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[ Who even gets mail anymore? The envelope is a cheerful pink and red, and inside is a card from a "Secret Admirer" with a photo of a blonde woman from behind. She's smirking over her shoulder at the camera, her legs spread just enough to tease a sleek metal vibrator between her legs, her panties already wet with arousal.
Welcome to Duplicity, Charles Vane. xoxo ]
Welcome to Duplicity, Charles Vane. xoxo ]
[It's not all that late; and this is one of the seedier, less pretty bars in the Up, close enough to her office that she can go for a quick drink after work, before she heads home, and definitely somewhere that has low lights, shitty music, and cheaper beer.
She's sitting and having a drink when someone next to her - a local, probably, one of the Rubies or the other gang, Daphne doesn't know or care, starts to give her grief. Pretty pampered Dominant like you, and Daphne is doing her best, god knows. His hand is suddenly on her thigh.
But the Rage is inside of her, all the time, and sometimes-
-if she was a normal woman, she would dress him down, and then get out. If she were a normal woman, she might slap him, or leave.
She's not a normal woman.
The movement is fast enough that it's hard to follow, the smell of blood thick in her nose as she rams his head against the bar, once, twice, and wood cracking. He doesn't die because she makes sure it's the top of his head - the hardest part - that smashes into the wood, but there's blood everywhere.
Someone screams.
Someone tries to pull her away and her first reaction is turn and slice them open, only she's barely stopped by a single rational thought; the smell of the person pulling her back by her midriff.
The cold hits her better than anything else, calms her down better than anything else.]
Put me down.
[There's a very light growl in her voice. There's some blood on her hand, but none of it is hers.]
She's sitting and having a drink when someone next to her - a local, probably, one of the Rubies or the other gang, Daphne doesn't know or care, starts to give her grief. Pretty pampered Dominant like you, and Daphne is doing her best, god knows. His hand is suddenly on her thigh.
But the Rage is inside of her, all the time, and sometimes-
-if she was a normal woman, she would dress him down, and then get out. If she were a normal woman, she might slap him, or leave.
She's not a normal woman.
The movement is fast enough that it's hard to follow, the smell of blood thick in her nose as she rams his head against the bar, once, twice, and wood cracking. He doesn't die because she makes sure it's the top of his head - the hardest part - that smashes into the wood, but there's blood everywhere.
Someone screams.
Someone tries to pull her away and her first reaction is turn and slice them open, only she's barely stopped by a single rational thought; the smell of the person pulling her back by her midriff.
The cold hits her better than anything else, calms her down better than anything else.]
Put me down.
[There's a very light growl in her voice. There's some blood on her hand, but none of it is hers.]
[ He learned from Anne almost immediately where to find the best drinking between the Up and the Down. And when not the best, at least more like what they're used to. It's easier to be the thieves they are in places like this, with so many people distracted and struggling for their own resources. He's never actually considered himself lucky to be in a place like this, though, until it happens to coincide with some truly spectacular bloodletting from the woman who remains a tigress in his memory.
Hard not to let her finish, honestly - but this kind of thing brings guards very quickly. Even in the seediest places, you can never be sure who might be drawn to the violence. So he doesn't put her down until he can get her to the shadow of the wall, and shove her up against it, putting his body between hers and the entrance to the bar. It's pretty fucking obvious that she could defend herself if she has to, but he'd prefer if they weren't fucking bothered.
He looks behind them, and then back at her, eyes narrow. ]
What the fuck are you trying to do? Get tossed into Fuck Jail?
Hard not to let her finish, honestly - but this kind of thing brings guards very quickly. Even in the seediest places, you can never be sure who might be drawn to the violence. So he doesn't put her down until he can get her to the shadow of the wall, and shove her up against it, putting his body between hers and the entrance to the bar. It's pretty fucking obvious that she could defend herself if she has to, but he'd prefer if they weren't fucking bothered.
He looks behind them, and then back at her, eyes narrow. ]
What the fuck are you trying to do? Get tossed into Fuck Jail?
[The killer is awake, now; he's looking it in the eye. Before it was the glimmer of predator. Now it's the truth of it, the furious rage of it, and she wants to-
-she takes a breath.]
I was trying to slam his head through the bar.
[He's seen her feral in sex, willing and wanting. This is a slightly different side of her. Feral and violent. That said, she knows she fucked up, but her pride won't necessarily let her say it.]
I don't like it when people touch me like that when I don't know them. Or like them.
[She can feel the ripple of a shift up her back, the skin changing texture. Get it fucking together.]
I'm not going to go back and kill him.
-she takes a breath.]
I was trying to slam his head through the bar.
[He's seen her feral in sex, willing and wanting. This is a slightly different side of her. Feral and violent. That said, she knows she fucked up, but her pride won't necessarily let her say it.]
I don't like it when people touch me like that when I don't know them. Or like them.
[She can feel the ripple of a shift up her back, the skin changing texture. Get it fucking together.]
I'm not going to go back and kill him.
I don't believe you.
[ Best to be honest, right? But he's not actually holding her here, and even if he was, it's been made pretty fucking apparent that she could go right through him if she wanted. He's relying on her goodwill to keep her here, which for all he knows could be as thin as thread in this moment.
Does that mean he's going to change how he interacts with her? Fuck no. She's still smoking hot, and if anything, the savagery in her eyes makes him want to fight her and then fuck her, in that order. ]
You want them dead, kill them later. Because we're going to see guards here any minute. Let's go.
[ Best to be honest, right? But he's not actually holding her here, and even if he was, it's been made pretty fucking apparent that she could go right through him if she wanted. He's relying on her goodwill to keep her here, which for all he knows could be as thin as thread in this moment.
Does that mean he's going to change how he interacts with her? Fuck no. She's still smoking hot, and if anything, the savagery in her eyes makes him want to fight her and then fuck her, in that order. ]
You want them dead, kill them later. Because we're going to see guards here any minute. Let's go.
[She bares her teeth.]
I may lie to a lot of people-
[She doesn't finish that statement. She will absolutely lie to Charles, whenever her bottom line is more important than his. She takes a breath, and the killer relaxes, eases. The animal slips back, the humanity in her steps forward again.
There are Sin Guards, she can see them starting towards the bar, and she knows that Charles is right. One of them is about to start towards them, so she pulls him to kiss her, her hands caught in his hair.
That makes the guard snort a laugh as he walks away.]
Come on.
I may lie to a lot of people-
[She doesn't finish that statement. She will absolutely lie to Charles, whenever her bottom line is more important than his. She takes a breath, and the killer relaxes, eases. The animal slips back, the humanity in her steps forward again.
There are Sin Guards, she can see them starting towards the bar, and she knows that Charles is right. One of them is about to start towards them, so she pulls him to kiss her, her hands caught in his hair.
That makes the guard snort a laugh as he walks away.]
Come on.
[ God fucking damn it, as if he didn't already think she was gloriously hot. Only the infuriating chuckle of the guard as he walks away keeps him from growling, tension written across his shoulders, because he wants to fight and he wants to see her fight.
But he's been learning to pick his battles.
So he leads her off as soon as it's safe, taking her through a back alley to a quieter street and heading further into the city. As soon as there's no one around to hear it, he looks at her again, the way he hasn't stopped looking at her since they got out of the bar. ]
How did you do that?
But he's been learning to pick his battles.
So he leads her off as soon as it's safe, taking her through a back alley to a quieter street and heading further into the city. As soon as there's no one around to hear it, he looks at her again, the way he hasn't stopped looking at her since they got out of the bar. ]
How did you do that?
[She moves with an easy grace. The cold is starting to bite, and her breath comes up in steamy puffs as she tugs her collar up.]
Kiss you?
You want a repeat performance? It's too goddamned cold.
[But she's already coming in to let him brace the wind, not dainty, but practical. She knows what he means, and she's only playing dumb for a moment. She considers him.
Billy knows, but she loves Billy, Billy's been with her for months. Billy held her through the weakness at that stupid camp. Other people know because they come from worlds like hers. But mostly she's kept the bulk of it a secret, and she does now.
The thing about this next part is that it's the truth.]
My aunt Priya taught me. I have a temper.
Kiss you?
You want a repeat performance? It's too goddamned cold.
[But she's already coming in to let him brace the wind, not dainty, but practical. She knows what he means, and she's only playing dumb for a moment. She considers him.
Billy knows, but she loves Billy, Billy's been with her for months. Billy held her through the weakness at that stupid camp. Other people know because they come from worlds like hers. But mostly she's kept the bulk of it a secret, and she does now.
The thing about this next part is that it's the truth.]
My aunt Priya taught me. I have a temper.
[ Technology really is a beautiful thing.
He'd spent a good amount of time staring at the picture when he got it. Who fucking wouldn't? He's never seen this woman before, but it kind of seems like something that would happen in Duplicity, so that fact doesn't bother him much. So he decides to keep the picture on him, just in case.
It's only a short while later that he sees a woman he's definitely never met who is definitely still familiar about to get onto the elevator in the Up housing. Since he absolutely is not about to miss this opportunity, he immediately raises his voice. ]
Wait!
He'd spent a good amount of time staring at the picture when he got it. Who fucking wouldn't? He's never seen this woman before, but it kind of seems like something that would happen in Duplicity, so that fact doesn't bother him much. So he decides to keep the picture on him, just in case.
It's only a short while later that he sees a woman he's definitely never met who is definitely still familiar about to get onto the elevator in the Up housing. Since he absolutely is not about to miss this opportunity, he immediately raises his voice. ]
Wait!
[ Valentine's Day in the city always does have its own tortures in store, and though Sara's on her regular lookout for the usual entrapment, she's sure the officials have thought of plenty of new and enraging ways to fuck with them this year.
Her attention's mostly on her phone as she makes her way through the lobby, the door binging open before she lifts her gaze at someone calling out to her. ]
One at a time's best. [ She calls over her shoulder, tucking her foot into the doorway to keep the thing from sliding closed. Glancing up at him as he approaches, she double-takes before cocking a brow. ] You're new.
Her attention's mostly on her phone as she makes her way through the lobby, the door binging open before she lifts her gaze at someone calling out to her. ]
One at a time's best. [ She calls over her shoulder, tucking her foot into the doorway to keep the thing from sliding closed. Glancing up at him as he approaches, she double-takes before cocking a brow. ] You're new.
[ It's clear that whatever the truth is, she doesn't want to tell him, but he can't simply leave it alone now. He's known deadly women, of all kinds, and savage men, but he's never seen anyone draw blood quite like that. ]
A temper? No fucking kidding.
[ It's definitely not the whole story, which is a conscious choice on her part, but Vane can settle for it for now. Mostly. ]
You really aren't fucking around with those tiger stripes, are you?
A temper? No fucking kidding.
[ It's definitely not the whole story, which is a conscious choice on her part, but Vane can settle for it for now. Mostly. ]
You really aren't fucking around with those tiger stripes, are you?
[ He hurries to catch the door, sliding in with greater ease than one might expect from an 18th-century pirate, provided she doesn't think he's just some dude Disneybounding the Pirates of the Caribbean. ]
I am. [ The door almost impatiently slides closed and dings. He doesn't bother to hit his floor. Instead, he just pulls the picture out of his pocket, turning it around for her to see. ] This is you.
I am. [ The door almost impatiently slides closed and dings. He doesn't bother to hit his floor. Instead, he just pulls the picture out of his pocket, turning it around for her to see. ] This is you.
[ He's definitely rocking whatever Jack Sparrow vibe he's going for, but she's not really in the mood to get unceremoniously trapped in an elevator with a total stranger for God knows how long right now.
Except that in the split second that he hands her that photo, she's just distracted enough to let the doors slide closed. Doesn't even notice it, just takes a long moment to stare at the person that looks like her exact replica, half-naked and wet and ready. ]
For fuck's sake... [ She mutters, rolling her eyes and passing it back to him. ] Sorry to disappoint, but it's not. I mean, it - They've got copies of us. They do this shit to mess with us. [ Never mind that she actually owns that toy and has the very sudden, very powerful urge to use it on herself right now. ]
Except that in the split second that he hands her that photo, she's just distracted enough to let the doors slide closed. Doesn't even notice it, just takes a long moment to stare at the person that looks like her exact replica, half-naked and wet and ready. ]
For fuck's sake... [ She mutters, rolling her eyes and passing it back to him. ] Sorry to disappoint, but it's not. I mean, it - They've got copies of us. They do this shit to mess with us. [ Never mind that she actually owns that toy and has the very sudden, very powerful urge to use it on herself right now. ]
[ Okay. That's... incredibly fucked up, for sure, but at the moment he's less inclined to consider the implications, and far more inclined to let his thoughts drift on the subject of the picture, now standing across from him in the flesh.
He runs his eyes down her body, and then back up, not even bothering to hide from her that he's doing it, and then he raises an eyebrow. ]
Are you sure about that?
He runs his eyes down her body, and then back up, not even bothering to hide from her that he's doing it, and then he raises an eyebrow. ]
Are you sure about that?
[ His gaze is heavy on her, damn near predatory. And shit, she might actually kind of like it. Enough to forget that they're both just standing in a small metal cage that's going nowhere, because she's holding his gaze, her own eyebrow arching at his question. ]
Think I'd remember posing for something like that. [ She counters, feeling a familiar heat start to tingle at her fingertips, warm at her core. As if his gaze could light it somehow, spark something electric that buzzes across her skin with a simple brush of his gaze. ]
You've just been... carrying that thing around with you?
Think I'd remember posing for something like that. [ She counters, feeling a familiar heat start to tingle at her fingertips, warm at her core. As if his gaze could light it somehow, spark something electric that buzzes across her skin with a simple brush of his gaze. ]
You've just been... carrying that thing around with you?
[ He shrugs without an ounce of shame. ]
Figured if I saw you, I'd want to be sure.
[ Vane rotates the picture to look at it again, and then he looks back at her, and waves it a little. ]
Suppose you won't mind if I keep then, then. Since it's not really you.
Figured if I saw you, I'd want to be sure.
[ Vane rotates the picture to look at it again, and then he looks back at her, and waves it a little. ]
Suppose you won't mind if I keep then, then. Since it's not really you.
[ Ah, shit. That's so annoying it's circled back around to charming. ]
Be sure of what, exactly?
[ She smirks up at him, canting her head curiously. She's not sure what he'd let his imagination fill in, but up close, she's only a little over five feet tall. Petite but muscular as hell - strong and poised, a fighter in the way she holds herself, thew way she stands, the same scars running up and down her limbs as the mimic in the picture. ]
You want me to autograph it for you?
Be sure of what, exactly?
[ She smirks up at him, canting her head curiously. She's not sure what he'd let his imagination fill in, but up close, she's only a little over five feet tall. Petite but muscular as hell - strong and poised, a fighter in the way she holds herself, thew way she stands, the same scars running up and down her limbs as the mimic in the picture. ]
You want me to autograph it for you?
[She looks up at him, from where she's tucked herself in at his side.
Okay.]
My family are part of a group called the Khan.
[That much she can say. It's not like he knows what a Khan is, and if were to know any Hindi he would know it only means king, so it's pretty much a non-secret. No one here really knows what that means just from the outset.]
The Khan are the warrior kings of Asia. It's not a government thing. It's more like a caste, a group in a social order. So from a young age, we're taught to fight. Fight like we mean it.
[She tips her head back, and rolls her shoulders back. There is still fight in her, simmering low in her belly. That rage may have gotten chilly, but it's always burning. She almost wants to make it burn now.]
But I really am not fucking around with the tiger stripes. I'm the Sher Khan of my family. The Queen of Tigers.
Okay.]
My family are part of a group called the Khan.
[That much she can say. It's not like he knows what a Khan is, and if were to know any Hindi he would know it only means king, so it's pretty much a non-secret. No one here really knows what that means just from the outset.]
The Khan are the warrior kings of Asia. It's not a government thing. It's more like a caste, a group in a social order. So from a young age, we're taught to fight. Fight like we mean it.
[She tips her head back, and rolls her shoulders back. There is still fight in her, simmering low in her belly. That rage may have gotten chilly, but it's always burning. She almost wants to make it burn now.]
But I really am not fucking around with the tiger stripes. I'm the Sher Khan of my family. The Queen of Tigers.
[ The Queen of Tigers.
The fact that intricate and strange tribal customs exist on a wide spectrum throughout the world is certainly not unknown to him. Nor does he shy away from them when he encounters them. The stories that get passed around ships and campfires by pirates from all across the world are eaten up with a voracious appetite for deep-rooted, primal things. But he's never come across one like her.
He doesn't believe in shapeshifters. His crew, if they were here, would have their suspicions fleshed out much sooner. All Vane can think about is the strength of it, the power of it. He wants to grab her, for some reason, and not knowing keeps him from doing it. ]
And that's why you'd kill some stupid bastard in a bar fight with barely a moment's hesitation?
[ Well. He shrugs. ]
I'd have smashed his head in too.
The fact that intricate and strange tribal customs exist on a wide spectrum throughout the world is certainly not unknown to him. Nor does he shy away from them when he encounters them. The stories that get passed around ships and campfires by pirates from all across the world are eaten up with a voracious appetite for deep-rooted, primal things. But he's never come across one like her.
He doesn't believe in shapeshifters. His crew, if they were here, would have their suspicions fleshed out much sooner. All Vane can think about is the strength of it, the power of it. He wants to grab her, for some reason, and not knowing keeps him from doing it. ]
And that's why you'd kill some stupid bastard in a bar fight with barely a moment's hesitation?
[ Well. He shrugs. ]
I'd have smashed his head in too.
[ She wouldn't be the first woman to have thought as much about him, if that helps. ]
Wanted to be sure I'd recognize the face, not just the... shirt.
[ He flips the picture back and forth a little, like a nervous habit, dexterous with his fingers. Then he offers it to her. ]
Unless you'd rather replace it with the real thing. [ He's got a particular way of smirking, she might notice - it doesn't move his mouth much, and his gaze stays sharp, but there's a languidness to his whole body instead. Like a predator making a halfhearted attempt to pretend he isn't paying attention. ] Why settle for fakes?
Wanted to be sure I'd recognize the face, not just the... shirt.
[ He flips the picture back and forth a little, like a nervous habit, dexterous with his fingers. Then he offers it to her. ]
Unless you'd rather replace it with the real thing. [ He's got a particular way of smirking, she might notice - it doesn't move his mouth much, and his gaze stays sharp, but there's a languidness to his whole body instead. Like a predator making a halfhearted attempt to pretend he isn't paying attention. ] Why settle for fakes?
[She flashes her teeth at him, sharp, and it's almost a growl and almost a smile.]
That's why you should never underestimate me, but -
[She considers that for a moment. Would she have killed him? She's killed innocent people before but they were all accidents. She's killed men for doing stupid things but never for touching her like that.
Would she have killed him?]
I wasn't going to kill him, probably.
Maybe make sure he never ate solid food again.
[She looks up at him curiously, her eyes bright.]
If he touched you without your consent, or if he touched me without my consent?
That's why you should never underestimate me, but -
[She considers that for a moment. Would she have killed him? She's killed innocent people before but they were all accidents. She's killed men for doing stupid things but never for touching her like that.
Would she have killed him?]
I wasn't going to kill him, probably.
Maybe make sure he never ate solid food again.
[She looks up at him curiously, her eyes bright.]
If he touched you without your consent, or if he touched me without my consent?
[ It makes him smirk a little, amused in spite of the seriousness of their surroundings (it's getting too cold, these days, to be out when the sun goes down), that she must and does give it some serious thought.
And, in fact, the question she asks him then makes him tip his head thoughtfully. ]
Well, I'd say both, but... you clearly wouldn't have needed my help.
And, in fact, the question she asks him then makes him tip his head thoughtfully. ]
Well, I'd say both, but... you clearly wouldn't have needed my help.
[ That definitely makes him chuckle, and since she's still leaning into him, his arm slips around her, loose enough for her to easily shrug him off but close enough to be warm. Her blood is up; must be why she doesn't seem to have caught the chill.
He's definitely not a subtle man, however, so he follows it up with: ]
Would you like me to keep you company?
He's definitely not a subtle man, however, so he follows it up with: ]
Would you like me to keep you company?
[A pleasant shiver rolls up her back. She thinks about if Billy's in the apartment, and remembers, no, he's not there right now. It's less that she wouldn't bring Charles up as much as it was that she wouldn't bring anyone up if he was there.
She nods, then.]
If you're willing to get on your knees and taste me, yes.
[It's not submission; she wants to see him on his knees anyway.]
She nods, then.]
If you're willing to get on your knees and taste me, yes.
[It's not submission; she wants to see him on his knees anyway.]
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