in collaboration with [@Meiyuiki] and @Fetzen
Lorelai cast one last glance at Elizabeth's sleeping form as she carefully closed the door behind her, locking it for the woman's privacy. Sousiel would be around soon to deposit a change of clothes to replace the one's her mistress had ruined. She wondered why makeup sex was so... satisfying. It probably had something to do with reclaiming what you thought you might have lost, or maybe it was just the natural reward for couples with the tenacity to resolve their differences as opposed to letting them fester.
Whatever the reason, her time with Liz had put a smile on her face and a youthful spring in her step. She hummed to herself as she strode towards her office in the castle proper, drawing strange looks from passing witches who were unaccustomed to seeing the old witch is such a cheerful mood. She smiled to them each in turn, deepening the concern lining their faces. With a chuckle she pushed the door to her office open and stepped inside.
A snap of her fingers lit the feylights lining her office, their glow supplementing the last rays of the sun filtering in from her window. She flopped into the large armchair behind her desk with a content sigh. "I should waste this entire day." She said to the empty room.
"I could do it too, just think about Liz for the rest of the evening, maybe take a nap." She giggled to herself. Sitting up she elected to be productive, against her better sense, and began sorting through the requisitions and inventory sheets she'd requested the night previous.
"I should send Saen to the Altmeri, they have griffons and could make aerial deliveries in a pinch." She mused to the empty room. Seeing as it had no objections to the idea she marked it down on her to-do list. Elizabeth would face enough adversity attempting to lead witches to war, everything she did was another thing the huntress didn't have to. She hummed happily as she continued her work.
Being together with Triss was a refreshing thing, and what they had done behind the door he had closed made him confident that there wouldn't be any annoying interruptions coming from the cohabitor in his head. According to statistics so far, a happy demon worm was a more silent demon worm. It hadn't been Triss' magic power that had made him happy, but unfortunately the progress of time was a relentless entity. Having put on a fresh set of clothes, Andri made a second attempt to meet Lorelai in her office with Triss walking next to him. He knocked the door gently. "Lorelai ? Are you in there ?"
"Andri? Yes, come in." Lorelai called from the confines of her office.
Triss had been bouncing through the halls during their short trip to Lorelai's office, her heart swelling unnaturally. She was happy to have acquired Andri's friendship, even if it meant breaking the normal bounds. When Lorelai called for them, Triss pushed open the door and smiled. She waved at Lorelai, before skipping over to take her seat at one of the chairs in front of Lorelai's desk. She was going to milk this feeling for as long as it lasted, and then go back to her usual dark moods. ”Hello, Lorelai.”
"Hello Triss." Lorelai replied cheerfully, masking her suspiciouns as her eyes went between the two of them. They settled on Andri. "Glad to see you've made a friend Andri, please, have a seat."
Andri could see how happy Triss was. He didn't bounce like her, but a smile was cast on his face that didn't go away even after he had entered Lorelai's office. The hunter grinned internally when she started to talk about friendship. How long would it take for her to find out how far things had already progressed between him and Triss ? He grabbed a seat and placed it in front of her desk, but not perfectly aligned towards it. It was a compromise that allowed him to see both Lorelai and Triss at the same time and he glanced towards her to check for her feelings. It was the office of the witch that had spoken out a death sentence...
"Hello Lorelai. Do you have time ? There are two things I'd like to talk about. One's more important and one less."
Triss’ head bobbed quickly, surprised to see the old witch was also rather merry today. ”Andri's my first official patient, I've had quite the blast with him.” There were no undertones that could imply anything, her voice was simply chipper. ”I'm glad I got my hands on him, he works well.”
"I'm pleased Triss." Her suspiciouns vanished at the simple explanation from the red-headed witch. She turned her attention towards the giant. "I certainly hope he works well, I've much work for him to do. First though, you had things you'd like to talk about. Go on Andri."
I.. work well ? Andri didn't know how to react properly to that as he was afraid of a wrong answer that could indicate the wrong thing. However his doubts tore open a noticeable gap in his speech. With a faintly more reddish skin color than before, he continued the dialogue.
"Before I've totally intoxicated myself last evening... erm... you were talking about having some sort of plan to minimize the casualties on both sides. I hope that it's understandable why I'm asking this: What do these plans look like ?" The major part of him expected to hit a wall right here, right now. The remaining part had some hope, mainly kept alive by the apparently very good mood Lorelai was in. However his doubts were on the winning side, controlling his facial expression.
"Yes, my plan." Lorelai sighed, she wasn't entirely happy with her 'plan', but it was all she had. "My plan, Andri, is fear. We both know they won't turn back unless they feel it's hopeless, until we threaten them with annihilation."
"So the plan, is to demoralize them through this war." Lorelai said grimmly. "And when their hearts are wounded, threaten them with the Plague Lord, and a million deaths to come unless they turn back, and never speak of our home again."
"Should that plan fail, the only thing left will be to destroy them utterly." She locked eyes with the giant, letting him see the steel in her soul. "Not something I savor, but not something I'll hesitate in doing should the need come."
The assassin tried to withstand Lorelai's stare into his eyes, but if she had been able to see beyond his pupils, the witch would have seen another black hole as it collapsed into an infinitesimal volume. That was his confidence. He broke eye contact with her, grasping for alternative solutions he could throw at her in order to spoil this plan of hers, but... He couldn't come up with any real thing. Elizabeth herself had already tried to make peace by returning to the hunters and he knew far too well how this had ended, so that option was already dead. Repeating what Rebecca had told him and what had triggered him to make all these efforts to begin with wouldn't help either, or would it ? He had to try, in another variant.
Slowly and cratered with shakiness, he gave a reply: "The hunter's don't yet know what's at stake. You remember what Rebecca said ? Both sides will be required. We could make one last attempt to convince them to abort this hunt by telling them. I could make this last attempt!" I don't believe what I'm listening to! You're trying to embark me on a suicide mission! I am aware of the risks, Khan! And I'm counting on you!
Triss had been gleefully picking at the fabric on the arm of the chair, ignoring most of the conversation. She would have been content, until Andri volunteered to go on a suicide mission. Her head snapped to him, her eyes trying to go hard but failing. She couldn't hide her hurt, try as she might. ”Andri you can't! The moment you step foot in that town you'll be shot down, in their eyes you're nothing more than a traitor. You can't leave, we discussed this.”
Of course, when they had discussed it before it was more of a talk about his sex drive than anything, but she still wouldn't let him leave. She turned to Lorelai, her eyes pleading for her to tell him no. ”Lorelai, you aren't going to let him, are you? I thought it had already been decided that offerings of peace were futile? If you let him go you are signing off on his death.”
"Of course not, I'm not going to waste a life that simply." Lorelai smiled at Triss briefly. "Andri's earned a better end that dying uselessly."
"Andri, you've gone to great lengths to discredit yourself amongst the hunters of Seren's Folly." Lorelai returned her gaze to Andri's eyes. "They'd more likely believe me than you."
She sighed and retrieved a small wooden pipe from one of her desk's drawers. She breathed lightly over its top, smiling in satisfaction as the tabacco burned. She puffed lightly at it before speaking up again. "The only way I can see this working, Andri, is to make them think all hope is lost, frighten them with the next Black Plague, and then to offer a way out."
"That's just the best I can manage right now, and we'll both have to be satisfied with it." She offered the lit pipe to Andri. "No matter how much we both wish things were different."
Both Triss and Lorelai were verbally trying to force him to abandon his idea. For a very brief moment, he hatched the plan of pulling this off on his own and in secrecy. But what if he really died ? Triss was already hurt. What would she think about him when he did this ? And what would Liz think ? He killed the idea, but just as he did and as he gave Lorelai's words a second pass through his mind, another one was born. A modification that would possibly reduce the risk.
He latched his view onto the pipe Lorelai handed him. The burning stuff he couldn't clearly identify beneath the smoke and the layer of ash that had started forming on top of it reminded him of his own past as a simple peasant. He had tried some weeds back then as they had been just waiting for him to pick them up here and there along their property, but these were times long gone. He gently pulled the pipe out of the witch's hand, assuming that it was simple tobacco, and put it into his mouth for a single breath to begin with. It made his next sentence being littered with interrupting coughs. "What if I don't go there to talk to them, but just to leave something behind? We could write a message to them onto a large piece of parchment or even enscribe it onto some kind of plate. Positioned at the right place, many would read it, and those who are unsure about things would perhaps be triggered to think twice about the war."
Triss frowned, wanting to wrench the pipe from Andri's hands. Instead, she placed her hand on his back, rubbing it gently to ease him through his coughing fits. He was a drinker, and a smoker? She couldn't have picked a more troublesome pet. Then again, she was troublesome too, but that was unimportant. ”And how would you sneak such a large object in, Andri? Don't be daft, I bet they have guards positioned now to prevent unwelcomed visitors.”
”Lorelai's plan is just as well, and I doubt anyone would turn away because of some sign left at their doorstep. They are passionate about their cause, words will not change anything.” Triss huffed, shooting Lorelai another look that clearly stated fix this, now.
Lorelai rolled her eyes at the red-headed witch. "I like your plan Andri, it has some merits." She retrieved her pipe from the coughing giant, drawing deeply from it before continuing. "Why don't you let me consider it? I don't think now's a good time, but perhaps as they draw closer to the castle something to that effect could cause them to think. We might plant the truth in their minds and let it fester, and when the time is right we'll see how it turned up."
She lazily blew several smoke rings, already considering what such a plate might say. "For now though, I urge you to put this aside, and focus instead on less suicidal recourses. Elizabeth will be my general, the announcement comes tomorrow. You may wish to talk to her about how best to use your considerable talents on the behalf of your new home."
Andri couldn't see Triss' frowning, but very well feel her hand resting on his back. He had to resist looking too relieved when Lorelai removed the pipe from his hand - smoking was a thing he had done for a time too short and too far away for being used to. Given that he could sometimes be a brutal heavy drinker, it was better this way he thought. "A message about a Plague Lord would have to reach them too, wouldn't it ?" This wasn't meant as an objection, but as a confirmation. However it also reminded him that once the time would have come, it could easily descend into just that instead of his idea of an appeal for reconsidering things.
"Liz will be the general ?" His face brightened instantly, though only moderately. "I guess a former huntress is the ideal person to work together with an ex hunter, heh ? And... considerable talents ? So far I've been more of a diplomat than anything else." He wondered if that was what Lorelai was actually referring to.
Triss looked stung, the hand resting on Andri's back balling up into a hard fist. So much for Lorelai helping, at least she wouldn't send him directly to Seren's Folly. She didn't have any real reason to be mad at Lorelai, they were hardly anything more than acquaintances. Triss retreated within herself, putting on a crazed smile to hide her concern. Slowly she dived into the insanity, thinking of how she could twist the poor minds of souls who dare enter her line of sight. It was a pleasurable experience, and it kept her distracted, her eyes glazing over.
"I presume you're good at killing?" Lorelai asked point blank. "You are a hunter after all."
She looked at Triss for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing as she noted her glazed eyes. The smile that curved her lips was all too familiar from their previous, and unforunate interactions. "Triss? Are you alright?"
Lorelai's second question preempted his own thoughts. That hand he had felt transforming into a fist couldn't be a good thing, so he turned his head around to look at Triss. Her glassy eyes concerned him, and so did the rest of her expression. "Hey Triss, what I'm talking about here is just an idea. Even that pervy demon in my head argumented against it so I won't do it unless I'm asked to, okay ?"
Terrible screams filled her mind, half-dead men and women dancing along with happiness as they moaned out in pain. She stood among it all, the sounds of their cries making her victorious at last. It took a moment for Lorelai's words to break through, and when they did nothing changed. Triss stared at her, an eyebrow cocked.
”Of course, just entertaining myself. This conversation bores me to no end. Don't you two have something else to discuss, of lesser importance?” Her smile had never left her face, her eyes never quite clearing. She itched, but she would never tell them that, not unless she was strapped down to that damned chair again. When Andri addressed her she nodded, but gave him no words to go off.
Andri blinked. He was stunned by Triss' reaction that had come totally unexpected for him. It was clear that she was very annoyed, but the way she pointed that out was such that it made him shiver and want to turn his attention back to other things.
The assassin memorized what Lorelai's other question had been about. He turned towards her to begin his answer, but couldn't help but redirect his view towards Triss here and then in between while speaking. "I have... had... barely left my apprenticeship. What I know so far is primarily due to the training I've received in a secret forces unit of the military and due to the talents I might or might not posess." Andri sighed. "What I've experienced over the course of the last weeks has left me behind unsure about if that will suffice, especially since I'll have to hunt hunters now." That was the worst part of it all, and one could see in his face that just speaking about it did hurt him to the bone.
Lorelai frowned, slightly dissapointed. Still, there were plenty of uses for a teleporter, and the man could be trained furter. [color=00aeef]"Very well, I'll leave it to Elizabeth to find out how to best use your talents."[color] She smiled and looked between the two. "With that I think we're finished here aren't we? I suggest you two enjoy the rest of your evening, and make sure you're at the meeting tomorrow morning." Another hunter forced to kill his fellows, and Lorelai had the same answer to him she'd had for Elizabeth. Nothing, but at least Elizabeth had her heart as a reward.
"Wait..." He sighed again. From his point of view the entire topic was far from finished, but it was finished for the moment. "There's another thing, the less important one I've told you about. You promised me something for rescuing Liz. I'm just curious to know what that will be."
"A fine set of nightstalker hide armor, complete with some enchantments I'll place on it later tonight." Lorelai smiled at the giant. "You protected mine, so I thought something to protect you would be an appropriate gesture."
Nightstalker ? I know that! I hope it will fit tightly. Your butt could use a bit more accentuation...
Andri rolled his eyes in an act of irritation before he noticed that this could easily be misinterpreted. "Sorry. It's just Khan thinking that it should be really tight..." The tone in his words made clear that he didn't approve that idea, but the demon worm started laughing. "I'm afraid that it won't be long until such a thing will be put to the test. I don't know what Nightstalkers are, but I think I should thank you for it." he added, trying to return to a more adequate expression.
Triss felt certain that the conversation of war was mainly over, pushed aside so they could enjoy the rest of their day. She knew just what she wanted to do to enjoy herself. She was shivering with excitement, leaping out of her chair and clutching it's back with white knuckles. If one were really paying attention, they would see the outer rims of her eyes taking up a faint green hue.
”I know just how I'll be spending the rest of my evening.” She said, her words sparking her into a giggling fit. Once it was over, she took the few long bounds out the door, shutting it roughly behind her and escaping down the halls. She needed a victim, someone who wouldn't resist until it was too late.
"We'll see how tight we can get it." Lorelai laughed. Her mirth turned to concern as Triss bounded out of the room like the madwoman she suspected the girl might be. "Sousiel, keep an eye on Triss would you?
"If you would though Andri, I've got quite a bit yet to do before sleep takes me. Try to enjoy yourself, and stay safe alright?" Lorelai offered the giant a small smile before returning to her work.
Triss sudden move into action left the hunter behind being puzzled. The look he shot at Lorelai was like What the hell is wrong with her ?, but he didn't dare to truly ask. Lorelai seemed very busy, but his happy day was over the moment Triss slammed the door shut. With a bit of confusion in his voice and an attempted smile he took his leave: "Okay, thanks for your time. Will you notify me when the armor's finished or shall I return here ?"
"I should have it ready by the meeting tomorrow, if you'd stay behind I'd gladly gift it to you then." Lorelai looked up from her work for a moment. "That would also be a good time to check in with Elizabeth for what she'll have you doing over this course of this mess. As with any luck, she'll be busy tonight." She favored the giant with a small wink.
Most witches in the halls ignored Triss, refusing to meet her gaze. At this point she was more than a few screws loose, and anyone could tell. Her giggles and faintly glowing eyes were a sure sign of this. Triss couldn't stop though, not until her wishes could be fulfilled. Those who would turn towards her were not prime subjects, older witches who could put up rough defensive walls.
Triss had almost given up hope, until she collided with the perfect target. Triss growled, until she met eyes with the girl she had bumped against. They were the same mismatched pair that had given her such a rude awakening. ”Sousiel? You're perfect, come with me.” She wasted no time, clutching Sousiel's arm and attempting to pull her towards the hall of rooms.
"Triss!" Sousiel feigned shock. The red-headed witch was far crazier than Lorelai had seemed to think if the burning eyes, frantic gait, and her sudden joy at seeing her were any indication. "There's my maidenhood to consider!" False protest aside she allowed herself to be drug towards the dormitories. Perhaps being abused by Triss would be an enjoyable distraction, given that Lorelai was too busy to do it properly at the moment.
Triss looked straight ahead as Sousiel protested, not caring in the slightest. She only paused when Sousiel brought up her maidenhood, and that was to double over hysterics. When she looked back up, she cocked an eyebrow at Sousiel and shook her head. ”Sousiel, I'm insane, not a fool. Maidens would not suggest anything quite like you did last night.”
When they got to the dorms, Triss opened the door to her room and gave Sousiel a rough shove to get her inside. She turned around, locking her door and sighing in relief. ”Sousiel, I chose you because you are far from normal. It would be too easy for me otherwise.” She motioned to the bed, watching Sousiel with the eyes of a predator waiting to strike its prey. ”Lay down, now.” Her voice was rough, but full of excitement.
Sousiel giggled at Triss' eagerness, stumbling at the girl's shove for added effect. "I swear I'm a maiden, I just read alot of books." That was a lie, and they both knew it, but Sousiel was determined to have some fun if she was about to be tortured.
She stretched out obediently on the bed, avoiding Triss' eyes for now. "Too easy huh? What exactly to you plan on doing to me Triss?" She unbuttoned the top of her shirt. "I can make this as hard, or easy, as you like." She cooed seductively.
Triss groaned, Sousiel was definitely a smart one. The demon was going to stretch this as long as she wanted, they could be here forever if she didn't turn to face Triss. Then, Sousiel unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Triss shook her head, but decided to go along with it. The view wasn't too bad either. Maybe it would make things easier in the long run.
”I know you can, Sousiel.” Triss said, her voice low and silky. She moved towards Sousiel and straddled her, grabbing the demon's arms and placing them above her head. ”Why don't you make this better for both of us, and face me?”
Sensual boldness was not something Sousiel had been expecting from Triss. The witch's weight on her hips and hands pinning her wrists sent an unwelcome, and unexpected, shiver of warmth across her chest as her pulse quickened. "Fine, if you want it that badly."
"If Lorelai knew what was about to happen...", but what Lorelai didn't know wouldn't kill Triss, and it didn't seem all that long ago to the demon that a young Lorelai burned with an all too similar maddness. She turned her eyes to meet the red-headed witch's, smiling sweetly. "Ok, Triss, have your fun if you must."
Triss held both of Sousiel's wrists in one hand, the other cupping Sousiel's cheek as she examined the supple body she had before her. ”I do, I really do want it.” Then, she pinched Sousiel's cheek until it turned a bright shade of red and stared into her mismatched eyes. Triss’ eyes slowly turned green, because she knew Sousiel wouldn't put up a wall, and it was much more pleasurable for her that way.
Triss entered Sousiel's mind with a shudder, it was very clear and definite, everything simple and mainly the same size. It was surprising, but she figured a demon's mind wasn't made to be that muddled, one track for all purposes. The readings were clear, but none of them were really what she wanted. There was no pain or screaming, but there were inhumane urges there: the need to see others in pain, to destroy, to ruin love and innocence.
There was no void of passion, in fact, there was a giant melded ball of it in a separate corner. It was combined with worship, reverence, and something...maternal? It was all there for a certain someone, and Triss had a great idea as to who. She ignored it, if she pulled it Sousiel would just run away to play with her Mistress. She also bypassed contempt, for the ones weaker than Triss.
While Triss was closely examining an emotion that had a sort of dampener around it, something danced in her eyes. She turned, ready to face an offensive entity. Again, it was there, in the corner of her eyes. It surrounded her, but when she shifted it was gone. Triss was tired of the games, so she outstretched her hands out and called for the unidentified emotion.
What she cradled in her hands made her jump. Desire...for love. It was just a wisp, and it was jumpy as if afraid to have been seen. Triss’ hand shot out and she grasped for more, now having a feel for what she wanted. The emotion was an elusive thing, and it took her quite a while to get a sizeable ball. It was there though, concentrated and real. No passion or urges, just a need for love that wasn't fulfilled. Triss had her emotion, and after shifting it to the front of Sousiel's mind, she pulled out.
Still straddling the demon, Triss felt like she had the upper hand. She didn't know how Sousiel would react to an emotion she had been evading for so long. Triss gripped Sousiel's wrists, smiling with a great deal of charm. She leaned down to whisper in Sousiel's ear, her voice husky. ”How do you feel, love?”
Sousiel shivered as the red-headed witch traipsed across the corridors of her mind. She wondered with sick fascination what the girl would draw out, a touch concerned for the witch's safety as the demon was well aware of the darkness that lurked within her desires. Then she felt something stirr that she had long ago forgotten. Something she could never have.
"Triss?" Sousiel voice was laced with panic. "Please, Triss, please no." She begged, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the witch was too engrossed in her malicious task.
A hallowness filled her, spreading from her heart to encompass all of her body and spirit. A deep and hungry void, empty of passion and littered with a damnable hope for that one thing she'd never have. Demons didn't get to fall in love, or be loved.
"Triss?" Sousiel's voice broke as the witch whispered in her ear, her eyes filling with crimson tears. "W-why did y-you call me l-love?" She hoped against the overwhelming odds that those sweet words meant something. She was naked and vulnerable in every way that ever mattered, and she needed those words to mean something other than incoming pain. "Please..." She whispered, pressing her cheek against Triss'
The girl before her was not Sousiel, it was someone new entirely, someone who craved the love they were supposed to turn away. Triss grinned, pressing her cheek hard against Sousiel's and nuzzling her. Triss’ hands left Sousiel's wrists, trailing up and down her sides instead. ”Why do you think I said It?” She purred, nibbling softly on Sousiel's ear. She wasn't quite sure if she would break Sousiel yet. She could very easily tell the demon she hated her, and leave her to grovel in pain. That wasn't fun though, she wanted to draw this out as long as she could.
"B-because yo-..." Sousiel couldn't voice her fear, powerless against her deepening desire and the sweet sensation of Triss' hands on her sides. The girl's breath fell hotly against her ear, and her teeth sent shivers down her neck. A warmth bloomed in the demon's chest, against what little sense she had left, and her mouth curved into a fearful smile as her tears spilled over her lashes. "B-because you... love... me?" Her arms wrapped the witch in a tenative embrace, savoring the softness of Triss' body.
Triss’ heart ached at the tone of Sousiel's voice, something human breaking through the madness. She shivered as Sousiel wrapped her arms around her, a fragile embrace, a soft bond between the two of them. She’s going to kill me when this is over, she thought to herself, trailing kisses as soft as a feather along Sousiel's jaw. ”Yes, Sousiel, I love you. Do you love me?” Her voice was taunting, a warning of some sort.
'Say no!, this is where she kills you!' A small voice screamed at the back of Sousiel's mind. She was too enthralled by Triss' sweetness to pay it any mind, her head was filled with the witch's voice, and her body trembled in joy at each light kiss. Her face bloomed into the first bright smile it ever had, and her heart leapt in rapture as it unburdened centuries of pain. She closed her eyes tightly against her pouring tears. "I'm not much Triss... but I love you, and if you want me," Her eyes found Triss' again, twinkling with heartfelt affection. "You can have me."
Triss recoiled, a sudden realization that Sousiel's hope was resting in her hands, had smacked her. Her body softened, and she held her thumb below Sousiel's eyes, waiting to catch the crimson tears as soon as they fell. She could feel every tremble, every ounce of hope leaking off of the girl, and she knew that she couldn't destroy it. What a horrible feeling it was to be weak, that's why Sousiel pushed her need for love aside, and that's why Triss should have just left the girl heartbroken. She couldn't say anything, instead shifting so she could hold Sousiel tight in her arms. When the effect wore off, she had no idea how Sousiel would react, but for now...it was time to take care of the demon.
"I love you, I love you." Sousiel cooed weakly into Triss' chest and sobs of joy wracked her frame. It occured to her that now would be a good time to make love, alone in an empty room, feelings surging through her limbs. She pushed it aside though, they had all the time in the world for things like that.
Or maybe they didn't. Sousiel's better sense reaserted itself slowly, pulling firmly at the haze around her heart. With a deepening sense of dread she realized two things; The first was that she had been manipulated, she felt her peace evaporate like wisps of smoke. The second was that the hope perched in her heart, and her damnable desire for that sweetest of passions, was never going to leave her now. It throbbed uneasily at the back of her heart with no sign of relinquishing its newfound strength.
She turned her head slowly, so she could meet eyes with the witch that had layed bare her deepest nightmare. She painted her lips with her sweetest smile. "Well, Triss, you've destroyed me." She slumped into the witch's arms. "Everyone knows demons can't have love, especially succubi. Maybe I'll have Lorelai kill this thing inside me, like I should have a long time ago."
"I'd take it out on you. Rip your clothes off and show you every horrific thing I'd ever imagined, but something tells me you'd just smile like you deserved it." Sousiel sighed. "Maybe you do, but you've ensnared this heart of mine. Whispered words and clouded thoughts have laid me low, sentenced me to love a devious manipulator."
She laughed bitterly. "How ironic."
Triss raised a finger and planted it on Sousiel's lips, shushing the demon. Things were different in both her heart, and her mind, and Triss had to ease her into it. Sousiel's words were bitter, and Triss found them amusing. ”Tut, Sousiel. I haven't destroyed you, I simply opened your heart to possibilities it hadn't yet known. That emotion inside of you, it ran like a frightened cat. You need to give it the attention it deserves, slowly I'll work you into a lover, someone with feelings more intense than any.”
Triss moved her finger from Sousiel's lips, to tap the girl's forehead. ”I won't let Lorelai destroy that, it's so vulnerable and beautiful. Love can come to anyone, whether it be a manipulative maniac like me, or a demon such as you.” She smiled, her whole face bright. ”Some tears will hurt more than you know, others will spark the greatest joy in your heart. That's why this new feeling is worth it, don't you think?” She laughed, pecking Sousiel's cheek and holding the demon ever tighter.
Sousiel's eyes widened at Triss' response, how many times would she be surprised tonight? "You're going to work me into a lover? How, exactly, do you plan on doing that?" Her heartbeat undercut the sarcasm in her voice, fluttering in her chest against her wishes. She closed her eyes and quit resisting. "Love has caused me nothing but pain, or rather loving those who can't love me back."
"....but I want it anyway." Sousiel sighed, relaxing into Triss' embrace. "I can't let you love me out of some misguided sense of responsibility Triss, neither you nor I can bear that. If you want me, against my better sense, you can have me." She looked up into Triss' eyes without fear, the witch had already done the worst she could, what was left to be afraid of? "But only if that's what you really want."
Triss laughed, resting her head on Sousiel's shoulder. ”Have you met me, Sousiel? I'm anything but responsible, I do what I want, and only what I want. I will show you love, and if you feel like I'm not worthy at the end of it, you can explore the sea of men and women waiting to be with someone as gorgeous as you.”
”You're right to want love, we all do in one way or another. We're good for each other, in a way I will explain to you later. For now, rest in my arms, and stop doubting yourself.” Triss closed her eyes, feeling the steady rhythm of Sousiel's heart as it pounded against her bosom.
"You'll be the death of me Triss, but that's probably okay." Sousiel's eyes fluttered closed as the fatigue of her beating heart, and so many tears, caught up with her. "There are worse ways to die, and I'm done being scared."
She gave in to the last of her mistress' wisdom. Love was for the bold and unafraid. She let those warm fluttering feelings wash over her, carrying her into a deeper sleep than she'd had in decades. There were still a great many things to fear, but Sousiel just couldn't muster up the will to care. Tonight it was her, and Triss, that was all that mattered.
"New Purposes"
Lorelai cast one last glance at Elizabeth's sleeping form as she carefully closed the door behind her, locking it for the woman's privacy. Sousiel would be around soon to deposit a change of clothes to replace the one's her mistress had ruined. She wondered why makeup sex was so... satisfying. It probably had something to do with reclaiming what you thought you might have lost, or maybe it was just the natural reward for couples with the tenacity to resolve their differences as opposed to letting them fester.
Whatever the reason, her time with Liz had put a smile on her face and a youthful spring in her step. She hummed to herself as she strode towards her office in the castle proper, drawing strange looks from passing witches who were unaccustomed to seeing the old witch is such a cheerful mood. She smiled to them each in turn, deepening the concern lining their faces. With a chuckle she pushed the door to her office open and stepped inside.
A snap of her fingers lit the feylights lining her office, their glow supplementing the last rays of the sun filtering in from her window. She flopped into the large armchair behind her desk with a content sigh. "I should waste this entire day." She said to the empty room.
"I could do it too, just think about Liz for the rest of the evening, maybe take a nap." She giggled to herself. Sitting up she elected to be productive, against her better sense, and began sorting through the requisitions and inventory sheets she'd requested the night previous.
"I should send Saen to the Altmeri, they have griffons and could make aerial deliveries in a pinch." She mused to the empty room. Seeing as it had no objections to the idea she marked it down on her to-do list. Elizabeth would face enough adversity attempting to lead witches to war, everything she did was another thing the huntress didn't have to. She hummed happily as she continued her work.
Being together with Triss was a refreshing thing, and what they had done behind the door he had closed made him confident that there wouldn't be any annoying interruptions coming from the cohabitor in his head. According to statistics so far, a happy demon worm was a more silent demon worm. It hadn't been Triss' magic power that had made him happy, but unfortunately the progress of time was a relentless entity. Having put on a fresh set of clothes, Andri made a second attempt to meet Lorelai in her office with Triss walking next to him. He knocked the door gently. "Lorelai ? Are you in there ?"
"Andri? Yes, come in." Lorelai called from the confines of her office.
Triss had been bouncing through the halls during their short trip to Lorelai's office, her heart swelling unnaturally. She was happy to have acquired Andri's friendship, even if it meant breaking the normal bounds. When Lorelai called for them, Triss pushed open the door and smiled. She waved at Lorelai, before skipping over to take her seat at one of the chairs in front of Lorelai's desk. She was going to milk this feeling for as long as it lasted, and then go back to her usual dark moods. ”Hello, Lorelai.”
"Hello Triss." Lorelai replied cheerfully, masking her suspiciouns as her eyes went between the two of them. They settled on Andri. "Glad to see you've made a friend Andri, please, have a seat."
Andri could see how happy Triss was. He didn't bounce like her, but a smile was cast on his face that didn't go away even after he had entered Lorelai's office. The hunter grinned internally when she started to talk about friendship. How long would it take for her to find out how far things had already progressed between him and Triss ? He grabbed a seat and placed it in front of her desk, but not perfectly aligned towards it. It was a compromise that allowed him to see both Lorelai and Triss at the same time and he glanced towards her to check for her feelings. It was the office of the witch that had spoken out a death sentence...
"Hello Lorelai. Do you have time ? There are two things I'd like to talk about. One's more important and one less."
Triss’ head bobbed quickly, surprised to see the old witch was also rather merry today. ”Andri's my first official patient, I've had quite the blast with him.” There were no undertones that could imply anything, her voice was simply chipper. ”I'm glad I got my hands on him, he works well.”
"I'm pleased Triss." Her suspiciouns vanished at the simple explanation from the red-headed witch. She turned her attention towards the giant. "I certainly hope he works well, I've much work for him to do. First though, you had things you'd like to talk about. Go on Andri."
I.. work well ? Andri didn't know how to react properly to that as he was afraid of a wrong answer that could indicate the wrong thing. However his doubts tore open a noticeable gap in his speech. With a faintly more reddish skin color than before, he continued the dialogue.
"Before I've totally intoxicated myself last evening... erm... you were talking about having some sort of plan to minimize the casualties on both sides. I hope that it's understandable why I'm asking this: What do these plans look like ?" The major part of him expected to hit a wall right here, right now. The remaining part had some hope, mainly kept alive by the apparently very good mood Lorelai was in. However his doubts were on the winning side, controlling his facial expression.
"Yes, my plan." Lorelai sighed, she wasn't entirely happy with her 'plan', but it was all she had. "My plan, Andri, is fear. We both know they won't turn back unless they feel it's hopeless, until we threaten them with annihilation."
"So the plan, is to demoralize them through this war." Lorelai said grimmly. "And when their hearts are wounded, threaten them with the Plague Lord, and a million deaths to come unless they turn back, and never speak of our home again."
"Should that plan fail, the only thing left will be to destroy them utterly." She locked eyes with the giant, letting him see the steel in her soul. "Not something I savor, but not something I'll hesitate in doing should the need come."
The assassin tried to withstand Lorelai's stare into his eyes, but if she had been able to see beyond his pupils, the witch would have seen another black hole as it collapsed into an infinitesimal volume. That was his confidence. He broke eye contact with her, grasping for alternative solutions he could throw at her in order to spoil this plan of hers, but... He couldn't come up with any real thing. Elizabeth herself had already tried to make peace by returning to the hunters and he knew far too well how this had ended, so that option was already dead. Repeating what Rebecca had told him and what had triggered him to make all these efforts to begin with wouldn't help either, or would it ? He had to try, in another variant.
Slowly and cratered with shakiness, he gave a reply: "The hunter's don't yet know what's at stake. You remember what Rebecca said ? Both sides will be required. We could make one last attempt to convince them to abort this hunt by telling them. I could make this last attempt!" I don't believe what I'm listening to! You're trying to embark me on a suicide mission! I am aware of the risks, Khan! And I'm counting on you!
Triss had been gleefully picking at the fabric on the arm of the chair, ignoring most of the conversation. She would have been content, until Andri volunteered to go on a suicide mission. Her head snapped to him, her eyes trying to go hard but failing. She couldn't hide her hurt, try as she might. ”Andri you can't! The moment you step foot in that town you'll be shot down, in their eyes you're nothing more than a traitor. You can't leave, we discussed this.”
Of course, when they had discussed it before it was more of a talk about his sex drive than anything, but she still wouldn't let him leave. She turned to Lorelai, her eyes pleading for her to tell him no. ”Lorelai, you aren't going to let him, are you? I thought it had already been decided that offerings of peace were futile? If you let him go you are signing off on his death.”
"Of course not, I'm not going to waste a life that simply." Lorelai smiled at Triss briefly. "Andri's earned a better end that dying uselessly."
"Andri, you've gone to great lengths to discredit yourself amongst the hunters of Seren's Folly." Lorelai returned her gaze to Andri's eyes. "They'd more likely believe me than you."
She sighed and retrieved a small wooden pipe from one of her desk's drawers. She breathed lightly over its top, smiling in satisfaction as the tabacco burned. She puffed lightly at it before speaking up again. "The only way I can see this working, Andri, is to make them think all hope is lost, frighten them with the next Black Plague, and then to offer a way out."
"That's just the best I can manage right now, and we'll both have to be satisfied with it." She offered the lit pipe to Andri. "No matter how much we both wish things were different."
Both Triss and Lorelai were verbally trying to force him to abandon his idea. For a very brief moment, he hatched the plan of pulling this off on his own and in secrecy. But what if he really died ? Triss was already hurt. What would she think about him when he did this ? And what would Liz think ? He killed the idea, but just as he did and as he gave Lorelai's words a second pass through his mind, another one was born. A modification that would possibly reduce the risk.
He latched his view onto the pipe Lorelai handed him. The burning stuff he couldn't clearly identify beneath the smoke and the layer of ash that had started forming on top of it reminded him of his own past as a simple peasant. He had tried some weeds back then as they had been just waiting for him to pick them up here and there along their property, but these were times long gone. He gently pulled the pipe out of the witch's hand, assuming that it was simple tobacco, and put it into his mouth for a single breath to begin with. It made his next sentence being littered with interrupting coughs. "What if I don't go there to talk to them, but just to leave something behind? We could write a message to them onto a large piece of parchment or even enscribe it onto some kind of plate. Positioned at the right place, many would read it, and those who are unsure about things would perhaps be triggered to think twice about the war."
Triss frowned, wanting to wrench the pipe from Andri's hands. Instead, she placed her hand on his back, rubbing it gently to ease him through his coughing fits. He was a drinker, and a smoker? She couldn't have picked a more troublesome pet. Then again, she was troublesome too, but that was unimportant. ”And how would you sneak such a large object in, Andri? Don't be daft, I bet they have guards positioned now to prevent unwelcomed visitors.”
”Lorelai's plan is just as well, and I doubt anyone would turn away because of some sign left at their doorstep. They are passionate about their cause, words will not change anything.” Triss huffed, shooting Lorelai another look that clearly stated fix this, now.
Lorelai rolled her eyes at the red-headed witch. "I like your plan Andri, it has some merits." She retrieved her pipe from the coughing giant, drawing deeply from it before continuing. "Why don't you let me consider it? I don't think now's a good time, but perhaps as they draw closer to the castle something to that effect could cause them to think. We might plant the truth in their minds and let it fester, and when the time is right we'll see how it turned up."
She lazily blew several smoke rings, already considering what such a plate might say. "For now though, I urge you to put this aside, and focus instead on less suicidal recourses. Elizabeth will be my general, the announcement comes tomorrow. You may wish to talk to her about how best to use your considerable talents on the behalf of your new home."
Andri couldn't see Triss' frowning, but very well feel her hand resting on his back. He had to resist looking too relieved when Lorelai removed the pipe from his hand - smoking was a thing he had done for a time too short and too far away for being used to. Given that he could sometimes be a brutal heavy drinker, it was better this way he thought. "A message about a Plague Lord would have to reach them too, wouldn't it ?" This wasn't meant as an objection, but as a confirmation. However it also reminded him that once the time would have come, it could easily descend into just that instead of his idea of an appeal for reconsidering things.
"Liz will be the general ?" His face brightened instantly, though only moderately. "I guess a former huntress is the ideal person to work together with an ex hunter, heh ? And... considerable talents ? So far I've been more of a diplomat than anything else." He wondered if that was what Lorelai was actually referring to.
Triss looked stung, the hand resting on Andri's back balling up into a hard fist. So much for Lorelai helping, at least she wouldn't send him directly to Seren's Folly. She didn't have any real reason to be mad at Lorelai, they were hardly anything more than acquaintances. Triss retreated within herself, putting on a crazed smile to hide her concern. Slowly she dived into the insanity, thinking of how she could twist the poor minds of souls who dare enter her line of sight. It was a pleasurable experience, and it kept her distracted, her eyes glazing over.
"I presume you're good at killing?" Lorelai asked point blank. "You are a hunter after all."
She looked at Triss for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing as she noted her glazed eyes. The smile that curved her lips was all too familiar from their previous, and unforunate interactions. "Triss? Are you alright?"
Lorelai's second question preempted his own thoughts. That hand he had felt transforming into a fist couldn't be a good thing, so he turned his head around to look at Triss. Her glassy eyes concerned him, and so did the rest of her expression. "Hey Triss, what I'm talking about here is just an idea. Even that pervy demon in my head argumented against it so I won't do it unless I'm asked to, okay ?"
Terrible screams filled her mind, half-dead men and women dancing along with happiness as they moaned out in pain. She stood among it all, the sounds of their cries making her victorious at last. It took a moment for Lorelai's words to break through, and when they did nothing changed. Triss stared at her, an eyebrow cocked.
”Of course, just entertaining myself. This conversation bores me to no end. Don't you two have something else to discuss, of lesser importance?” Her smile had never left her face, her eyes never quite clearing. She itched, but she would never tell them that, not unless she was strapped down to that damned chair again. When Andri addressed her she nodded, but gave him no words to go off.
Andri blinked. He was stunned by Triss' reaction that had come totally unexpected for him. It was clear that she was very annoyed, but the way she pointed that out was such that it made him shiver and want to turn his attention back to other things.
The assassin memorized what Lorelai's other question had been about. He turned towards her to begin his answer, but couldn't help but redirect his view towards Triss here and then in between while speaking. "I have... had... barely left my apprenticeship. What I know so far is primarily due to the training I've received in a secret forces unit of the military and due to the talents I might or might not posess." Andri sighed. "What I've experienced over the course of the last weeks has left me behind unsure about if that will suffice, especially since I'll have to hunt hunters now." That was the worst part of it all, and one could see in his face that just speaking about it did hurt him to the bone.
Lorelai frowned, slightly dissapointed. Still, there were plenty of uses for a teleporter, and the man could be trained furter. [color=00aeef]"Very well, I'll leave it to Elizabeth to find out how to best use your talents."[color] She smiled and looked between the two. "With that I think we're finished here aren't we? I suggest you two enjoy the rest of your evening, and make sure you're at the meeting tomorrow morning." Another hunter forced to kill his fellows, and Lorelai had the same answer to him she'd had for Elizabeth. Nothing, but at least Elizabeth had her heart as a reward.
"Wait..." He sighed again. From his point of view the entire topic was far from finished, but it was finished for the moment. "There's another thing, the less important one I've told you about. You promised me something for rescuing Liz. I'm just curious to know what that will be."
"A fine set of nightstalker hide armor, complete with some enchantments I'll place on it later tonight." Lorelai smiled at the giant. "You protected mine, so I thought something to protect you would be an appropriate gesture."
Nightstalker ? I know that! I hope it will fit tightly. Your butt could use a bit more accentuation...
Andri rolled his eyes in an act of irritation before he noticed that this could easily be misinterpreted. "Sorry. It's just Khan thinking that it should be really tight..." The tone in his words made clear that he didn't approve that idea, but the demon worm started laughing. "I'm afraid that it won't be long until such a thing will be put to the test. I don't know what Nightstalkers are, but I think I should thank you for it." he added, trying to return to a more adequate expression.
Triss felt certain that the conversation of war was mainly over, pushed aside so they could enjoy the rest of their day. She knew just what she wanted to do to enjoy herself. She was shivering with excitement, leaping out of her chair and clutching it's back with white knuckles. If one were really paying attention, they would see the outer rims of her eyes taking up a faint green hue.
”I know just how I'll be spending the rest of my evening.” She said, her words sparking her into a giggling fit. Once it was over, she took the few long bounds out the door, shutting it roughly behind her and escaping down the halls. She needed a victim, someone who wouldn't resist until it was too late.
"We'll see how tight we can get it." Lorelai laughed. Her mirth turned to concern as Triss bounded out of the room like the madwoman she suspected the girl might be. "Sousiel, keep an eye on Triss would you?
"If you would though Andri, I've got quite a bit yet to do before sleep takes me. Try to enjoy yourself, and stay safe alright?" Lorelai offered the giant a small smile before returning to her work.
Triss sudden move into action left the hunter behind being puzzled. The look he shot at Lorelai was like What the hell is wrong with her ?, but he didn't dare to truly ask. Lorelai seemed very busy, but his happy day was over the moment Triss slammed the door shut. With a bit of confusion in his voice and an attempted smile he took his leave: "Okay, thanks for your time. Will you notify me when the armor's finished or shall I return here ?"
"I should have it ready by the meeting tomorrow, if you'd stay behind I'd gladly gift it to you then." Lorelai looked up from her work for a moment. "That would also be a good time to check in with Elizabeth for what she'll have you doing over this course of this mess. As with any luck, she'll be busy tonight." She favored the giant with a small wink.
Most witches in the halls ignored Triss, refusing to meet her gaze. At this point she was more than a few screws loose, and anyone could tell. Her giggles and faintly glowing eyes were a sure sign of this. Triss couldn't stop though, not until her wishes could be fulfilled. Those who would turn towards her were not prime subjects, older witches who could put up rough defensive walls.
Triss had almost given up hope, until she collided with the perfect target. Triss growled, until she met eyes with the girl she had bumped against. They were the same mismatched pair that had given her such a rude awakening. ”Sousiel? You're perfect, come with me.” She wasted no time, clutching Sousiel's arm and attempting to pull her towards the hall of rooms.
"Triss!" Sousiel feigned shock. The red-headed witch was far crazier than Lorelai had seemed to think if the burning eyes, frantic gait, and her sudden joy at seeing her were any indication. "There's my maidenhood to consider!" False protest aside she allowed herself to be drug towards the dormitories. Perhaps being abused by Triss would be an enjoyable distraction, given that Lorelai was too busy to do it properly at the moment.
Triss looked straight ahead as Sousiel protested, not caring in the slightest. She only paused when Sousiel brought up her maidenhood, and that was to double over hysterics. When she looked back up, she cocked an eyebrow at Sousiel and shook her head. ”Sousiel, I'm insane, not a fool. Maidens would not suggest anything quite like you did last night.”
When they got to the dorms, Triss opened the door to her room and gave Sousiel a rough shove to get her inside. She turned around, locking her door and sighing in relief. ”Sousiel, I chose you because you are far from normal. It would be too easy for me otherwise.” She motioned to the bed, watching Sousiel with the eyes of a predator waiting to strike its prey. ”Lay down, now.” Her voice was rough, but full of excitement.
Sousiel giggled at Triss' eagerness, stumbling at the girl's shove for added effect. "I swear I'm a maiden, I just read alot of books." That was a lie, and they both knew it, but Sousiel was determined to have some fun if she was about to be tortured.
She stretched out obediently on the bed, avoiding Triss' eyes for now. "Too easy huh? What exactly to you plan on doing to me Triss?" She unbuttoned the top of her shirt. "I can make this as hard, or easy, as you like." She cooed seductively.
Triss groaned, Sousiel was definitely a smart one. The demon was going to stretch this as long as she wanted, they could be here forever if she didn't turn to face Triss. Then, Sousiel unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Triss shook her head, but decided to go along with it. The view wasn't too bad either. Maybe it would make things easier in the long run.
”I know you can, Sousiel.” Triss said, her voice low and silky. She moved towards Sousiel and straddled her, grabbing the demon's arms and placing them above her head. ”Why don't you make this better for both of us, and face me?”
Sensual boldness was not something Sousiel had been expecting from Triss. The witch's weight on her hips and hands pinning her wrists sent an unwelcome, and unexpected, shiver of warmth across her chest as her pulse quickened. "Fine, if you want it that badly."
"If Lorelai knew what was about to happen...", but what Lorelai didn't know wouldn't kill Triss, and it didn't seem all that long ago to the demon that a young Lorelai burned with an all too similar maddness. She turned her eyes to meet the red-headed witch's, smiling sweetly. "Ok, Triss, have your fun if you must."
Triss held both of Sousiel's wrists in one hand, the other cupping Sousiel's cheek as she examined the supple body she had before her. ”I do, I really do want it.” Then, she pinched Sousiel's cheek until it turned a bright shade of red and stared into her mismatched eyes. Triss’ eyes slowly turned green, because she knew Sousiel wouldn't put up a wall, and it was much more pleasurable for her that way.
Triss entered Sousiel's mind with a shudder, it was very clear and definite, everything simple and mainly the same size. It was surprising, but she figured a demon's mind wasn't made to be that muddled, one track for all purposes. The readings were clear, but none of them were really what she wanted. There was no pain or screaming, but there were inhumane urges there: the need to see others in pain, to destroy, to ruin love and innocence.
There was no void of passion, in fact, there was a giant melded ball of it in a separate corner. It was combined with worship, reverence, and something...maternal? It was all there for a certain someone, and Triss had a great idea as to who. She ignored it, if she pulled it Sousiel would just run away to play with her Mistress. She also bypassed contempt, for the ones weaker than Triss.
While Triss was closely examining an emotion that had a sort of dampener around it, something danced in her eyes. She turned, ready to face an offensive entity. Again, it was there, in the corner of her eyes. It surrounded her, but when she shifted it was gone. Triss was tired of the games, so she outstretched her hands out and called for the unidentified emotion.
What she cradled in her hands made her jump. Desire...for love. It was just a wisp, and it was jumpy as if afraid to have been seen. Triss’ hand shot out and she grasped for more, now having a feel for what she wanted. The emotion was an elusive thing, and it took her quite a while to get a sizeable ball. It was there though, concentrated and real. No passion or urges, just a need for love that wasn't fulfilled. Triss had her emotion, and after shifting it to the front of Sousiel's mind, she pulled out.
Still straddling the demon, Triss felt like she had the upper hand. She didn't know how Sousiel would react to an emotion she had been evading for so long. Triss gripped Sousiel's wrists, smiling with a great deal of charm. She leaned down to whisper in Sousiel's ear, her voice husky. ”How do you feel, love?”
Sousiel shivered as the red-headed witch traipsed across the corridors of her mind. She wondered with sick fascination what the girl would draw out, a touch concerned for the witch's safety as the demon was well aware of the darkness that lurked within her desires. Then she felt something stirr that she had long ago forgotten. Something she could never have.
"Triss?" Sousiel voice was laced with panic. "Please, Triss, please no." She begged, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the witch was too engrossed in her malicious task.
A hallowness filled her, spreading from her heart to encompass all of her body and spirit. A deep and hungry void, empty of passion and littered with a damnable hope for that one thing she'd never have. Demons didn't get to fall in love, or be loved.
"Triss?" Sousiel's voice broke as the witch whispered in her ear, her eyes filling with crimson tears. "W-why did y-you call me l-love?" She hoped against the overwhelming odds that those sweet words meant something. She was naked and vulnerable in every way that ever mattered, and she needed those words to mean something other than incoming pain. "Please..." She whispered, pressing her cheek against Triss'
The girl before her was not Sousiel, it was someone new entirely, someone who craved the love they were supposed to turn away. Triss grinned, pressing her cheek hard against Sousiel's and nuzzling her. Triss’ hands left Sousiel's wrists, trailing up and down her sides instead. ”Why do you think I said It?” She purred, nibbling softly on Sousiel's ear. She wasn't quite sure if she would break Sousiel yet. She could very easily tell the demon she hated her, and leave her to grovel in pain. That wasn't fun though, she wanted to draw this out as long as she could.
"B-because yo-..." Sousiel couldn't voice her fear, powerless against her deepening desire and the sweet sensation of Triss' hands on her sides. The girl's breath fell hotly against her ear, and her teeth sent shivers down her neck. A warmth bloomed in the demon's chest, against what little sense she had left, and her mouth curved into a fearful smile as her tears spilled over her lashes. "B-because you... love... me?" Her arms wrapped the witch in a tenative embrace, savoring the softness of Triss' body.
Triss’ heart ached at the tone of Sousiel's voice, something human breaking through the madness. She shivered as Sousiel wrapped her arms around her, a fragile embrace, a soft bond between the two of them. She’s going to kill me when this is over, she thought to herself, trailing kisses as soft as a feather along Sousiel's jaw. ”Yes, Sousiel, I love you. Do you love me?” Her voice was taunting, a warning of some sort.
'Say no!, this is where she kills you!' A small voice screamed at the back of Sousiel's mind. She was too enthralled by Triss' sweetness to pay it any mind, her head was filled with the witch's voice, and her body trembled in joy at each light kiss. Her face bloomed into the first bright smile it ever had, and her heart leapt in rapture as it unburdened centuries of pain. She closed her eyes tightly against her pouring tears. "I'm not much Triss... but I love you, and if you want me," Her eyes found Triss' again, twinkling with heartfelt affection. "You can have me."
Triss recoiled, a sudden realization that Sousiel's hope was resting in her hands, had smacked her. Her body softened, and she held her thumb below Sousiel's eyes, waiting to catch the crimson tears as soon as they fell. She could feel every tremble, every ounce of hope leaking off of the girl, and she knew that she couldn't destroy it. What a horrible feeling it was to be weak, that's why Sousiel pushed her need for love aside, and that's why Triss should have just left the girl heartbroken. She couldn't say anything, instead shifting so she could hold Sousiel tight in her arms. When the effect wore off, she had no idea how Sousiel would react, but for now...it was time to take care of the demon.
"I love you, I love you." Sousiel cooed weakly into Triss' chest and sobs of joy wracked her frame. It occured to her that now would be a good time to make love, alone in an empty room, feelings surging through her limbs. She pushed it aside though, they had all the time in the world for things like that.
Or maybe they didn't. Sousiel's better sense reaserted itself slowly, pulling firmly at the haze around her heart. With a deepening sense of dread she realized two things; The first was that she had been manipulated, she felt her peace evaporate like wisps of smoke. The second was that the hope perched in her heart, and her damnable desire for that sweetest of passions, was never going to leave her now. It throbbed uneasily at the back of her heart with no sign of relinquishing its newfound strength.
She turned her head slowly, so she could meet eyes with the witch that had layed bare her deepest nightmare. She painted her lips with her sweetest smile. "Well, Triss, you've destroyed me." She slumped into the witch's arms. "Everyone knows demons can't have love, especially succubi. Maybe I'll have Lorelai kill this thing inside me, like I should have a long time ago."
"I'd take it out on you. Rip your clothes off and show you every horrific thing I'd ever imagined, but something tells me you'd just smile like you deserved it." Sousiel sighed. "Maybe you do, but you've ensnared this heart of mine. Whispered words and clouded thoughts have laid me low, sentenced me to love a devious manipulator."
She laughed bitterly. "How ironic."
Triss raised a finger and planted it on Sousiel's lips, shushing the demon. Things were different in both her heart, and her mind, and Triss had to ease her into it. Sousiel's words were bitter, and Triss found them amusing. ”Tut, Sousiel. I haven't destroyed you, I simply opened your heart to possibilities it hadn't yet known. That emotion inside of you, it ran like a frightened cat. You need to give it the attention it deserves, slowly I'll work you into a lover, someone with feelings more intense than any.”
Triss moved her finger from Sousiel's lips, to tap the girl's forehead. ”I won't let Lorelai destroy that, it's so vulnerable and beautiful. Love can come to anyone, whether it be a manipulative maniac like me, or a demon such as you.” She smiled, her whole face bright. ”Some tears will hurt more than you know, others will spark the greatest joy in your heart. That's why this new feeling is worth it, don't you think?” She laughed, pecking Sousiel's cheek and holding the demon ever tighter.
Sousiel's eyes widened at Triss' response, how many times would she be surprised tonight? "You're going to work me into a lover? How, exactly, do you plan on doing that?" Her heartbeat undercut the sarcasm in her voice, fluttering in her chest against her wishes. She closed her eyes and quit resisting. "Love has caused me nothing but pain, or rather loving those who can't love me back."
"....but I want it anyway." Sousiel sighed, relaxing into Triss' embrace. "I can't let you love me out of some misguided sense of responsibility Triss, neither you nor I can bear that. If you want me, against my better sense, you can have me." She looked up into Triss' eyes without fear, the witch had already done the worst she could, what was left to be afraid of? "But only if that's what you really want."
Triss laughed, resting her head on Sousiel's shoulder. ”Have you met me, Sousiel? I'm anything but responsible, I do what I want, and only what I want. I will show you love, and if you feel like I'm not worthy at the end of it, you can explore the sea of men and women waiting to be with someone as gorgeous as you.”
”You're right to want love, we all do in one way or another. We're good for each other, in a way I will explain to you later. For now, rest in my arms, and stop doubting yourself.” Triss closed her eyes, feeling the steady rhythm of Sousiel's heart as it pounded against her bosom.
"You'll be the death of me Triss, but that's probably okay." Sousiel's eyes fluttered closed as the fatigue of her beating heart, and so many tears, caught up with her. "There are worse ways to die, and I'm done being scared."
She gave in to the last of her mistress' wisdom. Love was for the bold and unafraid. She let those warm fluttering feelings wash over her, carrying her into a deeper sleep than she'd had in decades. There were still a great many things to fear, but Sousiel just couldn't muster up the will to care. Tonight it was her, and Triss, that was all that mattered.
