you could rattle the stars.
you could do anything,
if only you dared

It seemed that fate was, indeed, a cruel thing. You would think Vhalla would have simply accepted the fact she had been given the short end of the stick time and time again, that nothing should surprise her anymore. Yet, the presence of Tetradore and his... mistress was something she had never expected. The shifter was a secretive man, even with their fleeting... whatever it was, he never shared much details about his life, his past and the witch never anticipated he was owned in a similar fashion. She wasn't naive enough to think he had it easy, she was almost certain the horrors he had witnessed through his life was far worse than anything she had endured. She never expected Tetradore to share such things with her but perhaps that was a touch of disappointment in her mind that he didn't share such things with her. It didn't matter now, even if he had, there wasn't anyway she could prepare herself for this emotionless Tetradore who did his mistress's bidding.

Resigning herself to the beating she surely would endure, she faces the, now, panther, darkness suddenly falling. Blinded, she slows her breathing even as her heart race picks up, a sudden fear so engulfing her. It wasn't the first time she had to work through her fear, Ivan having all but pummeling out of her through the years. Yet, she still can't help but feel her skin pebbling with goosebumps, her heart pounding a mile a minute. A threatening growl comes from somewhere in the darkness, Vhalla finally snapping out of her distraction as she shifts on her foot to face where the sound had come from. Tetradore's sleek form is all but hidden away, even his soft footfalls were silent in the warehouse. The cackle of his mistress's laugh echoes off the wall casting a rather ominous feeling over the group. Vhalla is entirely unprepared by the way the panther launches himself at Ivan, the woman hardly quick enough to defend her undead master, even as she takes several steps toward him.

Though darkness still flickered through the warehouse, she doesn't miss the way that Tetradore simple rebounds off a sort of shield he had cast around himself. Ivan hardly flinching at the impact as the panther lands softly on his feet, another menacing growl cutting through the tension. With a movement of her hand, she sends a wave of fire between the two of them, the flames casting shadows along the walls. Tetradore and Risque are all but lost within the flames, her eyesight unable to pierce them to see where they were at, let alone see the fact that Tetradore was all but immune to her wicked fire. She pleads with him briefly, knowing it would be hopeless, you could only pull on the leash so many times before lessons were learned. Resigning herself to her fate, she only hopes that man would simply kill her, let it be done with. Even as she readies herself, she can't help but glance over her shoulder at Ivan, that disgusting simper still etched into his lips. It was as if he was unaffected by the fear that so permeated the air, perhaps it was due to his barrier.

Though, Vhalla found she hardly cared as she turns back towards the direction of Tetradore, Ivan's words floating through the chamber. What she doesn't expect is to see Tet's dark form being thrown through the fire, the panther launching himself at her. She isn't quick enough to defend herself, she merely has just enough time to throw her hands up to protect her face as his form collides heavily with her. She's thrown to the ground, the weight of his body all but crushing her. A gasp of pain emits from her lips as her back smashes against the floor, aches radiating along her backside, though she forgets it entirely as Tetradore's claws slash through her suit, to her tender skin beneath. There's a moment of numbness before fire rips through those fresh wounds. Wiggling beneath him, she attempts to dislodge him but he was hundreds of pounds of muscle, there was no possibility for her to throw him off her. Grunting with the effort, she can't help bet let a cry of pain escape her as she grasps for her dagger within her boot.

Quickly, snagging the handle, she slashes at his rear haunch, desperately hoping to distract him enough so she can wiggle to safety. Vhalla had a feeling that Tetradore could handle quite a bit of pain, so instead, she grasps frantically for that power within her, the woman having never try to use it before. Yet, she's momentarily distracted by Ivan's shout through the warehouse before she wraps herself in shadow and wind, disappearing entirely from Tetradore's deadly claws.

"That is quite enough!" he thunders at the vampire across from him, the undead taking a step forward, his hands unfolding from behind his back to hang at his sides. His brows furrowed with anger and rage, he glares at the woman across from him as his gaze lingers on the blood bath before him, his little protege torn to literal bits in his mind's eye. The man had been entirely unprepared for Risque's little trick, hardly noting the way her magic slunk into his mind, even through his barrier. Ivan hadn't thought it necessary to guard his mind behind the magic wall, he never anticipated a mental attack. How silly of him. Eyes trained on the floor as Vhalla's head lolls to the side, blood spilling from where the panther had sliced her open. There was enough blood to entice his hunger and yet, he could merely feel sickened at the site of it all! Taking a step forward, his head snaps to the side at the sob of relief that cuts through the illusion. The scene before him dissipates and there's a moment of astonishment that crosses his features as he glances up at Risque, no visible with the absence of flames. "Clever woman," he grudgingly admits, a deadly simper crossing his lips, "I can assure you, that won't happen again," he states, those barriers becoming a fortress within his mind. "And I thought you made your pet do all the work," he murmurs, fascinated with her cruelty.

In the meantime, Vhalla is grasping her shoulder, shoving her palm into the wound to stop the bleeding. Still, blood gushes through her fingers, her mind still catching up to the intentionally teleportation she forced herself into. Biting down on her gasp of pain, her glacier eyes find Tetradore several feet away as she grounds herself, preparing herself for another attack. Yet, a sort of calmness takes over her, perhaps it was resignation, or perhaps it was realization that she didn't want to die. Steeling herself, she drops her hand from her shoulder, allowing the blood to run down her arm and drip from her fingertips. Searching within herself she was certain she had felt something within her, something that wasn't there before... and there right there! It was something new, something less wild than her fire, more... calm. Gently she grasps it, coaxing it to life as she works with it, molding it into something new as a bubble of water forms over her head. She doesn't give it a second thought as she forms them into little shards and sends them rocketing at Tetradore, "I'm sorry," she sobs as they launch in his direction.

Vhalla hardly had much accuracy and she didn't want to kill him either. Though, she's not certain if any of those deadly shards find her mark as she drops to a knee, exhaustion taking over. Pushing her hand back into her shoulder to staunch the bleeding, she's vaguely aware of Ivan sauntering over to her, his hand gripping her good arm, and dragging her to her feet. His expression is entirely blissful as he raises his wrist to his fangs and slices it carefully. Without giving the woman a chance to pull away, he shoves the open wound onto her lips, forcing her to swallow. Gagging, she pulls away, though he hardly releases her by any means as she can feel her wounds stitch together, causing a rather itchy sensation to take over. The blood remains on her suit, yet, in just a matter of moments, her wounds are healed and she's aware of that barrier Ivan has set in between them and Tetradore and Risque, the undead vampire simpering at the two. "It's only fair," he responds with a shrug before releasing the assassin and shoving her back towards the panther.

Vhalla Solarn

To the stars who listen- and the dreams that are answered