[Nexus] Saer's Manor

[kitcatk8]

((What a pleasant surprise! You're usually gone by now! ))

The cat landed its scratch perfectly. Saer pulled the dog back to sitting and frowned. It was readily apparent who had the upper hand in this game. But then, he'd known that going in. And he'd also known, going in, that he could lie if he wanted to in answer to the questions she posed.

Yet, even as she worded her first question to him, he found he didn't want to lie to her. Though, explaining the whole truth wasn't entirely desirable either, just as she hadn't elaborated exactly on what had gone on between her and Beren in the cave. He had a good imagination. And her blush had said what her words hadn't.

He settled himself back in the chair and laced his fingers through each other as he thought on how best to answer. She had used the appropriate qualifier when she'd said 'need'. For that's exactly what it was. "It is a required part of a deal I made to gain my own freedom many years ago. To uphold my end of the bargain, I must have at least one girl under my ownership at all times. I prefer to have more than one...Though currently, there is just you and Angele." He half-smiled as he met her gaze again, the look in his eyes somewhat -pardon the pun- devilish. "I'm picky."

And, the moment he'd finished answering the query, and not a second later, he leapt the dog forward to bite at the cat's nearest leg. The tactic would only work once, if at all, but he needed to use every advantage he could in this game.

[orb_of_blood]

Yeah... well, I'm in ICT class at school... ))

Nixa listens, noting the word ‘freedom’. So he’d been a kind of slave then. She’d have to ask him about that eventually. She might even get the chance to do so now if-

As the dog’s teeth sank into the cat’s furry back, Nixa protests loudly. She hadn’t even had time to ready the cat’s defense, with her mind still on Saer’s reply. But that was the game. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice. Clever, she actually smiles as she leans back, recalling the cat to her lap. Go on then. Next question.

[kitcatk8]

((Lol. Nice.))

Saer's quiet chuckle and a subtle nod were his thanks to her for the complement. He called the dog next to the arm of the chair and reached a hand over to pat its head absently. He could ask about her past. He could ask more about Draaxar or Beren. He could have gotten information from her which may have helped him control her better.

None of those questions seemed like any fun at the moment. And he knew those were likely the kinds of queries she was expecting from him.

"Why did you kiss me in the front yard?"

[orb_of_blood]

I uh, Nixa hadn't been expecting that question at all!

What to say? That she'd been laughing, feeling light-headed and dizzy and can't be held responsible for her actions? That seems like such a weak excuse.

She could say that she was cold and that he was so lovely warm, but that would be lieing. Nixa doesn't get cold, she has her own permanent furnace inside. For a moment she does consider lieing.

But no, this was a game of truth. Actually, I don't think Nixa has ever lied to Saer yet... So what to say? How to describe the strange leaps her heart makes when he's close? The urge to touch him, run a hand over his smooth skin? The strange warm feeling she'd had lieing out there in the snow with him over her?

I... I don't know. She says truthfully, dropping her eyes to the ground. She doesn't know whether or not he'll accept that answer. So she finds herself elaborating on the point a little. You're one of the only two male humanoids I've ever met who haven't tried to kill me immediately, or acted hostile. Then she stops and reconsiders that. Beren did threaten her after all.

Actually you are the only one who hasn't.

And for lack of anywhere else to place her eyes, she fixes them on the cat, stroking it's silver fur, not minding the strange, sticky white goo leaking from it's wounds.

[kitcatk8]

Throwing her off her guard was terribly satisfying. Not in a superior way, but in a way that was utterly male. He watched her trying to come up with her answer, fumbling for it, and raised his eyebrows faintly when she finally said she didn't know.

But then she elaborated on her answer, and the elaboration was more curious than her original answer. If that was her perception of the world, it certainly might explain why she acted -to use her word- hostile from the first. She seemed the type to have a 'Get-them-before-they-get-me' attitude.

While he liked making her squirm, he didn't delight in making her overly uncomfortable for terribly long. So instead of throwing a wry comment her way, he simply nodded, smiled, and held out a hand, to which the dog complied and walked over to the open space once more.

[orb_of_blood]

Nixa is incredibly glad for his silence. Anything said then would just have been terribly awkward.

The cat doesn't even bother to walk over to the space. As the dog was walking over - and therefore possibly off guard - she propels herself out of Nixa's lap, bounds over a stray chair, and launches herself, scratching and biting, at the canine's flank.

[kitcatk8]

The dog turned its head just as Saer realized exactly what Nixa was up to. He was getting better with the canine. It snarled and bit at the same time it tried to launch itself off to the side.

Not fast enough.

The feline's claw cut into the last band of flesh at the back of the dog's leg.

Saer let out a huff which was his form of a subtle laugh, and shook his head. He should have seen that one coming.

The dog came trotting back over to his side. Saer propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and turned his attention back to Nixa. No words spoken his time, he simply waited.

[orb_of_blood]

The cat sits on the floor, looking mighty pleased with itself. It watches the canine with judging eyes, ready to spring aside if it tries a surprise attack again.

Nixa hesitates. She wants to ask it, but what if...?

No, no what ifs, she's asking dammit.

Have you ever... eyes on his face, judging his reaction, been in love?

[kitcatk8]

As his previous question had put her completely off guard, so this one did to him.

But Saer's defense mechanisms were different when he was surprised. If anything, his face closed down more, became darker, sharper. His arrogant mask he wore when he didn't wish anyone to see what he really was thinking.

What possible motive could she have for asking such a question? Why should it matter to her? And, most importantly, did he lie about the answer?

Trust.

His voice was the same as his face. Monotone. Unyielding. "I thought so, once, a very long time ago." Something flashed through his gaze. Some sort of emotion. A vulnerability that he hid again, quick as the dark. He struggled with himself, wondering if he should add the last bit to that sentence.

You can't afford to become attached to this one. She is just a piece of property, a means to stay alive. Love is not in you.

For once, he listened to the voice of reason.

"I killed her."

[orb_of_blood]

Well that's... unsettling...

Yes, better store that under the list of reasons why she should stop this line of thought about Saer.

It would be right at the top of said list.

She waits for a few moments. When it's clear he's not saying anymore she finally gives in to ask: Well? Are you going to tell me why?

Of course, that's probably pushing her luck, and by the looks of things, his patience and/or temper too. But Nixa's always been far too curious for her own good.

[kitcatk8]

Saer took her distracted moment of curiosity as a chance to have the dog once more lunge at the cat, not aiming for center mass, but biting towards its legs and tail.

If he was successful in his attempt, he would lean back and again show a half-smile, though it was haunted by the memories she'd had him dredge up, and he would speak quietly. "That counts as another question, and it appears to be my turn."

Though, if the dog didn't accomplish its goal, he would have the canine pull back and begin stalking the cat once more. Either way, her question was postponed.

[orb_of_blood]

As she was distracted, the attack hit.

She's not happy.

At all.

But that's how the game goes, and it was his right to keep the answer, and his right now to ask a question. With an irritated glare at the dog, the cat is recalled a fair distance from it, and Nixa waits for the question.

[kitcatk8]

Deciding to go a bit easier on her, he recalls the dog once more to his side as well.

At least, he presumed this question would be easier for her. He might have been wrong.

"Why don't you like your wings to be touched?"

[orb_of_blood]

The question actually prompts a laugh from her. She's surprised, thinking it would be fairly obvious.

They're completely useless! She continues to smile as though it were funny. And it is to her. To have such magnificent looking appendages which simply don't work. They're powerful and spiked, they make great weapons, and yet I can't lift myself from the ground with them. They're useless for flight.

Well, she can glide down from high places, but aside from that they're useless. And she hates them being touched because she's always been somewhat embarrassed of their uselessness.

[kitcatk8]

Her laughter prompted a small smile from him, glad to have gotten away from the uncomfortable questions, at least for a short period of time. He appeared thoughtful. "Be that as it may, I can think of several other uses for them which have little to do with fighting." Once again, that heated look came back, and the smile turned into something more. "Of course, you'd have to allow me to touch them for me to show you."

And allowing that sentence to hang in the air, he sent his dog once more to the open area. He wouldn't be caught off guard this time.

[orb_of_blood]

The cat doesn't move from it's spot, because Nixa's not done yet.

His comment has piqued her curiosity. Again. What do you mean? What other uses? She asks, tilting her head slightly and ruffling the wings a little. Could they be useful? It's hard to imagine. She's grown so used to them being liabilities more than anything else.

So curious, she misses the tone change of his voice.

[kitcatk8]

The demon actually chuckled. He could have used the opportunity to have the dog attack again, or he could have simply said she wasn't following the rules to her own game.

But he decided to give her this one.

His eyes glanced back to where those appendages ruffled, then darted back to her eyes. "Powerful though they may be, you've shown, by your reaction, that they're quite sensitive to touch. If we could change the sensation from revulsion and irritation to something more pleasant, I think your aversion to them being touched could be curbed. Of course," he shrugged a bit, "whether you're curious enough to try in the future is completely up to you."

[orb_of_blood]

Huh. That wasn't exactly a 'use'. But she wondered if her embarrassment of the wings could be curbed at all.

Whatever, that was a discussion for a different time. For now she glances back at the cat, that rises and takes up a position across from the dog. It's defensive, coiled, ears back as it waits for an attack.

[kitcatk8]

The dog stalked close and closer, eyes keen and wary of the cat. If it swiped, the dog tried to dodge. If the cat lunged, it tried to bite.

Either way, without the element of surprise and with so much more weight and girth on the dog's side, this round was pretty much useless for it. Saer did his best.

In the end, the dog would lose once more.

[orb_of_blood]

The cat swipes, misses as the dog clumsily dodges, then rolls under it quickly and attacks from underneath with all four outstretched claws.

Assuming that works: Nixa leans back in her chair, wondering what to ask. She wanted to know more about Saer's past, but appeared to have upset him before. She's hesitant to bring it up again.

Actually, both topics she's interested in are somewhat uncomfortable. Damn.

Oh well, if she doesn't ask she'll be hating herself for weeks. Out front... the kiss... I'm going to have to ask what your thoughts are about it... She can't let it go. She needs to know.

[kitcatk8]

Saer inwardly cursed when the cat got the better of his dog. It wasn't so much the defeat. It was because he knew what she was going to ask.

He steeled himself for it, already wondering how he was going to answer when she asked...not at all the question he had been anticipating.

He blinked, but it was the only show of his surprise.

He mused for a few moments, enjoying how uncomfortable she appeared in asking. It wasn't like her to be shy. He found he was quite charmed by it. "My thoughts?" There it was. That arrogant smile. He could answer this honestly.

You'd better not.

"I hope it is not the last."

Stupidstupidstupid

No point in stopping there. He'd already started. "And I'd quite like next time to be sooner rather than later."

The look in his eyes said it all. Were she to approach him now, this instant, he wouldn't stop her. But then, with her new shyness, he was at least hoping for another blush. At best...well...that remained to be seen.

[orb_of_blood]

Nixa's new 'shyness' is brought on mostly by embarrassment. But more than that, she's afraid that being too forward would chase Saer away as it appeared to have chased away Beren.

She doesn't even blush, but a small mixture of confusion and a brief smile flash on her face.

I don't understand you. She speaks quietly, her eyes on his. One moment you pull away as if frightened. Then you seem intent to forget it or deny it. She's noted that from his actions. Then you turn around completely and express a desire for another. I simply don't understand you.

[kitcatk8]

Saer could only shrug and lean back. Everything she'd said was mostly true. He wasn't about to deny it, but he could try to explain some of it. She deserved as much. "My initial reaction wasn't fear, though I can understand why it might look as such. I suppose you might say it was..." He considered his word. "...astonishment. When I'd been told never to touch you again, along with being called -what was your word?- 'pathetic', if I'm not mistaken...I was taken aback, I think understandably so."

He didn't allow his gaze to flinch from hers. "As for trying to forget or denying the gesture," He shook his head gently with a faint smile. "I defy anyone to forget a kiss from lips as fiery as yours. But you force me to...re-evaluate many things." And that was all he was going to elaborate on that point.

[orb_of_blood]

She grins, remembering that moment when she'd called him pathetic. Ah yes, if she hadn't been so upset she may have actually enjoyed insulting him without ramifications. Still, it reminds her that he knows the Command Word. She truly, truly hoped he'd never consider using it again.

She began to wonder what he was meant to re-evaluate and what it had cost him to do so. It's obviously not stated in this deal he'd made to escape slavery that he needed to treat his girls in a specific manner. Else he would have been more forceful from the start.

Most likely he wanted to feel a certain dominance over them, an unquestionable superiority. She resolved then and there that he would never break her to submission. Ever. Dragons don't break.

So that left her with just one last problem, and it was the biggest one of all. What to do about Saer?

She wondered what would happen if she was to simply rise, walk over and give in? Taste those lips again?

Alternatively, she wondered what would happen if she refused to believe Saer meant anything to her. If she was to leave upstairs and refuse any advances?

She was about to make her decision when a last moment thought struck her, and it was out of her mouth before she realized it. What about Angele? Had he ever kissed or felt anything for the vampire?

[kitcatk8]

To her question, the demon quirked a brow. It seemed to come out of no where.

At some point in time, they had stopped playing the game, and started conversing. Maybe they would go back to it. Maybe not. Either way, he was ok with it.

"What about her?"

[orb_of_blood]

Have you- I mean, do you-? Really, how to phrase the question? She hated this stammering, this floundering to find the right words. Taking a deep breath she speaks them as clearly as she's able.

Have you ever kissed Angele?

[kitcatk8]

"Of course I have." The demon answered without hesitation. He waited to gauge her reaction, to see what she thought of his reply before he elaborated. "But kiss her the same as you and I did outside?" He shook his head gently, once, back and forth. "Not even close."

[orb_of_blood]

Her initial reaction was to drop her eyes and still. For a moment the color almost seemed to drain for her dark velvety skin. Then he elaborated and it came springing back again, accompanied by a lovely rosy tinge in her cheeks.

He must have meant a kiss on the forehead, or cheek.

Thew inexplicably happy feeling went to prove that ignoring Saer would be next to impossible.

But she'd already made a move, outside in the snow. It was his turn, and she remained seated. All that she did was give a small smile while still looking away, and a faint word. Good.

[kitcatk8]

Her soft single-worded reply almost wasn't picked up by his ears. But even if it hadn't been, that delicate coloring to her cheeks said everything he needed to hear.

He nearly stood up and went to her right then.

Nearly.

But he had one more thing he needed to ask.

Very quietly, his question floated up and over to her. "What is it about you that has previously made humanoid males act hostile or try to kill you immediately?"

[orb_of_blood]

On my planet, Draaxar was known far and wide. He was named the Harbinger of fire. Every apprentice he had was nicknamed the harbinger of something or other. When learning some of my spells I accidentally destroyed a couple of cities. I was known as the Harbinger of Death for my knowledge of necromancy. My face was posted up everywhere. Everyone knew what I looked like.

I'd walk into a town and the people would throw things, daggers and knives, come after me with swords, try to burn off my hair... They were so afraid my presence would mean their death. Her words are sorrowful. She'd never meant any harm, she just wanted to learn. Eventually I learned to cover my wings, my claws... I grew my hair so long it hides my face... and even then people would hate and fear me because I'm a drow.