sun & shadows (ashe)

[Kita]

<sub>Staying out in the blistering desert sun for prolonged periods of time could prove rather... uncomfortable. The wasteland that surrounded the new Chicago was filled with perils- there were more mundane ones, like heat strokes, sink holes and nasty sunburns, but if those were all you had to worry about, the apocalypse probably wouldn't seem so bad. However... we weren't that lucky. Not only were you faced with awful natural consequences, but mindless zombies, flesh-eating Parasites and Mutations that would rather rip your face off. You could say life was tough.

"Maybe I should've brought a gun or something," a girl with wheat-colored hair murmured as she sat cross-legged in the shade of a collapsed restaurant's ceiling, staring out a ridiculously small window. Three decayed creatures that were once people snarled and seethed, their skeletal hands grabbing for her but stopped a foot from her soft face. She looked undaunted, and why shouldn't she? One cut, and these monsters could be hers to control.

'You could use them,' she thought to herself distantly. 'Rip apart those who dare look at you like you're a monster.'</sub>

[/i] But wouldn't that make her a real monster? Her brows furrowed in confusion. Was she a monster? 'No. You aren't one yet.'[/i]

The young woman closed her monochrome eyes and ran a bit of broken glass over her palm, scarlet liquid welling in the shallow gash. "You are dead. Go back to your fucking graves, and don't rise again!" Luce growled, holding her hand out. For a moment the walkers' eyes seemed to clear, before they dropped to the sandy ground with quiet thuds.

Lucinda panted for a moment before swallowing and hugging her arm against herself. Blood smeared on her shirt, but she was too busy gathering her bearings to care. It would stop soon, anyways.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/sub]

[`` Ashe]

The sun seemed to be everywhere. Cascading heat in large waves down upon anything that moved out in the open. The desert's atmosphere didn't help much either. Dust surrounded you, everything was covered in it, and it soaked into the pores of your skin. Causing scratches and itches in undesirable places. Regardless, the solitary figure made the daily trek to his spot. He only referred to it as his spot because he never saw anyone else brave the outside world as he did. Maybe he was just being nieve, but Sebastian didn't see what was so horrible about leaving the city every once in awhile. Alone. It wasn't as if there were ever any dangerous things lurking just outside the gates, the guards made sure of that, yet still people cringed when you mentioned the outside world. As if thinking about it would be the death of you.

Not to say that Sebastian didn't get outside much. Because he did. Usually they'd stay in Chicago, in the broken down subway car they call their own, and live amongst civilization. Then every so often, Jediah would tell them to pack up and lead them on a trek through the desert. He always forced Makyah to go with him, and dutifully Seb followed after like a lost puppy. They'd travel for what seems like weeks through the humid terrain then end up right back where they started. And the wonderful subway car they called home.

Looking up, Sebastian tried to discern what time it was. Not that it really mattered, no one ever noticed his absence, but he enjoyed his quiet time alone, and away from Destiny's cat. The little fuzzball was always out to get him, running around in mud and dirt, then scratching Seb to bits when Destiny and Makyah asked him to wash her. It was like the cat was in tune with every other animal he'd ever come in contact with. Why did animals hate him so much?

Not that any of it mattered in this moment. Before he knew it, Sebastian would be in his most favorite spot outside of Chicago. Beneath the shade of a sunken restaurant, able to breathe easily, and simply relax. But as he neared the outskirts of the restaurants destruction, he was over come with an uneasy feeling in his guy. Usually this meant he should turn around and run, but today he was feeling daring. Puffing up his chest, and holding his breath (seeming to hold his courage, but mostly out of fear), Sebbers crossed the small stretch of sandy land that separated him from his goal and turned the small corner he needed in order to get inside the building.

Inside he found a peculiar sight. A young woman, huddled, holding her hand to her chest and seemingly out of breath. Sebastian stared at her for a moment, unable to move, his eyes had fixated on the small smudge of blood on her shirt. He couldn't tell if it was fresh, or old, but regardless it earned a squeak to escape his lips. Coughing he shook his head. "Y-You okay?" He pulled his eyes away from her, realizing he'd been staring for long enough, and not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.

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[Kita]

<sub>It wasn't long after the zombies dropped that another shadow fell through the window. Half-worried there would be some other unsavory beastie waiting for her, Luce looked up. Her mismatched eyes met a pair of red ones baldly, medium blonde brows disappearing up under her long bangs when she realized someone living was actually out here, and not terribly deformed or ill to boot. She blinked, momentarily confused at his question before glancing down and realization dawning in her gaze. "Oh. That. Um, yeah, I'm fine. It'll be gone in a couple of minutes."

In all honesty, Luce wasn't used to socializing. People didn't approach her, and she didn't approach them in fear of doing something regrettable. She wasn't human, and didn't usually seem human either. Luce was a daughter of darkness and light, a creature that really shouldn't have been born. On top of that, she'd been raised by Heartbreakers who cared only for their own personal gain and didn't bother to teach her proper human etiquette. She shouldn't exist.

Lucinda was, however, there. She sat cross-legged on top of a table she'd set up not far from the window- just out of reach of someone sticking their arm in- and she was very much alive and breathing. 'You're a mistake.'</sub>

[/i] She shook her head and hopped down off her perch, contemplating the window. That might be true, but it didn't matter how she'd been conceived. She had an immortal life ahead of her.

There were much more pressing concerns to deal with, like the boy who'd found her. At least he hadn't seen her commanding the dead to stop walking. She stepped up to the window and grabbed the top sill, nimbly using it to lift herself up and shove her legs outside, the rest of her following. She landed neatly on the ground in a crouch next to the dark-haired man, assuming he'd had the common sense to move out of her way. Luce looked at him curiously, her gaze guarded while she straightened. "Aren't you a tad far from home, little rabbit?"[/blockquote][/blockquote][/sub]

[`` Ashe]

Seb has always been told to never get caught with his pants down. And that's precisely just happened.

Not literally of course. His pants were still on, fully buttoned and covering his behind. But figurtively he felt like a mouse. Sure, he was probably taller then the girl before him, maybe by a couple of inches, and if he really put his mind too it, he could probably take her in hand to hand combat. Possibly. He wasn't very good at it, and she was a girl... Not that differences in genders, races or creeds even mattered anymore, but still, Sebbers was a gentleman. And he would remain as such as long as he was breathing.

Once he was a zombie, or dead, or worse a vampire, then maybe he's drop the gentleman act and just do what ever he wanted.

But for now, he was nearly an hour from anyone he knew, and weaponless. Then she moved, he returned his gaze to her, watching nervously as she jumped from the table and rather gracefully swung her body out the broken window to stand next to him. He watched her with hesitant eyes, unsure of what to do or think, he hadn't really thought about this before. All the times he had gone out of Chicago by himself, he never once thought to bring a weapon with him, he honestly thought he would never run into something in the desert. It was so dry, hot, dusty, he didn't think even monsters would venture out in it either.

Yet here he was, staring into the one black and one white eye of this... Oh crap. Well, unless she was like him and had her eye color change due to the radiation, then she was in fact, not a human. Which meant he was completely defenseless, and if the girl wanted, could most likely kill him. The one time I'd kill to have the behemoth with me.

"Aren't you a tad far from home, little rabbit?" Sebastian didn't know if he should take that as an insult or compliment. Did he looked like a rabbit because he was cute, and fluffy, he'd been called fluffy haired before, or was it because he looked tasty and innocent like a common rabbit. Guess it really didn't matter. If she wanted to eat him he wouldn't be able to do much besides flopping around like a fish and squawking for help. Would anyone even hear him?

Maybe. Maybe not.

"Heh. Uh, my home is currently at the bottom of the Pacific... Or Atlantic Ocean, I don't know. Someplace. But, uh, I have friends not too far from here. Could probably hear me if I yell. Hah, you know." He coughed, unsure of what to say next. Could she tell he was nervous? If she was a demon probably, or a vampire, they seemed to be able to read his mind. "Wh-What about you? You out here all alone?"

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[Kita]

<sub>There was an odd nervousness to the young man's gaze, words and movements, one that Luce didn't quite understand. She tilted her head, deciding that he wasn't going to hurt her and that if he had the potential to he wouldn't be so terribly afraid. She crossed her arms, a gust of wind making the loose folds of her gray t-shirt flutter around her waist. Luce had traded her normal pair of leather pants for jean shorts that barely hit mid-thigh and more practical white sneakers. She knew she smelled strongly of sunscreen.

"I wouldn't hurt you, if that's what you're getting at," the blonde replied, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. 'His fear smells delicious. Tear his flesh, snap his bones!' Luce closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. 'He's helpless and alone, and he hasn't wronged me. Why would I hurt him?'</sub>

[/i]

'For fun.'

The half-breed opened her eyes and watched Sebastian with a steely determination. It wasn't right to do things like that just for fun, and she wouldn't fall prey to the shadows welling up in the corners of her mind. She raised a hand and drew a circle over her head with her index finger, miming a halo- the irony wasn't lost on her- and tried to force a reassuring smile. "I'm by myself." Luce glanced at the three corpses resting outside the small window. Now she was alone, anyways. Had the dark-haired boy come around any sooner and he might've wound up the meal of the zombies.

Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't a possibility of other monsters lurking. Parasites liked to keep to the night like their Heartbreaker brethren and devils didn't normally stray onto the surface world. That left Mutations- hopefully, they weren't dumb enough to come too close to the city. "Name's Lucinda. Or Luce. Or Lucy. Whichever."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/sub]

[`` Ashe]

Well, that answered his question, he was being more obvious then he intended. Oh well, she said she wasn't going to eat him, so that meant he was safe, right? He'd like to think so. His hair feathered down over his eyes, and in annoyance of their tickling ways, Sebastian flipped his head, and let out a deep sigh. One day he'd figure out what to do with this mop of a head, one day, til then he was cursed to appear as one of the hipster kids at his school. Long hair, bangs hanging over one eye, and the constant crick in his neck from twisting his head left and right to free his eyes and face from it's heartless attack.

Because using his hand was too much work.

"Name's Lucinda. Or Luce. Or Lucy. Whichever." It was a rather unique name, not common (at least to him). Then again he grew up in the time where half the girls in his school were called Ashley, or Lauren, and the boys all shared variations of Mike and Ryan. He was lucky that his mother was creative enough to give his siter and him different names from the norm. At the thought of his mother, Sebastian looked down, it wasn't fair how much he'd lost to the events of the world. His mother and father, his friends, possibly his older sister... And his xBox. Just how much more did the world plan on taking from him.

As long as it wasn't Makyah, he figured he could suffer through this world for a while longer.

"Oh, uh," He brought his attention back to Luce, though he had determined that he would refer to her as either Lucy or Crazy Eyes. Most likely Lucy. "Sorry, mind wandered off for a moment there. My name is Sebastian. You can call me Seb though, or Ashton, or anything really, I've had quite a few names in my time." One of which was FancyBoy13, but he wasn't ready to talk about that just yet. He offered Luce a smile, one he hadn't used very recently, then rested his back against the wall of the restuarant.

"I know this'll probably sound hypocritical, but should you be out here unguarded? I mean, I'm a man" he puffed his chest out for good measure. "So I could handle just about anything. But you're a... Uh, y'know girl. You should have someone out here with you. Never know what might pop out at you."

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[Kita]

<sub>Sebastian. It was a good name, Luce thought. It suited him, too, though the blonde would nickname him Sebby. She had a tendency to give everyone she met nicknames, though they weren't always related to the person's real name. In response to the young man's smile, Lucinda felt hers widen. The expression fit his handsome face.

At his next comments, though, she couldn't help but let out an amused burst of laughter. The competitive, playful part of her decided this was a challenge of sorts- to prove that she was just as able to care for herself as any man would. For now, she settled for a few light jests. "Says the one who squeaked like a mouse at the sight of a little blood," she grinned. "You don't even have a weapon, silly!" Her mismatched eyes twinkled with her amusement, the sudden humor of the situation a nice reprieve from the lonesome and stoic days she'd been facing.

Lucy hooked her thumbs in the belt loops on her shorts, looking much more relaxed after having a laugh. She winked her white eye mischievously at Sebastian, more as a friendly gesture than it was a flirt. "Besides, I could probably bench press way more than you, anyway." Unless of course Sebastian could bench press a minivan, but Luce had a feeling that his red eyes were about the only inhuman thing about him.</sub>

[/sub]

[`` Ashe]

Sebastian stared off into the distance, a blush covering his cheeks in a display of hurt pride. He hoped that it wouldn't be very noticeable, maybe she'd think that he was getting a sun burn, or would become enamored with his glorious being. Either way, he wasn't a fan of blood, and didn't enjoy being called out on it. Sure, he played video games, hardcore raged when he died, or screamed obscenities to small children he bashed in the head, but that blood wasn't the same as the real life stuff. There was just something about it that made him... Squeak.

And the fact that he hadn't thought to bring a weapon with him was obviously going to get him in trouble at some point. He did miss The Rock, his shiny katana that he rarely went anywhere without, mostly because he truly enjoyed swinging it around at things and screaming "CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING!?" while his sister facepalmed behind him. But it was also security, he knew that if it was attached to his back then nothing could harm him. And beside his awkward appearance, he was rather good at swinging his katana around. Probably from all the games he played.

"Besides, I could probably bench press way more than you, anyway." That was the last straw, insult his lack of interest in blood, laugh at his missing weapon, but insult his manlihood and be prepared to fight! He invisioned picking Lucy up, holding her above his head and using her like a giant weight bar for good measure. Then he gracefully set her back on the ground and did an award-winning smile that melted her face into the dust. And then for good measure five women scantily clad in bikini's swarmed around him and offered him jugs of beer and sandwiches.

If only his imagination offered something usefull.

"You might be surprised what I could do, Lucy." Instead of picking her up, he opted to bend over and pick up a stray rock. But while he was searching the ground for a good rock to toss into the setting sun, he noticed the corpses (or what could be considered corpses) of three deceased creatures lying just to the left of his newly found friend, in a pool of lanky limbs and dust. Why hadn't he noticed them before? Was she bit? Is that why she was bleeding? Is she going to turn on him and try to eat his face? No, not his beautiful face!

"Where'd those things come from?" He wanted to inspect them farther, but thought the better of it. Now that he was actually aware of them, he could smell the small odor they seemed to produce. He really was oblivious sometimes.

[/size]

[Kita]

<sub>The grin on Luce's face widened, and she burst into giggles when Sebastian started looking for something to flex his muscles with. However, when he pointed out the zombies, her expression sobered quickly. "Oh, those. Don't worry, they won't be getting up again," Luce replied, though she could feel the sudden apprehension in the air. She looked at her palm, where the cut had been reduced to nothing more than a pink line. The blonde wiped some of the drying blood off it, and lifted it to show him.

"I'm not bitten, I just cut myself earlier. I promise I wouldn't suddenly develop a craving for human flesh anytime soon." Not that she could even get infected, anyways. She supposed she should be grateful for the small blessings being a weird hybrid gave her. She glanced up at the horizon, watching the sun in its slow descent for a moment before worry flashed over her face. "Shit, I don't know if we can make it back before nightfall," she said and strode over to the window, grabbing the top sill and swinging herself back in. She'd left a brown messenger bag with a few necessary supplies inside by accident, but nothing really prepared for nighttime.

Well, fuck. They were kind of screwed, unless some kind of transportation just happened to show up. Unfortunately, Luce didn't know how to drive any kind of vehicle and animals had a very powerful aversion to her thanks to her necromancy. Unfortunate, since she liked them just fine. In fact, she'd always dreamed of riding a majestic white stallion in some grand chase, or snuggling with an adorable puppy or kitty before going to bed at night. Much to her dismay, no animal she'd ever met would so much as tolerate her presence.

"I'm sorry I've put you in this position, you'd probably be home already if I hadn't taken up your time," the distressed young woman commented, still rifling around in her bag, hoping to find something, anything they could use. She did have a lighter and a matchbox, but without something to burn they wouldn't be of much use. Oh, she had some candlesticks too. Flashlights were inconvenient, and it was hard to keep in batteries.</sub>

[/sub]

[`` Ashe]

His shoulders relaxed. Seb hadn't realized how tense he was this whole time, but hearing Lucy giggle and show him her nearly healed scar, he felt... Safer. Not that he was really safe out here, but at least he was with a friendly being instead of a creeper. And apparently she could handle her own. His glance fell back to the zombies simmering in the hot sun, she'd been able to take down all three without making a mess of their organs and limbs as his katana usually did. He was good, not graceful.

But she was right. The sun was setting, and as hard as it was to get in and out of chicago during the day, it was a million times harder to sneak in at night. So many paranoid guards ready to slice your head off then ask who you were. I guess my walk took longer then it normally does today. His waddlings had taken him to a couple unexplored buildings and indents in the earth that he hadn't noticed before. Usually his walk only last forty-five minutes or so to get to the restaurant, then a couple hours of laying in the sun, or just thinking (sometimes sleeping) and he'd make his way back, always in time for dinner.

No one any the wiser that he'd left the city.

But today wasn't a normal day by any accounts. Lucy was a new addition, and not a half bad one. He never really talked to girls before, except online ones who usually didn't turn out the way their pics suggested. Either shorter and fatter, or taller and scarier. But aside from them, Sebastian had never really interacted with girls, especially strange ones. Yes, his charming good looks and hot bod was too much for them, and they steered clear of his magnificent being to avoid the most certain denial they would get.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed the time." Sebastian looked up at the sky before watching Luce dig through her bag. And here he was with nothing but a driver's license and old debit card in his pockets. "Don't think we should camp out here though. Too many open spaces." He looked around for good measure, seeing if there was a way to make the old restuarant work. There were too many broken windows, and open areas, it'd be like serving himself up on a platter with a giant EAT ME sign attached to his boxers. No, they'd have to find somewhere else to stay.

Damn him for not taking this more seriously.

"There was a building a half mile or so back that way." He pointed in Chicago's general direction. "Might be safer there."

[/size]

[Kita]

<sub>The sun was halfway over the horizon, and there wouldn't be enough time to trek back to a building that might not provide any more cover than this one. Luce chewed her lower lip in contemplation and looked around the small area left of the restaurant, the rest buried under a collapsed roof and more sand than she'd like to think about. There were three windows above ground level, and two were half-barricaded or boarded up. The third was the one she kept entering and exiting, and would be small enough to defend. As for the broken glass, for her it could only come in handy.

"I think I could keep this place properly guarded, but no guarantees for the other building. Plus, I'd rather use our half an hour or so readying this place than trekking to one whose layout is relatively questionable." The blonde could sound smart if she wanted to, and practical. She wasn't dumb, but any means, just usually very conflicted. Even now, she felt the eager stirrings of the shadows in her blood. They seemed to prefer nighttime.

She grabbed the candlesticks and set three up in one of the back corners of the sunken building after clearing a space of sharp, broken debris like tablewares and window glass, then easily moved a couple of tables and chairs around it. "Get in here, hide behind the table and for the gods' sakes, please don't look outside," Luce pleaded, grabbing the same piece of glass she'd left on the table before Sebastian had come along. The last thing she needed was her new comrade going into fits about her being a necromancer, and she had to do something to ensure the place was defended by more than just her.</sub>

[/sub]

[`` Ashe]

Sebastian gave her an odd look. Maybe he wasn't used to the desert at night, maybe he assumed it would be the same as it was in the daylight, but the way Lucy was acting made a chill run down his spine. He watched the desert before him as Luce rummaged around behind him. He didn't see anything threatening headed their way, then again, creepers didn't usually walk around in broad daylight for all to see.

Behind him he heard the scrapings of tables and chairs being moved around. He glanced back, uncertain of what she was trying to accomplish. She said she could protect the building easily enough, but she was just one person. If they were being swarmed by a bunch of zombies, or creepers, or even the pirates that sailed the sands as the pirates of old once sailed the seas, she wouldn't be able to hold them all off, and he was weaponless.

Just what I needed today. He grumbled lightly to himself, patting his pockets and hoping he'd come across a pocket knife, or a small dagger, or even a toothpick. Finding nothing but lint and what he assumed was left over of the roll he'd stuffed in his pocket as a snack on his journey, he turned towards Lucy, just as she started to speak.

"Get in here, hide behind the table and for the gods' sakes, please don't look outside."

"Wh-What?" Sebastian blinked, he was rather confused by her statement, but before he could question her farther, he noticed the hard edge in her eyes. They told him to shut and do as he was told, and like a puppy with his tail between his legs, he obliged. That wasn't going to stop him from peeking over the top of the table though.

Curiouser and curiouser.

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[Kita]

<sub>After situating herself on the table in a cross-legged position and closing her eyes, Luce ran the sharp edge of the glass over her palm once again, reopening the wound she'd made before with a subtle flinch. It never seemed to get less painful, no matter how many times she pierced her skin. As the first drops of blood dripped to the floor, the cold power of the grave filled the blonde and swept out over the nearby dunes. Six. Not a bad number, but she almost regretted commanding the three from earlier to die, and stay dead. Nine would've been better than just six.

'Turn the boy into a corpse as well, even seven's better than six~' That was true, but she was doing all this mostly to protect him. On her own, Luce would probably have been able to reach the safety of the city- or at least her hideout- easily. It would defeat the purpose if she just killed him now. With an absent hum, the necromancer commanded the six to crawl to the earth, and to protect the small, half-collapsed once-restaurant.

It took a few moments for the sifting noises to start, as if a lot of sand was being moved. Then, of course, came the groaning of the damned- Lucy supposed she'd overlooked the noise, though the volume wasn't all that great. She looked as though she was meditating, and she was in a way. It took a lot of energy to keep those corpses 'alive' and she had to hold it throughout the night, maybe even while fighting off the creatures of the night herself. She would reserve her strength. "Allies," she commented quietly, but loud enough for Sebastian to hear.

"Try not to faint, hmmkay?" Okay, now she was being kind of spiteful, but she didn't need him going into hysterics while she protected his sorry ass. If insults to his manhood accomplished that, then so be it. Besides, 'don't panic' was a stupid line that had been used in way too many movies.</sub>

[/sub]

[`` Ashe]

He watched over the table with wide, curious eyes. He wasn't exactly sure what she was trying to do, it seemed like she was just meditating on the table top. Now is not the time to get in touch with your zen!

[/b] He mimicked her for a moment, closing his eyes and holding his hands up with his thumb and pointer fingers pinched together. He hadn't noticed her cut her hand, not that she didn't seem strange enough already sitting on a table and humming.

And then he it. Or them, he supposed. It started off as soft moans and groans, that could have been mistaken for just the wind. The sands outside of the restaurant shifted, growing up to points, before cascading down the separate dunes as miscellaneous body parts started to protrude from the ground. Sebastian's hands wavered in the air before plopping down into his lap, his jaw dropping in amazed fear. A squeak being held silently within his mouth.

He wasn't sure what was happening, before him stood six creatures, undead beings that shuffled awkwardly across the dust and ruins of the land. Seb was frozen in his spot, unable to think properly as he watched. Luce didn't move a muscle, she sat still, humming softly to herself, seemingly oblivious to their new guests. After a few more moments his brain finally registered, screaming stranger danger! stranger danger![/b] in his own terrified voice. Outwardly he managed to close his mouth and was reaching his hand up to poke Lucy out of her zen.

"Allies." Her word froze his hand once more. Allies? What the hell does she mean, allies?[/b] She knew they were there? She must have, she must have at least heard their aging groans of pain and annoyance. But she wasn't moving, wasn't freaking out as he was. Was she responsible for them rising? He suspected she was more then a human, obviously he was expecting her to be a good something, not a... Not a creeper.

Not entirely sure what to do, he scooted his body back away from the table. Holing himself up in the corner of the building where the shadows hid his face. He was a little more then freaked out by this. But he wasn't prepared to run off into the night waving his arms about and screaming "DEMON" for all the world to hear. No he had to be smart about this.

"Try not to faint, hmmkay?" Sebastian blinked, his eyes straying from the zombies to stare at the back of Lucy's head. "What are you..." His words were faint, a thought that turned into a mere whisper. Lowering his eyes he couldn't help but smirk at his current situation. "Easy for you to say, Lucy."
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[Kita]

<sub>'He's scaaared of you~' Luce's demon chanted, as the walkers took their places stationed around the restaurant. 'Come on, he wouldn't miss just one limb!' Like hell. Luce was certain that if she (someone who could regrow a limb) would miss it, Sebastian probably would too. Unless he was even freakier than she was, but that was about as likely as finding a Sno-Cone stand in hell. The lines around her mouth tightened when he asked what she was.

"A mistake." Her tone was... wounded and flat at the same time. Luce knew exactly what she was. She'd been told enough times by her mother when the succubus had realized there was nothing to glean from her daughter. "You should never have been born! You're just a fuckup, a freak I should have killed on your birthing day!" The words haunted her, and had become something of an accepted truth for the blonde-haired half-breed.

"Just... this takes a lot of energy, and I've gotta hold it 'til dawn. Please cooperate until then, Seb." Luce mumbled, letting the piece of glass dig a little deeper. Images flashed in her head briefly, but nothing of use. At least, not yet.</sub>

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