RP: That Feeling When Senpai Finally Notices You
Summary: Apprentice Quintessa visits her childhood home of Black Pond to reflect on the Razurath extermination not realizing that her new teacher Kasyr was not far behind her. She affectionally attacks the Kensai, hoping to impress him with her ruthlessness and lack of hesitation in her strikes, but eventually she yields, thinking it better to preserve her life instead of fighting him to the death.
Black Pond
The area here is moist and reeks of an ill unknown smell. In the middle of this place is a pond, black like oil it ripples with uncontrollable evil. You feel sick here for some reason, and the air in this place seems colder than anywhere else. The pond is no ordinary corrupted pool, and holds a powerful magic from within, perhaps it's best you not meddle with such a thing and travel on before you anger or bother the inhabitants of this place.
Quintessa didn't know why she was returning here to this spot, she just wanted to clear her head. It was perhaps only the second time since her father had died that she bothered coming back at all. She would never waste any time morning over him, not after what he put her through and certainly not after the horrific way in which he had been killed. Mismatched eyes stared out over Black Pond, watching the ripples occasionally created by the beast she knew lurked under its murky surface as she pulled her fur-lined cloak tightly around her body. The cold didn't normally bother her, but for some reason the autumn air brought a chill to the changeling as she stalked the edge of the pond, the wary undead from the nearby encampment staring at her cautiously. Last time she had paid them a visit she had to flex her necromancy just to get her point across. They wouldn't bother her this time. Luckily for them, she had something else on her mind; The extermination of the Razurath population. This whole mission was becoming exhausting, especially since Quintessa was to be the brand new weapon in Tristoth, literally a conduit for Gevurah's dark powers. With a labored sigh, the hex blade picks up a rock from the ground and lets it lose, creating her own waves amidst the squirming tentacles beneath.
Kasyr 's grateful to have an excuse to be out and about. Whilst the library of house D'artes is truly a lovely resource, the trade-off of being empathically subjected to the latent murderous intent of an abundant amount of drow, and their intrigues leaves a lot to be desired. Enough so, that when the Kensai had learned his other student had been spotted in the Black Forest, the kensai had rather merrily made his way towards those tenebrous trees with a weird sort of glee. Honestly, it made for a bit of a weird sight, given that the cat-eared swordman was simply ambling through woods in rather casual clothes, with the closest bit of attention spared for the weather being a short sleeved vest, and his ever-present scarf. Kasyr would, at a glance, look thoroughly unprepared otherwise, up to and including the manner in which he was simply carrying around an empty Sheathe. Despite that, he still didn't seem to have any qualms to calling out to a figure resting near the darkened edge of the pond, " 'llo there. Are tu one of the lady Dragana's vassals? I'm looking for someone." Kasyr, for his part, does his best to put on his best 'Hapless traveler' posture, which, all given- isn't that hard.
Quintessa almost snapped her head back in recognition. "That accent?" The odd girl turned to face him, her mismatched eyes lighting up as they took in this new arrival's appearance. "Calico cat ears? Ever-flowing scarf?" A sharp toothed grin grew slowly on the changeling's face as she stepped forward, her spiked heels sinking in the mud. "Karasu said she'd seen you but I didn't expect you would come find me. Y-you're..." She couldn't hide the blush that burned at her cheeks as she finally came face-to-face with her childhood hero. "Kasyr Azakhaer, The Third Promise, Daedrias' Blade, and the Former Governor Of Vailkrin!" Her tone bordered on fanaticism, "I'd recognize you anywhere! Your face was all over the wanted posters- you-you-" She was having trouble speaking now, but she had no difficulty moving her legs to close the distance between them. "You're an absolute force of DESTRUCTION!" If Quintessa could have hearts in her eyes, she would at this moment. "Forgive me, I never answered your question. Yes, I am the caretaker of Lady Dragana's demesne. I am Quintessa of Black Pond, but I wager you already knew that. Why else would you be talking to me?" She stopped about a meter away from him, her hands clasped together as she grins at Kasyr. If he was uncomfortable at this moment, nobody could blame him.
Kasyr mentally notes that his new student seem to be on decent terms, one hand coming to rest under his chin as he takes in Quintessa's...enthusiasm? The way she rattles off nicknames and titles that have fallen out of use reminds him of Karasu, but there's something different in the pointed grin, and the way she carries her gaze. "I think I preferred my term as governor to my reign as King, though they both had advantages." Her blush is met with a boyish smirk, growing a touch more lopsided as she draws nearer. "That might be part of why those wanted posters of me exist. Et why Ranok has a disaster counter reserved for moi, en fait. Still, I'm glad I won't need to waste too much time on introductions." He pauses there for a moment to take in the rest of what she says, pausing only briefly to glance in the direction of Larewen's estate once she mentions her role as it's custodian. "I mean, I could have been genuinely lost." He sort of was, since he hadn't met her yet to facilitate tracking her down. "But, you are correct in that I am here on business with you. Mage guild business, given I'm to be your swordsmanship professor, et the odds and ends of .." Don't you . . . "Swordcery that go with it." That grind broadens, showcasing the Kensais own pointed fangs, before he snaps back to a more reserved expression, "Though, I might inquire as to your current role of caretaker later. I'd had some business to attend with the owner, and in her absence, it may fall to you to answer some queries." Apparently, his interaction with Karasu had at least slightly prepared him for dealing with people who had been raised on a diet of his exploits.
Quintessa seemed overjoyed to be speaking to Kasyr so closely, and she laughed harder than one should normally at the mention of Ranok's disaster counter. "Of course, a man like yourself needs no introductions! I've read books about your battles! I've researched all I can about the ways of the Kuro No Kensai. I became a swordsman because of you." Her hand flips her cloak back as her pale fingers twist around the sheath of her sword. A sudden urge to attack him grew in her core, just to see him react to it, to see her hero in action. "You are to become my teacher?" Her mouth dropped open as a long gasp escaped. "This is a dream come true!" Her celebration would however be postponded upon hearing about business with House Dragana. "Yes, yes, I have a duty to take care of her affairs. And for you? I'll do anything."
Kasyr finds himself shifting his weight from one foot to the other, a sort of alertness graduually permeating his posture as the kernel of a threat begins to invade the ambient empathic strands in the environment. Despite that, he doesn't really break out from the contemplative posture he's adopted, only swapping it to his left hand, so his right can rest against his hip. "Well, suffice to say, that will at least help provide answers then. I had -quite- the rude awakening when I returned from my ex - " ile? Please, it was self imposed. "-ercises. At this point, he's looking less pensive, and more space-y, but he does at least manage to afford a prompt reply, "Oui, Daath convinced me I ought to take on a role as a teacher. Et I figured given what I know it's the least I could do. " Morally. After lowkey sitting on knowledge of an ancient evil corrupting the mage guild and especially it's higher ups for years. "I figured I'd probably address your fortes, et the like, to figure out how to address what to focus on, lesson wise."
Quintessa nodded her head in approval, "Ah yes! Magister Daath, my magic teacher! He must have known that the spell blades needed extra attention that the Mage's Guild couldn't provide. What clever foresight." Her mismatched eyes traced up and down the sword saint slowly, silently picking out the best places to strike. He didn't have his famous trench coat, so that gave her confidence. Her grin twisted into an evil one. "That's a good idea, teacher," she said, her slender digits moving to the hilt of her katana, "Let me give you an example." Her voice became low and distorted by the time she said 'example' her unhallowed aura darkening the air around her. In an instant, she draws her sword and strikes in the ancient iaijutsu style, aiming a strike with the intent of cutting Kasyr in two. She would hold nothing back, assuming he would dodge, parry, or avoid the attack in some other way. She doesn't relent either, bringing her sword back up at his neck attempting to liberate the Kensai of his head. To end her flurry, she took a step back and assumed a defensive stance, her blade placed between her and her target. It would be a bad idea to let Kasyr get a counter-attack off on her.
Kasyr 's has a few knacks- quirks that have come from his peculiar nature, and from his various adventures, and the ability to read into another swordsman's 'craft' is amongst those which marked him as a Kensai. It's here that the stark difference between his two students becomes most apparent, not only stylistically but in the simple lack of hesitation that exists in the stroke of her sword. Admittedly, his evasion is clumsy enough, the abrupt slide he makes to get clear of that initial draw serving to mire his boots in the mud, and yet that moment gained grants him the time to clasp his fingers around the empty sheathe at his side Even as Quintessa's follow up attack looms large. That said, Kasyrs intention is far from clashing with the blade- but instead to flip his sheathe around and slam it around the blade. Whilst it's unlikely to be a perfect fit, it should still suffice as a means of redirecting it away from himself. "I'm not sure if this would make you the hot-blooded one, or the cold-blooded one." The kensai's stance, as opposed to Quintessa's doesn't quite look as graceful, given he's currently in the process of trying to unstick one of his shoes, but hey, that's partly what banters for, right? Right.
Quintessa smirked in spite of herself. He was just as good as she dreamed he'd be. Her eyes widen at the surprise of his hilt capturing her blade, and a low chuckle built up in her chest as her aura flickered from maleficent to aggressive. "Llafn tân!" She called, saving the banter until after she uttered her spell. Even before the words leave her lips her katana is engulfed in flames, possibly engulfing the sheath as well. "Sometimes I'm cold, sometimes I'm hot," she said with a wink, stepping backwards to pull her blade from Kasyr's sheath. With a quick pivot, she dipped low and shouted the word "Tân!" as she swung her sword in thin air, sending an arc of fire right for him. "Or perhaps that is too hot?" She cackled madly before her spell changes, "Llafn rhew!" She roared, her enchantment switching from fire to ice instantly as she swung it downwards, a thin wall of ice separating them while she focused her aura inward, amplifying her magical prowess.
Kasyr is trying to get a read on Quintessa, to ascertain just how seriously and far she intends to take this particular exchange- which likely makes it a good thing that he can somewhat read into intentions. That her battle lust never abates is part of why Kasyr momentarily abandons his attempt at dislodging himself from the muck on the shore, providing his student with the crux of his attention, even as she segues from purely physical prowess into a display of her mystical might. The words may be lost on the Kensai, but the mechanism behind the magic is readily discernable coaxing him to relinquish the sheathe before it ignites like so much kindling. "...I really need to stop using hand-me-downs." That is an interesting way to qualify 'the weapons of people you've beaten down or murdered, but hey. Whatever else he had to say on the matter was left hanging in the air as he saw that another follow through was in store something which coaxes the Kensai to take the most (in)elegant situation in the situation, as he wrenches off to the side...and straight into the pond. What brief flames started to lap at his vest and clothes are almost immediately extinguished by the murky waters of that caliginous pond . . . well beyond the smouldering left boot which rests firmly entrenched at the shore. That said, if Quintessa's expecting an immediate counterattack, she may have to wait, given that there's no immediate signs of the Kensai, just a few errant bubbles from the black surface of the water, and more ripples than normal. Too bad water doesn't make for good conversing grounds, because this would be an ideal time to ask what's Krakening? ...Krack-a-lackin? The things you consider while entering an abominations lair.
Quintessa watched her new teacher escape into the pond from behind her sheet of ice, a grin growing on her face. His momentary absence would give her time to build up her magic. Quickened steps bring her around her barrier and up to the shores of Black Pond, her sword high in a kogasumi stance. Her frosty magic still lingered even as she prepared a new chant. "Gwyntoedd rhewllyd y Gogledd, clywch fy ngalwad!" She repeated over and over, as many times as she could, each time the air around the entire pond getting colder and colder. By the third time she chanted the spell, the temperatures would be well below zero and the edges of the pond would begin to freeze over. Perhaps Kasyr would be trapped under ice by the time he dealt with the kraken, or perhaps her plan was ill thought out. Either way she was having the time of her life.
Kasyr has never really taken the idea of catching the tiger by it's tail as cautionary advice -against- doing something harebrained. Which might have been why his immediate goal upon plunging into the water had been to dive further, both to put distance between himself and Quintessa so she'd have difficulty aiming towards him, and to get him closer to his current target. And given the creatures considerable size, it doesn't take the Kensai very long to find one of it's myriad tentacles, his lungs only starting to faintly burn from holding his breath as he reaches out to grab ahold of one of those mucus covered appendages. It's about that moment that Quintessa will at least get a pretty good idea of where the Kensai as, given that a violently bright patch of light flares up in the belly of the Pond, flaring out tendrils of brilliant energy as Kasyr proceeds to tap into that elemental form of electrical energy he's so attuned to, and therefore giving the kraken every bit of motivation to try and drive away the offending sensation. Suffice to say, the swordsman finds himself quite literally yeeted upwards and through the surface of the black pond before the glacial energies can properly take hold, his form rupturing the ice that's spreading across it's surface, and granting the Kensai a rather useful birds eye view of the surrounding area. Enough so that he's not apt to be impeded by his apprentices wall as a set of mithril scalpels are drawn from his vest, charged with even more electrical energy. If his student has truly done her homework, she may recognize the trick, given that the energy being poured into them isn't so much meant to electrocute the intended target, so much as to enable those projectiles of being kinetically propelled with enough momentum that they may as well be railgunned. Probably a good thing Kasyrs aiming somewhat center-mass, since that's a bit easier to heal then removed or obliterated limbs.
Quintessa abruptly ended her chanting as the Kensai is launched through the layer of ice she had created. Even without her words, the spell would continue to linger until it was dispelled by its caster. Mismatched eyes narrowed as they caught the glint of something metal and the hex blade recognized quickly what was about to happen. Certain that her ice was slower than his electricity, she sprinted from her location, the first of the scalpels only grazing her shoulder as she makes a quick arc around the pond. She tried to deflect the second, but the speed of a certain scientific railgun was much too fast to keep up with. It cut straight through her torso, right around her collarbone, and embedded itself into the ground as a crimson pool stained her robes. It didn't really hurt, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be a major issue if this fight continued too long. She had to think of a better way to defend herself. As her wound shortened her breath, she skidded to a halt, her mana pouring back into her sword. "Wal iâ!" She called, blood dripping down her body as her icy spell spiraled and condensed around her, protecting her with a hemisphere of ice. She knew it wouldn't survive a continued barrage of scalpels but her defensive options were running thin. "Damnit," she hissed as she held her wound, watching as her barrier is crumbled away with each blow.
Kasyr has an inkling that Quintessa's combat lust isn't quite at an end, considering there's been no attempts at parley, which cements a certain resolve within the swordsman. Even as his body arcs through the air and gravity begins to take hold of his body once more, Kasyr is already at work with twisting the situation to his advantage, this time working to draw his focus to a razors edge, as he searches within his own soul for what he's seeking. The call is answered readily enough, reality shearing apart in a slice of silver as one of those formerly chaotic blades that had been bonded to the Kensais soul takes form- The Katana hanging solidy enough in thin Air that Kasyrs able to land on it, though the impact does seem to tilt it down towards an angle. A second breach in space follows just as abruptly, this time coalescing within the swordsman's grasp as he adopts a more formal stance, looking for all the world as though he's about to charge. it would be a comical image, were it not for the spark of electrical energy that drifts away from the back of Kasyrs right hand, as a patch of flesh abruptly ionizes, with nothing more than the pungent scent of Ozone left in it's wake. And then all at once Kasyr isn't standing on the sword anymore. In a flicker of brillight electric light, he crashes down into the earth directly adjacent to his students dome, right before the sonorous peal of thunder bursts around his proximity, subjugating Quintessa's glacial dome to a sudden shockwave of sonic force, potentially turning her barricade into a bundle of improvised projectiles. As well as turning the general vicinity into a complete muck slinging disaster zone.
Quintessa breathed heavily. She needed more time to stop the bleeding but she didn't have any time at all. Even through the thick ice she could make out the Kensai, or more accurately the electricity that arced from his body. Her mind raced with options and tactics and she was momentarily paralyzed by the choices she had. She decided quickly to stop this bleeding. "Tân!" She called, her sword switching from ice to fire once more before she ripped the robes from her upper body and pressed the hot metal to her exposed wound, cauterizing it as she cried out. It wasn't the most elegant way to do it but it was quickest. She only had time to think about the exit wound before Kasry crashed into the ground, shattering her dome of ice. Ideas of self preservation quickly shift from stopping the bleeding to stopping anymore bleeding from taking place. With sudden panic, the hex blade screamed "Tân!" and swung her katana above her head at the ice sickles, a large flare of fire melting them before they impaled her. Quintessa is doused by a cold shower and the flame on her sword is extinguished, leaving a massive cloud of steam in its wake. She wanted to take advantage of the mist, to disappear in it and strike secretly from its shroud, but as she tried to move she saw that she was stuck fast in the mud. "I-" her pride fought with her wisdom, "I yield!" She called out from the stream, letting her sword arm relax. She was disappointed that it couldn't last a little bit longer, but at this point one wrong step could spell her death and she didn't want to die before getting another chance to fight him again.
Kasyr takes a few moments to relax, even after the declaration of yielding, if only because he was busy reaching out with his empathy to test the veracity of the statement. Suffice to say, he's not entirely surprised to find that there's distinctly still embers of that same bloodlust that had precipitated the encounter, though it seems tempered, for the moment. "Et bien. I can approve of knowing your limits, enfin. Did I meet your expectations, au moin?" Even as he speaks, the Calico-eared swordsman's already in the process of relinquishing his hold upon the soul bound arnaments, allowing them to fade back into the aether as he commits himself to the more pressing task at hand. Namely, finding his boot, given that the detonation of sonic forces seems to have successfully launched it free from where it was stuck, and hurtled it into the bushes. With a grimace of discomfort, he proceeds to lopsidedly shuffle through the beach front (while occasionally staring at the angry ripples from the pond), to try and retrieve his footwear. "So, I figured I ought to ask, would you consider that a decent showcase of your forte, as far as combat training goes? I already interviewed your classmate, as it were, but I figured you might have prior notes or observations of your own, that you might want to go over, et impress upon moi." And plus, it was always interesting to hear a students own take on their strengths and failings, as opposed to just reading notes left by other teachers.
Quintessa begun to giggle madly, her bloodlust soon washed away by the waves of adrenaline fueled ecstasy of battle. She'd never felt so alive! "Yes!" She cried, trying to dislodge her spike-heeled boots, "You were amazing! The way you launched those blades? You almost killed me!" Another round of laughter is interrupted by a coughing fit as her body forced the blood in her lungs out and onto the mud. "See?" she pointed to her wound as bloody teeth grin at him. It was only a couple of inches from her heart. "I couldn't block it, it was so fast. I wager you could send one of these all the way to Arh-Nuk if you tried!" She giggled again, this time successfully. "I'd say it was an alright example. Normally I sling curses and enforce my will upon others, but I figured I'd just stick with swordplay and magic tricks for this bout." She thought hard for a couple of seconds, letting a pale finger idly tug at her lip. "I guess I should go ahead and tell you, I'm not human, at least not strictly speaking. There's a reason I've caught up to Karasu in a year for what's taken her 18. I'm hag-born. A changeling. My bloodline is as dark and twisted as this forest," she gestured around them, he boots finally coming unstuck as she sloshes closer. "So I'm just naturally good at this stuff. Oh! You should have seen me in Cenril. The razurath there feared me so much when I slaughtered them that my magic amplified three fold. I'm good at that too, using the emotions of myself or others in a fight. The stronger the emotion the stronger the effect. It's really tied to my magic that way." She looked herself over, making sure she didn't miss anything. "But physically, I'm a little different too. My sharp teeth and fingernails most notably, but I can also see in the dark and in general I'm a little bit more durable than a human. Pain doesn't bother me much... honestly, sometimes it feels nice..." She blushed, not meaning to say that out loud. "B-but that's not important. What is important is that I've basically had to teach myself how to sword fight. I'm in desperate need of a master like you." She smiled at Kasyr, a bit of blood still on her lips, "Would you like to be my master? Am I worthy, I mean."
Kasyr can take a lot of things in stride, but for just the barest moment there's a distinct look of discomfort when she mentions being able to send a blade to the mage moon, though he's pretty quick to resumed shuffling through the bush for his boot. Despite his rustling about, he also seems to be paying fairly close attention, as well, "Amplifying your magic by drawing in latent emotion to fuel it, or more, amplifying pre-existing ones? Just curious on that point." The conversational tone and genuine curiosity on the swordsman's point made it abundantly clear that if anything, he was acutely interested in what advantages or disadvantages her nature provided her. "I think there's a bit of a difference between liking pain, et getting your kicks from a hole in your chest. Are you ..er, compatible with healing, because tu sure as hell look like you could do with a bit of patching u-" The abrupt change in tone accompanies Kasyr suddenly lofting up his missing boot in the air. Were this a Zelda game, there'd probably be a really catching ear worm playing right now. "As for being your master et teaching you. Well, I'm certainly not adverse. You can consider my interest piqued, enfin." The swordsman pauses here and then adds, "Given your nature, do you have any other predispositions towards certain kinds of magic, other than what you displayed, or mentioned? I ask because I've been fetching reading material et that sort of thing helps."
Quintessa clapped in the background as Kasyr lofted his boot in the air. "You found your boot! How'd it get that far away, anyway?" She joined him near the bushes, glad to get out of the mud. "Well, I guess you could call it latent. Sometimes I can flex my aura and exert a sort of pressure on my enemies, manipulating them to feel a certain way. It's not always fear. Sometimes it's fatigue, or gloom. I just make my aura really oppressive, and then use what my opponent gives me in my spells." She smiled happily at hearing that she piqued his interests. "With your guidance I'm sure I'll become the second greatest swordsman to ever walk Lithrydel!" She thought for a moment, "Besides my talent for dark magic, there's nothing else to note. But it you want to read a book on my ancestry, pick up Dark Land Deviants Vol. 3 It has a section on hags there and a bunch of legends. It even says that changelings were once rumored to be made of twigs and mud, can you believe that?"
Kasyr comes pretty close to folding his arms over his chest while still clutching the boot, but thinks better of it and gets to work on putting it on, "Well, blast radius' do that. I think that's why people end up so sour about my solutions to, er...most problems. Still, I'll look up that bit of reading material, though." He was already going to be heading to the Black Library for some literature related to Karasu' request, after all. "Dark magic, Emotional manipulation, et just a general affinity with magic. Have you taken much consideration into what kind of options you'd be looking into defense wise- whether it be martial or magical? You seemed adept enough with ice, et it provides some rather distinct bits of utility. Also, if you're not adverse, I think I'm going to deal with that hole- I'd rather you not be walking around with 'Kasyr was here' tier puncture wound in your chest." It would be pretty a propos, and Daath probably expects it- but, better safe then sorry. That said, the Kensai gingerly reaches out his hands towards the changeling, fingers poised to attend to the wound with a bit of paladin-y know-y, provided Quintessa isn't deathly allergic to hallowed magic. In which case, it'd probably be even more painful than normal. "I think this gives me a decent starting point for both of tu, however. Right now, I've been taking into consideration where to start on both of your studies, since, both of tu have some rather distinct fortes."
Quintessa had never been healed magically before, but she figured it was worth a try. While a half-human aberration, she was technically still living, so hallowed magic won't kill her. It makes her uncomfortable, but the burning sensation goes away as the hole in her chest heals closed. "Oh! So it does work!" A strange time for her to be experimenting with the effects healing magic have on her, but the outcome was good all the same. "Thank you! Or should I say, 'merci beaucoup?' I can never get other languages straight." She thought for a moment about Karasu's abilities and decided she wanted to test her friend very soon. "I've never fought her," she admitted, "But I'm going to challenge her soon. She's always tested better than me at the Mage's Tower, but I think I'm ready to surpass her as the top apprentice. Beating her in a duel would prove that."
Kasyr is pretty grateful he didn't accidentally set his pupil on fire, or whatever other potential side effect could have happened in that moment, but he manages to maintain a pretty decent poker face despite the uncertainty he had been feeling. That said, when Quintessa mentions an eagerness towards trying her skills against her fellow student, Kasyr can't help but grin, "Practice will help the both of you, both in formal combat settings, as well as those which might better simulate a battlefield." He pauses here and then gently taps a knuckle to the changelings shoulder, "Et oui, that was about right, madamoiselle." Inwardly, the kensai can't help but be a bit curious himself, if only because it seemed like it was going to be a pretty decent example of what happens when nature comes face to face with nurture. Here's hoping he can get front row tickets to when they do happen to throw down. "Anyways, for the moment, I ought to see about picking out the books I had in mind, but if you need moi, either check around my office, or send moi a message- I think I'll be snagging you both shortly, if you haven't murdered each other, d'accord?" That said, the Kensai stretches out, and begins to start walking, only pausing to ensure Quintessa had nothing more to add.
Quintessa indeed has nothing more to add, and honestly really needed to return to House Dragana to deal with a situation with a rampant flesh golem. At first it was fine, but Larewen's absence had made her creatures all a bit twitchy. "Goodbye, Master Azakhaer! Good luck with your research!" She giggled at she watched him go, "And don't worry, I would never do anything to seriously hurt my little Karasu. She and I have a very special bond." She wiggled her pale fingers at him in departure, a creepy smile growing on her face. "He's amazing..." She whispered, imagining all the ways she would try to kill him when they crossed swords again.