[The Freight Docks] Dancing in the Dark [Lucette]

[Talen Stirling]

The creature moved left, and Talen breathed heavily, hardly daring to blink as he followed suit to block it's way. It was strange, this foreign and elegant beast, and he felt both fear and determination tighten his muscles and posture. He would not make a mistake... Not again. His shield was held low and he crouched slightly in the back, ready to be thrust out for a brutal tackle with the sword on his right ready for a deadly swipe. Instead of attacking, the cat stepped right, baring vast teeth and rolling long muscles. There seemed an intelligence about it as it circled him for an escape, but he would let it find none as he followed it's every move with stalwart discipline and focus. This strange, terrifying yet somehow beautiful creature would have to die. Suddenly it trembled, and if it was even possible Talen readied himself even more, stepping slightly forward with the tip of his sword dipping momentarily as the creature suddenly pounced! The whistling sound of his blade rending the air in the feline's path mixed with the rumble from it's throat as it darted away. Talen had no time to notice either of the noises as he tore his sword backwards and stepped to block the thing's path once again, gray eyes staying upon his target rather than the weapon he had just swung in vain. It seemed as though the creature were toying with him, but perhaps it had simply been looking for a way out. He stepped forward slowly, and hopefully menacingly, as he reassumed his ready stance. In all truth, he was unsure whether the momentum of his shield would be able to stop a creature of of such speed and weight, but even if it didn't he would have the opportunity land a killing blow. For all it's speed, the alleyway was small and cramped. One step, two steps, he neared slowly, the shimmer of the torch soon reflecting off his blade and shield. His arms felt strangely strained and heavy in the tense suspense and night chill, but he ignored it as best he could. Still... Something was wrong. It didn't seem like the monster he'd expected, didn't fight like it should and some memory felt like it was poking at his focus, yelling for his attention. He had no time to notice it, and purposefully ignored this lapse in his attention. He couldn't fail again, this beast had to be put down before it hurt anyone else.

[Lucette]

Lucette paced again, from one side of the wall to the other. With each restless stride, lean muscles rippled beneath the spotted coat of coarse fur. The Cheetah watched for an opening as the man breathed and moved. In her mind, he too was a predator… but the Kelvic ignored the danger that lay within the admission, for she wished the game to continue. Instantly she ran at him, but this time Lucette stopped moments after, a safer distance away this time. Her legs scrambled in the process to slow down, then halt completely. She stood panting and watching. Until some silent, feline need caused her to pace again, to circle back out of his reach and the reach of his sword. She found herself deeper in the dead-end ally. There was no room to run, no place to run to. Her predatory head swiveled, her eyes missed nothing. She saw how he stood, how he held the weapon, and she could smell the danger of his fear. The need for play faded from her feline mind - she was trapped and at a disadvantage. Lucette’s advantage was in speed, and there was none to be had here corralled as she was. In the wild, a Cheetah did not stand up to other predators. It was not in her best interest to fight in close quarters. An injured Cheetah did not eat. An injured Cheetah died. This instinct was stronger than the need for play; this instinct was the will of survival. And it told her to retreat... but she could not. There was no room to pick up speed in the small space of the ally. And Lucette did not know how to fight one such as him. Wary and watchful she moved with his steps, but away. Her eyes wild, fierce… more dangerous now that she sensed the trap he had caught her in. The game became deadly now as the man stepped forward, moving deliberately. The fire glow was upon him with his manmade metal, and it reflected back to him from her piercing eyes. A higher pitched growl of warning issued… don’t draw near… cease your forward progress. It was a bluff. Lucette backed up, working her body sideways… and always those willful, amber eyes stayed upon him.

[Talen Stirling]

Talen sidestepped with the creature, taking small measured steps that never crossed each other to bring him out of balance. The coursing muscles and raw animalistic strength of the creature did not intimidate him much any more, the heat of the moment and the sight of it's retreat bringing out a familiar confidence in him. The battle spirit, the competitive edge, that revitalizing feeling of danger and lethality. Perhaps this predator had felt something alike it, but now it was trapped. It moved against him, and he swung the shield forward ready to make a slash that was never made as the feline halted. He looked at it with a focused glare, that weird doubt of memory resurfacing. Was something off about this creature...? His reveries were broken by their mutual reassumed pace around the alley, a deadly dance to find an opening or an advantage in the confined space he had lured them into. He inched closer, the wall on the opposite end of the alley suddenly seeming much more present and intimidating than it had earlier. End of the line. It reared above their heads like a stoic, ominous judgement. Talen rolled his shoulders, eyeing the cheetah with a killer's cunning. Clearly, a stab or slash into it's soft underbelly would be the easiest way to cripple or kill the creature. Perhaps when it jumped upon him, otherwise he would have to try and land a blow upon it's side. He didn't dare aim for the head, it moved too quickly, and the chances of a glancing blow were much higher. He couldn't afford mistakes. The feline growled as he neared, but Talen had no voiced response except half a forward step - Now! - His hand twitched forward as his whole posture trembled, only to freeze in an unnatural position. A sunburnt, handsome and grinning face erupting into Talen's memory. He halfstepped back and resumed his previous guarded stance, a sudden glint of worry in his eyes. What had Zagary said on The Road... He couldn't remember. It was there, though, something about a feline. He eyed the cat warily, an unspoken question resting on the tip of his lips. If it wasn't answered, he knew what he had to do. He inched closer once again, this time though, the furious confidence had been replaced with worried carefullness. Secret : "There's a new Kelvic lass at the Temple now, did you know? Feline something. She's gorgeous. Just sayin'."

[Lucette]

The man moved with her, it seemed that every step she took, he followed her efforts to avoid him. With her movement obstructed, Lucette paused. And as he stepped towards her, the Cheetah’s head lifted suddenly, fearfully. Unblinking, reflective eyes stared into his; the man’s look was cold and ruthless… its chill froze her heart. She had only wanted to play! But his expression changed… to an almost questioning manner. Lucette could not trust him; he held the sword too confidently. There was no escape from his trap, and no room to slip by in the narrow space. The growl lowered in volume as taunt muscles tensed, ready to move… but instead of attacking, a dangerously clawed paw raked the air in front of him. It was too far away to connect, but that mattered not to Lucette. His hand moved suddenly, and the Kelvic thought he would strike at her. Immediately the paw descended and her head lowered. The long tail tucked beneath her as the previously magnificent creature seemed to cave in upon itself. Roland had approached her with that cold look. Roland had beaten her severely with that look upon his face never changing. Roland had warned her never to go out alone… How had she forgotten? Roland was always right! What made her think she could play in this foreign city? Doubt and fear ensnared Lucette, and courage left her. The Cheetah shied away, leery and cautious. To put distance between them, she edged backwards. In her nervousness, she was unaware of the wall so close behind her, and her rump bumped against it. The startled feline puffed up, fur on end. Instantly, small shimmers of sparking light surrounded her and lit the ally with tiny, delicate stars. Within them, the Cheetah form disappeared, to be replaced by that of a human girl, dressed only in the fading glow of the torch. The girl stood slowly, automatically… and her feet bare upon the cobblestones, stepped back. Once again she grazed the tall wall behind her, though this time, Lucette used it to hold her upright as her back pressed against it, and long fingers splayed for purchase. Rising and falling in alarm, her heart pounded heavily in her chest, as disheveled auburn hair fell haphazardly about her face.

[Talen Stirling]

The cat curled back upon itself, and Talen's apprehension grew bigger as it seemed to shrink both in physical form and the threat it posed in his mind. If it were a monster, why would it then retreat and cower before him. It retreated, vast fangs and muscles seeming only intent upon flight and without fight in them. He stepped closer hesitantly, very aware of the approaching wall. The cat backpedalled from his approach, he still held his guarded poise although it was harder now that the threat seemed to have evaporated. He stopped and watched it bump itself on the wall, a comical sight if he had not been to kill it. He dipped the swordtip backwards for a final swing, only to stagger backwards desperately and hold up his shield against the sudden bright lights, confusion screaming at him to run, look, flee and fight at the same time. "W..." Talen exhaled deeply, total shock causing him not to fail utterly in his poise as the beast before him reformed into beauty, and everything he had seen and done was in vain or madness. Gray eyes tried to comprehend what had happened but mostly failed to capture much but the frailty and terror of the woman before him, gorgeous and defenseless splayed against the wall with him as her captor. He took another half-step back, a blinking half-formed understand edging itself into his mind as he lowered his shield hesitantly. His lips moved, only for him to cough fog into the night air before gaining control of his voice again. "You a Kelvic? With the temple? What's your name?" He looked at her with confusion, as his thoughts sought answers to whether he should fear her, or worry about her. It was all wrong now, she wasn't supposed to even be human, and he struggled to find out what he should do in all of this sudden chaos.

[Lucette]

Rough against the Kelvic’s spine, the wall scraped the bare skin of her shoulder blades. The sword was brought back, ready to strike, and his shield was up as if the man thought she could offer harm in her current state. He was a soldier or a fighter, she thought, his stance betrayed it. Lucette shook her head back and forth slowly, so he would not swing at her. Her left hand lifted shakily from the wall to reach out in front of her, fingers spread to ward off the blow should he continue forward to - But the man stepped back, and Lucette watched warily as the shield lowered slightly. Her eyes, still held the torch’s reflection, and the glow within them noted his momentary confusion. At his questions, the slave girl flinched, but immediately, her voice came rushed. She answered, “Justus! Justus at the Temple paid for me!” Everyone knew Justus… and thought highly of him. Perhaps this man would know him also, and that knowledge would stay his hand… She nodded rapidly, soft hair falling into her face, “A Kelvic, yes… a Cheetah.” As if he might not have been aware. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued, “My name is Lucette… please, I meant no harm - or trouble.” She pleaded, unsure if the man would believe her. The slave girl did not move to wrap her shapely arms around herself; in her mind there was no need; modesty was a foreign concept to the Kelvic. But the night’s chill embraced her all the more for her lack of clothing. Though who could say if the shiver that ran through her, was from the cold of the wall at her back or from fear of the man. Lucette remained unmoving, yet her eyes were active, alert and very feline in their intensity upon her captor.

[Talen Stirling]

She yelled, cried out in fear and the sound of it almost made him cringe. He moved slowly at first, eyes resting warily upon her as his hands moved with careful familiarity to sheathe his sword. The intimidating focus and battle-clarity faded swiftly now at her words, limbs falling limp and eyes growing soft. He shook his head almost unnoticeably, a momentarily vanquished air about him. He hadn't just wasted his efforts, he had almost killed someone in his zealous attempt to capture what had been hunting him. He raised his head and spoke with a tired almost apathetic calm. "Relax, no harm has been done.." He attempted a friendly smile at her, but only then did he truly register the gorgeous nudity of the woman before him. Smooth creamy skin and wellshaped limbs shivering in the cold air -- Talen made a heroic effort and pulled his eyes away to unstrap the cloack around his shoulders and throw it to the Kelvic, followed by the white scarf around his neck from an outstretched hand. "I'm sorry about trapping you... But you chased me in the form of an unknown beast. Please be careful, if someone does not know you how would they know you do not mean harm?" He spoke calmly and stepped to the side as he did with an inviting motion, casting her a questioning glance out of the corner of his eye. Her seductive beauty did not escape him, but he was wholly intent on getting her home to wherever she wished safely and wouldn't be distracted by it. "May I walk you home to the temple?" He asked and managed a kind smile, in extreme contrast to the warrior he had seemed but moments before. He felt an instant of fear that she might do something rash, scream, flee or turn again, but it was quickly turned into worry as he looked upon the vulnerable woman in the cheetah's place. That creature seemed so very far away already.

[Lucette]

With the sword safely put away, Lucette straightened to full height and her long limbs stretched gracefully. Pale skin illuminated by the dying torch showed pleasing curves and deep shadows. She appeared more confident now, while the man seemed almost tired; so quickly had their roles changed. Lightly, the Kelvic brushed a wayward curl from her face to better study the man in the dim light. No part of him escaped the intensity of her gaze and the scrutiny only ceased when the cloak was tossed to her. Easily she caught it in the air, her reflexes swift. With a flourish, she swirled it about her tender shoulders to set the clasp at her neck. For a moment she hesitated, the click of it a reminder of the collar she had always worn for Roland. But immediately she felt comforted by the cloth, already warmed from the man’s exertions, and she pulled it close about her. The cloak settled, bunched at her small waist as she held it tightly together. His generosity continued, with the offered scarf. As she took it, her fingers brushed his skin, as to say thank you in her own nonverbal, visceral way. Then she wound the scarf around her neck, and its ends lay softly between her breasts, drawing attention there and downwards. “I only wished to play…” Lucette explained softly, looking more than a little guilty. She knew she was in the wrong, especially now that the ecstatic rush of the game had subsided. And she feared Justus might become angry over her actions... and sell her... She couldn’t bear the thought! “Please, do not tell him that I – I… would not have harmed you. Or hurt you…I am not like that truly…” The Cheetah’s nature had urged her actions on, and even if it was unapparent to Lucette, they grew stronger each day that passed in Denval. The feline drives were slowly beginning to breach the walls of her strict training, overflowing in small measures at a time. It became too easy to follow them without thought. But the man was not a Kelvic… how could she possibly explain to him, when she herself did not entirely understand the transformations that Markus Kelvin had miraculously performed. The man stepped aside, and an inviting motion with his hand ushered her forward. She was free to go…the way was open! Darting forward in relief, the cloak billowed outwards. Pale skin was exposed then hidden, as the heavy fabric played about her legs, and her curves were accentuated. Lucette slowed as she noted his questioning glance… and his question about walking her home. Stopping she tried to choose the best course of action, though in the end she agreed, “Please… that would be most welcome.” She harboured no wish to run into another guard, the next might not be as forgiving as this one. Slowly and warily, ready to run should he move suddenly, Lucette approached and tentatively rested her hand upon his sword arm. She was ready to be led. “Would you have killed me?” The girl asked honestly, curiosity making her question direct.

[Talen Stirling]

Her shapely form was revealed by the cloack dancing when she moved forward, and Talen strained not to notice. He looked at her seemingly calm as she deliberated, but under the surface he worried she would decline and rush off into the darkness. Instead, she stepped closer hesitantly, visibly afraid and beautiful in the dark night. Her pleas for him to lie, or at least keep the truth from Justus had him befuddled, and he could not answer that now. Her touch and voice were soft and gently, and his will to remain in control and aloof trembled. He moved his arm backwards and wrapped it around hers without clear intent, his mind a flurry of thoughts ranging from fear that she would turn on him, to lust, to worry that she might freeze. Even through the leather armour he could feel the heat of her skin, but as he motioned to walk them away her question stopped him dead in his tracks. He shifted his gaze from the road to her face slowly, the dim lights barely illuminating his dark visage full of worry and wonder. Should he answer with the truth, a comfortable lie, or simply avoid the question? A beat passed in dead silence as he hesitated to answer and simply looked at her. "Yes. But now I will protect you and take you home." He smiled an honest smile this time, then tugged at her arm gently and lead them both through the streets as swiftly as she could keep up with untroubled. Even he felt the night chill, and he convinced himself worry was the only reason his eyes lingered upon her exposed skin. He navigated through the streets silently for the first few chimes, except to answer her questions.

[Lucette]

Lucette placed her other hand on top the arm that held hers, to gently press into the leather that covered his arm. Talen’s eyes reflected the dark night. He was silent, but the Kelvic was unsurprised and accepting. The Temple slave could not judge him, “Yes, I thought that you might… but I am glad you did not.” The air of docile willingness was in complete opposition to the predator she had been moments before, though the feline still reflected in her every movement. The episode in the alley while fretful and frightening had also invigorated the Kelvic, to stalk prey as Cheetah even if it was only in play, tapped into her being in the most exhilarating of ways. She was not sorry! She was only regretful she had been caught in his trap. Memories of Roland’s trainings tampered the elation, but for the first time it could not completely quell the feeling. Guiltily, Lucette looked away, afraid the man might see the Cheetah’s budding willfulness in her eyes, instead of servitude. The turn of her head elongated her neck to expose creamy skin and a prominent collarbone. “What would you protect me from…?” The eyes of curiosity flicked up and back to his, more concerned with where the question led, “…when you take me back? Please do not tell him. He has so much to worry about… and it would only upset him further.” She leaned closer and the cloak skillfully parted in the smallest of increments. It was apparent Lucette hoped not to be found out for her indiscretions and reprimanded by the Temple priest. Soft pleading, silent eyes lead her body nearer, to follow the instinct of self preservation. The Kelvic’s breathing was louder, more breathy than a human. Beside Talen she walked once more, moving as lightly as the big cat, and stepping where she might. At times she treaded almost into his foot fall, though she avoided the collision easily. Other times Lucette’s shapely hip brushed against his. Though, when the Temple girl caught his eye, she settled back into place as if reminded of her station, and her hand tightened upon his arm as he became the focus for a time. Her mind had trouble settling, and she again continued, “Were you… afraid of me then? Will you tell him that?” No one had ever been fearful of her before and a small kernel of satisfaction grew at the thought. The opposing force of her nature and her training came closer to collision. Eyes almost pleading, Lucette was at once simple and harmless, yet the Cheetah was neither. The edges of the feline still clung to her in this human form. Where did the difference lie within her? “Did you not know what I was?” the girl asked, “Did you not recognize me from your Temple visits?” She assumed Talen a frequent visitor, much like others of the local populace. To better hear his answer, the Kelvic’s head threatened to brush against him.