It was startling to see such an event happening, but Sigried was the type of girl that accomplished exactly what she'd set out to do, and so, after being away from Lucien for a few days, she'd grown restless and sought him out. She'd plucked the wherabouts of the guild from his mind effortlessly beforehand, so this wasn't much of a challenge.
Heels clicked against the walk as she strode straight through the front doors, hips swaying in that way only a serpent could manage - ah, but this was Sigried, and she was so much more than that. Beware any serpiente in the Onyx guild, because suddenly they would be drawn to the woman dressed in a dark brown number with the wavey hair.
She only had eyes for Lucien, though, and she ignored the questions as she reached for him, fortunate to have found him with his back turned, speaking to a petite brunette.
"Hello, sweet prince," she purred, fingers gently pressing down on the spot between his neck and shoulder that people often complained would ache. She kneeded it gently, and for now, used no forcable power save her natural serpent charm.
She'd only turn it up if Lucien hesitated to recieve her well.
Ebere had, when he'd finally cornered her to find out what was wrong with her trainee, informed Lucien of Ritya's sickness. She'd hinted, without really telling him, at what was wrong, and so he'd opted to go find Ritya to figure it all out himself. It took him a matter of about 20 seconds to realize that the boy had not only been infected by a shifter, but that it had been an avian. All he'd needed was to get a hint of Ritya's temperature, and he figured it out, for the most part.
He'd been in the process of trying to work it into conversation to ask the boy what kind of bird he was, but he didn't quite get that far before someone came up behind him. No, not someone.
Her.
It took him an effort to keep his thoughts together with her rubbing at his back like that and talking to him, but he somehow managed it. He wasn't nearly as bad off as he'd been the first time, having been eating and sleeping a bit better without working himself to the bone. That didn't mean he really stood all that much of a chance, though. She'd already gotten in enough that he trusted her too much to just turn her away.
"Ah, hello," he told her with a smile, but he made no move to fall into her touch or the like. He was with a trainee, and that was hardly appropriate behavior. He turned his attention to Ritya again, much preferring to finish what he was doing before she walked up before retreating to his office to see what had brought her to the Guild.
The fact that she was there didn't seem out of place in the least.
Ritya knew that word spread quickly in confined places, but geez. Already the Guild Leader was seeking him out to get the scoop. Ebere had mentioned that other shifters would know what he was almost on sight, and if not on sight than at least on sniff (so to speak). The conversation Lucien started up was light. Idle. Transparent enough that Ritya was almost certain the man was leading up to something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what.
The conversation didn't get that far, though. Some unknown, very good-looking girl walked up behind Lucien and started... Ritya refrained from using the phrase "feeling him up", but TMI and PDA both crossed his mind. The snake made an effort to get back to the conversation, but Ritya wasn't sure he wanted to be discussing his personal life issues with strangers around. Especially one who felt as funny as she did. The part of him that was a bird didn't like her.
"I can..." He pointed over his shoulder, in the opposite direction of Lucien and his "guest". "You know. Come back another time."
Well, Sigried only took about a second to figure out what was going on - you didn't get to live to be 600+ years old and not know how to put together a situation as quickly as you could walk into it. She let go of Lucien's shoulder, surprisingly, and smiled to the boy he was speaking with. It was a predatory smile to the avian in him, but the human in him... no, fuck that. She flat out gave him the cheshire grin that said, quite plainly, "I will eat your children."
"Of course, dear," she said, turning her attention back to Lucien for the moment. She straightened the collar on his shirt and smiled. "I'll just find something to occupy my time 'til your done." She gave him a light pat and then walked away as suddenly as she had come, to sit down on a nearby bench and flip through a magazine someone had left sitting down.
No, Ritya wouldn't know why she bothered him so, but he would know that she did. The vampire was still waiting to drop the powerbomb on Lucien, though. It might be too obvious, especially in front of that stupid bird.
He'd actually begun to consider Ritya's offer to talk again another time because of Sigried, but she went on to prove just how amazing she really was when she excused herself to go wait while they talked. She was so understanding, so easy to get along with. He loved it.
It should have been odd to see him with a woman who quite obviously wasn't Tsunai, though. And right there in the Guildhouse.
"Thank you, love," he told her happily, watching her go take a seat, and returned to the conversation at hand, as it was. He'd forgotten where he'd been, and wasn't feeling especially patient right then, though. He didn't want to keep Sigried waiting while he danced around the subject distractedly. Thus, he finally just sighed and came right out with it.
"You're a shifter now, an avian, aren't you?" he asked, being direct to get this taken care of. "What kind, and how exactly did it happen?"
Ritya was starting to think that maybe, for real, it wasn't such a bad thing to be a shifter. Those senses told him when things were strange, before thost things smiled at him in ways that made his skin crawl. Who WAS this woman, and why was the Guild Leader, of all people, acting like she was the sweet young thing next door? He even called her "love"!
Was Lucien just stoned, and nobody knew?
The question snapped Ritya back to the here and now, or at least the here and now that included paying attention to words. He blinked, processing. So he'd been right about the point of this conversation. "I- Yeah. Golden hawk, apparently I'm pretty rare. How it happened was... a little strange and kinda complicated..." His eyes traveled to the woman sitting on the bench. "Are you sure you don't want me to come back later?"
No, Lucien wasn't stoned. At least, not in the traditional sense. Sigried's power was truly taking its toll, though. He didn't even notice it. Instead, he nodded to acknowledge what Ritya was saying, frowning at the mention of the circumstances of his infection being 'strange and complicated'. That definitely required a bit of an explanation. He glanced at Sigried at the boy's question, though.
He wanted to just tell Ritya to come back later, when he wasn't preoccupied thinking about her, but he couldn't really guarantee that his thoughts would be free of her influence even then. He might as well get business taken care of right then and there. "No, it's fine, Ritya. I just want to keep track of how you're doing. You've been spending time with Ebere to come to understand what's happening to you?" he asked, wanting to be sure that the boy was being taken care of.
"I do want to know what happened, with a bit more detail, but it can wait if you'd be more comfortable in private. You can also stop by my office at any time if you have questions or need any kind of help, alright? You should have gone to Doctor Mitchell immediately instead of hiding in your room. I need your word that you won't do something foolish like that again." The last thing Lucien wanted was for someone to be injured or sick and just hide out until they got worse or even died. There was no reason for it, and no excuse.
Ritya nodded; yes, he was getting help from Ebere. And a little from Kazuo, as well, but he wasn't going to bring it up and create more conversation. Dom hadn't seen him as a bird, yet, and it was going to stay that way.
Lucien continued, and Ritya knew he was being patronized. It didn't surprise him, he knew he'd been stupid. Any intelligent person would have found a doctor the second their temperature spiked to one hundred and five. But Ritya had lain in his room, doing nothing, and could have potentially caused his own death. Lucien was well within his rights to be concerned. Ritya nodded, saying, "Yeah, I promise. It was kinda dumb. And I think it would be better to discuss my... circumstances in private." Just having the girl there was giving the skin around his feathers goosebumps. He wanted very badly to leave, his hawk side was having an absolute fit. "When do you want me to come back?"
Sigried rolled her eyes when nobody was looking and set the magazine down. Okay, Lucien had about five minutes to wrap it up before she just took it upon herself to explore. She wondered if there were any other Serpiente hunters she could use to her advantage? She tapped a finger on her lower lip for a moment and then stood, stretching out her arms.
She walked around the main vicinity, not leaving their eyesight, and looked at various things - pictures, a table, whatever. She was trying to amuse herself very hard, but Sigried really didn't find pleasure in just staring at random shit when there were more pressing matters at hand.
She caught Lucien's eyes finally and raised a brow pointedly, as if to say, Are you done? (He'd better wrap it up soon,) she thought to herself.
Lucien really was trying to be responsible and look out for Ritya, but Sigried was a very distracting part of his surroundings. When he saw the impatient look on her face, he was more than willing to rush this along. The last thing he wanted to do was make her wait. "Whenever," he said dismissively, waving his hand as a gesture with the word. "Soon. In the meantime, take care of yourself."
And with that said, he was off, going back to Sigried. That wasn't necessarily like him, but he hardly noticed. He had eyes only for that woman as he stepped up to the bench she was seated on. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, but that needed to be tended to. Would you prefer my office?" he asked, though he was already offering his hand as a gentleman. He knew she wasn't about to speak with him right there in the guild hallway, so his office was the obvious choice.
Man, whoever the creepy chick was, she had Lucien's number. His cell AND his home phone, from the looks of it. The second she started paying attention to Lucien, Lucien forgot all about Ritya, Ritya's life, and how Ritya's actions this month could have ended said life. So, again: who WAS the creepy chick?
"Yeah, sure," he replied to Lucien's bland dismissal. "Whenever"? Huh? Maybe Lucien WAS stoned. Or drunk. Or more eager for alone time with Miss Creepy Whoever-She-Was than for an explanation on sudden, drastic life changes of his guild members. Yeah, because who gave a shit about Lucien's guild, anyway.
So maybe Ritya, in the deepest, darkest part of him that was still five, had been kinda looking forward to bragging to Lucien all about his new shifter side, what with how rare and powerful and GORGEOUS it was. It struck him as odd, Lucien's behavior, because usually Lucien was terribly interested in what went on with him. Whether that was personal interest or just because Ebere employed him to kick Ritya's butt once a week, he didn't know. But getting the brush off like this from a person like the Guild Leader kinda hurt.
Well, whatever. Ritya had other things to do, like shower. And preen. Or shower and then preen. He liked the sound of that, all that warm spray getting the dust off his feathers so they'd dry crisp and light and fluff perfectly once they were beak-cleaned and fixed into place...
Goddammit, Ritya muttered to himself as he strode back down the hall the way he came. I really am a freaking bird, aren't I?
"Oh it's quite alright," she said cheerfully, though she shot Ritya an Eat Shit and Die look as she caught him stealing a glance at them while departing. She turned her full attention back to Lucien. Ah, now.
"Your office? Or wherever, I really don't mind. I just felt like dropping by to keep you company for a short while. If you have pressing matters at hand, I can give you leave for a while. I simply had some free time," she said with a smile. Ah, sweet Sigried. Thinking of him. How... thoughtfully evil.
"How has your day been going, dear? You still look a little tired, have you slept well?" Ah, Sigried was all touchy-feely now, rubbing his shoulder lightly as she spoke to him. Sometimes one might wonder if Sigried would have been sane if she'd just been left alone, but it was hard to say. She simply was what she was.
"Nonsense. Nothing I had planned is too important to reschedule," he assured her, one of the main things having been the talk with Ritya. He'd already rescheduled it. "I can assure you, the company is appreciated."
He'd been busy, as had the other two guild leaders lately, in trying to ensure Guild security after Kain's attack on Onyx itself. Two immensely powerful vampires had been permitted to traipse into the guildhouse, toss a few hunters around, and then just leave. He wouldn't allow it to happen again. Sigried didn't count, either. To him, she was proof that there were good vampires out there, and he had no problems with leading her to his office for some privacy in which to talk. The entire Guild didn't have to be privy to his personal matters, and that was especially true when she started rubbing his shoulder. He already didn't get enough close contact for a serpiente, and her touch was like magic anyway. He liked it far too much to worry about working.
"To be honest, no, I haven't. Tsunai seems to have shifted her sleeping patterns with her pregnancy, so our schedules don't mix and I usually don't have the heart to fall asleep on her, the Guild's been busy, and I've been in contact with Batten and Shane trying to enhance Guild security. There's a lot to do," he explained to her. And why shouldn't he? She'd asked, and he saw no reason to lie. He trusted her.
She gestured to the chair at his desk. "Sit, then, darling, let me rub your shoulders a while?" she offered. Her voice was liquid and silk, and everything warm that the Serpiente would drown himself in, she was certain. She smiled, knowing that he would do what she said eventually, and offered her arm to lead him there.
"It sounds like you've been very busy," she offered. "I had no idea how important your position was. It must be terribly time-consuming to run a Guild. I feel so fortunate that you can take time out of your busy day for my silly attentions," she said, cocking her head and giving him a coy smile.
Ah, Sigried was a master at manipulation. And she laced some of her power into her voice as she spoke, willing him to just relax. Lucien was far, far too strung out for her taste. He was so much more pleasant when he was calm and serene.
Sigried really was a miracle worker. Lucien had been strung out for awhile, and his only saving grace was that shifters really couldn't catch any illnesses. It made working himself into a coma so much more convenient, since it wouldn't allow him to kill his immune system to the point that he'd get ill. He rather liked that fact, but his situation had left him rather frustrated. Tsunai was unpredictable, to the point that he could never really know when was a good time to approach her for affectionate contact, so he avoided it most of the time. He was usually dead-tired while they were together anyway, so he really didn't have the patience to bother with anything.
Sigried was a different story, though. She was there, talking sweet to him and putting him at ease, and offering a shoulder rub, and he saw no reason to refuse her.
"Thank you," he told her gratefully, allowing himself to be led to his chair and already beginning to relax ever so slightly just at the way she was speaking to him. "I like making your attentions first priority, love, and there's nothing silly about them."
Love? What was that about, then? Sigried actually paused in her thoughts, though she was old enough and smart enough by now not to stammer in her motions, and continued rubbing his shoulders lightly as though nothing at all was wrong. She frowned when he wasn't looking though, and made a note to consult Elke about this later on.
"Where is that fianc?e of yours, anyways?" she asked. Tsunai. Ah, the bane of her existance, at the moment, anyways. She still hadn't decided what to do about that disgusting Serpiente whore, but she was certain to figure it out eventually. She decided she'd test the waters and gauge where Lucien stood on the matter.
Lucien took no notice of any displeasure or confusion she may have had regarding his comment, and didn't think twice about it. In fact, he'd just managed to relax more than he had since...well, since the last time she'd stopped by. Having her rub his shoulders felt positively divine, and his eyes slid shut in appreciation. Even without her snakey charm on full blast, he was enjoying her company perhaps a bit too much.
"She's probably at her apartment," he said softly, answering without even thinking. That was where Tsunai was most likely to be, since he usually stayed at the Guild or her place instead of his own apartment. He rarely used that place, and he didn't even think Tsunai had seen it yet. There hadn't been a reason for her to, and he hadn't had time.
"It's so awkward.. I know that both of you have busy schedules, but.." she trailed off. "I know if I had a fianc?, I'd want to spend an acceptable amount of time with him. She seemed very disinterested even when we last spoke." Ah, go Sigried. Spread that honeyed venom on thick.
"Really, Lucien. If she wasn't pregnant I'd suggest you found a woman who was more appreciative of you," she purred, and then she turned on the charm in a big way. It wasn't even like Sigried wanted him for herself, not really. She just liked getting into the middle of things and messing them up beyond recognition.
He actually didn't remember much of their last meeting, considering just how caught up in Sigried's power he'd been. He didn't question it, which just went to show how much he 'trusted' Sigried. Anyone else, and he'd have wondered why he was so fuzzy on it all. He DID remember that he'd been very taken with Sigried, and that Tsunai hadn't been around for long. The smaller details didn't really sink in, which was likely because they had to get past the happy memories of the vampire's company and attention.
Like right now, which would end up being a similar situation.
If he would have argued with her over Tsunai, it wasn't going to happen today. Her turning up her charm meant that his arguments went down, even about Tsunai. Especially about Tsunai, since that was one of the bigger conversation points that required the use of her snake charming ways.
"She's just hormonal because she's pregnant, I'm sure. She appreciates me," he said, which wasn't really arguing, but explaining why he was still with her. He tried to be understanding, considering Tsunai really hadn't done anything to deserve less. Had she?
Sigried snorted in displeasure and took her hands from his shoulders. Her power was saturating the office area, and even in her displeasure it was still as attractive as ever. She didn't walk away just yet, but put a hand on her hip in annoyance.
"Please, Lucien," she snapped. "That is just like women saying that they're being raging bitches because of PMS. Personally I think it's a load of bull, but then again, I haven't been human in a very long time. Maybe things are different now. Maybe it's acceptable for a person not to control themselves." The last bit was innocent, sing-song almost, like Sigried really and truly believed that it could be so.
Of course, she didn't. She was being her usual condescending, conniving self. She just didn't exist in any other form, not really. She walked away from his chair and around to the front of his desk, with an exasperated sigh. See? See what you did to her? She rubbed her temples and looked away.
He'd made that little attempt to defend his relationship with Tsunai, but that was all anyone could ever hope for in this situation. Sigried's power was so thick in the air that he had eyes only for her, and probably would have done whatever she wanted if she'd only ask. Sigried was too amazing, though. She wouldn't ask for anything horrible.
"You don't approve of Tsunai," he said, making it a statement. There was no question about it, but the problem was with the child. He had to admit, especially with her power swirling around him as it was, that she had very valid points. Was it really right, what Tsunai was doing? Sigried was right, it wasn't right or proper for a lady, particularly of his line.
"The problem isn't Tsunai, even. I can't just leave her, because of the baby. I can't have a bastard child running around like that," he pointed out. That was the big problem. They weren't married yet, so breaking an engagement wasn't difficult, it was the child.
"So push her down the stairs," she said lazily. She shrugged in a big way as she spoke, sounding unconcerned. "It isn't appropriate, and it speaks volumes about your positions on how people are treated. If you're going to let her talk down to you and deny you the company you deserve, than how will your subjects feel? Really, Lucien," she said sadly, shaking her head.
She walked back to him, patting him gently on the shoulder in a comforting manner. "I'm just trying to help you, darling. I want you to be happy." She smiled sweetly.
The problem with this whole situation was that, while what she suggested made him just STARE at her, she had a point about everything else. None of what was going on was appropriate, but he couldn't bring about the death of his own child. He couldn't live with himself if he did something like that.
He believed her, though. Of course she was only trying to help him, and she only wanted him to be happy. Since he'd met her, that's all she'd ever asked about, and tried to do for him. She wanted him to be happy. So, why was it so difficult?
Because he was with Tsunai, and she was pregnant.
That had been such a nightmare, having to stand there and deal with her telling four other men that the child she was carrying could just as easily be theirs as it was his. For that alone, he should have left her, but he'd forgiven her.
Did he regret it?
He sighed, shaking his head and looking up at her from where he was sitting. "This is just a complicated situation that I should have put a stop to when it first started. I should have known that being one of five potential fathers for her baby was a bad sign, but I wanted to trust her." He'd wanted to be good to her, but he could only handle so much.
Sigried watched him carefully, debating whether or not she should delve into his mind and just start playing off his weaknesses in the situation. She seemed to have done it already without meaning to; in any event, she had no intentions of loosening her stranglehold now.
"Has this ever happened before?" she asked, voice sympathetic and surprised. It still struck her as insane that Lucien had tolerated being a 'potential' father. She wondered how she could use that to her advantage.
It really WAS insane that Lucien had tolerated being a 'potential' father, and just Sigried's mere presence here was enough to stress that point to him, especially with her obvious surprise at the statement he'd made about it. This was all insane, and he'd let himself get into it.
"Not exactly this," he sighed, though it struck him that he was probably only making excuses again. "The first time we dated, she left me for her hunting partner. It was the last time I'd seen her until recently, and she left someone else to be with me."
Saying it out loud, he was suddenly wondering, along with the trouble with Tsunai having so many lovers when the baby news came about, what she was really doing. Even if she hadn't slept with anyone while she was with him, she'd still done a lot of sleeping around in a short period of time, and her record of jumping from relationship to relationship didn't look so good. What had he gotten himself into?
Sigried's tender touch changed swiftly, and she slapped him across the back of the head. "YOU TOOK HER BACK?" she asked incredulously, eyes wide. She really was surprised. "But you seemed so intelligent!" She was angry enough that her power began to saturate her immediate area, and Lucien would either have to resist or succumb, because Sigried wasn't having any on the fence moments right now.
She walked away from him as though disgusted. The fact that she could play this game so well spoke volumes of what she might have been as a mortal woman, but as a vampire she was slightly more twisted, more murderous. "I fear I might need to depart your company until you find your mind again," she snapped.
She stopped at the door and gave him a broken, sad expression. "I had such hopes for you."
Ooooh, snap.
She startled him so badly when she smacked him in the back of the head that he made a sound dangerously close to a yelp and jumped to his feet, his temper rising just as swiftly. Of course, it was practically smothered in the sudden wave of her power, and he took a long, slow breath, his eyes closing. He was a snake, and her power dealt with snakes, so what chance did he really have in resisting? Especially with her playing on his own small doubts, making them grow into monsters, he didn't even know he should resist.
"YES, I took her back, but I guess I shouldn't have," he told her, his voice rather miserable. How had he gotten into this situation? He'd been happier not that long ago. "I thought I wanted to give her a second chance, but maybe I was wrong. I had already decided I was giving her the chance when she told me about the baby situation, and it was decided that it was mine. I can't just abandon her if she has my heir, Sigried."
His very tone was all for her, and nothing like he usually spoke to people. It was almost pleading with her to understand, and not to be mad at him and leave. The best was what came next, though. "Please don't leave. I honestly don't know what to do about it all."
He didn't ask for help, not like that, ever.
She just made a small laughing sound and rolled her eyes, rocking her head back as a scoff caught in her throat. She let her eyes close for a moment, face skyward, allowing the storm of thoughts roll through her mind slowly.
"Lucien," she purred, lowering her head slowly, looking at him sidelong and with a lazy sort of gaze. "Really. Why don't you just find someone else? I'm sure there are plenty of pretty ssssnakes out there that know how to keep their legs crossed." She actually drew the 's' out on snakes, for whatever reason - mostly for effect, and because, well, it just sounded damn good coming from her lips.
"Maybe when you've proven to me that you have a little taste I'll stick around longer, but for now, you've simply aggravated me to the point where I feel it necessary to take my leave 'else I decide not to come back for a long while."
She opened the door and glanced over her shoulder. "Just let it go," she said, and while it sounded like an innocent suggestion of encouragement, it held all the intensity of a formal command.
She left briskly, uninterested in having the Cobriana chase her down the hall and make a scene. It was only in the breath of a second that she had vanished.
He didn't chase her.
He watched her go, her words ringing in his head, and his temper flared once more the instant she was out of range. He hated that she'd talked to him in that manner, and that she'd walked out, that he'd sunk so low as to plead with her only to have her leave anyway, and in general that he was so confused. He wasn't used to, nor did he like, being confused.
His fist connected with the top of his desk rather suddenly, and he hesitated for only a moment before he snatched up a jacket and stormed out of his office, obviously pissed off. Nobody in his guild would think to approach him right then, so he didn't bother speaking to everyone.
He needed some fresh air.