Sleepwalker [Complete]

[Lanae Ofnowhere]

The fact that Katarya did not reject the proposition outright was more than a good side. Lanae smiled inwardly, inordinately pleased that she appeared to consider it seriously. Perhaps it was because her reasoning had been sound; an astonishing achievement when one took into account how disjointed her thought patterns could be at times.

In the moment it seemed like Katarya would accept, it would have been easy to get overconfident. She buried her excitement beneath the placid calm she wore on the surface, though she could not help but to smile benignly at the witch, the way one would look at a child that had done something quaint.

Lanae retracted her hand and lifted her fingertips to her lips. "He will not notice because there will be nothing to see," she said, making a show of caressing the pad of her index finger across the flesh of her bottom lip. "I can remove the marks I make."

That much she had learned and was willing to share. Knowing what she did about society and its feelings towards creatures with her nature, it was generally a good idea to conceal evidence of her existence. Beasts in the wild would disguise their hunting grounds, and so would she.

"As to the rest," she began, her manner still calm, speech still measured, "I have never experienced such a thing."

That was the truth insofar as Lanae was concerned; she hadn't sensed a bond like Katarya described. Whether that was because her prey typically died when she finished with them or some failing on her part was up for debate. Either way, it was not information she deigned to voice. Instead, Lanae brought her hand down from her mouth and stretched it towards Katarya again, this time to beckon her nearer.

"Come here," she murmured, and her voice was like silk to the ears: cool and criminally soft. "You will not hate it, I promise you."

[Katarya Frost]

Katarya's heart pounded, so much so that she was surprised it was not audible in the still night air ... though she suspected Lanae could feel it .. i t made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

But what Katarya wast best it, and her worst trait to those around her, was her impulsivity; her constant quick-minded decision making with few thoughts regarding consequences and possible ramifications on the people in her life. It was not that Kat was stupid, or that she did not see these things, it was that her capacity to attach the emotions others might feel; shame, regret, sorry ... they had less hold on her than the average person. She did want *she* wanted, and got what *she* wanted, first and foremost.

Kat reached up, pushing her braid over her shoulder, pulling the high collar of her black dress down to her chest, and lifting her chin. "Do it." She said, almost as if she were commanding Lanae to do so.

[Lanae Ofnowhere]

If Lanae were alive, surely her heart would have been racing, too, for the long-awaited moment was upon her. Then again, if she were alive, neither she nor Katarya would be in her wagon in the middle of the night between one destination and another. Nor would she be about to sup on the witch's blood, which called to her with such a siren song that could not be ignored.

With no regard for the unconscious Karl, Lanae moved to a spot directly beside Katarya. She reached out and placed her hand lightly against the side of her neck. Compared to the flesh of a living creature, her skin was as cold and smooth as marble albeit not nearly as hard. Likely it came as a physical shock, but Lanae did not take her hand away or allow it to be shook off.

Sliding her around to cup the back of Katarya's skull, her fingertips effectively buried in the thick hair gathered there, Lanae drew the woman closer. It was a testament to her willpower that she did not yank their bodies together even though the impulse was strong. The effect was more akin to reeling in a fish: slow and inexorable. All the while, she stared at the leaping pulse point in the column of Katarya's bared throat, opening her mouth wider and wider to reveal her fangs inch by terrifying inch.

Within moments, Lanae had her other arm coiled around the other woman's slim waist and tucked their bodies together neatly. The embrace was nothing short of intimate, but even that would seem platonic compared to the moment Lanae ducked her head and sank her fangs into the delicate flesh at the base of her neck. There was a flicker of pain, no greater than a pinch, before the inherent power of a korcai's bite kicked in, prompting the release of endorphins in a tidal wave.

Although she had no need of air, Lanae sighed with pleasure at the first taste of rich blood. It was the elixir of life, containing within it endless possibility rivaled only by the power of those ancient eidolons in stories of old. As she sucked the vital essence down, she could almost believe that they had been real, for it seemed that the very power of creation was there in Katarya's blood. All she needed to do in order to obtain it for herself was reach out and take it.

[Katarya Frost]

As Lanae's arm slid around her waist, and her other hand taking hold of her hair, Kat was breathing heavily. This whole situation could have been a dream ... or a nightmare. But when the cold, smooth skin of Lanae's hand touched her, a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold wen through her.

And then, Lanae lowered her head to Katarya's neck, and she was bitten.

The witch gave out a short gasp of pain at the bite, but it was soon gone. Instead, her she felt a rush through her body and mind, and she opened her mouth in a long, quiet moan. It felt so intimate, so warming, so wonderful. Indeed, if she were not near paralysed with the event, her body might have reacted with a back arched in pleasure, or knees that trembled.

Her mind was awash with colour, as it seemed to sing to her; it was how she imagined those who took hallucinogenic and euphoria enhancing herbs must have felt. She bathed in the pleasure of the act.

But, the will inside her, the source of her personality, her pride, her magic ... it also exerted itself, allowing her only a short while of this dark pleasure. It then exerted itself over her, and she managed to raise a hand to Lanae's shoulder. "Enough," she breathed. She had to do so, or she felt like she might lose herself in the act altogether.

[Lanae Ofnowhere]

Whether or not Katarya was really a witch had never really been in much doubt. If there had been any, it was dispelled the moment her blood touched Lanae's tongue. Just as it was won't to do, magic permeated the fabric of her being, soaking her blood and leaving its indelible mark upon her. 

The first few droplets had burst like the juice of a ripe fruit and sizzled across her tastebuds. After the initial zing, of effervescence the flavor mellowed, deepening into something darker that did not lay on her palate as much as drift across it. Katarya tasted like long, sleepless nights; subtle but enduring. It appealed to Lanae, who related to this sensation on an intrinsic level, and who now understood that there might have been more truth to the witch's concern regarding memories indirectly absorbed.

Caught up in her analysis, the revelations contained within, and the act of sating her hunger, Lanae did not register Katarya's call for a halt immediately. She continued to drink, though she was no longer taking such deep gulps, and her arms remained firmly locked around the slightly smaller woman, binding them together. The light touch to her shoulder penetrated only as far as her peripheral awareness -- as opposed to her greater consciousness -- and she responded to it with a guttural growl of warning. The sound sent a vibration through her lips where they were sealed to Katarya's neck, but she did not break away.

A slight shift in the air finally prompted Lanae to take notice. Opening her eyes unleashed the dim yellow light of her irises and brought the wagon and its contents into focus. In the dark, the sleek black shape of Katarya's familiar loomed over them, watchful and plainly agitated. While she felt no concern for the spirit trapped within, part of her had the presence of mind to acknowledge cultivating an alliance with the witch might be more beneficial in the long-term. Later, when she was paddling through the broken pieces of her thoughts, she'd wonder why it mattered.

For the time being, Lanae broke the seal of her mouth around Katarya's neck and withdrew her fangs. Her grip softened, allowing for a greater freedom of movement. She hoped that would be sufficient reassurance while she laved her tongue over the bite wound, sealing the punctures and erasing the evidence of her feeding altogether.

Lanae straightened a minute later but she did not retreat to the other side of the wagon. Looking down at Katarya, her touch was almost affectionate as they restored order both to her garments and her hair. Laces were retied, buttons redone, and hair carefully arranged around her shoulders, all very gently and seemingly with the utmost care for their wearer in mind.

Her demeanor was not the only thing that had changed: the bestial luminosity had faded from Lanae's eyes, leaving behind perfectly normal hazel ones in their place, and her skin had a more lively flush about it. There was still something disquieting about her, but she appeared less alarming in the immediate moment.

"There," Lanae cooed softly, soothing the last lock of inky hair into place over Katarya's left breast. "All better. Good as new."

[Katarya Frost]

Kat had grown alarmed when Lanae had not stopped the moment she had asked ... but what had she expected? Lanae was hungry and Kat had just put a big hot meal right in front of her.

There was something about the act, though. Her eyes had near rolled into the back of head as Lanae had withdrew, and had began to touch her with dark intimacy, like they were lovers after a tryst. Nyx had watched all of this and made no move against the Korcai ... that was reassuring, in itself. The whole point of a familiar was to detect danger.

As Lanae puled back slowly, Kat found herself feeling physically tired, but mentally exhilarated. "Well ... that was certainly something! Not what I had planned when I chose to pick up a batch of herbs and vials!" She reached up and cupped the Kocai's face in her hand, searching her eyes and watching the change in her. "Amazing." She whispered. No one has made me feel like that for a long time, not even him," she flicked her head to Karl's still slumbering form. She removed her hand. "He'll be awake soon, I should ... I should take care of his memory." She rubbed her eyes. "Which will probably knock me out! You have left me a little weakened." Still, she did not move from Lanae's side. "What will you do, now?" She asked, genuinely curious.

[Lanae Ofnowhere]

Lanae didn't seem bothered by Katarya's hand on her cheek, making no effort either to move away or shake it off. The smooth skin underneath it was faintly pink with the flush of fresh blood and cool to the touch rather than deathly cold if she was inclined to notice. If one did not scrutinize her as closely as Katarya was in that moment she might be able to pass for human, albeit an eerie one.

Katarya's remark sought to draw a comparison between the experience Lanae had just given her and whatever passed for pleasure with Karl. For this korcai, delights of the flesh began and ended with the act of feeding; whatever she recalled of liaisons in the past, however she might want to miss them, the simple fact was that they paled next to what she and Katarya had just done. 

Disinterest or no, that didn't stop her from deriving a kind of smug satisfaction for a job well done, or from slanting a singularly dispassionate glance towards the slumbering Karl. What little she knew of him based on the last several minutes, she surmised he was inconvenient more often than he was useful.

Lanae's reverie was broken by Katarya's inquest into her future plans. Pulling her gaze from the incapacitated Karl, she turned it towards the night-drenched world beyond the wagon and seemed to consider her response. She had yet to draw breath except to talk, and she did not really blink. The absence of these two relatively small signs of life rendered her little more than a statue.

"Return to the woods," she said without inflection and without expanding further. 

Another brief silence passed before Lanae looked down at the man at their feet again. Her eyes were cold and unfeeling as she extended a leg and pressed the sole of her foot against the side of Karl's head. She applied just enough pressure to avert his face from them and expose his neck.

"He is as much a threat to you as anyone else is." Lanae had dropped back into Elvish, though whether she did so intentionally or not was unclear. She cocked her head and fixated on the gently pulsing vein at the base of Karl's throat. "You could leave him. I can protect your secrets."

[Katarya Frost]

Katarya arranged her clothes, so that she was once again covered up. The witch had had her fun, now it felt like the hangover after a nice of sweet wine; the ecstasy of the moment fading. "Living out in the woods doesn't sound that appealing. But then, I guess we're very different, you and I."

She was glad no marks had been left; that would have taken so much explaining to too many people; Artemis for a start, not to mention Dáire and the Elves of the Hart. She wasn't ashamed, but did fear the consequences if she were found out.

Kat was a little concerned when Lanae mentioned leaving Karl behind. "I think not." She said. "He might have a brick where his brain should be, but he is useful to me." She rubbed her brow, something she did when she was tired or stressed. "I am sure someone with your 'talents' can have any man she desires. This one, however, belongs to me."

She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure who should be thanking who, but that was quite an experience, if a little draining in every sense of the word. But I think it's time we parted ways. She looked the Korcai in the eyes as she spoke. "I hope we can do so in an amicable manner."

[Lanae Ofnowhere]

"We are," Lanae agreed flatly. Without looking up she continued, adding, "In one hundred years, you will be dead."

The rest Katarya had to say didn't garner a reply nor much of a reaction. Lanae deigned to take her foot off of Karl, replacing it on the wagon floor, and she moved her eyes elsewhere, but that was the extent of it. Like her afterglow, the korcai's interest was waning and cracks were reopening in the pathways of her mind, breaking up her thoughts.

As coherence slipped away on moment at a time, the more withdrawn and preoccupied she seemed, as if caught in a waking dream. Lanae's apparent ambivalence translated in wordless action. Katarya indicated that they should part and she stood up as if to oblige her. Reaching out, she took her scythe from where she left it and padded towards the tailgate at the back of the wagon. Silently and without a backward glance, Lanae stepped through the opening and dropped down to the ground below.

The cool breeze touched her face and pulled invisible fingers through her hair. There was no sound but Lanae could swear she heard the woods of her home, not so terribly far away, beckoning her back. Her brows furrowed, betraying an anxiety she would rather not feel.

Pulling on the knot of magic within herself, Lanae moved through the earth, effectively disappearing from one place and reappearing in another several yards away. One moment she was in Katarya's line of sight, gone the next. Where she once stood, the small tufts of grass that had struggled to grow in the middle of the road were blackened and decidedly dead. The trees at the edge of the forest rustled with her passing as she walked back into their midst. In her wake, their once powerful limbs shriveled and sank, and leaves rained down; brown, dry, and devoid of life.

[Katarya Frost]

Kat watched Lanae withdraw, and let loose a long breath; she hadn't even known she had been holding her breath.

Watching the Kocai's display of power made her grateful that that she had not had to fight, for she would surely have lost. She felt light headed and felt as if she could sleep for a week. But Karl's slumbering and memory needed to be taken care of. She could sleep for a week!

Shaking herself to try and wake herself up, she couldn't help but touch her neck. There was no trace she had ever been bitten. "Thank Ny'tha ..." She whispered, and then went over to Karl. She placed her hands on his head and tried to focus. Cuivië she whispered.

Karl groaned, opening his eyes for a moment, before they began to droop shut.

"Ny'tha nambá ta!" She cursed, tiredly. Instead of trying again, she slapped him hard across the cheek.

Karl jerked awake, his eyes wide. "What ... what the ..." He looked around, wildly, then settled on Kat, whom he immediately grabbed and hugged her close. "I thought I'd lost you!"

Kat grimaced, pushing him away. "What by Ny'tha are you talking about?" She got into the seat next to him, acting as if he were simply being silly. "You fell asleep, you idiot." She did feel a twinge of guilt at how quickly she had been willing to let the vampire feed on him. Would she have stopped, if Kat had let her? "And what have I told you about touching me?" She added, coldly.

Looking thoroughly wounded, Karl took the reins and gave them a flick; he was used to her harsh words, but he loved her regardless. When her head came to rest on his shoulder as they rode, he reached up and stroked her cheek. "No one will ever love you like I do," he said, softly. "I'll make sure of that."