The Swineherd pub was an establishment in Oak that earned the interest of many people. Whether it were the locals searching for some excitement, or an adventurer wanting to find a good time after a day of hard work, plenty of people made their way to the pub for all sorts of reasons.

Yet few came here for the reason she did. It was not often that this particular lady emerged somewhere with her dragon-like features hidden, but for this particular occasion she didn't want to stand out too much. After all, she had come all the way to Oak for one reason, and one reason alone, and that reason did not reveal itself just yet.

Although she had chosen to replace her typical combative attire with something more... outgoing. A nice blend of formality and temptation made up her current outfit to the point she had already caught the attention of a few individuals, although a mere exposure to her presence was enough to make them back away.

She had no use for the meek and cowardly. She had traveled all the way to Oak, to this place she could have easily considered: the middle of nowhere in search of one whose ambition and lust for power were almost as high as her own. In a way one could consider today a scouting task, to get to know this individual and find out what made her tick, so that she could find the right way to approach her with a tempting offer she was unlikely to refuse.

After all, even if the order was forged she wanted to create a group within her faction that was different... One whose ambitions were far greater, who desired freedom and the ability to prove one's own powers without the typical restrains from society.

Her informant had told her the woman she was looking for frequently visited this pub, sometimes to escape from the boredom of everyday life, and at other times to find a potential prey to make them dance to her whims. Fortunately for her, she would find liberation from the boredom that came with normality. But if she hoped to find prey in her... Then she'd be quick to learn that dragons were always the predator~

Coventina Carmen was an odd specimen of a creature. She frequented social spheres rarely yet assumed to dominate them upon her appearance alone, for she had deigned to grace the rabble and cattle both with her untouchable pale. She did not walk, let alone run, but she strode; she swayed; it was rhythmic, sickeningly so, like a predator in patterns that dizzied you until you gave in. She did not think for the effect she had on others. She presumed it before they had so much as laid eyes on her. She knew her role. They learned it, very quickly.

The strangeness of today was not that she had found her way out of the shadows - at the height of this night, for her interests never prospered under the gaze of the sun - to the doors of the Swineherd Pub. No, the people here might not know her, but they knew of her: the proclaimed Countess of these streets in Oak, and a domineering force for a mage none-too-prolific. She had little fame nor infamy to her name, but she had a presence that couldn't be ignored within these local spaces. It's why she enjoyed settling down here. They hadn't yet served all of their uses, and the scent of fear and money both was ... intoxicating. Desiring. Desired. She sighed, content, before she stalked into the pub in her Sunday best.

No; the little thing off about the evening, as if you were spotting the difference between two pictures, was the way her eyes had drained of their usual smoldering gold and instead sparkled a wicked crimson. Dulled, perhaps, but deep. A well of searching intent. It added a color as striking to her skin as ruby would be to the amber it replaced, floating in the sweep of her gaze beneath heavy black lashes. This was Coventina at her most dangerous, for it was Coventina at her hungriest, and she was not well known as a satiable woman. One step, then two, and it led her inside -- adjusting the brim of her hat enough to cover how intensely her red ran while leaving enough to tantalize her prey.

She felt the stares on her skin. This was not new. Now was generally the turn of the evening where she'd find a hapless cretin eager to throw themselves at her feet and find themselves instead between her fangs, aching behind her pretty pale lips, and return to her chambers for coming days of rest until her boredom, hunger, or lust struck again. Her general countenance, however, was not the only unlike quality in the air tonight ... there were a pair of eyes not begging for her whip. A flick of her ear, a hum on her tongue, and she turned - locked eyes, only through the corner of her own.

"Good evening," the purr came.

Till now she had been content to wait, seated at the bar till her target of interest arrived. Just like her informant had promised: arrive she did, and in such style as well. Indeed, while she might had not been the most known mage around here, there was something about the woman's presence that drove lesser mortals onto their knees. Even now she had noticed the glances of some of the mortals that came with the new arrival her presence. Lust, longing, hunger, they were all driven by instinctual desires, and like a butterfly waiting to be caught in the silken web of the predator. Indeed, Coventina was one who seemingly had mastered the use of her feminine charms to entrance others, and in a way Ryuko admired her for that.

Perhaps it was for that reason she answered the purr with a sly smirk, one that only remained for a moment after which she bowed her head lightly in recognition. "A fine evening it is indeed~ Although I wonder if the quality of the evening increased thanks to the company that arrived~"

A hint of playfulness lingered in her tone, a brief glance given in Coventina's direction. Indeed, there was beauty to be found there, yet the beauty wasn't that simply of a fair maiden. No, if she had to describe it then it was more akin to the beauty of a dangerously lethal knife. One might admire the craftsmanship, but if one didn't know how to wield it, they were just asking to get cut themselves. It felt similar like that with this woman. Her beauty was indeed intoxicating, and she could understand why mere mortals would be willing to lose it all just to have a night in her embrace, but then again, she was no mere mortal.

"Bartender, your finest red for me please, and something for the lady of the night as well~"

She smiled once more, her gaze focusing on Coventina once more. This was where the trickier part came. Ryuko was one who used the mentality of conquest. If she wanted something, she would take it, by force if she had to. But on this occasion she felt like she wanted to try a different approach. Something that told her that if she played her cards right would lead to quite an interesting occasion. Then again, the power of charisma was not lost to her either.

Rising from her seat she took a step closer, and although Coventina's approach had been a tantalizing stride, Ryuko's approach was more straightforward. One that radiated strength and dominance, one that displayed she knew what she wanted, but the smile on her lips and the words she carried were far more sensual than her approach.

"I am Ryuko~"

A soft whisper, tantalizing so as she decided to start with a simple introduction. It would be useful to see how much the rumors about Pergrande had reached Fiore already, and depending on the response she could proceed with the tempting...

There was a slow quirk to the Countess' brow, just one slight surprise offered over the eye that zeroed down on Ryuko and smoldered so bright in its crimson tinge. She felt a twinge in her jaw, a rise to her lips until they came in a smirk that snaked as sly as the words off her tongue. "My oh my," she rumbles, her tone lilting in a tease that dance along their soundwaves until they'd caress across the woman's ears. Coventina took this chance to move in place, shifting on her heel like an activated statue in an old castle - ready to lead this adventurer to secret spoils. "You're a dangerous one." She faced her, now.

It was a flirt and a warning, as the Oak Witch didn't think much of aspiring challengers. If this creature thought she'd sweep her off her feet ... well, she just might, but she'd need to watch her neck. A little black spark in sharp red eyes. Mirth, still, a laurel over her mouth, parting her lips to breath frost in the space between her and Ryuko. "You shouldn't have," came another muse, flicking her gaze only for a second to the bartender taking in Ryuko's request before landing squarely with a certain pressure again atop the stranger. "But far be it for me to appear rude. I'll have what she's having." She ordered aloud without turning to look at the man again, peering into Ryuko's eyes.

She met Ryuko's advance with her arms crossed, one blooming from the other to support her chin with the flutter of her fingers. She'd look back at Ryuko like this, curiously weighing her - and openly, expecting no resistance to her study. Coventina didn't need to play in subtleties alone. She'd have to be challenged to hide fully within the shadows. No, she was comfortable in her skin; and in the blood of these fanciful figures like Ryuko that approached her. She'd tap a finger up, needling the side of her cheek with a playful narrow of her eyes. No, this woman was not like her usual suitors. She had felt that immediately.

She wouldn't be made prey of so easily. "Ah ...," she sighed, the exhalation as wistful as a breath to brush Ryuko's face with her warmthlessness. "Ry," she began to sound it out, leaning closer with her head crossed to just the side of her new acquaintance's. "U," came the pop of her lips, pulling apart such plush red. "Ko." And she finished her mantra, her hair waterfalling the high bone of her cheek and her purr crossing Ryuko's ear. "What a powerful name for such a pretty flower. I almost feel like I've heard it before ...,"

She let that hang, between threat and play: between curiosity and wariness. "Recently, even?"

She pulled herself back, standing at her full height with a look under her eyelashes that pinned Ryuko in the middle of her full attention. "Coventina. A suspicion you knew this already. You are...?"

She wasn't asking for her name. What was her intent here? With her? There was ample food about if this went someplace less friendly, and ample atmosphere if it didn't.

Hearing being called a dangerous one earned a brief smile from Ryuko as she hummed softly. "I heard plenty of people say that, although they are usually the ones on the receiving end of less pleasant nommings~" A playful quip, although in truth there was a lot of honesty in it, Ryuko did not shy away from exploiting her dragonic body when it came to hostilities.

Yet she had just turned toward the bartender to check on her order when Ryuko suddenly fell a certain pressure press against her. Fortunately she had been somewhat prepared enough to not let her cheeks flush up in excitement, although she couldn't help but mutter under her breath. "C... D... hmm~" It was almost as if she was calculating something, yet soon met Coventina's gaze with her own. Just a glimpse easily betrayed her true nature, for even in her humanoid form and with her tail and horns hidden, her eyes clearly showed the intensity in their gaze that was typical of her kin.

The tempting pronunciation certainly helped stir her a little as she heard the woman's remark about her name. "Perhaps~ Although if my instincts are correct, I believe the stories about me are the type you'd rather hear from my own lips, rather than a bard's tale~"

A soft hum followed as she nodded her head lightly in response to Coventina's introduction. "Mhmm~ I take my time getting to know these that interest me~"

A light shift and she leaned closer to Coventina, resting her chin on the woman's shoulder as she whispered temptingly into the pointed ear of the woman. "I come with an offer~ And depending on how you play your cards... a delicious present~ But I should warn you... If you were to enjoy your time with me~ your legs might give way from the squirming~"

At the same time the drinks arrived Ryuko playfully shifted, making sure her neck was exposed for the briefest of moments as she added with a sly smile on her lips. "Not that I doubt your stamina~ But my kin is potent in many ways~" She gently tipped a hand sideways along the glass, her gaze for the briefest of moments shifting away from the woman after which she chimed softly. "Although to hear me being described as a pretty flower is a thing I only heard once before~ Got to say that earned you quite the bonus points there Coventina~ Most would call me 'Monster, Tyrant Dragon, Demon', and on and on goes the list~"

She chuckled softly, almost as if she was partly joking about it but soon she brought the glass to her lips and took a soft sip from it. "One could say the stories you may have heard are part of what brought me here~ In search of you... but for this occasion I feel pleasure before business might be more appropriate~"

Oh, no. This was dangerous indeed. Something very, very bad; Ryuko kept pace with her in wit and devil's speak, a sign of trouble Coventina could feel bloom in her cold chest and tempt her canines to dig at the inside of her bottom lip. The briefest of sighs as if the grumble of a predator, letting her pointed fangs taste a suck of air before she snapped her jaw clutch again. Absolutely awful. She was going to ruin this table with this woman.

The eyes of a bloodlusting vampire met the gaze of a tyrant dragon and red roared with yellow to honey a vivid, bountiful orange. Something sweet. Something poisoned. Just a bite, just a bite. She'd roll a heel into the floor alike to curling her toes, the only change to her expression a more vivid crimson to pressure down on Ryuko with every small movement she made. She could smell her from here. She could hear the thrum of blood - rum, rum, rum - and it burned the insides of her arms, aching to reach out and grab her. Now, now. Now, now. Now -- "Darling," she spoke husky to the dragonkin, no quiver in her voice but a rush of winter from brumal tongue.

The physical contact had a hand lift to brush back a lock of Ryuko's hair as the girl lingered on her shoulder, the ear addressed twitching in response and a tighter curl of platinum twined between her fingers. "You've earned my attention. You're a cut above the rest, aren't you?" She didn't have to crane down far from her throne to see something dark and winged racing toward her, in either case. Ryuko didn't start in the smog of the 'others' she passed by every day. She, too, lived in these skies. "Your warning is generous ...," she'd purr back, the tilt of her hand in the woman's hair brushing her neck with the long nail of her thumb. A clawtip to trace her throat, curving to stroke up her jawline. "But you'll find me surprisingly stable. Now, your constitution ... I'm known to intoxicate. How long will you keep your senses?"

A tight, dark smile, her eyes on the bartender warning him and any other patrons from approaching them again. She didn't so much as look at the drink - she had something in mind, already. She'd settle herself, releasing Ryuko as she, too, shifted, crossing her arms over her waist and looking bemused. "Would any of those titles befit you, then, my dear? I can see the cases."

She teased her, rolling her tongue with the wry phantom of a laugh. "I'll take either point to your time here. You'll find me adept with pleasure ... and not far worse at business. What calls you to my streets of Oak, warmheart?"

To the onlookers it might had looked like two women were flirting quite strongly with each other and it would be only a matter of time before one would have to call the bartender to make them get a 'room', the truth was that this was something far more sensual, far far more dangerous. This was a duel between two temptresses at their best, a match to see who would give in first, knowing that in the end there would be only winners tonights. The tempting whisper spoken by Coventina did not go unnoticed, and when the lady of the night spoke her compliments Ryuko's lips curved up again. "Of course, to be satisfied by the norm would be tragic when you deserve so.much.more~"

The generous warning the dragon girl gave did not go unwarranted, for when the mentioning of her constitution was given Ryuko's smile turned into a sly smirk. "I have quite the tolerance~ The question to ask in this case is: how often can you get back up from the throes of bliss~"

A mischievous and sly remark as she moved closer to Coventina, and for a moment the dragon girl's lips closed, a step and then... Without any warning she attempted to wrap a hand around Coventina's waist to pull her back in, while at the same time Ryuko's lips attempted to seal these of the vampire, although it was there the surprise came, for what followed was not a chaste kiss, if not resisted Coventina would find herself in a firm embrace and a particularly.... passionate kiss, but more curious was that when the dragon girl withdrew and licked her own lips Coventina would notice one thing: the sweet sweet flavor of blood lingering on her tongue.

"A gift~ Of what might come~ Although I do believe that perhaps we can combine the art of pleasure with the act of business... but perhaps somewhere a bit more private?"

As she spoke the dragon girl turned away from the bar, her gaze fixated on the space beside them as the air started to shift and distort, a gateway opening. "mhmm~ An invitation~ Although neither home or a hotel chamber, I believe we will find both comfort and privacy in my little realm."

A hand gently extended to Coventina as she whispered softly. "I might be a tyrant, but I could be greedy enough to warm your heart tonight~"

"You play a dangerous game," came a voice too soft to be a growl but too tempestuous to spin a sweet tale. Coventina was past needing to threaten or cajole the more ... aggressively interested woman, as the game had been all but swept off the table and pieces lay scattered across the grass of Eden. Take a bite of this apple, sweet girl. What's the worst that could happen? "You know this. Why? I might not surprise you at all. I might be exactly what you expect me to be." A whisper, a step away from urgent; Coventina would never take a harsh tone, but she'd sell her hunger through her eyes. Equally a fraction removed from a glare. She did not enjoy playing in places she could no longer ascertain.

"You sought this out. What do you seek from me? What do you see of me?" A hand grabbed, then, at the side of the dragonkin's arm - she squeezed Ryuko without leaving a mark, painted clawtips hanging like a guillotine along the broad of her forearm as if they might tear in at the wrong answer. Coventina had more control than that; but she would not give up this wrest for power, even when --

It was not the kiss that bothered her. Fairly, it was unexpected, but Coventina was not unused to passion thrown at her feet - or in this case, into the waiting reach of her tongue. She might have pulled back if she thought it would become trouble; but her curiosity ever got the better of her and she didn't hate the coupling. It was the taste of blood that came shortly after. It was the way her hands clenched and she had to wrest them away from the platinum vixen, a hiss on her lips and a glower down from her full height. Crimson pulsed in her eyes. Her teeth dug inside her lips, sending a shiver down her back. A violation. "Maybe you don't understand the board on which you play or the opponent you find yourself faced with." A step closer to aggression - accusation? She would not be toyed with by basis of her nature.

A magic seal is flickered to life between the clasp of her hands as she moves back, away, the shadows having shifted in her startled state and rising further until they spread in a curtain between - around - them and the rest of the bar-goers. They slink, form and hold shape enough to keep anyone that didn't want to force their way in out for this next step, while making no move on Ryuko. Privacy on her terms.

"I am no fool. You appear to mean me no harm: yet you think I've made it this far drinking from every cup offered to me by pretty strangers? You'll explain your intentions now. There is no other option I give."

A momentary pause followed as Ryuko's gaze lingered on Coventina's expression. It seemed their little game had reached its ending for now, a pity she had to admit for she had started to grow quite fond of it. "Perhaps~ Yet I have already played my cards on the table Coventina."

The shadows that were being manipulated were clearly magical in nature, yet rather than an attack of sorts it seemed more akin to a barrier meant to force them into a state of privacy, one on the vampire's terms. Yet this display of magic did alert someone else, for among the shadows that Coventina had manipulated there were a clear collection of red orbs gleaming in the darkness, and in the dragon girl's shadow a even more oppressive gaze glared down onto the woman, until a light dismissive downwards sweep followed and an utterance that made the presence fade.

"I came in search of you to offer you an invitation. Yet I hoped that we could discuss business after the pleasure- a hope that seemingly is as fleeting as the embers of life from mortals."

Heaving a soft sigh as her invitation through the portal had been dismissed, a light wave of her hand caused the gateway to close again as she continued. "After all, business tends to be much easier to conduct when both parties are satisfied. After all, if I were to seek to recruit you it would make sense for me to show there are a multitude of... benefits in accepting said invitation, correct?"

A light tilt of her head followed after which her gaze shifted slightly. "I do not take you for a fool, the fact I offered a droplet of my blood and the promise of more should have been a telltale of how highly I value your talents and company. Which leads me back to the earlier topic."

A soft hum followed as she explained. "A group, one that answers only to themselves, plays according to their own rules and has a far greater means of backing your ambitions and desires than you would find in these Fiorian guilds. But if my interests and hope were misplaced, I would understand if this marks the end of our negotiations... even if it disheartens me to leave such interesting company behind."

The lightest brush with stress in a way that settled cruelly in Coventina's chest and ran through cold veins, sluggish from hunger and further wary of a stranger with a bleeding tongue. Coventina Carmen was a temptress. She spun her little games until mortal men and women were entrapped in her silks and she drained them of everything she needed before moving on to the next. She rarely played with equals - she never played with 'betters.' It was discomforting.

The game had come to a halt not due to her impatience, but by the show of power from the other party; the moment that nectar of blood had hit her throat had she realized the power dynamic was not as tight in its threading as she had wished. She was too prideful to take a simple offer, yes, but it told her a number of things about Ryuko the Tyrant - namely, that she had come more than prepared with her information. Coventina didn't parade that she was a vampire nor did she make an effort to hide it, but it meant something when people came to that conclusion on their own and rarely did she suffer their judgment to live. This was worse. Ryuko had entered with a plan to play her with it.

It went without saying they made a pretty pair and she took little umbrage with the idea of exploring Ryuko more ... personally, but pleasure must wait if it came at cost to her self. It wasn't quite a matter of Ryuko crossing a line: it was the display of her intelligence and preparation. Coventina glanced a fang against one of her bottom teeth during their conversation, the smallest of nervous tics she'd allow her impeccable presentation. Ryuko reminded her of herself. Monster alike to monster, game master alike to web weaver. How was it in one of these funhouse mirrors?

She could feel Ryuko's display - her intent - even now, in the shadows of her magecraft, and it took a pooling of her own will to not balk in its face. Coventina was not delusional. She was selfish, unempathetic, and arrogant - but not delusional. She was being out-matched, and she'd have to find where she'd fit in before she was swallowed up by those bright eyes in the dark. "Our dance card is not yet punched, darling," and so she spoke as easily as she breathed, with apt frost and the phantom of a thought. "But I do insist on knowing my partners before the rhythm grips us both."

Her eyes would spare the briefest flicker to the portal offered and closed in the span of her response. "Nor would I mind a closer look at your ... craft." Her shoulders would slowly relax as Ryuko continued, unfurling her fingers until the shadows she had made as their barrier bled more and more translucent. No longer a threat of their privacy, but a coming promise of it. Her throat throbbed with that lingering lick of blood. "I'm willing to hear your pitch, Ryuko. You caught me unaware of your purpose here. As I understand more, you'll find me more ... receptive."

Her lips would quirk in the ghost of a smile. "You're offering, then, what: recruitment? I'm sure you know of my involvement in Phantom Lord, albeit a recent and ... thin acquaintanceship. Do you seek to poach me? My oh my ... none deny a monarch, do they?" Her tone shifted up, returning to a tease from the embers of her curiosity. "I will give you - your interest in me appears genuine. Now, mine in you ... it's increasing. What would you ask of me, truly? Where does this lead?"

"Ah~ At best as equals, but never being led~ You must make for quite a dominant dance partner." The dragon girl chimed in amusement as she allowed her body to relax more when the tension in the air started to fade. "All you had to do was ask~ I don't mind sometimes having someone on top." A playful quip that followed with a slight nod of her head.

"mhmm~ My informant did mention your involvement with Phantom Lord. The organization that lurks in Oak's shadows. Yet for all the fear and awe the name inspires, isn't it odd that they are forced to linger in the darkness, as if afraid of the consequences their actions will bring."

A light shift of her body, a slow sensual sway as she stepped closer, as if inviting the shadows that had been constructed to show her the way to Coventina as she continued. "I seek to poach you to something greater~ Mine is an organization with far greater freedom, unbeholden to none but your own rules. A group that seeks these with ambition and the desire to turn their dreams into reality."

Finally she stopped, once more in front of Coventina as she smiled. "Yeh who desires so much, yet deserves even more~ Why allow this city, this acquaintanceship with the Phantom to serve thee only as a gilded cage? No, what you deserve is to soar freely in the sky, unfettered by chains of what society calls the norm."

Finally she arrived at the business part, her pitch made and the offer on the field. "Power, true freedom, prestige, indeed I offer much, but such terms must come at a price, right?"

She brought a hand to her chin, a finger lightly trailing along the slight curving of her lips that formed a smirk. "The price is a simple one~ Your companionship~ I seek only these who interest me, and who I believe will contribute to the order in their own way. After all trivialities like loyalty and love can be so shifting... Certainly, passion is not unknown to me, and I like to indulge in it. But above all I seek these whose ambitions and actions could leave a mark upon the world. And I believe given time, some encouragement and... perhaps letting you lead a 'dance or two', will help you find that which you desire, and in return give me that which I long for~"

A soft hum followed as she finally leaned closer to Coventina, whispering temptingly into her ear. "Devote thy body to me, and in return I will see you shall be granted a power mortals can only dream of. Meals that would make Oak sound like scraps in a bin and the opportunity for you to pursue your ambitions with a certain encouragement you won't find elsewhere."

She leaned back and smiled, her hand trailing to her side. "Yet I did promise to let you lead this dance so. Show me your interest~ If you are willing to pursue a path others can only dream about in their wildest fantasies then take the step~"

A soft smile lingered as she hummed Coventina's teasing remark. "Indeed, none deny a monarch~ Especially when she comes offering a treasure that would otherwise be out of reach, a fair price it is then that what she asks in return is a price that would be out of most mortals their reach as well~"

The raise of a brow to cast a dim shadow over the piercing crimson that didn't so much as sway from Ryuko's face, tracing her bone structure on every movement of her lips before centering again in her eyes. The contact was established and kept. Coventina didn't glower; she observed. Brought a little curl to the side of her mouth, a quirked half-smile. "You'll find me rarely willing to ... concede control, my dear." Her every word trailed off her tongue as if it could be either a joke or genuine temptation, if not a warning. There were many tones within her airy rumble. "After all ... I'm good where I'm at, and what I do. You understand this, yes?" She'd tempt the way she'd lean forward, tilting her head beneath that dark curtain of hair. Grin, just for a show of teeth - a conspiracy, not a threat. "You understand. We're alike, you and I, Ryuko ..., darling."

A soft exhalation. She ponders the woman's words - her offer - with a genuine interest in the previously unsettled red of her gaze. It softens as the risk seems to leave their conversation, finding once more fair footing with the cards on the table and nothing left up a sleeve. Not unless they meant to drag it out along with the arms until they got all tangled up. Coventina took the chance to picture this in the span of time before she replied, drinking in Ryuko as she would a particularly vintage bottle of wine. So very red, in either case. Her tongue clicked at the roof of her mouth, laughing. "Now, isn't that a bold statement here in Oak. Do you criticize Phantom Lord, sweet tyrant?" The shadows crept. They meant to accept Ryuko in her boldness and courage, the way she moved, and both coalesced and gave way around the figures of the two women in a path between them - sparks flying off the remnant of the magic seal on her fingers. "Not quite, is it? You just seek more than what they can offer ... some of us, we deserve more, don't we?"

Her hand found Ryuko's cheek - pretense dripping from the gentle curve of her touch, cupping it with a rub of her thumb. She stood a little straighter, intensity building in her starving crimson. It would take more than blood to satiate Coventina Carmen. The Countess had a hunger for many things. She wouldn't chase her if Ryuko pulled back, made space - she simply didn't expect it. Not with the certain ... vivre she had shown. "Freedom ... you say? You know ... people like me, my dove, they choose this gilding for a reason. We like gold." Her words punctuated, popping out of her mouth with a somewhat lecherous growl. "Do you offer me something prettier? I'm quite vain, I'll have you know."

The smile she offered might be thin, might be tight, but it was real; it was that of a predator, one that she presumed Ryuko to share. Her cheeks looked so sharp in the turn of the bar's light, creeping through this translucent film of shadows as they flickered and her attention thieved. She pressed her finger against the side of Ryuko's lip, the gentlest brush of a nail to trace a curve. "You and I, Ryuko the Tyrant: we seek the same things from life. We surround ourselves ... with the same ideals. You want me, you say? This ... indulgence?"

Coventina couldn't care less about influencing the world. She couldn't care more for filling the black hole her wintry heart had become over the years. Ryuko was correct. She didn't care for loyalty or love. She had a passing interest in passion as a fancy. She wanted ... more. She wanted to be 'it.' That power. This power. What Ryuko had ... and what she offered, and Coventina closed the distance with a sweeping step to loom against the other woman with an intent hand holding her face. She purred to Ryuko. She'd whisper back, her elven ear twitching still from Ryuko's own seduction. "I don't do devotion. I do destruction. You'll find my passion ... calamitous. You will have my power, you can even have my body ...," her voice came husky, a distinct warmth in breath that had done nothing but freeze to this moment. Her eyes burned. This wouldn't be the first or last time she exploited her assets for her ambitions. "As long as I receive yours ... in ... kind."

She grips her. "How do my terms sound to you ... partner?"

She certainly could offer Coventina far more than the gilded cage she dwelled in right now. Certainly, one might believe that someone like Coventina would belong to the night, to remain concealed in the shadows of darkness, but Ryuko didn't believe in such restraint, no... not even if self-imposed. She observed every move Coventina made, every little detail in her voice, her mannerisms, her actions. She had come here for a reason, and that reason was right in front of her, making her move. "You want me?" Ryuko whispered, a hint of disbelief in her tone as her smile turned into a smirk. "You certainly got your way with bartering~"

A soft hum followed, and despite it taking only a moment, Ryuko's mind stirred into the possibilities: She wanted Coventina by her side, this was not just a matter of fleeting passion or lust, she needed someone with potential, someone who could contribute to the order in ways the others couldn't. Someone like Karstaag might fit in the order due to his desire for glory and his aptitude for physical confrontations, Coventina's role was entirely different. No, she would be the one to help advance her plan to the next stage, even if what that plan was had yet to be mentioned.

"Very well~ If that is what you desire~" A hand trailed along Coventina's back, attempting to hold her close as the dragon girl answered by seeking out Coventina's lips once more. Yet this time there had not been any trickery at play, nay this was clearly a display of unrestrained passion, and after a moment she finally leaned back just lightly, her face just mere inches away from Coventina's.

"Come Cov, let us go somewhere more appropriate. After all, I feel the need to show you how I treat my partner."

She gently raised a hand to the side, a brushing motion being all it took to open the pathway to her personal dimension, yet unlike before she attempted to playfully swoop Coventina off her feet, a teasing smirk lingering on her lips. "Forgive me for leading this part of the dance--- I'll let you resume the lead momentarily."

Carrying the lady of the night as she stepped through the portal they would soon arrive at what appeared to be an enclosed space of sorts. A stylish throne chamber, a round table of pure white marble at the far end of one side, a throne at the center of the room and what appeared to be a living quarters of the highest quality at the other.

As they arrived she gently lowered Coventina back onto her feet and hummed softly. "Here we are, my own personal dimension, utmost privacy and luxury, only I and these who sworn their existence to the Monarch of Dragons can enter this realm."

A hand gently attempted to intertwine with Coventina's own, fingers locking together as she attempted to beckon her closer to the living quarters, one step after another till... "I should warn you however~ As passionate as it might get, there is a reason our barter includes the body." She turned toward Coventina, a smile lingering upon her lips. "I promised my own in return- and that you will receive, but know that receiving me and my essence could change you... remarkably over time. It's not unlike lycanthropy or vampirism, but in this case it is likely that continuous exposure to me when it comes to... more passionate encounters will make you become closer to me in kin."

A hum followed "I did promise something about letting you lead the next part of our dance~"

It wasn't so much a dance in motion as one on the landscape of their thoughts and ... dreams, though alike more to fantasies in the moment of their speech. Her every breath was a rondo. Her every touch a step. She was leading Ryuko in a waltz as they stood so still, pressed so close, the cold of her skin burning along Ryuko's arm - her cheek - her lips. She sighs against her with a laugh ghosting behind the soft exhalation, heaving chest to chest. She strokes the other woman. Teases the side of her mouth with a perfect nail, parting her lips and returning the opening in kind. "I've been around awhile, dearest Ryuko ... I'm good at many things." 

She was smiling within the embrace the two shared. It bared her fingers along a slight glance and the plush of Ryuko's kiss, drawing a lap of the blood she had offered before and this time on more ... steady terms. Passion, returned. A hand in platinum tresses only for black to bond to its lighter shades the way shadows chased the light, mixing hair and mouths and warmth and a sound so sweet, so low -- and she breaks the kiss, drawing her tongue back into her mouth with a spot of red and a vivid glow to carnelian eyes.

Her hand would slide into the other's as easily as if it was always meant to fit there, Coventina watching from her full height with a look of utmost bemusement; desire, as well, smoldering with the rattle of a bond being forged and vow sealing between the two. The clock ticked down. It was getting too late to back out. "Please, I'm not so selfish." A lie, was it? More a jest. A wry chuckle. "You may." This gave Ryuko full leave for the following moments, slipping into the portal with an atmosphere of intoxication to settle on both sets of shoulders and within every huff of air. This had turned out lucrative for Coventina ... and she saw it only becoming moreso with the passing seconds, stuck to Ryuko like her shadow. She only laughed when she was hoist with surprising strength that whisked her off her feet and away like a simple bride, choosing to find the amusement in the scene. Her shadows dispersed, falling like a curtain's close - or a guillotine - behind them, gone by the time the pathway shut with them inside.

"My, Ryuko," she purred to her. "What big, strong arms you have." She would roll her neck, lavishly looping an arm around Ryuko's own and tracing down the side of her throat. Her eyes scanned, appearing languid, but came away with precise information of every detail she caught in the span of a blink. Ryuko wasn't going to try anything now, regardless -- she was about to keep her very occupied. A hum. "And what a lovely place you have, as well. You know how to treat a lady."

A finger graced under her chin, Coventina's eyes finding Ryuko's once more. "Why don't I show you how I treat one?"

There was something small there. A flicker. A moment of concern at Ryuko's words, a telling bite of just what Coventina had gotten herself into; and she dismissed it with a look that said she believed what she said. "I decide what happens to me. You'll learn I have the final call on how I spend my perdition ... so allow me simply to partake, and partake, and partake," her lips began to pop with the growl behind them, "and I'll make sure you find your own ... benediction."

That was their call to finalize their little deal, if the way Coventina's lips moved to hunt Ryuko's was no other indication.

[ exit ]