Alchimia Rex (080 & 081)

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[080] [Mistakes (Dia)]

Dia knelt next to the bed, reaching out to the patient, her hand hovering over their abdomen. With a deep breath, she pushed her energy outwards, following a tightly knit pattern. She took a moment of indulgence to feel the spell’s form, how it arched and rushed into a twin set of meandering rivers of impossible geometry. The spell had once been impossible for her, but now it was nothing but rote performance.

Increasing the flow of energy, the pulsing power surged, and the pattern collapsed in on itself. Dia closed her eyes, focusing on the pulse that ran through her patient’s body like a chime. A second pulse, a second chime, and then a third, and a fourth. None of them returned any errant noises, so she collapsed the spell before it ignited a fifth time.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at Embla. The Malumari was as stiff as usual, laying perfectly still and looking straight at the ceiling. Dia could sense the maiden’s incredible power as it surged out, saturating every corner of Embla’s form. Only then did the patient relax, letting out a soft sigh.

“You should exercise,” Dia chided, standing up. “Without an outlet for your energy, your health might take a turn for the worse.” Smoothing out her uniform, she gave a slight nod. “Physically, you’re as healthy as you can be. There’s nothing more I could help you with.”

Embla remained still for a moment, closing her eyes. “I see.”

The silence stretched out in the small hut. Dia watched Embla for a moment. “My Lord wishes to speak to you.”

The patient stirred, glancing at her with a frown. “You don’t want him to.”

“Of course I don’t,” She huffed.

Embla’s pale brows furrowed. It was an amusing sight, white caterpillars starkly contrasting against her charcoal skin. “I don’t wish to speak to him, but if he wants to blab, I can’t stop him.” Her eyes turned back to the ceiling. “I am a prisoner, after all.”

Dia sighed inwardly. If Rick were treating her as a prisoner, things would be so much easier. She still couldn’t understand why he’d kept her like this. Was it because Urtha had vouched for her as an “honorable warrior”? That she was connected to one of Rick’s former students? Or something else? “Promise not to hurt him,” She stated, her jaw setting in place.

“Why should I?”

“Because I am asking it of you. If nothing else, as the one who healed you,” She straightened. “If you don’t, then I will tell him you refused, and that will be that.”

This caught Embla’s attention. A brow rose. “You would lie to him?” The question lingered unanswered, their eyes met as they tested out each other’s patience.

If there was one thing in this world that a healer had to master, it was the art of staring someone down. Even if said someone was powerful enough to crush you with a flick of their arm. It was a skill Dia had many opportunities to polish as of late. So she crossed her arms and kept the neutral 'stare of disappointment' unwavering.

Embla relented. “Very well. I promise.” She lay back down. “Do not expect answers out of me, however.”

“Of course not, you have your own human to serve.”

The barbed comment struck true and Embla scowled. Dia nodded smugly, approaching the entrance door and knocking twice. After a minute or so, the door opened and Rick stepped into the room.

“Good day.” He greeted with a slight bow of his head, giving Dia a quick smile before moving towards the chair at the center of the room.

There was a second chair tucked in the corner, but Dia took her position slightly behind and to the right of Rick. Her gaze focused on Embla, trying to keep a measure of the Malumari.

“A messenger from the nobles of Aubria showed up recently,” he declared with the same calmness one would use to talk about the weather. “I could make some predictions about what’ll happen to you if they retake Sinco, but it would be exhausting and you’re a big girl. You can make your own damn escape whenever you want.”

“You would track me down,” was her rebuttal.

“Of course I would. I want the Pinielf dead and you’re currently my best bet.” He leaned back in his chair, observing her for a moment. “But here’s what I don’t understand. I read about your people, the Dark Elves and how the kingdom turned on you, labeled you ‘Undesirables’ and hunted you.” Tilting his head slightly, he scratched his chin. “Since this was roughly sixty years ago, this leads me to believe you’ve been at this whole thing for most of your life. I doubt you would’ve made it this far without having a trick or two to shake off pursuit.”

Embla growled, fists clenching. “What is your point?”

“I’m trying to figure you out, that’s all,” he replied.

“You’re not going to bond me.”

Dia grimaced at the intensity of the words. Her gaze turned to Rick for a moment as he rubbed his chin. “That’s something I’m actually curious about. You’re bonded to Barry, and he’s as much a human as me. If he weren’t, the bond would’ve snapped by now.” He patted his own shoulder a moment, glancing at Dia. The gesture was obvious enough, she reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing it. With a slight smile and a nod, he turned back to the prisoner. “So I’m curious about that. Is the bond still just as strong? Is it weakening? There has to be limits here, understanding them would be useful to me as well.”

The Malumari’s mouth drew thin, remaining quiet.

“Fine, be that way.” Rick growled, leaning forward. “Time for the heavy guns. First off, you’re still bonded, which means that if you thought Barry’s life were in danger, you would’ve busted out of here without a second thought.” His tone was low. “You’re smart enough to know that I don’t want Barry dead. Even in the worst version of me you can imagine, I’d have a pretty strong interest in keeping him alive. Unless that version is also stupid, which, fair, I guess, you’re here after all and I don’t have a mile of stone separating us.” His shoulders slumped. “My only guess is that either you think going to him puts him in danger… or you can’t face the thought of meeting him again.”

With a snarl, Embla tensed in the bed. “I should kill you.”

“Join the line and wait your turn.”

Startled, she turned to look at him, only the scowl deepened. “You think I won’t?”

Now it was Rick’s turn to remain quiet, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I've seen what you've done with this city. I may be captive, but I'm not blind," Embla's voice was hard and cold. "You lavish the people in riches, coax them with promises, and then you will ask them to die for your cause. Not because they believe in you or your cause, but because you'll have tricked them into it."

Dia squeezed Rick’s shoulder and tensed, her other hand grasping the knife on her belt. She wouldn't be able to make a difference, not against the champion that lay on the bed. The knife in her hand was little more than reassurance. It meant her approach needed to rely on words. "His cause is just," she declared.

"A just cause is worthless if those that support it do so blindly."

At Embla’s words, Rick let out a hard, dry laugh. It was a raspy sound, full of bitterness. "Ok, I’ll bite. How do you expect the city to accept your philosophy?" He met the doubt in her eyes with a shake of his head. "What? If your idea is so good, then convincing me of it should be easy compared to everyone else."

She shook her head. "I know about your world already. You know the truth that maidens deserve freedom, but have not acted upon it." She glanced at Dia. "That one's proof enough."

Dia snarled, stepping forward. "I serve of my own volition, because it is the right thing to do." A squeeze of Rick’s hand reminded Dia to calm down. She quickly returned to his side. "You had every chance to talk about your views, but you didn’t take it."

"This is not the first time I've been captured," Embla turned back to the ceiling. "Were I to convince you, you'd be imprisoned… or killed."

"Is slavery a fair cost for peace? I say nay, give me liberty or give me death." Rick’s words drew a moment of silence out of both maidens, his eyes boring holes into the Malumari. His lips turned into half a smirk. "The quote goes something like that anyway."

"Barry said something similar." Embla gave a half nod, showing a half smile.

"Personally, I think it’s a stupid take. Like really fucking moronic." The following silence was only interrupted by Rick’s derisive chuckle. "Anyone who thinks the phrase has any validity has their heads so far up their ass they don’t know up from down."

"Shut up." Her body tensed.

"It’s self-flagellation in a bottle." He let out a laugh, a cruel and cold sound. "Oh woe is me, I’m so powerless and dull-witted I can only consider my own death as the answer."

"I said, shut up." This time her words came with a pulse of power. Dia’s grip on Rick’s shoulder became like stone, her other hand grabbing hold of the knife on her belt.

"The only ones who preach that kind of crap are either the people that wouldn’t think twice to cut your head off, or the fools they’ve convinced to stand in line and offer their necks." He stood up, glaring at her. "Barry’s one of the latter, isn’t he?"

Embla lunged from the bed with enough force to turn both the bed and the wall into an explosion of splinters and cloth. It was a fumbling leap, but she wasn’t up against warriors; she was against Dia and a human. By the time Embla had reached Rick, Dia had barely managed to unsheathe her blade. But she couldn’t do anything. Embla kicked her away right as she pinned her target to the floor by the throat.

It happened in an instant.

No one moved.

Dia’s heart was clenched tightly. “You promised,” she whispered, her breath caught.

“You know I’m right, because we want the same damn thing,” Rick spoke through gritted teeth, clenching the slender arm that held him in place.

“Lies,” Embla hissed, clenching her other fist, ready to slam down and end the human there and then.

“I want a home for me and the people I care for.” He choked out the snarl. There was something wild in his eyes, a manic grin as he squeezed her arm, meeting her gaze. “And if half the kingdom needs to burn to the ground, then I’m bringing the matches.”

As soon as he spoke the words, Embla’s eyes widened and she recoiled, lunging back as if he were about to explode. Her back pressed firmly against the wall, her face a shade paler and mouth agape. “You…” Her voice trembled. “You tried to bond me.”

Dia didn’t wait a second, running to Rick’s side and helping him to sit up. He coughed as he struggled to recover his breath, and she hurried to cast a handful of minor diagnostic spells and immediately followed with some healing.

“The proper quote should be ‘Give me freedom or I’ll kill you in your sleep’,” Rick grimaced. “But only an idiot goes around telling someone they’re going to kill them.” His eyes turned to Dia, an apologetic look crossing his face for a split second before he turned to look at Embla again. “You should’ve felt it as much as I did, your bond is on its last legs.”

The Malumari didn’t say anything, barely moving.

“Free ride ends here.” Slowly, Rick stood, taking Dia’s offered arm to get back on his feet. “What I care about is that the Pinielf’s head ends up on a platter. You have a week to think of what you want in exchange for helping me with that problem.”

Embla hesitated. “And if I refuse?”

“There’s your door.” He gestured at the hole she’d made in the wall. “Good luck afterward.”

There were no more words to be said. Dia shot a venomous look at Embla. The Malumari met her gaze and immediately lowered her head to stare at the floor. Dia didn’t care whether it was shame, fear, or something else entirely. She focused on walking Rick out of the cabin and instructing the guards on the situation.

The instant they were clear of the place, Dia turned into an alleyway and dragged her human along with her. With a quiet command, she had the Orcish bodyguards spread out to ensure the two of them would have some privacy.

As soon as their eyes met, he grimaced. “I should’ve-”

“Shut up,” Dia stated flatly, pushing him against the wall. “You and her are never going to be in the same room. Ever.” Her palm pressed against his chest. “You will not bond with her.”

“Uh-”

“No more bonding with maidens that nearly kill you,” she growled. “Monica I understood, she was feral. Kiara was an accident, she didn’t know your tolerances were so low. Eva I’m still dealing with. No more, not one more. Am I clear? Because I’m afraid I’m not making myself clear enough.”

Rick winced. “Dia-”

“No, I don’t care. It’s my turn to be unreasonable,” she increased the pressure. “If destruction rains down on this city and you bond with the one responsible, I will blame you for that destruction,” she leaned closer. “If the earth opens up and you fall into it, and it turns out it was a maiden and you bond with her. I. Will. Blame. You.”

With a nod, he raised both hands in defeat. “Ok,” he conceded, letting out a slight grunt when she finally let him go. “I get it.”

“Good,” she returned the nod, sighing as she combed her hair back. “I know that you sometimes think too little of yourself, so I will explain it in as many ways as I can so that you understand. Your life is not your own anymore. As Lord…” Dia grimaced and shook her head, meeting his black eyes fully. “No. As my human, your life is not your own, okay? I meant it when I said that I would not outlive you, and I’m sure there are others who share this feeling,” she poked his forehead. “Get it through your skull. Every time you risk your life, you’re risking the life of everyone you care for.”

The words made him uncomfortable, exactly how she knew they would. The truth was not comfortable. This was a mess, maidens weren’t meant to give their humans “the talk,” but this would have to be as close an approximation as she could get to it. It wasn’t exactly helpful that the only human Rick was close to was from a land where humans were seen as some sort of pet.

“I’m sor-”

“No apologizing,” she hastily cut him off, finally stepping away. “You are my Lord, and you had a plan. If you thought that I needed to be kept in the dark, then I trust it was the right decision to make.”

Rick looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he pushed it aside. “I didn’t think bonding with her was possible. I did try earnestly for a bit there because I don’t like being crushed to death,” Dia nodded at his words, urging him to keep talking. “The goal was to rattle the bond.”

Huffing loudly, she crossed her arms. “Did it work?”

“I think so,” his gaze turned distant, as if staring at something very far away. “If we’re lucky, Barry felt it. The way I figure, death is the most violent way to break the bond and it’ll hurt like hell no matter how far away, but for it to break this way would probably be almost as bad.”

“You want to lure Barry into rescuing her,” she postulated.

“It’s what I’d do if you were in her shoes,” Dia preened a little at the seriousness in his tone. “That he hasn’t until now might mean he physically can’t, but it’s worth a shot,” she affirmed. “She’s too valuable to them one way or the other. So, Barry knowing for sure that she’s still alive should light a fire under their asses.”

“Good. I’ll make sure to tell Urtha and Kiara to discreetly keep an eye out,” Dia inwardly chided herself for indulging in the brief flight of fancy about being rescued, quickly shifting her focus to her next goal. “As compensation for putting yourself at needless risk instead of bringing Kiara in to interrogate your prisoner, I want you to tell me about your world’s medicine. Share everything you know.”

Without waiting a moment, she seized his arm and pulled him back out onto the busy street. Rick’s bodyguards resumed their positions, shadowing their steps towards the busier parts of the city.

Rick blinked at that, his surprise apparent. “Uh, sure, though I’m no doctor. What do you need?” He shot her an apologetic smile. “Fair warning, though, it’s much worse than anything over here.”

She shook her head. “Perhaps, but I’ve been reaching dead ends with my research. I’m hoping the approach the healers in your world use is different enough to provide a new avenue for progress.” Dia sighed, dejected. “I can barely heal scars. The closest I can get to regenerating lost limbs is when I’m aiding an Orc’s already impressive healing abilities.”

“Maybe Orcs have a surplus of stem cells,” Rick muttered, his expression thoughtful. “I can't begin to comprehend how they expedite the regeneration process. I don’t believe there's anything in my world that can even compare, so there must be some involvement of that elemental energy stuff.”

“It’s…” Dia shook her head, stopping herself before she could delve deeper into the subject. That would take all day. “Could you tell me about stem cells?”

“Again, I’m no doctor, and stem cells are a complex topic.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “My understanding is that stem cells are unique because they can transform into virtually any other type of cell the body might need. Humans have more of them when they’re young, but the quantity diminishes with age.”

She nodded, realizing their understanding of biology diverged in some aspects. “Tell me more about cells, please.” Dia offered him a reassuring squeeze, smiling up at him.

“I… sure,” he hesitated slightly. “Although, you should probably be the one educating me on this; you’re the medical expert.”

“I don’t mind,” she announced. “Assume I’m just a student.”

“I’d wonder why I have such an attractive student in my class.”

Dia blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear and leaning closer, relishing the warmth of his arm. His hand rested comfortably on her waist. Absent-mindedly, she stroked the purple fabric she wore in place of her collar.

“I suppose I should start with the mitochondria,” he said. “It’s the powerhouse of the cell.”

--

[081] [Office Hours]

Talking with Dia about basic biology and medicine had made the day quite enjoyable. As it turned out, spells were just about the main drivers of understanding when it came to healing. At its most basic, diagnostic spells allowed them to quickly assess the presence of certain illnesses within a patient or the environment. Their understanding of microbes and viruses came from having maidens who could quite literally see them when they focused enough. Yet at the same time, their knowledge on the subject was full of holes. Maidens capable of manipulating germs were scarce and few and far between, so what was known depended entirely on the subject the maiden focused on.

Rick guessed this was one of the problems of having highly capable tools but a very small population of scientists. Meanwhile, Rick’s own world had such a large brain-pool of available talent that all easy avenues of research were well-trodden by now.

It was quite enjoyable, if a bit awkward, to have Dia drill him about stem cells for two hours, but she was clearly enraptured by the concept. By the time either of them realized how long they'd been at it, the sun had moved well past noon, and both of them had duties to attend to.

Dia, ever the maiden, insisted on accompanying him to his lab and dropping him off.

“By the way, Eva and Monica came back from their hunting trip.” She pecked his cheek. “And there’s this very strange news that Eva's ascended into a Vampire while she was out and about.”

“Huh, good for her,” he said, not bothering to hide the monotone. “I wonder what pushed her in that direction.”

She gave him a flat look. “I will be roasting her over a pit fire until she spills the details.” Hands on her hips, she arched her eyebrows, waiting for his answer.

Rick chuckled. “You got me. I made love to her so well that it caused her to ascend.”

After the festival, she’d practically locked herself in Thorley’s former castle, barely going out until the transformation into a Vampire had finished. And at that point she begged Monica to go out on an extended week-long ‘hunt’, something the feline had been enthusiastic about. The plan was mostly Eva’s, though Rick had agreed because  Monica was in need of a pick-me-up, her injuries had left her sullen and irritable and nothing had been working.

Still, it would’ve been dumb to believe Dia wouldn’t see through the attempted ruse the instant she found out Eva had become a Vampire.

Dia narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing his amused smirk for several long moments before letting out a dejected sigh. “Fine, seems I won’t be getting the answers out of you.”

“Are you hung up about this?”

“I want to ascend. There are things I want to do that I can’t do as I am right now.” She glanced off into the distance. “I’m not even sure if it’s possible. Every record I find categorizes Raphas in the same area as Mimicas or Kanggal, a breed with no path to be traveled. The only hint I found about the possibility came from… the monster. She could’ve been saying it to mess with me, but…”

She looked exhausted as she spoke, her shoulders slumping and fidgeting with her dress. Rick watched her for a moment, pulling her close to peck her forehead. “When you interrogate Eva, tell her I want her to help you. I don’t know how useful it might be, but I’m sure that if there is a way, you’ll find it.”

The maiden nodded with visible relief, pulling him into a quick kiss before running off. He watched her go with some amusement. A part of him wished to be there when the inevitable conversation went down. Then again, he was also sure he’d find out about it if or when Dia suddenly jumped his bones and dragged him to the nearest available stable surface.

There was something emboldening about the whole thing. Rick was only thirty, but thinking about that night with Eva made him feel like a teenager in all the good, non-awkward ways.

He stepped into the large building that was his “lab” and glanced at the dial near the entrance. It was a simple thing, with the “1” at the top, and going all the way up to 6 at regular intervals. There was only one manually-operated hand, currently pointed between the two and the three.

Rick stared at the dial and chuckled in amusement. People in this world had the concept of hours and minutes, but the one measure they used to divide the day was the “naps” Mousegirls took. It was apparently quite precise; the little maiden’s cycle was spread out in six hour-long naps that allowed them to remain awake throughout the day.

With the clock leaning closer to the third nap, it meant the night shift would be on their way soon.

“Code?” The Orc and the Mousegirl flanking the entrance doors stared at him with a cocksure smirk.

“I like apple pie,” he said, tapping his foot twice as he waited.

It was a rudimentary code. The number of times he tapped his foot needed to match the time of day, the length of his statement needed to be twice that, and he needed to state the last fruit he ate. Because apparently Mousegirls had a really good sense of smell. The whole point of the nonsense was to at least pretend there was some semblance of security. Rick wasn’t too sure about how “safe” it actually was when there were maidens out there that could read minds, or create illusions, but it was something at least.

Cleared out and allowed to progress inside, he took the stairs and went to his office, greeting a handful of maidens along the way. There wasn’t any safety gear or uniform, the only commonality they shared was the purple cloth wrapped either around their arms or necks.

Rick’s office was at the very top, though tucked away from sight, easily mistaken for any other office room in the building. But inside it wasn’t the typical empty area yet to find any use. The room had been intended as a comfortable place. A lounge chair (he needed to commission wheels on chairs), a desk, a bookshelf, and a coffee table and sofa at the opposite side of the room. Everything was made out of wood since that was the easiest available material on short notice.

The whole place looked like a disaster zone, where a tornado had rushed in to dump stacks of books, papers, parchments, and scrolls all over.

It was a home away from home.

Rick stopped in front of the desk, sifting in search for the magestone before activating it. With a quick toss up to the roof, the stone affixed itself in place and bathed the area in its pale blue light. He would’ve preferred to have a window, but the walls were flimsy, and any outside observer could potentially just bull-rush through to get to him. It would have to wait until they had a proper fortified structure in place.

Also, glass was apparently a tempting target for robberies. Some fire-wielding maiden could just up and cut the glass from the frame and sell it for a pretty penny.

Rick sat down on his mostly-comfy chair, and began to put some order to the chaos on his desk. Most of the work was separating reports from plans and proposals. Rafaella had been hard at work drawing designs for potential engines. Rick didn’t understand even half of them since they didn’t operate using actual flammable/explosive chemicals to run. That said, they also appeared entirely impossible to create, as they’d require elemental stones the size of Rick’s head. The notes pointed out that such an item on its own would cost more than a small castle.

This much was to be expected. The Metalmouse had a hyperenergetic streak to her madness, one which Rick planned to let run amok for the time being. The goal was to aim for the stars, see what insane designs she could come up with, and then use the insights from those to figure out actionable steps that didn’t cost the whole city’s gold reserve.

It was an impossible goal: to have a functioning jet-engine airplane within the next decade.

There was a staggering number of necessary technologies to make this dream a reality. A lot of them were faced with normal problems, like how to make fuel. Others were no less important, but ones that Rick couldn’t readily answer: how would you fight against an airborne maiden with this? Lots and lots of brainstorming and redesigns and reviews.

Putting aside the theoretical stuff, he checked over the reports and production logs. It was the aspect of his work he loathed the most, but that was also necessary. If or when something eventually went wrong, tracing back to the source of the decision that led there could prove crucial. Especially when said potential mistake involved explosive materials. Rick hoped it never came to that, but too much of their work was based on poorly remembered specifics from his own world.

Tomorrow, every worker in the lab was scheduled to meet and brainstorm ways to make their work safer. He’d need to review those proposals too, and compare them to the proposals from the previous week.

Fortunately, there was solace from this administrative hell. Tucked in a little drawer was a notebook that contained Rick’s chemistry work. It was a list of every substance, formula, and process he could remember, followed by every scrap of math he could think of to double and triple-check it all. The whole thing was written in code, mostly at Eva’s insistence that no one should ever be allowed access to the information therein.

There was a soft knock at the door.

“Speak of the devil…” Rick muttered under his breath. The bond allowed him to sense that it was Eva on the other side of the door, where quite a bit of apprehension and anticipation lingered. “Come in.”

The door didn’t open; instead, Eva emerged from the shadows in front of it. He took a moment to take in the sight of her, trying not to make it too obvious that he was staring.

She’d changed.

There was the physical aspect of it, how she was slightly taller now, how her skin had lost some of its paleness, how her ears had become slightly more rounded, and how her face now had sharper edges. Eva looked closer to a human, but in a way that was decidedly not human. Her eyes were slightly too large, the angles of her cheeks and face slightly too sharp, her smile slightly too wide. Fledgling Eva had appeared closer to a cosplay involving pale makeup and contact lenses. Vampire Eva teetered at the edge of the uncanny in a hauntingly beautiful way.

This Eva wore tight black pants that made her legs appear longer and her thighs more prominent. By contrast, the white chemise was humble and airy, baggy over her lithe frame in a way that left many things to the imagination. The one teasing feature of her shirt was the low cut at her neck, exposing just enough of her bare throat and clavicles, hinting that there was nothing but skin under the white cloth. It added a touch that made her almost androgynous if not for her long black hair being braided into a conspicuously familiar purple cloth.

Despite the physical changes, what stood out the most to Rick was how she held herself. Her ruby stare made clear that his attempt to not be obvious had failed. Her cheeks gained a hint of color as she didn’t move a single step, standing a little straighter, raising her chin just an inch, biting her lip.

She wanted him to look.

“Good to have you back.” Rick’s words broke the spell.

Eva gave a slight nod, satisfied with his greeting and stepping closer. There was something almost regal about the way she moved, approaching the desk with a self-assurance that she’d sorely lacked until now.

“I brought you tea, my Lord.” The way Eva spoke those last two words made a shiver run down his spine. Rick hadn’t even noticed her holding the porcelain mug until she’d circled to the side of the desk and placed it in front of him.

“Thanks.”

As he reached out to grasp the mug, her touch lingered against his fingers. She became still again, observing him with hawkish focus, seemingly in search of something in his eyes. Yet the longer she stared, the longer her soft, thin, cool fingers remained in place, the redder her face was becoming.

“Are you…?”

When he spoke, she leaned closer, stealing a kiss. Eva shuddered, biting his lower lip lightly before leaning away. “You were with Dia earlier,” she whispered with half-lidded eyes, her tone carrying the inflection of mere observation.

Eva vanished into a black mist.

Rick nearly dropped the mug as she reformed on the sofa. “That’s new,” he steadied his grip and leaned back a little, watching her more carefully.

“One of several things.” She tried to play it cool, mimicking his relaxed pose, but her face was still bright red. “Is the tea good, my Lord?”

Now that she repeated the title, Rick idly wondered when she’d stop playing with the word like she was savoring some sort of piece of candy. There was something affectionate about the way she said it, and he suspected she wanted to get him used to it. He wasn’t entirely sure whether to feel bothered that it was working.

Turning his attention to the mug, he gave it a sniff. He couldn’t place the smell; there was something fruity. The flavor was equally unfamiliar; it made him think of some mix between apple cider and chamomile. It was slightly sweet, but it worked. “Where did you get this? It’s good.”

“I found some of the herbs during the hunt; their scent reminded me of you.” She very slowly and conspicuously crossed her legs. Normally it would’ve been impossible to tell from the distance where exactly she was looking, but Rick could feel her focus dancing over his lips. “There’s an Evergarden who lives near the gate, she was more than happy to share the rest.”

“Happy?” Rick arched a brow.

“Happy, hurried, terrified…” Eva shrugged, turning away, a finger caressing her rosy lips. “I thought it prudent to spread the word that I became a Vampire, and this was the quickest way that let me be here soonest.”

He frowned now. “Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She cocked her head slightly, giving him a confused look.

“Just checking.” He took another sip from the beverage. “Lots of things have happened, and I’m guessing you’re… figuring things out?”

Eva stiffened for a moment, rubbed her cheek, and looked down. “Is there… something you don’t like?” Something about the earnest way she asked the question made Rick feel a twinge of concern.

Wordlessly, he stood up and marched over to the sofa, taking up the unoccupied spot and making some room on the coffee table for the mug. Wordlessly, he turned to Eva who was now a shade redder and staring directly at her knees. Whatever confidence she’d been carrying, it had likely evaporated upon contact with her face.

“Could you elaborate on what you mean?” he asked, placing his hand atop hers.

The maiden took a moment to glance his way, opened her mouth, and snapped it shut. She quickly turned towards the mug, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. For a moment, Rick suspected that she was trying to find the right words.

Then a rush of nervousness swept over him, a fluttering of butterflies in his stomach, a burning sensation on his face, and an overwhelming fear that a wrong move could bring everything crashing down.

The emotions were gone as quickly as they’d come, leaving Rick blinking rapidly and trying to piece together what had just happened. “You… that was the bond. That was you.”

Eva nodded quickly, not looking away from where his hand held her own.

Setting aside concerns of potential ways someone could weaponize this against him, Rick took a moment to do a quick review of the encounter so far. Her clothes were clean, and there was a floral scent of soap. Her hair had been carefully woven with purple cloth. Her face had a hint of makeup. She’d moved across the room as if she’d rehearsed it.

“You didn’t get back to Sinco today, did you?”

She shook her head. “Monica was carrying the bulk of things. She got back today.”

How to phrase this… Rick reached out, scooping her off of the seat and pulling her onto his lap. Eva let out a squeak before quickly wrapping her arms around his neck as if afraid that a fall might actually hurt her. This close to her, he could feel her body was slightly cooler than his own.

“Does this answer your earlier question?”

Eva turned to look into his eyes and dove forward. This time her arms wrapped around his head, her fingers digging into his hair. Her tongue forced its way past his lips, tasting everything all the way to his molars. She breathed in sharply, pushing her body against his, pressing harder as if she wanted her shirt to vanish out of discomfort.

“I can smell you.” She pulled away, staring into his eyes. “I can hear you, I can see you.” Eva leaned closer, inhaling him. “There’s so much more I can sense now. Everything is so… alive, vibrant, beautiful.” She cupped his cheeks. “You’re beautiful. Like a flower, so delicate, yet so…”

“Uhm… Eva?”

Blinking rapidly, she froze again, vanishing into mist and reappearing next to his desk. The maiden rubbed her reddened cheeks. “It’s… going to take a while to get used to this.”

“Not to sound like I’m repeating myself, but are you alright?” He asked, trying to ignore how his own cheeks were warm.

The Vampire made a point to look away. “My nose and my eyes are so much sharper now.” Eva closed her eyes and inhaled. “You met with the Malumari today. I can smell that she was on you, angry. There are still traces of your adrenaline, there’s a violent smell on you. I should’ve been there, whatever it was that happened.” She turned to look at him. “From here, I can probably count your eyelashes if you don’t move for a minute.”

“That’s… wow.” He blinked quickly. “Nothing uncomfortable?”

“No, no, never. This…” Eva shuddered, smiling slightly. “The senses aren’t even half of it.” She made a wave of her hand, and the magelight died, plunging the room into darkness. “I couldn’t disrupt that before, now it barely took a thought. I can feel power flowing through my veins.”

A flicker of red disrupted the black that surrounded him. Rick focused on the speck of light.

Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It’s literally in my blood.” The light moved in a circle, leaving a trail of glowing light—a bloody halo. “This isn’t even a spell, it’s just saturated blood.”

The halo floated over Eva’s palm. She moved to raise her hand and leave the disk floating in the center of the room. The maiden vanished into mist again, this time reforming right in front of him. Bathed in the red light, she looked down at him with a predatory focus.

“It’s impressive.” He commented, leaning back against the sofa, even though his heart was hammering now. “I’m happy you’re enjoying the change. Seems it was the right choice.”

"You made me into this." She straddled his hips, swaying a little. "You gave me this."

He held her thin shoulders to keep her in place. "You seem drunk."

"I am," Eva gave him a dopey grin that looked only slightly terrifying when she flashed her fangs. "I’ve read that ascensions involving powerful emotions leave a strong impression. I can just close my eyes, breathe you in, and I’m right back to that night." Her hands idly caressed his chest. "I can almost feel your body against mine as we danced… how that damn skirt barely covered anything… the way the net bit into my skin… your large, warm hands…"

She reached out to grab his wrists and pulled them against her chest.

"Evangeline," Rick spoke a bit more firmly now. "Are you sure this is safe? You told me to be wary."

The red light died out, and the room was back to total darkness. Eva shuddered a little. "No, you’re right." Her voice was heavy with resignation as she pulled his hands away from her breasts, moving them down to her hips. "If my power flares out, I would likely hurt you." The vampire let out a sigh. "But… I’m glad you still want me."

"Sense of smell again?"

She wiggled her hips against his own. "You’re poking me."

"And what a glorious poke that would be," he hefted her off of his lap, surprised at how light she felt as he blindly maneuvered her to sit next to him. "Let’s just calm down a bit."

There was a prolonged silence after his declaration. Though the room was absolutely black and he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face, he could feel her eyes staring at him blankly.

"What?"

"No, nothing," Eva’s voice carried a certain hesitation. "It’s just… this reminded me of something."

"Hm?"

"When I… before." Her tone strained a bit. "I had servants."

Rick raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"And if I was… worked up, they would sometimes offer… aid. Of the more unilateral variety."

"And…?"

Eva didn’t answer for a moment. "Looking back, the act always felt… cold. It was a chore to be dealt with." Her hand fell on his shoulder. "I don’t want you to feel that way."

He nodded, smiling slightly. "I appreciate the sentiment."

"It’s not that I don’t want to," she hurried to say. "It’s just that… I don’t think I’d enjoy it."

"No worries."

"The thought of using my mouth…" She shuddered.

Rick frowned. "Like I said, no worries."

"I mean at all. It’s just so… I don’t understand why someone would enjoy that."

"Got it. Loud and clear," he growled.

"I don’t mind some forms of poking, just not the sort that requires me to get a closer look at your poke-stick. Not that it’s not an impressive one, just, you know."

He gave her a deadpan stare, or at least he hoped he was looking in the right direction. "You done?"

"Yes." The mirth was thick in her voice. "I think I got what I came for tonight. I need to put some practice into making myself safe for you again." She leaned closer, licking his neck, whispering into his ear. "I can’t wait until you pin me to the bed and fuck me raw, my Lord."

The next moment, she was gone.

The magelight flickered back on, the blue light returning the room to normalcy, revealing the absolute absence of the Vampire.

"I know you’re blushing!" he screamed out to the corridor, sensing her relative location on the other side of the door.

There was no answer, only her closing off the bond and no doubt making a rushed escape before her head caught fire. Meanwhile, Rick wondered what he’d done with his life to get him to where he was now, sitting alone, hot and bothered, while simultaneously being in multiple serious relationships.

"Guess I’ll go find Monica."

He downed the lukewarm mug of tea, gave his work a final check, and headed out.

Maybe the hunt had put the feline in a more talkative mood. God knew they needed to have a talk.

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