Strange Occurrences / Lucky Happenstance [Closed]

As the wind rushed past my face, I took stock of my situation, my mind running far faster than my body fell. It was clear to me that the damn Yulku had opened a portal to - well, wherever I was now - high in the air, no doubt in an attempt to have me fall to my death if I jumped through after him, leaving him in the free and fucking clear. Looks like he didn't anticipate me joining him at the same time that he hit the portal, judging from the frozen expression of fear stretching around his avian face.

So, high in the air, portal closing, or closed, behind, above, me somewhere. A dead carcass of the Yulku, limbs currently tangled with mine and my Fang buried in his chest, slightly below the center, straight through where I had been trained, and experienced through bloody first hand knowledge, that the fancy fucking owls had their heart. Speaking of - I tore the Fang from his chest as we spun and fell, bringing bits of his heart matter out with it. Hm.

No, not the time for hunger, I was plummeting towards the Shadows knew where, with currently, no landing plan. Well rectify that. What did I have? Clothes - useful only to slow me down slightly, I was currently already traveling too damn fast to try an impromptu hang-glider. The only other thing I had was - the body of the bird. I grinned.

As the alarm rushed up at me at a rather alarming rate, I shifted around, putting my plan into action. Step one, stabilize, stop spinning around so that I didn't accidentally end up on the bottom with the carcass above me as I fell. Thankfully, he was dead, and couldn't really fight me as I roughly manhandled his wings, twisting and contorting his body to make sure that I was above the corpse. This had the added benefit of slowing the fall down slightly - who would have thought that fucking wings were useful when you were trying not to hit the goddamn ground?

Didn't help the damn Yulku in keeping my Fang from his heart though, so I had to content myself with that. But there. Step one, done. My, that ground was coming up at an alarming rate. Right, what should step two be? Slow my descent. Again, options? All I had were my clothes, daggers, and the carcass. Fuck it, I knew what I could do. I just had to time it right.

So I waited, contorting myself and folding up a bit, crouching on top of the body as I plunged towards the ground. I had to time this right: too late and I'd end up a damn pancake on the fucking ground, too early and well, you get the idea. But if I did this right…

There! I sprang upwards, launching myself off of the corpse, and twisted my body through the air, a tight, compressed ball of sliding muscles and shimmering scales. The jump canceled out most of my momentum built up in the plunge towards the earth, and the short distance I had remaining was nothing to be concerned with. It did however, speed up the Yulku corpse’s own fall, not that it could care, and it splattered against the ground with a very, very satisfying wet splat and burst apart rather like a valemelon would.

I landed moments later, dropping into a crouch and thumping my tail against the ground to help dissipate the remaining momentum. I stood up and brushed myself off, the stalked over towards the scattered remains of the body. I studied it for a moment, then spat on it.

$”Did you really think a little fucking fall was going to kill me? If I was that easy to kill one of my Shadows-damned rivals would have happily taken care of me before this. Stupid fucking bird, acting like only they can be in the damn sky. Fuck you.”$ I spat on him, before looking around, finally taking in the area around me. Fairly normal topography, if not something I recognized right away, but then again I was a fucking assassin and a damn good one some map maker or naturalist.

I didn't think anything of the unfamiliar landscape until I looked up. I did know how to chart my way with the stars, so I could figure out where I was with them even if I had ended up on the other side of the damn world. Luckily it was evening and - my eyes widened, and I could feel every muscle in my body go rigid. That was the wrong number of moons! I spun back to the body.

$”You damn asshole! You worthless piece of fucking shit! Really? Fucking really! You try to run from what’s fucking coming, and you decide to go to another fucking world?! Fuck you!”$ I hissed the words out, glaring at the unresponsive corpse. Fuck me. I had no fucking dimensional magic, I was a fucking assassin, my magic was geared towards that. Shadows fucking damn it!

Ayaka kneeled down to pluck more of the natural growing herb. Just a little more. She had to keep telling herself that. She had a lot already, but the ash was a telltale sign of danger. She wanted to stockpile. Fuck. Needed it. Business would be booming. The adept Alchemist had been testing various concoctions. Originally she was going to use the ash as a mild respiratory poison. Instead, she managed to find a cure to the wheezing pain in the lungs it caused.

Go figure.

Antidotes were profitable too.

Deft fingers clasped the group of windleweed and pulled it clear from the ground. She shook off clumps of obstinate dirt before wrapping twine around the bunch and placing it in the satchel at her side.

Ayaka stood and wiped her brow. She glanced up to the sky to see… Wh-What? What in the ever loving fuck? Two people tumbling, falling...down, down, down they went before disappearing into the treeline. Birds flew from the scene as she heard a loud, resounding ‘thwak’

They would be dead.

Guess they wouldn't miss their coin and valuables then would they? cha-ching, Bitches! She made her way toward where she assumed they fell. Through the pushes toward the path home. Hey, they fell in a pretty practical place at least. Convenient. Ayaka wouldn’t even have to go out of her way to loot the - Ugh...

Then the scent of blood hit her. Hard. Ayaka staggered as she pulled her hand to cover her face. Shit. Should have expected that. The way they had fallen, it was only natural it’d be a big, splattery mess.She slowed her pace as she came up onto it. A splattered mess of flesh and feathers. A quick glance deduced that he had nothing of value. Well. Almost nothing.

Ayaka bit her tongue, held her breath, and kneeled down to start picking feathers out of the blood and sinue. Whatever this was. It wasn't something she was familiar with. Perhaps the ash foretold more than just disaster. New creatures? Hooo boy that meant new potions, new concoctions. Ayaka grinned, new poisons

Placing the feathers safely away she then pulled out a vial. Nevin may be a useless fuck of a… What was he now that he was betrothed to my sister? Ah. Fuck it. He was still a fuck. BUT and she didn't use this sentiment lightly. He was a damn good alchemist and he may be able to deduce some shit with the blood.

‘crack’

The sound was small, unordinary. And most wouldn't even pick it. But most weren't Ayaka. And Ayaka had damn good hearing. Her caramel brown ears swiveled back and behind her. Focusing on the sound. She continued her movements as though nothing was wrong.

Sibilant hissing, a soft murmur - and a long blade far too close.

Ah….an assassin.

“Put it away dipshit. You're deep in my territory one scream and the entire town will be after your sorry, fuckin, hissing ass.” Ayaka stood, batting the blade away as she turned and- was lifted off the ground by hard, long fingers curling around her throat.

Well fuck me sideways, it’d be a great time if you could come help now, Oh Thayne Breaker. Breaker? Yeh… thought so, silent fuck

Vivid orange eyes bored into hers, thin, narrow pupils scanning her body up and down as he held her in the air. Around her neck she could feel - and on his body she could see, that he was covered in small, glittering scales. He was tall, too, even accounting for her height - she had to be hanging at least three feet off the ground, if not more, as he held her at his eye level.

Spots danced in front of her eyes as she struggled to breathe, and to figure out just what the fuck was going on and what the fuck was he? One hand was trying to pull his away from her throat, the other, still bloody from his supposed fallen comrade fell to her side to pull a concealed blade from her side. She wasn’t going to let this fucker best her.

Ayaka grabbed hold of its hilt and stabbed it straight into his side. “Hope you enjoy being paralyzed you shit.” The fingers tightened inexorably around her throat, cutting off what little air she had been getting.

OOps….

There goes her consciousness, at least the cocksucker wouldn’t be able to move for a few hours….

Hmm. This scrappy little thing had stabbed me. I could feel a toxin of some kind creeping out from the wound, making my body lock up slightly. So, some kind of paralytic, then? I finished strangling the beast-breed, and let the limp body fall to the ground into the boneless heap. Now then. Was this a true assassin? Or just opportunistic? I swiftly pulled thin wire from my pouch and bound its arms and legs - huh, it had a fucking tail. Tie that too, don't know how versatile it is.

I sat back and down, staring at the figure as I felt the paralytic creep over me. While I was tying the furred being up I hadn’t noticed any useful vials on them, so no antidote was to be had. We would be at a stalemate, this thing tied tightly, and me wearing off the effects of this toxin.

As I sat, I considered them. The hair, ears and tail were all coated in a light brown fur. The skin was a slightly darker color. A sign that they spent some time outside. They wore flowy clothes of red and white that provided no protection from an attacker. The backpack was filled with strange plants. So was the shoulder bag. I could take a guess that this little scrap had made the poison that tipped the blade. The chest was ample and curved, and when I had been strangling them to know who they were, their skin had been soft, supple, and yielding beneath my grasp.

So then, a female, likely? A cruel smile split my lips. She stirred, breathed, and started hissing and shouting at me in a language I didn't understand. Angry yellowed eyes, slitted like my own stared back at me. Unafraid. Was she stupid? Or merely headstrong? She pulled tight at the wires. She wouldn't be able just pull free of those-

My eyes widened as she tore one hand out of them, they shifted to her - ah. Claws. Feisty. Smart. I tilted my head to the side noting the blood that dripped from them. She had hurt herself to get out. I hadn't anticipated claws, but I didn't know her race. She, still partially bound threw her weight into me sending me toppling to the floor. After some wriggling she had managed to place her knees firmly in my crotch. It was painful. I narrowed my eyes. She didn't think I was fully paralyzed, did she?

She spat words at me demands I didn't understand. Dug a knee down. She did. Little chit. I narrowed my eyes at her, and that was all the warning she had before my tail shot up from beside me and coiled around her throat, tightening around her neck and lifting her negligible weight off of me. $”Dumb little kitten. Careful or I'll make you kiss it better.”$ I knew she couldn't understand me anymore than I could understand her as I flung her still tied up body at the ground. She hit the earth, but before she could scrabble up I was straddling her, my legs on either side of her generous chest, my knees pinning her arms to the earth. No more claws for her, or for me.
$”Now what should I do with you? I'm sure you'll be a useful thing, little poison maker.”$ She knew this world’s poisons and plants. I could use that. But she was strong willed, clearly, fighting back against strangulation to stab me, or even now bucking against me trying to throw me off. So I couldn't just hypnotize her. No, I had to… I smirked.

Before she could react I bit down, fangs flashing out to pierce her shoulder. I let my second venom flow into her body, addling her mind.

Her bucking slowed and her breathing steadied. I expected her to be screaming in pain, I was in another world and she, a strange species. It would make sense we would be incompatible. Instead her fight waned and she looked up at me with glazed eyes, laced with a delectable confusion. What a welcoming turn of events. I could tell it hadn’t taken full effect, she must have some sort of immunity to toxins, or at the very least - a tolerance to it. She muttered something to me, as her hand slid out from under my weight, I allowed it. She was in no position to fight. She pointed to her throat then to mine.

Good. Good, she was finally done fucking fighting. I didn't have to employ my full on hypnosis on her, nor did. I have to drug her to the absolute gills with my venom to get her to cooperate. Now more relaxed, I rolled off of her, coming up to my feet smoothly, my tail coiling back under my clothes.

Now then, the thing with the throats. Was that her saying she could let us speak? Interesting. I watched her as she writhed for a moment - and that was a very nice sight. She wasn’t thin by any means. Her body held curves. Meaty. Tender.

She lifted herself up and pried the wire off of her legs, shuffling out of it. She shot me a glare as she patted herself down and went to picking up her belongings. She quickly fished out an empty vial and tapped it against her teeth then pointed to her neck, then to me. I raised an eyebrow. She wanted my venom? Well. She wasn’t getting it like that. I snorted and shook my head once.

Ayaka found it a little hard to communicate with him, but not impossible. She had done this before when she found Tradespeak to be useless. She wanted whatever the hell he injected her with. If not to play with the venom, then to synthesize an antidote. She didn’t want to admit it, but it felt good. She opened her mouth to protest his denial when-

“High Priestess!”

Ayaka turned from the oddity before her to see two men both wearing sky blue robes, each had multiple swords at their sides. The town guard. The two young full-bred nekojin rushed to her then bowed. Each taking a knee before her. Their slick black fur and pointed ears akin to that of a Panther. The perfect warrior breed. “What is it?”

The leftmost one lifted his head, sapphire blue eyes rose to her. “Storm is coming off the East coast, we came to escort you back and -” His body tightened, coiled and ready to spring upon the other strange scaled man. “Are you safe?”

Hmm. Good question. Ayaka was fairly certain he had attempted to kill her. Her hand went to her neck, which was bruised and bleeding. At least the town guard didn’t come in swords blazing, all fight and no questions. They weren’t big brutes. He had...injected her with something that was for certain. The way her body tingled, and her joints were heated- she wouldn’t be surprised if it was a form of an aphrodisiac.

“He’s something I am using for my alchemy.” She mused. “Do either of you have rope?” The rightmost guard shifted his hand behind his back and pulled out a fine silk binding rope. He handed it to her, green eyes glistening with concern as they fell to her neck.

“I’m fine. Trust me. You know how heated things can get with me. A small conversation would end in a brawl.”

The two exchanged glances between themselves. Rumours of her...preferences had done their rounds, despite no one actually ever seeing her bed anyone man nor woman. Ayaka picked up the rope and turned to the strange man. She signalled to him to pull out his wrists, and when he did so slowly, grudgingly, she gently wrapped the rope around each one. Loosely, to show that this was just for the ease of the people. That he was not a prisoner. He could quite easily break free any time.

Before she moved away she found herself pinned by his gaze for a moment, one dark eyebrow rising for a brief second, then his face went bland, placid again.

Then, a warning. As her hands held his scaled wrists her fingernails pressed into his skin just enough to draw dots of blood. If he were to act rashly, he’d be hurt. It was three against one. Ayaka wasn’t stupid enough to believe in numbers, but she did believe in the two warrior brothers behind her.

She was close enough to hear, to feel, the low-level vibration that rumbled through his throat, feeling it bounce in her bones and inner ears. Her stance relaxed for a moment and she stilled her movements. It was oddly pleasant. Before she let it overwhelm her Ayaka shook her head, clearing the fuzziness from it.

“Lee, Jin - does this put you at ease?” Ayaka asked as she showed that the man was bound by tugging on the rope. The two nodded and rose.

“Yes High Priestess.” They said in unison. The two began their stead back to Kugoshima, Ayaka’s small hometown. She knew they saw what she saw. The soul of a hungry man. Illicit, twisting reds and blacks amidst a chaotic fire of orange at its epicentre. The man was dangerous. But he was such a curiosity.

As they walked in silence back to the village Ayaka again pressed her hand to her throat. She wriggled uncomfortably as she walked. Any lesser person would have fallen to the toxin. Hell, she had half a mind to jump him herself, but she had control. She wasn’t going to go banging some strange snake-like being she just met. She had to give herself a little class.

Yellowed eyes glanced at the man behind her. He had understood the series of gestures between them. She was going to give him a potion that would let him understand their language, and she his. Then, they’d both get the answers they wanted.

Her glance showed that he wss scanning this village, his orange eyes squinted and his pupils narrow. It was a distinctly predatory gaze, but not an actively hungry one - more like he was weighing each and every person and object in the town, memorizing where everything was.

The closer they were to the village the worse the falling ash had become, nary a soul was out on the street - most were already holed up. This storm would pass. It had been like this the last few days, ash would fall then suddenly stop. A nearby volcano may be on the verge of erupting but the village was far away enough that it should avoid any major damage. Ayaka was escorted to her home by the twin brothers.

“We really think we should stay with you.” Said Jin - the green eyed brother. He placed himself firmly between Ayaka’s rundown door and herself. “This man is dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“If anything were to happen to you we-” Ayaka held up a hand to stop the blue eyed brother, Lee. He fell silent and his eyes fell flat against his head.

“If it sets you at ease - come check on me in two hours.”

The brothers knew this would be the only compromise their priestess would make. They muttered a few words between themselves before offering her a low sweeping bow and leaving both her and the stranger alone.

“Well.” Ayaka began. “Home sweet fuckin’ home I suppose.” She let go of the rope and pushed open the door. Stepping over the threshold she dumped her backpack and satchel. Her arms quickly reached up to the ceiling, plucking various hanging herbs. “Let’s get that potion started.”

I watched as she busied herself, she pulled dried herbs from the ceiling and headed to a small alchemic setup in the corner. I followed, curious as to how she was able to concentrate so well with my venom coursing through her veins.

I let myself get distracted then, examining the herbs that she had hanging about the shop. Many of them were familiar to me, or very close to it - things I was quite familiar with, used to mixing my own poisons when I had no trustworthy poisoner to work with. But there were others that I couldn't even begin to place, and I wondered if they would be effective on me, or less useful. I'd have to experiment when I had time. And victims. My eyes slid back to the felinoid, and the herbs she had chosen.

She had crushed them between mortar and pestle, added a strange oil like substance to it then set it to boil. She added several powders to it, reds, blues, a few yellows. I narrowed my eyes, and shifted into a patient, waiting stance, arms still bound in front of me - mostly because I hadn't cared enough to shrug off the loosely bound rope, not yet.

The whole process took a good half hour, but I was long used to sitting and waiting for hours on end for the perfect opportunity to strike. This was less violent, but patience was a virtue I had long ago engraved into my very bones. One of few, I admitted to myself.


She picked up the beaker and took a swig before she handed it to me. The liquid still bubbled from the heat. She again, pointed to her throat then to mine. If it was poisoned...she just dosed herself. Hm. Or - she had already displayed a resistance to toxins, even bizarre ones that she never could have encountered before. For something she knew how to make? No, I was not dumb enough to just trust her. I shifted the sacs in my jaw bone, switching which venom was ready to be unleashed by my fangs. If I was going to die - well, I would take one person from this land with me.

I slowly brought the vial up to my lips. The contents were bitter, earthy and muddled, like a thick, sludgey smoothie. I choked down as much as she had swallowed, then lowered it from my mouth, my forked tongue flicking out to sample clean air instead of that concoction.

“Hows that? Hear me now? We peachy fuckin’ keen?” My eyebrows raised. Well. That was.. A very, very convenient potion to know how to make.

“Now that is better. Yes, yes I can hear you. And understand you, this time.” I shivered my arms, the loosely coiled ropes sliding free finally and hitting the floor. I stretched out my arms, rolling my shoulders. “I take it this is… HmHmm. This language feels odd, doesn't quite match you. No, it doesn't seem like it fits your tongue.”


She smirked, bearing two small pointed canines. “Tradespeak. It’s the common tongue.” She switched languages, I could tell, but I still understood it just as easily. “This is Akashiman. My native tongue. That concoction will last you a day. You want more you pay. You don’t have coin, you can pay in other ways.” I raised an eyebrow as she grabbed an empty vial and tapped it against her desk. “What the fuck are you and where the fuck do you get off on attacking me like that? What the ever loving shit did you try to poison me with?”

My, my. What a crass tongue. I grinned wide, baring far too many teeth even as inwardly I turned her words over in my head. She didn't recognize me. I really was on a different world, if a Ssulitani wasn't known on sight. Damn you, fucking owl.

“Little kitten, I am a Ssulitani. Or Serpent man, in a more common parlance.” I slid closer to her, invading her space as I loomed above her. “And as for where the fuck do I get off - where I please. But how about you, little kitten? You like pilfering the recently deceased, and think you can do it without retribution? For all you know, that which you took was vital to a burial ritual for the Yulku.” Not that I gave an everloving damn, but hey, she didn't know. Yet.

“And as for poisoning you, little kitten? Who the fuck says I did that?” This last was whispered, purred along my tongue right by her ear. It swivelled forward, then back and I could practically taste the tepidation that she breathed.

She had her back against the desk, I had her trapped but she still had that spitfire gaze. She placed the hand that held the small empty vial against my chest and pushed me away. I relented, just a little.

“No idea what the fuck Yulku is. But I damn well know you don’t give two shits about it. If you did, you would have paid that mess far more mind. You’d be at the site of the death not slinking around in the bushes, and yeh fuckin poison. What did you inject me with?”

“Or maybe I saw someone coming, and considering I'd just plunged from the sky, and was concerned and afraid?” I smirked and stepped back, splaying my hands wide. “But no, you're right. I don’t give two fucks about the Yulku. He was dead before he hit the ground. And it was not a poison, little kitten. Here, you got any meat around?” Felinoids were carnivores, so there was a good chance she did. I was going to play a trick on her - freak her out. The grin on my lips turned a bit cruel.

“What?” She blinked. Confused. Good. She pushed me away as she headed to another corner, she opened up what looked like a prehistoric fridge. I guess these people didn’t have electricity. Hmmph. Great, barbarians. She pulled out a plate with a few hunks of steak. It was perfectly cut and marbled. She seemed to have high standards. Shame it would go to waste.

Long fingers shot out and snatched up one of the chunks of meat and flipped it up into the air. I toyed with it, making sure I had her attention. Good, it was just the right size.

“I’m adding this to what you owe me.” She muttered, her eyes flicking up and down as she followed the meat. Then I shot my head forward, stretching out my fangs - and I injected my primary toxin into it. Far worse than a mere venom, it immediately began dissolving the steak, and I let it fall to the ground as it turned into a goopy sludge. I smirked at her.

“It was a part of that, little kitten. An insurance agent, much like your language serum. You're already infected, but it's currently passive - that was the warmth you no doubt felt. If I hadn't… Well. You d have lost part of that arm, at the least.” She thought she could hold me hostage for coin? She had no idea who she was dealing with. I had no issues lying through my fangs to her. “I’d say you're good for about… Twelve hours, without more?” I smirked, and deliberately licked my fangs.

“What?” She looked surprised. Then angry. I had expected fear. Full of surprises this one, She stalked over to me and gripped my clothing between her fists. “What the ever loving fuck? You better tell me that next bite is a fuckin’ antidote. You probably didn’t fuckin’ understand but I am the High Priestess. Those guards? They will hunt you the fuck down - and failing that I am a Priestess” She shook me. “I will have a Thayne- a God come crashing down so hard on you you’ll be flatter than your little Yook friend. Fix it. Now.”


“And if I died, so would you.” I smirked. She was trying to threaten me, but I didn't care. I was in a different world, knew no one. Fuck it. “It's in your best interests to keep me alive. But… I Suppose. A gesture of good faith. I like you, little kitten.” I shifted the sacs again, bringing the aphrodisiac back to bare. I opened my mouth wide, fangs jutting out. Inwardly, I was laughing my ass off. A gesture of good faith, as I lied to her and got her progressively more addicted to the aphrodisiac in my venom. And here she was, literally offering herself up to it.

Speaking of - her hands shot up and grappled the back of my head, and forcefully yanked me down. It seemed she was wasting no time, and I felt my fangs slip into her flesh smoothly. That had to hurt - so I decided to be good and help her out. By drugging her to the Shadows and back with my aphrodisiac.

Her knees buckled. “L-liar.” She hissed. Ah. Caught out. Not that I was particularly invested in that lie - I hadn't lied that I liked her, and I wasn't going to kill her.

“When it suits me. I am an assassin, dear little kitten.” I smirked against her flesh, and gripped her tightly with my hands.. Her hands fell away from my head and down to my arms. She was still fighting it, her breathing had grown heavy and I could feel the heat prickle through her skin. Still, she hadn’t tried jumping me. Credit where credit is due.

“You know Kitten you made a mistake in letting me speak your tongue.” I smirked. I pulled my head back, and began weaving it slowly around in a circle in front of her eyes, keeping my orange gaze locked on hers.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“M-mistake?” She muttered. Her body was on fire. Her first assumption was right. It was an aphrodisiac. She had let him trick her. It was such an obvious one too, but seeing that meat crumble, and having felt the effects of Ricin poisoning before - Ayaka didn’t want to take any chances. The two were similar, scarily so. And this time she didn’t have the backup of two magical fucking gods to pull her back from the brink of death. The catwoman had let her own fear cloud her judgement and now she was fighting back against some damn erotic toxin.

It’d affect her body, but her mind was trained against this sort of thing, mostly from her own doing. What it wasn’t trained against was… was…That hypnotic stare

“Oh yes, a mistake, little kitten.” His voice was a whisper, a purr that felt so wrong, and so right as her body trembled in time with it. Light from outside, from her candles, was dancing across his skin in a scintillating pattern.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ayaka breathed as she took two unsteady steps backward. The back of her leg hit a wooden chair and she fell back into it. She couldn’t pull her eyes away. His hands let her go - and now she could see that his entire body was smoothly moving back and forth - and everywhere not covered by cloth was shimmering in a dizzying pattern of blues and greens. She lifted a heavy arm to her head, groaning. It gave her a headache, his skin brilliant like a diamond set ablaze..the dark colours of his soul swirling around him - and the glint of orange beneath obsidian bangs.

“Me, little kitten? I'm just standing here, aren’t I?” His sibilant voice creeped into her ears once more. “You don't look so well. Maybe you should sleep? But first - you do need to reassure those guards of your safety, don't you?”

Did she? She didn’t feel tired. “I’m not...tired.” Ayaka muttered as she tried to sit herself up. To stand. Ah, but her body was heavy. “They’re coming back soon.” She mumbled. “I can tell them then.” Why was it so hard to think straight? Ayaka’s head fell forward as she buried it in her hands. Anything to cover up the shimmering form in front of her.

“Good little kitten. Rest then until they come by.” His voice was so soft, so reassuring, such a contrast from the dizzying motions that had been bombarding her mind. Ayaka shut her heavy eyes. An unknown amount of time had passed, but they opened. Slowly, reluctantly as she heard a knock at the door. The guards.

She had to tell them that this guy was fucking with her somehow, a hypnotic trance? That had to be it. That explained it… that’s what the toxin was for. She pushed herself to a standing position and made her way to the door. She glanced in his direction, he sat on a chair which had been placed opposite her own. He leaned back in it comfortably and waved a glimmering hand in her direction.

“Do be a good kitten would you?” Him again, words hissing and whispering inside of her. “You're quite safe. Tell them that. I am no threat to you. Then I think you are feeling cold, aren't you?”

Ayaka snorted as she answered the door, swinging it open.

The two guards jumped at her presence. “HIgh Priestess!” One of them began. “We’ve come to-”

“I’m fine.” Ayaka said as she held up a hand to stop them. “I’m just tired. I’ve been studying our guest. He’s not from this world and although he has a very chaotic and predatory soul it is of no concern to us. It is merely a product of his environment.” The two glanced at each other, then to her. They offered her a quick bow then left.

Once the door shut one of them jutted the other with his elbow. “Did that seem off to you?”

Lee was pensive, he scratched his maw with a padded paw. “She wasn’t swearing as much as usual. But there is a storm coming, and she is tired..”

“Maybe...maybe…” Jin muttered. “Best check on her again just after dawn. Just to be sure.

“What?” Lee exclaimed. “We’ll be ankle deep in ash then!”

“And what of her?”

Lee sighed heavily. “Right...Right… We will check on her again at dawn.”

Ayaka hadn’t heard any of the conversation, the door was already shut and she was standing facing the closed door. Trying to place exactly what she had just said, and why. Yes - most of it was true. She didn’t feel like she was in any immediate danger but - wait.

She lifted her head, ears perking up. “I’m cold.” She mumbled.

“Yes, I think you are. Look, your body is reacting to it.” When had he come up behind her? His hands cupped her breasts, and she felt fingers tweak her hard nipples. Warmth flooded through her body and she fell back against his chest. “You should go and crawl into bed, and sleep. The night is growing dark and you seem to have a headache, don't you?” There was a note of something - a hunger, she felt - in his hissing voice.

“I’m not tired.” She protested. “I have work to do. You’re here. I can’t sleep.”

“I need nothing more than shelter from the thick, choking ash out there, kitten. And the ash is heavy already - I doubt you can get anything more done this night. No, rest, little one, and start anew tomorrow.” Despite his words he had not stopped toying with her, tugging and twisting on her breasts.

Or had he? When had he picked her up? She felt something long and hard wrapped around her waist, and one of his hands was under her body, cradling her to his chest as his other teased her.

Ayaka groaned. She hadn’t had anyone touch her like that for nearly three damn years. Not out of any sort of abstinence mind you, she just had a reputation for being a handful. Both literally and figuratively. He carried her into her room and gently lay her atop the futon that covered the floor. His hand still massaged the round of her breast.Why did she feel so hot? Why did this feel so fucking good when it was just a simple ministration?

She rolled toward him, her lips parting as her breath became staggered. Glazed yellowed eyes stared at the glistening man before her. A part of her knew that he had done something to her, still was doing something to her. “You’re a fucking dick.” She muttered under her breath. He squeezed her tighter in response. “I know you did something.” She mumbled.

I stood up and pulled away from her - and that was one of the hardest things I had done. Apparently while she did resist the aphrodisiac, she certainly felt it - I hadn't had such a responsive partner in quite some time. I would love to play with her, to drive her mad and make her utterly beholden to me…

But I couldn't. I was in a bizarre new world, with nothing more to my name than.. Well nothing, because no one even knew my name. I sighed.

“I am, little kitten, and I did. But that is the end of it for tonight. Now, please, be a good girl and sleep.” I brushed my hand over her eyes, dragging them closed. Even now she fought, her eyes snapping open again immediately, and I tilted my head. “I do promise, which I don’t do often, that you are safe, and you will awaken in a better state than you have been in since we met. You need to flush all of my aphrodisiac - no, it was not a poison - from your system. Sleep, or sex, is the best way to do that. And as I desire to have a working relationship with you in the future - I am not so fucking foolish as to take advantage of you now.” I narrowed my eyes.

“Even though I dearly wish to. Now, sleep. We can speak when you wake up.” She finally closed her eyes with a sigh. It did - interesting things, to her body. And I cursed the fact that I needed her, and couldn't just take her here and now. Rather than stay in the room with that temptation, I spun on my heel sharply and strode out, towards where she had her icebox.

I knew approximately how long it should take someone of her size to sleep off the drug. Cut a considerable margin off for her innate resistance, and I had enough time to cook. I would stick to the things near her pantry - while I thought I recognized the other herbs in the room, I wasn't a damn idiot. I was on a different world, I didn't even know if I could eat the fucking food here. I would make her something to eat, and then.. Well then we would see.

------

There was a knock at the door. I glanced out toward the sound. The sun had barely peaked over the horizon, and even then it was covered in thick cloud of falling ash. I could hear a sound come from the other side of the door. I raised an eyebrow, and turned the stove to a low heat after a moment of fiddling with it.

“High Priestess!” ah. I recognized the voice, even if I hadn't understood it before. I strode to the door swiftly and yanked it open - my, these doors are light - and stared down at the cat-folk guard who was staring at me. I must be a ludicrous sight, because I hadn't bothered taking the only apron I had found off, and a spatula was in one hand as I glared through narrowed eyes at the man.

“W-where is the High Priestess?” Shot the green eyed one. I swiveled my eyes to pierce him, staring at him steadily.

“Would you two please keep it down? Your High Priestess is sleeping in her bed -”

“He speaks Akashiman?” Asked the blue one in a hushed whisper toward the green eyed one.

“I do, and I am right fucking here.”

“Obviously she gave him something.” The green eyed one said. His eyes still on me. I turned my gaze back to him.

“One of you has brains it seems, good job. Yes, she did. Then a headache or something came over her, because she was cussing up a storm once I could understand her. As I said, she is sleeping now.”

“Lets just go, he don’t got no blood smell on him.” Said the smaller of the two, the blue eyed one.

With some convincing and bickering the two guards left. I restrained a hiss of fury, and I had to forcibly relax my grip on the cooking utensil lest I shatter it. Neither of the fucking morons had been paying attention to me. I hadn't been so casually disregarded since I was a piece of the gutter trash, and the reminder of those days infuriated me.

In, out. I sublimated the anger with deep breaths, forcing it back down and away. Even so, my tail lashed behind me and my tongue flickered in the air rapidly as I strode back towards the kitchen, my body tense. Fuck them. I toyed with the idea of finding them later, once I had finished business here, be it good or bad, and ending them. I entertained myself with options for that as I resumed cooking.

A faint sound caught my ear, a near silent footfall on wood. One eye swiveled around.

She emerged from the room, hair disheveled, clothes -oh my. Hanging off her shoulder. My mouth watered, and I cursed myself again for not just going through with it. She stared at me, glared then lifted her clothes back up to her shoulder. “You.” She muttered. She held a bottle in one hand.

“Good morning, kitten. You had some visitors a moment or two ago.” I smiled pleasantly at her. “I am almost finished cooking, here. I went simple rather than risk an unknown ingredient. Eggs, salted and peppered. Ah, those ARE the right words.” It pleased me to know they had similar names, or at least enough that the words translated properly. Good, that meant I hadn't grabbed the wrong things.

She sighed as she sauntered over and threw herself into the chair. “I can taste poisons on my food.” She mumbled as she unscrewed the lid to the glass container. I raised my eyebrow as I watched her drink from it. I could taste alcohol waft from the thing.

“That's lovely.” I smirked and plated the food, then set it in front of her. I dropped into a chair across from her, and steeples my fingers together, studying her.

She rubbed her neck and I could tell she was trying to piece together what had happened to her the previous night. She shifted her attention to the food and without much hesitation started to dig in. She was either very astute, very ballsy, or very stupid.

“Allow me.” I cleared my throat. “I won a game of one-ups-manship. You slept off the aphrodisiac - that is what I injected you with, not so bizarre time delayed necrotic agent. Regrettably, you slept it off alone.” I tilted my head to the side, giving her a banal smile as she choked on her food at the words.

“I knew it!” She said as she slammed her hand down on the table. “From that first fuckin’ bite I knew it.” She gave a ‘tch’, “You won that time.” She huffed and finished off the last of her food. Hungry little thing. Too bad I couldn't have fed her something else, but alas. Perhaps another time.

“Don’t lie, kitten. You enjoyed the bites even without the aphrodisiac, I know.” I smirked.

I expected her to reel back, to blush-to deny vehemently - but she hit back with a shrug. “Yeh. I enjoy a lot more than that too. So whats it to ya?” Ah, fun. Damn it.

“Enticing. Very.. Enticing. In any case -” she cut me off, speaking up suddenly.

“I’m not ‘kitten’ It’s Ayaka. And Ayaka never got done questioning you yesterday.” She glanced over her shoulder - eying the storm outside. “And oh lucky me.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Looks like you’re stuck here while the storms brewin’ So - do you have a name snakeboy?”

“I do. My name is Estus.” I glanced out the window. Damn. There goes leaving. I wasn't dumb, I could see the ash falling.

She caught my look. She was wearing a smug smirk on her features as she leaned on the table, her chin in the palm of her hand. “Right, sunshine. Now - mind telling me where you’re from. Surely you didn’t just fall off a cloud out the sky.”

Nosy. But - I needed an ally here. And she let me speak the language. For now. I sat back, and spread my hands out wide in a shrug. “I did fall from the sky, kitten. But your words to the guards before were right, I am from another world. Wrong number of moons you have here.”


The chair screeched as she pushed it back against the wooden floor, and in two strides she was standing over me. “Is that so?” She looked curious, hungry - she wanted to know more, but was it more than I was ready to share. I tilted my head back to meet her gaze, holding her eyes with mine. She took a swig from her bottle and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “I want your toxins.”

Well. That was blunt. I snorted and sat back, studying her. “Sorry, darling, but no dice. The only way you’re getting the aphrodisiac is if I’m injecting it into you. The necrotic - well. I don’t want that floating around, and I don’t want counteragents to it showing up when I go off to work.” I shook my head, folding my arms over my chest. I wondered if her desire for the venom would be worse if she knew it had addictive qualities? I didn’t think she’d been injected with enough to be addicted to it yet, so hopefully she hadn’t noticed those. She shouldn’t have a craving for it yet, at least I didn’t think so.

She sighed. These were not the answers she wanted to her. If she had it her way she’d take both. Use the stormy weather to her advantage and experiment. Figure out what made him tick, what made the toxins work, and how to counter them.. “what would it take? How about the necrotic for now? Hell fucking yes I want to make a counter agent. I don’t like knowing there's another thing out there I have no counter to.” He gave her a slight shrug, one shoulder rolling, and she could see amusement buried in his orange eyes.

“It’s not a toxin as far as I know. It stops at bone, though it does a number on all the fleshy bits before the bone. I don’t think -”

“the hell do you use something like that for then?” It sure as hell sounded like a toxin to her, was he fuckin’ blind?

“I… naturally secrete it?” He stared at her blankly. Ah. There was her answer. He didn’t see it as a toxin, but a natural secretion. “Why wouldn’t I use it? I’m a fucking assassin. That’d be like telling you not to use your ears to hear things, kitten.”

Ayaka’s eyes narrowed. She was getting real sick of this ‘kitten’ shit. “Not Kitten.” she hissed. Ayaka leaned closer, glaring at him. She snorted before pulling away. “Right. You secrete it, I assume your entire species isn’t prone to assassination. I merely wanted to know what the natural use of it was for.” Ayaka shrugged as she turned to head toward her table, picking up random vials and reading the labels before putting them back down.

“Ah, you’re a scholarly type. I see. Well, in nature, before we evolved, it was used to predigest our meals. After about, I think, fifteen minutes it becomes inert, so the dissolved matter is safe to eat.”

“Right...right…” Ayaka mumbled. She had a new idea forming in her mind, she was distracted. “I’m not a scholar. I just like knowing things. Experimenting on things. Alchemy requires that.” She paused as she picked up a pale pink vial then another few of them. “Mmm. You seem like a man who likes to take a gamble. Am I wrong?” He raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head to one side - and then stood up, smoothly and slowly, languidly. For a moment it seemed like he had no bones at all, so fluid was the motion.

“At times, yes. If I like my odds.” He was curious now, his eyes glinting as he studied her. Good. That’s where Ayaka wanted him. She didn't’ bother ripping off the labels. The potion allowed him to speak the language. Not read it.

“How about a game of chance. One in three?” Ayaka shifted past him, her tail flicking up to flick under his nose as she headed back to the kitchen table. She placed each vial down on the table. “I have three vials here. One, a truth serum. Two. A paralytic. Three, an aphrodisiac. You get to pick which one you take and which one I take. I’m sure you have your questions too. And I am just as unwilling to share as you.”

For Ayaka, this was a low risk high return situation. She was near immune to her own aphrodisiac and the paralytic? Well. It was a weak dose. It wouldn’t last too long. The truth serum was the one she wanted him to take, and if she were to consume it then it wasn’t too much of a loss.

He raised his eyebrow and ran his finger along the edge of the table near him. “This truth serum, then. It compels, not just ensures?” He drummed his fingertips against the tabletop as he flicked that intense orange gaze back to her.

“More or less.” Ayaka mused as she sat on the edge of the table, rather than the chair. On purposefully close to not only the vials but his fingers. Suddenly, he smirked, a cold, hungry expression.

“A condition, then. Since I am sure you’ve dabbled with your own potions many times.” He watched as her ears swivelled toward him. Her head cocked with curiosity as her eyes narrowed. His grin sharpened. “If you drink the aphrodisiac, then I’ll also inject you with more of mine. Fair’s fair, since I am sure a potionmaker such as yourself has experimented on herself many times.”

That was all? Ayaka snorted, then laughed. “Fine. Fine. Ya got me. Now.” She gestured to the three vials. One a soft hue of pink, one a milky white, and one clear. “Bottoms up, friend.” He studied them for a long few moments, his eyes flicking back and forth between them. One hand reached out, and the finger and thumb picked up the clear bottle - and held it out to her.

“For you.” He smirked, and picked up the milky white bottle himself.

Bingo

He had picked the truth serum. The aphrodisiac was the obvious pale pink and she doubted he’d pick that. She clinked the vial with his as she slide off the table and headed to the chair. The last thing she needed was to fall flat faced to the floor. She hadn’t cleaned it in some time.
Ayaka threw the contents of the vial back down her throat and swallowed. The quicker she drank it the quicker it’d work through her system.

“Ah, good girl.” Why - when the fucking hell had he gotten close to her?! She hadn’t even heard him move! He was standing right beside her as she sat in the chair - and the truth serum was still in his hand, bottle open, and full. “That was, I presume, the paralytic, since you wanted to sit down. Wouldn’t have been an issue if it was the truth serum.” He studied the vial in his hand. “The aphrodisiac would have been too easy.”

“Suppose so.” She mused angrily. He better uphold his end of the bargain. Her joints were already heavy, the tingling sensation of the potion doing its work.As she watched, he did down most of the vial - though he left a single swallow, a small amount. Before she could figure out why, a gnawing dread in her gut - he gripped her jaw and forced her mouth open, and the bottle into her throat.

“Now we must both be honest, shouldn’t we?” His grin was dark. “What pray tell, were you planning on doing if I’d gotten the paralytic? And don’t worry, I’ll answer your questions.”

“I’d dose you with all three. Eye for an eye.” Hell, she would have told him that without the serum. In a way she did.. The serum was small, but potent. It took a few moments for it to fully kick in. Ayaka licked her lips as she felt the tingling sensation burst up on them.

“I see, I see.” He reached out and picked up the aphrodisiac, and considered it for a long few moments. Then, without warning, he leaned down and bit her, fangs piercing her shoulder. She felt a now achingly familiar warmth spread through her body, a heavy, concentrated dose -worse than anything yesterday. Did it have a cumulative effect or something? Traces left in the system, compounding with every bite? Before she could ask him - he uncorked the aphrodisiac vial, and downed it. Her eyes widened. What the fuck was he doing?

Then returned to his seat, placing himself in it. She watched as he sat there, his eyes widening - pupils going round and his skin flushing as he stared at her. He was waiting for something. But she knew the aphrodisiac was getting to him, could see the obvious outward reactions to it. His clothes prevented her from seeing the others - the clothes, and the table between them.

“Why the fuck did you do do that?” She hissed. Her legs squirmed against themselves, her body too heavy to do much else. “What...is different about this bite?”

“Different?” He seemed surprised at first, then thoughtful. “There shouldn’t be anything different in this bite than the other two. Just a heavier dose… or it could be that you’re becoming -” he bit his tongue as his eyes widened. “Shit. It could be that you’re becoming addicted to it. Damn it I thought you weren’t close to the limit for that. Fuck.” She knew the truth serum was working, could feel it in her own veins. He didn’t look too happy about revealing that information - or about getting her addicted.

“A-addicted….” Her ears fell flat against her head. She didn’t like the sound of that. Her heart beat heavy, hard and fast against an aching chest. With every slow breath it heaved and she was painfully aware of the feeling of the clothes against her skin. It...was a maddening yet pleasant feeling but she… “I don’t think I crave it.” Ayaka said pensively. “Why? What issue would you have if I did?” She hadn’t meant to ask it, but - the truth serum made whatever came to mind blurt out.

“I…” He shifted, agitated in his seat. “The difference between addicted and non is mild. You crave it, desire the heat, but more, the sex. If the addiction is great, you will go out of your way to pursue the source, or me. I don’t think either of us wants you chasing me if I decide to move on here. We don’t know each other well enough for that.” There was more, she could tell, but she .. hadn’t asked the right question? Or - no, there, like her he was blurting out. “And once you’re addicted, I become in a way responsible for you, according to my culture. Usually it doesn’t matter, Ssulitani only addict their mates, and it is mutual.” He grimaced and looked away. “Please stop breathing so heavily, I can’t help but watch those gorgeous tits of yours and sweet Shadows this serum is potent isn’t it?”

“I made it, what do you fuckin’ expect?” She shot back. “I have to admit-” Her words flowed as freely as they came to her mind, there was no pause between thought and speech. “You don’t pin me as the type to give two shits about customs, or others. “ she shook her head she had to ask what she planned to ask. “How do I get you to give me your toxins?”


“I was going to be the next head of my house. Fucking next best thing to a noble, because my house was a Shadow house. Customs like THAT one, I have to respect.” He turned his head back to her. “I told you. You’re only getting the venom if I inject you, so you have to want to fuck me for that - do you?” He grinned for a moment before pressing on. “For the necrotic agent, I need to know you better and trust you aren’t going to back stab me the moment you have it. I’m not from this fucking world, so all I have is myself and my daggers. Not exactly a whole fucking lot, so I have to safeguard what few things I do have.”

Ayaka’s head rolled forward. Shit. It was getting harder to breathe. She could fight the mental effects of the aphrodisiac but her body. Damn it. “Yes.” She hissed lowly.

“How do I get you to.” That was less a question, despite the words. He sounded hungry, and his voice was hissing and vibrating across the small table.

“It’d take more than your aphrodisiac.” She started, “Fuck… I need someone who can keep up, three years...its been three fucking years. Fuckin’ you tell me. Cause I can’t seem to figure that out. I scare people.” She snorted. She had to focus on her questions. Shit..questions...she had more, she had a list of them she was meant to ask him. What were they?

“Can you move?” His voice was soft, and she could feel his eyes on her.

Ayaka tried, “No.” She mumbled. At most she was able to wriggle herself, her tail twitched against the floor, and she had full movement of her head but beyond that. She was as good as stranded “Not for another several minutes.”

“I want to fuck you, kitten. I want it very, very badly. Do you want me to come over there?” Shit, his voice sounded rough, and he didn’t seem to be caring about her questions any more. Because she couldn’t think straight enough to ask them.

“Y-yes but don’t you fuckin’ dare!” She hissed at him as her eyes shot up to him. They widened when they saw he was already rising, light playing off of his skin in that damn dizzying array. Without a word he had slipped off his large shirt, revealing that he was densely built, thin beneath the baggy shirt.

Dammit….what were the questions? She had to ask them. Her eyes danced to and fro bouncing off the light of his skin. “What do...you….” She had to ask him, what did he want with her. The words were there now, but she struggled to say them. He paused, light gleaming on his body, and he tilted his head to the side.

“What is it?” The serpent man slid closer, invading her space, and she stared up at him, her eyes fixated on the dance of light on his scales. Her body felt that strange heaviness again and she wasn’t sure if it was the paralytic, the aphrodisiac or both. “What….future….” The words had all but slowed from her lips. “Plans?”

“Fuck you until you scream and collapse around me. Figure out if I can eat food in this world, otherwise I won’t live for very long. Long term, either set up a new House for myself, or find a way to return home.” He was close now, his forked tongue dancing against the shell of her ear, teasing her.

Even so, even with that burning heat building up inside of her she struggled to shut her eyes and look away from the man. “Would you...eat people….” The questions came and a slow and steady pace as she shivered against the heat of his body as it stalked closer. A hand had found its way to her shoulder as he ran it up and down her arm. She wanted to ask him what the hell was his interest in her, but the words came out garbled, breathless. “Why...me?”

I flicked my tongue against her ear again, dragging my hand up and down her arm. My fingers trailed up to her neck, then down her back, pulling her away from the chair as I teased her. The serum forced me to answer.

“If I absolutely had to, yes, but I prefer not to eat sentients. Though I might eat you out, if you’re a good kitten and beg nicely.” My hand brushed against her tail, and I felt the oddest, tiny tug - and I paused as I realized that my scales had caught against her fur. It was an odd sensation, and a fascinating one, and I stroked her tail letting my hand run along it, tugging against her fur more with my scales.

“As for why you - well. You’re an attractive woman. Smart, and useful. I am sure you’d be helpful to either of my goals, making a new House, or getting back home. An experienced poisoner, or potion maker, is always a valuable ally for an assassin, after all. And I like that fiery spirit of yours… and I want to break it, make you submit.”

She tried to glare at me, but she was in a dizzied suggestive state. She had been dosed by a paralytic unable to shift away from my hypnotism. She had been dosed heavily by my venom and she had the remnants of truth serum coursing through her veins. I had to applaud her for lasting this long against me. But enough was enough. I gripped her, and lifted her up from the chair, her body dangling helpless in the air.

“Do you care if your underwear is torn?” My voice was rough. She shook her head and I felt her soft lips dance across my skin.”Good.” I used my tail to hike her skirt up - then sat down in the chair. When she dropped into my lap moments later, the only thing between us was her underwear, and it didn’t last long.

She rode me, and in her suggestive state she told me all sorts of things as I poked and prodded on what sort of woman she was. What sort of deviant things would please her. And my, was I surprised. I’d have to experiment more later. Instead, I had her - I had her ride me as I ground up against her. We spent some time like that, at one point we fell from the chair to the floor with her beneath me - another point my hand was on her throat and she was anabashidly moaning. Damn.

I wasn’t sure how long we had gone, but we could have continued. Fuck. She wanted to. I understood what she meant now when she said she scared others away. It just made it worse that we were both dosed on aphrodisiacs, because I am fairly certain we continued past the point where our bodies would have normally given out.
--------------

I laid Ayaka down in the bed as she curled up. I didn’t know when she had managed to grab my tail, but now she had a death grip on it, unrelenting as she had been earlier. I chuckled and sat at the edge of her unusual bed. I had managed to get us in here when we were finally spent, and now she was staring at me with those wide eyes, reflecting in the soft light from outside, filtered through the ash. The serums and venom had run their course, and I had let my mild hypnosis of her run out. She had not quite been able to keep up with asking questions - at some point, she had only become demanding of more interesting positions, only somewhat hampered at first by the paralytic in her system.

I twitched the end of my tail in her hands, and watched her eyes flick down to it for a moment before returning to me. “Can I have that back at some point? I’m not a gecko, it won’t regrow if I cut it off.”

“Good to know I can pull it off if you piss me off.”

“That would be rather painful.” I snorted.

“I-don’t remember what was said when I was under all that. I underestimated you. Or overestimated- no… no It was definitely you I underestimated.” I snorted and leaned back, shivering my tail in her hands. She still hadn’t let go.

“I have a venom that drives people into a wild lust, and I just have to bite them to administer it. Of course you underestimated me. I have to keep up with that all the time.” It seemed she may not remember me promising to break her. I did though - and I remembered the look of sheer excitement that she had quickly tried to hide. “After we, ah, sat down, there wasn’t much time for questions, kitten.” I covered up, smirking.

“No..I suppose there wasn’t.” It didn’t take her a lot of convincing. “You won’t be able to do it again that easily. It was only because it’d been three fucking years.”

“Next time, kitten, we’ll both be going for it from the start. I doubt you’ll want to wait another time like that. No, not when you know I’m willing and able.” I smirked at her. An interesting relationship - business and sex, hmm? I could work with that. “And not when you know I have an aphrodisiac that can make it even better than without, and is very easy to administer. By the way - I should probably avoid injecting you with it again for at least a few days. We’re lucky you aren’t already addicted.”

“I’m not your fuckin’ kitten” She spat as she tugged hard on my tail. Ah...I would enjoy moulding that fire. I smirked.

“I didn’t say you were mine. Just kitten. You’re the one thinking of being mine.”

“Like hell I am!” She tried sitting up but winced as she fell back down to the bed. “Ugh. My head.” She lifted her hand to her head. Finally letting go of my tail. It immediately slipped away, coiling around my waist. “I doubt you can get me like that again. ‘Sides. What we did? That was vanilla shit, that doesn’t exactly tickle my fancy.” She shook her head.

“It was indeed. I didn’t even have to get my daggers involved, I didn’t really suffocate you, you don’t have any permanent marks, there was no fire, no ropes.. No, that was just to take your edge off. Next time, well. Next time will be very, very different.” I leaned closer to her. “Next time, I’ll make you bleed.”

Ah. So she was a woman after all. Her cheeks flushed a soft hue of pink. She widened her eyes and her lips parted slightly, before she regained her composure. “Enough about that.” She dismissed the comment. “What are you planning?” She wanted to move on, it seemed, though from the way she kept glancing downwards she was also dancing on the edge of wanting another round.

I shrugged, realizing she had forgotten already asking that. “Well. Fucking you until you scream and collapse, that happened.” I gave her a sideways grin, licking one of my fangs for a moment. “Second was to find out if I could eat food from this world without dying from some bizarre chemical that is toxic to me but common here.” I raised an eyebrow. “We can’t exactly leave though, that ash cloud is too heavy.” I sat back, staring out the window. The world seemed rather bleak.

“Is it always like this?”

“No. Somethings changing. I think a great catastrophe is about to hit this land.” She sounded pensive. Serious. “I brush it off as a storm from a nearby volcano, and that may be the case but - no. There’s something more.” She glanced over at me. “You quite literally magically finding your way here, may just be a part of that. Welcome to hell.”

I snorted. “These aren’t the Shadowlands, kitten. You have life, even if they’re cloaked by this ash. The Shadowlands are.. Nothingness, just existing in a bleak empty space.” I shook my head and pressed on. “After that, either build a new House, or see if I can get home -”

“Ayaka.” She corrected. “Pfft, and you can fuckin’ bite me if you expect me to help you with that without being paid.” I lashed out, my teeth sinking into her shoulder, not as deep as normal, but still I knew she could feel my fangs. She immediately writhed beneath me, the sound she made was a mixture of erotic and pained. I pulled back slowly, licking her blood from my fangs, and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry kitten, what was the rest of that? I heard ‘you can bite me’ and the rest is a blur.”

“Fucker.” She spat as she massaged her wound. Oh yes. She said I wouldn’t break her but she was already slowly crumbling.I smirked, and made a show of finishing licking up her blood from my teeth before folding my fangs back. I closed my mouth with a click.

“You enjoyed it.” I teased her, before unfolding myself from the bed, standing up. Where the Shadows had my pants gotten to? Them coming off was rather blurry - I had been distracted thoroughly at that point.

“I ain’t helping.” She said again. “Without payment. You find a way to fill my coffers with coin, or give me your toxins - and I’ll consider it. And again, its Fucking Ayaka.”

“Yes, I did.” She really did just keep setting them up. “And don’t worry, kitten. I don’t know the lay of the land yet, but you do. I’m a great fuck, but I’m a better assassin. Once I know who has got coin, well. Your coffers will be full.” I slowly stalked over to her, where she was still laying down, and loomed over her. “And I told you, kitten. The only way you’re getting my venom is if I am injecting it into you. Do you want that? To be addicted to me, to crave me at random times?” I studied her, watching as her eyes widened and flicked down my body as I stood over her.

“The other toxin - perhaps, in time. For now, it is a useful edge in assassination. Don’t want to lose that.” I grinned.

She normally had a lot to say, but her barbed tongue was silent as she stared at me. “Doesn’t your body normally shimmer?” I blinked at the sudden segueway, and looked down.

“Not enough light in here for that. I also have to relax in a certain manner to have that happen in low lights like these.”I gestured to the ash-covered window. “If we have a candle, I could show you.”

“Lie down.” she said as she patted the bed. I blinked once, then twice. That was… odd. I shrugged and sat down wondering what was going through her head as she stood up and headed to the closet, grabbed some candles and matches then came back to join me. Placing the two candles between us. “I hate magic. If I studied It I’d be able to whizz bang light but this will do.”

“I can’t use it much myself, this world has an oppressive blanket around it. And it will, yes.”

She lit the candles. Her yellowed eyes watched the dancing flame. “I can see your soul. It is the only magic I hold.”

“That… cannot be a pleasant view.” I was not a good man. I didn’t particularly care, but I was aware of it. You didn’t get to be the scion of a Shadow House of the Ssulitani with nobility. Customs and decorum, sure, but nobility? Not a chance. I relaxed the tiny muscles inside my skin, and my scales prickled upwards, beginning to catch and reflect the light.

She looked up at me with a smirk. “It is most definitely unpleasant.It’s a waving mixture of black and red - you are unquestionably ...antagonistic. There is a strange orange at your epicentre I can’t pick, but when your skin shimmers and dances… its like, your soul does too….” She trailed off and I tilted my head. My soul danced when I was hypnotizing people? I wonder if that was related to the innate mental effects of my race. Hmm. I would have to have her examine me when I grew stronger in this world, and my innate magic could resist the atmospheric one better.

“You won’t find anyone in this town who will be stupid enough to help you, barring me. Further North is the main city, there are no soul seers there….” Her words trailed off as she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin in them.

“Mmm. Sorta like that.” She mused as she watched me. Just what was she seeing? She seemed almost.. Content with this, and I wasn’t even trying to hypnotize her right now, just letting my scales reflect light. Granted, I did feel… more myself when I was cutting loose like this, because normally Ssulitani didn’t do this - it was impolite, and improper, so frowned upon in civilized society. It was only in the depths of the shadows, or in privacy, that we could just be like this, relaxing and letting this part of our nature out.

“I am a predator, bred from a predator species, raised as an assassin from a street rat. I am not a good man. I am practical, and, much like yourself, rather driven by coin.” I shrugged, watching the reflected greens and blues bounce off of her face.

“Don’t give a fuck, don’t need your life story. Just don’t eat me or whatever.” She mused quietly. Was that… a joke? She was quiet, and her voice didn’t hold the barb I was used to hearing. I rolled my shoulder, the lights dancing again.

“I’d eat you out, not eat you, kitten.” Her reply was a passive ‘mmhmm’. My, she was rather distracted, wasn’t she? I leaned closer to the flame, the light brightening against my scales. I rolled my torso slowly back and forth, letting the reflections glint and glow. I was curious. I wasn’t trying to hypnotize her here, hadn’t started employing deep vibrations. It was just - movement. Slow, steady movement. And the light. Was that enough to distract her? Her eyes followed my movement, fixated on the colors. Her tail thumped to and fro every so often in a steady beat.

“Enjoying the show?” I spoke softly, amused as I tensed my muscles back up, my scales flattening back against my skin. The light still shone against them, but now it was muted, reduced. She was… unexpectedly cute like that. Not at all like I believed. It would be… fun, to bring out that side of her and make it show more, make her submit to me. In time.

“Hmm, what?” She lifted her head to look up at me as she blinked the haze from her eyes. “You say somethin?” I chuckled and shook my head. Oh, too easy.

“You asked me to eat you out, kitten. Begged rather nicely for it. Who would have thought that just some glinting scales could do that to you?” I licked my lips, as if anticipating it.

“Pfft.” She snorted. “I dunno if you had it in you is all.” She mused with that same firey tone.Hah. She actually thought she did ask me. I shifted forward slowly, almost slithering around the fire to invade her space as I loomed over her. I let my tongue slide out of my mouth and flutter in the air between us, tasting the air. Oh? She was still excited, was she? I smirked.

“Kitten, didn’t I already prove that I ‘had it in me’?” I purred, my tongue flickering and vibrating softly.

In all honesty, Ayaka couldn’t remember asking him such a thing - but - it sorta felt like she had. And he was looming over her, and she was still… ah fuck it. She rolled over to pick up the candles and put them a safe distance away. She didn’t need to start any fires in her home and shifted underneath Estus. She looped her arms loosely around his shoulders. “I don’t recall that.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “No, you had it in you, that’s right. Just like this.” She felt him pressing down on her, and she opened her legs wider to let him settle between them. This time was slower, steadier - none of the frantic edge of years of unwitting abstinence, none of the pent up madness of aphrodisiac fueled lust. But despite that - it was definitely charged. He had threatened it before -0 but he did make her bleed, using fangs and sharp scales to scratch and tear at her skin. At one point, she was pinned beneath him, his tail wrapped around her throat, and her vision was going black from lack of air - did go black for a few moments, but she was brought back as he continued steadily taking her. He bit her, leaving sharp stab marks in her tender flesh - though thankfully for her, she didn’t feel the unnatural warmth that came with his aphrodisiac, so he wasn’t trying to cheat and make her addicted.

She didn’t know when the candle came into play - but she did remember when she felt the sharp, hot sting of molten wax dripping onto her sensitive skin as he leaned back. Remembered crying out as he let it fall in careful patterns, with a large cap covering her nipples. He drove her mad, teasing her with his unchanging pace as he toyed with her body. She didn’t recall when the candle was put away - but did notice when they were moved. How versatile was his tail? She’d have to ask, or experiment. Then she was lost, because she felt this time, with their intimate connection, when he relaxed in an odd way, almost not there at all, but still a change - and his skin began shimmering in the candlelight. Her mind drifted away under this, her world narrowing down to the dance of light on his skin, and the steady, rhythmic thrusting that was bringing them to a temporary satiation.

She didn’t expect to yield to him so easily a second time. She lay, relaxed, underneath him as he hummed with an amused tone. His fingers dancing along her flesh. His skin still glittering like a moonlit lake.

“Remember now, kitten?” His voice was as amused as his humming, as his fingers continued to trail across her flesh. Idly scraping her sensitive skin, and she knew he could easily shift that to scratching her if he needed to. Or wanted to. He already had, and left marks across her body.

Ayaka wasn’t sure what she was meant to be remembering, she was - she felt satisfied and for the first time in ….fuck knows when, she felt no need for anything else. “Mmm….” Her eyes rolled up to his, dazed, content. “Fine. We can do that more often. If we must.” He rolled his head back and laughed. It was an odd sound, a low, steady chuckle underlaid by a definite hiss.

“Yes. And much more. I need to experiment with this lovely little body of yours in the future, and see how much you can handle.” He smirked, then settled back onto the bed, shifting one arm beneath her. She was confused for a moment, before he dragged her over to lean against him.

Cuddling was not something she was used to. Hell. When did….She furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t remember ever doing somethin like this.” She muttered. He blinked, one orange eye twisting in her direction. She noticed now, in the low light, that his pupils had become rounder, fuller, obscuring the orange of his iris with black.

“What, laying in the afterglow?” He sounded confused. “I don’t hate you or feel an urgent need to leave you. Do you mind it?”

Her eyes danced over his skin, she felt entranced by it. Her fingers reached out and traced the patterns they made on his scales. “No…. I don’t and no. I haven’t.” She noticed he shivered at her touch, his body squirming oddly. “Why does it do that?” she asked.

“What?” He blinked. “Oh. When I’m relaxed like this, sensations feel different. Dragging your finger across my skin right now is… a weird sensation. Very…. Intimate.” He shrugged. “Non Ssulitani normally don’t like it when we relax, like I said. So being touched like this is very rare.”

Ayaka pulled away and snorted. “Don’t get used to it fucker.” Her words were bitter but her tone was placated. She shifted her arm away but her eyes remained transfixed on his skin.

I chuckled and rolled my arm. “You’re welcome to touch if you want. Besides. I don’t know what kind of idiots you’ve dealt with - obviously incompetent ones - but being affectionate after sex is healthy. Just getting up and walking away is… not a good sign, at all. And in case you haven’t noticed, I am looking forward to continued relations to you.” I suddenly had a wicked idea, and grinned widely - but that was for another time. “As both a business partner and.. Well.” I trailed my tail up along her body, along the swell of her hip to drag along her stomach, then reversed it to settle at her lower back, so my tail was draped across us both. Keeping Ayaka pleased and working with me could only work well in the future, and if it took sexual release to get her to cooperate better - well, I wasn’t going to complain.

Besides. Having her firmly planted on my side would serve me well when I moved to start setting up my House, if I couldn’t find a way back home. Assassins and poison makers went side by side and it would be nice to have one I could trust. I didn’t yet - how could I, when we’d known each other for a day? No, I didn’t trust her yet. But the seeds were there, hopefully on both sides. I could sway her, with the promise of pay, or with my body if need be - hopefully the latter, but either worked in a pinch.

“I am too.” Came her slow, entranced reply. “Looking forward to working with you.” She shut her eyes slowly. Hmm, trusted me enough to go to sleep beside me. That was fine. A good sign, actually. I let her rest, unsure if she was actually going to sleep or just dozing beside me. It was… strange. Even though the partners I had been with had mostly preferred to stay around for a little bit afterwards, none of them had actually gone to sleep on me, if that was actually what she was doing. I reached down and flicked the blanket up over us - mostly over her, she was generating more than enough heat to keep me warm - and folded an arm under my head as I stared up at the ceiling.

Was this what they called landing on your feet with a golden egg in your hand? Go on an assassination contract of a fucking mage, get teleported to another world when he tries running.Survive the fall from Shadows know how far up, only to immediately have someone come scavenging. End up going home with said scavenger - and finding out she’s actually an alchemist, can let me speak the language of the new world, and is a hot fuck on top of it. My situation could be far worse. Well. These were the cards I had been dealt. And now I had a bit of insurance against the house. When she next awoke - her breathing had steadied out, fallen into a rhythmic cycle - I could begin talking with her about potential targets. She’d know far better than I the situation in this land, and who I could quietly off to make the both of us some money.

That, or she had some grudges, I’m sure. I wouldn’t mind.

“Hey….” Came her quiet muffled voice. She was half asleep. I gave a soft grunt in reply, to prompt her onwards. I had thought she was fully asleep, but guess not. “I like yer twisted soul.” I blinked. I had… not expected that.

“I came by it honestly. I’m sure yours is a far sight better than mine, though.” I shrugged.

“No. It isn’t.” Came her hard reply as she nestled her face back into my chest. What in the name of the Shadows. I hadn’t expected her to be this affectionate, not that I was complaining. I curled my arm and tail around her tighter. She was half asleep, half tranced, and had managed to sexually relieve herself for… If I was not mistaken the first time in three years. That must have been it. Still - I could show her affection, and if it secured her to me, that worked out just fine. She burrowed into my hold, one hand drifting up to hold onto my tail around her hips, and her arm came back onto my chest and she began to hold on.

She seemed….Lonely, and that lonliness could be quelled, if I played my cards right. I’d barely need to hypnotize her.

Yes. This was the most fortunate I could have been.

Estus receives 575 EXP and 80 GP!

Ayaka receives 520 EXP and 65 GP!

All rewards added.