Letting out a soft sigh Vik placed a hand on the female's shoulder, "Don't blame him for what any of us would have done had we been in the same situation. Look Alex was strong for you when he was alive now it is time for you to be strong for him in his death." At this point there was no longer any reason to point fingers, everyone who was in the fight was now allied with Selk for one reason or another. The fight was now over and his "contract" was up... but what did he plan to do? What was she going to do? It was something to think about...

Looking to Truinthil, the new Matron smiled weakly, shaking her head. "If you want to stay, you are welcome." Her black lips pulled into a tight line. "I will have the armor and weapons ready for all of the survivors of this little game, so you may have to wait for a night."
Her purple eyes flickered to Vik as he comforted Holly, and she frowned slightly as she looked upon Alex's still form. From the way that the vampire was reacting, it had been Fayn. Turning her gaze to the weapon's master, Selk chuckled.
"Causing trouble already, Fayn?" When the male didn't reply, the tall woman merely laughed quietly, her hand clenching her wound.
-

Standing silently, the blind man listened to Holly's cries. Her accusations were true - he'd killed this "Alex." And he wasn't sorry. Drow had no problem with killing, especially if they were total strangers. Death wasn't something that a dweller of the Underdark feared. It was something they all shared, something they nearly loved.
Listening to Truinthil, he inclined his head at the shifter's tone - but said nothing about it. Selk didn't seem to mind, so neither did he.
Trying to focus on something other than Holly's sobs, Fayn shifted slightly, frowning. It was difficult to think of something other than the crying.

((Fayn should think about the gargantuan dragon still in the room... Sorry for not posting earlier, life ran away with me.))

Neam settled back on her hind legs, warily watching the remaining priestesses. Though she had to laugh a bit at the magic ropes. Dragons were nearly immune to magic, and they would have had a time trying to tie her with those, if they did work. "I had almost forgotten how much fun a good fight was," Neam said, dragon face smiling. She melted back to her human form, hand going up to massage her shoulder. She bowed to the priestesses. "You won't be needing those. I will likely be gone as soon as I have my reward."

Her sobs slowed a little bit and she stopped blaming Fyan. "I'm sorry. I'm just upset. Alex and I promised to be together forever. I don't know how to live without him. She pulled away from Vik and knelt down next to alex kissing his forhead and standing back up. Holly's eyes were still lined with tears. But she managed to walk over to Selk and smile, sort of. "Selk, I'm very glad you are the new Matron." She whispered still holding back tears. "I'm glad Alex's life wasn't lost for nothing."

Elated that the female had calmed down a bit Vik took a silent sigh of relief, comforting wasn't his cup of tea but he was happy that he had somewhat succeeded even if temporarily. Walking over to stand a short distance behind the group the half vampire simply looked at her with a certain look meant only for her and said nothing. He was not about to say that he was happy they had both survived and that she had been successful in her conquest. She would simply have to know that he was but he did want to say something to her but he decided not to speak. He figured that after tonight he would have no reason to stay as she had gotten what she wanted and there was no more use of his skills here. Pulling the hood of his cloak back up over his head he hid his face from the others not wanting them to see his thoughts on his face.

Selk inclined her head, and then, in a very un-Matronly action, stepped down off of the raised ground beside the throne. Wrapping her arms about Holly, the drow smiled slightly. "His life was not in vain." She backed away, her hand moving to her side once again. "He met you." Her eyes flickered. "And that was what made his life worth living." Anyone could see it in their eyes . . . and now it was gone.
Fayn, still behind the Matron, shifted slightly, frowning. Reaching up, he pulled the fabric away from his eyes - it was starting to irritate him. His white eyes locked on a place beyond anyone else's seeing, and the weapon's master cleared his throat quietly.
Selk blinked, and then nodded slightly. "Each of you have done well," she said, glancing over to Neam and the others before letting her purple eyes trail to Vik. Taking a deep breath, the woman straightened, gritting her teeth. "If you will wait until tomorrow morning, then each of you will recieve a weapon of your choice enchanted by my people, as promised." She paused. "And an entire set of armor." Turning to Fayn, she narrowed her eyes. "And, if you so choose, you may stay with us even longer. Your efforts here have allowed you to stay . . . and I will have our best train you in our fighting arts."
Fayn raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He wouldn't dare refuse anything his Matron commanded.
With a small chuckle, Selk moved to stand beside Vik. "I do hope that some of you will stay for a while longer." Placing her bloody hand on the half breed's cheek, the dark elf looked up into his face with a smile. "But it is up to you."
Slipping past them, she headed toward the hall once again. Ordering some of the priestesses to clean up the mess, and a couple to attend to her wounds, Selk limped out of the room.
-

Fayn stayed still until Selk left the room, and then moved to the fallen Toshiba elder, feeling for a pulse that wasn't there. Nodding to confirm that the former matron had passed on, the weapon's master listened to the group around him.

Holly stood where she was thinking about what Selk said. Watching Fyan and the dead Matron she frowned slightly and looked at the man who killed her love, her best friend. Now she was stuck here for the rest of forever. "Fayn, why couldn't you have killed me too?" She asked in a whisper.

Vik simply nodded at the words of the new matron unsure of whether or not he actually would stay but he decided to make his decision tonight or in the morning. He had a reward to receive from her soon and he needed that new set of daggers so badly it was actually frusrating since his current pair were getting dull and were bland. Setting his eyes on Fayn for a moment he wondered just how much he could learn from the blind man, he was very skilled and it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Either way his mind would be made up by the morning and he would inform Selk of his decision then. Walking over to Holly he placed a hand on her shoulder then gently said, "I'm sorry for your loss... and I won't lie and say that I know how you feel because I don't, but you have live for the both of you now. There is nothing meaningful about wishing for death pointlessly, so live until his embrace comes for you."

"Fayn, why couldn't you have killed me too?"
The blind man tilted his head slightly, almost as though he'd heard. In all truth, he had. Turning away from the former Matron, he inclined his head in Holly's direction. "I still can," he said just loud enough to be heard. In a sudden flicker of movement, he was in front of her, a blade held to her throat. "If that is what you wish for."
Slowly lowering the weapon, Fayn took a step back. "A drow does not hesitate in battle." It was an explanation of sorts . . . or the closest thing to it. Not an apology - for he wasn't sorry. Not yet.


((Aaaand Selk went back to her rooms. :lol: She is being tended to by the other women. :sweat:))

Vik watched as Fayn put his blade to Holly's throat as he gave his reason's for killing Alex although there was no reason to explain anything, an enemy was an enemy, plain and simple. Vik figuring that he was done here walked out of the room wanting to go see how Selk was doing. He walked down the hallways until he reached her room and knocked on the door not wanting to simply intrude on her as he called, "Selk?" The crimson eyed halfling had a distant voice as if there was something on his mind but he would give no indication as to what it was.

A small gasp came from Holly but she didn't move when his blade was right at her neck. Was that really what she wanted? Maybe it was. But it wouldn't do any good killing herself. What even happens to vampires after the die? They had decided that they would rather die then live without eachother...but as desperate as Holly felt, she didn't want to kill herself. After Fayn's explination she looked at him for a moment before looking down. "I know. If I could fight to start with I wouldn't hesitate either. That's what happens in fighting. It's my fault anyway. I never should have told Selk we would help her. I never should have listened into her conversation in the first place. I just should have ignored her. If I had Alex and I wouldn't have come here. Alex wouldn't have died. Our lives would still be normal."

"Ouch!" Selk gasped, pushing the woman's hands away from the wound that ran down her front. Shoulder to hip . . . what an unfortunate scar it would leave. "Enter, Vik." Her words were hissed, but the dark elf tried (in vain) to keep the ferocity from her tone. "It's good to," she flinched as a needle began to sew up the area near her collarbone, "see you, dear."
A wrap of black fabric kept her covered, and the wound wasn't bleeding quite as much, but it still looked less than pleasant. Selk let her glowing eyes trail over Vik, and she smiled slightly. Motioning the handmaidens off, she took the needle herself. "I'll finish. You've done enough already." Without fighting against their new leader, the women left the room, closing the door silently behind them.
"How are you feeling?" Selk asked, smiling grimly before turning her attention to sewing up her wound. Slender fingers moved deftly, and she kept her teeth grit as she fought through the process.
-

"The world is full of 'if only,' and 'what if'," Fayn said, sheathing his blade and shaking his head. "What if I hadn't killed him? What if Selk had lost?" The tall male smiled a bit. "If she had lost, then all of you would have died."
For a moment, there was silence. "And what if you could have fought to save him?" The weapon master stepped toward Holly again, bringing a hand up for a mock blow to test the vampire's reaction. "What if you could fight?"

"If Selk hadn't won then I wouldn't be dealing with this right now." Holly mumbled stepping away from Fayn as he lifted his hand up. Although she didn't make any move to block it she simple pretended it had not happened. Vampires had fast reflexes no matter what...but when it came to the accual fighting part you had to learn that. "I can't fight. I never could. And I'll never be able to. So that wouldn't have changed anything. " Was she really having a normal...semi-normal...talk with the man who they were fighting, and killed alex, only moments ago. Life was so strange sometimes.

Hearing his invitation to enter the half breed walked in to see a somewhat comical scene to him although the wound itself was nothing to laugh about. He took a few steps deeper into the chamber and he gave the woman a faint smile as he took the hood of his cloak off to reveal his face. Then he watched as Selk dismissed her maids who were trying to stitch her up and Vik looked at her as she began to stitch herself up. Then he smiled at her question thinking it to be a pretty bad one considering what condition she was in, "I'm doing much better than you seem to be. I have a few scratches from the overgrown cats but nothing to be alarmed over." His voice was still a bit distant but he kept his focus in the present, he liked being around her as it seemed to ease his mind a bit.

"You can learn," Fayn said in a firm tone, bringing his other hand with an open palm to strike her arm. "You can avoid anything like this ever again." The dark elf stepped toward her once again, bringing himself a few inches from her. "And you can keep yourself alive."
Slapping her arm once again with a quick movement, Fayn kept his expression blank. "You need to defend yourself, woman. Not rely on others for safety." He raised his other hand to strike the side of her face gently. "You aren't human . . . you have an advantage. Use it."

Without moving Holly listened to him speak. Did she rely on Alex to much? Now that she thought about it she did. Almost everything they ever did she expect Alex to be there to protect her no matter how hard things got. When he slapped her arm she didn't even notice him, Holly was to busy thinking about her life. Maybe his death was.....a good thing. It gave her a chance to learn things for herself. This time while he was gone she didn't even have to focus on finding him. Maybe she could learn how to fight. "Fayn, could you teach me how to fight?"

"Cats," Selk repeated through clenched teeth, tying off the thread and reaching for the nearest blade. Cutting the slack, the dark elf hissed, and then looked up at Vik as she tried to calm herself. "Unfortunate."
Patting the bed beside her, the new Matron sighed. "But it was all for good cause. My mother is no longer going to be ruling over the house."
Glancing at the half-breed's face, Selk smiled slightly. He had a comforting aura about him, though that wasn't what she'd felt at first. But now . . well, she had come to think of his presence as a good thing in her life. Something to look forward to and keep hold of.
-

"Teach you?"
Fayn inclined his head, and the dark elf seemed to disappear into the shadows only to chuckle from behind her.
"I will make you fight."
The blind male stepped up beside her, and, upon taking her hand, led her forward. "Now? Or later?" he asked without necessarily waiting for an answer.

The chuckle from behind caused her to jump slightly. 'Make me?' Holly thought looking over at him. When he took her hand it made her flinch slightly. But she didn't say anything and followed him forward. "That's fine. Now is fine. What's the use of waiting. I have to do something to keep my mind busy. Just don't expect me to be any good at fighting."

"I don't teach those that don't need it," Fayn said over his shoulder as he drew her onward. Leading her down a few hallways, they reached the training room. The stone floor was worn smooth from generations of fighters, the ragged black curtain that covered the weapons flit from an unseen breeze, and the room seemed cooler than any other thus far.
Releasing her hand, the dark elf stepped toward the middle of the room, keeping his back to her.
"You will start without weapons," he stated, his deep voice slipping through the darkness. "Your body is your weapon." Fayn turned to face her, and then beckoned her closer to him. Grasping her hand, he forced her fingers to uncurl so that her palm was revealed. "When you strike with your hands, don't use fists. You are not a man; your hands are delicate." The blindfolded male tapped the heel of her palm. "You won't break your fingers on someone if you use this."
To demonstrate his point, the drow "punched" her shoulder with his own open hand, knocking her off balance.
"Try." Pointing to his own shoulder, Fayn smiled grimly. He wanted her to really try . . . so he provoked her a bit. "Strike the man that killed your loved one."

Smiling to himself the half breed walked over to take the new matron's invitation to sit next to her on the bed. After sitting down slowly he began to notice some of the aches that his body suffered from but it was nothing that he wasn't used to after all the years of fighting to survive. He let out a sigh of relief involuntarily as if his body was happy to be able to relax finally and he cracked a slight grin at the woman next to him as he peered deep into her eyes. He reached up and stroked her nearside cheek with the back of his fingers gently as he responded to her statement from earlier, "Your quest for power has been successful, I wonder what is next for the new beautiful young matron?" His question was rhetorical yet there was a bit of substance to it, he was curious as to what the future would hold... for both her and himself.

Tilting her head slightly as Vik stroked her cheek, the dark elf smiled a bit. "Fear for those that dwell in my house. The Toshiba household is in for quite a few changes." She paused, considering her next words. "And the new matron is going to seek a couple of people she can truly trust to keep a watch on her back." Trust. The closest word she could think of in her own tongue was use. There was no trust for the Drow. "Settle down a bit, perhaps," Selk said with a quiet chuckle, knowing that it was an impossible thought. There was no peace for the wicked. Her purple eyes kept his gaze, and then she blinked slowly, her hand moving up to brush against his for a vague moment. "And what of you, half breed?" she asked, her voice growing a bit halting. "What does life hold for you in the near future?"

The half breed was relieved to see a smile on the woman's face, he could see that the scar had caused her a bit of pain and was glad just to be able to get her mind off of it for a while. Nodding at her words he thought to himself about the question that was inevitably going to be asked but he then chuckled at the notion of settling down. Only those who had peace in their lives were allowed to settle down and there was no peace in a life born and bred of violence he knew that all to well. Then as she asked the question that he knew would come he closed his eyes as he thought about it, "To be perfectly honest, I really hadn't made up my mind," Vik opened them and looked at Selk once more. After a slight moment's pause he began again, "I thought after all this was said and done I would simply collect my pay and be on my way as usual but..." the half breed took both of the drow's hands into his own as he continued. "I hadn't thought that I would have any sort of... emotional attachments to my employer either." He smiled at his controversial wording but continued anyway although slowly, "I... want to stay, but..." To be honest he had no idea why he was hesitating, there was really nothing holding him back. He had started over before in his life and this was no different, but there was the question of how she felt. There was a degree of insecurity about saying he would stay but then never being able to be near her... was that the reason he was so unsure?

"You want to stay, half-breed?" Selk raised both brows in mock amazement, and then pulled on the hands that grasped her own so that he was forced closer to her. When he was just close enough, she leaned forward and kissed him. "Then why do you hesitate?"
The dark elf pulled Vik closer, lifting her hands to either side of his face. She watched him for a second before cupping his face with one hand and gingerly stroking his hair away from his features with the other. "Is there a reason for you to leave?" Selk asked, her purple eyes meeting his gaze once again.

Vik simply smiled at her tease knowing that he had brought it upon himself but his words were true, and he was not surprised by the forceful affection she showed towards him, the half breed liked it. Then came the kiss, but it was the question after the kiss that gave him pause. As she stroked his hair and asked if there was a reason for him to leave he shook his head, "No." Then as he stared into her eyes he took his hand and grabbed her chin using his index finger and thumb to pull her closer as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Then he said, "I will stay..." with no hesitation within his voice although it seemed as if he wanted to say more.

"Good," Selk hissed, flinging her bare arms about his neck and kissing him in earnest. Because I wouldn't have let you leave anyway. Ignoring the sting from her wound, she (sorry for the childish word, but I have nothing else that explains it more) glomped him, practically knocking him off balance. Kissing his cheeks, forehead, nose . . . his face in general.
With a gasp, she pressed one hand to her side, stemming the small amount of blood that trickled between her fingers. Too much.