"I am allowed to love whomever I choose, so are you." Naer was frowning, his eyes narrowing slightly as she continued to speak and his fingers gently brushed over that bracelet. "You understand nothing, Gisa. I feel more dead like this than I ever have. Such negative emotions filling me and it is horrible. I feel disconnected from everything, as if I have been cut off from the rest of my own self. That is not being alive and that is not a way to live. This anger inside of me, frightens me more than you could ever understand or realize, it frightens me because I am not sure what I might do to a person."

Naer kept his eyes on her. "I did not turn on you, you turned on me. I am sorry, I forgot I am not supposed to fight back when you shove me." That last line was said tauntingly, almost the way she always said taunting things to him. "You act the part of a heartless demon and then get upset when someone calls you that. You are the fool, Gisa. As for the mage, I had not yet decided his fate though I assure you, were I to stumble upon him in the state I am now, I would rip him apart with my bear hands." For a moment his hands clenched into tight fists, then relaxed.

These negative emotions, they were destroying him more fully than his all consuming guilt ever could. It was taking so much self control not to just hit Gisa out of anger. An all consuming fire of rage licking at his soul and he could not force it to go away. How much longer would that self control last? If he hit Gisa what would he do to the others in this place? Though thoughts of hitting Gisa quickly turned to thoughts of pummeling Arkerril. The other elf was always so mean, so rude to Gisa and then he had had the nerve to kiss Gisa.

Naer growled, those hands clenching into tight fists once again. "Forgive me, Gisa, for all of my anger should not lay upon you." The sun elf moved, murder nearly blazed in those practically dead eyes of his. His intention was to leave the library and find Arkerril. Drag the other out of bed if he had to and beat the living daylights out of that elf.

Gisa Kriemhild

"Punishing you and shoving you is my part of the contract... As is keeping your hands clean. It is what you choose, even when I gave you the option to stop. You ...... you would regret to take any life, at least the Naer I know. Just stop it and think!" Gisa shouted as she gazed at him a moment, feeling the murderous rage. She stood in front of him then and gripped his wrists to keep him from exiting. Why did she still want to protect him? For that she knew was what she really wanted, not to protect others from him but protect what it would do to him.

"Just Stop..." She whispered softly, her head bent as her hair fell into her eyes. She did not speak of his calling her a fool or how he spoke. He was not thinking, he was not speaking, he was not the elf she knew. She glanced at the bracelet, briefly wondering if it was infecting him somehow. She frowned at it and shuddered, thinking of the fact she used her own hair. Was this her fault or was he always like this?

"Please..... Naer..... stop"

"To punish me so I wouldn't punish myself, but to punish me when I needed it. I didn't need any punishment last night. Fear not Gisa, for you are not the only one to blame in all this." When she had grabbed his wrists, he stared at her. As if for a moment unsure of what to do. His first thought had been to strike out at her, but with effort, Naer had pushed it away. "I have business with Arkerril, allow me to pass." He spoke the words with an effort, the effort of not growling them at her, or commanding her to let him go. In all of his life, Naer had never imagined he could turn into a monster of a being. This behavior of his was rather monstrous and it could only get worse if something didn't bring him back to himself. He moved to pull from her grip, to get free of her hands and around her. Naer had things to do, people to pummel and this was making him angrier. Though, shouldn't Gisa like him more now? Now that he was acting more like an evil creature than a pure elf? Or perhaps she just wouldn't like him no matter how he was. Naer grit his teeth.

Gisa Kriemhild

"No! I will not let you go do something you will later regret.... please....Naer, this is not you! This is not who I.....who I have stayed by and wanted to protect. Stop this!" Gisa pleaded as she stood in the doorway. She again glanced at the bow, wondering if her hair had infected him. She was tempted to reach for it as a single tear escaped and she felt guilt wash over her again. Was it her fault? Was her hair infecting him...

"Please...I think i may have made a mistake when I made the bow....You are acting too much like my demon half and not like yourself....I gave you that bow to help you protect yourself from corruption, not become corrupt and empty like me...." She said softly as she watched him closely a moment. She had come so close to confessing to feelings she had for the naer she knew... but now it seemed she might have killed him...

"Why? Why should you care if I do something that I might regret later? You care nothing for me." Naer blinked. No, that wasn't true. Not completely. If it were true she wouldn't have made such a lovely bow for him, she wouldn't try to keep him out of trouble. For a moment he looked very confused and then it was gone, and only those angry near dead eyes peered at her. "Do not stand there and pretend like you actually care about me when you really don't. Why should my actions matter to you, you want to break the contract. Sever the only thing that keeps me close to you." Naer stepped very close to Gisa, their bodies nearly touching, for a moment he looked confused again, then it faded.

"The bow. You have no idea how much something like that meant to me, does mean to me, and now you call it a mistake." That anger flared up like a fire that had been fed gasoline, his body trembled and he very much wanted to hit something. Someone. Probably Gisa, but mostly Arkerril. "You understand nothing. The bow is not corrupting me. This anger, this uncontrollable rage that fills me. Anger because no matter what I do or how hard I try, you will only hate me and push me away. Anger and rage because the only two friends I have will never get along with one another..."

Naer would once again attempt to move past Gisa, so that he could unleash all of that anger and rage onto Arkerril. It was mostly Arkerril's fault anyway. The dark skinned elf was always being mean to Gisa. Never mind the fact that Naer was being mean to her, had been mean to her ever since she came into this room.

Gisa Kriemhild

"I don't hate you... Please, I pushed you away because it's the only way you'll stay safe or ever be able to return to the type of society you love, you idiot. Stop this, please. You don't want to hurt arkerril or anyone else. Please. Stop this. I won't sever our bond if you will just stop this and be yourself again...." Gisa pleaded, putting her hands on his chest before she pushed him away from the door. She moved quickly to close it and lean back against the door. She locked the door behind her, not intending to let him out of the room until he calmed down. Was this really the source of his rage? Because he thought she'd grown to hate him? Did he really love her so much?

"I made that bow from my own damn hair, you think I would do that if I hated you? I just didn't want you to love me because it'll bring you only pain. Look what caring for me has done to you already!" She nearly yelled the last few words, her eyes stinging with tears. She had destroyed him, it was the last thing she wanted but the only thing she seemed good for. It had been too late, dear lord.....

Naer was silent, he had stopped when she put her hands on his chest, letting her push him away from the door. For a long time Naer only stood there and stared at her, watching her almost intently. Finally he shook his head. "You would not be welcome into a society that would accept me. I would not wish to be a part of any society that could not, would not welcome the person I love." His hands clenched and unclenched. He did want to hurt Arkerril, wanted to hurt the other elf for all the mean things he had said to Gisa. He shook his head again. She said she wouldn't sever the bond.

"No. I would not force you to be bound to me. If you truly wish to break the contract then do it. I would not force you to do things you do not wish to do, I would not force you to be connected to me if you do not wish to be so." He took a step back. "You do not hate me, but certainly you bear no love for me." He was frowning deeply, confusion lingering in his eyes far longer than before. His head was beginning to hurt as well and he took another step back. He had changed, no he was changing. Turning into a violent creature of rage, fueled by the thoughts of Gisa hating him and his own self hatred. He needed to get himself under control before he truly hurt Gisa.

Gisa Kriemhild

"You don't know anything about how I feel or how I think... I only wanted to sever our connection because you were being bat shit crazy and were ordering me about like a slave, acting like just another spoiled brat prince, and I will not be a slave again. It is the fate of most half demons found... Slavery or death." She said quietly, her gaze on the floor as she leaned back into the door. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, not sure why she had revealed her former slavery. She wanted him to understand why it hurt so badly and that she had simply not wanted that. She didn't care if they stayed bound.... no that wasn't true. She wanted to in some ways....

"You share risk of a similar fate as long as we hold a contract. How can this be what you want? You're being foolish. How can you love me when you barely know me?" She said quietly. She shook her head at him a moment, glad that he was calmer now but still not sure she trusted him to go through the door. She was unsure what to say and afraid to look at him really. He was half crazed moments earlier...

"It is impossible for me to know how you feel or how you think when you do not share these things with me. I would listen if you would tell me. All you do is tease and mock and push me away. You lead me to believe that you hate me, then get angry when I think that." She was driving him crazy..No..not her. He was driving himself crazy. Naer brought a hand up to his head, it was throbbing now and there was something else. The constant pain in his heart, lost in all the anger, seemed to slowly be returning. Her words struck him though, and he jerked slightly. He had said something similar to Arkerril once.

'How can you love me when you do not know me.'

"...I...do love you. I want to know you, I want to always be at your side. I want to protect you from those that would do you harm, I want to bring smiles to your lips and laughter to your eyes. I want to be the person you trust above all others, I want to be the one you share your deepest secrets with." There were tears forming in his eyes, and with them the bright color of his eyes was returning. Violet with gold specks. Naer's voice was very soft, but certain. "I want to be the one who is always there for you, I want to be someone you can depend on. If all those things mean I must face slavery or death, then so be it. I can be stronger. I can be strong for you Gisa, if only you would let me."

Naer staggered backwards, one hand clutching his head and the other moved to rest over his heart. The anger was melting away swiftly now, gods, the things he had almost done, had wanted to do. Naer never wanted to feel that way again, for now he practically embraced the pain in his heart, if only to fight back the terrible emotions that had gripped it before.

Gisa Kriemhild

"I don't deserve that, don't you understand? You could be happy...I just wanted you to be happy and return to a normal elven life. I can only bring you pain, just like this place..." She responded, looking up at him. It tore at her, his sincere confession. His desire to be her strong noble prince was almost overwhelming and never had she felt so unworthy of something. She looked away agian, feeling and looking a little lost. She wanted to run but she was afraid to leave him. What could she do? He was just so damn stubborn.

'How do you love someone who just hurts you? You hated me only a moment ago" She whispered softly and sank to sit on the floor in front of the door. She wanted to love him, but she was afraid. She had never expected this to turn anything so complicated.... then again she tended to avoid pure things for fear she would corrupt him. Now she had let something pure follow her into darkness and there was no way to save him...

"Do not confuse anger for hate. I have only ever hated myself." He moved towards her, his hands no longer resting on his head or over his heart. Now those hands reached for her, grasping her wrists and tugging her back up when she had sat on the floor. His grip was gentle, it would be easy for her to pull away, but Naer tugged her to him to enfold her in his arms. Hugging her gently and firmly but still loose enough so she could escape his arms if she wanted.

"Being with you does make me happy. My heart is heavy and I do not smile often, I do not laugh. I show almost no outward signs of happiness, but being close to you does bring a happiness to my heart. If I had to leave you, I fear my heart would never know even a glimpse of happiness ever again."

He would have kissed her then, a sweet delicate kiss, but Naer hesitated. He knew how Gisa felt about that kind of contact unless she was the one instigating it, he was hugging her, certainly a kiss would be going to far. Especially if she didn't even want one, and Naer wasn't sure if she would want one. But he did want to kiss her and hold her for forever. If only things could be so simple.

((Well, that escalated quickly...))

Nenet tossed and turned all night, strange dreams keeping her from a restful night. Dreams of fire mixed with a city, magic that held that world together, and a strange sense of both belonging and being torn away. Those dreams eased as the sun rose, and she fell into a calmer sleep, resting until she felt better.

Stretching upon waking, Nenet tried to remember her dreams. Strange as they had been, they felt mildly familiar, though she knew she'd never had them before. No, it was more like she'd been there before, and was just now dreaming of it... Shaking her head, she got out of bed, splashing her face quickly and heading downstairs. She should start her job today, and needed to find Lia to know what she should clean first. Her stomach grumbled on her way down the steps, and Nenet changed her mind. Find food first, then Lia.

Gisa Kriemhild

Gisa let herself be pulled up with a questioning look, her dark lashes still wet with unspilled tears. She said nothing as she was embraced and did nothing to stop him, only a soft shiver suggesting her uncertainty. She hid between a curtain of her hair and his chest, not sure what to say. Normally she could have dismissed his love as something else but their bond ensured she felt it strong enough for her heart to skip a beat. She sighed softly and bit her lip, feeling so desperately lost. She could just think one thing over and over and it slipped from her lips against her will.

"If I love you, I'll ruin you..." She whispered it so quietly she wasn't sure herself if she had said it. She didn't want to beleive she brought him happiness. Her existence alone was familiar, safe. It was easy to wear a mask when no one knew you anyway. It was easy to not be lonely when you knew nothing but else. She didn't understand the elf, hell now that he was being himself again she half understood him less. Still, it had been proven now that he had acted in anger and haste because he loved her..... such folly but hardly the first time a jealous soul had done so. She couldn't say her choices had been much better, turning love to hate was something just not really in her even when she wanted it to be.


((yup XD and breakfast is waiting for nenet that actually tastes good >.> ....... V took over cooking this morning. Lia's sitting in the dining room))

((Well, then she'd find both at the same time, now wouldn't she?))

((Maybe XD one's in the kitchen, the other dinning room so depends on where you go)

((Okay, then))

Nenet followed her nose down a hall and into the kitchen, mouth watering at the array left out. All of it looked so good! She picked a little bit of everything, carrying it into the dining room to eat. Here green eyes swept the room, seeing Lia in there as well. Well, that took care of trying to find her later.

"Good day," she said, setting her plate next to the woman and sitting down herself, "I was hoping you would tell me what to start on first." She took a bite of food, eyes wandering about the room again. Perhaps after she cleaned some they could start on figuring out her connection to this place. The dreams came back to mind, should she mention them? Maybe when they were going to start working, that would be a better time. She just had to remember the dreams until then...

Lalita 'Lia' Tien

"Whereever you want really. Around noon seems to be the best for rooms usually though, people tend to be out then." Lia responded, seeming genuinely surprised the other woman expected a schedule or anything. It was easy to see why the bartender half helped her run the place. She wasn't really detail oriented unless it had to do with magic or her experiments or any such thing as that. She found it hard to care about times and orders and such. Perhaps it was simply the way she was...

for now eat! I've gotta convince the blue elf to hire on as a cook. It's really simple but really good" Lia said simply as she gave the other woman a smile. She had seen the ingredients used too..... all very simple but somehow the blue elf lured out deeper flavors then most would or could. To lia who couldn't boil water properly it was almost like magic, some strange mystery impossible to describe.

Nenet nodded, digging into her plate with more gusto than a moment ago. Her nose hadn't lied, the food was fantastic. And it seemed to be about noon now, she she'd start as soon as she was finished. Though, perhaps starting with the common rooms and halls was a better idea... Nenet thought about the layout of the inn that she'd seen so far, trying to decide what room to start with.

((Sorry, it's kind of a weird post...))

"I'm already ruined and you had nothing to do with that." He kept his arms around her, they were strong arms and his grip was a sure one. Still if she wanted to get away from him he would easily let her go, no matter how much he didn't want to. Slowly Naer lifted a hand and ran it through her hair gently. "It's alright if you don't or can't love me, just let me stay with you for a while longer. Let me be your pet for a little longer." He said the words quietly, his voice barely loud enough to be a whisper. Naer was sincere, he meant the words he spoke.

Gisa Kriemhild

"You aren't ruined..." Gisa said quietly, her eyes closing as he began to stroke her hair. She couldn't help but lean into his chest and simply breath him in as she melted into his strong embrace. Part of her knew it was foolish to let her mask fall and simply let the moment be... To give anyone such power over you was always dangerous and foolish in her way of thinking, but somehow she couldn't move. She could only sink deeper and deeper into the embrace. She sighed softly as he whispered about love, a soft whisper of a sound. Still it was not the remark on love that caused her to sigh. The simple fact was, she really didn't feel so certain who was the 'pet' any longer.

She had given him a weapon that could kill her as few things could, being made from a piece of her, and she had thought of him before herself. To the independent demon that was something new..... or perhaps more accurately something forgotten. Sure she hired herself out as a bodyguard but that didn't mean she actually cared about them. She curled a hand into his shirt slightly, simply holding onto him as she fought the lost feeling inside her. She didn't want to love him, she didn't want to love anyone really, but she was fairly sure that it wasn't going to save her this time. The emotion was stronger then her will it seemed... She bit her lip and simply leaned up to brush her lips feather light against his before hiding in his chest beneath her hair, sure he could see the uncertainty flickering in those metallic silver eyes.

"We should get back to the books..." She said quietly, almost timidly. She almost visibly winced as she heard her own voice, almost. How could she be like this? A school girl with a crush.... Had it really been so long? Since she'd seen innocence and strength so wrapped together? Since for that matter she'd seen anything she truly wanted or needed in her life? Maybe it had, it was hard to tell when nothing seemed to matter anymore but a very specific pair of strong arms.

((Um, can we just say Nenet started cleaning?))

((yeah XD. I was going to try to come up with a response now that I'm awake but I kinda don't know what to write so she can just leave lia there. Knowing lia she could have disappeared in her own little world and not said or done anything))

((Okay, so Nenet's cleaning the place. Feel free to have Lia stop her whenever to do experiments.))

He would be strong, for Gisa. He could do it for her even if he couldn't do it for himself. The sun elf kept her close against him. Gisa was was showing him a side of her he never saw, a vulnerable side, though he had always guessed she had one he had never really expected to see it. Such a thing didn't really matter, it wouldn't, it couldn't change the way he felt about her. When she brushed her lips against his, it surprised him, but it was a welcome surprise and it made him hold her all the more closer, if that was at all possible. Then she was saying something about the books, for a moment he frowned, but it was only there for a moment. He kept his arms around her, reluctant to release his hold on her, but willing to let her go if she really wanted to slip from his embrace. "The books aren't going anywhere. Let's stay like this for just a little longer."

Gisa Kriemhild

Gisa started to speak but then hesitated and grew silent as she pressed into the embrace and closed her eyes a moment. She knew she shouldn't give in, that they had things to do and this was silly... but the truth was it felt good to be held. It felt good to have someone else treat her as a delicate thing to be treated like a precious treasure in their arms. She would have usually done something more aggressive, been more forward, but he just seemed too.... innocent. She was afraid to push things, for once uncertain of how she should behave. It was easy with the others she had been with, she just took the dominant role and they played together until one or the other died or fell out of love.... then again perhaps that wasn't love and this was normal. Gisa frowned as she realized for once she was entirely sure. Still she did answer him in a soft whisper of a voice.

"Alright... Just for a moment my pet." She said quietly, trying to evoke her usual boldness but the word pet was far more warm then it should be. She hid in his chest a moment longer then slowly looked up at him with a thoughtful expression on her face, uncertainty still lurking in those shining orbs. She bit her lip and debated, not sure what to say to him. It would have been easy to slip away but she didn't. She just let him hold her, as caught as a bird in a net and she knew it.

"I..... apologize for earlier. It seems we both got out o fhand." She said softly, deciding that needed to be resolved. She was unsure what else to say, unable to form any words of confession she fled back to an easy topic. She was use to doing something others didn't like, even if she wasn't use to actually caring about the fact she had. Still, his earlier aggression.... it still worried her and made her wonder if either she or naer really knew who he was at all.

Lalita 'Lia' Tien

Lia had gotten bored after pestering the blue skinned elf for some more dessert. She decided finally to go retrieve Nenet and would go to her. She found her cleaning as expected, but of course wasn't particularly interested by that. Guests could do any remaining cleaning in their rooms if they were worried about when it got done as far as she was concerned. Most of them were not exactly here for the service but to use her inn to their own ends anyway. So she dismissed the work rather easily and instead grabbed the woman's hand before she started to drag her out of the room, giving her a warm smile as she did.

"I'm bored, lets go experiment. First I need to know everything you know so you'll have to show me your powers and stuff..." Lia said shamelessly, not pretending anything but was as usual. She would drag the woman through her bedroom and open a trick book case. She then led her through a series of hidden staircases and stone passages until they arrived at her alchemy room. It was straight out of a novel really, mysterious potions bubbling and strange sounds coming from boxes and all. Of course Lia didn't experiment on animals, she liked them really, but if a souless imp or two who had come for her secrets there was no harm if they went missing. They were generally puppets with no minds anyway... well they had been on arrival anyway.