Exotic Auction

[Jewelskye]

The shock that went through Lyssania's body brought a sound that was part growl, part hiss, and part groan of pain from her mouth. Her hands moved to cover her stomach, where the shock had hit, but a moment later she forced herself to lower those hands, and the mass of spiders covered the spot her hands had been once more, flowing and chittering back into place, covering her pale body.

She was tired of the demi-fae's diatribe before it began, but she let the little winged woman talk. She was telling the sidhe warrior more than she realized. Her rant, self righteous and meant to be demeaning, was oddly revealing. She wove pictures of what they might do to her, meant to be a sign that she didn't fear her fate, but it was simply an attempt at deflecting from the truth.

She also made it painfully obvious those at the courts knew nothing. A look of triumph crossed her features and the shadow tendrils shot back out, except that instead of suspending the demi fae in the air, they spun her to face away from the sidhe, then brought her down to the ground in a surprisingly gentle manner.

She couldn't damage her prey before she actually got to do what she wanted after all, now could she? Watching with almost impassive eyes, Lyssania spoke in a tone that was strangely conversational, as if all of this were a very common thing, as common as taking a stroll through a garden. She stayed behind the demi fae as she watched one of those arcane spiders, an extension of her very essence, crawled away from the others and over to the wisp, who was just barely bigger than the spider itself.

"Did you know that some spiders have venom that can dampen the magical energies of the fae folk?" She was moving back and forth as she talked, no longer even watching the scene as the spider seemed to caress the tiny, naked body with it's legs. Suddenly then, it bit down, into the demi fae's hip, and it's venom almost immediately began to course through the fae's body. The spider continued to caress her. "It's true! Once, in the days of old, there were spiders as big, and bigger, than the dryders of the under worlds. A bite from one of them and even the strongest of the sidhe magic users was little more than an exceptionally strong and resilient human."

The venom that had been used on the demi fae wasn't the pure malice and hatred, the need to kill, that she'd unleashed upon Travis. No, indeed, this was something darker... more twisted. It wasn't there to kill her. It was there to immobilize her. To dampen her magic, to make it impossible for her to use any attacks. "Another interesting fact about spiders is that there are some who still, to this day, rather enjoy the taste of fae flesh. There's even lore that some of the more rare demi fae were once spiders and other such insects that fed off fae like yourself and who were turned to a new kind of fae by the magic they absorbed."

She moved over and knelt, using a finger to force the wisp to look up at her. "Mine can't turn into fae, but they can certainly benefit from your energies. Unfortunately though... they do not much like feeding from anything with wings. Perhaps I should remedy that and see to it they get an enjoyable meal this evening."

And without hesitating, Lyssania's free hand reached back and pulled first one, then the other, wing from the fae's back. As she lay there bleeding, the sidhe looked into her eyes with a look that said she was quite obviously enjoying ending the wisp's life. "Give your regards to the boat man for me, little one," and soon the arcane spiders were swarming the demi fae.

Lyssania stood then, watching impassively for a moment before the spiders began to wink out of existence, one by one. First the ones that had covered the wisp disappeared, leaving behind a cocoon, the wisp's barely intact head the only part of her showing. Then, the ones covering Lyssania disappeared one by one, in rapid succession, exposing more and more of her pale, perfect body.

Her dark eyes had become even darker now, showing her fatigue as the purple and blue hues faded to black, dull and without any real shine. She took a step forward, then, and swayed on her feet before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed next to the small form of the wisp.

 

[dryfter]

It was nauseating, to say the least......almost enough to take his mind off the sound of the retching human sorceress in the background, but not quite. Not when such a distraction was welcome when compared to what was happening to the wisp......

Eaten alive.

The snapping of the sprite's wings, the shriek of absolute agony coupled with the absolute shattered look in those vacant eyes of hers as the deed reached completion.....that wasn't nearly as disturbing as witnessing the swarm of clicking mandibles racing to each gain purchase on whatever exposed flesh could be had.....

At least he hadn't had to watch the life drain away from the pitiful creature....there had been far too many for that. And for a rogue who'd seen a great many things in his travels and battles fought......this was yet another thing he dearly hoped he'd never have to witness a second time......

"Well that was unpleasant."

Neither of them moved to catch her. Travis instead watching, taking note as those strangely exotic eyes of hers slowly rolled upwards, the arcane magics forming her spiders scattering as if a strong wind had swept through the room to blow them to all four corners of it.....fortunately, the impact didn't sound too sickening as his "pet" crumpled to the floor moments later.

"Kill her."

The words were barely uttered.....choked through the bile that still permeated her mouth, the emerald eyes of his once adventuring companion squinting up at him from where he supported her.....

"Travis, she's poison. You can't tame a fae like her....she'll be the death of you unless you end her life first. Kill her."

A silent shake of the head and those pristine, lovely orbs widened in percieved shock.

"Absolutely not."

"Why? Because you paid good coin for her? Are you kidding me? You saw what she can do? I don't care what the sprite said, don't care if she IS carrying your child....."

"She's not......yet."

A slight narrowing of thin arched brows.

"Yet. So you've been fucking her then."

He released her then, watching as Lorelei struggled suddenly to keep from falling forward face first into the mess she'd left.....

"Like you've been fucking my maidservants? Do I judge you for your toys? Toys that I employ, I might add."

And angry glare and a sharp hiss....

"Does that look like an innocent little maid to you? She....she.....ATE a will o' wisp, Travis!.....tortured it until it....."

"Until it died, yes. Do you think I've not tortured before? I don't have a taste for it, but I've heard my enemies screams fill these halls....I've seen my servants cower in their rooms at the sound of the atrocities I've commited. I'm not one to judge, Lorelei....and you have no more right than I. Get out....and if you don't like her presence here.....leave. You've been warned."

--------------------------------------------------------

"There.....that's better....."

True to his word, he had not placed the restraining manacles on her......though when Lyssania woke, she would no doubt be displeased at her current situation as it were.......

Her cell was becoming too mundane anyway, at least for what he had planned for her. Plus the smell of vomit hardly improved the dismal aura of the place......and so he had to move her, perhaps sooner than he had planned, but not by much......

In the end, morbid fascination had kept the mage with him, aiding him in the bindings and straps that held her limp form into place. Bindings that would only become tighter when the fae awoke and no doubt began to struggle against her position.

A cushioned bar, bolted into the unforgiving stone of her new cell pressed firmly against her ribcage, just under her ample chest to prop up her sagging body even as Travis moved to slide the collar into place......

With a soft, musical clinking sound, the silvered chain snapped into place only seconds after the leather about her neck was fastened.....its other end disappearing into the floor. Her legs were spread wide, inviting the touch of any who beheld her.....the bare sex of the bound fae open to view, another, much smaller bar making sure that the mysterious warrioress couldn't help but stay in that position as well. Not that there would be much struggling.....not with her wrists bound firmly together by a leather cuff, laced just tight enough to be uncomfortable, made even more so by the chain pulling her ever backward in a forced arch halted only by the collar around her neck.........

Thankfully, Lorelei had the good sense to depart rather than try and test her luck with the hapless fae......Travis was pretty sure that even if her magic was spent.....and she was as hopelessly exhausted as he expected her to be......Ania would have found a way to wreak vengeance on the auburn haired wench should she have woken to a brazen tonguing such as what she would no doubt have recieved had the mage proven more reckless.

As things stood....the only one she had to worry about now......was Travis.

 

[Jewelskye]

The dark was warm and inviting, and Lyssania let it envelop her like a blanket, comforting and welcome. She slept soundly, exhaustion keeping her in the black of unconsciousness for several hours. They'd have no issues binding her, her body light, delicate, as if her bones were as hollow as a bird's and her muscles limp as if she'd been given a tranquilizer.

Body arched and positioned to what he desired, it would still be several long moments before the pale skinned fae's eyes would open. The movement was slow at first, little more than a flutter behind closed eyelids, before they finally lifted, and a pair of glazed over amethyst eyes opened. Her head tried to move, only to be held in place by the chain, and confusion swept over her normally calm and cool features.

her arms tried to move instinctively, once again to be held in place, though these bonds tightened uncomfortably around her delicate wrist. A frown creased her brow and she blinked a few times, the movements of her lids slow and showing how groggy she really was. Turning her head, she looked up at her hand, to find her wrist held in place.

The transition from dazed and exhausted to wide awake and obviously angry was a fast one, and in only a moment, she was struggling against her bonds, letting out an angry sound that was hiss and growl all at once. Her eyes found Travis then and she bared her teeth at him. "You broke your word! I saved your life!" And it was true, she had saved him. From a fate worse than death. And yet here she was, back in bonds, as if what she'd done meant nothing.

"Human filth!" If there had been any trust established that he'd keep his word established before, it was certainly gone now, and her haunting eyes showed the way the anger seemed to seep from every pore. She had no more strength to pelt him with magic now, but there was certainly enough strength in her to show her displeasure.

 

[dryfter]

"Shush."

He was fully aware of how she felt. Perhaps a part of him even felt bad about it, but considering he spectacle he had just witnessed.....well......he had been busy.

"You'll find that your magic isn't restrained in anyway. If you feel so inclined, I suppose you can lash out at me with your spiders if you even can, but that will only increase the length of time you remain bound."

A warm hand slid across a smooth pale backside chilled by the damp dungeon air.

"You'll find......that I know really very little about magic."

He could feel her bristle beneath his touch, and for a second, Travis thought she might actually attempt to use her magic again so soon....

"Did you know.....that Lorelei was actually once of the Enlightened? That was until she burned herself out in a battle I'd rather not recant to you."

His touch moved upward......a slight tingling in its quality, it wouldn't be until much much later when he finally moved closer to her line of vision that she would be able to see the finely scaled glove that even now ran across her tenderest of places.

"How do you feel? Tired? Drained?"

The strange glove caressed her cheek, even as he leaned forward just enough to stun her by placing the softest of kisses on her damp brow.

"You no doubt think I'm going to rape you again, is that it? While you could do with some more training, I think we've concluded that doing so in such a fashion is only going to make you more hateful and resentful, wouldn't you agree? So please remain silent for a few more minutes while I conclude the examination.....and yes.....I'm checking for permanent damage.....not to your body, persay.....but to the ley lines of magic that permeate your body."

And with that he drifted away.....gentle, easing softly across her body, until the second she could feel the damned glove poised at her exposed sex, piercing her in a fluid motion, taking advantage of the helpless position he had placed her in......holding its position for seconds that must have seemed like an eternity......and then retreating.

Locks released.....chains fell limp one at a time, her now conscious body too proud to sag into his arms as she felt freedom returned to her one fastening at a time until even the arm restraints fell away from her.

"It wasn't my intention to humiliate you, though it no doubt occurred."

When she turned to face him, he only hoped the worry on his face was as prevalent as the fury on her own.....

"You've over exerted yourself."

He waited for her tirade, her hatred spewing, her fury for having been bound.

"You did so.....protecting me."

His voice lowered an octave, as he waited for her retribution......his mind spinning with all the things he had learned on this day.....hardly fit to concentrate on his own survival should it become in jeopardy once more.

"Thank you."

Moving slowly, he wondered if he'd even be able to touch her unless he commanded it, but try he did.....reaching for her as if to pull the mystical fae into a lover's embrace.....

"Please....don't use your magic again for a while if you don't have to. You're fae, so you didn't break like Lori did. She's a shadow of what she once was.....but that's her tale to tell, and if you ever want to hear it......you're going to have to ask her."

The blonde rogue sighed softly, looking down slightly as his left hand gently tugged the glove off of the right.....

"It's also probably best to not ask what this is.....or what its actual function is. Let's just leave this little experiment to "human adaptation.""

The shimmering glove disappeared into hidden vest pocket.....even now his every move seemed stiff......

 

[Jewelskye]

He shushed her... He actually shushed her! That ungrateful human welp! Her anger surged through her and Lyssania fought hard against the restraints for long moments as his hand passed over her. It felt odd to the touch, though she had to admit that it was difficult to decide why when he was so warm and her skin trembled, cold by nature and then only made more so by the dungeon around her.

His talk of not understanding magic was not surprising, and the fact that he dared to touch her after what she'd done for him, when he knew how she despised him so, made her aura tense, suddenly swelling around her and giving the air an electrically charged feeling. Keen eyes saw the hair on the back of his arms raise in response, but she didn't attempt to lash out at him. She couldn't afford to expend that kind of effort yet.

Still, despite her anger, despite the overwhelming force of it, she felt something else... a deep seated tugging at her gut, her soul. It was heavy, almost sad. It was... guilt. Amethyst eyes landed on him with a frown. His guilt. She overexerted herself for his sake, and he felt badly about it. He was… concerned for her. Honestly, genuinely concerned, and not simply because she was his property. It was a soul deep feeling for her… and she knew with certainty that his concern was as real as her need to draw breath, to avoid sunlight, to sustain her magics to live.

Her eyes glanced to the glove and she frowned, having never seen it before. This wouldn’t be surprising, of course, given that her people had no need for such trinkets. They were so comprised of magic, so familiar with it that the things he would have used the glove for, or at least what she believed the glove was meant for, were things that were common place among her kind, and it would have been laughable for one of them to put something like that to such a use.

She was flustered and angry, embarrassed by the time the restraints were finally released. Her body was still weak, but despite her trembling muscles and shuddering frame, she forced herself to stand on her own power, her head lifting proudly as she did so, watching him with wary, angry eyes as he apologized.

"You've over exerted yourself."

His words were quiet as their eyes met and her jaw twitched. It angered her just as much that he knew she’d over done it than it did that he’d had the gall to examine her to find out. Her muscles trembled with her fury, a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks, but still she stood proudly, drawing her back up straight, glorious and beautiful in her defiance of the wretched circumstances she found herself in.

"You did so.....protecting me."

The tone of his voice surprised Lyssania just a bit, and it showed in her tempest gaze before he suddenly spoke once more, in a soft voice.

"Thank you."

The shock became more plainly visible on her face then, and she stood stock still, unsure how to respond as he moved to her, drew her in to his arms. Her eyes were wide, surprised, even a little frightened as he drew her to him. She felt his desire then, but it was not sexual. Not in the sense that it had been. No, he wanted to be tender, he wanted to be gentle… He wanted to behave in a way she had no comprehension of. Love did not exist among her kind the way it existed among humans and the Seelie. Love, Lyssania believed, was a myth, but here he was being so tender it was hard to imagine it could be anything but. There was no word in her language for love, but she knew it in the common tongue. He held her as one might hold a lover, and it shook her to her core. There was no command given, and none needed, her surprise kept her rooted to the spot, unable to pull away.

When he spoke again, it was asking her not to use her magic again, and he spoke of breaking. Proud arrogance wrote itself across her face and she stood, pulling from his arms. “I will never break like that pathetic excuse for a mage. Your so-called “Enlightened” could not begin to stand toe to toe in power and ability with the casters of the courts.” She was angry again… angry that he dared to put her in comparison with a human magic user. A human magic user who, if she could recall properly from the somewhat fury-distorted memory of what had happened earlier that day, hadn’t even had the stomach to witness the most basic of her magics.

 

[dryfter]

Oh yeah, she was pissed.

But at least for now the dark fae didn't seem to interested in pressing her attack. Which was good because this time....he truly was weakened. There was no doubt in his mind that his little examination would have been impossible had Lyssania not left herself even worse off than he had been.

"Compassion is not a weakness. Though it certainly gets annoying at times."

He had bristled as the fae had derided his old friend, having no clue of their background together. It was true that Lorelei had been more annoying than usual as of late.....but like always.....all he had to do was remind himself that she was watching out for his survival. Like she always had.

"She handled herself quite well considering what she faced, wouldn't you say? And before you scoff and tell me it was just a wisp thingy.....you should probably remember your stance on how humans couldn't possibly best a fae of any kind. It's best to not underestimate her abilities."

He turned from her then.....limping slightly, and occasionally stopping to rest as he leaned against the sturdy walls of his manor. He had left her cell door open.....and he knew.....that she wouldn't miss her opportunity to leave that dingy place. Still.....

Travis winced as his leg spasmed suddenly....a gloved hand shooting out towards the nearest wall to prevent himself from falling.

"Little shit."

The wisp had done lasting damage. Though just how bad it was, he couldn't be sure. The twin jolts to his spine had messed something up and it was going to be a long walk back to his chambers. Yet not all of his symptoms were as violent as this one now......a nervous tic as his head jerked unexpectedly to the left.....a soft muscle tremor in his arm as the tough tendons jumped and trembled.

He wanted nothing more than to just lay down. Whatever it was that was affecting him would most likely subside with time now that it's caster was deceased.....

"You are free to wander the manor, Ania."

His voice was tired. He'd expended so much effort today......and for a moment, he wondered if this is what she felt like after using too much of her magic.

 

[Jewelskye]

“Compassion is the epitome of weakness. Compassion and love. Weak, pathetic, useless emotions.” The answer was said simply, as dismissively as if she were saying the sky was blue and the grass was green. Of course… in her world, the world of dark and shadow, of silvered moonlight and foreboding mystery, the sky was black. The water was black… inky and dark. “So… is guilt.” Her whisper held a harsh biting tone to it as she added the last bit, making it clear she knew just what he had felt.

At his talk of the mage, she almost laughed aloud, but her anger was a dark cloud around her, and it only deepened as he defended his pathetic friend. Letting out a derisive, snorting dismissal she rolled her eyes and watched him as he spoke. “A wisp is barely a fae, and I never said a human could not best fae. I said a human could not best one of my kind purely based on skill. Your mage survived because she had forewarning and the wisp knew I was the greater threat.”

A slender brow arched as she watched him walk away, limping slightly. He didn’t even make it more than a few steps before he was forced to stop and rest. Frowning slightly, she felt his pain and his frustration as he cursed, nearly falling over. Her jaw twitched as she recognized his pain as if it were her own. How annoying this bond between them was! She was tempted to kill him… wrap her hands around his throat, steal his life force as surely as she’d stolen it from his servants, but honestly, she was not sure of the effect that would have on her, given the bond. Would she feel that pain as well? Would it leave her dead, given her weakened state?

“For someone so lightly speaking of what your mage could do to the “little wisp” she said in a derisive tone, “you surely are suffering severe effects from her attentions.” She sounded nearly amused as she said it, walking to him and walking around him as he said she was free to wander the manor. The word free struck her more than any other and she considered. There was little doubt in her mind that if she truly wished to, she could escape then and there. He’d not be able to stop her, except perhaps by sheer force of will.

Another twitch went through him, and she felt it, her own neck tensing as his head twitched to the side. Letting out a slow breath, she turned to him and put her hands on her hips. Standing there naked, looking down on him like he was beneath her, she seemed gloriously regal, almost imperial in her stance. Royal, even. “You will never make it to your chambers like that.”

It was a simple statement, and she made it while her face tilted toward the open doorway, her eyes closing as her senses tried to determine the time of day it was. It was hard to tell, she wouldn’t be able to be sure until she got closer to windows or open doors. Frowning at the thought, she struggled with indecision before moving to him without a word.

With surprising strength, she lifted him from his own feet, carrying him with a hand hooked under his knee and the other wrapped around his back. Frowning not at the sight they must have made, but at her own weakness for showing him even this small amount of favor, she turned and headed from the cell.

As she walked, she spoke. “Let me be clear, human,” she said in a firm, but quiet, almost threatening voice. “I did not kill the wisp to save your life. I did it to save my own.”

She never once glanced down at him, making her way past stunned servants and following the scent of fresh air and the call of glorious freedom toward the upper levels of the keep, out of the dungeon. Once she made her way through the labyrinth, she glanced around.

“You are nothing to me.”

Alighting atop the staircase, she stood before the heavy door that would let them out of the dungeon and stared at it uncomfortably, unsure if she would be burned upon walking through it or not. As if to explain her delay, she frowned at the door.

“I do not know where to go from here.”

 

[dryfter]

Of course.....she would seize the chance to taunt him. But he wasn't about to let her see....or feel....how deeply her words cut at him. If she needed to feel something, if indeed she was even capable, it could be his fierce pride and his rising anger as her words struck at him like a viper's bite.

She walked around him as he leaned against the stone hallway, catching his breath. The door to her cell had been purposefully left open, and he knew that the door at the top of the stairwell was no different. It was nightfall....she was free.

“You will never make it to your chambers like that.”

Travis gritted his teeth as she turned suddenly and returned to him, fully prepared to fend for himself despite the lingering effects from his last conflict. He had been through worse......much worse......though he wasn't about to relive any of those fond memories with her.

Eyes widened slightly as he was handled roughly, hefted easily up and onto a shoulder almost too slender to hold him there. Her build was the only issue however.....as a similarly strong hand settled firmly on the small of his back to aid in his balance.

"What....what the hell?"

She was a tiny slip of a thing....there was no way she should be able to pick him up one handed! And if any of his servants saw him like this.....those that didn't run in abstract terror might actually be able to have a laugh at his expense with as comical as this looked. His face practically burned with a mixture of shame and his rising anger.

He fought her as soon as she stopped....and for the life of him, he didn't care if he got dropped right back down the stairs. The first thing he had learned in his extremely stressful and dangerous life.....had been how to take a fall. He'd had to learn....he'd certainly taken enough of them.

"I will not be carried."

And for the first time she could see the level of fury in his eyes as he looked up at her from where he had fallen into a very feral looking crouch. If he died where he stood, so be it....it would not be in shame. He'd been through too much.....had killed too many to stand where he stood now. He'd be damned to hell if he was going to be coddled by some fae bitch who preached how he was nothing.

"That's just like you....rushing off without a clue in the world where you're going, and trying to look all calm and collected as you do it. I wonder how many of my traps you'd find before you die still thinking I'm some clueless, worthless human."

A half crazed grin spread outward then....twitching slightly beneath another minor muscle tic.

"Not all of them are my doing, of course. Perhaps after you found enough of them, you'd learn to appreciate Lorelei a little more. I'm sure she'd accept the praise of finding your hollowed out corpse."

He rose silently, slowly....a hand gently spasming as it eased a hidden dagger back into its sheath, knowing full well that she could see it now. And while his eyes still held the hint of pain, it was drowned out by the hardened edge he showed when he met her own squarely.

"It's night time. You should be fine. You'll find a woman's chambers to the right, and four doors down. You can clothe yourself if you like, but forgive me if I prefer you just the way you look now. Perhaps a collar to accentuate the look, and a delicate little leash perhaps.......but the garments you find in the wardrobe there should be more to your taste."

His smile finally faded....the look of insanity slipping with it.

"Go. And be gone. I'm sure you'll make yourself scarce after tonight. You'll go back to your people and heal, and don't make any such pretenses about being any better off than I am. You'll return when you've recovered....and you'll no doubt try to take my life. I'll be waiting for you.....I've already taken one thing from you that you'll never get back, not even from my corpse....it will be interesting to see how you plan to take your revenge."

He took a step closer to her.....and then another.....and another.....his eyes never leaving her own.....

Until it was his turn.....to simply walk past her.....and show her his back.

 

[Jewelskye]

The first thing that it her was the hurt he felt, and it confused her. She knew and understood physical pain like it was a part of her very being... but she had very little concept of emotional pain, and it staggered her when it went through her. As quickly and as harshly as it hit, however, she was overwhelmed with another emotion all together... anger. Furious, righteous anger. Blinking slowly, she continued the trek up the stairs until they reached the door, only to have him wriggle*out of her arms. It didn't take much, of course... she wouldn't force her help on someone who didn't want it, but it confused her why he was so upset by it.

Confusion was obvious in her tempest gaze as she settled it on him, looking down at him where he crouched. When he belittled her for helping, she frowned and it was her turn to look angry, but she still lacked the strength required to truly fight with him or to teach him why humans should never speak to fae in such a manner. Her hands were loose at her sides.. she refused to ball them in to fists and only make him right. She had more self control and more skill than he or any other human could ever pray to have. Even that pitiful excuse for a mage didn't stand a chance when she was in prime condition.

Throughout his little tirade, she watched him and the anger he felt coursed through their bond to her. She wondered if he knew the effect his anger had on her.... if he realized that on some levels, it strengthened her as much as her own hatred did. Unfortunately, however, humans were fickle creatures and she knew that in a short period of time, he'd likely feel different again. Perhaps still angry, but less so, so the anger was not potent and its effect didn't linger. Watching him walk around her and by her off in the other direction, she frowned in confusion.

What was he so angry about, anyway? She'd been trying to help. Didn't he see that? Why would he be embarrassed or offended that she'd tried to help him? True, her attempt may not have been perfect because she didn't know his home, but that didn't mean that it hadn't been something she'd attempted to do for his own good. Sighing slightly, she gave a small shake of her head, long raven's wing locks swirling around her like shadows with a mind of their own. They draped around her body, almost seeming to caress her moonlight skin.

She watched and waited until he disappeared around a corner before she turned to continue on her own way. Yes... she needed clothes, though she doubted anything he had to offer would be up to her standards. Sighing at the thought of coarsely made human materials against her skin; she shook her head and let her bare feet carry her easily over the stone floors to the chambers he'd pointed out.

Within, she found herself sorting through wardrobes of clothes until she found something that seemed passable. It was silk... human silk, but silk, and it was black as the hair atop her head. Unfortunately, it was a dress... humans were so formal. She frowned as she draped the silk over her arms and made her way in to the nearby bathing chamber. Alone inside (she'd had to chase off a little serving maid who'd happily run from the room the first time the dark fae hissed at her), she sank in to the hot water and let herself soak for a long while, enjoying the quiet. She could still feel him. He was frustrated and angry still, and she sighed, feeling the pain from his wounds as well. Why hadn't he let her help him? What was so embarrassing about that?

Wasn't her submission, her help, what he wanted? Did he so soon after having her, hate her so much he was willing to throw her away, refuse her? Something inside her ached at the thought and she wondered if he could feel anything she felt. She wondered if humans had words for this bitter sweet, agonizingly wonderful emotion. As she bathed, her mind turned over the possibilities to her question in silence. Once she was fully clean, she stepped from the water, smelling like night blooming flowers though there had been no soap or oils within the chambers that smelled that way. Her hair was dried promptly with a thick towel, but she let the water droplets cling to her skin longer than her hair.

Body fully dry and hair damp but hanging wet and brushed free of tangles around her, she slid in to the silken gown, looking at herself in a nearby mirror. It had long pointed sleeves and the bodice clung to her supple curves. With a low cut square neckline, it showed off her pale, ample cleavage and hugged snugly around her body down to hips before it became loose and dragged the floor as she walked, swirling around her and giving her the look of some graceful specter. She blinked as she looked at herself, stepping closer to the mirror and sliding her fingers over the gown. The silk was not as fine as she could have found in the courts, but she'd never been one for silk (or dresses) anyway.

Still, at a glance, she realized she looked hauntingly like... her mother. That thought didn't sit well with her and she frowned deeply, anger flaring through her. No! She wasn't anything like her mother! Whirling away from the mirror, she stormed off on tiny feet and through the keep, the dress flowing around her as she moved. Her mother wasn't anything like her! Her mother was born to and with the power and position she possessed! Her mother was cruel and heartless in a way that even Lyssania had a hard time comprehending. Her mother looked on her and treated her with disdain! She'd all but refused to acknowledge her as her daughter!

Rage was boiling within her, at once strengthening her and burning what little energy she had left. Finding herself standing before a window, she stared up angrily at the moon in the sky even as her skin and hair drank it in, pulling its essence in to her, bolstering her soul once more. The sight of that silver disk, which had hallways given her strength, almost made her feel sick. She wondered silently if it wasn't her bond with the human that suddenly made her want to hate her beloved night. She was tempted to throw the window open and leap out in to the night, but the thought again struck her as inherently... wrong.

Growling, she whirled away from the window in a flurry of black silk and hair, wandering once more through the halls of the keep, unsure where her steps were taking her.

****​

Inside an empty guest room, Lyssania paced feverishly, anger and annoyance tugging at her. The heavy door was locked, so even if someone did try to come in, they'd find their way barred without a key to let them in.*She wasn't anything like her mother! But that was perhaps the problem! Moving to the window, she gazed with mixed hatred and longing up at the moon and stars before growling and pushing away from it again. Her mother's cruel voice taunted her from the darkness, as if the very shadows themselves housed the older fae.

"You're just some human's whore now. That's why the moon doesn't feel right to you. Humans are too much like them... Too much like the golden throng."

"I am NOT a human's whore! I'm NOT!" she cried at the shadows, only to hear the echoing, disembodied laughter of her mother, moving through the room. "I'm not!" she yelled at the darkness, the shadows around her. The laughter continued on, laced with the occasional snide comment.

"Human's little slut!"

"NO!"

"Little breeding slave! The mighty warrior fallen to become a human's mare!"

She nearly screamed at that, but instead only snarled, turning wildly to grab the nearest thing to her. It was a ceramic pitcher and washing bowl, and a second later they were hurled at the far wall, shattering against it. "I'm NOT! I'm NOT!"

The voice continued and Lyssania snapped. Books were pulled from shelves, a mirror was shattered, candle sticks were snapped, their holders hurled at the door as her panic and rage and denial swept through her like a tumultuous storm. "He will use you like the little whore you are, and you'll love every second of it." Another book was thrown; this one hitting the wall with a thud where a shadow that she thought looked like her mother had been only seconds before.

"I HATE HIM!" she screamed at the voice, weakly hurling the fire poker at the wall and not noticing as it hit and then dropped to the floor below. Staggering and weak, she turned toward the bed, the only part of the room that was still as pristine as it had been when she walked in.

"Then why aren't you leaving? Why aren't you returning to your people where you belong?" The sly voice asked.

A broken sob left her as she crossed the few steps to the bed and fell on to it, collapsing in to a heap as she wept, burying her face in to the plush velvet pillow cover. "Because I can't," she whispered weakly to the darkness. No one was there. No one had ever been there. The thought filtered through her exhausted mind a moment before her eyes fell closed and she found herself slipping in to sleep.

 

[dryfter]

This was fun. It had been well worth the wait.

Cruel, full lips twisted. She had felt the death of the diminutive pixie. She had felt it and rejoiced, for it had meant nothing to her. Not nearly as much as the glorious flare up of magic she had felt. Magic that was every bit as strong has hers, more deceptive and sinister, but much less forceful and demanding.

The little brat certainly hadn't lost any of her strength.

A ghostly hand rose to her lips in surprise. She had almost been ready to leave. Had been more than ready to return to her courts and deliver a rather amusing report, but for some reason she had lingered. And it seemed that following that strange whim had paid off....silent eyes widening as she watched her quarry step out onto a balcony and gaze up into the dark and slightly stormy sky. Perhaps she would have been spotted, and for a second her essence thrilled at the thought and the combat that would no doubt have ensued. But no. She was good at what she did, and used her dark gifts well. Unless she used her powers, she wouldn't be spotted.

And if she did use her powers. Lyssania would be dead.

She was no pixie. No mere waif to be bullied by this tramp. Pure blooded or not, that was all she was now for having allowed herself to be violated by a mere human. She was Bane-Sidhe....what the humans called a banshee. And she was death.

The thought that just such a stupid human would let a viper like her run free in his domain both amused and insulted her. If the woman had any pride left, she'd end that pitiful flesh sack and return to the courts to endure their mockery before it grew into something much more spiteful. To think....that the most promising warrior to come from their ranks in years had been brought so low. It was delicious.

"You're just some human's whore now. That's why the moon doesn't feel right to you. Humans are too much like them... Too much like the golden throng."

Her lips moved just a little as she mouthed the words, just the tiniest fraction of her power leaking from her translucent form as the sibilant poison found its way to her ears. There was no telling what form they would take when they reached her.....or who or what she would see. But then....that was always part of the fun.

"Human's little slut!"

Her ghostly essence thrilled with the rage that spilled through the room, a chord that she delighted striking again and again until the room itself was attacked by the dark maiden she tormented. Not for the first time, the banshee wished silently that she could see what it was that had made the whore's temper flare so.

"Little breeding slave! The mighty warrior fallen to become a human's mare!"

If it had been in her power to cast images along with the words, she would have, just to see the horror and shock of seeing herself in the suggested state....completely oblivious to the creature even now feeding on her fear and hatred. Even now, the fae stormed around the room, screaming her denial in response to the near silent digs that were driving her into a state of frenzied rage.

"Then why aren't you leaving? Why aren't you returning to your people where you belong?"

It wasn't until the warrioress responded, exhausted and spent far beyond her own limitations that her words of damning weakness finally tumbled from her prim lips.....much to the murderous joy of the one listening.....

"Because I can't,"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

He was unsettled. More so than before....or any other time that he could remember in what seemed like ages to him. Servants deftly sidestepped him at his approach....even the ones that had initially rushed forward in the hopes of assisting him each time he stumbled again.

The more he thought of that fucking little wisp, angrier he got. Travis had no clue...none at all, that part of what he felt was a trickle down effect of his pet fae's own emotions. All he knew is that with each step, more and more of the night's recent events came back to him. The pain.....the humiliation.....and worse still.....the completely foreign feeling of helplessness.

He had to rely on her. His pet. His slave. His whore if he decided she would serve him as such. The whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth. Not even the fact that Lorelei had shown up served to assuage his wounded pride and fierce sense of independence. Yes, she was a friend.....even a tool, a tool he used often.....

But surely there was something he could have done?

His chambers loomed ahead of him finally, and for a second, he leaned heavily against the door. It had taken plenty out of him just to reach it this far unassisted.....the thought of her actually thinking she could carry him causing him to grit his teeth once more as the door opened forcefully enough that its slam against the wall could be heard reverberating through the empty hallway.....

And again, another set of clothes ruined. Not like he cared. Travis made for the bed, sitting on its edge for support as he started removing the offending cloth. He had half a mind to have the whole lot burned.....it wasn't like it was anything other than just a ruse. Who did he think he was kidding anyway? Playing the nobleman wasn't like him.....but at least it made for some amusing times.