A Most Dangerous Tango

[Juno]

Just over a month now, that was how long he'd been searching for her. His efforts thus far had proved to be in vain to catch a physical glimpse of her. He knew now, though, quite a bit more about this woman.

Doing his own digging around in the time he'd spent away from her, he'd discovered a few interesting bits of information. She was an assassin, for one. Intriguing as it was, he didn't mind so much. Caden wasn't of the sort that was easily or quickly killed. It explained her being armed, but for the life of him he hadn't figured out why she'd been with him that night. That one, fateful night.

Weeks had gone by. He'd searched all his usual spots in the hopes that she might have still been looking for him. He hadn't managed to track down the man at the door yet, no matter how much he listened for that grating voice in the night. Still, though, he went to everyone he could think of in the hopes of finding out more about her, about where she might be.

In the course of this, though, something sparked his attention. More details to that story he'd heard just over a month before were surfacing. An assassin after a murderer around these parts. That murderer, however, turned out to be none other than his own dear sister, Remina D'Andarce. The dots were not fully connected yet, though, but the lines were swirling, the clues he uncovered leading him closer and closer he just knew.

Tonight he was digging for more. He'd set up a meeting, one he'd hoped would be fruitful in his search for the illusive little miss, Tiraris Silverd'art. Only problem was, he only had a short note on hand with crude instructions as to the location such a secret thing would take place. He was heading there now, but there weren't any names he was given, nothing to obviously give the place away. Was he even headed in the right direction? He could only hope that he was.

[GoblinFae]

It had been a torturous month for Tiraris. Between hunting the monstrous demon, gaining more information, and hiding for Caden, Tiraris had found little peace. The killings were on a clockwork basis, driving Tiraris insane as she came within minutes of catching Remina on more than one occasion. Many of the more recent deaths had been from a group young of pick-pockets. While no one else seemed to care, Tiraris was furious. The deaths of the innocents weighed heavy on her heart.

After kicking Caden out of the room last month, she had switched locations frequently. She never stayed in the same place twice and for more than a few days. She always made sure to stay away from the public if she could help it. She knew he was looking for her and had already had a few close calls. She slept by day and stalked the streets by night in search of her illusive prey.

Her only companion for the past month had been a stray calico cat that had taken a shine to her. The two had become inseparable despite Tiraris' attempts for otherwise. Even now as Tiraris sat on a stoop in another darkened alley, the cat had weaseled her way into the human's lap. Absentmindedly, the troubled woman ran her fingers through the thick fur of her feline companion, listening to the purring and the rain sing her a slow, sad duet.

Shuffling footsteps to her left alerted her to the sound of an approaching passerby. "What do you think Caydence?" she asked the cat. "Is the informant going to stand us up again?" She did not know why she bothered trying. The people were too scared to talk to her, afraid of being killed by either side.

But her mind was not focused on the present. Instead, it revolved around that night a month ago. She could still see the mask of hurt Caden had worn as she lashed out him. She remembered his gentle kisses, his embrace, his silken hair, his eyes. 'His ego, his lust, his toying with you. He is worthless, Tiraris. Remember he would have hurt you in the end, all men do. Men cannot be trusted, no one can.' Looking down at the purring cat in her arms, she wished it was another purring cat with dreamy purple eyes.

[Juno]

Grumbling at the chicken scratch on the worn piece of paper he held, Caden sighed and slowed his steps as he looked around. Well, this building could be that right here. And that alley...maybe that's where the door is, he supposed, huffing as he folded it back up for the hundredth time and tucked it away in his pocket.

He needed to know more. He just had to! He'd heard this person could tell him just about anything of her or anyone else that stuck more to the underground of the city. As he rounded the corner, though, his mind went blank to the sound of purring.

There was something down here in this darkness. Perhaps a cat? Maybe just a stray alley thing, but he did love cats. Or maybe it was just Remina, playing another one of her jokes to lure him in. Still, he found himself drawn to it, to whatever thing was down here whether he was headed the right way or not.

She came into view. He stopped, blinked, and his breath caught in his throat.

Finally! Here she was! It took all of his strength to not run to her and snatch her up in a hug and, instead, quietly stride over in a calm manner. The radiant smile, though, couldn't be quelled. "Tiraris," he spoke gently, watching her with kind eyes as he emerged from the darkness. He glanced to the cat on her lap. Animal lover?

But that didn't matter now, he'd found her! Surely she couldn't be his informant? He had no intentions of letting her slip away, though. He'd spent so much time tracking her down and whether this was an accident or not he just didn't care to know.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris was rudely startled from her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Looking up, her breath caught and her chest squeezed painfully as mahogany met violet. Nervously, she looked down and around, anywhere that was not him.

Growling the fickle feline jumped from her lap and ran off into the dark, abandoning the desperate human. "Caydence!" she screamed after the cat, scrambling to her feet and out into the rain. "Come back here you, mangy beast!" Breathing hard she did not realize her steps had taken her within arm's length of Caden. "Well fine then! See if I let you sleep inside tonight!" she called after it angrily.

Once more aware of her surroundings, she realized her mistake. Tiraris hid her face behind a curtain of crimson locks as she faced Caden. "A good evening to you Mr. D'Andarce," she murmured before turning tail and fleeing.

[Juno]

Their eyes met, but only for the briefest of moments. He wanted more, craved more than just that split-second between them. As the cat sprung away from her, though, he watched it flit off into the darkness and eyed the woman with interest as she came near him to shout after the animal. She was so close, so very close, and he lifted a hesitant arm, about to touch her shoulder, but then she hung her head, uttered just a few words to him, and was off.

Mouth gaping for a moment, he was unsure of what had just happened. But his mind screamed at him to snap out of it. He couldn't let her get away again! Charging after her, hood of his cloak flying back from his face with the sudden rush of air, Caden followed until she was within arms' reach. Then, he pounced. "Tiraris, wait!"

Going off to one side a bit, he snatched her up around the waist and pulled her back to be flush against him before he spun them to have them facing a wall. "Why are you running?! What's with this 'Mr. D'Andarce?!'"

[GoblinFae]

She struggled as she was caught, squirming about, trying to break free. Her breathing pattern was rapidly increasing as fear and adrenaline kicked in. Giving up, she went limp in his hold. She rested her head against against the rough sod of the building in front of them. "Release me sir, or I'll scream!"

The rain soaked into her hair, plastering it against her neck and face and plinking off her armor. She concentrated on her surroundings, trying to get her mind off of her current situation. She listened to the rain falling around them. Focusing on this she began to get distracted by his breathing in her ear, every inhale and exhale sounding like a hammer on the anvil. Blinking, she tried to find something else to distract her.

'The rain!' She counted each drop as they pressed icy kisses on her face and hands. But, as she grew colder she could not ignore the wall of fire radiating at her back and around her waist. 'Forget him!' her traitorous mind screamed. 'Flee!'

"I meant now fool!" she yelled harshly at him.

[Juno]

What she was asking he could not do. He only tightened his grip at her words, not afraid of her threats in the slightest. He felt her armor against him, but he didn't care. The soft skin beneath it, now that was something he was interested in. Holding her up still, he wanted so desperately to get an explanation from her.

His mind screamed at him to demand, to prod, to make her speak, but on the inside he didn't want to force her. For once, he didn't care that his precious hair was getting wet from the falling rain. His violet eyes were bright with pain and confusion, teeth clenched as it took all of his power to not reach for her, to just hold her fast.

The rough sound of her yelling only caused his face to fall more as he readjusted his arms around her, holding her even closer than before. "No...please..." he whispered against her ear as he pressed his face to the side of her head, his voice strained as he held back all the things he wanted to say.

[GoblinFae]

His voice in her ear, brought memories of other words whispered into it on a night she wished to forget. Exhaling slowly she curled herself inward. Then on the inhale she firmly kicked the soles of her boots against the wall as she threw her head backwards, wrenching herself from his grasp. Her arms came up pressing into his shoulders as she used the momentum to flip over Caden's body and behind him.

Now behind him she started to back away slowly. Under the surface she could feel energy and tension building within her. If Caden was not careful she would literally not be responsible for her actions. She brought her right hand up extended in front of her, palm outward, fingers spread. "D'Andarce you need to leave. Please! Just stay away from me."

'I do not want to hurt you,' her locked up heart whispered. 'Liar. Lecher. Traitor. Murderer. Brother,' her poison mind screamed out, drowning out the other voice.

"My business is not with you on this night. Leave and I will not be forced to kill you where you stand. Do not think I cannot. I have killed far greater than your filth. You would be easy prey, pet," she sneered.

[Juno]

Just as fast as he had grabbed her, Tiraris had slipped away from him. Goddess save me, this won't happen again! Twirling around to face her, eyes on her outstretched hand, his rage began to build at her words, her insults.

"I am not here to hurt you, so why must I stay away?" he barked, demanding this one thing of her as he lunged forward and reached to grab at her hands. Her words rang out in his head.

Filth... I am not filth! This is nonsense! Why must she tempt me? Why must she taunt me so? ...Tiraris...... So sweet and now so unkind. What happened? What changed?

"Do what you will, you will not kill me," he warned, though his voice was not unkind, just wary. Caden would not be stepping down. He would not give up. Try as she might, he would keep pursuing. For what, even he was not sure, but he knew that there was just something about her. Somewhere behind that cold, blazing fire was the tiniest true warmth locked away. He needed it. He wanted it. A glimpse was not enough for this mischievous demon already so taken with his longing.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris lowered her head and hand, her eyes still trained on Caden. "I am tired of running boy, quit testing my patience. I have been generous up until now, but I can be cruel. You have no idea what I am capable of. Out of my sight worm! My blade should not have to suffer your caustic blood," she said to him in a low voice. Her control on the magic within was faltering. If her emotions were pushed anymore they would both pay the price.

She pulled Isilotsë from its sheath, holding it in a defensive posture, tip pointing towards the ground in a diagonal. She gave him the ultimatum, "last chance, leave or die."

[Juno]

His eyes lifted to meet hers as she lowered her hand. Scowling, he growled in a very inhuman manner as he bared his teeth at her. Stop it! he screamed at himself. Don't do this! Don't fight her... Not her... "You try my own patience," he snapped, feeling his claws react, the vile things shuddering beneath the tender flesh of his hands.

Eyes never leaving hers, even as she drew her sword, Caden felt that darker side of him fighting to break the surface. He would not let it yet, though. No, not quite.

"This man that has not wronged you? This wretched man so enamored with you, body and soul? Fine, then, come fell me! Slay my heart, Tiraris!" He thumped a fist at his chest, a challenge. His eyes glowing with both passion and the swirling rage within, Caden stood ready for her.

[GoblinFae]

'Enamored? Soul? What does he know of my soul? What could he possibly know about me? Nothing! Filth! Scum! Monster! Demon! Murderer!'

"Liar!" she screamed blindly going in for the kill. Her blade swung up towards his throat, her eyes warily watching his hands. Her hair fanned out around her, a silken halo of crimson. 'All that they ever do is stab you in the heart. You are doing the right thing. Safe yourself before he destroys you. All men are the same. All that you love, all that you trust, all that you know is FALSE!'

[Juno]

His face fell at her singular, screamed word. She thinks I'm lying to her...how sad...

Caden didn't react in time, though, because of this distraction. Jumping back as he heard the sword moving, he felt the sting of metal slicing up his chest. Crying out, both startled by it and in great pain for the good space of skin she'd separated, he stared at her with a mixture of hurt and his own confusions. "Is that all?" He challenged, not daring to reach for her yet. Figuring she wouldn't answer any questions he asked, seeing as she'd refused to so much, already, he kept at her. "Must I say it in some other way, woman?! Don't you see?! You haunt my dreams! You haunt my every thought, you-you stubborn thing!!"

He looked unaffected by the cut, gushing forth his blood as it was; the adrenaline was taking over even more.

[GoblinFae]

Her eyes widened as she realized he was not going to move out of the way. She hesitated for a moment, the blade twisting in her grasp causing more damage than she intended. They pulled away from each other, her stance returning to what it was before she lashed out. "Just getting started," she bit back at him, beginning a slow circle around him. Her eyes constantly looking for weaknesses, anything to use to her advantage.

She listened intently to his questions, each one piercing her deeply. 'How can I trust you? How can I be with you? I have to kill your sister. Would you still love me then? If you knew what it is I go to do would you still profess these things to me? No. You will turn on me and kill me. So I must beat you to it.'

"Haunting your dreams, what about you haunting my steps! I can nowhere without you breathing down my neck. Are you so blind, you do not see you are nothing to me? You were a toy for a night's amusement. And what a night it was. A worthless waste of time! How can you claim to care about me after a few hours? Is your brain so addled you stupid animal that you do not see I am not interested? Why can you not leave me be?"

[Juno]

He mirrored her every step as they circled as he tried so desperately to keep himself under control. Indeed, how to explain. How to explain when he knew not the reasoning behind it himself. All he knew was that it had been torture to not see her, to not be near her. Even now, he would've traded any of those times to be like they are now. Trying to kill him or not, he wanted her there.

Her words stung beyond what he'd thought they could, physically wincing at her calling him an animal. "You of anyone should know that one does not simply run from 'nothing!' If I am truly nothing, if I am worthless, then say it to my face! Without your weapon, without all this screaming at each other! Just tell me honestly that you don't want anything more of me! Tell me! Tell me and I'll leave you! I'll stop trying! I'll stop searching!"

The deadly claws, the sharp fangs and all the rest were bubbling, ready to burst in his fury. Caden knew he couldn't take much more of this, but he also knew he would turn tail and run before he ever gave a thought to harming her with any of it.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris sheathed her sword before taking the necessary steps towards him. She stood toe to toe with him her hands flying up to grab him. One latched onto his throat and the other interlaced itself in his long hair. Roughly tugging his head to the side she moved her lips to his ear. "Now this is familiar," she whispered licking rain droplets off the lobe. "You are nothing!" She pulled away from him releasing his throat, her eyes locked on his. "And you are everything." She pulled him down to her level brutally kissing him.

After what seemed like an eternity she pulled away and released him. "I do not want to fight you. Why? Why do you make me do this? Why do you have to push, to complicate things?" She collapsed to her knees before him. Her head fell, chin to chest as the silent tears coursed down her face, intermingling and hiding in the rain. "If you only knew," she whispered.

[Juno]

He felt his heart pounding in his chest as she approached him, his eyes trained on her warily until she grabbed at him roughly. Instinctively, he raised his arms around her, reaching to put hands to her arms. The contact of her tongue, even through the falling rain, was not missed. Caden shivered. Her initial words, though, made his heart skip a beat. No...

He didn't want to admit that it was over and watched her with glazed eyes as she pulled away. I can't...I've lied to her, I can't do it, I- Wait...wait, what?! Gasping as he felt himself pulled down, Caden eagerly locked lips with her. It was rough, full of longing, full of passion and lust, too.

Snaking his arms around her, he held her close for that moment. That one, sweet moment he'd spent so long craving. As he expected, it still wasn't enough.

Loosening his hold as she pulled away, Caden blinked in surprise at her following words. "Tiraris, I..." She'd collapsed, though, falling hard to her knees before him. No, he couldn't let her be like this, alone. Following her down, he draped a soaked arm around her, leaning close to press his forehead to hers. "'Knew' what?" His voice became quite a bit more desperate now, but he tried so very hard to keep it gentle through his confusion. "Knew what?"

[GoblinFae]

His forehead pressed into her placing his eyes so close to her own that all she saw was violet. "Dreamy purple eyes," she whispered smiling. She shook her head. "Forget it. Nothing for you to worry about." She sat back looking at his chest sadly before realizing she was watching blood run down him.

Giving a soft gasp she blinked and reached forward to place her hand on the wound. Her fingers nearly touched him before she paused. Her hand curled up into a loose fist before dropping between them defeated. She began shaking her head side to side slowly and then faster and faster. "What have I done?" she murmured horrified dropping her head into her hands, the tears now free-flowing.

[Juno]

Ah, a smile. It was enough to ease some of his tension. He didn't want to push her too much right now, he'd already seen her so distressed tonight.

Noticing her eyes moving away from his own, he tucked his chin to his chest to watch as she hesitated in touching the still-bleeding cut on his chest. The blasted thing stung, what with the water from the rain zapping at his flesh. He could see that the droplets easily diluted some of the red stuff, but it was still going to stain his shirt, wet as it was. Tiraris looked so hurt, though.

Snapping his head back up as her hands lifted to hide her face, Caden's own expression twisted to one of concern as he realized she was crying. "Tiraris! Please don't cry, I'm fine, really! Here," he looked around desperately, lifting his head to look behind over his shoulder. "let's get inside. Can we do that? Can we just get out of the rain?" He reached for her, placing one of his much larger hands over her own, trying to get her to give one up for him so he might lead them away.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris still felt the energy crackling beneath the surface. It was shifting, changing as her emotions rose and fell. The ability to channel it had never been something she was capable of unless it was healing direction directed at herself. On one occasion she had managed to heal a bird with a broken neck, but that had been minor spontaneous magic spurred by extreme fear.

She did not feel such fear now. 'I can fix this. I must fix this and then I must end this.' Quickly before she lost her nerve she slammed her palm into his chest at the deepest part of the slash. Her face scrunched together in concentration as she forced the magic out. It painfully tore through her as she tried to control the channel. It burned through her nerve-endings sending waves of stabbing pain through her as it tried to find release. Her hand became hot as the energy began to slowly bit by bit mend torn flesh back together again.

Her breathing became ragged as she was drained in the effort to heal a wrong. She listened to the rain as it began to increase pour down on them. 'One. Two. Three. Four. His arrogant. Five. Six. Seven. He kisses like I am the only one. Eight. Nine. Ten. I am going to kill his sister. Eleven. I do not feel so good. Twel- what am I counting again?' She was gasping for breath when the energy finally stopped flowing, leaving a ragged scar behind. Every cell of her being shrieked in pain. She swayed dizzily her eyes half closed. "Going to castrate you," she stated before falling forward onto Caden.