Shadow's Reign, part two (CnP)

Bart opened his eyes, shaking on place slightly. He looked around, noticing a small black smoke emanate from where his bolt had landed. Sparks tingled out of his hands, disappearing into the air, after coiling up like burning plastic. He readjusted himself, and half-smirked when he noticed Shadow had her mask still put on. He shook his head, lifting one hand to his forehead, as his tail uncurled from his leg.
"Y'know, you can take off that mask now. Dominique won't really recognize you if you don't," Bart explained.

Shadow looked at Bart before shaking her head.
"Not yet, I won't take it off just yet." She said quietly, looking away again. Three years she had been wearing that mask, it seemed strange that she could take it off there and then. She took a shaky breath again, hardly able to believe that she was back on Earth.

"Uh huh," Bart answered simply. He took his hand from his side, and lent it out again, in Shadow's direction, beckoning her slightly to take his hand, trying to avoid Shadow being cut by the blades of his fingers. He tried to concentrate, letting the sparks slide into his skin, and under his flesh.
"Take my hand," Bart murmured, "we teleported a bit too far to the right..."

Shadow locked gazes with Bart, gently laying her hand on his, preparing herself for the teleportation. She wondered if Dominique had changed much, but she doubted it. The demoness then turned her thoughts to her family, debating whether or not she would pay them a visit.

Bart let out a quick breath, disappearing into a large bolt in the sky, along with Shadow, just to land further away, on another rooftop. They both landed slightly heavily, and Bart took his hand from Shadow's, walking nearly straightly over to the door that gave access to inside the apartment, and closing it. It creaked at its joints, being made of metal, Bart went in, giving Shadow a small hand sign to follow him, as he disappeared in the darkness.

Shadow stumbled slightly as she landed, putting one arm out as a balancer before standing straight, rearranging her mask and straightening her skirts. She then lifted her skirts high enough to allow her to walk easily and followed Bart into the appartement, smiling slightly to herself.

Bart descended the wooden stairs, until the seventh floor. There, he looked at a large, dark wooden door. He put his ear against it, and quickly took out two silver bracelets from his pockets, tightening them onto his wrists. He jerked his hand downwards, his fur slowly turning normally brown, and the exaggerated blades slowly retracting, as a loud crunch was heard when the ribs changed with the shoulder blades, after sinking back into his body. He let out a sigh, before going back into his human state. His fur slunk back into his skin, as did his tail into his spine. His eyes lost their blood red color, and shone of that of a normal teen, with a faint blue-green hue. He approached his hand to the door, and he knocked on it three times with his index knuckle. Soon after that action, he opened the door, entering in the room, letting the door opened for Shadow to come. He turned his head to Shadow, a small smile creeping along his face.
"Come on in," he suggested.

Shadow watched Bart change back into his human state, smiling slightly as she delicately stepped over the threshhold. She looked around what she could see of the flat, noting that it was tidy, probably more Dominique's doing however, rather than Bart's.

Bart was shoved violently by a savage beast coming from his side, pushing him onto the ground as the creature roared. He stared wide-eyed at the massive being, which sat up on his body, pulling its arms back. Bart noticed that in the hands, there was a huge kitchen knife, glinting dimly in the already present light. He gulped, his mind actually analyzing what was happening.
Dominique glared at him, teeth glistening, her hands tensing on the kitchen knife. She breathed heavily, her legs tightened against his sides, as she sat straight up from his stomach, looking down at him with her angry eyes.
"Where were you, you idiot?!" she demanded aggressively.
Bart didn't answer, keeping his mouth shut, lifting one eyebrow at the female kraferr, in her human form. Somehow, Dominique had changed, but physically. she seemed more feminine than before- and Bart couldn't tell whether it was because of the physical attributes or just the sight of her threatening to dig his heart out with a sharp blade.
Dominique threw the kitchen knife on the ground next to Bart, lowering herself, and picking him up, curling her arms around tightly around his body, pressing out the last of breath that he had. She pulled him against herself, nestling her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Bart," she muttered, "but I was so worried... I couldn't find your trace..."
Bart rolled his eyes, happy that Dominique couldn't see his face. He had never really liked getting too close to a person of a different gender than him, because it always made him feel uneasy, and he blushed to a bright red. He laid one hand on Dominique's back, patting her spine delicately, pushing off the ground with his other hand. He relaxed that the day his heart would get carved out wasn't today.
"We have a visitor," Bart murmured, getting to the point. "Please show at least a little panache..."

Shadow didn't have time to react as Dominique, who seemed to be pretending to be a rather violet hurricane wielding a knife, tried to commit homocide. She smiled slightly behind her mask, wondering if the other female had even noticed the dark masked figure standing in the doorway.

Dominique glanced sideways, noticing the 'dark masked figure standing in the doorway'. She pushed Bart down, and hurriedly went off him, pulling him up to his feet. Bart took a deep intake of breath, doubling over, pushing himself on his knees to stop himself from falling over.
Dominique tilted her head questioningly at the silhouette, lifting one eyebrow, as she scanned it. She sighed slightly, and she tapped her foot on the ground.
"Sorry for our little... Encounter," Dominique excused herself, smiling nervously, "I'm Dominique, Bart's... roomamate, or whatever you want to call it. And you are?"

Again, Shadow smiled behind the mask.
"I thought you would have recognised an old friend," She said, reaching up to take her mask off, her eyes twinkling in a smile.

Dominique stood a while, leaning forwards, looking at the person. After a few seconds, her eyes widened largely, and she shoved her face in Shadow's stomach, curling her arms around her back, her brown hair following.
"Shadow!" Dominique exclaimed.
Bart huffed, standing up straight again, smirking slyly to himself for a small moment. His smirk then changed into a warm smile, as he grinned at Dominique.
"I missed you so much, Shadow!" Dominique continued, pushing her head further into Shadow's stomach, in a way that would normally take out all the breath of a normal human. "Where were you?" she asked.
"Shadow's back from Aspheri, where she normally would've gone, since she is Ka.... Karthragan's descendant, the princess of darkness," Bart explained quietly, his smile turning into a face of desolation, "I was there when she left. Just after that, I came to you and decided to keep my promise. After our little... Argument, when I said I would leave for a couple of days, I went training on my demonic abilities. There, I messed up pretty bad on the teleportation, and I landed on Aspheri... That's how I encountered her again, and well, here she is." Bart turned his head to Shadow, his smile returning, "But, of course, Shadow could've said that," Bart added, thinking that he shouldn't say a word on Shadow's rule, and her recent problems that he did not know of.

Shadow was glad for once of the thin armour plating that had been sewn into the lining of her bodice, stopping Dominique's affectionate but none the less strong attack. Her mask had fallen to the floor, and the demoness retrieved it after gently pushing Dominique away, turning it over in her hands.
"Yes, I am ruling in another dimension, but I kinda needed a break. Then Bart here, screwed up in only a way I've seen him do." She said with a smile.

"Heh," Bart replied, shrugging slightly, "and then something else happened, I don't know what, nor will I try to ask once again, because I know that the answer shall not change." Bart turned his head to Dominique, giving her a pull to let her go on her feet, also giving her a furtive hand sign, before stepping away, going behind one corner of the house.
Dominique turned her head from Bart to Shadow, gazing at her dreamingly.
"So, what's Aspheri like?" Dominique asked, wanting to know feverishly.

Shadow smiled slightly at the hyperactive Kraferr.
"It's dark, very keen on rules and protecting their ruler." She said thoughtfully. She'd never thought of having to describe her dimension to anyone else. THe demoness looked down at the mask in her hands, "Unfortunately the reason I need a break concerns the very safety of the dimension I rule and I have grown to love."

Dominique tilted her head slightly sideways, casting a questioning stare at Shadow, letting her brown hair fall down over her right eye. She stood there for a moment, looking at the demoness, not thinking of anything. She glanced down at the ground, and kicked the kitchen knife further away, out of sight from the two, before turning her head back to Shadow.
"Do your people know that you're... Taking a break?" Dominique asked, "Because, I don't know, it doesn't seem very... Royally, if you see what I mean."

Shadow's expression of slight joy turned to one of slight guilt.
"No, they don't know, but they should be able to handle a couple of days without me until I can make a decision and get my head back on straight." She said, sighing deeply.

"Well," Dominique answered, smiling again, "it's great to have you back here, even for a while. I'll try to make your days here as joyful as possible." Dominique nodded quickly, and glanced around. She padded away into the corridor, disappearing in another room. A lot of noises could be heard from inside, such as things being thrown on the floor, or put up back into the closet.

Shadow smiled slightly, although her hands were shaking slightly while she held the mask. The words of the last audience came flooding back into her mind, causing her hands to shake a bit more. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. turning the mask over in her hands.

Dominique stepped out of the room, quickly walking over to Shadow. She stopped in front of her, looking up at her with smiling wide eyes. She smiled herself, lending out one hand to the room at the end of the corridor, the entrance bing merely lit by the lamp from above.
"That'll be your room, Shadow," Dominique explained quickly, "I'll have enough space with Bart."

Shadow looked up at Dominique and smiled warmly.
"Thanks for this Dominique. It is really short notice and I hardly asked you..." She said quietly, biting her lip.

"Who cares if it's a short notice?!" Dominique replied, throwing her hand in the air over her shoulder, "As long as it's a good short notice, it should be worth working for, no?" She turned her head down the corridor, and beckoned Shadow to follow her, as she descended the hall.

Shadow followed Dominique, still turning the mask over in her hands, unable to quite grasp the fact that she needn't wear it for the few days that she was here. The demoness smiled slightly, wondering if the female Kraferr had always been this hyperactive.

Dominique halted at a room, lending out one hand into it, showing what was inside to Shadow. There was a small wooden bed with white sheets and two comfortable-looking pillows. The floor was made of dark wood, with different hues of brown and yellow. A gray carpet was neatly put on the floor next to the bed. A whole library of books was put up on shelves on the wall at the opposite side to the bed. The books were mostly on Kraferrs, their history and other things concerning them. There was also philosophy. Next to the bed, stood a light blue wooden shelf at about a little bit higher than Bart's knee. On the shelf, was a lamp, and an alarm clock.
"This is my room," Dominique explained, "I'll be using Bart's for a while, I guess. Normally, I don't let him inside -and it actually quite annoys him- well, because there are some things here that a normal certain male kraferr shouldn't be looking at. It'll be yours while your time here."

Shadow looked at the room before turning a questionning look at Dominique.
"Are you sure? I mean..." She trailed off, being lost for words for the first time since she had taken over the throne.