[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: Northwestern Residential Area[/sub][/cell][/row][/table]Kira’s fiery orange eyes narrowed with irritation as the older man corrected her—[i]Royal[/i] Guard—his voice sharp and filled with authority. Demanding respect she didn’t feel for him—respect he hadn’t earned from her. She let out a sharp exhale through her nose and sneered, [color=DC561E][i]‘Some good this [b]royal[/b] guard was.’[/i][/color] she thought, dangerously close to saying it aloud, if only to anger him. 

She had met many men such as him. Had likely passed him in the halls of the Lunarian castle as a child. They were always the same. Always self-righteous, unaware of the lethal weapon they loved to look down upon. 

The audacity to ignore her question about the Prince’s whereabouts in favor of his self-important title grated her. Still, she kept her pace steady, closing the distance cautiously, but not so close as to come within striking range of the blade in his hands—the very same blade she remembered slicing through the shadows in pursuit of her. Yet, his expression gave no indication of recognition.That was for the best. Another situation where she had been forgotten, but this one served her well. 

That familiar heat welled in her chest as she clicked her tongue, words spilling out before she could stop them.  [color=DC561E]“You know,”[/color] she said, her voice tinged with a sarcastic sweetness. [color=DC561E]“A man of your age really should have better manners when a lady asks you a question.”[/color]

It was risky, maybe foolish, but her usual control slipped under the weight of hunger. The guard’s attitude only pushed her to look over the edge and test the waters. As soon as the words had left her lips, she wished she could have taken them back. Not for the possibility of angering him, she didn’t care, but for the embarrassment of losing grip on her carefully calculated exterior. She had been trained better than that, though she had never had much patience for disrespect, something that had been drilled into her from the moment she stepped into Lunarian territory. 

Still, she closed her mouth, trying to hold herself back from another petty comment surfacing in her mind. He was irritating, sure, but now probably wasn’t the time for petty games. Even if it was in her nature to play.

Her gaze shifted past him, scanning the woods behind him for the help he claimed would follow. Nothing but the emptiness of the night stared back. It was just the two of them, the moon their only witness. Returning her attention to him, a stray thought flicked across her mind—how to take him down. She could disable him with enough effort, she had done it to other guards countless times, though it wasn’t the easiest of meal choices. Even with his armor, she could find weak points, slip past the steel—satiate herself. Who would know? Another feral blight-born was on the loose. What was one more death to add to the list? Who would miss him? 

She swallowed the impulse with a deep inhale, reminding herself that she was no longer that sort of monster. A lie, most likely. 

Finally, she straightened, her voice more controlled, though the faint ember of irritation remained. [color=DC561E]“I was entrusted with a message for the Prince,”[/color] she said firmly. [color=DC561E]“The Prince, and no one else. If you haven’t seen him, say so, and I’ll be on my way.”[/color] Her fiery eyes bore into his, waiting for an answer. Every moment spent here felt a moment too long.

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[sub][b]Interactions:[/b] Coswain [@PrinceAlexus][/sub]