[MOVED THREAD! Authors: Lady Dread as Mina, Small Wonder as Nakaris, Jester as Xurlaq, and Gold as Siyavash]
Lady Dread
Someone new!
Posts: 2
(10/24/04 3:30 pm)
205.188.116.135
Reply | Edit | Del All .dreaded.ressurection.
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No one understood what happened.
There had been rumors of Serendipity's upcoming downfall, yet- the day before the proposed attack Mina had just.....disapeared with her daughter. No one had been left in charge of the army, no messages had been left about Mina's wherabouts. Everything just..crumbled.
It had been hot then. Summer.
Now it was cold. Autumn.
No one feared the Dread Army anymore. It was gone; extinct. Everyone thought Mina dead.
Fools.
A well-dressed woman walked through the village, what looked like a little four year old girl clinging to her skirts. The woman had red and black hair.
Gold eyes.
She paused outside of the abandoned Dread Army headquarters and looked up at the looming facade. She raised a too-pale arm and pressed her palm against the door. "Home sweet home," she murmered coolly, fingers curling as she dug her nails into the wood and drew them briskly through the wood- drawing rivlets of blood from the surface itself.
Wait. Wood didn't bleed. Or, did it?
The woman opened the door and walked in, gesturing for her daughter to go sit at the abandoned bar.
The little girl went to do as she was told, but squealed when she saw the dead dwarf chained there; loyal to Mina's command even after her departure. He'd starved to death, unable to get to food or water from his shackled position at the bar.
The beautiful woman meerly smirked at the girl before she went to the table and looked down at the dusty scroll there:
"I hereby call the Dread Army," she spoke in a firm voice, laying her palm on the parchment, "Come, my warriors, it's a new day. A new time. Come to me, your Commander. Come to me, your Mina." The scroll began to glow..the names there becoming illuminated.
Mina's back. Different, yes. But, she's back.
The Dread Army has been ressurected, who dares return to it? And yet, who dares not to?
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1008
(10/26/04 3:53 pm)
68.7.17.236
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Been so long...
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"...Mina...?" The voice came from the doorway, a few minutes after the woman and child had arrived.
Holding the door partly open and glancing inside with wide, almost eerily blue eyes, a young man with red-gold hair stood motionless. Along his left cheek, standing out light against his golden skin, a scar ran from nearly chin to temple, and an assortment of many earrings and necklaces decorated his body. Even more clicked together unseen, bracelets hidden beneath the sleeves of his dark overcoat.
He'd always had a slight fascination with shiny things, what could he say?
Staring, silent for a moment, he slowly left the doorway to move further inside...and it was also then that his eyes fell upon the child...
Damn...that wasn't...couldn't be...
Yeah, he was floored, to say the least, and for the life of him couldn't think of what to say. All he knew was, something had told him to come here...and now...damn.
It had been just too long...and yet, it seemed like only yesterday that they had both vanished...
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 7
(10/28/04 2:42 pm)
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The little girl's eyes widened as she looked upon the man who she knew right away was her father. Her mother had told her such wonderful stories of this man, stories of their love, and how they both loved her so very very much. Her surruel eyes focused on the ankh necklace at his throat and she let out a squeal, leaping from her stool and racing toward him with arms outstretched. That was her daddy, no doubt, her marvelous brave daddy! "Da!"
Mina whirled in a billow of skirts, amber eyes widening very slightly at the man who had appeared first. Oh, and she'd known he would be the first! This is how she wanted it, so that she could allow herself a few moments to just...hold him. "Nakaris," she murmered his name, the word almost quivering. Oh, she knew he would hate her for leaving him, knew it deep in the bitter recesses of her cold heart! And, what if-? Oh Gods, what if he'd found another woman to be his? The Archmage suddenly found her legs couldn't quite support her, so she sunk down into the nearest dusty chair.
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1015
(10/28/04 4:24 pm)
68.7.17.236
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For a moment, Nakaris could only stare, as though expecting the two figures before him to vanish if he looked away, just as they had so abruptly vanished months ago. This might just be a cruel trick of his eyes, or yet another dream. But it was so real, and yet...who knew? After all, if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that anything was possible.
It was Vai that snapped him back to himself as she squealed suddenly and rushed toward him, and without even thinking, he met her halfway and swept her up into his arms. Gods, it was real! It had to be... "Vai..." If being separated from Mina had been painful, a pain such as he had never experienced before, being separated from his only child, his little daughter...he couldn't even begin to fathom putting it into words, nor did he think he'd want to try, actually. Besides, he was having a hard enough time organizing his thoughts at the moment, as it was!
But now that he was finally able to hold her again...all that was gone.
"My...ya've certainly grown, kiddo. Quite th' li'l lady, eh?" he told her affectionately, smiling softly at her. "But no boyfriends yet, alright?"
It was then that he heard Mina's voice, and he glanced up from Vai just in time to see her sink down into a chair...
Crossing the room quickly, Vai still in his arms, he went to her...and, though he wanted nothing more than to talk to her, to hold her after so longâ€"anything else could wait...where she had been, why...it just didn't matter right now, he didn't careâ€"he didn't want to let go of Vai yet, either.
But, he did, gently lowering her to the ground as soon as he was near Mina. "Gotta give yer mum some attention, too," he explained, before turning toward Mina. Relief and light-heartedness soon turned to concern, doubt...what if she had left because...ah...he didn't know. It didn't matter. Did it? Unless she'd left because...because...well...there were many possibilities...
But he chose right then and there to stop thinking about it.
Slowly taking a seat beside her, he turned and reached out a hand to take one of hers in both of his. "I...I missed ya, Mina..." he confided quietly, not knowing what else to say. But it was a start.
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 8
(10/29/04 3:25 pm)
205.188.116.203
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Vai giggled at her father's words, the sound driving over the room like bell-chimes. She hugged him tight, mumbling in his ear, "I missed you too, Daddy..I didn't like it at all! I wanted to come home. It was scary there." After he set her down, the little girl pranced about the room to peer out the dirt-streaked windows, sensing with some odd un-childlike intuition that her mother and father needed some time alone.
Mina's lower lip trembled as she looked at him, hands in his trembling to almost the same rhythm. She looked stiff and unnatural in the tightly laced dress- perhaps because it was fit more for a Duchess then the leader of a rogue band of misfits. Her amber eyes gleamed unnaturally in the dim light, the only emotion shown being that quivering lip. For a moment she just sat there and looked at him. Afraid, almost. Afraid he would refuse her. She didn't say a word, and after another moment of hesitation she moved. Vacating her chair, the commander slipped into her sub-commander's lap, pressing a powerful kiss against his lips...
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1020
(10/29/04 5:08 pm)
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Reply | Edit | Del *sneaks in, taking break from evil essayness* >.>
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Nakaris blinked at Vai's words. Scary there? Where had they gone? Well...no matter. Answers could wait, for now.
Watching Mina, that thread of uncertainty and doubt that he had been avidly repressing started working it's way through him, Mina's silence encouraging it, egging it on. She had left without a word to him, taking Vai with her...and he had been so afraid she wouldn't come back. But...why had she left to begin with? If she had told him, given him a reason, at least, he would have been reassured, but he'd been given nothing. He had...ugh...maybe he'd been a bit too overbearing and demanding. He hadn't meant to be, nor would he even dream of being soâ€"she was her own, strong person, and Nakaris always loved that about her. He'd just been concerned for her...especially so soon after her pregnancy...
But after she'd left, he'd been half-afraid that she'd perhaps taken his concern the wrong way. An irrational fear, but...it was really the only explanation he could offer for himself.
Whatever the case, there was yet another, perhaps irrational fear facing him, spurred on by her own look of...fear, maybe? He didn't know what it was, exactly, or why the thought came to him, but...well, he just couldn't help but fear that, perhaps, she had only returned to say goodbye. For whatever reason...
That all faded when she suddenly slipped into his lap, his arms automatically banding around her gently to hold her close as she pressed her lips to his, and as he gratefully, willingly, reciprocated. And if he had had any doubts, well...this effectively cleared those away. Just as he hoped the manner of his own kiss would address any doubts she herself had been suffering.
Thank Gods Vai was looking away. Wasn't exactly a family friendly kiss.
Jester
Master of Laughter
Posts: 334
(10/29/04 11:42 pm)
67.76.64.185
Reply | Edit | Del «Xurlaq
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"Love... What is love? It is a pathetic emotion that disgusts me so. I would rather walk ten thousand miles through the flames of Hell, than allow such an emotion to linger around me. I will only put up with your feeble feelings towards one another as long as I get to spread death throughout this cursed Earth." Came a monsterously deep voice. The voice came from a black beast of demonic proportions. Xurlaq currently stands at a towering eight feet, not including the added height of his twenty or so horns. His massively muscular form leans against the frame of the door with his arms crossed, dark violet stripes barely visible. His enormously long tail waves around behind him with the wickedly bladed end of the tail barely missing everything behind him. He glares at the lovers with a constant glow of pupiless, blood red eyes. He seems to be ignoring the child.
"In the meantime, I will be outside. You people sicken me with your emotions." With his words, the hybrid demon stomps out of the room and outside of the building all together. Each of his steps cause the building to shake a bit. It's odd how he could enter the room, much less the building, without making any noice whatsoever, but leave with quite a racket. There's something peculiar about the demon's movements. If Mina would remember, she first recruited him when he was standing at twelve feet. Did he shrink?
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 9
(10/30/04 3:37 pm)
64.12.116.203
Reply | Edit | Del OOC: I know of the essays..blargh..
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Mina heard Xurlaq. Heard- true- but didn't give care. She meerly waved a hand behind her back at him, indicating she heard him. Rather then lessen her kiss she deepened it even further, almost biting off Nakaris' lower lip with her ferocity. Definetly not a family-friendly kiss..
Vai's eyes turned toward Xurlaq- recognizing him just as she recognized everyone. She trotted out the door after him, grabbing hold of his tail and giving it a little tug, giving him a mischevious look.
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1034
(11/2/04 4:19 pm)
68.7.17.236
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Muah!
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The only hint Nakaris gave that he had heard the demon's spiel was a soft, amused chuckle. A second later, and that brief interruption was forgotten as the kiss was deepened.
Damn, he'd missed her.
Drawing a hand up her back, he brought a hand to the side of her face, his other arm still around her, holding her against him as his mouth explored hers. And he didn't at all mind her ferocity...not when his own was no soft, gentle thing. Eyes closed, he kissed her deeply, as though he had been starving. And, well, he had.
Jester
Master of Laughter
Posts: 346
(11/3/04 10:44 pm)
65.41.125.129
Reply | Edit | Del «Xurlaq
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Xurlaq noticed the little tug he recieved. He didn't care though. He continued to travel outside, even if it meant dragging the little girl with him. He found a spot by a tree and sat down, curling his tail around in front of him to see if the girl was still attatched or perhaps slipped off, being injured by the bladed part. He hoped for the second one, but it would be considered an accident. It wouldn't matter. Blood is blood.
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 10
(11/5/04 1:55 pm)
205.188.116.203
Reply | Edit | Del [queen of despair]
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Vai was still holding onto his tail, her hands positioned so as to not be harmed by the blade. Colorless eyes gleamed as she looked at him. This was no ordinary child, obviouslly. The little minx continued holding onto his tail firmly, her eyes meeting his and not dropping, "Xurlaq.." she muttered his name slowly, the strange little girl pronouncing it as if she was reading it from a book and had never seen it before.
Mina pulled away from the kiss after a moment, her lips slightly swollen. "Oh Nakaris.." She touched his face, fingers trailing down the path of the old scar and down the length of his neck to rest on his shoulder, "My dear Nakaris.."
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1070
(11/8/04 5:13 pm)
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Ladeedaaa!
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A small grin formed on his lips as he looked at her, simply taking her all in. The woman he had missed so much. Despite the differences that were apparent on her now, she was still, at her core, the same Mina he had shamelessly fallen for.
Brushing hair back from her face and trailing his hand back down to rest lightly but firmly against her back as he held her close to him, kissing her brow gently. After she'd been gone, he just didn't want to let her go just yet, not for awhile. He'd missed the feel of her. Missed her.
"Gods...so glad yer back..." he murmured, his voice not at all angry. Just relieved. He wasn't angry that she left...he was just happy she and Vai were back. And curious as to where they'd gone. But, he didn't bring that up yet. That wasn't really important at the moment.
Jester
Master of Laughter
Posts: 365
(11/12/04 2:23 am)
65.41.213.120
Reply | Edit | Del «Xurlaq
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Xurlaq would have found Vai cute and adorable if he wasn't such a heartless demon. She was cute, to say the least, just not to him. He continued to glare down at the child. In his mind, he regretted letting the little girl tag along. He wanted to cause his tail blade to spin and get the little abomination stuck in the lethal thing, but decided to break his gaze on her instead. He laid back on the ground to glare up at the sky. He hated this world so much.
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 11
(11/14/04 3:34 pm)
152.163.100.204
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Vai kept her little hands firmly on Xurlaq's tail, giving it a little tug, Xurlaq," she said again, "Xurlaq. Xurlaq."
Mina smiled at him, "I'm glad to be back. I never meant to be gone so long. I never meant to be gone at all." Her face darkened, nestling closer to her love. She let out a sigh, and began to tell her story- slowly, all emotion drained from the words:
"Foxfire came to me one night and begged to speak with me. He wasen't drunk for once, so I oblidged. He told me bring Vai with me, which made no sense at the time but I did anyway. He led me outside and here he attacked me. Now, I could easily have taken him on my own, but Vai was in my arms and I was forced to protect her instead of using much offensive magic. Somehow, I'm not sure how, he knocked me out. The bastard knocked me out.
I woke up sometime later with a nasty headache and the realization wasen't in the village anymore. Foxfire had brought me somewhere on Sirena Island where my people are from. I was...naked, and tied to a tree. Oh, he hadn't touched me. No, he hadn't laid a hand on me. Anywhere.
Vai was missing. I started to scream for her, but then Foxfire appeared in his human form. He lit a fire..and he started to chant. Oh god, the bloody nag was doing magick. Then, my brother Palin appeared. The two did some sort of spell on me, and.."
Without another word, Mina undid the first two clasps on her gown's bodice to reveal the ruby implanted into the flesh between her breasts.
"They took the stone I had once treasured and forced it to bond with me. They took its magick, you will remember it as the magick that made me ill, and fused it with my own. I went through thirty nights and days of torment as my blood ran through the ruby. I spent those hellish days screaming and writhing in my binds. And, those wretches made Vai watch me scream..they brought her in around day three and made the poor girl watch her mother suffer.
By the last day I mastered the art of feeling beyond the pain. I managed to lay still without writhing, I managed to keep the screams behind closed lips. Foxfire let me free of the binds then...
He told me that he owned me now. He told me that he and Palin had done something with the ruby so I would be his slave. So that I would be his forever. Oh gods, Nakaris..he was so jealous of you.
He made me his slave. I could not help doing everything he said. If I did not he would make me scream and scream and scream. I became too tired by it to not bow my head and oblidge whatever he wished of me. He wished things I will never speak of aloud."
Mina's eyes were blank, but her fingertips dug into Nakaris' arm.
"Of course, I eventually freed myself from him. I found a way to harness the power he had over me, and use it against him. I was more adept then a miserable kelpie could ever hope to be. I made him slit his own throat. Then i found Vai and I left...
I stayed in Connoloath for a few weeks so as to try to forget everything. There I did not think of magick. I was just a normal barmaid with a normal menial job with a monotonous life.
Then..I came back. I'm ready to start my conquest again."
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1121
(11/26/04 3:13 pm)
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*TWITCH!*
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Nakaris listened to her story as she told it, a growing feeling of illness increasing within him as, with every word, the story grew grimmer and grimmer. From the way she had first started to tell it, he had felt right then and there that it wasn't going to be pretty. The way all emotion drained from her spoke volumes, giving him fair warning. But nothing could have prepared him for what she was now telling him.
God damn...he soon began to fervently wish her disappearance had been of her own accord, for whatever reason. That would have been infinitely better than this...than being taken somewhere against her will...he couldn't stand that thought...
His body was tense as he listened, and, in addition to shock, a sense of guilt began to build. Why hadn't he heard? She'd been attacked right outside...he should have heard it, shouldn't he have?
But he hadn't.
That should have been bad enough. But, indeed, it got worse as Mina explained the stone that was now embedded in her chest. And spoke of her days and days of torment. As she spoke, he drew closer to her, stroking her hair softly and soothingly as he listened.
Foxfire. Foxfire had done all this? Foxfire!? What. The. Hell!? And all in front of Vai.
And he was...jealous of him? Foxfire...was jealous of him!? That's why he did this!? He wanted Mina?
Nakaris had never seen that coming.
His body tensed more with every word Mina spoke, though he managed to keep his expression and touch soft. God damnit, he wanted to KILL the bastard! He and that fuckin' brother of her's! No...not kill. Killing was too quick. He wanted to make them scream and scream and scream like they'd made Mina, make them suffer for hurting Mina and hurting Vai. Vai...she'd said the place was scary. Gods, he would have never thought up this kind of scenario based off her words! She had been so calm...it was bad enough what they'd done to Mina, but to include Vai...
He held his anger at bay and focused on listening to Mina and comforting her as best as he could. When she had finished, it was a few moments before he could find his voice, for his mouth had turned dry. Finally, though, he swallowed and spoke.
"...Where's yer brother?" he asked, voice deathly soft, but then winced. That wasn't the first thing he had intended to say; he had meant to say something comforting. But it had been the first thing that had formed on his tongue once he regained the ability to speak. Foxfire had been killed...but Mina had said nothing of her brother. And as far as Nakaris was concerned, he was equally responsible. If not more for putting the spell on the jewel to begin with.
Jester
Master of Laughter
Posts: 387
(11/26/04 4:51 pm)
204.62.96.79
Reply | Edit | Del «Xurlaq
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"Release my tail if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, I'd be forced to fillet you with it." Xurlaq notes, still glaring up at the sky. He hasn't moved an inch since he laid down. He wasn't planning to for the moment either.
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 13
(11/28/04 9:50 am)
152.163.100.204
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Vai held onto his tail- didn't let go. "Fillet! Fillet!" It sounded oddly like she was taunting...
Mina watched Nakaris' reaction throughout her whole story, eyes gliding along the strain in his muscles. She rested a slender hand against his shoulder, lightly massaging his tense muscles with her fingertips. "Palin..i don't know. i haven't seen him since.."
Small Wonder
Gackt is God. XD
Posts: 1137
(11/30/04 1:23 pm)
68.7.17.236
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Le grrr!
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Nakaris hadn't been aware that he had tensed up until Mina's fingers found and began massaging his shoulder and, reflexively, he forced himself to untense a little. Though that proved a bit difficult. And understandably so! He was pissed. Not at Mina, by any means; none of this was her fault, and even if it had been her doing, he was just too relieved to have her back to be angry. No, he was angry at Foxfire for doing this to her and including Vai, at Palin for helping, at himself for being able to do nothing about it. Why hadn't he gone and looked for her? He probably wouldn't have been able to find her, anyway...but he had been convinced she had gone of her own will for her own reasons...
"Yeah...figures..." he muttered. The coward. Of course he wouldn't show his face now. "He best stay away, too. I'll kill 'im." He said it simply, as though stating a well-known fact.
He hadn't even known Mina had had a brother until just now, either. She'd never mentioned it to him, and the idea had never crossed his mind. But that didn't matter. He hated the bastard already. He didn't have to know about him in advance to know that he hated him now.
But...something told him that now probably wasn't the time. He should be being more supportive, as he wanted to be. Unfortunately, that never was his strong point. He never knew the right words or appropriate actions.
Taking a deep breath, he shook his head slowly. "Mina, I'm...I'm sorry. I had no idea..." he said quietly, regretfully.
Jester
Master of Laughter
Posts: 393
(12/2/04 11:13 pm)
208.13.133.94
Reply | Edit | Del «Xurlaq
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Xurlaq shot up from where he laid with the urge to backhand the child. Instead, he grabed her by the back of her shirt and plucked her away from his tail. His pupiless, red glow of a gaze glares at the girl.
"You are lucky you are the child of my current commander. Otherwise, I'd take pleasure in gutting you." The monsterous beast growls at the little girl before placing her back on the ground. He lays back on the ground to glare at the sky.
Gold
Miss Oblivious
Posts: 441
(12/4/04 7:13 pm)
69.137.159.91
Reply | Edit | Del Siyavash...I forgot about him...woops XD
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Siyavash appeared back in town within a matter of minutes, taking the Shadow Roads immediately after the call from Mina had awoken in him. So...she was finally back and ready to get things back on track.
Actually, he was quite annoyed with her sudden disappearance and almost ignored the call. What type of commander would leave her plans half finished? Simply disappearing without a word along with her daughter and any trace that she had been here. But something had urged him to come back and he was willing to give this army thing one more chance. After all, he had no luck in finding Sahirah in the time he had been away...it was almost as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth with his amulet....and oh how he would love to have it if the siege were to take place soon. To have an entire army of shadows would be to their greatest benefit.
With a small puff of shadows he appeared beside the building where the commander now sat. With a sigh he stepped out of the shadows and entered into the house, his ebony staff clicking pointedly on the wooden floorboards.
Lady Dread
SotE RPGer ^_^
Posts: 14
(12/12/04 4:19 pm)
152.163.100.204
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Mina didn't reply to Nakaris, for that was when Siyavash appeared. She got up from Nakaris' lap calmly, running her hands down the bodice of her intricate dress so as to smooth out the wrinkles. "Siyavash- welcome back." The Archmagus inclined her chin slightly, offering the other a sinister smile. "All will be explained in due time." She seemed to be able to read his facial expression; she would tell the story to them all. They would all know of the transgressions that befell her.
Vai giggled, "Silly silly.." Her bright eyes gleamed, and she sat down, looking at him with her devilish eyes. She grinned wildly and touched his tail again. Oh yes, she was taunting him..
