Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun May 28, 2017 1:09 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

From what Adel told me after I woke up the next day, the events that followed my blackout went about as well as I could have anticipated. Jack, in his love struck state, tried to embrace Kiyomi while still dressed in her nightgown, but was stopped by Adel's ruthless methods. Katerina thanked her for her brutal roundhouse, but Kiyomi proved to be far less vindictive. The young, pinked-haired girl immediately went to the stuck dragon after his head had been embedded in the wall, and helped him get free at the cost of her balance.
 
"Kiyomi," Jack asked as he shook his head after being pried loose? He turned around like a drunken man, still suffering from the effects of his concussion. His plan was to help Kiyomi back to her feet, but, when he finally caught sight of her, he found he couldn't even figure out which one to help. He was seeing multiple copies of his crush, to which he said, "I didn't realize you were a triplet." It took him a while to realize that he had been hit hard enough to affect his vision, but he was swift to accuse Adel when the realization hit him. Turning his head to look at his colleague's six copies, he asked, "Why you hit so hard?"

Quite expectedly, Adel only gave Jack a coy smile. She adjusted my limp body on her shoulders without bothering to give a verbal response, and then continued to watch the scene unfold around her. Events were getting a little out of hand by that point, what with the family reunion and all, so she decided to take the opportunity to catch up to speed. She realized she was out of the loop on what had happened thus far, and, in order to rectify that lack of information, she scanned the minds of those present.

Adel's aura extended, touching the minds of Katerina, Kiyomi, Jack, Anette, Freya and myself. She saw the events that led up to the death of the man whose charred corpse still lay silently in the hall, and left behind pleasant thoughts in her wake. Everything became clear once the memories were collected, just in time for Katerina to reprimand Jack.

It is worth mentioning at this point why Adel stopped using spoken words to address our guests. You see, Adel doesn't normally speak through vocalization. That technique, which is mundane to most people, is actually quite difficult for her kind: a race that, before its extinction, had long relied on telepathy as a primary means of conversation. Adel never really escaped that limitation of her kind even long after she joined my employment, and so she reverted to telepathy whenever she wanted to speak for anything longer than a few sentences.

There is a great deal of trouble with that approach, however. Of chief concern, Adel's telepathy has a tendency to come on stronger than is ordinarily safe for recipients. When races that are not naturally dependent on psionics – like humans, for instance – learn the art of telepathy, they are typically more mindful of intonation and volume in their thoughts. They behave like they are actually speaking because they are used to vocalization, and that quiets what might be referred to as their telepathic frequency. The minds of those they try to communicate with cannot usually be harmed by this frequency, and so telepathy is generally a safe practice for them so long as they know what they're doing.

But, unlike members of these races, Adel didn't have very fine-tuned message control. Her telepathy could sound like a person speaking, but it also disoriented the people she was talking to if they were exposed for too long. "Too long," depended highly on the mental fortitude of the listener, but Adel had been known to induce vomiting even in other psionics before. She had to be mindful of timing to avoid situations like that, but sometimes she simply had no choice but to speak as long as required: like with Katerina's reprimand of Jack.

 As soon as the wolf demon was done asking what the dragon had done to Kiyomi, Adel dropped her silence and responded in telepathy to the adults in the room. ~Depends which daughter you speak of. If you mean the two in front of you, Ms. Silverstein, he's the reason they didn't die with your fiancé. If not for him, you'd need three coffins instead of one.~ Her voice was smooth, but with a definite bite of wit to it. Adel was letting a portion of her true personality show through in that moment, though she maintained her politeness when addressing all further concerns. ~Natsumi doesn't believe that our house is prepared to hold guests at this time, but we will grant you a room at an inn of your choice. You need not tell me which one, since I already know.~

Adel and I had secretly been conversing before this point. Though I didn't possess enough energy to open my eyes or move, I could still make decisions in my sleep. As proof, I told her to say that second bit above; and I even talked in my sleep in order to free Katerina from the slave collar that was still around her neck.

"She can take that collar off once she's not in our home anymore." I mumbled that while still strewn on my stewardess's shoulders, and then quickly returned to silence. As Katerina's owner, only my voice was required to break the spell. Adel could handle the rest, and so she did.

~So she says, Ms. Silverstein,~ the diminutive temptress continued in my absence. ~I will allow you to say your goodbyes, and then we will begin the transportation process.~

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 12:54 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

The wolf’s day had been eventful: her hair was turned red, her fiancé was dead, and now she had her child back in her arms. As the wolf looked at her daughter the moments from today were forgotten. She didn’t even notice the smile crossing her lips. Only her family mattered to the wolf demon, nothing could disturb that moment.

Soon her moment with her baby was interrupted by the fox, forcing her eyes to look up at Natsumi. She was about to give a retort, but, before she could say a word, the fox fell. The glass of water fell from the fox’s hand; shattering on the carpet.The pink haired woman caught the fox then spoke to Katerina. The wolf nodded in response.

Kiyomi’s eyes stared at the sleeping fox until she remembered the glass falling. Her eyes turned to see where it landed, but instead of retrieving the glass shards, they moved on their own. Blue eyes grew wide for a moment, never seeing that before. “Natsumi’’s house is sure enchanted…I want a house like this one day.” Kiyomi thought to herself with a smile. “Mom, we need a house like this.” Kiyomi whispered. Her voiced pulled Katerina’s eyes to her. Katerina smiled and nodded in agreement. They needed a place to call home. Occasional cabins to sleep in were not homes.

When the wolf thought of the cabin, Jax came back into her mind; her eyes filled with tears. “We’re moving out of that house as soon as possible.” The wolf thought; she never wanted to step foot in there again. It was all too much for her, but Eva calmed her. Katerina wouldn’t let the events from today overwhelm her.

Jack running through the door made Kiyomi and her mother’s thoughts disappear. As soon as, he called Kiyomi’s name, Katerina eyes narrowed. He disturbed her moment with her daughters. Suddenly, Adel put him through a wall, and Katerina had to hold back her laugh. “Thanks Adel,” she said up to the woman with a smile. “Mom!” Kiyomi said annoyed at her mother.

Kiyomi’s feet ran before she could think against it. “Jack!” She called to him while she placed her hands on his shoulders; she pulled with all her might. It took a few pulls before he gave way. A sigh of relief passed through her lips. The sigh quickly turned into a gasp as she tripped backwards onto the ground.

While Kiyomi tended to the fallen dragon, Eva wiggled in her mother’s arms, and snuggled her face into the wolf’s chest to fall back to sleep. Suddenly, two little girls ran over to their mother, their arms circling Katerina. “Oh, my sweet girls.” Katerina said as she put her free hand down to hold one of them. “Everything will be okay.” She soothed them kneeling down to see red eyes. A frown crossed her lips, they were so sad. Quickly, the wolf replaced her frown with a smile. “Meet Evangeline, your sister.” As she spoke, she turned the baby slightly, so the girls could see her face. Annette and her sister's eyes lit up and a smile crossed their faces. “We have a baby sister!! Yay!” Annette cheered. They just about jumped up and down. “Shhh…You’ll wake her.” Katerina couldn’t remove the smile on her face. Her family was happy!

The commotion behind her made Katerina’s eyes looked. Her eyes shot to Jack who was about to fall because of her daughter. “What the hell did you do to my daughter?” Katerina’s stern voice was towards the dragon. Standing, she looked at her daughter’s nightgown that was around his neck.

Turning back to Adel, she didn’t want to hear his excuse. She just wanted a quiet room to lay her head down, and keep an eye on her daughters. “Is there a room we can stay in for the night?” She paused then remembered how they couldn’t leave. “Also… How can we get back home?”

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sat May 6, 2017 1:10 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Thankfully, the truth didn't result in violence. Katerina's anger at the kidnapping was apparent, at first, but it mellowed out as my explanation lay bare for her. She just quietly hugged her daughter during and after that speech, grateful for the babe's return even if she was annoyed at my warning against revenge. In the end, she thanked me, but I wasn't able to understand the depth of her gratitude until the next day.

As much as I had seemed wide awake that night, I was actually running on pure adrenaline. My body could no longer sustain itself for much longer by the time I returned Gabby, and realizing that my family was safe functioned as the last straw. Fatigue started to pull on my eyelids once that realization hit, and the formerly erect posture I held against the wall drooped over time.
   
"Don't mention it," I said as the room started to fade. "You're too soft and squishy to handle so much unhappiness in your life, and I wasn't about to permanently take your daughter if I could help it. I'm a spy with a notoriously cold-hearted reputation, but I don't aim to cause anguish where I can avoid it. "

Suddenly, the glass in my hand dropped to the floor, shattering on impact. The sound reverberated off the walls, detracting from the naming ceremony and calling me to join its source before Adel caught me. Despite her small stature, she hoisted my unconscious body onto her shoulder like a cloth doll, supporting my head whilst still looking at the family in front of her.

"She pushed herself too much, it seems," the temptress began with a quiet whisper. "We'll have to let her rest." The glass shards from the goblet animated of their own accord just then, as if sweeping themselves off to the side of the hallway. Jack burst through the doors of the study soon after, running straight for his pink haired lover.

"Kiyomi," he shouted! His eyes were practically heart shaped as he ran, but he also barely made it two steps out into the hallway before Adel kicked his head through the wall. She was surprisingly nimble during the attack, able to move past Kiyomi whilst still carrying my limp body and without making a sound. Jack never saw what hit him, but suspected that his petite coworker was to blame for the newfound predicament.

Katerina's other daughters came through the door in the meantime. They went straight past Adel and flocked to their mother's side, reuniting the whole family in the strangest of places. So it was that the unwelcome guests congregated at long last.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Mon May 1, 2017 2:34 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

With her world falling apart around her, Katerina thought about the people who were taken from her. Her daughter Gabrielle was the first to go. The wolf’s baby girl had been taken in the night. All that Katerina found was her baby blanket and an empty cradle. The room had caved in on the wolf after seeing that only child she bore was gone. Her world fell apart that day. With the help of her two daughters, Eden and Kiyomi, they searched for their missing sister, but they didn’t find any trace of Gabby. With every day that passed, Katerina became more closed off, and more broken then the last day.

The wolf’s adopted daughter, Eden, had only joined the family about a year prior. Katerina had welcomed the girl with open arms, and the werewolf soon became part of the family. Eden reminded Katerina so much of herself before the time her parents died: her spirit was strong, her sweet demeanor and how she had a love for life. Even after all she had been through, she wasn’t broken by it. With the search over for Gabrielle, she took the chance to have an adventure. Breaking Katerina’s heart even more, Eden left.

Shutting down was the only thing Katerina could do at that time. It wasn’t long though before Kiyomi knocked her back to her senses, saying she was leaving to a war. Katerina didn’t want to lose another child, so she went along.

Sitting against the wall with a shattered heart once more, the wolf didn’t know if she would come out of it this time; she didn’t want to. When she finally found love, it was taken away. This added to everything she been through. She didn’t know what to do. Jax was gone and there was no way of bringing him back. Warm arms were quick to embrace her. Katerina knew it was Kiyomi, but she couldn’t move or say a word.

Hearing Natsumi’s voice, Katerina didn’t want to look at her; she always talked in riddles. The wolf was finished with riddles. Soon a bundle was placed before her that took her attention. She instantly knew the scent, and the face of the baby that came into view. “Ga- Gabby…” She said with a shaky voice. Her arms shot out to grab ahold of the child and brought her in close. She inhaled the baby’s scent and looked at her sleeping face. For a moment she forgot that anyone was around but Kiyomi and her baby. With her free arm Katerina pulled Kiyomi close to her, so they both could stare at Gabby. Kiyomi cried silent happy tears as she looked at her baby sister. “Gabby…You're back…” The dragon whispered.

It wasn’t until Natsumi started to speak once more that Katerina got to her feet. She grew angry. How could Natsumi had found her baby and not told her? Pausing in her thoughts, she looked down at the baby in her arms then back at the fox before her. “She hasn’t aged…” Katerina’s thoughts were soon answered by Natsumi. Every fiber in Katerina wanted to attack and kill the fox, but as Natsumi’s explanation sank in, she relaxed. Her eyes slowly moved back to the baby in her arms.

Katerina’s daughter, on the other hand, stared at Natsumi with a confused yet shocked expression. The dragon couldn’t understand why her sister needed her soul “healed,” as Natsumi put it. All she knew was she was back and unaged. She had to listen further to understand.

Natsumi had known the monster. That part of Natsumi’s words brought memories back to Katerina. She didn’t remember much, only flashes. She also remembered the woman she tried to save, and how they both ended up pregnant. It had been many days since she thought about the rape. She hadn’t even told her daughters what happened. It seemed like forever ago, but that was until Natsumi brought it up.

She should have known that the beast was someone Natsumi knew. She always had a knack for knowing of or collecting odd…creatures. Katerina had heard of the creature’s the fox kept.

The wolf’s eyes continued to look at the sleeping baby in her arms. She was trying to comprehend how someone could do such things with a soul. Her daughter was essentially split in two. The half of the monster, a monster she had never seen or heard of before, was not in the daughter in her arms. With an internal sigh, she felt… relieved. Gabby was only her, not the wretched beast that raped her. This made her glad, and so thankful to Natsumi. She wouldn’t look at her baby and think of that moment again.

Natsumi continued to explain more, the wolf listened. The little child Katerina saw before was Elizabeth. A smile grew on Katerina’s lips as she looked up at the fox. “She finally has….” Kat thought to herself. Natsumi had never bore a child. Now she had, not physically, but a spiritually. Wasn’t splitting souls apart birth? She knew the child would live a great life with Natsumi and Natsumi would get a chance at happiness. Gabby was hers, and Elizabeth was Natsumi’s.

A gasp was soon heard behind the wolf. “Mom..” Katerina heard her daughter whisper. She didn’t know of the rape, and of course Natsumi would be the one to break it to her. If she didn’t have a baby in her arms, the wolf would’ve face palmed herself. She would have to tell her daughter everything now.

When Natsumi spoke to Katerina of killing the monster, the wolf thought it was a great idea; but Natsumi dashed her hopes with a stern warning to not go after the monster. “Fine..” Katerina whispered while looking away with her eyebrows pulled together in annoyance.

Finally, Natsumi had finished. The silence made her eyes move to the sleeping baby in her arms. “Thank you, Natsumi.” Katerina whispered after a minute, not able to tear her eyes from her baby girl. It seemed like forever since she felt her warmth or smelled her baby skin. Bringing her lips to her baby, Katerina kissed Gabby’s forehead softly, not to wake her. “I think a change of name is in order…” Katerina paused for a moment and smiled. “Evangeline….Katsumi Silverstein.” The wolf looked over to her daughter behind her. “What do you think?” The wolf asked. Her baby needed a name worthy of Natsumi. She had brought her back to her: in an awful way, but Eva was still back in her arms now thanks to the fox. “It’s perfect, Mom.” Kiyomi looked at her mom with soft eyes as she spoke. She was so happy to have her sister back, but was sad about the news she heard about her mother. They would eventually talk about it, just not now.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 2:53 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

After I parted ways with Katerina and Adel in the hallway, I tucked Elizabeth back into her bed. She was fast asleep by that point, like every time she came to find me in the middle of the night. There was a strange homing pigeon quality about that girl that she has had for as long as I can remember, most likely because the two of us share quite a bit in common on the soul level. As I told her for much of her childhood, though, she would have to outgrow that tendency one day and learn to sleep on her own. That's why I always put her back in bed after making sure she was calm, even if I still welcomed her company.

Elizabeth's past is actually quite relevant to this part of the story. She was originally half of an entirely different person related to Katerina: the other part of which was also in my house the night that the wolf visited. Elizabeth's other half was known as our 'special guest' at that point, but I didn't feel the need to mention this to Silverstein just yet. There was no point, at least not until I was able to return her.

I intended to rectify that situation whilst Adel and Katerina made their way back to my study. Meanwhile, Jack was busy punching the lonely assassin underneath him to keep him pacified. He wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings during that constant vigilance – ironically – which would explain how Kiyomi kissed him again without him reacting beforehand.

In truly typical fashion, he dropped his guard after that happened, too shocked and infatuated by the girl to do anything else. He couldn't believe that a female dragon – even a half dragon – had taken the time and initiative to embrace him. Mind you, the act was clearly an accident for anyone half-aware of their situation, but that group didn't include Jack. He toppled over after Kiyomi pulled her lips away from his, seeing – as he later described it – miniature figures of the girl floating around his head. He was clearly out of it, but he still managed to respond to his crush's request through the love struck delirium.

"Yes, my vixen from on high~ Anything you want~" Jack didn't even really know what he was agreeing to; just that he couldn't move and wasn't about to stop Kiyomi anyway. Shortly thereafter, the girl dragged her late stepfather's murderer out into the hallway, meeting Adel and Katerina who had just arrived. The latter of that pair swiftly and gruesomely executed the nameless man, setting him aflame with hellfire whilst also choking out his screams. Adel just watched the scene from afar with an amused expression, failing to comfort her guests throughout the ordeal.

"Gabby," Katerina had choked out through tears once her revenge was complete. Fate had a funny way of giving me cues that night, because, just as her mother mentioned her, I appeared at the end of the hallway with Gabby in tow. She was sound asleep in a blanket, and held in a hand woven basket made from bamboo shoots. I calmly placed the babe down in front of her family once I reached their huddled mess, and then moved back to the opposite wall.

"Just Jax," I said in response to the wolf's earlier comments. "Gabrielle was only ever a temporary loss for you: one that was meant to be returned anonymously around this time. However, seeing as you believe you have lost your fiancé and daughter in the span of six months, I figure that my anonymity no longer serves the purpose it was meant for; especially if I went to all the trouble of helping you only for you to emotionally shut down at the end." Pausing for a bit, I considered what to tell my acquaintance. She likely had many questions; but the situation was volatile. I knew, especially then, that anything I said could send Katerina over the edge; so, in the end, I decided that the truth was my best defense, particularly because I was too tired to think up a believable lie at that point. "I'll give you some information for free, Katerina, but only because I'm tired and I don't feel like putting on a show right now. It may not be something you wish to hear, but it is what it is."

Summoning a glass of water, I continued without missing a step. I didn't want to give the wolf time to respond until I was finished, let alone to reject my explanation.

"I'm well aware of how Gabby was conceived, and I know who the other 'parent' was. Gabrielle was, unfortunately, born in such a way that she copied parts of that other parent's soul, an action that can't be left alone without invoking terrible consequences. The normal procedure for dealing with situations like this – which, mind you, nothing is normal about this type of predicament – is to convince the mother to allow her child to be adopted. That was the case for Anabelle, who was actually Gabby's half-sister prior to the last six months. When that doesn't work, or when it is believed that the mother will be too stubborn to hear out logic, my people temporarily borrow the afflicted child in order to 'heal' their souls under the guise of a medical emergency. Essentially, we separate out the target portion of the child's soul and create two separate beings from the resultant halves. We then reconstruct the halves until they are fully functional and capable of being autonomous. Afterward, we return the half that still has a biological relation to the normal parent, usually while claiming to be an anonymous benefactor. The marked counterpart, meanwhile, stays with us, leaving no one the wiser."

Feeling parched, I took a quick sip of water and rambled on.

"Gabby received that treatment under my supervision. She no longer has any influence left in her from the creature that attacked you, and the missing parts leftover from the procedure were filled in with copies of soul particles from you and your relatives. She is your daughter, through and through. The other counterpart born of that procedure, however, received copies of my soul, so she's essentially my daughter as well as that of the other parent – no relation to you. That would be Elizabeth. And before you even think to ask, no, you won't be getting the identity of the rapist because; not only is she being punished right now for the next couple of centuries due, in part, to the incident; she'd eat you for lunch before knocking you up again if you went after her. I know you would try if given the chance; but you can't beat a deity of madness and lust with your powers, especially when fighting away from your home turf in a place where Revaliir magic wouldn't even work. I'm not going to send you on a suicide mission like that when it would just give me another headache to deal with. I'm too old for that kind of crap, and the woman you hate brings crap by the boat load. It's her damn calling card for the shitty chaotics are us."

That was the most I had spoken, to anyone, in the last several days. I had a feeling I would later regret my forthrightness with Katerina, especially if she decided to try and take Elizabeth from me out of some misguided, motherly instinct. I was prepared to stop her if that was the case, but such an action would likely scorn her for many years to come if it came to that. I hoped it wouldn't.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 1:22 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

As Katerina walked down the hall, her eyes scanned the area before them; she wanted to find the little girl. In a big house like this, she didn’t want to imagine what a child could get into. Adel spoke beside her, answering Katerina’s question. The wolf demon didn’t expect the woman to speak; Adel didn’t seem like the talking type, but Katerina was glad she spoke nonetheless. Bright blue eyes glanced over Adel, as she thought of Natsumi. “She is just like me… well almost.” Katerina thought while looking ahead. Katerina, also, couldn’t turn away children that were in need.

It wasn’t until she met Natsumi that her world turned upside down. Katerina was once a cold hearted woman; multiple miscarriages and thinking your parents died for nothing could do that to a woman. The wolf’s heart began to warm after finding a child on her uncle’s ship. If it wasn’t for Natsumi, Katerina wouldn’t have gotten her revenge or gained a daughter. As time passed, Katerina found herself smiling, laughing, and looking forward to the days ahead. Now instead of pushing people away, she helped them if they needed.

A frown curved on Katerina’s lips; she felt sorry for the fox. Being able to birth a child was the most amazing feeling in the world. Yes, it was painful, but the moment your baby is placed in your arms can’t be compared to anything in the world; it is wonderful. Kiyomi soon entered the wolf's mind. Katerina didn’t give birth to her, but the love she felt for the young dragon wasn’t any different.

When they reached a door, Adel opened it slightly. The sleeping girl warmed the wolf’s heart. She couldn’t describe how happy she was to see that Natsumi had grown her family. Nodding to Adel’s words, she started to turn. The first thing she heard was fox’s voice before saw Natsumi. Katerina looked curiously at her, wondering what she meant.

“Revenge?” Katerina repeated; her mind filling with questions. She always hated when Natsumi didn’t fill her in and had her wait; it was very frustrating. Before she could ask, Natsumi was gone. Shaking her head, the only way of knowing anything was to follow Adel. With a nod to the pink haired woman, she followed close behind her, feet moving faster than before.

In the study, Kiyomi looked up to see what the dragon was talking about. He wore her silk lace nightgown around him. A smile lit her face as she watched him show it off. It felt good to have a moment not filled with tears, even if it was only for just a second. The moment didn’t last long before Kiyomi picked up her mother’s scent. She knew that her mother would kill the assassin as soon as she found out. Kiyomi looked down at the girls in her arms. Her mother would be so angry that she wouldn’t be thinking straight. The girls couldn’t see what was going to happen next.

Standing from her spot, she sat the girls on the couch, and covered them. “I will be back soon with mom. Stay here.” She whispered while kissing each of their foreheads. Turning around, Kiyomi just about ran over to Jack and the prisoner. She didn’t want to waste another second. The female dragon had forgotten about the clothes that were scattered about. A white shirt clung to her ankle, and forced her feet out from under her. Falling forward, she half caught herself on Jack shoulders, but that didn’t stop the impact of their lips. This time she quickly pulled away with a gasp; her eyes wide in disbelief.

Being lovestrucked, Jack fell back in a haze, with the help with the struggling assassin that was beneath him. “Stay here with the girls?” Kiyomi asked Jack while she pulled the assassin to his feet with ease. The dragon dragged the man out by his collar and away from the door. Meeting her mother halfway in the hallway by the door.

The wolf looked at the man that Kiyomi had drug out into the hall. Her eyes soon moved to her daughter’s face, widening at the sight of her anger and tear filled eyes. “Kiyomi? What happened?” Katerina said worried. An uneasy feeling started to arise in her. “He killed Jax, Mom.” That was all Kiyomi had to say to light the fire within the wolf. Katerina knew she could believe her daughter’s words.

The dragon shoved the man forward. He was about to speak but his throat was grabbed by the wolf; her nails digging into his skin. Katerina’s eyes seemed to glow a slight red as anger rose within her. She didn’t say a word before trying to form ice spikes. Instead, the man burst into green flames before her. She gasped but didn’t let go of him. Her squeezing palm muffled his screams. She didn’t need the children waking up or Natsumi getting upset.

As soon as the muffled screams stopped, the wolf dropped the black charred corpse to the ground. The flames dissipated as soon as she let go. Her face finally showed the shock she felt. Her heart raced and her eyes started to fill with tears. “How can this be happening..” She thought as she fell against the hallway wall. “Gabby…Jax….No this can’t be happening….”Her words shook as she spoke, unable to keep the tears in. Sliding down the wall, her tears escaped her eyes and fell down her cheeks. Her heart began to break once more.

“Mom!” Kiyomi gasped as she fell beside her mother. More tears fell from the dragon's eyes as she wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders. She didn’t know if her mother would get through this or if the baby would live with all the emotion she was feeling. Kiyomi held her mother tight trying to hold her together.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 5:18 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

My Salem manor was a hidden place in more ways than one. Not only did it lay at the very edge of Revaliir space; it also veiled anything within its walls. Spooks, murders, sorrows, regrets, and loneliness: all was devoured within this building's presence. Kiyomi's tears that night were evidence of the void around her, because their moisture disappeared as soon as they landed on the carpet. It was as if everything in my study had been constructed from the sands of the Sularian Desert: drinking up any amount of tears or blood.

Of course, a lack of evidence never detracts from the reality of a situation. Just because the walls erased all evidence of the events within them didn't mean that those events hadn't happened. The secrecy of the manor was more of a rose-tinted mask than a sanctuary, in this respect: one that could be used for either end of the moral spectrum. So even if Kiyomi's sadness was hidden away by the shadows, Jack and I still noticed her.

Being the living faux pas that he was, however, the potato dragon didn't really act appropriately in that situation. I left the room because I feared that Katerina's daughter would wake Elizabeth with her distress, but Jack took the pouting approach. He did as he was told, so I can't fault him for that; but still came back with an obvious lack of pity in his behavior. Rather than trying to comfort the pink haired damsel like most decent people would have, he instead tried to distract to distract her from her pain.

This wasn't to say that the man didn't empathize with Kiyomi; far from it. He was simply uncomfortable with human emotions. That's why he acted the way he did in the face of three crying girls, at least once the nightgown fell on him.

"Ooo! This is so silky smooth! The fabric is awesome!" Okay, maybe he also acted a bit like that because he had a fabric fetish at the time, but you get the idea.

Meanwhile, and in a less distraught environment, Adel and Katerina were venturing through the hallways of my estate. The latter was trying to strike up a conversation to break the silence while they searched for Anabelle, but Adel initially just smiled in response. She had never been one for talking about her past, and she wasn't about to start getting caddy with a stranger. In fact, it was rare for anyone to get more than a few sentences out of that woman at a time. Still, the later comment about my family seemed enough to elicit a verbal response.

"Natsumi is cold, for a human," she began with a quiet voice as smooth as honey, "but she also has a soft spot for girls who have been cast aside by their parents or community. Sometimes, they are a danger to themselves, but that rarely stops her from trying if she's set her mind to taking them in. Natsumi, herself, however, has never given birth; even at her age." The two had yet to spot the blonde Anabelle during their journey thus far, and they were only now reaching her room by the time the conversation stalled. Peaking inside slightly, the smaller of the two women caught sight of the sleeping child still tucked beneath her blankets. Her bed was largely undisturbed from earlier that night, so she didn't seem to have moved in quite some time.

Adel refrained from speaking after seeing this, at least until the door was closed. Once Katerina and she were back out in the hallway, however, she let her companion know the next course of action. "Miss Anabelle is asleep, so we'll return for now." But before she even had a chance to turn heel, I appeared before the pairing with Elizabeth still in my arms.

"Change of plans, Adel," I began quietly. "I'll be putting Elizabeth back to bed and fetching our special guest. You take Katerina back to the room. I'll return shortly." Moving past the two without waiting for a response, I opened the door next to Ana's room and then said one last thing before disappearing from sight. "Jack will fill you in, but, if Katerina wishes to take revenge, do it somewhere other than my study. I dislike getting blood out of books."

I didn't say why Katerina might be seeking revenge soon, nor did I tell her what had just happened. I didn't feel that the hallway was a proper place to discuss such things. Adel probably had a sneaking suspicion why I made that decision, but she didn't say anything either. She just bowed her head slightly, and then turned on her heel back toward the study.

"You coming," she asked Katerina before walking off? Back in the study, the last assassin was just waking up. Jack was already sitting on him to keep him from running away, so he would be there by the time the groups reunited. I still have to wonder, though, what Katerina's initial thoughts were when she stepped back into the study. The man she loathed for making advances on her daughter, after all, was now wearing that same daughter's nightgown over his suit while also pinning down her fiancé's murderer by sitting on him. Truly, if the wolf hadn't expected craziness by that point, I have to say I'm disappointed in her.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:19 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Watching the fox intently, Kiyomi didn’t move from her place on the couch. She was curious about the child in Natsumi’s arms. Her mind started to run and she suddenly asked the question. Instead of getting the answer she wanted, or any answer as a matter of fact; the fox didn’t say a word about how she came about the child. A sigh left Kiyomi’s lips, she figured that the fox wouldn’t tell; they had just met after all. Kiyomi remembered her mother saying that Natsumi was a mystery. “Fair enough.” Kiyomi said with a small smile. She had a feeling one day the story would be told to her.

The sudden voice of SAI, made the dragon look around the room. She wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from while Natsumi answered. The young dragon was about to ask where the voice was coming from,  but Jax’s name silenced her. As she jumped to her feet, her eyes started to swell with tears. “She's lying… she has to be..” Kiyomi thought as her eyes looked to the ground at her feet unable to look at Natsumi. “She has no reason to..” The thought was soon replaced with images of Jackson’s smiling face. Her arms slowly circled her. Kiyomi couldn’t do anything but hold herself tight.

The fox soon spoke up to the other dragon in the room. Her voice made Kiyomi looked up while her tears fell down her face. “How can this be happening..” Kiyomi’s mind couldn’t comprehend that Jackson wasn’t in the world anymore.

The sound of the portal opening made Kiyomi come out of her thoughts.  “The girls! My sisters are still there..” Kiyomi bursted out and ran towards the portal. Right when she was before the portal, it suddenly disappeared. She knew no matter how much she asked, Natsumi wouldn’t open the portal again.

“My mom..” Kiyomi paused as a few more tears fell from her eyes. “This is going to break her. First Gabby, now Jackson… “ She trailed off not wanting to finish her sentence. She couldn’t think that she could loose her mother again after this. She needed to be there for her mother, like before.

It wasn’t long before Jack returned, and Natsumi had left to retrieve her mother. The way he entered made Kiyomi gasp. She stared wide eyed at scene before her; the flying clothes would shock anyone. Seeing a man at Jack’s feet, she assumed he was the assassin. Kiyomi wanted to slit his throat but held back because of the two little girls running towards her. The dragon knelt down and caught them in her arms. The girls didn’t speak, but buried their heads into Kiyomi’s neck. Kiyomi's tears fell down her eyes as she felt the wetness on her neck; the girls were crying too.

“I want Kat.” Mia mumbled into Kiyomi’s neck. “Shhh.. She will be here soon.” Kiyomi ran her fingers down their soft hair while she looked up to Jack with tearful eyes. She wanted him to hold her, she couldn’t understand why, but she found comfort in his arms. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of what he was wearing. Her night dress; it was pink and silky with lace above the bust and below. She would of laughed any other moment. Turning her attention back to the girls, her arms hugged the girls tight, and kissed their foreheads. She hoped her mother would be there soon. She needed her and Kat would need her daughters as well.

---

When Katerina left her daughter in Natsumi’s capable hands, she left to find her other daughter. She didn’t really want to leave Kiyomi with the male dragon. He had kissed her daughter, unintentionally it was. She just didn’t like him. Maybe it was the way she saw how Kiyomi looked at him. Repressing a sigh, she knew the day would come where she would experience Kiyomi’s first crush or boyfriend. She just hoped it wasn’t too soon.

As she walked down a hallway, her eyes moved to Adel who was walking beside her. “How did you meet, Natsumi?” She asked her to break the silence between them. She was also curious how Natsumi’s companions came into her life. Natsumi wasn’t that approachable, but when you got to know her, it was like you didn’t want to leave her side. For a long time, Katerina had thought of Natsumi as a sister. She knew deep down that the fox would not think of her that way, she was too reserved. Though, the wolf was glad she knew her. She hoped one day Natsumi would soon invite her into her circle.

“I would've never thought Natsumi would come to have so many children.” She commented, the honestly thought Saya would be her only child. “I am very happy for her.” Katerina comment with a smile. She had almost forgotten the anger she had for the fox, but kept it far away from her. She didn’t want to have anger in her voice while looking for a child. Kids usually didn’t like that tone of voice, so she kept her anger locked away; for now.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:00 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

As a spy, my relationships outside my home were rarely idyllic. From a purely subjective standpoint, a series of unfortunate events seemed plagued everything I touched, including and especially people like Katerina whom I might have called friends in another life. She wanted a sibling, a best friend; but I just pushed her away because I knew it wouldn't end well. It never did.

I pitied her, you know? Somewhere deep in that cold abyss I called a heart, I felt sorry for the wolf demon. Yet my compassion for her was always clouded by my fear of disappointment. I pushed people away because I was afraid of being hurt. You see, the sharpest dagger, for me, is not one of steel. It is one of emotion, failure, betrayal and rejection. That alloy can sunder any heart, and it's easier to mold than any metal. You don't need special skills to craft a weapon from this mixture. You just need a little bit of love and friendship.

In hindsight, I'm sure Katerina's fiancé intended to wait for her return and greet her with open arms. He couldn't have known he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. Even as the wolf turned away from my nod to accompany Adel, I had a premonition that something terrible was about to. SAI looked into it for me, driven by my curiosity, but, by that point, it was already too late. The ultimate dagger was already being plunged into her heart.

Kiyomi woke up shortly after this doomed search began, asking quite a few, uncomfortable questions about Lizzie. At the time, I was still hiding the fact that Elizabeth was Gabby's twin – in a manner of speaking – and I was less than thrilled by my half-dragon's nosiness. I also wasn't in the mood to make up a polite excuse for my decision not to answer, so my reactions were definitely curt.

"Your mother is with Adel doing her chores. As for my daughter, her name is Elizabeth. Perhaps one day I will tell you the story of how I 'came by her,' but that day is not in the foreseeable future." SAI spoke up then: barely audible so as not to disturb Elizabeth from her slumber. The intelligent voice was just loud enough for Kiyomi and Jack to hear, but only as a faint whisper.

"Lady Natsumi," she began?

"What is it, SAI?" The expression on my face was straight as I awaited a reply, even though I expected the worst. Had there been nothing to worry about, SAI would not have let Kiyomi hear her. Since that was not the case, I could only assume something happened: an assumption that was vindicated the longer I listened to the report.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I took the liberty of using your scrying ability to check in on the man that Ms. Silverstein mentioned was her fiancé. It appears one Jackson Elendel has just met with his demise at the hands of some assassins that laid siege to the Silverstein cottage. There's still one member of these assassins left alive, and he's searching the home for something. It appears that his blade was the one that dealt the finishing blow."

I calmly got up from my seat once SAI finished speaking, holding Elizabeth firmly against my shoulder. I was walking out the door as quickly as I could without turning to look at Kiyomi or her reaction, but I didn't close the door behind me without giving a command to Jack.

"…Jack, you know where that cottage is. Bring the assassin back to me alive along with whoever he's searching for right now. Use any means necessary." Jack had been pouting up until this point, not possessing the personality to express genuine empathy for someone he just met. He knew he didn't like that Kiyomi was upset, but his disappointed frown was more fleeting than it would have been for someone who was genuinely depressed. The false emotion faded almost instantaneously when he heard his assignment.

"Oh yeah," he said while cracking his knuckles in response and giving a toothy grin. A portal opened in front of him shortly thereafter, and he strode through with one of his iconic – but nonsensical – sayings. "Time to be the bossiest boss that ever bossed."

————————————-

Deep in Virens Forest, Jackson's body was already soaked in blood. Five assassins lay dead around the premises, each struck down by the former rogue. A sixth was still alive, ransacking the cottage that Mr. Elendel had tried to protect. He swore he saw two, young girls run into the cottage before his comrades engaged their former colleague; and, for whatever reason, he didn't want to let them be.

By the time Jack arrived, the lingering assailant had found the two children he was looking. They were hiding in a closet hoping that they wouldn't be noticed or heard. But the trespasser was too keen to let them slip away. The light of his lantern shown through the cracks in the wooden door, just enough to illuminate the faces of the two girls.

"Found you, I did." His grizzly smile peaked with satisfaction, but that pride of his distracted him from something far more important. Just as he moved to open the closet door, the dapper, potato dragon dropped from a portal overhead and slammed his fist right into the human's skull. The blow knocked him out almost instantaneously.

"ONE PUNCH," Jack screamed in an energetic voice as his target rag-dolled off to the side now no more harmless than a pillow. He smelled the children in the closet behind him without even looking their way, so he just grabbed both the closet door and the unconscious assassin before gate travelling out of the cottage. He did say, "Sorry, you're all coming with me now," before doing so, but it was so hyperactive and quick-spoken that no one had a chance to properly react.

I had already left the room by the time Jack returned from this jaunt, but for barely a handful of seconds. My butler practically crashed back into the study, bringing the whole content of the closet with him alongside the assassin. Everything flopped into the study simultaneously, leaving only the white haired dragon still standing. Then, in true Jack form, he announced the content of his package in the tempo of someone who had consumed one too many kafe treats.

"One very alive assassin thoroughly knocked out and two children that he was about to kill safe and sound. Clothes included free of charge. Job done."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Apr 5, 2017 10:50 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Once Kiyomi had fainted, Katerina could tell how aggravated the fox was. The wolf had forgotten about her children who were asleep. She was one who didn’t like the quiet, so she raised her children around noise. Ever since Kiyomi was a child, she had always traveled with Katerina. She knew how to sleep just about anywhere; noisy towns, on horseback, and by waterfalls. A sigh left the wolf’s lips when she was about to apologize to the fox; instead she was silenced by the new addition to the room.

Lizzy, as Natsumi called her, had moved quietly across the room to Natsumi. The wolf demon’s ears didn’t hear her enter. The way Natsumi reacted surprised Katerina; her ears went back and her voice went soft. The red haired woman watched as the little girl moved sleepily into Natsumi’s arms. No words left the child, and she fell fast asleep. Katerina melted at the sight. She had a love for children like nothing else, and seeing her friend with a small child had warmed her heart. It was such a beautiful moment.. Katerina had never seen Natsumi with a little girl that small, not even Saya. This was a different side of Natsumi that Katerina loved to see.

With the anger from before forgotten, she listened to Natsumi speak. Katerina nodded in response; she didn’t want to wake the child from her sleep, or anger Natsumi. The wolf demon knew, as a mother, no one should wake a sleeping child. She also didn’t want to see what Natsumi would do if that happened. The fox seemed so content with the child in her arms.When the fox answered the question about her hair, Katerina let a sigh slip from her lips. The wolf would have get used to seeing red hair. “My wolf coat!” She thought and hoped it didn’t change as well along with her hair. She would transform the first chance she got.

A command was soon given to the dragon behind her, bringing her from her thoughts. Crystal blue eyes turned to watch the man lay Kiyomi on the couch. Her name was soon said from the fox once more, making the wolf turn to her. “Your other daughter?” Kat asked with a smile. She was happy that the fox had grown her family like she had. Katerina had two more daughters waiting for her at home; she took them in only a few weeks ago. Jax had become a great father and was looking after them.

Katerina agreed. She was more than willing to find Nat’s daughter for her. With that, Katerina left the room. Moments after the wolf demon left, Kiyomi began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and a sigh left her lips realizing she had fainted again. Sitting up, she looked around the room. And found that her mother wasn’t there. “Where is my mother?” She asked, more curious than worried. She didn’t mind being left in the room with the fox and other dragon; she felt that she could trust them.

Kiyomi’s eyes soon notice the bundle on top of Natsumi. Her eyes soon saw a face of a small child causing her to smile. “She is beautiful.” Speaking softly, she didn’t want to wake the child. One day she would have a child of her own but not yet. “What is her name?” She asked, curious about the child. After she looked at the child for a moment, she noticed something odd. It was a curious thing that the child look like her mother, just a bit. Why was that? Gabriel would still only be a baby. This child was a toddler.Sitting up, Kiyomi removed the blanket that laid on her. She was now curious about the child in Natsumi’s arms. “How did she come into your life?” She asked. 

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 4:12 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Despite my request for peace and calm in the wake of Katerina's enslavement, no one but Adel seemed willing to adhere to it. Jack's descent threw everything into a tizzy. Katerina started yelling, Kiyomi started screaming, and the potato dragon was making thumping noises. A metaphorical vein was starting to pop out of my head during the course of these events, even though I still seemed calm when addressing the child support comment.

"Jack, you're cut off," I said much to the dragon's sorrow. He made the saddest face I've ever seen on a mythical beast of his caliber, even though it turned to one of joy mere moments later when Kiyomi collapsed into his arms. I, on the other hand, was far less amused by that point. The screaming had forced me to a breaking point, and I was soon standing up from my desk with hair bristling.

"Will you people just shut-" My voice and anger were gradually rising until the door to my study opened. The creaking was subtle, and I almost thought that I would have to yell at yet another ghost tonight. But all that anger just melted away when I saw who was there. Down near foot of the door, not even high enough to reach the top of my desk, stood my daughter Elizabeth dressed in her nightly best. She carried her fox doll that she always slept with, and was rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her kimono's sleeves. "Lizzy," I asked the tiny girl as my ears drooped? "What are you doing out of bed?" Elizabeth did not answer, though. She just meandered across the floor in the direction of my voice, never really looking anything but bleary-eyed, and then crawled up onto my lap. Barely a sound was made from her, and she was already fast asleep against my stomach within seconds.

I let a smile slip in front of my guests because of that, betraying the joy I had while caressing my daughter's chestnut hair. But that smile swiftly faded when I caught the others watching. "I'll demand you all be quiet now," I said with hushed intimidation in an almost schizophrenic change of personality. "Katerina, your daughter's and your hair was changed by an unknown elixir made by a mad alchemist who normally only makes poisons strong enough to kill demons. You're lucky to be alive in the first place. I'd have to spend months of time researching the mixture to even have a hope of a chance at reversing it; and, frankly, I'm not going to bother, especially since I think the change is an improvement. As for Kiyomi, set her down on my couch and let her stay here with me until she wakes up. Goodness knows that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Jack hadn't really been paying attention to Kat till now, since he was more afraid of what I was going to do rather than what the wolf could possibly be thinking. He was also enjoying the fact that a female dragon was finally returning his goofy, unintentional advances, and wasn't about to let a furry mongrel ruin that for him. Still, he obeyed my command when it was given, and snapped out of his obstinacy for the moment.

"Aye sir," he said while briskly moving away from Katerina and gently setting Kiyomi down on the lone couch in my study. The protective wolf may have wished to follow, but I called her attention back to me before she could.

"And you, Kat," I said while Jack rolled down the couch blanket for Kiyomi. "I want you to go with Adel to check on Anabelle. If Elizabeth is out and about, Ana might be as well. Don't try to approach her on your own, though, if you find her; and make sure Adel is with you when you bring her back to her room, if necessary." Pausing, I conjured a blanket for myself as well so that Elizabeth could stay warm whilst I finished instructing my guest. "And for the last time, be quiet."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 12:29 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

A sigh escaped the wolf’s lips while she stared up at her hands and feet. “This is getting very uncomfortable,” she thought annoyed. Soon after the fox started to speak but Katerina continued to stare up at the ceiling. Hearing Natsumi mention her girls, her eyes shot towards the fox. “Girls?! She has more than one now…She did said girls right? Plural?” The wolf’s mind ran wide with questions. She hoped she didn’t mishear the fox. Katerina continued to stare at Natsumi while she spoke; not really paying any attention to what she was saying. She couldn’t wait to ask about Natsumi’s children, especially Saya. It had been such a long time since she last saw the little girl.

Kiyomi, on the other hand, listened intently to Natsumi’s every word and nodded. Purple eyes looked over to her mother when Natsumi released her. The position her mother was in was funny, but Kiyomi still wanted her mother on two feet.

A sigh of relief left Katerina’s lips as she was finally able to drop her limbs. “Finally..” She thought as she tried to stand up. The position she was in before made her legs unstable under her. Thanks for Adel, she was settled nicely on her feet.  “Thank you.” Katerina said to the woman beside her then stepped towards the desk of the fox.  She was about to ask Natsumi about her children when she heard a man’s voice..

Katerina’s eyes turned just in time to see the dragon fall on top of her daughter; it was sudden and inevitable. “Kiyomi!” Katerina yelled as the man fell, her hand reaching out slightly, but she knew she couldn’t do a thing to stop it. The wolf was fast, but not that fast. No one seemed to move to help for a moment; all eyes were on the scene before them. It was like she was watching her daughter have sex. Katerina didn’t move, but her mouth fell open.

A gasp left the young dragon’s lips as the man fell onto her. She was too late to move out of the way and fell onto her back. Her lips connected with his and her legs had fell open as if inviting him. The pain that erupted in the back of her head was soon erased when she felt him move away. Kiyomi’s purple eyes opened; widening at the man who was on her. Her face began to grow warm when he spoke. “He-Hello…” She whispered, almost unable to speak. Her eyes locked with his almost white eyes; frozen.

“Get off of my daughter!!” Katerina was the first to yell in anger. The voice of her mother snapped Kiyomi out of her trance. Before the wolf could move, Adel was quick to remove the man from her daughter. In a few steps, Katerina was beside her daughter and helping her to her feet.

“Thank you again, Adel.” Katerina was grateful to the pink hair woman while her arm circled her daughter and pulled her close. If it wasn’t for Adel, Katerina would have threw the man into the wall. Her eyes looked at him, her anger showing in her eyes as they narrowed.
 
Kiyomi didn’t hesitate to push off her mother and step back. Pushing down her dress, she made sure her legs were covered. “I am fine, Mom.” She said with a sigh and laced her hands together in front of her. The dragon didn’t notice she moved towards the man from before.

Natsumi’s voice pulled Katerina's eyes from the man named Jack and to her. Even though she wanted to rip the guy's head off, she held back. Instead she let a comment slip out to lighten her mood more than anyone else. “If my daughter gets pregnant, I'm extracting child support from you, Natsumi.” Katerina smiled at the fox girl behind the desk. “Mom!” Kiyomi blushed at the words from her mother. “I’m still a virgin…” She thought and resisted to turn her eyes back to Jack. She was only seventeen and hadn’t even had her first kiss yet. “Wait… I have.” Her eyes widen at the thought. She had her first kiss with Adel a woman, and now her first kiss with the handsome man.

Looking down at her feet, Kiyomi didn’t want to look at her mother with the blush on her cheeks. Once more her eyes widen in shock. “Mom…Mooommm!!” Her voice rose this time. Her long blonde waves that draped over her shoulders, and down to the bottom of her back, were no longer blonde. The blonde waves were now a deep pale pink. 

The outburst from her daughter made Katerina turn to look at her. Natsumi had told them to be quiet and this wasn’t helping matters. “Your hair..” Katerina said as her eyes looked at her daughter. She didn’t noticed until now the change of color in Kiyomi’s hair. “…..It will be okay.” The wolf demon said, not knowing what to say to her daughter. Her eyes moved back to Natsumi; sure she would know what to do. “Nat, could you please change back my daughter’s and my hair?” Katerina asked the fox.

Kiyomi had started to look at the ends of her hair, still shocked by the day events. The decapitated man, the mime in the alley, the kisses, now her hair. It was almost all too much for the inexperienced dragon. The floor beneath her began to swirl around before she fell backward and back into the arms of Jack.

The wolf demon ears heard the commotion behind her and turned to look. Her daughter had fainted once more and fell into the man who assaulted her. “Kiyomi!…my sweet girl..” She said with a frown. Moving toward her daughter and Jack, she moved a strand of pink hair behind her child’s ear. “Is there somewhere she could lay down?” Her question was to Natsumi who was behind her, but her eyes went to the man. “Letting you off with a warning, boy. Don’t touch my daughter the way you did before…Again.” She paused in her words as her eyes narrowed at him for a moment. “Please carry her where she can lay down. The events from today have got her.. I will follow soon.”

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:34 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Although Katerina's dejected "fine," was expected after my punishment suggestions, I can't say I wasn't disappointed she neglected to choose sexual favors. Though the code I had developed as a safety precaution for my job would have interfered with any serious relationship between Kat and I – as would her fiancé and heterosexuality among other things – I can't say I wasn't tempted to go easy on her. Unfortunately for the lone wolf, however, this point also marked the moment I was lashing out at her in anger over my own failure to erase her memory the first time around. It's funny, but, even so many years after reaching adulthood, I am still remarkably like a child when it comes to people I am romantically interested in.

Even so, I pushed on in the current situation with my frustrating but life-saving habit of wearing psychological masks. I appeared perfectly at ease even as Kiyomi laughed and asked what her mother could possibly endure under me. The thing is that I hadn't really given much thought to that question before it was asked. The time of my guests' arrival was late at night, almost in tune with when I was set to rest; so anything long-winded wouldn't be very appropriate. My daughters were already asleep as well, making noise an issue. Suffice to say that I just had to admit to Kiyomi that I didn't really know what Katerina's punishment would be just yet.

"I'll have to think on that," I said while standing up from my slave and walking back to my desk. "It's late at night and my girls are sleeping right now, so I don't want the chore to be something noisy. I also have a tendency to favor productiveness over humiliation. The dog commands were just to demonstrate my power so your mother would cooperate, since we both know she gives me a run in the competition for stubbornness." The wolf who was still on her back spoke up at this point, causing me to look over my shoulder and answer her with a pensive look. She wanted her task to involve murder, but forgot she was in a town focused on people who were already dead. "Mmm, that may be difficult," I continued while trying to be polite. "Most things around here are already dead, so killing them would be redundant. Plus, anything living that dies here will just immediately come back as a phantom unless you have some way to banish them. But I won't stop you from trying to kill something if they threaten you, Kiyomi, my home, my family or me. To that end, I hereby grant you free movement throughout my estate and the right to attack anyone who threatens those things I listed. Adel will be your caretaker for the night, though, just to make sure you don't get lost."

And with that, Katerina was finally released from her humiliating position. She could move at will and attack other entities, but only so long as she didn't put my family or possessions at risk. I returned to my desk once she stood up, looking tired despite my best efforts. Adel had transformed back into her human form by then, and had moved over to Katerina to help her stabilize with an offered hand. Meanwhile, I rang a silver bell on my desk to wake up a certain dragon that had been sleeping overhead this entire time.

Anyone who has read these memoirs for a long enough time will remember Jack, my Boreas Dragon I met on Horae Island. He followed me during both my mortal and immortal roles in that world, and also tended to Skadi until my return. To reward his loyalty upon our next meeting, I used ancient magic to turn him into something else. As a result, Jack gained a human form with the ability to shapeshift at will, and he used that newfound power to always stick by my side. He even became a butler in my household, which, I will admit, is odd to think about for any dragon. Then again, his new hoard was an overabundance of nobleman's clothes that he stole off of scared rich people as a hobby; so maybe he just enjoyed the job for the fact he got to wear those clothes.

At any rate, he'd been sleeping up in the rafters of my study when the bell went off. His black waistcoat was dusty when he stirred, as were his white locks, but the brief amount of movement he made before rolling over served to dislodge the thin film that had settled over him during the past day or so.

"Huh? Wassup? What's happening," Jack began to say before tumbling out of the rafters he'd been hibernating in quite comfortably. Now, unfortunately for Kiyomi, she was right underneath this sleepy dragon when he fell. He ended up landing right on top of her, and in such a way that their fronts pressed together seamlessly. His groin connected with hers, as did his chest with hers. His lips also, coincidentally, landed on top of hers: popping the love potion cyst that Adel had planted inside Kiyomi mere moments prior.

That's right: Jack was Kiyomi's first heterosexual kiss by a complete fluke and arguably the second person to sexually assault her. It took him a while to realize what had happened and why his landing was so soft, but Jack quickly removed his lips from Kiyomi's once the fog cleared from his eyes. He didn't get off of her at that point, being the complete numbskull he was when it came to social boundaries, and he just saw fit to smile widely before complimenting the woman who was still pinned. "Hello, lovely dragoness." Adel swiftly grabbed him by the ear once it became clear he wasn't moving, and started dragging Jack off of Kiyomi while shaking her head. "Ow, ow, ow," he shouted during the sharp and violent tug. "Alright, I'm sorry!"

As you can probably surmise, my face was already in my palm by this point; even long after Jack was standing up straight and away from the blonde girl.

"Please, forgive Jack," I said with my head still in my hand. "He's…well, he's only recently gained a human form and has no concept of human boundaries yet." Jack just stood there dumbfounded after I mentioned him, with one of the most questioning expressions I have ever seen from a Revalite.

"Did I do something wrong," he asked Adel in a hushed whisper while maintaining that expression? The temptress could only join me in facepalming at his words, appalled that her co-worker could be so dense; and because both of us had our eyes down, we didn't notice that Kiyomi's hair was now turning pink from the same potion that had turned her mother's red.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 4:06 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

After her outburst, Katerina saw that her powers wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be till after Natsumi spoke, she would understand why. At this moment, the anger grew within her. Reason being, she didn’t like being controlled by anyone.This made her feel weak standing before Natsumi. She had always felt Natsumi as a sister, she didn’t know why. Was it because the fox had always been there for personal moments; with her evil uncle, then telling her about her parents. The wolf demon enjoyed feeling like she had someone. When she found out Natsumi died she would of felt alone, if it wasn’t for Eden, Kiyomi, and Gabby. Now the feeling seemed so far away after Natsumi tied to take away her memories. Anger and hate was all she felt in that moment, but she still loved Natsumi as a sister.

Hearing Natsumi’s voice, the wolf demon looked at her confused. It didn’t take her long to figure out what the fox meant. Right when Natsumi said the word sit, she was flat on her face on the ground. “NAT!” She yelled into the ground then soon after Natsumi commands continued. She felt like a completely helpless dog at this point. She wanted to scream at the woman before her, but kept her mouth shut; she didn’t want to chance Natsumi ordering her more.

Biting her tongue, the wolf demon listened to the fox before her. She wanted to tell Nat to remove it right after she spoke of only the owner could remove the collar. Instead, she kept quiet. She wanted to hear more about the necklace around her neck. Also, Natsumi really didn’t give her a chance to say anything because she kept speaking. ”Punishment?!” The wolf demon repeated the word. She didn’t see that she did anything wrong; she had a right to be upset with Natsumi. It wasn’t until she remembered that the fox didn’t liked being followed. A sigh left her while she turned her eyes from Natsumi. “Fine.” She was going to get this punishment over and done with; done with being a slave to this woman.

Kiyomi tried not the laugh as she watched the two. Hearing her mother say fine, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her laugh filled the room between the two. Her mother was on the ground with her legs up, she had been commanded to act like a dog, and it was a funny sight to see. “Kiyomi.” Her mother’s voice caused her to take a few breaths to settle down. It was Natsumi’s voice that made her eyes leave her mother and look up at the fox.

“Thank you,” Kiyomi said softly while bowing. Maybe Natsumi wasn’t so bad. Kiyomi had expected the wrath of the fox to rain down on her mother. Instead, she played a joke. Kiyomi glanced at her mother, who was still looking like a dog, as a soft smile curved on her lips. “What will you have her do?” Her voice was naturally soft as she spoke. Her eyes returned to the fox. Her mind thinking about the “punishment” her mother was about to receive. Hopefully it wasn’t too harsh. Maybe it would be funny like this moment was?

Kateina’s ears perked up at the sound of Kiyomi’s voice. “As long as I get to kill something, I will be civil.” The wolf demon said aloud, mostly at Natsumi. She wanted to take her anger out on something. 

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:51 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Katerina's rage in that study of mine was understandable, given her disposition toward me. She thought of me as a sister, a family member to be trusted, and yet I betrayed that trust by trying to take away her precious memories of me. To her, I was simply being a heartless harpy, when in reality I was trying to save us both from the inevitable heartbreak of separation.

Despite the fact that her rage was justified based on external perceptions, however, she forgot herself in her retaliation against me. There are some lines that no one should cross, and trying to destroy my home – the same home that my newest children resided in – was one of those lines. Katerina attempted to defy the collar during her outburst; tried to shoot ice magic at my room in order to make her anger evident. That destruction would have been against my physically passive rule I placed on the slave collar, so she couldn't actually go through with the spell; but that wasn't the point I'm trying to make here. Her gravest error was assuming that she could just destroy my home because I didn't feel the same way as her; and that error was about to cost her.

"Done yet," I asked her rhetorically when she had finished speaking? Up until her realization of fizzled magic, I had regarded her with a fairly passive expression. That quickly changed when I asked my question, because my arms immediately crossed in front of me as an innocuous smile crept onto my jaw. "Good! Now, I need you to do something for me." Placing my hand on Kat's shoulder, that smile of mine turned sour. I was clearly not amused, and channeled my irritation into a shouted command for my angry puppy to follow. "SIT!"

The wolf may have been confused for a moment, but only for a moment. The collar quickly flashed in a bright, purple light and soon forced its wearer to the ground against her will. It kept shining after the resultant thud, and took every other command as I gave it. "Roll over. Stop on your back like a dog. And listen." Each sentence was treated like an undeniable imperative by Katerina. Eventually, she ended up on her back with limbs flexed like an actual dog. Only at this point did I approach her, kneeling by her head and twirling my finger in her crimson hair.

"You really don't understand your situation, do you," I asked with a disinterested stare while kneeling over her? "Historically, the only person who can remove these collars is the owners of the slaves wearing them. However, you didn't have an owner before now, so anyone off the street could have put that rope around your neck and taken away your freedom like I have. Since I'm not evil like your uncle and also realize you'd be a troublesome slave, I had intended to set you free after finding a suitable punishment. But if you'd rather be a bitch about it, I'm sure I could get more creative…"

Kiyomi may have assumed something terrible from that insinuation I made, but Katerina would understand the lewdness behind it. The wolf demon had always had a very attractive body, and it just became more so with her new look. I could think of many more enjoyable tasks for her to take part in should she refuse my demand for manual labor. Of course, I knew she would take the labor over sex any day, so the offer was just a means to remind her how much worse it could be if she didn't behave.

Still, it was only common courtesy to wait for an actual response than assume the answer I wanted. In the meantime, I knew I would have to find a way to deal with Kiyomi. I wasn't about to punish her because of the fact that she tried to stop her foolish mother, and so I decided she would be exempt from any tasks I came up with. With that in mind, I continued speaking to her, but only after I began standing up and looking in her direction.

"At least I see who the real troublemaker in this situation is. Kiyomi, you can consider yourself a guest since you exhibited hesitation where your mother clearly lacked it. Katerina, on the other hand, will have to work for my forgiveness. Her outburst has only tacked a heavier price on her sentence, so you may be here a while. I don't intend to release her until I'm satisfied she's learned her lesson."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 2:34 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Katerina had asked the woman before her about taking off the slave necklace. Her daughter and herself both tried to no avail. It was like fate was against the wolf when Natsumi was around. Although, Natsumi always new how to fix things. A sigh left the red head’s lips, she wanted to get out of this place and go home. She missed Jax deeply and wished he had came along with them. It probably would have put Natsumi’s comments to rest, or that is what Katerina thought.

Seeing the fox finally move from her spot at the desk, Katerina eyes filled with excitement. “Than-” Before she could finish thanking Natsumi, Katerina shut her mouth. She had assumed that Natsumi was going to take off the necklace, but instead the fox placed had her outstretched hand toward the wolf’s head. “Umm..? Natsumi?” Katerina asked puzzled by her motion and the comment that left the fox’s lips. Her question that she was about to ask was answered when the fox explained what she tried to do.

Anger swelled within the wolf demon as she stared at Natsumi. How dare she try to erase her memory! “Excuse me–” Before Katerina could say a word to Natsumi, the fox started to speak. Katerina bit her lip, she wanted to scream at the woman before her because the pain she felt. Natsumi was like a sister to the wolf. Now, Katerina didn’t know anymore.

With watery eyes, Kiyomi stared at the two before her. She could tell how hurt her mother was. The tension in her shoulders showed  and the pain that shown in her eyes just for a moment. The woman that her mother told her about….was not in this room.

The sudden movement of the rug made Kiyomi’s eyes turn toward it. The actions of the rug made Kiyomi want to throw up again, but she averted her eyes. Unable to watch the gruesome act.

Every word that left Natsumi’s mouth stabbed at Katerina’s heart. How dare she speak to her like she was nothing but someone to analyze. Averting her gaze from the fox, Katerina just stared at the floor; unable to look at the woman she thought was her friend. She didn’t care about the noise she heard when Natsumi left her side. The white fox was looking for something, but all the wolf demon could think was, “I want out of here, now.” Out of that room, away from the white fox.

It was when she felt the rope become attached to her neck that she looked up. At the end of the rope stood Natsumi. Soon after the wolf demon was pulled to her feet. The anger inside her metastasized after Natumi spoke. Katerina turned towards her,  her wolf eyes narrowing as she stared down at the fox. “What the fucking hell, Natsumi! First, you try to erase yourself out of my memory. Next, you analyze me like I am nothing to you. Now, you want me as your damn slave! After all we have been through!! Oh, hell no!” Katerina eyes flashed red for only just a moment as she yelled at the woman before her.

Curving her fingers into a claw like form, Katerina tried to shoot an ice spike at the nearest object; instead nothing. “What the…” She started to say, confused. Her eyes looked down to her hands; she tried a snowball, a spike, anything she could think of. Nothing happened. No magic. Did the explosion from before do this to her or was it the collar? Her eyes turned back to Natsumi, narrowed and filled with anger.

Kiyomi stood there wide eyed at her Mother. Never once had she seen her this angry. The scene before her made Kiyomi step back while a gasp left her lips. If Natsumi was remotely anything  like her mother  had said, she wasn’t looking forward to what happened next. Maybe she should run out of the room while she had the chance? The dragon stood there, on edge and worried about her Mother.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun Mar 5, 2017 10:05 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Katerina's confused protest did not go unnoticed by my steward, but it was ultimately ignored. Adel had a habit of milking as much as she could out of any given situation; so, when Katerina opposed her actions with Kiyomi, the woman merely intensified their kiss. The pink, brown haired vixen also pulled a little prank on her victim as a form of retaliation against her mother, seeding the inside of the girl's mouth with a polyp containing love potion. It would burst whenever Kiyomi was next kissed, causing the girl to develop crush like feelings toward that person; but this story would not be relevant until some time later.
 
Suffice to say that, when the two women were transported into my study moments later, I gave my aforementioned lecture to them. On the surface, I appeared to be the old Natsumi: irritated by Katerina's unannounced visit but still willing to receive her. In actuality, I was quietly preparing a memory erase spell. I was waiting till Katerina started talking; started inevitably asking for help to remove the collar around her neck. That was the best time to use a modified drain essence spell to drain the memories from her mind: when distraction was at its highest. The moment assuredly came, at which point I walked out from behind my desk and over to the kneeling wolf.
 
But the spell was a failure. After tightening the obi around my kimono and walking over with an outstretched hand toward Katerina's forehead, my palm was swiftly repelled. The spell was too weak to do its job, and I paid for this with a parchment thin cut across my index finger.
 
"How very irritating," I grumbled while pulling my hand back from the wolf's head and looking at the blood now seeping from my wound. "That memory erase spell doesn't work on people when the memories I'm trying to get rid of become entwined with familial love. You think of me as a sister: a frustratingly ludicrous notion with no basis in reality." Closing my lips around my bleeding finger, I walked away from Katerina and toward a nearby shelf filled with miscellaneous tools. The carpet became animated behind me as soon as I turned on my heel, literally eating Kiyomi's vomit and then belching before I could continue. "You were supposed to forget like everyone else, Katerina, yet you persist in chasing a phantom when she doesn't want to be found or remembered. That slave collar is a poetic fate for an individual such as yourself, because you're already enslaved by a desire to put your life into a tidy little box where all friendships are mutual and eternal." Having stopped the bleeding on my finger by this point, I rustled around in the bobbles in front of me until I found a rope. It was sturdy and heavy cord, fitting for a leash. And so I grabbed said rope from the shelf and lashed it around the collar on Katerina's neck. I then pulled her to her feet for the first time since she fell victim to the ancient machinations of a people long dead, shortly informing her of her new fate. "If you really want to be by my side that badly, I hereby take you as my slave. You may rise, but you will remain physically passive until I say otherwise."  
 
Of course, you'll notice I said 'physically passive,' in that instant and not 'completely passive.' I had forgotten the mouth that Katerina had for a moment, simply wanting to be rid of her rather than remember. She would remind me whether I liked it or not soon enough; but not without her own share of pain. Slaves aren't supposed to backtalk, after all, especially when their masters are already irate with them.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 6:57 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

A sigh left Kiyomi’s lips as she stood from her spot. She needed to get the necklace off her Mother, but she had no clue how. “Mom…I–” She was about to speak but was cut off by the pink hair woman that walked towards them. She shooed the crowd and they soon dispersed. “She sure likes pink,” Kiyomi thought as her eyes looked at the woman’s hair and clothes. One thing strock Kiyomi in that moment. She looked human. She wanted to ask if she knew how to get out of this city. A silence came over the dragon as she watched the woman move towards Katerina.

Katerina's eyes didn't move from the woman as she emerged from the crowd. She was curious to see why this newcomer made the crowd go away; but then her eyes caught sight the woman's swaying hips. Her gaze stayed on this stranger, growing more intent when the pink lover kneeled in front of her. The moment she touched her, Katerina wanted to move away, but was unable. A kiss was placed on the wolf’s lips. Her eyes widened then slowly closed.
The wolf’s lips moved of their own accord, as her mind screamed at her to stop.. A part of her wanted to kiss the beautiful woman before her, yet a part wanted her to stop.

When the kiss ended, Katerina blinked a few times. She was in a daze for a moment until she heard the stranger’s words. “Pregnant?!” In shock, she repeated the word.  She almost completely forgot about the kiss. Happiness filled her as she thought about being pregnant; and it was Jax child. She didn’t care where she was or what was happening to her in that moment. She was so happy she had a child growing within her. With that thought brought of memories of another child.  “….Gabby.” The name she thought erased the all her happiness; and it was replaced with sadness. She only gave birth to Gabby six months ago. The memory of an empty crib appeared in her mind.

While Katerina battled with her emotions, the stranger moved to Kiyomi. Kiyomi had gasped seeing her mother being kissed by a woman. “Okay. Mom liked that a bit too much.” She thought with her eyes wide. Wasn’t her mother straight? In that moment she didn’t know anymore. Maybe her mother liked women as well? But this was a complete stranger. Her thoughts vanished feelling the lips of the stranger on her’s. Her body wasn’t her own, and she couldn’t stop the kiss from happening. The only movement she could control was her hands which she closed into fists. She didn’t want this kiss, but she couldn’t do anything about it.

Seeing the stranger kiss Kiyomi snapped the wolf demon out of her daze. “Get off of her!” Katerina called to the stranger.. She saw her daughter didn’t like what was happening, but the necklace prevented her from doing anything. When the kiss ended, the stranger spoke again. “I wish she would kiss me again.” It was almost like a soft whisper in the back of her mind. Her eyes moved to the stone street below her. “What the hell?” She said aloud, surprised by her own thoughts. She didn’t want another kiss from her, but Katerina couldn’t denie she felt a pull towards the pink hair woman. What was happening to her?

The area around them started to move.The images moving around them forced Kiyomi to close her eyes; her stomach twisting. Katerina took a deep breath as they appeared in a room. Blinking away the dizziness, her eyes finally focused. Her eyes landed on the person she was looking for. “Natsumi.” She said her name aloud while her eyes narrowed. Of course it was her doing.

When they “landed” Kiyomi couldn’t hold it in any longer.  She leaned over, her hands grabbed her stomach and the contents of her stomach came up. Her face soon became pale and her skin started to sweat. Her eyes too fell onto the woman who was speaking. “Sorry…” She whispered as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Katerina glanced over to her daughter, worried for a moment then turned to look back at Natsumi. Her eyes narrowed at the fox’s words then glanced down at the necklace around her neck. “That is what it is. A slave collar…Damnit!” She thought to herself while she listened to the last of Natsumi’s words. “I do not have a sexual addiction. I am engaged to a man named Jackson Elendel…” She paused rolling her eyes. “You haven’t changed….I thought you were dead. Thanks for telling me.” Katerina sighed then looked at the necklace. She needed to get out of here, she was starting to regret looking for Natsumi.

“Can you get this thing off of me, Natsumi?” She asked the fox before her. She was tired of being on the ground this way. “I know you have a way…” She commented. Natsumi was smart, the wolf demon knew this. “I would be very grateful.” Katerina added.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sat Feb 4, 2017 2:02 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

[OOC: Since this is my first post with Adel, know that her nicknames are Neo and Coco. They're all the same person.]
 
History is the great equalizer when it comes to cultures, in my view; because, at one point or another, all cultures have their dark and golden ages. Take the Bor Seta people, for instance. Long before Katerina was even born, the Bor Seta were far less hospitable than the village people we know today. Their ancient ancestors kept slaves and were marauders roaming nomadically across the savannah. Very few relics remain from that violent era, mainly because the descendants did not wish to be reminded of their dark history. Most of them were the offspring between slave and shapeshifter too, so this selective blindness of theirs was understandable.
 
The slave collar that Katerina now found around her neck was a relic that had survived this historical purge, however. It had been brought to Salem thousands of years ago by a Bor Seta craftsman who had been murdered by an escaping slave, and only found its way into the hands of that hopeless alchemist, Bruno,  a few days before Katerina arrived outside his shop. Her luck, it would seem, was astonishingly horrendous, especially since this collar could only be removed by the slave's master: which Katerina was sorely lacking.
 
Kiyomi's failure to remove the Hazan Slave Collar was, therefore, no surprise. No matter how much Katerina cried or Kiyomi pulled, that collar would never come off unless a certain trick was applied. In fact, it only got larger the more Kiyomi tugged. What was once only a necklace now quickly became a stiff, leather dog collar several layers thick and tall enough to hold Katerina's neck permanently straight. If my steward hadn't been in the ridiculing crowd, Miss Silverstein would have been stuck like that for a very long time.
 
It is worth mentioning one other thing about Salem at this point. Most newcomers often do not understand this, but the townspeople of Salem hold great reverence toward those they view as the most frightening of all. Scares were their craft, so anyone truly terrifying became an idol of the community. Adel, my steward, was one such role model, so there was a sense of awe that fell over the hecklers when she sauntered out from their midst.
 
Adel held a flare that was absent from most of the surrounding ghouls. Her pink, expensive clothes were a stark reminder of her outsider status, as were her unusual highlights. Yet she still carried herself like she belonged, swaying her hips back and forth sensually. Her quintessential parasol lay cleanly against her shoulder when she walked up to Katerina, and, true to form, she shooed the heckling crowd away with a simple wave of her hand.
 
My friend never spoke a word to Kiyomi or Katerina during those early moments of their meeting. She didn't need to talk to them to find out why they were there or why they were asking for me, for she had other methods at her disposal. Rather than waste her breath, my Adel kneeled down in front of Katerina and stared intently at her until she was ready to use her favored "interrogation technique."
 
"Marvelous red hair," the temptress whispered to the bound wolf whilst gently stroking a singular digit across her cheek. Charm magic was seeping into Katerina's skin with every movement, and soon the caster eased into her captive. She placed Katerina's head gently in her bosom at first, and then raised her face to French kiss her.
 
The kiss was long and deep: equal parts passion and utility. It was Adel's way of reading the minds of intruders, because lust and sexual contact made telepathy all the easier to execute. While her tongue intertwined with Katerina's, she was able to see everything relevant to the wolf's visit. She ended the kiss only when she was satisfied with these visions, making a comment before standing up and moving over to Kiyomi.
 
"Pliable and pregnant," she said, revealing both how Katerina enjoyed the kiss more than she would admit as well as how the wolf was currently pregnant. Adel's charm magic now left this bound creature in favor of the dragon standing next to her, and stone steps formed underneath her boots until their eyes met. The young girl's fists clenched as Neo kissed her the same way she had her mother, but the seductive stranger didn't care. She just combed through the girl's memories and then backflipped away before returning her aura to normal. Kiyomi received exactly the same courtesy as her mother, down to the after-kiss comment. "Innocent and defiant."
 
It was in that moment that the woman's parasol unfurled. The false moonlight overhead shown beautifully on the object's floral prints: its splendor only intensifying as Adel spun the images around behind her. Round and round the portrait landscape went, almost providing a hypnotizing effect to all those who watched. This was a spell: something that became inherently obvious when the town around the three women suddenly disappeared to be replaced by a luxurious parlor illuminated by a giant fireplace.
 
That new location was my study in Revaliir. My guests arrived to find me situated behind a desk reading a romance novel, but I largely ignored them until Adel flew onto my shoulder in the form of a green cheek conure. She whispered in my ear after her parasol was laid against the side of my desk, telling me all she had learned, and only her words broke my reader's trance.
 
"What have you brought me, Adel," I asked with mild disinterest? The spine of my novel creaked as I closed it, and my expression turned sour when I saw who was behind those pages.  "Ah, these two." Leaning back in my chair, I looked squarely at the bound wolf who was most distressed. I saw the collar around her neck, and smirked at how fitting a punishment this new development was. "Still haven't learned to keep your nose clean, I see. Perhaps that Hazan Slave Collar and your encounter with the Mad Alchemist Bruno will serve as a firm reminder for next time. I doubt it, though. You seem so willing to follow a person who clearly doesn't want to be found. You're also pregnant, too, so either your sexual addiction has overcome you or you've a new shag partner I don't know about. Either way, you've a penchant for unfortunate events."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:52 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

While she ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair, the wolf demon heard a shot behind her. The unexpected voice startled her and she shook her head slightly. Trying to push away the thoughts of everyone around. She needed one moment of peace. One moment without people jumping at her or walking through people. The town had got to her daughter who now laid unconscious on her lap. She didn’t need a crazy loon taking her attention. His actions had nothing to do with her.

It wasn’t long before the commotion inside grew louder. Suddenly, glass flew around her. She leaned down for a moment to cover her daughter from the flying shards. As soon as she leaned up to yell at the man behind her, something fell around her neck.The item took her attention away as she looked down at the necklace that laid over her chest. As her attention was averted,  her ears picked up breaking class.

Smoke rose around her from the vials below her. She coughed in the smoke and waved her hands to move it from her face. Finally the smoke faded away, but that didn’t stop the smell from Katerina’s nose. The smell of burnt hair. Looking at her hair she gasped out, “MY HAIR!!” Her sudden shock caused the people around to stop and look. Her once long dark wavy locks now just below her shoulders. Just before she took a breath while she thought she could live with this. The dark brown of her hair soon faded before her eyes into a rosy red color. Her eyes widened in shock while anger flooded through her.

With the yell of her mother, Kiyomi was startled awake. “Mom?” She sat up and looked at her mother that sat beside her.  It was her mother, but her hair was shorter and red? She stood up quickly while moving her hands over her mouth, so she wouldn’t laugh. “Mom…You're-” Her mother held up her hand to stop her while shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I want out of here now.” Her voice was stern. This place wasn’t a place she wanted to be anymore. She could end up a one eyed purple monster by the end of it.

“Okay. Then let's go. I am ready to leave too. I can’t stand it here.” Kiyomi said as she turned to start walking. As soon as Katerina tried to stand off the bench, she fell forward. “Shit!” She cursed as her face slammed into the ground. “MOM!” Kiyomi turned just in time to see her mother’s face hit the ground. “Are you okay?” She asked as she leaned down to try and pick her mother up. No matter how hard the dragon pulled, her mother couldn’t be moved from the ground. “What the hell?!??!?!” Katerina yelled into the brick below her face. She tried with all her wolf strength, but nothing. She couldn’t get up from the ground.

Katerina eyes narrowed. “Of course, this would happen when I want to find Natsumi. Of course.” She couldn’t believe what was happening to her. First being in hell, next her hair, and now this. “How the hell have I been reduced to this?! NATSUMI! Where the hell are you!?!?!” The wolf demon yelled as she tried to move across the ground. She was forced to now drag herself. Kiyomi stood beside her mother with a frown. The people around them soon started to laugh at the scene before them. They couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Mom, tell me what else happen?” Kiyomi asked as she looked down at her mom while she kneeled beside her. “The stupid window exploded behind us. Shit flew everywhere. This necklace happened to fell on me. After that was smoke, that did this stupid shit to my hair.” Katerina said, anger lining her voice. “I am going to kill that moron of a potion master after I get up!!!” She called to him hoping he could hear her. Kiyomi moved the hair off her mother’s back and saw the back of the necklace. “Hmm.” She pondered as she tried to unclasp it. “Its stuck.” Kiyomi sighed, but didn’t let that defeat her.

“Stuck?! Get it off of me!” Katerina voice was on the edge of panic. Too much was going on it was going to cause her to faint herself. Kiyomi tried to pull off the necklace once more. Nothing. “Mom. I hope this doesn’t hurt.” Kiyomi said to her mom as she leaned over, her boot in her mother’s back.

The town’s people gathered around them while their laughs filled the air. Kiyomi pulled at the necklace around her mother’s neck as she pushed against her back.”One more time mom, take a breath.” Kiyomi told her mother as she pulled with all her might. “Cho—aking…” Katerina managed out. A gasp left Kiyomi’s lips as the necklace flashed purple causing her to fell backward. “Owe….” She voiced her hurt as she rubbed her bum where it landed hard on the ground. “Mom… Are you okay?” She asked hearing her mother gasp for breaths.

Katerina breath came quick for a moment. The necklace didn’t want off and seem to keep hold of her as her daughter tried to pry it off. “I am… okay.” She managed. What were they going to do now? Where was Natsumi?

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:49 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Salem was an odd city. Even granting the fact that the location was hidden well from the eyes of the living, there was still something extra peculiar about the people who lived there. All of them were well aware of their deaths, and yet they persisted in going about their days like normal, living people. They made clothes that were never worn, alchemy that never saw any use, and wine that had been fermenting for centuries with no one to drink it. Their supply of raw materials was seemingly endless, and they constantly repaired houses with real, solid materials despite the fact that no one ever really needed shelter in their town. The only thing that made sense about this ghostly population was their undying love of spooks.
 
When it came to all matters of fear, there were no people better than the inhabitants of Salem. Kiyomi and Katerina experienced this first hand when the entire town seemed to be out to scare them. Nearly Headless Tom and the Clown were merely the first of many, or would have been had a series of unfortunate events not come to pass. Katerina thought she was safe on that bench watching over her unconscious daughter. She let her guard down, despite the fact that there was now a window right above her head.
 
"Confound this mixture!" A shout came from the window mere seconds after the wolf demon had settled into her seat. An elderly ghost was tinkering in his workshop in the building behind her, and this one was renowned for having a penchant for tantrums. He was working on a cure for hemorrhoids at the time, but while using ingredients that could easily kill whoever or whatever ingested them. This failure marked number 400 in a long series of nonsensical studies: where failure is defined as melting a hole in the workshop floor.
 
True to his reputation, this elderly ghost flew into a rage upon realizing the new perforation in his floorboards. Everyone within a one block radius could hear the resultant ruckus of shattering glass, especially when an explosion went off. Rage does not beget caution. Everyone knows that, especially if they work around chemicals. One false move and you could mix two volatile liquids together to create a sizeable boom!
 
That is exactly what happened in this case, though. No more than a few seconds after the rampage began, the lab burst into flames, throwing all manner of vials and objects out the window over Katerina's head. A collar was the first artifact to fall out, one that mysteriously moved to latch around the wolf demon's neck just after touching her skin. The rest of the objects that fell were vials containing all manner of potions. They shattered all around the women below, forming a large cloud of red smoke near her the eldest's eye level.
 
Breathing in that gas would likely have unpredictable effects on the wolf demon, but this would soon prove to be the least of her worries. She would quickly discover that the collar was a far worse fate. This fashion accessory was actually an enchanted slave collar. It prevented the wearer from standing so long as they wore it, and couldn't be removed by magic or physical force. In fact, it was designed to force a slave to crawl unless their master allowed them to stand. Considering Katerina didn't have a master, she would be stuck in that humiliating predicament until she chose one and then hoped said master would set her free.
 

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:44 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

The ent before Katerina and Kiyomi quickly answered. “Please, know where she is.” The wolf demon thought to herself as she listen to the ent speak. She grew anxious hearing his words. It had been so long since she seen the fox women. She needed to know why she had not sought her out. Weren’t they friends? Katerina had thought she passed years ago.

Kiyomi’s eyes widen as he began to move. The dragon felt uneasy, so she took a half-step back. “Something strange?” Katerina asked questionably. Were they really going to the underworld? Looking over to her frightened daughter, she sighed. This would be a learning lesson for her daughter. “Time to not be afraid of things in the dark because most things you can kill.” The wolf demon thought with a small smirk. With a nod at the ent's words, Katerina headed through the door. Kiyomi was tightly holding onto her mother’s arm. “I’m not scared…I can do this..” She thought as she started to let go of her mother. “You are fierce. Let’s do this.” She finished her thought as she followed her mother inside.

When they entered, the door slammed behind them. This made the little dragon jump and grab hold onto her mother once more. Katerina looked over to her daughter as soon as she felt hands on her. This place could make anyone jumpy. Katerina jumped inside at the slam, but did not show it. Her daughter needed her, so she couldn’t let her emotions consume her.

“Kiyomi, everything will be o—” Katerina started to sooth her daughter, but the floor disappeared beneath them. She instantly grabbed Kiyomi into her arms while Kiyomi let out a scream. Her scream seemed to echo through the darkness around them. Katerina’s eyes looked around trying to find someway out, that was when they were forced to move by the wind that hit their back.

It wasn’t long before they suddenly came to a stop. The only thing before them was a scarecrow, as Katerina began to move towards it. The next gust of wind made her arms tighten around her daughter because she didn’t want them to be blown apart. Instead the scarecrow turned around with the wind and was now pointing. When Kiyomi lifted her eyes from her mother’s chest to see what her mother was seeing, another wind blew. This time it was their turn to move by its force.

With a sudden feel of ground at her feet, Kiyomi let go of her mother to see where they were. Katerina’s eyes danced around the graveyard. “What is Natsumi into?” Kiyomi asked her mother as her skin started to crawl. “Weird creepy sh*t apparently.” Katerina commented while she turned around to look for an exit. Instead, there laid two graves. Her eyes widen as a gasp left her lips. This caused the dragon to turn around to look. Both their names were carved into the stones.

“Mo-” Before Kiyomi could finish calling to her mother, she saw the shadows dancing over the stones. They both turned around quickly and only saw the shadows that moved. Kiyomi grabbed hold over her mother’s arm. Her heart pumping wildly in her chest.  The sound of singing hit their ears. As soon as the song ended, a town came into view.

Katerina’s eyes stared at the town before them while her hand covered her daughters. “The only thing we can do is move. That is the only chance we have at finding a way out.” The wolf looked down at her daughter who was only a few inches shorter than her. Their cloaks hung behind them, no longer flapping with the wind. “Mom. This place…..” She trailed off knowing that her mother would understand. The comment made Katerina nod. “I am here, Sweety.” She smiled down at her daughter. “We got this. Come on.” She urged her daughter to walk with her into the Town of Salem.

They moved throughout the busy streets. The undead walked around like it was a normal town. That was until they noticed that the two women were living. That was when the fun began.

Kiyomi soon let go of her mother as she walked. They were just like the monsters in the living realm. Her eyes began to be curious as she looked around. A yelp escaped her as something passed through her. “I am sorry my dear girl!” Her eyes looked up at a floating man who was transparent. “You must be new here! I am Nearly Headless Tom.” He introduced himself with a bow, which ended up with his head falling off but hanging on by a bit of skin. Her eyes widen as she start at the chopped off end of his spin and muscles. A gasp escaped her lips as she stepped back against her mother. Instantly, she grabbed her mother's hand and ran into a nearby alleyway. The area was lined with boxes along the wall and was dimly lit.

Katerina let herself be pulled off  her daughter, and decided she needed a minute to relax. That was until a man jumped out from behind the boxes before them. He didn’t hesitate to introduce himself. "I am the clown with the tear away face. Here in a flash and gone without a trace." He pulled away his painted white and black face to reveal what lied beneath. Kiyomi and Katerina stared wide eyed at the red string muscle and beedy white eyes. Her daughter let out a scream and he ran off laughing. His loud laugh echoing through the town.

Suddenly, Kiyomi started to fall to the ground. Katerina gasp as she caught her daughter.. “Kiyomi!?” Katerina called to her. A small laugh escaped her lips. “You only fainted.” She whispered as she picked her up in her arms. She walked out of the alleyway, trying to find a spot where they could rest. Seeing a bench in front of a window of a building, she laid her daughter on the wood. The wolf demon sat on the other end with her daughter’s head in her lap. Taking a minute to escape the town, she looked down at her daughter’s face, and started to run her fingers through her blonde hair.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 7:43 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

A wolf's pride is well known and often serves it well in its kingdom, but the wisdom of the dragon won out that day in the hidden grove. Katerina's pride commanded her to correct the crow that called her a puppy even if by force, but Kiyomi stopped her foolhardy mother. She sensed the trees even before they moved, having no need of the elder tree's forewarning. The wizened oak merely laughed at this development, delighted that the mythical beast was more attuned to her surroundings than the supposed king of the forest. His explanation followed, but he didn't move afterward until Katerina finally answered his question.
 
"Names have never mattered much to me," he said after assuming a pensive expression, "for I am old as you can see. Yet a woman with hair as white as snow and the scent of a fox? Her I know." The elder tree looked at the crow that had thus far nested on his branches, signaling its departure. He had been guarding my path against the most violent of transgressors, but, now that the situation was clear, he moved aside. His lumbering trunk shifted at long last, revealing an entrance into the underworld."It is not my role to decide who may or may not enter the town she lurks in," the elder tree mentioned while beckoning his visitors toward the jack-o-lantern shaped door in the ground with glowing, topaz eyes, "only to guard this grove from mortal sin. If you desire to see something strange, proceed; but be wary not to be deceived. Unless you wish to join the ranks of the deceased."
 
Grandfather Ent fell asleep at that moment, going into a state of dormancy much like his brethren possessed. Katerina and Kiyomi were left to their own devices, and, while they approached this new gate through no small amount of trepidation, they eventually passed through. Of course, they hadn't counted on the fact that the door slammed behind them as soon as they descended the staircase beyond. The elder tree had moved back into position, sealing them inside just before the floor disappeared beneath their feet.
 
Despite this sudden turn of events, however, the women did not fall into the abyss below. Instead, they were pulled as if flying across a black horizon with a strong wind at their back. Eventually, this jet stream stopped at a scarecrow, which the two approached only to have a strong gust of wind blow past. The scarecrow turned on its stick, seeming to come alive for a brief moment only to point onward toward a dim, dreary light. Once again the wind picked up, dragging the girls out through the light and into a large graveyard.
 
In this place, the gusts finally died down, but there were no more exits behind the two visitors. There were only two graves behind them: each with one of their names already written on the tombstones. Shadows danced across all other fixtures in this place, and a mischievous quartet of voices mingled in the perpetual moonlight.

"Boys and girls of every age."

"Wouldn't you like to see something strange."

"Come with us and you will see."

"This our town of Salem." And with that last lyric, the town came into view. Salem, the hidden bastion of ghosts and ghouls in Parvpora, lay before the two uninvited guests. The cemetery was just the entrance, and the quartet the welcoming committee.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 5:06 PM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

Pushing the urge away to roll her eyes instead she narrowed her eyes at the bird. The bird squawked once more. “Nice Puppy.” While her eyes started to glow, Katerina’s hands started to rise. “Mom. Stop… the trees.” Kiyomi whispered as she tried to grab at her mother’s arms. “What are trees going to do to me? They can’t move.” The instant the wolf said those words, the trees around them began to move. Her arm automatically dropped while her magic subsiding.

As the ent moved his branch over her head, Katerina watched it with glaring eyes. He could probably snap her in half, so she let him pat her on the head like she was a dog. He spoke again to her and she nodded. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, she was usually reserved and followed advice. After his words, the ent moved his arm from her head and Katerina made a mental sigh. She was grateful the touch was gone.

The ent soon asked his question again. Without any distraction she looked up at the elder tree. “I am searching for an old friend. She just came through here. Natsumi the fox girl with white hair.” She answered his question and hopped he knew where she went. “What way did she go? I must find her.”

[GMODE Permission given for next post]

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 2:40 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

A fearful daughter and rash wolf stood before the Elder Tree in that sacred grove, too afraid or distracted to answer its questions. The ent didn't sense fear, though, for he was a simple being. With his face so wizened, he could only grasp small details at a time. And so Katerina and Kiyomi largely remained enigmatic blobs before him even though he was the primary guard of that grove.
 
When Katerina nearly picked a fight with the crow, on the other hand, his senses heightened. The nearby "dead" trees visibly twitched with life. Branches snapped and figures moved the more Katerina's magic grew, but nothing dangerous happened thanks to Kiyomi's intervention.
 
"An act of violence in this place is most unwise," began the Elder Tree once his brethren reverted to their stasis thanks to Kiyomi, "lest you meet an early demise. Though I am kind, I am merely the elder greeter, and my brethren are far less forgiving." Motioning his giant twig arms, the ent extended a massive, wooden tendril to the top of Katerina's head. It was almost like he was attempting to pet her, but his sluggish movements were easily avoidable if the wolf so desired. "Do not mistake their current immobility for lack of ability. Violence or the threat of violence can awaken them. Their fury is frightening, their twigs like steel. I hope you will not do anything rash, lest you be undone by zeal." Pausing, the tree moved its hand away from the wolf. It seemed to be guarding something, because while the upper portion of the tree moved, the lower portion had remained completely stationary throughout this conversation. That didn't change, even after the Elder Tree noticed the connection to the wilds his guests had. "But I see you are part wolf, thanks to our neighborhood crow. So why has a wolf come here? There is nothing for you to hunt."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:05 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

As they hurried through the portal, Katerina’s daughter helped her. Her head felt as if it was on fire. When they arrived, it was like nothing she had seen before.  “This is where Natsumi goes on holiday?” She asked aloud to herself, a bit creeped out at what was around them. She assumed Natsumi was going to a place to rest up, but this wasn’t what she pictured. The place seemed like it was out of a horror book. “Momm…” Kiyomi whispered as she gripped her mom’s arm. Katerina looked down while she patted her daughter's hand. “So you are not scared of battle, but you’re scared of this?” The wolf demon teased as she smiled down at her daughter who ended up rolling her eyes, but Kiyomi didn’t let go.

When Katerina finally looked ahead of them, she saw a glimpse of white hair. Natsumi’s name almost slipped from her lips, but she held her tongue. She wasn’t sure what lied in the trees before them. She wasn’t up for any fight with her head the way it was. Feeling good enough to walk without assistance, she started to move forward.

Kiyomi’s hand slipped from her mother’s arm. She couldn’t move. “Let’s go.” Katerina ordered with a sigh as she turned around to look at her daughter. She grabbed Kiyomi’s hand and just about dragged her daughter with her.

An odd looking tree caught the wolf demon’s attention. The two of them thought it was nothing more than a tree, that was until it started to move. They froze before the tree while staring wide eyed up at it. As the tree spoke, Katerina nudged her daughter.

“You talk to it hun.”
“No, you talk to it.”
“You are far better with non human creatures, sweety.”

They spoke in whispers until Kiyomi pushed her Mom closer to the tree. “Shit..” Katerina cursed and was about to speak the answers that it seeked. Looking up at the tall ent, she was about to speak when her eyes caught sight of a black bird that flew onto a branch on the ent. The way the bird looked at her made Katerina even more nervous. His head kept twitching to one side then the other then the bird squawked at her.

“Cute puppy!”
“Watch who you are calling puppy, buddy.” Katerina’s eyes narrowed at the bird.
The bird squawked again, “Angry puppy!”

Katerina growled, her right hand began to glow along with her eyes. “Shut it, bird.” She said in a stern tone. Kiyomi eyes widened at her mother. It was just a bird. “Play nice with the birdie, Mom.” The dragon said in a worried tone. “It might kill us.” Kiyomi wasn’t sure about the place they were in but she didn’t want to provoke anything, bird or tree.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:19 AM, Post Subject: Unwelcome Guests[P][R]

[OOC: Thread takes place in the actual mountains away from the city of Baltil. Gmode permission given.]
 
Like every tourist in modern day, I still had a place to stay. My "hotel room" in Revaliir, as it were, was very much a real thing. But the entrance lay somewhere in the Zujiuchu Mountains where ancient magic obscured the path. The mansion itself was not in the physical realm, see. It required a key to even get in: a key to a door in an area of the mountains that could not be found except by those who already knew where it was – or, in the case of two uninvited guests, those who followed such people.
 
When Katerina and Kiyomi had so impatiently followed me through the rabbit hole, they stepped into a world they knew nothing of. The grove of dead trees that greeted them was far from the foxy woman they sought, and the whole area seemed unnatural. On all sides lay the sheer cliffs of the mountains, rising with preposterously straight surfaces. There were exactly six trees at the foot of each wall, and one in the middle of all. Only that one had some life left in it, though far more than the girls might have expected. It had a face, after all, and arms to boot; and it stirred like an old grandpa when the girls drew near along a trail of white hair.
 
"Hmm, what manner of beasts be thee that come before this elder tree," it asked while moving to and fro? The ent was a guardian of this place: set there to examine unfamiliar face. Katerina and Kiyomi fit this description quite aptly, for they weren't supposed to be there. So the elder tree interrogated them with no shortage of grandfather-like charm. "I do not recognize you young ones. Tell me: are you dead? Why else would you have come here, after all? The living hardly ever visit a place such as this."