It only took her a few minutes before she stepped out of a shadow in Mairyell’s living room. Once there, she closed her eyes and inhaled. His scent enveloped the apartment, and she smiled as she took it in.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him in the short span of time they’d been apart.

Once she’d relaxed enough, she sat down on the edge of the sofa, and took out her business phone. From there, li’l Kasio made two phone calls. One to the Good Doctor to inform him of Darius’ condition, and make sure he knew she wanted him to check up on the fox. He would, of course, be compensated for the house call. Doubly so if he were to collect materials to make an antidote for the poison Darius had been afflicted with. The second call she made was to her secretary, to let her know she wouldn’t be in today. She was given explicit instructions to hold all calls, and reschedule any meetings that had originally been planned for the day with apologies and gift baskets sent out to the individuals for their wasted time.

With business taken care of, Aeris got up from her seat on the couch and sauntered into Mairyell’s bathroom where she prepped the shower for her own use. Once it was ready, she disrobed and stepped beneath the stream of water.

Mairyell stirred in bed at the sound of the shower, but this sort of thing had happened enough times that he did not properly wake.

Twenty minutes passed before Aeris finished washing herself off in the shower. Once she was done, however, she wrapped a towel around her body, and began to work a comb through her wet hair. After it was completely combed out, she pulled a hair dryer from under the sink and began to blow her hair dry in sections. It always took her such a long time to get her hair completely squared away. Part of her hated that, but there was another part of her that took great pride in the maintenance of her hair, and body in general.

Once her hair was dry, she began to towel dry her body. This was a much quicker process than her hair, and was over in just a few minutes. When it was done, she hung the towel up to dry, and plopped the prior day’s clothes into the hamper in the corner of the bathroom.

With everything put back where it was supposed to go, Aeris made her way to Mairyell’s bedroom. The gentle breeze of the air conditioner that ran throughout the apartment trailed along her bare skin as she made her way to the side of his bed, eerily blue eyes peering down at his sleeping form. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing.

It was moments like these that let her know that she truly did love this man.

With a wistful sigh, the woman leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his. As she did so, she moved down onto the bed, pressing her bare body into his. When she broke the kiss, she bit her bottom lip, mind wandering to other things she could do to try and rouse him.

A smile crossed his lips and he shivered, stirring some more, still, he decided not to move--even though he was definitely awake enough to reciprocate now. He was so glad he’d sent that text, definitely a solid decision. He mentally high-fived himself.



After things had calmed down, the two were quiet; the silence broken only by the sound of shallow breathing as they recovered. After a few minutes had passed, Mairyell finally broke the silence; a smile on his lips as he spoke, “So, am I a good lay or what?”

He knew the answer, but making her say it was always amusing. Plus, it’s not like it was off topic!

”God dammit, Mai." Aeris spoke through laughter, her body nestled into his. ”You already know the answer. You ass." She chided, still laughing.

“Do I?” He said with a grin, as he stroked her cheek affectionately, squeezing her lightly with his other arm.

She smiled up at him, her eyes resting their gaze on his. Instead of vocalizing her response, she simply kissed him softly on the lips, her hands pressed firmly against his bare chest.

Smiling as she kissed him, he kissed back, still laying down, before she retreated, leaving him a little breathless, but more importantly--grinning. He loved that side of her, or well, he loved every side of her, but that was beside the point. He relaxed back into the bed, but before he could get properly comfortable he heard his phone go off. Sighing a bit he sat up and reached over for it, pulling it into his hand and then to himself before he laid down again.

It was a text from Raiden.

”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.”

Frowning a bit he sighed and glanced over at Aeris, his eyes meeting hers. He didn’t want to go, but Raiden was a colleague and an old friend. He trusted the man, and if he was worried then maybe it was best to do this sooner than later.

“Sis, I’ve gotta go.” He said, his tone serious, though regret was in his eyes.

Aeris didn’t even question him, she only kissed him on the cheek and nodded.

---

---

Everything was going perfectly well. Damian would be a delightful snack. It would be enough to satiate her urges, at least for now. Until Something rather interesting happened. Instead of trying to flee, she felt the boy's hand reach her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"What?" She thought to herself, confused. His voice was strange as well, almost like it wasn't coming from his mouth, but reverberating around him.

"Normally, you'd be right Ms. Corinna. But right now. . . I'm tired of being prey." He said, suddenly losing form and definition, turning into a violet mist, swirling and coiling around her like a mist.
She could immediately feel the darkness around her, dulling her vision and movements, together with a multitude of violet eyes staring at her. She could feel the uncomfortable cold sensation and the unnatural fear trying to influence her. Anyone else would be panicking with fear, but Corinna wasn't a simple creature... She was also a licentia, she was familiar with those type of powers. They were indeed troublesome to deal with, but she had some tricks on her sleeve to deal with pesky nightwalkers... If Damian had simply done that and kept silent, Corinna would simply retreat and get away, but the words he said cut her deeper than his actions could ever do.

Corinna was almost hissing with rage after hearing his words. How dared he! Who he thought he was? He would soon find out that she was a lot more trouble to deal with than just that. He thought that simple gimmick was enough to stop her? The tendrils slowing her down were indeed quite annoying... almost as much as the darkness draining her vis away from her. She hated to have things taken from her, not only that but she hated even more those who didn't knew their places...

Corinna's expression immediately changed, but instead of showing fear, which would be normal to most people, her eyes showed only an increasing killing intent and hostility, as a terrifying smile marked her face. She spoke nothing, but only her stare was enough to make someone understand that she wouldn't joke around. It was almost impossible to say that she was the same person as the gentle and flirty woman from before. Those were the eyes of someone who wasn't afraid of killing, the eyes of a truly dangerous creature. As soon as he looked at her, he would know that those words he just said were a mistake. Perhaps even more than his own actions. Although she couldn't move as fast as she wanted, she still could move. Getting out her gloves and using her silk would be enough to teach that boy who was the real prey here. She would make him swallow those belligerent and conceited words down...

But before she could even move herself, the darkness suddenly disappeared. She was not in the store anymore. Damian wasn't there. The only thing that was still left was her irritation with what happened and her bloodlust.
In front of her, sitting in a table with the same charismatic smile from before, stood none other than Nabriales himself. Corinna was still a little confused on why she was there, but that didn't matter right now. She had a small suspicion that all that was carefully planned by the same man who was now sitting on a chair with a glass of wine on his hand, waving at her.
Corinna was already in a bad mood, and his smile and the confusing situation weren't helping.

"I see that my potion worked! Not exactly as intended, but you must agree that it was certainly the best tour anyone has ever given you?" the man said, with the same musical tone on his voice from before.

After taking a few minutes to orientate herself, looking around and blinking her eyes a few times, Corinna looked directly to Nabriales with piercing eyes. She was still exuding an dangerous aura, and didn't even bother to hide her spider legs, instead taking off her gloves, showing her arms, covered in a black, lustrous and sharp exoskeleton.

"Predators can never resist easy prey, can they? It must be so odd for you, then, that you have stumbled into the web of a beast far greater than yourself. I would very much like to make a deal with you, Corinna... Would you be amenable to discussing business?" He continued, his words confirming her thoughts from earlier. He was indeed behind everything that just happened.

"Mister Nabriales... That was an incredibly dangerous thing to do..." Corinna said, disregarding the chair in front of her, instead using her spider legs to sit down.

"You underestimate me, Nabriales... Although your display of power was quite... impressive, I would suggest you to be careful, as I hate being played with..." She continued, playing with very thin, almost invisible silk strands on her hands, twirling and stretching them on her fingers.

"Although I must admit, your timing was nothing short of perfect. If you had waited a bit more, your little assistant would be in deep trouble. You see... I don't like to play with toys that don't know their own place." She said, stretching the silk on her hands, making a sharp sound as they reflected the light from the room she was in. As soon as Nabriales looked at it, he would know that those strings were infused with vis.

"You shouldn't underestimate me just because I am not a nightwalker... My silk isn't just for show, you see... Just a simple movement, and your little helper would find his darkness powers incredibly useless... I like to think that they are even more dangerous than a Nightwalker's shapeshifting ability. The things I can do with my silk are only limited by my own creativity." Corinna said, forming a small roll with the thin silk thread, cutting it with one of her sharp fingers and putting on the table in front of Nabriales, making a discreet signal with her hand for him to inspect it.

"Don't be mistaken... Being a beast is one thing, being a predator is another entirely different thing. Being a predator is not about brute strength or mindless ferocity. A beast is nothing near an experienced predator, and remember, I am always the predator. I would suggest you to not underestimate that if you want to make deals with me. After all... Underestimating me is the last mistake that my preys ever make." Corinna said, taking the wine glass on her hands and taking a small sip on it. Her pleased expression was quite obvious after she drank it, but even the discreet smile she made after drinking it, wasn't enough to dissipate the threatening aura around her. She was still obviously in a dangerously bad mood.

"I am indeed interested in some products at your store. I must say that your selection is quite... impressive. Some itens could prove to be incredibly useful for me. As for what I'm offering in return, I'm sure that this small sample I just gave you is more than enough for you to see the quality of my thread. You should quickly perceive how many uses it has... Now... What would you have for me?" Corinna asked, taking another sip of wine, still sitting on her spider legs. Corinna's voice, tone and expression were a bit more calmer as she said that, but there was still a slight tone of irritation on her voice. That sudden change would be enough for Nabriales to know that he wasn't talking with a naïve girl. Her tongue would quickly prove to be as sharp and poisonous as her own fangs.

"I will admit... It was rather rude and careless of me of attacking him on this store... After all, I am just a guest here. But in my defense... Would you hold back yourself in such situation? You offered him to me so easily... You gave me the perfect opportunity, you even made it easier for me to get closer to him... It would be rude of me to not take that opportunity, right? After all... refusing the food someone offered you is incredibly rude, am I right?" Corinna said, with a mischievous smile.

"I do apologize for my actions, but you should know better than show a piece of meat to a predator and expect it not to bite it... Especially in front of someone who haven't had a... meal for quite a long time, thanks for a little carelessness regarding a certain man a few months ago... Oh, but don't worry, I never had the intention of killing him. I would only give him a little bite... But that was before what happened... I do think he deserves a little bit more than just a bite, after toying with me..." Corinna said, cutting a piece of meat and eating it, not even trying to hide her sharp fangs from the man in front of her. Upon paying a little bit more of attention, it would be obvious that Corinna wasn't actually trying to be threatening, but she was simply not bothering to hide her real body from the man in front of her.

"Oh, and I must compliment you for this wine... Its simply marvelous. It certainly is being effective in appeasing my mood. Although I won't promise I won't attack that arrogant boy if I see him again... So I would suggest you to hide him from me, at least for now." she said, taking another sip at the glass of wine.

"Now, I've already said much about myself. Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself? After all... This is already a deal, am I right? Information for information. And I'm particularly interested in your... peculiar powers." Corinna said, leaning back on her spider legs, studying Nabriales' reactions, with a gentle and genuinely interested expression.

If one paid enough attention at Corinna, they would easily realize all the changes on her expression, body language, words and even tone. It was almost too many things to notice, some abrupt and easily noticeable and others discreet and subtle. If one paid enough attention to realize all that, they would probably ask themselves who really was Corinna? Who really was that woman? What did she hide beneath all those masks she wore?

After Cortes had led her to the back offices, she had settled down in his seat without giving him a chance to object. After he got out the books out of the safe she went through all of them that they had on hand, making notes on her tablet as she did so, in Russian, so even if he was looking at what she was writing, the odds of him knowing what she had put down were limited. There was a lot in here. A lot of numbers, and part of her was kinda upset that she’d let herself indulge so much. She was still more than capable of doing this, but it was sometimes a little struggle to focus her thoughts for longer than about five minutes before she wanted to do something not so number oriented.

But even still, she could tell that these numbers were not fully accurate. Who ever had been fixing them for him wasn’t as smart as they thought they were. They were good for any passing glance. But the look she was taking was more than that. “How’s that list coming?” she asked Cortes, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. He mumbled something she didn’t fully catch as he gave her what she asked for. She couldn’t look at these column of numbers anymore right now.

She hummed thoughtfully, running her finger down the list and thinking back to where things had gone out for pay role. She had feeling that this wasn’t everything and this wasn’t everyone either. But it could also just be her total distrust of Cortes as well. “It might help if you had some sort of entrainment too,” she said, sounding much more like she was thinking outloud, her accent shifting a little more towards her first language. “And maybe some pretty waitresses too. A few krasivyye muzhchiny...” She laughed when her words came back to her and shook her head. “Good looking guys…” she corrected in English.

“Well you look pretty fucked right now,” she said after a second, taking her glasses off and tossing them onto the desk next to her tablet. “Like I’m frankly surprised you’ve managed to keep the power on kind of fucked. How did you let this get so bad? Because this is much more than just not getting customers in the doors. This is like...criminal neglect…”

“It started with one minor complaint that we weren't quick enough to address and things just crumbled. A pretty simple and unlucky case. Also, with Ominar’s ever changing, it's little surprise patrons no longer flock to this place. It's similar to those ancient route sixty-six roads becoming abandon when new and better highways are built.”

She pulled out her cigarettes again, looking longingly at the slim case next to it. But she knew better than to pull that out right then, so the smoke would just have to do. “I’ll make some calls in the morning about having someone come to take a look at how much it’ll cost us to do a remodel. Unless you have some connections there?” She thought she’d asked, but unless the person he knew was actually good, she’d still go with her own.

“I do, but he might be booked. I'll have to check.”

“I’m going to need you to let everyone know that they need to come in early tomorrow for a meeting,” she said through a breath of smoke, lounging back in the car and crossing one leg over the other without care about how the skirt of her dress rode up as she did so. “Even if it’s their day off, they can spare a few minutes for this.”

“Very well, but I believe Nikki might need to make arrangements for her son. What should I tell them if they don't show up?” Cortes asked politely, but there was hint of seeking something to use to his advantage.

Masha pursed her lips and looked at him to try and figure out what he was trying to get out of that statement. “Well she can bring the kid in for a meeting,” she said with a shrug after a moment. “I’m willing to forgive an absence if it’s for good reason. The first time at least. I’m not without mercy. But I’m also not to be taken advantage of.” She gave him a little smile that had edge to it despite the sweetness of it.

She stood then, without much warning and grabbed at her bag, her lit cigarette in her other hand. “I’m done with business for now,” wobbling a little on her feet. “Think it’s time for another drink.”

---

---

As she heard Nabriales talking, she immediately stopped drinking and eating. The atmosphere in the room, which was already tense, became a whole lot worse. Instead of curiosity, Corinna's eyes now showed only hostility. Instead of interrupting him, she simply listened to what he had to say. That was the most terrifying thing on that situation. She never opened her mouth as he was speaking, she only stood still, with her eyes fixed at him, not moving one single muscle. She just kept silent and listened as the man disrespected and belittled her, with a terribly calm and serene expression.

He played with her, insulted her, and thought she would simply lower her head and do whatever he wanted? The charismatic behavior that Corinna herself had recognized as charming before, now was nothing more than just irritating. Every movement he made with his hands, every word that got out of his mouth, the way he raised his eyebrow, the way he simply continued to eat his food as she was talking...

It was simply unnerving.

"Don't you ever dare to interrupt me again, rude little man." Corinna said, after he was finished.
"Don't you know how to treat a client? Don't you know the basic rules of etiquette? I am a guest, and yet, you played with me, insulted me and even threatened to kill me... How uncouth and rude..."

"Your arrogance truly knows no boundaries, Nabriales... Who would have thought that a simple alchemist wants to teach the weaver how to use her own silk... Such rudeness... You're not even worth playing with. Its laughable, really... You call me arrogant, ignorant, threatened to kill me and even had the audacity to tell me that you would 'forgive me' for my trespassing and you still expect me to follow with your pitiful little games?" she said, taking the silk that was resting on the table and putting it on her mouth, eating it.

"You are unexpectedly ignorant for someone who speaks so highly of himself, aren't you? Well... I think its to be expected that a fool who speaks so highly of himself, to be nothing more than just that. A fool. You're just an arrogant alchemist who thinks too highly of himself and either doesn't have a sense of self preservation or doesn't know the meaning of true danger." Corinna said, with a frighteningly calm expression and posture, the only thing giving away her rage being her eyes...

"The only reason you are still alive is the fact that I drank and ate from your table, and unlike you, I'm not as uncivilized as you to threaten my own guests, or in my case, my hosts..." she continued, her eyes not leaving his not even for a second.

"Otherwise, 'you would well and truly finished', foolish alchemist. You don't understand the situation you're in, Nabriales." Corinna said, saying his name almost as if it was an insult.

"You have never faced true danger on your life, have you?" she asked, as he walked towards her.

"I would not advise being this close to me right now..." Corinna said, in a very serious and hostile tone.

"You have exactly 5 minutes to take me out of this room, back to the entrance, otherwise I will not hold myself back anymore..." she said, with her eyes burning with the desire to kill.

"This is your last chance, Nabriales. You have two choices: You can either let me go and live to see another day, or risking to know how dangerous and cruel I can really be." Corinna said, her sharp, terribly white fangs showing as she said those last words.

"I would advise you to be quick... Do not think your words have no consequence. Take me back to the entrance of the store, right. now." she said, still looking at him.

It was incredibly unsettling the way Corinna was talking and acting. The worst thing was that her words and her expression did not match at all... It was almost impossible to say that she really meant those words, only if it wasn't for her eyes...
The beautiful, seductive eyes from early, now showed nothing but an almost palpable hostility. It was almost like that gaze was emitting a physical pressure... Anyone looking at those eyes would surely know that she was not joking.

---

---

Those three words that Nabriales said, initially left her a bit surprised. She wasn't expecting him to say that. But that feeling lasted just for a few seconds... Corinna wasn't sure if he was trying to amend the situation or further degrade it, but his words weren't helping at all...
Nabriales himself didn't seem to understand the concept of fear. That could be a fatal flaw in a dangerous situation, but at the same time, it wasn't like Corinna was actively trying to make him fear her, but instead, her actions were simply her natural response to being threatened or angry. While some would probably think of that as something uncivilized, to not suppress her instincts, for Corinna, it was exactly the same thing that separated wolves from house pets.

About her attacking Damian... Outrageous... Corinna never attacked the boy. She didn't want to hurt him or anything. She would only give him a little bite and taste a little bit of his blood, besides the fact that he would probably also feel pleasure with that. There was nothing wrong with that. Or at least that is what Corinna thought herself...

"Four things come not back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity, Nabriales..." Corinna said, without even a single hint of changing her mood.

"The harm has already been done, alchemist. I never intended to kill or hurt that boy. I was only going to... taste him. And I was not lying about him liking that. He would certainly find some pleasure in my bite..." Corinna said, changing her unsettling calm smile, but not her eyes, with a mischievous smile for a brief second.

"Regarding your possessions, the costs of having one's pride damaged, are far superior to that. Especially if it was sullied by another person... Besides that, you should not doubt my speed, precision and gracefulness. Collateral damage is not something acceptable for me... Especially when I'm playing..." she said, without changing her expression.

"Answer me one thing, Nabriales... Would you be comfortable if the situation was the same, but instead, in my lair? Bringing me here without my acknowledgement can already be interpreted as wanting to intimidate or subdue me. Not exactly a good start for a healthy conversation, don't you agree?"

"I know very well that you have the advantage while we are here. I assume this is enough to justify my hostile behavior." she said, watching him as he summoned more wine, probably trying to appease her. Unfortunately, the mood was already sullied. His continuous, albeit subtle, threats did a tremendous work in offending her greatly. Even though Corinna herself was rather interested in the potions he claimed he was able to do with her silk, the best choice right now was to leave.

"I appreciate the food and the wine, but unfortunately, the mood was already sullied. I believe the situation we're in right now is beyond repair. Even though I am rather interested on the potions you spoke of, and I'm equally sure that you're also interested in my silk, a negotiation right now is simply impossible. I may return to your store someday, to try to make a deal with you again, if you are really interested in my silk, but if you try anything funny, or if you say anything that hurt my pride again, then it will become clear that we are really and truly incompatible" Corinna said, still staring directly in his eyes.

"Your continuous, albeit subtle threats and actions did a marvelous job in creating this hostile atmosphere. Now... Mr. Nabriales..." Corinna said, patiently waiting for his next action.

"The clock is ticking... The time is running thin, and so is my patience... This entire situation is incredibly uncomfortable for me and for you. I would appreciate if I could leave without having to resort to bloodshed. I don't wish to disrespect the old customs I've been following for my entire life." Corinna said, in a clear message that he should let her go. It was oddly similar to a snake coiling itself, ready for striking when it was feeling threatened. Although it was clear that she wouldn't attack before being provoked, it was equally clear that she would fight if she had to. That simple fact not only answered some questions about Corinna herself, but raised many more...

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

Up since 4:00 in the morning would make anyone more tired than they should be. Yet at the moment the ex-gangster was full nothing but energy. If the guy was running with anyone they might have assumed that it was due to being out of the house but this wasn’t it at all. This was because of Emma. Their nightly activities helped clear his the forming nightmares inside his mind. Perhaps bringing her breakfast as a form of thank you would be a great idea.

He jogged a few more inches and stopped. Something wasn’t quite feeling right around this area. As if wondering eyes were watching every step. The guy scanned the area, finding nothing in return. Paranoia seemed to be setting inside his mind which was never a good sign. Yes, it,s been years since the young man had felt this making turning back so much better. His body shifted back towards his home and jogged that way. One inside he showed and dress.

Killian had chosen a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans to add that normal flare. His sneakers was just the normal bright orange, perfect for walking in the dark type thing. The guy placed some homemade breakfast burritos and bacon in the fridge, some fresh coffee going for Charles who might be up by now, as well as the two human’s breakfast which was inside a lunch box. He left a note telling Charles he was picking up a friend for school and they would meet him in class. With this done the man began to the long walk to her home.

When the human got there he was caught by surprised by a dog barking. Though when she opened the door he lifted the bag with a goofy grin. ” Delivery for a Miss Emma. A charming young man asked me to bring you this lovely meal though if I were you I would perhaps kick his ass for such a cheesy move.”

With a weary sigh and a nod, Nabriales took a moment to compose himself before getting ready to return Corinna to the front of the store. It made sense that such a proud creature would not respond well to his offer of contrition, he supposed, in hindsight. Still - it was possible to salvage this meeting yet. His interest in the silk far outweighed his interest in the creature capable of creating it, he would freely admit - but he was more than willing to take a path whose steps did not interest him in order to reach a destination that did.

"We have different definitions of harm, it appears. Were he not my employee, I would have no qualms with your treatment of him - I'd encourage it, in fact... But he is sworn to me, and I am sworn to protect him from all outside harm - and I would consider your game with him harmful." He admitted, though it was clear he was not willing to push the point and was simply saying something for the sake of letting her know his point of view. With a wave of his hand, the fine wine would be teleported downstairs to the shop floor, neatly packed and ready to carry - and a second wave of his hand would add the selection of lingerie that Damian had picked out would be added to the little gift basket.

"Were I in your lair... I would feel as comfortable as I do now, though perhaps more alert. Due to an alchemical incident - the very same that granted me these beautiful horns - I am incapable of feeling fear. As a result, I have mastered the art of risk assessment - and I do not calculate your odds of being a risk to me above the threshold I'm willing to deem acceptable! Close, but not quite there." He offered, giving her a sincere smile to match the sincerity of his words.

"I'd like you to take the wine as a gift - independent of any business transactions we may have. It's good to find someone who appreciates such a vintage." he mused.

"And I understand completely. When you are ready to engage in a transaction, you know where I'll be! As a show of good faith, I'm also willing to make one potion of your choice (within reason) free of charge to prove to you the power that a simple alchemist can hold. Would you like to be returned to the front of the store, or to another destination within the city?" He asked, and would teleport Corinna wherever she wished - if it were anywhere outside the store the gift package would go along with her - added to it now was a business card that would allow her to teleport to the entrance of Victorious Secret once within the bounds of Ominar, and a vial of the same potion he had given Damian. The gifts may have seemed to be shallow and materialistic - but when one's business was catering to shallow and materialistic desires, it never hurt to remind potential customers of what you were capable of, even if they didn't see the gifts in the light they were intended just yet. Nabriales had faith that Corinna's curiosity would eventually overcome her wounded pride - and he had all of the time in the world to wait.

---

As requested, several of the current employees had arrived even on their day off. Several were willing due to the curiosity over the new boss lady as rumors about Cortes being replaced having circulated through the small group. Collected around the bar, they casually chattered only to pause each time the doors came open and resumed when it showed it was not Mash but another of their co-workers. At a glance it was easy to see which ones got along and which didn’t.

Cortes was sitting alone at the bar end, his hand gripped a shot of whiskey and showed a third of it drained. His eyes drifted occasionally to the door as if expecting to be walking through it soon. Bruce had been assigned to be on shift again as he cleaned a glass, waiting for Cortes’ next order before he shifted to the other four collected at the opposite end.

Craige Murray was a very young and handsome man, his appearance seemed to in his late teens or early twenties. Bright orange hair in a short cut and messily darted all over, his skin a milky white and eyes greener than freshly cut grass. It was obvious he had quite a bit of Irish in him by the looks of him, but if anyone was in doubt then his heavy accent would easily correct them. He leaned and smiled at the elder cook, Irma Quin.

Irma was an immigrant, heritage of German and Irish, with a plump and stout figure that gave her a motherly look compared to the other employees. Being the only cook, she rarely got time off so she rarely was ever seen out of her apron and uniform. Her hair was bunned up at the back of her head and she frowned deeply at something Craige said then brushed it away with a scolding comment.

The last employee was Julius Harrison, a slight salt and pepper haired man who idly watched the exchange. Currently he was dressed in a simple blue work shirt and stained jeans spotted by white paint. His stocky appearance gave him the impression of a construction worker explaining why he was originally hired to bounce less than cooperative patrons out the door. He chuckled to himself as he took another sip of his drink then gestured Bruce down for another round.

Masha finally made her way into the club. And though she was a little late, and mentally cursing herself, she carried herself with a posture that said ‘I own this place and I can show up when I want to.’ She was...not sober. She wasn’t really drunk either, but she was not sober. Her hair was still wet from the quick shower she’d managed before leaving Darius's place. It had woken her up at least, and gave her a few moments to get her brain working again.

It has been mostly successful, but she'd backtracked that forward momentum with her opium addiction, but she had needed it to deal with the itching, crawling need. And the pounding headache as well. She pushed oversized sunglasses up into her damp bangs as she came into the much darker space of the club, looking over the assembled staff. “This...this isn't everyone,” she said, gesturing at them with the hand that wasn't holding the strap of her large bag. Obviously Nikki was still not here, with or without her kid, and she was sure there were a few others who weren’t accounted for at the moment either.

Sighing, she came forward more, her heels clicking some. They were fancier than the dress she had on, they were the ones from the night before when she’d gone over to see Darius again. But she’d been smart enough to bring a change of dress with her, so she was a little more business casual in her dark dress that didn’t shy away from showing things. She dropped her big leather bag down onto a table a few back from where most of the staff was gathered. Standing in front of them, she looked them over.

“I did tell you I had to let several of the staff go due to incidents and lack of income,” Cortes stated clearly from Masha’s right.

He took another sip then added, “It seems Nikki couldn’t be bothered to make it.”

A thin, small smile crossed his features before it quickly faded. His figure straightened upon seeing the new boss lady enter, turning to face her and still enjoying his drink. Silence immediately fell on the others causing their eyes to turn to their new boss. There were various reactions that insured from the staff, ranging in mild surprise to subtle annoyance, as they listened to the exchange.

Bruce’s expression, like the first time she met him, showed great indifference since he felt secure in his job situation. His hand continued to clean another glass while he stood there. Julius was the first to move as he stepped forward, and offered his name, “Julius Harrison. I suppose most of us are wondering what comes next. A few of us are bracing for the worse since usually with new employment comes a complete clean out of the old.”

When Cortes spoke she rolled her eyes some. She did not like the man, as she was sure that he didn't like her very much either. Though his dislike probably stemmed from her being his boss. Hers though, was entirely because he was a terrible person. She looked over her shoulder, just to double check no one else was coming in just then, though she was sure that Afua had been right behind her since they'd come in together. So she missed his little smile about Nikki.

Afua, on the other hand, didn’t as she closed the distance between her assignment. Her expression briefly hardened but she said nothing while the ‘rat’ was within hearing range. Causally the woman came to a halt right behind Masha with her arms crossed in front of her.

When she turned back around, she was greeted with the sight of a man in front of her, closer than before, and thus distracting her from checking her phone from word from Nikki. She smiled at Julius, taking only a moment to think about what she knew of him. “Harrison. Bouncer. Relatively new hire,” she said aloud. Smirking, she looked around him at the others as well. “I'm Masha Vorobyova, you're new boss.”

“I have no plans to get rid of anyone,” she said, sounding almost totally truthful. “But anyone who thinks they can't work for me can leave, paid till the end of the week and I'll even have Cortes write good references for you. Provided you deserve that.”

No one seemed to move, but several heads turned to look at each other. There seem to be some sense of doubt in her words that lingered silently within all of them. However, no one was willing to say it aloud and risk bring a female’s wrath upon their heads. Again, Julius was the one to speak his mind to Masha.

“Well, that’s a relief. Now, my question is what happens next?”

She smiled some, somewhat pleased that no one had jumped up to leave. Perhaps there was hope for this club after all if people didn’t so quickly abandon it. “Well, what happens next is we get to work on getting this place up to the standard it needs to be. There’s gonna be some renovations to both the building and the staff. Buffer you guys up some so no one’s getting over worked. If you can’t rise to the challenge though, you will see the door. But I think that’s only fair. Don’t you?” The last question she asked directly to Julius, turning her gaze back to him, smirking some.

“Yes, but honestly I’m lacking faith this place will work out. Mainly with the gang-” Julius promptly stopped mid sentence when he caught Cortes’ relaxed smile tighten a bit. It was a warning tick that the younger bartender was crossing a boundary he should and unless he wanted someone to pay him a visit, it was best to seal his lips. Inhaling sharply, Julius quickly covered his tracks by coughing a bit to explain his abrupt stall.

After a moment, he fisted his hand then tapped his chest a bit to ‘clear’ whatever clogged his breath, “Pardon ma’am, something got caught in my throat. As I was saying, I don’t have much faith with the lack of customers since it’s a rough neighborhood. Most folks don’t like to risk their lives for a bit of fun or at least the smart and well behaved ones.”

Not wanting to collect Cortes’ attention anymore, he turned to leave and return to the bar. Afua, studying the scene, noted his hands tremble ever slightly at his side. Her suspicions were confirmed as she noted the others tense up at his near mistake. Instinctively, as she did with Darius often, her eyes flickered to Masha to see if she had also noted the nervous behavior.

His slip up made her raise a dark eyebrow up. She looked between him and Cortes, and then at the rest of the assembled staff. “If it's so dangerous,” she started, stepping around him some so that Cortes couldn't see her face. She trailed her hand along his arm, and shoulder, glancing up at him with a knowing look in her eyes. “Then why do you come to work here? Besides, I thought taking risks was part of the fun of coming to place like this.”

The cook snorted quietly at Masha’s question, “Everyone’s gotta to eat and make ends meet, Frau. The job market is very competitive in Ominar and living on the streets are no better. I believe many of us rather not be kicked out on the streets and risk being picked off by unsavory characters.”

Julius paused, his figure still tensed and unsettled, as he quickly tried to sugarcoat Quin’s blunt tone, “I think a better phrasing would be: most the time, reputation overpowers experience in the entertainment district when it comes to being hired by other places. If you mysterious become fired or leave a well known individual’s employment, it’s often considered negative enough to rarely get hired elsewhere.”

Masha stopped her walk around him and spoke to the rest of them. “This isn't my first rodeo. Being in, running, managing night clubs has been my whole life. Dealing with thugs and unwanted gangs. I know what I'm doing, I'm just asking you to do as I say. If you can't handle that, then you know your way out of the door I'm sure.”

There was silence for a moment as they began to think about it. Several exchanged eye glances between each other, unheard words passed between them and decisions being made. However, not a single individual walked to the door yet. The atmosphere indicated that no one expected Masha to last very long, but no one voiced their thoughts outloud. Instead, they aimed to see where her take over of the club would take them.

Cortes, naturally, merely smirked. His hands clapped softly in congratulations, through it could’ve easily been seen as mocking in disguise, before getting to his feet, “Well said. I hope your methods work as well in Ominar as they do in your hometown, Ms. Vorobyova.”

Masha looked at Cortes as his mocking clap. There was no doubt to her that was what it was. She thought didn’t make it too obvious that she knew what he was up to. She tipped an imaginary hat at him, smirking just the slightest bit. “Oh I’m sure that I can handle it. Ominar may not be London, that’s true, but that doesn’t make them totally different either.”

She looked around at the assembled group again, placing her hands on her hips lightly. “Now, unless you’ve got any more questions you feel need to addressed in front of everyone, I say we’re done for now. I’ve got lot of work to get to myself on top of seeing where or absentees are at. But I am available for questions generally whenever.” Preferable not before noon, but that wasn’t something that she could avoid right now. There was too much that needed to be done right then for her to be able to slack on and sleep in late.

They shifted to move as the cook, bartender, and one bouncer pulled back into their original duties. Meanwhile the rest began to depart for the door, their uncertainty still hung on the air in their wake. Cortes was the only other not to depart as he shifted about, finishing his drink and casually glanced about the bar area. It was still pretty dead compared to its best days.

Mash watched them disperse, finally pulling her phone out and taking a look over to see if there was any messages that she needed to pay attention too right then. Nothing pressing it seemed, and nothing from Nikki. Grabbing her bag, she walked past Cortes without even looking at him or saying anything and headed straight for the office in the back which she was going to take as hers, for at least the time being. She wasn’t going to give him the ego boost of looking at him and acknowledging him as anything even remotely equal right now. Not when he’d been so blatantly rude to her. She would be the victor in this pissing contest, she was sure of that.

---

---

That wasn't an enjoyable visit, she was certain about that. Until Nabriales teleported her back to the store, she wouldn't stand down. She didn't know if she would ever be able to talk with that Nabriales guy without exchanging veiled threats. On Corinna's eyes, they were completely and utterly incompatible. He simply wouldn't stop blabbering about his power, about her not being a threat and what essentially were threats and obvious displays to try and drive her to a corner. That made her incredibly angry.

She heard carefully as he said about her little game with Damian, talking about how the boy was sworn to him, and how he sworn to protect him & etc. Something in his tone hinted to Corinna that he viewed Damian more as his possession than a person per se... Regarding that, he and Corinna might even be somewhat similar, despite his attempts to tell otherwise.

Nabriales himself didn't seem to understand the atmosphere, and how Corinna was right now, as he kept talking and delaying, instead of just sending her back. But the worst of it all, was yet to come... His next words only made things even worse...
Another one of his attempts to show himself superior, he said that he would be equally comfortable if he was in her home, stating how it would be within the risks he consider 'acceptable' and how he was incapable of feeling fear...

Briefly after his little display, he said that he would like Corinna to take the wine as a gift...
Did he even understand what was happening right now? The mere mention of him giving her a gift after his words were simply insulting and revolting... Corinna's expression changed noticeably, the unsettling smile she had previously giving place to a completely neutral expression, her eyes burning with anger even more than before and her spider legs curving themselves forward, pointing towards Nabriales.

"The playtime is over, alchemist. The clock is ticking, my patience is really running thin. You have no clue on how to talk with a lady, no clue how to assess the situation we're currently in, and you lack the ability to read the atmosphere... Your ego is simply so big that you think no one can ever touch you, right? I had my suspicions before, but its clear now... We are completely, utterly and irrevocably incompatible. Your veiled threats, your constant attempts to sound, act and try to convince me that you're simply superior, and that I'm not even worthy of your preoccupation... What makes you think that you are as untouchable as you think? What makes you think that I'm as harmless and as worthless as you suppose I am?" Corinna said, without even blinking, with a stare that seemed to pierce his soul.

"Take me back to the store. I appreciate the gifts, but it will take a while until I consider coming back here. Obviously, I'm not good enough for even you considering being polite with me, right? I'm simply not dangerous enough so you would at least mind your words nearby me, isn't that correct?" Corinna said to him, with a hiss.

"I will accept the wine, but the only potion I want right now, is your blood." She said to him in a serious tone. It was impossible to know if she meant that literally or figuratively, but the fact that her fangs were appearing as she spoke might hint the first one.

"I'm certain that both of us are interested on things that the other might have, but that's it. I'm absolutely not interested in you, and I can see that you are not interested on me. I realize that you need some things I have, and I need some things you have, but it will be simply impossible to negotiate without any bloodshed if we continue like this." Corinna said.

"Even someone as dense as you are, would obviously be able to realize the situation we're in right now and read the atmosphere. Please, take me back to the store. This will be my last warning. I am extremely irritated right now, and it happens that I am also rather... famished. So don't test me, Nabriales." Corinna said, piercing him with her eyes.

"If you ask me, your inability of feeling fear, is a lethal weakness. It only hampers your ability to assess a dangerous situation. Mind your steps, Nabriales. Even the most dangerous predators, can turn into prey in the blink of an eye if they are not careful enough. Fear is an important tool both for a predator and a prey." she said to Nabriales.

Corinna was still inside his house, and inside his store. Nabriales kept telling her how he could kill her, how she wasn't even a threat to him, how he was so incredibly powerful & etc... His endless boasting not only made her incredibly mad, but also made her uncomfortable. Corinna was a predator. One of the first rules of being a predator is to NEVER underestimate anyone. Be smart, be intelligent, move carefully, never blindly trust anyone. A man that was so confident with the situation, even after Corinna's clear demonstrations of hostility, should certainly have a plan, or maybe he was trying to buy time until others arrived to help him. Anyways, Corinna wouldn't simply sit down and wait until something happens.

Immediately after she finished talking, he teleported her to the store. On the floor, next to her, there was a basket, with the so called 'gifts' Nabriales had spoken of a while ago. Inside the basket, there was a bottle of the same wine she drank on his house, the lingeries that Damian chose for her, and a vial of the same potion Nabriales gave to Damian a while ago.

The second she found herself back on the store, her expression immediately changed, going back to the neutral and charming smile she had when she entered, retracting her spider legs and quickly putting back her gloves.
But there was one thing that didn't change at all. Her eyes were still giving off an incredibly threatening aura.

"Hmpf..." Corinna said, passing her hands on her dress and putting her silk gloves, in order to look exactly the same way when she got in the store.

That small misadventure left Corinna incredibly irritated and hungry. If she continued walking around the city, something was bound to happen, and then she wouldn't be able to hold herself anymore... The best she could do right now was simply going home, eating something and calming herself down.
With those thoughts, she got the gift basket and started walking towards the exit.

---

---

She didn't look to see if either Afua or Cortes was following her, she didn't give a damn either way. She had things to do, and while she didn't want Cortes hovering, she would still do the work regardless of his presence. She flopped herself down in the seat, pulled her cigarette case and lighter out and lit up as she dialed the newest number in her phone, waiting for Nikki to pick up. But she didn’t. It rang and rang and went to voicemail. “That’s odd,” she murmured, looking at her phone quizzically while she hung up before leaving a message. Nikki hadn’t seemed like the sort of person to just blow off work like this. At least not without calling to let someone know.

She sighed, tossing her phone down on the desk and starting to look for the personal files again, hoping there was a secondary contact number in there for her. Thankfully there was and she punched in the number for her babysitter, just to see if she’d heard anything from Nikki.

“Hello? Gooden residence, how may I help you?” Said an elderly woman’s voice on the other side of the phone, her tone weary and worried.

That was not a good tone at all. “Ah yeah, I'm looking for Nikki Patel, I'm her boss. You're listed here as ‘In Case of Emergency’ contact for her childcare. Have you heard from Nikki today? She was supposed to be here half an hour ago.”

“Last I heard of Nikki was early this morning. She mentioned she was aiming to stop by her apartment to pick up something then would call when she got there, I assumed she left and forgotten. Is she not there?” Mrs. Gooden asked as she paused, waiting for an answer.

Masha groaned a little and scrubbed at her neck with the hand not holding the cigarette. “No, she isn't and I haven't heard from her either. So you've not heard from her since when this morning?”

“Around,” the woman paused, likely checking something. In the background papers fluttered and were shuffled in her search before a young boy’s voice seemed to notice. He asked muffled questions which caused the woman to soothe his anxiety, then call for her husband who limped over with what sounded like a cane. Easily redirecting the young boy’s attention back to the living room, Ms. Gooden turned her attention back to Masha.

“Five this morning as she dropped her boy off. I do hope everything’s alright.”

“I'm sure everything is fine,” she replied, trying so very hard not to think about the sound of the boy's voice just then. “Probably got held up in traffic is all, left her phone at home too. If you hear from her, tell her to call work...or Masha. Either or. Thank you for your time.” And with that she hung up the phone, taking a long drag on her cigarette as she closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair.

“Afua,” she said without opening her eyes, knowing the woman was nearby and could hear her. “C’mere.”

“I am thinking you might be thinking the same thing as me?” Afua asked, her figure pulled off the door and glided over to stand beside Masha. She seemed unfazed by the news, possibly expecting it, while waiting for additional orders.

Masha opened bloodshot eyes to look up at the dark skinned woman. “Yes, we probably are thinking similarly.” She did not that she wasn't surprised either. And she cursed herself for not heeding Darius more if something bad really had happened to Nikki. “You have anymore little spies about her place you can check in with?”

“I left one or two, but I am out of range to ‘hear’ them. They had express orders to watch and listen, not protect. So if something did happen, I won’t know until I located one,” Afua stated, professionally, while she waited a moment before adding on more information.

“I can leave to check in to that, but keep in mind I need time to set up here as well. Especially if Cortes’ friends arrive to create trouble. The choice might be up to you, baas.”

Masha sighed, rubbing at her face again after snubbing out her smoke. “Fuck this shit,” she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. “You stay here, I’ll figure out the Nikki thing, and if I don’t before you’re done, then you can go check on her.” As much as she liked Nikki, and as much as she was worried something might have happened to her, this was unfortunately the moment that she was going to have choose the needs of the many over the needs of the few. Even if the ‘many’ was mostly her. “It is way too early in the morning for this sort of drama.”

Afua chuckled quietly, “Spoken like a true baas.”

She moved to set up her little ‘pets’ while Masha went to address Nikki.

Masha left Afua to her devices and went about making a few more pressing phone calls than finding out what had happened to a wayward employee. Even if that wayward employee was a nice girl who she had slept with, and was interested in doing so again. Once she’d set up a time with a contractor and looked through what she needed to to advertise a few jobs to be filled outside of what Darius was going to loan her, she figured it was time enough to take a break and find out where Nikki was at.

She grabbed her bag and headed out to the main part of the club again. It was still pretty dead, but it was still the morning. There was time for it to pick up some. Spotting Cortes, still at the bar, she rolled her eyes some. She thought about telling him where she was going, or at least lying about a lunch meeting. But she didn't say anything other than a “I'll be back in bit,” said to the room as a whole really.

He didn't reply and she headed out to Nikki’s apartment to check in on her, working the whole time on setting things up and press pricing things out as she rode in the back of a cab. Every time she finished something she tried calling or texting her again, but there was still no answer. She headed up to her apartment once they'd reached the building, only half paying attention to what was going on around her, distracted with work plans.

When Masha got to the apartment door, she would notice something very unsettling. The door had signs of forced entry. Small scratches around the keyholes could easily be seen upon examination and when she touched it, the door would eerily swing wide open. Inside things were toppled across the floor, even when Rex had assure them both things were going to be cleaned up, as the trail lead to the bedroom. A few hand prints of blood stained the walls hinting toward something terrible.

She stood in the doorway, looking in on the mess and letting her eyes travel the whole of the space until she saw the blood on the walls. There was no denial that something had happened, but there was some denial that Nikki might be fully gone. There was a moment of hesitation though, if the cops had been called for whatever reason, and she was found in there, then they’d have to ask questions. But she had an alibi, there had been very little time that she wasn’t somewhere with someone last night. And if her prints were in the apartment, she’d gone home with her a few nights ago so that was in her favor too, because people had seen her go home with Nikki. Once all that was covered in a few seconds in her mind, she came into the apartment slowly, avoiding stepping on anything if she could.

“Nikki?” she called as she came in, hoping for some sort of answer. “Nikki, it’s Masha. Nikki?” She went towards the bedroom, even with no reply from the other woman. She had seen plenty of dead bodies in her time, if she found Nikki like that, she’d be fine. Well she’d be angry, so very angry, but otherwise fine. “Nikki…” she said one more time as she nudged the bedroom door open more and took a look inside to see just how angry she was going to get to be.

The bedroom was in the worse state. It was obvious Nikki had given a last ditch effort to survive or take someone down with her. The bedside tables were tossed about in dismay, feathers from a ripped bed littered the room and more. Half hidden by an empty bookcase, two human feet were peering from underneath its fallen form.

“Nikki?” Masha said as she came in at last, seeing the feet she finally rushed forward. She wasn’t the praying type, but she did send out thoughts to the universe that she was alright, that the room looked worse than it really was. Dropping her bag, she started to move the bookshelf, but it was a little difficult for her being so small and not very strong really.

The woman jerked and tried to ball up. She yelped in pain as her leg appeared to have a dark, swelling lump on side where possibly the bone was broken. The leg was no longer straight but slanted unnaturally, the muscles more limp. She struggled to speak through puffed lips for Masha to get away from her. It was obvious she couldn’t see who was trying to save through the blackened and sealed shut eyes, her face appeared to be smacked about repeatedly.

“It’s Masha,” she said with a cooing shushing noise. The state of her body only made her angry, though she hid it well. She didn’t put her hands on her, she knew better than that. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to get some help. Just be calm. You’re safe now.” She reached into her bag once she had bookshelf out of the way, and pulled her phone out and called for an ambulance while she tried to calm Nikki more.

In less than an hour, the ambulance arrived and carefully load up Nikki into the vehicle. Several police cars also had arrived on premise. One officer, OCPD, Detective Peterson, edged out of his car and walked casually toward Masha. His eyes narrowed on the woman before he entered the crime scene which had been taped off from civilians. Masha hadn’t been allowed to leave until she had been questioned due to her being first on the scene.

A younger man popped up beside her and made a small request, “Ma’am, could you please follow me? We need to ask you some questions about the scene and why you were there.”

Masha had sent a text to Afua to let her know what had happened and that she wasn’t going to be coming back soon. She had watched with real concern as they had taken Nikki and put her on a stretcher and rolled her away. She looked over and blinked at the young man, nodding her head some and followed as he lead her over.



Masha was escorted through the OCPD’s station, past several officers busy with cold cases, complaints, and additional paper work. Several older detectives moved about to either haul suspects into cells in the back or interrogate them in the windowless rooms. There seemed to be a struggle in one as several officers rose and promptly rushed toward it, upon spying the opened the door Masha could glimpse a strange Licenti growl then send some sort of energy forward that caused the police to crumble. The door popped shut once more blocking the scene from her view, but it seemed the authorities had things under control because the sounds quieted in a few moments.
The young man seemed unfazed by the scene while he showed her to one of the rooms. Walls made of concrete and windowless, it was pretty clear it was designed to create discomfort and isolation from the outside world. He pointed to the seat, “Would you like anything to drink or eat?”

She shook her head and sat herself down in the indicated chair. “I’m fine right now, thank you.” What she really could use was something that they couldn’t provide her. So she just said no.

“Alright, give me a moment while I retrieve Officer Peterson. When the questions are done, I’m sure you’ll be free to go,” The man said then quickly walked out. What followed was several moment of uncomfortable and likely purposely extended waiting. The main sound was the clock ticking down within the room, counting the seconds into minutes before the grey haired man from before entered.

In his hand was a manilla folder that he flopped down and took a seat in front of Masha. He didn’t take long until he addressed her, “So, Ms….?”

She sighed and pulled her license out. It was just easier than having to spell out her Russian name to them. “I go by Masha though, if you care,” she said sounding only mildly annoyed at having to wait.

“Alright, Ms. Vor-ee-vola. As you know, you were found at the scene of the assault. What were you doing there? Did you see anyone attack Ms. Patel or leave the scene?” Peterson mistakenly mispronounce Masha’s last name but didn’t seem he would bother to wait until she corrected him or even cared. His focus was on what happened within that apartment.

Masha cringed at the way he said her name but didn’t even bother to correct him, even if he’d given her the time. He didn’t seem like the type to care all that much. “I didn’t see anyone but Nikki,” she said with a sigh. “I was there because I’m her boss and her friend and she didn’t come into work this morning so I was checking up on her. She’d expressed some concern over people who frequented the bar she works at.” None of that was really a lie, and she didn’t want to get into having slept with Nikki, because then they’d expect they were dating, and they weren’t. She wouldn't deny it, but she wasn’t going to bring it up just then. Friends was the best description for them.

“How long have you two had a working relationship? Ms. Patel worked at the One Night in Hell bar according to her records, and last I knew it was owned by a Mr. Matthews. Not a Ms. Vor-ee-vola.”

“It’s only been a few days,” she answered. “I just offical took over this morning. But we’ve known each other a few days. We talked a good deal in that time though.”

“Do you have idea over who might have intentions to hurt the victim?”

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. She might have some hints as to who, but there was no way she could say that to him without giving away more than she should probably know. “She’d mentioned some thugs hanging about, making things difficult.”

“Has she described these thugs to you? Have you ever seen them? I feel I must remind you, purposely withholding information is an offense against the law and you can be held accountable for it,” Peterson said as he reached for the coffee he brought in and sipped it.

“I don't know if I saw them. She didn't physically describe them. We were somewhat focused on other things the last we spoke. I suppose I could have, but I don't know if I'd be able to pick them out either.”

“Other things?” Peterson’s right brow arched in question, a clear hint to elaborate over that. His figure leaned back into his chair as he looked a bit harder at Masha.

Masha smirked, chuckling knowingly. “Yes, other things,” she murmured, not at all embarrassed by what he asked or what she answered. She wasn’t ashamed of her choices. “We slept together. At the time that was more important than quizzing her about how the thugs looked.”

“I suppose until now,” Peterson stated in a somber tone and pulled out a notepad, his hand scribbled something in nearly illegible handwriting. He then turned back to her as someone came through the doorway. It was the younger officer again bad he leaned in and whispered something in Peterson’s ear, the older man leaned for a moment then nodded.

“I believe that will be all Ms. Vor-ee-vola. Please remained within the city until the in investigation has been complete as you maybe called in for additional questioning. Officer Jenkins will show you the exit,” ending the conversation, Peterson rose from his chair and collected his papers before leaving the room.

Jenkins scratched the back of his neck then gestured for Masha to rise and follow him, “This way please, Ma’am.”

Masha raised a dark eyebrow but nodded her head. She had no intention of leaving the city anyways. Standing, she followed the younger man out of the station, calling up a cab to get her back to the club so she could start to deal with all of this properly.

Emma opened the door slowly, peering out at who might be outside her door. She smiled and opened it further when she saw who was there. "Oh Killian," she said happily, looking him over to see what he'd brought with him. Her little puppy barking and bouncing even. She liked the man it seemed. The little dog darted towards him and ran around his legs for a few circles before heading back inside like she was leading him in.

"Come on in," Emma said with a little chuckle, opening the door fully and gesturing Killian in to her apartment. The place was nice and small, furnished with more comfort than style, but it was still nice and obviously of decent quality. A love seat and a lazy boy were the only seats in the living area and a small table big enough for four was easy to be seen just in through the doorway into the kitchen area. She considered going to get dressed, but food sounded like a better idea. "You want a drink?" She asked, "something warm?"

---

Damian was slightly startled by the sudden change in his surroundings, only confused momentarily before he remembered who owned this place. The purple mist that was his own body quickly coalesced back into his base appearance, seated before a vial of some sort of concoction, the effect it would likely have was an easy one to guess given the circumstance. However, Damian didn't particularly want to drink it, both to avoid the wave of guilt that would likely hit him soon afterwards, but also because he had hardly felt satisfied after his attempt at feeding off of Ms. Corinna.

With this in mind, he rose from the seat and proceeded to make his way towards the door, eyes searching the outside world for a good source of Vis. Approaching the door, he suddenly froze as he reached the handle, a thought cracking the haze of desire the hung heavy upon his mind. Should I really be doing this? The thought hung heavy in the boy's mind as some part of him attempted to fight back against the desire that burned within him. His eyes turned back towards the potion that sat on the table for a moment, but it was quickly dismissed as he gripped the door handle once more. Yet again, the door remained closed as the thought of what happened to Corinna filled his mind, except without Nabriales intervention and with someone much less capable of fighting back. Would he be able to hold himself back when faced with such prey.

Staring at the door before him with a intense look of focus, Damian let out a soft sigh and a curse before releasing the handle, turning back around to the interior of the door with a seething hiss. Without Corinna's presence, he found his mind much less affected by the potion's intoxicating effect, but he also felt the burn of his stoked desires even more keenly with her absence. With a somewhat hobbled walk, he took a seat at the table, looking down at the potion with a look of disdain before grabbing it by the neck and popping off the top. With less than a moment's hesitation, he chugged the entire potion down his gullet without even stopping to taste it, before throwing the empty bottle onto the ground to shatter into pieces in a final act of defiance.

Looking down at the shattered remains of the bottle, Damian's face shifted slowly from one of frustration towards a look of horror and realization as he fully came to his senses. With a groan, he banged his head on the desk, feeling nothing but shame and embarassment.

"Ugggggh. . . What did Mr. Nabriales force me to drink?" He muttered with a pathetic groan, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as the effects of Narbiales' potion hadn't fully vanished from his body. Emerald eyes gazed at the pile of shattered glass that lay near his desk, wondering a bit on his thoughts from the entire ordeal, though he could remember little of it clearly. The specifics of the situation where hidden by the haze of half-thoughts and distractions, the only thing he could really remember was what had been the center of his attention through out: Ms. Corinna.

Thoughts of her body fluttered in and out of the haze with great clarity, from the deep red of her eyes, the blackness of her silken hair, the curves of her figure outlined by the elegant dress she wore, and most of all, that hungry look that she had given him. A look that one would expect from a she-wolf as she closed in on a young lamb separated from it's herd, and while it now terrified him, he could tell that under the potion's influence. . . he had been excited by it. Something about that look, that hungering, wanting look, had set his desire for her into over-drive, especially near the end. It didn't matter that she had attacked him, the mere fact that she had wanted him in such a fashion seemed to override everything else. Even now, Damian couldn't help but feel a twinge in his chest as he thought about the woman, unsure of not only how to deal with these strange new feelings. . but how to go about his interactions with Ms. Corinna from now on. Because despite the fact that she had assaulted him, he still felt guilty and, perhaps strange still, somewhat at fault for causing her discomfort. Hell, he wasn't even sure if she even assaulted him, as the only thing he could quite recall from what happened was that she had him against the wall one moment, then he was suddenly trying to consume her Vis in the next, with everything in between being an indistinct haze of sorts.

It was during this state of confusion and questioning indecision that the object of his inner turmoil popped back into space not to far away, her back towards the young man who jumped in fright at her sudden appearance. Heart in his throat, Damian took a moment to calm his racing heart before announcing his presence with a slight vocalization, standing up from his seated position with his eyes remained fixated towards the ground, his hands pulling at the edges of his shirt as he spoke.

"U-u-u-uh. . . Ms. Corinna, I can understand if y-y-you want nothing more to do with me. I have n-n-no excuse for how I acted, especially when I at-t-tacked you like I did, p-p-potion or n-no potion. I just wanted to s-say that I'm t-truly sorry for my inappropriate behavior, and if there's anything I c-can do to make up for it." His eyes remained downward the whole time, unwilling to look at Ms. Corinna's face lest he lose his will to speak.

---

Darius felt contentment for the first time in his years within Ominar. It was rare and something he wished he could cherish easily, but his mind kept wandering to the consequences and pain of doing such a thing. His position didn’t provide allowance for luxuries such as love, companionship and trust to the fullest extent. It was a balancing game of how much paranoia he should exercise and how much trust he could risk. If he leaned too far one way, he could easily be shot back down to the bottom of the food chain. With any sort of power in the underworld, there was often a struggle to keep it.

After his meeting with Mr. Aeon, Darius rose from his chair and casually walked to the nearest window. His arm reached out and slowly pushed the thick curtains, both designed to block out any spying eyes and daylight itself, to the side. Sunlight flooded his office and chased away the shadows behind him.

A subtle, small satisfaction entered his mind upon seeing it. He deeply wished Szayeis was nearly as easy to banish from his life. His eyes darted back to the window and absorbed the setting outside, seeing the city bustling in its daily activities. Gradually, his arms folded behind him and hands rested at the nook of his back. Darius’ twin tails swished behind him idly in thought.

After the previous day's antics, Nabriales Taeryn had decided to take the day off from any shenanigans or wacky adventures that inevitably spiralled beyond his control. Today was going to be a day of rest, relaxation, and simple alchemy - the mundane things in life that brought a small measure of order to an otherwise chaotic world.

That lasted for approximately ten minutes before Nabriales got bored of order and decided to try his hand at something more fun.

For many years now he'd produced whatever drugs the various cartels and gangs around the city wanted - it was a side venture to keep him occupied (and make an enormous amount of money that he cared very little for) and little else. Recently, however, he figured that the worst any of the gangs in the city could feasibly do to him would be complain at Darius Cain and hope that the foxy fellow would bring him in line, or attempt to take matters into their own hands. Given that he'd dosed the cocaine he made for their personal stashes with his vis that caused those who consumed it to steadily grow in affection towards him, he didn't anticipate much violence on their end - and any that slipped through the cracks could be handled discreetly and efficiently. Recently, however, he'd figured that he'd gotten himself in too deep to simply stop producing all sorts of illicit substances for them and it was beginning to bore him endlessly. His solution was to make a product that was better, safer, and unique to him to put everyone else out of business.

Still, making that happen without getting himself attacked was turning out to be more difficult than he'd anticipated - so he decided to move his monthly meeting with the fastidious fox forwards, forgetting that he was somewhat anal about when and where he met people. Nabri understood a desire for privacy, certainly, but he also did not give even the slightest damn about whether or not Darius would want him wantonly barging into his home and/or office. He grabbed a vial of a purple-ish liquid, and in his trademark fashion poofed out of Victorious Secret and directly into the middle of his office.

The trademark obnoxious poofing sound would alert Darius to his effeminate guest's presence, as would his lilting voice:

"Good afternoon, foxy!"

It was a struggle not to flinch or react when the words reached Darius’ ears. The crime boss’ lithe figure twisted about and glanced at the unscheduled and unexpected ‘guest’ with a subtle displeased look. A perk of having vulpine features was that it made reading his expression difficult for those who never bothered to learn the meaning behind certain animal tics in their body language. He knew the best way to deal with Nabri was simply to accept his quirks, the kitsune began to clear his throat and then addressed the alchemist.

“Hello, Mr. Taeryn. I wasn't expecting you today, but actually a week from now. Curiously, what brought you to pay an unexpected visit?” through Darius’ tone was polite, it was clear he hoped Nabriales’ visit was not purely to save the man from boredom.

"I knoooooooow, but I was mulling over our arrangement and I thought that we could do... Better!"Nabriales replied, giving the fox a sultry wink. He took a few steps forwards, swaying ever so slightly in that way that the boys tended to find alluring, and placed the vial in his hands directly on Darius' desk with a soft thud.

"The market for narcotics in Ominar is plentiful, and I like to think that I help make a lot of people happy... But the drugs I make also ruin lives, and they're becoming so mundane and boring that I don't know if I'm willing to live with that anymore..." Nabriales stated, doing a reasonably passable job at sounding and looking sincerely remorseful. Darius would see through it immediately, but the dramatic effect would hopefully not be lost on him.

"So I made cocaine in liquid form with no negative effects and variable addictiveness! No health issues, no crashing... And I want to make you the sole supplier!" he added, teleporting himself into a sitting position on Darius' desk, his head cocked slightly to the side waiting for a response. Though he hadn't made any particular effort with his appearance that day, the scintillating rainbow aura that he possessed was in full force and his horns were glowing with a soft blue light - even to someone straight as an arrow, Nabriales was undeniably alluring. He was used to getting by on looks in many of his social entanglements, and though Darius was not normally attracted to other men, Nabriales was often alluring enough to make people at least consider the possibility. He always searched for the slightest flicker of what-ifs going on behind Darius' vulpine eyes, though he was never sure if he was seeing something or simply seeing what he wanted to.

"Assuming that such a business venture is something you'd be... Interested in?" He added, poofing directly behind Darius and resting his chin on the fox's shoulder, peering up at him with a simultaneously suggestive and inquisitive look.

“You assumed correctly but a gift never comes without a price. However, it’s good to see your ‘remorse’ for your prior actions,” Darius inhaled and let his tone slip into sarcasm at the recollection, showing Nabri that his little acting talents didn’t go unnoted. While Nabri meant no one harm, the resulting aftermath was difficult to sort out.

Casually stepping to the side, he tilted his shoulder from under Nabriales’ chin. The fox’s expression softened as a counter to the earlier tension. It was a rare display few in his employment had ever had the opportunity to see as he turned to once more face Nabriales, preferring to keep the horned precursor within his eyesight.

“You also know I like to ensure all my bases are covered when it comes to deals. What do you get out of this, Mr. Taeryn? With you, I know it’s not the money but likely something else.”

"Attractive and observant..." Nabriales winked, taking a little step back to accommodate Darius' nudging his head off of his shoulder.

"We've known each other for long enough to be honest, haven't we?" Nabriales asked, grabbing Darius' right hand with his own for a second before poofing back onto the desk, taking a second to pick up the vial he'd laid down earlier and swirl it around in his left hand.

"I'm booooooooooooored. I've been making the same flawed product for years and years and years, and it just doesn't give me that thrill anymore!" He half-seriously whinged in the same singsong voice a child would use, though his musical timbre was soft and soothing instead of grating and pleading.

"I was originally planning to just phase the use of mundane drugs out by offering potions in my store that circumvented all of those pesky illicit substance act laws... But the authorities had something to say about it, and I had to blow three judges to get them to see things my way and avoid further legal action! All in a day's work, but I'd rather not be forced into doing these things by circumstance! Then I totally forgot about all of that... And then I got bored again and remembered!" He stated, eyes wide and hands gesticulating wildly as he spoke about the ups and downs of his little story that realistically could have been summed up with far fewer words.

"And now that I've remembered and I'm suitably bored, I just want to get the switch over and done with so I can go back to finding interesting things to do with my time... Like talking to you! I'm not really sure what I want out of this, as long as we're being completely honest - you would stand to make an exorbitant amount of money if we execute all of this juuuuust so... So what can you offer me that's equivalent to lots and lots of cold, haaaard cash?" Nabri asked, stretching out the syllables of his words in that flirtatious way that he often did, and lazily twisting a strand of his hair around his finger as he did so. While this was still a business deal, it was far more informal than he normally conducted his visits with Darius - and doubly more informal than Darius was used to in practically every other case of business he'd ever conducted.

“I got the impression you enjoy such acts time to time,” Darius stated, his posture slightly more relaxed than earlier. The behavior was expected from Nabri and in a strange sense, placed the kitsune at ease to see things playing out as expected. Familiarity was a blessing compared to what he endured during his childhood and so surprises were often met with brief, but very firm measures. It was also mildly amusing. Nabri’s display felt like an overgrown child trying to gain attention. Still, Darius knew better and he even held some respect toward the Alchemist’s gift when it came to his potions.

If push came to shove, Darius had little doubt Nabriales would’ve hit like a sixteen wheeler (at least) when the alchemist’s hand was forced.

His figure stepped toward his desk and carefully picked up the vial Nabri had brought. A paw held it close to the light and examined it, even through his ignorance of alchemy made the gesture pointless, “You haven’t done anything… unusual to this sample have you? I’d much rather not prevent additional attempts on your life. I’m not worried because one’s been successful or come close. Have they?”

"You know as well as I do that any such trickery is purely for the purposes of making sure I don't get killed by some jumped up thug." Nabriales replied, the corner of his mouth rising into a sly little smirk as he spoke. Though they both knew he was completely capable of defending himself in the event of any such attack, Nabriales' philosophy was that prevention was better than cure, and it had, truthfully, been a fairly large boon to his business and personal life to have so many unsavoury types falling head-over-heels for him. Nobody had gotten hurt, except perhaps Darius getting a headache over the whole incident, and as long as it didn't hurt anybody Nabri damn well did what he pleased, consequences be damned!

He also did that even if it did hurt people, but still.

"It just produces an effect similar to that of cocaine or speed - an intense feeling of wellbeing and euphoria, a burst of energy, and the belief that you're god's gift to the world in the sack! Difference is, it's as addictive as I want it to be, doesn't raise your blood pressure to harmful levels, doesn't make you paranoid or greedy, and has no comedown... So really, infinitely better than any of the nasty shit that your gangs peddle... And that right there..." He pointed at the vial in Darius' paw,

"... is a toned down sample at 0% physical addiction. Feel free to use it if you're so inclined... Or give it to someone else and monitor the effects on them! I just knew you'd need proof." Nabriales nonchalantly stated, losing his usual energy and talking in the clinical fashion associated with talking business - a manner of speaking Darius was certainly far more comfortable with.

"If someone had been successful, I'd have better things to do than come back here unannounced and haunt you." Nabriales winked, before continuing with the same playful tone he normally spoke in.

"Can I ask you a... Personal question, while we're being totally honest?" He added, eyes lighting up with the promise of something fun.

“I get the feeling you would still come back and haunt me just to prevent boredom,” Darius commented then paused in his examination of the product, the question paused on his tongue tip. His attention drifted to look at Nabri and raised the right side of his brow, his head cocked to the side at the alchemist.

“I suppose, but I reserve the right to either to answer it or not.”

"I don't have to worry about you being a Nogitsune, do I?" He asked, eyes glinting with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. He knew that the concerns that had been brought to him by Lily Quarin were almost certainly unfounded - but the potion that she would require in such an event would not be easy to make. Still, he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't absolutely relish the idea of getting to make something so obscure and specific - though he couldn't have admitted it at the time, he'd likely have taken on the task for free if he didn't also need something from Lily for another one of his projects. Still, now that he was facing the subject of his current alchemical fascination in the flesh, he was very apprehensive about making something to maim or injure him.

Was a Nogitsune dangerous? If the stories were to be believed, absolutely! Was a Nogitsune who also happened to be an attractive fox with a stake in your business prospects as well as something in between friend and acquaintance dangerous enough to kill? ... No, decidedly not. Nabriales hoped that by having that conversation now he could spare himself having to make new alliances, though he knew he'd end up making the required potion in some form or another regardless of whether or not Darius turned out to be a Nogitsune. For what it was worth, he did hope it wasn't so.

"I came across a recipe for a potion to strip a Nogitsune of their... Uniquely destructive gifts, you see - and as the only Kitsune I know, my mind couldn't help but make the connection! Even if you aren't, as it's something of a race issue for you I'd want the information and decision to be in your hands regardless..." Nabriales stated, speaking much more slowly and clearly, his musical lilting paused in favour of the tone one took on when delivering somber news.

"... and I hope you appreciate the goodwill I'm showing you by bringing this information directly to you." He stated, his tone softening a little, as he poofed behind the fox and wrapped his arms around Darius and rested his head on his other shoulder. Perhaps a little overly touchy, but Darius' fur was far more fun to run one's hands through than boring old skin, and Nabriales was already a very tactile person.

Darius sighed as his right ear flickered, a sign of annoyance. He didn't have time to deal with wild fairy tales and myths over an extinct race. Whoever had placed such notions into Nabriales’ head was either playing him for a fool or thought it was a good prank, which of course the Alchemist would eat up in his boredom. Getting tired of dislodging himself from the man’s grip, Darius allowed it for now and he addressed the precursor’s misinformation about such creatures.

“Nogitsune are an extinct race so, obviously, I can’t be one. It was the few rare occasions where nearly all Licentia would actually work together to eliminate a mutual enemy. I doubt any survived,” Darius commented while he mentally strained to keep his tone leveled and his eyes from rolling over the information. During his time as a child, he had been subjected to learning topics of his choice. Kitsune, branching off to some bits about Nogitsune, were included. Sadly, it was limited to Szayeis’ allowance so it wasn’t likely everything.

Placing down the vial back upon the desk, his head tilted over his shoulder to continue the conversation.

“Seriously, Mr. Taeryn, whoever placed such a notion in your mind was either attempting to prank you or feed you false information.”

Nabriales couldn't help but smirk at Darius' rebuttal - in his paranoia he had assumed that the notion had been someone else's, and Nabriales merely the messenger when he had blatantly stated otherwise. It was comforting to know that some things, despite the variable and chaotic ways that people worked, were easily predictable - just as Darius had thought about him, Nabriales was now thinking about Darius. With a very slight squeeze he let go of Darius and poofed back on top of the desk - partly to attempt to convey some semblance of reassurance, and partly just because the feeling of fur was so nice.

"Ah - Nogitsune are believed to be an extinct race. We both know that the people who win get to write down their version of events and we all come to accept that as fact... And we both know full well how dangerous it is to not do some objective fact finding! And it's as I said, hon - I was doing some research and the recipe came up in one of my old books. I figured I'd ask if there was any credence to them so I don't end up making something very costly with virtually no use!" He laughed, though it was that particular kind of laugh that screamed "we both know I'm going to make this potion regardless because it's new and interesting and it saves me from being bored" - a laugh that Darius would know quite intimately from his repeated interactions with Nabriales.

"What I found concerns your race and I wanted to make sure you were informed! If it's little more than a fairytale then we can just lay the matter to rest." he shrugged, putting the whole notion to the back of his mind. The floodgates had been opened, though - and Nabriales was always the terribly curious type. He'd gotten a glimpse behind the curtain, and now he wanted to shine a light on the mysteries that eluded him.

"Besides... I'd hate for you to lose your figure! It'd be muuuuch less enjoyable watching you come and go if you were some avatar of destruction." Nabriales purred, letting out a deep, throaty laugh as if to imply that imagining Darius as such a thing was well and truly laughable - precisely the reaction he was hoping for, if he had to guess.

"You seem more at ease than you normally do... There's just a liiiiiittle less guard up, and there must be a reason... Did you finally take my advice and find a booty call?" Nabriales asked, half-seriously.

“First off, there’s no absolute evidence that a Nogitsune and a Kitsune are actually the same creature. At best, they are closely related in looks and possibly ancestry. So unless I was born one, I don’t see how I could become one. Second, there’s not been one seen for ages so it’s highly likely the elimination of their race was a success,” His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the laughter for a moment. A slight awareness stirred when he recalled the last time he heard that laugh and the end result. Darius inhaled a moment to catch his breath and his mind flickered over the whole topic before he realized, strangely, it made him uncomfortable.

He brushed it away then replied to the booty call remark, glad for Nabriales to drop the conversation about Nogitsune, “Perhaps, but how long it lasts depends.”

Darius wasn’t sure if he wanted to reveal Masha quite yet. While he enjoyed her company, he honestly suspected it not to last before she either hurt or discarded him. It had happened often enough in the past he refused to believe it wouldn’t now or in the future.

"What's the point of being all crime boss-y and powerful if you can't use it to have a little fun? You know as well as I do that you need to relaaaaax, and seeing as you won't let me have a shot at it I'm glad you've found someone to blow your whistle!" He chuckled - Darius was never very good at keeping these kinds of secrets from Nabriales. When one was as sexually charged as the horned alchemist (a title that could be taken two ways), and their life's pursuit was hedonism in the form of alchemy, it was very difficult to keep the carnal matters hidden. Darius had an excellent poker face, but he couldn't hide the contented look he got when he thought noone was looking. Admittedly, nobody was looking until Nabriales had randomly teleported in, but he had seen enough of Darius to immediately pick up on this very specific nuance.

"Are you embarrassed of her...? It is a her, right? Because if you've got a man on the side I'll be very hurt!" He questioned, starting off very seriously but deteriorating into a fit of giggles towards the end. He knew that that certainly wouldn't happen.

"No, not embarrassed... Worried for your reputation? Worried for her reputation?" He quickly added on, dramatically rubbing his chin as if in deep contemplation.

"Worried she'll just use and abuse you? That definitely sounds like your damage."

“Mr. Taeryn, have you tested this product on all the different races?” Darius asked, hoping to alter the topic to something he could handle more easily. It was also important to know so he didn’t accidently have the product sold to the wrong individual and risk becoming a bigger target that he already was. In the back of his mind, he assumed Nabriales had, but hearing the words were far more reassuring.

He was thankful that the alchemist had finally released him and shifted away, but his eyes didn’t follow the individual. If it had been others, he would’ve. It just showed there was some measure of trust between the two at this stage of their association with each other.

"Yes, it's been tested on Humans, Licentia and several types of Licentia hybrid, and a remarkably reluctant Prae - what's her name, by the way? - who was absolutely insane when they let go of their inhibitions... No discernible side effects, though long-term use obviously can't be monitored until it's been used long-term... But even if it ends up being damaging in the long run, we both know it'll be much less damaging than heroin or speed or meth. Besides, I don't know why you're so cautious! The stuff you're peddling now does far worse to people, and nobody blames you for that because they knew the risks going in! If you're the one organizing the sale of the stuff, you get to tell people what to expect... And you get to ensure you have sufficient damage control." Nabriales replied, once again shifting to that clinical voice that he used whenever talking about the specifics of alchemy.

"And you're right, I am remarkably difficult to compensate when sex is off of the table... I recently won some very old alchemical texts at auction, though, and I'm anticipating requiring some remarkably hard to find ingredients that money alone can't get... We can work out the specifics after you tell me allll about your fling, but something along the lines of one rare item per 1,000 doses sounds like it's worth my time?" Nabriales queried, giving Darius a rather easy offer to work with. He doubted the fox could do the math off the top of his head, but even with very rough estimations he would serve to make an enormous amount of money if he handled things well.

“My personal life is off the table, I’m afraid to say, but the ingredients are possible. I will need a list of where they supposedly can be found for a place to start tracking and I can acquire them as demand increases,” Darius already knew the possible demand that this product would create if it was as good as Nabriales claimed. It could also, if recklessly placed on the market, disrupt the entire drug system in all of Ominar. Knowing he would need to gradually introduce it at high prices, he walked around to the other side of his desk in order to retrieve a pad of paper and pen from his drawer. He knew the price could easily be negotiable later if needed.

Through he still aimed to test the sample given, he knew the trade was lopsided. A fact, for once, he was fine with since the cost of the produce should cover the loss in getting the items Nabriales would likely require.

“Honestly, foxy, I don’t know how you keep yourself sane! I know you tell yourself that in your line of work you have to keep everyone at arm's length to prevent them - and you - from getting hurt, but you're hurting yourself in a much more destructive way by not giving yourself anyone to blow off steam with! It's okay to feel excited about a new lover, it's okay to let everything but the moment go sometimes, you know? Life is for living, and while you need that paranoia to keep on living, you can give it a rest sometimes around people that you trust! If you really don't want to spill all the secrets about your little fling, don't... But you need more than one person you can let loose around, and you need to do it often. I almost worry about you! That's very unlike me." Nabriales sighed, attempting to drum some conventional wisdom into the Kitsune's head. He knew, on some level, that it'd never work - he was too set in his ways, and simultaneously too smart and too stupid for his own good. Still, he would be remiss if he didn't try to make Darius happy - after all, his entire business and personal ethos was to make as many people as happy as possible.

Sensing that Darius wasn't about to divulge any more information, Nabriales gave a little shrug and hopped off of the desk. He patted himself down and turned back to his host, raising a delicately arched eyebrow to signal that his business was concluded and to ask if Darius had anything else to add or any other requests.

Relieved the Alchemist wasn’t going to become stubborn on the subject, Darius decided this meeting had reached its end and moved toward tying off loose ends.

“I’m not the only one that chooses to live life without certain qualities. One day you might learn why I do things the way I do. I believe we’re finished until I can test the sample, and make arrangements for your payment.”

For a moment, he turned about and studied the precursor. His expression was difficult to read before he picked up the sample and placed it into the desk’s drawer. A thought crossed his mind and though he suspected he knew the answer to his next comment, the fox said it anyways.

“Also, one more thing. Damian might need his hours cut back for some errands in the future.”

Darius' request came as a bit of a surprise to Nabriales. While he could certainly make do without his assistant, if he was to begin work on the deal that he had just brokered with Darius he would likely need to increase Damian's hours, not reduce them. Even if he elected to hold back on production until such a point as the details were finalised, having Damian not in the store meant that Nabriales had to be there to serve customers, which quite severely impacted his ability to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

“That's a no from me, hon. Damian's contracted to a certain number of hours in order to facilitate the smooth running of the store, and if I am to begin production within a reasonable timeframe I'm probably going to have to increase his hours. Victorious Secret is... Doing rather well for itself, if I say so myself! While the financial gains are largely irrelevant to me, the widespread success of the shop is important to ensure that my stock of rare ingredients is not diminished, and it's certainly not financially viable for you to take that on... I'll be happy to financially compensate you for any time that you would need him, though?" Nabriales countered, trying to be as cooperative as possible while firmly maintaining that he would not budge so much as an inch on the topic of reducing his hours.

“I see,” Darius commented. His figure moved to his chair then lowered to take a seat, his fingers folded together to thoughtfully press against his muzzle end. After a moment thinking, he sighed in resignation because fighting with Nabriales was an uphill battle with little to no gains. Any further energy was better served in finding another option. With that in mind, he shook his head.

“No, I’ll find someone else more suitable. I figured it was worth an attempt.”

---

---

"Ugh... I just want to go home, eat something and sleep..." Corinna though to herself, making an obvious grimace as she looked at the gift basket. Her encounter with Nabriales was... uneventful, saving for her urge to impale the man and rip that smile of his face... But the undeniable truth was that he... had some interesting things... Things that would be very fun to play with. But the thought of having to go through him again almost made Corinna thought if it really was worth the hassle...

She really needed to lay down... That wasn't good... The first time she got out in a long time and something like that already happened?
That said, it was true that she was currently incredibly famished, and it might be true that she literally was looking for trouble... Even though, it was incredibly unlucky of her to have someone intervene on her little games. As she started walking out, a rather familiar voice interrupted her own thoughts.

"U-u-u-uh. . . Ms. Corinna, I can understand if y-y-you want nothing more to do with me. I have n-n-no excuse for how I acted, especially when I at-t-tacked you like I did, p-p-potion or n-no potion. I just wanted to s-say that I'm t-truly sorry for my inappropriate behavior, and if there's anything I c-can do to make up for it." Damian said, apparently no longer under the effect of that weird potion. The second she listened the boy's voice again, a terrifying smile immediately appeared on her face.

Corinna remembered very well how the boy had treated her before. It may have been due to the effect of that potion, but still his actions would have consequences... It would be even more fun to see him in that state again, and show him how desperately powerless he was if he fell on her grasp... True, she wasn't exactly prepared for that... surprise, but Damian made one fatal mistake... When dealing with someone like Corinna, or you take her out with the element of surprise, without giving her time to adapt, or you lose. His mistake was leave her conscious...

With a blood chilling smile on her face, she took her right glove off.
"Look at me, Damian..." Corinna said, holding his chin and slowly making him face her.

"Don't think a prey would so easily become the hunter. If it wasn't for your boss, you would be in grave danger..." Corinna said, with a calm and serene expression, but a deep and penetrating stare, which destroyed any thought that she might be bluffing with those words.

"What makes a predator a deadly force to be reckoned with is the capability of adapt itself to the prey it's currently hunting..." She said, staring directly at the boy's eyes. Her voice was calm and soft, almost whispering, but her eyes had an almost palpable pressure, sending a clear message: control and domination.

"Do not be fooled, don't let your little act of rebellion go to your head... You have taken something from me... And I hate to have things stolen from me..." She said, without breaking eye contact.

"That said, I am tired right now, hungry and extremely annoyed. As much as I would love to stay and give you a lesson and play with you, I don't think it would be very good for my reputation..." Corinna said, rolling her eyes.

"You see... I like getting out and going to the city without being watched... So I would be very grateful if you kept my true form a secret." she said, whispering.

"About your apology... Don't worry... The more they fight, the more exciting it is..." She said, letting go of him.

"I live in a mansion, located in a hill right at the end of the town... I would love if you go there to see me one day..." Corinna said, putting her glove back on, and fetching something on the gift basket.

"After all... It would be a shame if you didn't see me wearing them... You were the one who chose them, right?" She said, holding the lingeries right in front of his face, putting them back into the basket with a seductive smile after he gave a good luck at them.

"But if you decide to go... You better be prepared..." Corinna said, putting her hand on his cheek and approaching her face from his.

"I am known to bite..." she continued, whispering on his ears and giving them a small bite shortly after. Not strong enough to wound him, but enough for him to feel her sharp fangs pressing against his earlobe.

The trap was set. That mix of emotions... What would speak louder? Curiosity? Lust? Fear? Watching others reacting to those mixed emotions, trying to conciliate the conflicting thoughts... It was simply delicious... She loved to tempt others like that and watch their reaction. Some found the danger even more alluring, while others, still very aware of the danger still succumbed for their lusts...

"Who knows... If you surprise me, you might even earn yourself a special little treat..." she said, after watching Damian's reaction for a brief moment, she turning her back and heading out of the store.

"I just need a good bath now and a nice meal..." She said to herself, as she walked home.
"I wonder... What will that boy do..."

---

---

Masha had fumed quickly the whole way back to the club. There was so much anger in her about this. Masha was, she knew indirectly, to blame for what had happened to her. It might have happened eventually. But Masha was the cause of this incident. And a girl had almost died and left a little boy basically motherless. And she would have never forgiven herself if that had happened, especially since she’d ignored Darius’ warnings.

And they had done so much more than just tried to kill her. And that was something she would never forgive them for.

But by the time she walked back into the club, she was calm on the outside. Partly to do with years of having to school her emotions, and partly because she currently very high. She didn’t look it though, even with her sunglasses still over her eyes as she came straight into the main bar, heels clicking loudly on the floor as she strode through the room and back to her office again.

After talking with Afua about the progress of her set up and what she might have already learned from the new little spies scurrying about the place. There was nothing surprising learned, but of course there was nothing that made her happy. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. What made her happy was knowing she was even more justified in taking out this miserable little man.

There was a scuffle with the cook and one of the other idiots around the place. It felt like this place was full of idiots and she had little confusion about how it was that it had failed so miserably as a night club. Some of them could hardly take care of themselves it seemed, how they could be expected to actually work was beyond her.

It was about two in the afternoon that she realized that she hadn’t let Nikki’s babysitter know what was up. She looked at her phone and tried so very hard to convince herself to make the call. Frankly she was hoping that when she did, that she’d get the machine and she’d not have to actually speak to the old woman again and have to possibly hear the sound of Nikki’s kid in the background. In the end, she decided that someone else probably had told her already and that things with the boy would be taken care of. She was of course going to speak with Afua again before the end of the day to make sure there was a better eye out on the boy, as well as Nikki within the hospital. Because Cortes obviously had assumed that they’d done their job, and she was out of the way. This time she wouldn’t be so negligent on her protection.

She skipped dinner, or more accurately, she had a liquid diet. Which prompted another look through their liquor supplier because this was crap. Even for such a place as this, it was crap. “I feel like there is a never ending list of things to do with this place,” she grumbled to herself. She had been hopeful that it was mostly just a case of bad management. But it was much more than that.

Around nine or so she gave up on direct business and headed out to sit at the bar and continue her work on her tablet and phone while experiencing the terribly unexciting bar scene here. She pointedly ignored Cortes unless he spoke to her. She wasn’t going out of her way to speak with him. She was still too angry with him to approach him of her own volition, but she could probably cover up anything if he spoke to her first.

But work out at the bar wasn’t going any faster, or better, and she was done with this whole day. She needed the time to relax, and she needed the time for some fun for herself. So she decided, this place was going to run itself just fine for a few hours while she was gone. And Cortes was going to do something she was sure, but Afua’s spies were about, so she would know anyways. So she might as well go, because he wasn’t going to do much but plot while she was actually there anyways.

Grabbing her bag and the rest of her stuff out of the office, she gave Cortes a flirty little wave on the way past and headed right out the door. She had business, and of course purely business, to discuss with the Fox.