The midnight hour was at hand as the moon observed from the dark blue and purple firmament. Moderately cloudy, an ominous aura swept through the city streets of Santalicia as citizens retreated into their homes to slumber, while the more adventurous stayed out to enjoy the night festivities.

A shock of spiky pink hair provided only splash of color as Tōga emerged from the shadows permeating the club. Clad neck to toe in an enveloping palette of matte black - oversized t-shirt, form-fitting pants, stylish boots - he faded into the dim surroundings like a chameleon. His all-black ensemble served a purpose beyond fashion; tonight, Tōga required the anonymity it lent him. Still, his signature hue could not be suppressed; circling one wrist, blood-red beads of varying sizes betrayed his favorite color. The lone vibrant crimson accessory stood out starkly, hinting there was more to this specter than met the eye.

Tōga's observant brown eyes roved the club, scanning the shadowy recesses as he arrived ahead of Ursula. He casually noted the evening's bartenders, etching mental snapshots for later use. One never knew when a contingency plan might prove useful; if compromised, these memories would help narrow suspects during a surreptitious hunt for their assailant.

Tōga bellied up to the bar, one of many carved from the sea of gyrating bodies by flashing strobes. Flagging down a bartender with a cheerful request for sake, he watched intently as deft hands prepared his drink, careful to trace the paths taken by bottles and glasses. The ebb and flow of the club swelled around Tōga as he waited, the very picture of a carefree reveler. But behind the easy smile, cogent wheels turned, cataloging everything occurring around him.

“Should be a fun night,”

---

wc: 291/2000

A hint of jasmine teased Tōga’s senses; he’d caught Ursula’s scent before she’d uttered a word, aware of her arrival even with his back turned. Yet at her throaty announcement, Tōga nearly fractured the veneer of his cool facade. Whipping around on the barstool, his bright brown gaze met sultry amethyst and devoured the seductress standing there—lingering a heartbeat too long. Like a striking cobra, Ursula commanded full attention. Her voluptuous form exuded confidence and sex appeal from every pore; even prepared for the meeting, Tōga found himself temporarily ensnared by her medusan presence. Cobalt silk wrapped around dangerous curves, leaving just enough to the imagination. Rippling raven hair cascaded over bare, porcelain shoulders in tantalizing waves. Yes, Ursula had elevated weaponizing desire into an art form. With effort, Tōga reassembled his poise, gesturing casually to the seat beside him.

"W-why hello," Tōga stammered, the unscripted slip belying his flustered state. He shook his head as if to dislodge the momentary lapse, adopting a cough and resetting with forced nonchalance. "I mean---nice seeing you here after last night," he tacked on with an unconvincing wink. Though their disguises blended into the club's nightlife, Ursula could clearly spot cracks in Tōga's composure. A fiery blush betrayed the flimsy act, blooming brightly across his cheeks as his gaze traced the dangerous curves displayed by her figure-hugging cobalt silk dress. The hypnotic view left little to the imagination, showcasing Ursula's ample assets to full effect. Tōga's flustered attempt to seem casual all but confessed his true reaction to the seductress beside him. Her medusan presence effortlessly shattered his facade, reducing the normally brash dragon slayer to a bashful boy rendered speechless by her beauty.

"Can I get you a drink, beautiful?" Tōga knew Ursula would decline, just as he knew his own sake cup brimmed only with dilution, not intoxication. Yet roles must be played convincingly when treading the lion's den. Somewhere among the pulsing crowds and flashing lights lurked the architect behind the rash of drugged drinks and kidnapped women. To lure this shadowy marksman into crosshairs, Tōga and Ursula had to transform into the perfect bait: an alluring woman dipping her toe in dangerous waters, guarded only by a flawed champion three sheets to the wind. So Tōga would continue going through the motions, offering honeyed words and playing drunk...right until the moment their shark detected a wound in the water's that night.

---

wc: 695/2000

"O-Oh! Yea...I suppose you're right," Tōga wants to sigh, to wallow in his shame as Ursula catches him red-handed, eyes lingering too long on her voluptuous curves. Innocence breeds honesty, and humiliation pinks his cheeks. Luck keeps the dark club's erratic lighting on his side, concealing awkward flushes beneath pulsating reds and blues. But Ursula reads the truth in the dragon slayer's averted gaze, his flustered fidgeting giving away self-conscious contrition. An awkward silence settles between them amidst the booming music as Tōga grasps internally for composure. His intentions purehearted, the youthful mage remains unaccustomed to the magnetic pull exuded by Ursula's medusan countenance. Clearly out of his depth in the presence of such mature mystique, Tōga scrambles to reconstruct the illusion of poise, even as his gaze involuntarily traces the elegant lines that inspire such innocent admiration and awe.

"It is...pleasant," Tōga parroted lamely, the charade of machismo chafing like an ill-fitting coat. This smooth-talking persona eluded the guileless mage; luckily the farce only required a temporary embrace. As anticipated, Ursula had declined a drink, her wary smile signaling memories of last night's shadowy encounter lingering still. She turned fluidly, a fragrant specter hesitating at his side. In different circumstances, that devastating proximity might have flustered Tōga. Yet perilous purpose infused their midnight masquerade - the crisp reminder tempering his embarrassment into focus. They stir honeyed waters, angling to draw sinister sharks. Until the trap is sprung, until predatory purpose shows its teeth, the dragon slayer must ignore sweet poison beckonings. So Tōga meets the siren's lingering gaze unflinchingly, embers of innocent awe banked by pressing mission. The hunted must play bait, or the hunter may never be found.

"Drink all you want," Tōga improvises lamely, "just don't drown in it." Inwardly he cringes at the clumsy line, praying his awkwardness hasn't unsettled his alluring counterpart. Still, the mission presses urgency into audacity; personal space evaporates as with faked liquid courage Tōga leans intimately close, lips hovering mere centimeters from Ursula’s ear. Hushed words caress soft skin as he murmurs, “Does anything look familiar to you?” The question holds professional purpose, yet unintended sensuality simmers in his muted tone and warm breath grazing her cheek. At this proximity, the dragon slayer belatedly notes forbidden fruit nuances interlacing Ursula’s perfume - sweet venom to recklessly pluck or ruefully resist. Reluctantly, Tōga draws back, the ghost of her nearness imprinting itself; he crushes inconvenient curiosity toward this cryptic siren’s many secrets, focusing solely on revealing the club’s deadly mystery first.

---

wc: 1114/2000

As Tōga peeled himself out of his self-deprecating thoughts, he tuned in to Uruula's voice guiding his attention across the crowded club. Through the assaulting lights and blaring music, his sights landed on a blonde woman holding court with a group of entertained onlookers. Adorned in expensive finery, she seemed to revel in the spotlight, prancing about as if she were the main attraction. Tōga had to admit that, if not for Ursula's subtle magnetism beside him, this flashy woman might have shone as the most alluring beauty in the club that night. Yet there was something captivating about Uruula’s presence that eclipsed the blonde’s attention-seeking antics. Anchored once more in Uruula’s orbit, Tōga felt the outside world and its fleeting enticements fall away.

"Should we get closer and investigate?" Tōga whispered, ready to narrow the distance between them and the blonde who had ignited a spark of recognition in Ursula's mind. If she was connected to last night's incident, whether as victim or perpetrator, closer proximity could further their investigation. Yet they would need to tread cautiously - the shadowy forces that had targeted Ursula once could easily do so again if they weren't vigilant. As they edged through the revelers, Tōga's senses heightened, alert to any sign of foul play. He hoped Ursula's memory could be jogged without putting her in peril once more. Step by step they closed in, until Tōga could confirm whether this flashy woman held the next clue, or the next trap. Their guarded pursuit wove on through the pulsing crowd.

---

wc: 1371/2000

Ursula's gaze fixed intensely upon the blonde woman in the distance. Beside her, Tōga kept his attention respectfully on Ursula, witnessing an alarming transformation overcome her. Before his eyes, her mood shifted as violently as the clashing fronts of a storm. Though subtle in his movements, Tōga offered what solace he could, meeting her eyes with compassion and brushing his hand comfortingly against hers. He weathered each shift in her expression as Ursula continued staring at the other woman, attempting through sheer presence to ease Ursula's disturbing metamorphosis.

Tōga’s bewildered "Huh?" trailed after Ursula as instinct seized her. With the fierce grace of a cheetah on the hunt, she broke from his side, slipping through the crowded club. Lithe and nimble, her footsteps found unerring purpose, carrying her toward the unsuspecting blonde savoring her drink. Something dangerous awoke within Ursula in that moment, the lone thought beating through her now - save that woman from the spiked cocktail poised before her lips. Without a heartbeat’s hesitation, Tōga plunged into the swarming masses after Ursula, ready to act the moment necessity demanded. Together they stalked toward the impending crisis, Ursula driven by feral protectiveness, Tōga her stalwart companion no matter the coming chaos.

Tōga reached Ursula's side just as the crisis crest broke. With a single swift move, she dashed the toxic drink from the blonde's grasp, sending glass and liquid crashing to the floor. Ursula's fiery gaze locked onto her target - the culprit behind this brewing chaos. "Gotcha!" Tōga's sharp cry rang out as he marked the suspicious figure. What came next hung on the shadows and choices of their quarry, but Tōga was ready, his duty clear. As a Rune Knight, he must secure safety - for Ursula, for the still-oblivious blonde, for every innocent party tangled in this web. Tōga moved to guard them all, trusted steel at the ready, his senses primed should the need for action come. Beside him Ursula smoldered, honed to sharp edges by outrage, ready to meet violence with violence. Together dragon slayer and knight stood against the darkness, united in purpose.

---

wc: 1721/2000

Tōga's eyes blazed with fierce passion as he gripped the arm of the man accused of drugging drinks, the same man they had just rescued a young woman from. Ursula intended to interrogate the perpetrator thoroughly, to ensure he was indeed the one responsible not only for attempting to drug the blonde they had saved, but also for successfully drugging Ursula herself the night prior. Tōga expected that after Ursula extracted every last detail from the man, he would be swiftly arrested and charged for his crimes. However, events would unfold differently than Tōga anticipated.

As the purple-tressed beauty Ursula confronted the bartender captured by Tōga, a frown overtook her features when it became apparent that the man in Tōga's angry grasp was not the drink spiker they sought. The true culprit - a shady figure who had slithered away under the cover of chaos - was still at large. "S-sorry...I guess you didn't deserve this after all," Tōga muttered as he released the innocent man. His attention had already shifted elsewhere, noticing that Ursula had careened off in pursuit of the fleeing criminal. Her form fitting attire blending in with her surroundings, she was a streak of violet lightning racing between the dark, narrow buildings. Tōga's eyes glimmered as they tracked the fearless crusader plunging into the shadows in search of a dangerous mark.

"W-wait, Ursula-chan!" Tōga called out, nearly tripping over himself as he pursued her into the throng. Righting his balance, he willed his legs to pound faster, striving to keep the intrepid Ursula's silhouette in view as she relentlessly tracked the fleeing felon. The perpetrator slipped through a side door in a desperate bid for escape, with Ursula's steps flying fast on his heels. Tōga pushed his way through the crowd, the exit in sight. He was determined not to lose them - both out of concern for Ursula plunging recklessly on alone into the night, as well as his own burning curiosity to see justice served by her bold hand. Bursting into the chilled air, he scanned the dark street urgently. The chase was on.

---

wc: 2112/2000

Waves of black flames, outlined in crackling red energy, erupted from Tōga’s hands as his magic surged through his body with the power of a supernova. His intense brown eyes focused on the group of hired thugs who had caught Ursula by surprise, hitting and knocking the young woman off course as she pursued a drink-spiking aggressor. Tōga valued few things more highly than the protection of a comrade, but to see a woman ambushed and assaulted awakened a rare anger within him, an almost unforgivable act in his blazing eyes. As rage took control, he readied himself against the gang of deceitful men.

Tōga landed swiftly between Ursula and her attackers, throwing out his hand to unleash a blinding flash and barrage of tightly packed fireballs. The fiery missiles careened outward in a wide cone, crashing into the mercenaries with explosive impacts. "Go, Ursula! Chase him, I've got this!" Tōga shouted, his voice firm with assurance. With those words, he vowed to keep her path clear so the purple-haired belle could continue her determined pursuit unimpeded. As she raced ahead, Tōga turned his flaming gaze back upon the regrouping thugs, ready to meet their next move with a blistering magical onslaught. His hands glowed red with swirling flames, eager to defend his ally to the last. This fight was now solely between him and these dishonorable men.

Even through the scorching inferno unleashed by his sorcerous assault, Tōga caught sight of her, his fiery gaze drawn irresistibly in her direction. Those bright brown eyes narrowed and darkened, riveted upon Ursula as she underwent a startling metamorphosis before him. Her scent had shifted, transformed, and his heightened lupine senses discerned the truth instantly. He recognized the mark of ancient Lycan blood, so redolent of his friend Michael that its lineage was now unmistakable. She was a Child of the Moon, her lineage surging forth as atavistic instincts overwhelmed her control. Before Tōga's transfixed stare, Ursula had surrendered to the savage, primal transformation writ within her soul. The wolf without now matched the wolf within.

As Ursula's transformation completed, leaving a she-wolf in place of the woman, Tōga motioned for her to give chase to their fleeing foe while he finished off the remaining thugs. Yet even as he unleashed his power, doubt gnawed at his mind. He needed to end this quickly and race to Ursula's side before the bloodlust consumed her. Though normally powerful of will and firm of purpose, the ancient instincts awakened by her lycanthropy could override moderation and restraint. Tōga feared the beast now ascendant would pay no heed to Ursula's accustomed mercy. As howls echoed through the night, he drove the last villain to the ground, then turned to pursue the she-wolf into the darkness, hoping to temper her rage before it was too late.

Tōga swiftly finished off the remaining villains, leaving them strewn across the ruined club. With the path cleared, he raced after Ursula, following the sounds of pursuit into the night-cloaked alley. He found her there, the she-wolf with fangs bared and clawed hand clutched round a whimpering throat, lifting the thug helplessly into the air. Tōga approached unhurried, unworried she would turn those fangs on him instead. As he neared, her lupine ears flicked, alert yet unthreatening. Gently he reached out, fingers brushing through coarse fur to caress her savage new form. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind in a steadying embrace, urging control as her lycan blood still boiled wildly from the heat of the hunt.

“That’s enough…. We have him,”

A sigh of relief escaped Tōga's lips as he watched Ursula's monstrous transformation reverse itself - fangs, claws, and fur retreating back into her body as she released her hold on the barman. Just moments ago, she likely would have slaughtered him if not for his intervention. He knew to tread cautiously here; Ursula was not in the wrong. The world may well be better off without a drink-spiking predator behind the bar. How many women might be spared his assaults? Still, Tōga could not condone murder, however justified, not from her. She was better than that - he had to believe it. As her humanity reemerged, the dragon slayer glimpsed the goodness within her and knew this was a woman worth saving.

"No, he's lucky you're better than him," Tōga sought to reassure Ursula that the choice was hers alone - to spare this contemptible man or not. Though he wished to sway her from the path of violence, the decision rested firmly in her clawed hands. If she ignored his pleas and tore out his throat, while Tōga would be disappointed, in time he would understand. For in staying her hand, Ursula stood above the turbulent waters of emotion, pride and fear, and summoned strength from some deep reservoir within. This act of mercy allowed the barman to draw breath for another day. Though they had some hard questions for the snake - and when we finished with the interrogation, he may well have wished for the swift release of Ursula's fangs instead. But for now, her humanity and moral code shone through.

-exit