RP:What do Paladins Taste Like?

Summary: While lingering around Gheneroc's cave, Larewen smells a tempting morsel: a paladin named Ember.

Scenic View of Hollow

Ember emerges from the small path that led here, legs fatigued from the hike, but upon seeing the view she takes in a relaxed breath of air. Looking down at the Sage Forest, a reflective smile touches her lips, and she sets her spear and shield down on the ground to ease some of the load she'd carried with her. Opening a small pack from over her shoulder, Ember breaks a bit of bread in half and nibbles on one of the pieces as her gaze encompasses what it can below. That's when she notices the slab of stone ripped free, and the signs of battle, as well as the hole in the earth which she keeps a respectful distance of. The vertigo is already bad enough.

Larewen could smell something living, something that was not an animal, approaching the vicinity of Gheneroc's cave and that alone was enough to entice the dragon-marked elf away from the lovely throne of stone that she'd been oohing and ahing over. She was hungry, that much was certain. Careful steps guided her away from the cave and southward then, ultimately, eastward to a place all too familiar and plagued with memories of a time when she was weaker; a time when she had a heart; a time in which she cared. There she spotted the elven paladin laying down her spear and shield and a sneer caressed her lips, coaxing them upward slightly. Quietly, she approached the woman from behind.

Ember doesn't notice the approach of the other, a bit caught up in the majesty of the location, and given the effort in reaching this spot she was in no great hurry to depart it. The trek through the mountains had been dangerous, the roars of the animals echoing often closer than comfort allowed, and once or twice she'd even seen a bird large enough to carry off a horse! her hair was shoulder length, longer in the back though tied up, and her armor was mostly patched together bits from various parts of the world. Finishing her meal, she reaches down to her pack once more to fish out her water skin.

Larewen's sneer became a smirk as she lowered herself behind the unsuspecting woman (for her writer is assuming that Ember is sitting down). As Ember reached for her water skin, the dark sorceress extended a gloved hand toward her. The cloth-covered fingers sought the side of the woman's neck and moved upward with the intent of curling into her hair. Simultaneously, the vampire's pressed against her back, her face seeking to lower on the opposite side of her head. She meant to coax Ember's head to an angle and bare the soft, warm flesh of her throat.

Ember widens her eyes in surprise as her hair is grabbed, her neck forced to one side, and inwardly curses at her carlessness. Thinking more 'bandit about to slit my throat' than 'vampire about to suck my blood', the young elf reacted quickly, slamming one armored elbow back towards whoever had her with an upwards backhand to try and make it a double hit. Long enough to disorient her attacker, she hoped, and reach her spear again.

Larewen felt the elbow slam into her gut and with it came a low, sputtering hiss. The movement of the woman's hand connected with Larewen's veiled visage, busting her upper lip. Her fingers tightened in the woman's hair and as her arms reached for her weapon, the vampire whispered a quiet spell, seeking to thicken the air around them in an attempt to slow the paladin's movement. With the spell came a quiet threat, "Fight me, and I might damn well seek to end you, elf."

Ember winces and stifles a yell as the other womans fingers tighten, pulling her hair painfully, and idly begins debating the merits of shaving herself bald after this encounter. If she survives this encounter. The urge to panic is strong, of course, though the mere fact that the other woman said anything gives the young paladin pause... if you're going to just kill someone, why bother talking to them? She twists some, trying to see her assailant, but quickly realizes there must be some magic at work because it feels like she's moving in slow motion. "Who are you?"

Larewen was glad to find the paladin somewhat compliant. In fact, she was practically delighted, but the dark sorceress's hardly bore such a revealing expression. "A parasite," came her whispered answer, sweetly enough. With the woman almost entirely stilled, she found herself inhaling deeply once more. Her lips curled back to reveal pearly whites that would glint in the periphery of the paladin's vision, for even though the air had slowed her movement, and even though Larewen's hand was curled into her hair, there would still be some successful movement. "Comply, and I will not harm you, child."

Ember looks at those teeth out of the corner of her eye, hearing her words, but feeling little comfort in them. She doesn't relax nor does she struggle further, trying to exert enough force to keep them in their current positions rather than break free. Of course, that's easier to do when you're not taken by surprise with someone's hand holding your hair and their weight pressed against one's back. "You haven't even told me what it is you want." Stalling for time, maybe, figuring out angles to work this from. "What magic holds me?" Things don't move in slow motion normally, after all.

Larewen lowered her mouth toward the woman's neck, opting to avoid her inquiries, rather than answer them. Unless Ember moved, she might very well feel ice cold lips upon her throat. The movement, aside from the lack of warmth, would be almost sensual. Larewen felt no need to answer the paladin, for she felt safe and confident in her own ability should the woman overcome her spell. She was marked by a dragon; she was his voice, his eyes, his ears. She was high, drunk on power, and most importantly hungry and she'd be damned if Ember didn't smell absolutely delicious!

Ember tried to move, but with her attackers grip and the spell slowing her movements, it wasn't a particularly noteworthy resistance. The young paladin was in excellent shape but sheer muscle mass was not something she'd developed in her training, leaving her at a strict disadvantage in a grappling contest such as this. Boot knife... must buy a boot knife she tells herself. The feeling of cold lips on her throat is uncomfortable, and at the same time, disturbingly sensual in its own way. The paladin reaches behind her, trying to find some purchase on her assailant, struggling against the spell that holds her.

Larewen could feel the struggle against her magic, for she was one with it and it only furthered her exhaustion over time. As Ember reached backward, her hand would find the woman's side, perhaps even one of the bones or ribs of her bodice. Though she felt the touch, Larewen paid hardly any mind to it as once more, her fangs were bared. She dragged them along the paladin's skin, seeking the steady thrum of her jugular vein, where blood undoubtedly rushed beneath the surface. Her intent? It was to pierce the flesh with a downward thrust of her lips.

Ember tries to pull the woman away, but it's no good. Those fangs scrape against the skin of her neck, the smell of the paladin's blood no doubt touching the vampires nose as the taste of it leaked through her skin. The throb of her jugular wasn't difficult to find, pulsing beneath the vampires lips, and Ember lets out a gasp as those fangs pierce downwards and into her throat. There's a sharp pain as they do so followed by an almost guilty pleasure sensation, an odd mix for sure. The young womans blood erupts upwards into Larewen's mouth, hot and rich with life, her hand pressing into the ribs of the bodice it had reached.

Larewen felt the rush of the woman's blood and there was no doubt she enjoyed it. Even as the paladin's fingers jabbed into her bodice, Larewen's arms were curling around her. She sought to embrace the woman in a manner that only a lover ought to. As her fangs drew free of the wound, her tongue flicked across the twin holes over and over, coaxing more and more blood from the woman's veins. There was a different taste to it than what she was familiar with, perhaps because Ember belonged to a holy order. It was not unlike a drug to those miserable humans that called the slums their home. Even so, there would come a time when she would finally stop, and again her lips would press to the woman's throat, against the holes in an unsuccessful attempt at staunching the flow of blood. "Mmm," she murmured quietly against the woman's flesh.

Ember breathes deeply, eyelids fluttering as her life is drained away. It shouldn't feel good through the pain but the sensation is almost something that one could drown in. Vampire... that's what it has to be... training... the paladin did her best to remember her training, something about holy magic, but as more and more of her blood leaves her body it becomes difficult to focus. Things seem to be slipping away, a faint darkness in the corners of her eyes but not one threatening to overwhelm her as yet. Ember digs within herself, focusing as best she can even as she feels the wetness of blood and lips on her throat, at least enough to send a jolt of holy magic through her hand and into the womans side. Would it work? She didn't know... holy energy healed the living so against the unliving…

Larewen had already stopped her feeding when the jolt of holy magic burned through the cloth at her side and seared her flesh. Her reaction? To break the embrace and thrust the elf away from her with little care as to where the woman landed. For that moment, her spell broke and the air would once more thin. "Fool!" she growled, her hand lowering to cover the seared area of her body. Rage filled her dark chocolate eyes, her lips curled upward as she pushed herself to her feet. From behind her right ear and coiled downward across the cusp of her breast was what appeared to be a tattoo of a braided chain but was, in all reality, a dragon mark.

Ember goes flying forward at the woman's shove, straight towards the cliff edge, and it's only her natural dexterity that saves her from going over the edge of it. She regains her feet quickly, a hand going to her neck, as she gets a good look at her attacker for the first time. "What promise had I that you would spare my life when you'd already attacked me?" The paladin retorts, not feeling the least bit guilty about having tried to defend herself. Taking advantage of the spell breaking, she moves quickly away form the edge lest the woman use some sorcery to fling her clear off. "Who are you?"

Larewen didn't even begin to prepare a spell though, instead mocking the woman's anger with a wide grin that was barely visible beneath the veil pinned beneath her hat. "Having your Order, or even the guards of the lands, come after me would be the opposite of beneficial," came her answer, and it seemed that she still eluded the woman's askance of her identity. She took a step nearer to the paladin, her pale tongue flicking into sight as it licked up the remaining spatter of blood from her lips. "Why should I tell you my identity, child?"

Ember doesn't back away, which is foolish perhaps, but she feels emboldened by the fact that her magic can indeed wound the vampire. "I'm hardly valuable enough to my order or the ruling body of this land that they'd send an armed party to hunt you down for a simple assault." She speaks. "You've already had my blood and held me closer than anyone else has in this life so far, why conceal such a small thing as a name?"

Larewen watched Ember, already coaxing another spell to the tip of her tongue should it be required, though it could not be denied the smugness of her expression at the knowledge that she'd been the first to hold the paladin so dearly. In lieu of the woman's words, Larewen simply shook her head. "You come from an order that seeks to do good; that seeks happiness for all, and shirks power for what? The wellbeing of others? There is no point in telling you who I am. Just know that I was merciful; far more so than those you will some day meet in battle as you fight for what your Order believes in."

Ember tilts her head some, ears rotating independently a moment not unlike a cat. "There's more to life than service to the self, yes, though we don't shirk power. We just try to use it well." Or such is her stance on it; one can't do anyone any good at all if they don't have the means to enact any change. "Your mercy is appreciated; I am aware you could have killed me."

Larewen was not fixated on the movement of Ember's ears, for she too was an elf at some point in her existence. A gloved hand extended outwards, seeking to touch the woman as she drew closer. "Are you steadfast in your beliefs, child? Or do you question what you hold dear? Is there even the smallest inkling in your mind that there might be something greater?" It was curiosity that begged askance of these words from her lips.

Ember watches the woman come in, gloved hand stretched out, and while she's not sure how keen she is to be touched she also doesn't want to flinch away. Her spear is still out of reach and without a weapon should it come to a fight, the paladin would be at a disadvantage, holy powers aside. "As steadfast as I can be, of course. I'd not be able to have burnt you a moment ago if I wasn't. I try not to be blind, however. I can see the forest through the trees. I don't know what you're speaking about when you refer to 'greater things' though."

Larewen chuckled softly, even as her gloved fingertips brushed gently against the flesh of the woman's cheek. "Of course not," she murmured quietly. "Power is not only that of the divine. Gods are all-knowing, powerful, and strong. Of this, I won't deny, for Vakmathras is among the most divine beings in existence, but..." she trailed off. Had the elf lost her train of thought? Perhaps. Instead, her lips set into a frown. "As long as you believe what you are taught to believe, and not that which you learn on your own, you will always be inferior." Sense might have been lost with her words, of that she would not be surprised, but inside her head, everything made sense. "If I could offer you power greater than that you have now, what would you do?"

Ember continues to watch the woman warily. "I would ask at what price that power comes." She doesn't flinch away from the touch though it'd be a stretch to say she was comfortable with the vampire who just attacked her being in physical contact again so soon. "I've often observed that accepting great power tends to come with great drawbacks, chains, or allegiances to others."

Larewen smiled a smile that was all too sweet. "You would not be wrong in that assumption; we all pay a price for power, child," came the elf's words quietly, even as her hand fell back to her own side. "Allegiances are not all that bad, provided you agree with the one to whom you ally yourself, no? Let's say... In exchange for power, you were to ally yourself with me and what I believe in? Sure, it might be a tad bit darker than that you follow now, but I can assure you it's far more fun."

Ember looks a little surprised. "I have no idea who you are or what you believe in." She replies. "You wouldn't tell me the former and it already sounds like something I would decline. A 'tad darker' would likely go against the oaths I've already sworn and I'm not ready to give up on those. I came out into the world to try and make a difference."

Larewen found herself smirking once more. "A creature as blind as you is not worthy of knowing who I am," came her retort. Then, her voice softened considerably. "We all wish to change the world and make a difference in the lives of those around us. We are all fooled into believing that that is our ultimate goal... but... tell me, girl," she paused for an unnecessary breath and then even went as far as to chance turning her back toward the paladin. "Is it not true that every moment we live changes things? I have tasted you; do you not feel different because of that? Violated, maybe?"

Ember stiffens some, her anger rising, and a bit of red colors her otherwise fair cheeks. "Yes, I do feel violated by that." She answers somewhat icily.

Larewen found amusement in Ember's response. "And yet, if I hadn't come after you, would you feel any different?"

Ember blinks. "If you hadn't come after me then I would have continued to enjoy the view. Why would I have felt violated still if you hadn't attacked me?"

Larewen shook her head and simply smiled. "You do not yet understand, but one day you will," came the dark sorceress's cryptic reply. Even as she began to step away from the other, she said softly, "I was once as you, and one day you will understand exactly what I mean." She was not aware of the fact that she may have made no sense, and even if she was, Larewen did not care. Instead, she simply continued on her way, smirking quietly to herself.