He did not have the decency to even dress her, the chill of the night air was not pleasant in the least. Mirannda did not like feeling so exposed, like a dog on a leash. Nathaniel was only taking her home to allow his wife to do with her as she pleased in the fury of a woman scorned, betrayed by a simple act of lust. They arrived at a manor, marching straight through. She held her head high with a defiant expression the entire time, until they went into the library and her eyes descended upon one of the most beautiful elves she had ever seen.
Their eyes seemed locked, one pair angry, the other with awe lightly tinged with a sense of fear. Even as Nathanial begged, taking Mirannda by surprise with falling to his knees, the women continued to stare. Screaming commenced, still staring at her. Was it directed at Mirannda? No, not the way Nathaniel was acting, the way his head hung even further. Mirannda blinked, finally breaking contact with the elf, as she watched Nathaniel easily knocked aside. It didn't matter that the elf was very pregnant, she was a ball of fury that was not to be trifled with. As Celeste as he called her murdered a concerned handmaiden, any form of snide remarks faded from tongue.
In silence she watched the scene unfold before her. Celeste kept calling Nathaniel by Nemesis, and Mirannda's brain was working much as it had when she was under Sin's employ. Was Nathaniel just a pseudonym, or was it like Jaliza, a discarded name from a time long past? One thing the phoenix did learn was that this beautiful elf was extremely dangerous, extremely pissed off, and harsh. Nemesis was banished from her bed and their unborn child until her anger was cooled before returning her attention back to Mirannda, who involuntarily shrunk under the heavy gaze.
Then the biggest piece of information pierced her, a heavy weight as a ton of bricks added to her shoulders. This woman knew exactly how to kill her… Permanently. The shackles disappeared, but Mirannda was frozen by the new development, the promise of death hanging in the air as a new form of bondage now connected their wrists.
Sin would never have done this. He had made the ultimatum of accepting his offer of servitude or die countless times until she stopped coming back. Promises of long torture, quick secession deaths with no recovery time in between. This woman didn't hesitate, nor was she so cruel, thus promised a quick death. For as many times as Mirannda has died, she truly did fear the permanency. One of the handmaids came scurrying back into the library and breaking the spaced out racing thoughts. "This way, ma'am." Following the handmaiden out of the library, Mirannda began to find her typical mindset.
Unable to think of anything to say, the phoenix took the required bath. Unfortunately, she was in danger of nodding off to sleep in the warm water. When it was clear she'd have trouble on her own, the handmaiden assisted the phoenix, helping her get clean. Finally out and dried, Mirannda was given a choice of some clothing. Settling on a black pair of pants with a black long sleeved blouse with a teal trim to appear as if she was wearing two shirts, Mirannda pulled her slippers on and followed another handmaiden back to Celeste.
Fear was still dictating a lot of her actions around the elf, and curbing her usually snarky tongue. Once more, she thought of the similarities between the two life changing events where she died and was then forced into servitude to blood sucking monsters. Yet, she could not help but feel the defiance return as she thought of Sin and the torture she was forced to endure. "I am not calling you Master, Mistress, or mi'lady. I'm not going to lick your boots. The only reason I'm here is because of the terrible timing of my revival… Again… My name is not Tribute. It is Mirannda. I am a mercenary, and do not do well confined inside even such cushy manors." Boldly, she even folded her arms across her chest, looking upon Celeste down her nose.
