[table][row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/tbIvwoy.png[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240504/7ea89157aa7490b85c1faa2a61df7e74.png[/img][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][sub]Location: Elara's Home / Residential Area[/sub][/cell][/row][/table]It was almost a relief to be sent away, to be denied entry. If only to be released from the tantalizing rhythm beneath Elara’s skin—and to spare her wounded ego. Sure, she had changed, but her appearance remained largely the same. The only difference was the shift in her eyes—the vibrant orange, the glow that never seemed to dim. The notion of being unmemorable stung. 

She nodded, stepping back from the doorway, but paused mid-turn. Something in her shifted—an instinct, maybe. A gut feeling. 

[color=DC561E]“Keep your door locked,”[/color] Kira advised, her voice low. [color=DC561E]“And stay inside. You’re not safe yet.”[/color]

She didn’t wait for a response before turning back to the snow-covered street, her thoughts swirling. It was naive to underestimate a blight-born's ability to lie in wait for their prey. Kira knew all too well. They were not safe. And she wasn’t sure they’d ever be safe again. 

As she walked, she grimaced, her thoughts darkening. Her hunger was relentless now, gnawing at her insides like a constant, painful reminder. Elara, with her scent, had made that hunger flare to the surface again. The pull of it was suffocating. She shoved it down, carrying herself toward the center of town—where she had seen Flynn last with that pompous nobleman. She grimaced at the thought of him, wishing she could abandon this responsibility and feed.

The distant crunch of boots against the snow snapped her from her thoughts, and she froze, listening. The sound of metal boots, the unmistakable clink of a guard’s armor. Her gaze flicked to the right, locking onto the figure of a guard, one she recognized from the crime scene. His gaze swept the area, clearly searching for someone—or something. 

She hesitated briefly, wondering if it was worth confronting him. Deciding to move closer, careful to keep her distance, she fixed her gaze on the large sword in his hands. [color=DC561E]“Guard—Have you seen the Prince?”[/color] she called out, her voice steady but with a hint of urgency. 

As Kira slowly closed the distance between them, her eyes glowing faintly through the shadows, the sword he carried came into clearer view. The blade, long and imposing, seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, its shape familiar in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. It’s hilt worn, but the high-grade steel was unmistakable.

A sudden, vivid flash of memory gripped her. She saw the exact sword, the same sleek, lethal edge, clutched in the hands of a man charging at her. The rush of a violent encounter, the sound of boots pounding the snow, and the man’s snarling face. Behind him, a group of guards followed in pursuit, their faces filled with malice, but they were too slow. Kira’s hand was still slick with the blood of the man she’d just incapacitated, a dagger lodged deep in his liver, his breath bubbling in agony. 

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[sub][b]Interactions:[/b] Elara [@Qia], Coswain [@PrinceAlexus][/sub]