Yakeru blinked. That was all it had taken for the armoured, blonde woman, who had entered soon after the hooded lady, to stand behind him. Her cold voice brought a shiver down his spine and all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He did not dare to turn his head and he did not know if he could if he wanted to. Even his legs did not move from their place. He had never felt like this before, the fear that gripped him at that moment. If he could he would have run for the hills, hide and never look back. Filled with shame, he bit his lower lip and looked at the ground in front of him. 

When the hooded lady spoke, he raised his head towards her. It was not a voice he had expected to be. Her words soft and kind and it strangely filled him with a certain warmth. His sword felt heavy and his mouth dry as she came closer to him. He felt as if he had lost the ability to speak or that his mouth was glued shut. Or perhaps he simply did not want to disturb her.

[i]Is she putting me under some kind of spell?[/i]

Her tone had gotten a bit more flirtatious and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. As she touched his chin, he nearly dropped his sword. He tried to see her eyes through the holes of her mask, wondering how she looked like behind it. If her looks matched her voice, she would probably look stunning. Her finger on his chin felt warm and it made him long to be close with her and forever be in her embrace and bask in her warmth.

[i]Why are you even thinking this, you pervert! Concentrate!”[/i]

The grip on his sword tightened again and he closed his eyes as fast as he could and kept them closed for some time before finally but carefully opening them again.

He got pulled away from her a bit by his arm. It was David who had brought him back to his senses. His voice sounding decisive, calm and wise. Obviously he was right, and leaving here would be the best course of action for all of them. Better to live and fight another day than die here for nothing. 

Though when the hooded lady spoke again, Yakeru got drawn toward her again. He tried to fight this feeling, not knowing what would happen if he would give in to it. He felt that he could not trust himself right now. It all had been a bit much for just a few hours after being shot and waking up in this world, not fully understanding the body he was inhabiting. 

“Take...me...out of here. David, please...help...”