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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Mar 28, 2009 19:59:11 GMT -7
It had been a few weeks since Katastrophe had heard anything from her original sire. And while part of her body ached from the loss, the rest of her was quite grateful.
She’d returned to her normal habits and duties, taking things as they came and spending time with her close family and friends. Lass’s present state was at the top of her list of worries as well as Josephine’s recent mass severing over a subsequent anticipated deep slumber.
And of course, Arias was never far from the forefront of her mind. Truth be told, he was in her every waking thought. There wasn’t a night that went by that Katastrophe didn’t think of him. And she hated herself for it. Hated not being able to let go, hated not being able to hold to the promise she made herself. He’d left her twice; shouldn’t that be enough to make her not want him? Not crave him?
Perhaps real love never lets go.
But what did Arias feel for her? Did he still want her? He seemed pretty ready to let her go back at that playground with Mal. And it was the image of him standing before her that she couldn’t shake from her mind. What was it about him that kept her so drawn? It was more than just the physical aspect that seemed to pull her to Mal. Yes, this was very different.
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts of her lost love as she set to the task of warming a bag of blood that she’d emptied into the little black tea kettle she kept on the back burner of her stove. Hunting wasn’t in the cards for her that night. Her mind wouldn’t have been able to focus enough to concentrate on hunting without Arias slipping into her thoughts and pulling her senses away from her prey. Her nose would smell his sweet blood, her eyes would see his long black hair, her ears would hear his husky voice, and her hands would reach out for him when he wasn’t there.
Katastrophe wasn’t sure how long the tea kettle had been whistling when she came back to herself. The blood smelled burned and she wrinkled her nose in disgust as she poured herself a mug, deciding it was appropriate punishment for not paying attention in the first place.
Sighing, she went to the living room and sat on her sofa, curling up as she reached for a book.
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Post by Arias Talon on Mar 28, 2009 23:06:57 GMT -7
Arias Talon sat at the desk in his room at Castle Capadocious, writing on a piece of old parchment. He had hardly left the castle since the day he had happened upon Katastrophe and his sister Lascivious in that secluded park. He had left her that day but he had only hidden in the shadows of the trees, watching, when Slow Death, the Vampire who was her original sire, returned. He had not forgotten what had happened between the two of them.
Looking down at the gold bracelet on his left wrist, a permanent reminder of her, he sighed.
He turned his eyes back to the parchment, reading silently through the words once more before he folded it and placed it in his coat pocket.
Knocking the chair over as he stands, Arias turns away from the desk and moves toward the door. Waving his hand in front of the door, instantly it burst into the mysterious black flame he had been using lately and without hesitating he stepped into it, vanishing as the flame engulfed him, then it disappeared, leaving only a closed, uncharred door.
Stepping out of the blackflame he looked around, once again he was on her street, it seemed that whenever he did not concentrate on a destination he would end up here, no matter what form of transportation he chose.
Turning, he began to slowly walk toward her house, the closer he got to her, the more he felt her in his mind. Stopping in front of her house he stood there, looking up at the windows, absentmindedly touching the braided gold bracelet on his left wrist, he knew she was inside, he could feel her. Closing his eyes he sniffed the air, he thought he could smell burnt blood, concentrating on her he sensed her presence in the living room, she was drinking burnt blood from a cup, for what reason he had no idea, she seemed to confuse him a lot these days.
Opening his eyes again he stared at the living room window and telepathically whispered one word to her, "kitten".
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Mar 29, 2009 13:07:08 GMT -7
Bringing the mug to her lips once more, Katastrophe made a face as she smelled and then tasted the blood. The same face she’d made for each sip before it. But this was her punishment for not paying attention.
She set the mug down and went back to the latest Sherrilyn Kenyon: Her heart thundering in fear, she left her small room to travel to Olympus. To the hall of the gods, where Zeus and the others usually gathered at this time of day…
Without warning, Katastrophe let out a frustrated growl, throwing the book across the room. She’d read the same blasted paragraph at least four times. She’d been trying to get through this same book for the past week and she’d only managed to get to page 32.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” she asked, looking up at the ceiling as if waiting for the answer to be bestowed upon her from above.
Her concentration was completely off. So off, in fact, that she’d stupidly gone after a hunter a less than a week ago. She didn’t even catch the bastard, and he’d left her injured and bleeding while he escaped. She came home quietly to tend to her wounds that night, only sharing with a close few what had happened.
Sighing, she reached out for the mug on the coffee table. For reasons unknown, her gaze went to the window across the room from her and she gasped. Several things happened at once. She heard Arias’s calming voice in her mind, saw his familiar form outside her window, and she dropped the mug. It fell slipped from her fingers, shattering into a thousand pieces on the hardwood floor.
She stood, her mouth hanging open in shock as her mind opened to him. “Arias,” she whispered telepathically.
(Excerpt from Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon, page 32.)
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Post by Arias Talon on Apr 1, 2009 20:03:28 GMT -7
She stood, her mouth hanging open in shock as her mind opened to him. “Arias,” she whispered telepathically.
He felt torn as he looked up at the window, should he go to her, or should he walk away.
Turning away he walked to the far side of the street and leaned against a building, again absentmindedly turning the gold bracelet on his left wrist. He was thinking of all the pain he had caused her.
Looking back at her window once again he had almost convinced himself to walk away when he caught site of her. The connection between them was growing stronger by the minute, suddenly, all thoughts of leaving her were swept from his mind. He had to know, no matter what the cost would be, were Katastrophe and Arias truly meant to be together?
He decided he would move slowly this time, he always had the spell to fall back on if need be.
Slowly he walked across the street and up the steps, raising one hand he very lightly tapped on her door.
Where this would lead him he had no idea, but this connection between them was too strong to ignore.
He dropped his hands to his side and waited for her to answer the door.
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Apr 3, 2009 12:51:12 GMT -7
The moment she saw him, he disappeared.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “Please, don’t let him leave.”
And in that moment she heard the knock on the door, fears calmed by the soft noise against the oak. She quickly ran to the door, but as her trembling hand reached for the knob, she stopped herself. On the other side of this door stood the one pire she’d always wanted, always loved since the first time she’d met him. He had been dark, quiet, reserved… he was her exact antithesis.
Her perfect match.
And they had both done things to bring it to an end… several times.
In a failed attempt to steady her shaking hand, she pressed it softly against the door as her other hand came up to mirror it. The air was rife with his energy. Its insidious thrumming speaking to her vacant soul. She pressed her cheek to the door between her hands and sighed quietly. He was so close now, but she was so afraid. Afraid of rejection. Afraid of acceptance. Would he draw her back into his arms only to push her away once again? She took a deep breath, hoping to inhale confidence as she opened the door.
Her lip trembled as she smiled before her eyes traveled up the length of his body, taking in all there was to behold. She gasped, sucking her breath in sharply between her teeth. He was magnificent to her eyes. Handsome and glorious. His height loomed over her short form. His hair fell down in cascading black waves around his shoulders that beckoned to be touched. It made her hands curl into fists at her sides to keep from reaching out and tangling her fingers through the length.
She cleared her now parched throat and attempted to speak. “Hi.”
It was all she could muster and silence stretched between them as they looked upon each other. Memories poured through her mind and scenes bled together until she was unsure if they were her thoughts or his. She could feel him in her mind, a soft caress of familiarity. And it scared her to imagine having been without it. But had she been? Perhaps she’d been ignoring it all this time.
She swallowed hard and attempted speech once more. “Won’t you come in?” she asked softly, moving aside and gesturing to the brown leather sofa that sat against the opposite wall from the door.
Her home was a small one that she maintained for her and her servants. Her childer visited from time to time, but they seemed to prefer dwelling elsewhere. The house was currently empty save for her and a cat that was likely perched on her bed, pretending it owned the place.
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Post by Arias Talon on Apr 4, 2009 8:33:09 GMT -7
When the door opened and their eyes met he felt a sudden rush of feelings enter his mind, the strongest of which was love.
Standing outside her open door he attempted to close his mind, he was not ready to reveal his thoughts to her yet, that would happen in time.
Hi When she spoke , he could feel all the passion that they had shared between them in that one word. The doors he had put up in his mind began to weaken.
Arias did not speak, he stood there, staring into her eyes, still not sure of what he was doing.
Won’t you come in? The tone of her voice broke the trance that seeing her face to face had put him into.
"Hello, kitten" without thinking he had used his pet-name for her, although her reaction to it would most likely set the tone for their little get together.
As she moved aside he stepped through the door, as he moved past her his left had gently brushed against her, he felt the gold braided bracelet warm for an instant as they touched, by the time he reached his right hand up to touch the bracelet, it had cooled. He wondered how deep this connection they shared actually went.
Walking into the middle of the room he looked around, remembering the time they had spent in this room, he smiled. Slowly, he began to walk around the room, not touching anything, but looking at everything. Stopping in front of the window that faced the street he looked out, "I hope I am not...interupting anything, I know you are very busy these days." He turned from the window, looking at her once again, smiling.
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Apr 4, 2009 16:39:56 GMT -7
“Hello, kitten,” he'd said. The endearment made her close her eyes briefly, remembering happier times between them. She’d never found such an appropriate name for him, so she had used other more common words to describe her feelings for him. Darling. Beloved. My love.
When he brushed past her, that simple touch ignited her from the inside out. Every nerve ending was set on fire and the sensation starkly contrasted with the chills that ran down her spine. She was shocked at the huge effect he still had on her, but when she thought about it, it didn’t exactly seem all that surprising. They had shared so much together and so much had come to pass between them.
She closed the door and watched as he wandered around her little living room, looking at various trinkets and everything that made this room hers. She watched him walk to the window.
"I hope I am not...interrupting anything, I know you are very busy these days."
She nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words. “I am, but I can always make time for you, my lo—Arias.” The word almost slipped out so easily.
The old habits seemed to come back to both of them without much effort. She blushed a little, the recently burnt blood she’d ingested warming her cheeks. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, recalling that he hardly ever sat down before she did and hoping that he might relax in her presence.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She crossed her legs and placed her folded hands atop her knee, looking down at the broken mug still laying in pieces on the floor and then glancing at the book across the room where it had landed before she met his gaze once more. She knew she should've gone after a broom, but she would rather just sit there and cope with the mess than leave his presence.
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Post by Arias Talon on Apr 5, 2009 11:50:00 GMT -7
Arias followed her gaze to the shattered cup on the floor, bending down he scooped the pieces into his hand, mumbled a few strange words, instantly his hands were covered in the mysterious black flame. He blew softly into the fire, it vanished, leaving an unbroken mug in his hand, he set it gently on the table in front of her.
Looking at her he was unsure of how to begin. "Kitten, I need to ask you something..." He moved around the room once more, attempting to collect his thoughts.
Stopping, he turned to look at her again.
"I need to know if..." as always, he knew what he wanted to say, he just had a problem putting his thoughts into words.
"I need to know if you intend to bind to Slow?"
He said it quickly, now he waited for the anger he knew would come from her, he had no right to ask such questions of her and he knew she would not answer easily.
Walking across the room, he bent down and picked up the book that was lying there. Looking at the cover "Dream Warrior", he set the book on the table next to the mended coffee mug. "I am afraid I will never understand why you read this human drivel, but, no matter, as long as you enjoy it."
"I need to tell you that when I left you in the park the other day...I did not go far, I was watching the two of you from the shadows, I saw everything that happened between you and him."
He stood there looking at her with pain in his eyes, a fake smile on his face.
"I know I have no right to ask you these things, we are no longer a couple and I can accept that..." his voice trailed off as he turned back to the window, looking out at the dark night. "But, there seems to be a connection between us that I can't explain." stops for a second, again gathering his thoughts.
"Anytime I attempt to randomly move around this city...I find myself running into you." Arias turned back to her, looking at her with a sad expression in his gray eyes.
"Do you feel this connection as strongly as I do?"
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Apr 7, 2009 11:40:41 GMT -7
Always amazed at Arias’s ability to use magic with such grace and little effort, Katastrophe shook her head and smiled as the cup appeared just as it had before her chaotic reaction to seeing him. The flame he used had her bewildered, though, and one night she would remember to ask him about it, but not now. There were far too many other, more important questions on her mind.
"Kitten, I need to ask you something..." he began. She watched as he paced her room again, his gray eyes glazed over in thought, not really looking much of anywhere. He stopped and turned to face her and something in his look told her that she wasn’t going to like what he said next. "I need to know if..." He seemed troubled with his words and despite her worry over what he would say, she offered him a warm smile. "I need to know if you intend to bind to Slow?"
Katastrophe blinked a few times as her lips parted slightly. He had turned the statement into more of a question, and she wasn’t sure if that part caught her more off guard than what he said had. Slow Death aka Mal Evolence was her original sire. She’d only recently learned this truth, and Arias had been made well aware, had even encountered Mal on one occasion.
She swallowed; intent on answering Arias’s question but he wandered across the room and picked up her book to comment on before she had the chance. He seemed to study its dark cover for a moment. "I am afraid I will never understand why you read this human drivel, but, no matter, as long as you enjoy it."
A small chuckle worked its way out of her mouth and she walked over to take the book from his hands. A smile had reformed on her lips when she thought of how he was always both amazed and disgusted by her humanity. She didn’t think she had odd habits, but a vast majority of the vampire community did. But she was young, centuries younger than Arias for sure. Perhaps in time she would lose her human qualities. Time would tell.
"I need to tell you that when I left you in the park the other day...I did not go far, I was watching the two of you from the shadows, I saw everything that happened between you and him." She saw the smile, but the agony in his stormy gray eyes said it all.
She felt sick, the burnt blood in her stomach churning around and she wondered if she’d vomit for the first time after becoming a vampire. Again she proceeded to answer, and again he cut her off.
"I know I have no right to ask you these things, we are no longer a couple and I can accept that..." His voice trailed off again and he turned back look out the window and into the dark. "But, there seems to be a connection between us that I can't explain.” This time when he stopped, she could tell he wasn’t finished.
"Anytime I attempt to randomly move around this city...I find myself running into you." He faced her again and she was haunted by the emotion in his eyes.
"Do you feel this connection as strongly as I do?"
She felt the vomit rising in her throat and turned away from Arias, not because she wanted to, but because the last thing she wanted to do was puke all over him when he was pouring out his emotions to her. She didn’t want to pour out the contents of her stomach. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked over to the coffee table under the guise of setting the book down. As she tamped down on her body’s need to empty itself, her body fought back by bringing tears to her eyes. She blinked a few times with her back still to him.
The image of Arias in her mind as Mal had fucked her made so much sense now. Arias had seen everything. Given the feelings she still had for Arias, had the roles been reversed and she’d seen him fucking someone, she didn’t know if she’d have been able to keep herself from beating the female to a bleeding pulp.
She turned back to him after she was sure any traces of tears in her eyes were gone and walked over to take his hands in hers.
“Arias,” Katastrophe began, her voice quiet as she gazed up into Arias’s troubled face. “I had no idea you were there. I can’t even begin to imagine what…” she trailed off, not wanting to say how she’d have felt as she shook her head. “He has not asked me to bind to him, and it’s not something I would want if he did. There is no love there.” She paused as she watched a lock of his hair fall down into Arias’s face as he looked down at her and she tucked it neatly behind his ear, her fingertips trailing lightly over his cheek and jaw.
There was so much she wanted to say, but she knew she could’ve gone on for hours telling him how she felt. “Yes, I feel the connection. Even now it feels like you are in my mind. Arias… there is no other for me.”
She smiled up at him and felt her heart pumping the blood out of her stomach and into her veins. She’d said all she could say. He knew how much she cared for him. He had to know. She’d always professed it. But she didn’t know if she’d survive being hurt by him again. That was her only real fear for what might happen between them both.
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Post by Arias Talon on Apr 10, 2009 11:32:18 GMT -7
When she took his hands in hers he felt the connection between them strengthen.
As he listened to her words the image of her and Slow Death kept flashing in his mind. He remembered how she had left slow very quickly for some reason after they had attacked each other like two animals. He pushed the image to the back of his mind, looked into her eyes.
Arias released her hands, took a step back from her, his eyes locked on hers. As soon as he released her hands he felt the connection between them weaken, instead of being in his mind she was standing just outside.
He looked at her from head to toe, she was the most beautiful vampiress he had ever seen, the only one he had ever been with in a physical way. Every time she touched him he felt a shiver run up his spine. She brought out feelings in him that he did not understand.
He smiled at her. He wondered what would happen if slow death came for her now.
Arias felt torn, he had tried to distance her from his life and they only seemed to grow closer.
"If he came for you right now, would you go to him?" He asked her as if the answer would determine the fate of the world.
Arias stood with his arms at his sides, his well worn long black leather coat hanging open, his long black hair cascading down over his shoulders, long strands of hair falling in front of his face, partially covering one eye. Looking at her he began to remember the taste of her blood, he could smell her, he wanted to take her in his arms, longed to sink his fangs into her soft flesh.
He turned away from her, looking out the window once again, doing anything to stop the urges he was feeling. He wanted her with every fibre of his being. But everytime they were together he ended up hurting her.
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on Apr 19, 2009 22:05:59 GMT -7
Though Arias said nothing, the images of Slow Death and her together penetrated Katastrophe’s thoughts, only it wasn’t from the perspective she remembered. It was distant, it was… Arias’s memories. A stabbing pain tore at her heart. He’d seen everything. Her knees grew weak, but she kept herself steady. She wanted to cry; she hadn’t known. And when he released her, she nearly fell, the images fading from her mind.
His smile pained her as he looked her over. He’d seen all that, and still, he… loved her? She wondered. She watched a series of emotions she couldn’t easily register play across his face.
"If he came for you right now, would you go to him?"
Her lips parted to answer Arias, but he turned from her and back to the window before she had a chance. Stepping closer and almost in front of him, her hand lifted to his cheek, turning him back to face her. She couldn’t give him a simple “no”. She had to make him understand.
“Arias, ask me why I ran from him that night.” Her hand moved higher on his cheek, brushing the hair out of the way that always seemed to fall down over his eyes whenever he looked down at her. The nearly one foot difference in height always made him appear to be looming over her. Her eyes met his, pleading, begging for him to see her true feelings.
(OOC note: This is more of a flashback. Arias will not be breaking torpor by replying.)
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Post by Arias Talon on Apr 25, 2009 12:48:19 GMT -7
He looked her in the eyes. The connection between them flooded his mind as soon as she touched him. Arias could feel the love coming from her but he could also feel something else, and it was something they would have to deal with if they were ever to be together. He knew he would have to try to break this connection they had if she was planning on following her original sire. The images of that day in the park came flooding back into his mind, his eyes began to turn blood red, anger began to well up inside of him. Stepping back from her he broke the connection once more. As his mind cleared and his eyes returned to their normal gray color he smiled. "Why did you run from him so quickly? I tried to follow but you were gone before I could track you."
Arias was not sure he wanted to hear the answer. Without thinking his right hand began to turn the gold braided bracelet on his left wrist as he waited for her response. His mind was conflicted, she was the only woman he had ever been with yet she seemed to so easily run into the arms of another.
He remembered when he had first met her, she had responded to one of his advertising zombies when he was a reporter with the now defunct Ravenblack Royal Tribune. It seemed like it had been such a long time ago. Many things had happened since then. His unlife had changed in ways he never would have imagined.
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on May 1, 2009 10:57:54 GMT -7
Katastrophe’s eyes fell to his fidgeting hands. The way he spun the bracelet on his wrist made him seem childlike and innocent. It reminded her that she had been his one and only. Thinking upon what she did made her feel sick to her stomach. The room was closing in on her. She needed space.
“Because thoughts of you flooded my mind,” she said, trying to look nonchalant as she picked up her mug and headed into the kitchen. She stood in front of the sink with her back to him and turned on the water, letting it run for a moment before sticking her hand under the cool stream. She watched as it ran over her skin. Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I couldn’t do that to you.”
She turned her hand back and forth, watching the water as she waited for it to warm so she could clean the mug. It was all unnecessary. All she had to do was open the dishwasher and plop the thing on the top row, but she needed to busy herself. It normally kept her from thinking too much, and with Arias in her mind, that was probably a good thing. But certain thoughts came to mind.
“Why were you watching?” She still didn’t turn to face him, finding that her back somehow provided a strength to shield the pain in his eyes from boring into her. And something occurred to her. Had his presence caused her thoughts? She wasn't sure and she wasn't sure if he had intentionally caused it.
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Post by Arias Talon on May 1, 2009 13:21:21 GMT -7
“Because thoughts of you flooded my mind,” she said, trying to look nonchalant as she picked up her mug and headed into the kitchen.
Arias listened to her words, watching her as she walked. He did not follow, choosing instead to remain in the living room.
“Why were you watching?” He laughed out loud as he heard the insecurity in her voice.
Wandering around the room once again he heard the water running in the kitchen, she would be washing the cup that he had repaired.Even though the magic had left it spotless. She would always have these human tendencies, it was something else he would have to deal with.
Deciding he would ignore her question, for now, he stopped in front of the large bookcase against one wall. Looking at the authors he smiled, Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Lynn Viehl, pulling one down he thumbed through it slowly. He tried to make some sense of it but the English language had always been difficult for him. Speaking it was not a problem and he could write enough to get by but reading it had always caused him difficulty. Pushing the book back in its place his eyes wandered down to the bottom shelf, a Latin title caught his eye. Kneeling down on the floor he pulled one of the large volumes from the very bottom shelf, opened it, read some of what was there. Closing the book he carefully placed it back in its place and stood up. Books on the laws of humans he thought to himself, I wonder why... the thought trailed off in his mind.
Turning from the book case he walked to the doorway to the kitchen, leaned against the door frame. As he looked at her, standing there with her back to him, the first thought that came to his mind was, Why don't I just take her now, she is off guard, she would not expect it. Shaking his head slightly the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
He took a slow step toward her, not making a sound. His eyes were locked on the back of her head. Normally gray, his eyes now had a reddish tint to them. A part of his mind reached out to hers, "Such a pretty little kitty, yes you is, I could jus eat ya up, luv"
Arias took another slow quiet step toward her. Watching her very closely.
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Post by Katastrophe St. John on May 1, 2009 13:43:03 GMT -7
The cup was long since clean by now. She just had to keep doing something and Katastrophe couldn’t figure out what else to do. She could hear Arias still in the living room; she wasn’t sure what he was doing exactly until she heard a light thunk of a book being pushed back onto her bookshelf. She recalled a conversation they’d had once. He had been taught how to read at a very late age, and as a result, he wasn’t very good. He was either envious of her library, or laughing at the subject matter she found enjoyable.
The lack of his response didn’t escape her and she finally reached for a towel to dry the mug. Her fist made a slow circle pressed against the towel inside of the mug as she lost herself to her thoughts. She sensed Arias’s mind, and… something else. He was… talking to himself? She wondered from time to time if he didn’t have some type of an alter ego living in his mind. It wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility. Hell, she was a vampire for crying out loud. And then one thought shot out ahead of all the rest in his mind.
"Such a pretty little kitty, yes you is, I could jus eat ya up, luv."
“What the…?”
She turned just in time to see Arias right behind her, having made it across the room without her knowing. The mug dropped from her hand and shattered on the floor. Again.
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