Coping. (Post Prophecy)

Shadow hugged Bart back, her primary heart thudding at the same rate as his, her secondary heart's near silent beat becoming slightly more prominent. She didn't know what she was doing, but it was human, an instinct.

Bart then unwrapped his arms from Shadow's body, and looked up at her, he turned his head when he thought that he was blushing. He laughed quietly to himself. "S... Sorry," he stuttered, slightly embarrassed by the current situation.

Shadow leapt back, coughing nervously, trying to hide her embarrassement. Her cheeks had turned a delicate shade of red, showing it, and if she hadn't been wearing the bracelets, something would have blown up.

Bart lowered his head, then looked back up at Shadow, with a plain emotion on his face. He looked outside the window, seeing that the sun would be soon falling. He looked back at Shadow, straight in the eyes. "It's not all that, but," Bart began, "We need to get prepared for the Lord's attack."

Shadow turned her back on Bart, biting her lip, her eyes closed.
"I don't want to do this..." She murmured.

"You think I do?" Bart said, lifting one eyebrow, but at nothing in particular. He shook his head. "An idea that just came into my mind could be fleeing, if we really don't want to defend ourselves and each other, but I think that is not an option, as the assassins that the Lord sent after us will probably just track us down in a matter of minutes."

Shadow sighed, turning her head to look at Bart over her shoulder, out of the corner of her eye.
"There is one other option." She murmured, looking down at the floor.

Bart lifted both of his eyebrows, and looked back at Shadow. He blinked several times, then turned his head to stare at the wall. "May I ask what this second option would be?" Bart asked.

"I bend to his rules, bow before him once more." Shadow said, closing her eyes. She opened then again, looking Bart in the eyes, holding his gaze. Her tail lay still, slightly curved around her leg. "I can't lose you in a battle I can prevent."

She talks to me as if I'm really precious or something. Not that I can blame her, as she lost her family...
Bart looked at Shadow. "What do you mean, 'Bow down to him once more?" Bart asked, "I mean, he almost got you killed, and you still try to spare your honesty and loyalty with that guy?"

"Every assassin has to swear loyalty to him." Shadow said, "I was excempt, his little 'pet' assassin. I did the hard missions, I was his favourite."

Wow, even chaotic people have favorites. Never thought of that.
Bart sighed. "So you're planning to trust him again, even though he wanted to kill you?" Bart asked, "Even though if you do the slightest error, you'll have the biggest chance of getting killed again by his orders?"
Bart sighed again, and looked at Shadow with a stern stare. "You do what you want, I won't stop you," Bart said, "Just saying my opinion."

Shadow looked at Bart fully.
"I don't want to put you into unnecessary danger. Not again, not ever." She said forcefully, but then her voice softened. "You'd be able to visit the Guild..."

"You don't want to put me in danger, I'll accept, yes," Bart said, looking back at Shadow, "After the recent events, I would think that as an immediate reaction, but, what would visiting the Guild serve me for?" Bart asked, turning around so that he was facing Shadow, "I mean, it's not like I want to become an assassin, no offense, but it seems that my quest is done for now, and that I only need a place and some people to live with for now, until I find something else to do."

"You and Dominique can stay here," Shadow said before snorting lightly, "It's not like I'll be coming back anytime soon." Her tone had a slightly bitter edge to it, but it was overruled by the sorrow.

Bart looked at the ground, and nodded once. "Right," he said, quietly. He looked up at Shadow, but did not say anything. He tried to keep concentrated on the present matters, not the future, nor the past, because those would lead him to do actions he would regret, and he knew it all too well.

Shadow sighed, throwing a couple of things in a bag and slinging it over her back.
"Let's go face the music." She said, giving a smile, but it was forced.

Bart looked up at Shadow, then back at the ground, feeling a weight on his chest. "You..." he began, hesitating slightly, then deciding that he should just say it, "You want me to come too, or is that too risked?" Bart asked, still looking at the ground.

Shadow turned to look at Bart, her face carefully expressionless.
"Keep out of sight, and leave it alone for a couple of days." She said before taking a carefully wrought bracelet of a gleaming metal, not unlike silver but it wasn't the same metal.
"Use this if you want to visit."

Bart nodded comprehensively, and took the bracelet. Suggestions came into his mind about the effects of the bracelet. Or maybe, it was just a way to identify oneself. He looked up at Shadow, holding the bracelet in his two hands tightly, before putting it into his pocket quickly, then looking back up at Shadow again. "Then, if every thing's done now," Bart said, smiling slightly, "Go."

Shadow nodded once, hesitating slightly before she stepped closer to Bart, kissing him gently on the forehead. She stepped back, a small, sad half smile on her face.
"Kraferric way of saying goodbye." She mumured before bowing, her hand fisted over her heart. The demoness then left, her cloak billowing out behind her before Bart would have been able to answer her.
She stood on the roof, her head tilted up to the skies, bathing in the last of the dusk sunlight. Within moments of the sun setting, she was surrounded by a team of assassins.

Bart flushed to a very bright red when Shadow kissed him on the forehead, almost stepping back. He blinked many times after Shadow had left, staring at nothingness for a long time. Dominique peeked out of the door opening, with a sly smile on her face. She had slightly narrowed eyes.
"Ooooh," she said, teasing Bart, "Seems that you do know how to talk to females," she said, smiling. Bart looked awkwardly at her. "
You saw th- Gah! I don't know how to talk to females, she's the one who knows how to speak to males!" he said, slightly angered at Dominique.
"Riiight," Dominique said, a smile on her face, rolling her eyes, "You're just slightly embarrassed by what just happened, eh?" she asked.
"If I said no, I would be lying," Bart answered, looking at her through mid-closed eyes. Dominique laughed sweetly at that. She approached him, putting one finger on his chin.
"Puteus , permissum nos animadverto meus solers , tunc," she said, the sly smile only expanding.
"Spero vos don't vilis ut via ego recordor is," Bart answered, taking one step back. Dominique nodded, and Bart thought his heart sank.

Shadow was escorted back to the Guild by the elite assassins, but what she didn't know was that one of the assassins had taken the devices the milita had used to 'contain' her.

Bart took another step back, as he noticed Dominique approach him once more.
"Vos es non reputo super vel res tempero, es vos?" he asked, sternly.
"Oh , vos vadum animadverto si ego sum non," Dominique answered, smiling at him.
"Vultus , Dominique! Nos es volo vivo ut a prosapia hic!" Bart answered quickly. Dominique managed to grab the collar of his shirt, and pull him towards her.
"Nos es unus vox iam. Nemo has scio..." Dominique replied, the sly smile appearing again. Bart gulped. Dominique pulled him towards her, and kissed him fiercely on the lips. Her arms en laced around his neck, preventing him from moving away. One thing shocked him. His arms weren't responding to his commands. He wanted to push Dominique away, but they didn't move. Is it that I just can't move them, or is it... Sub-conscious? Then a tingling sensation rose into Bart's body. He couldn't believe what was happening. Bart then got really angered. His hand moved up to Dominique's neck, grabbing it tightly. He turned around on himself once, then pushed Dominique against the wall, a loud banging noise echoing inside the room being heard, his hand still attached to her neck.
"Operor non tendo ut iterum, Dominique, vel alius, ego sudo, ego vadum iuguolo vos!" Bart said, sternly.
"Aw, adveho in, operor non narro ut vos did non utor ut," Dominique said, smiling at Bart, not really scared of his actions. Bart scowled at her, then dropped his hand, and turned away, walking to the door. When he arrived at the entrance, he said, without looking back, "Just... Don't do that again."

- ... -

Shadow followed the assassins back to the Guild, not really paying attention to where her feet were leading her. It was almost natural now. She navigated through the tunnels to the Lord's quarters, flanked by two assassins, and knelt before him. The Lord glared at her, but the demoness didn't move for a moment. He stood up, and lifted the demoness by her throat, throwing her into a wall. Shadow crashed to the stone ground, gasping for the air that had been knocked from her lungs. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, raising her upper body off the ground, but the Lord took her by the hood of her cloak, throwing her into another wall. This time, Shadow didn't get up, curling into a ball on the floor. The Lord stood over her, one leg on each side to prevent the demoness from getting up.
"You serve me now, you have no rights, you have no free will. You will do exactly as I say."
With a shaky breath, the demoness nodded.