Shadow's Reign, part two (CnP)

"Absolutely," Dominique insisted, nodding quickly, "I mean, Bart doesn't bite or anything." Dominique smirked, laughing quietly, "And he can be a pretty sound sleeper. Well, when he does, actually. He sleeps one day on two, nearly," Dominique commented, "it doesn't seem to be any bad for him, so I just take it as fine, and leave it as it is..."

"Ok, well, thanks..." Shadow said, smiling slightly. She took a deep breath, looking at Dominique. "Maybe you could help me with that problem..." She said, her expression changing to slightly hopeful.

Dominique pulled Shadow inside the room, and closed the door behind her. Dominique put an ear to the door, checking if Bart was outside or not. After having checked, Dominique turned to the demoness, smiling. "If you didn't talk about it to Bart, there must be a reason," Dominique replied, "but don't worry, as far as I'm living here, the words of this so-called problem won't come out of my mouth. What's wrong?"

Shadow had laid her mask and circlet on a small table, running a hand through her coal black hair.
"Ok, I'm going to keep this simple," She said, looking at Dominique. "I either get together with a warlord prince from another dimension, or my dimension goes to war. I didn't want to tell Bart because he tends to worry about things a lot more that I do."

"Ah, yes, forced marriage, I know that," Dominique muttered, "stupid freaking males... Even though, I have to admit, I kinda did the same thing to Bart..." Dominique shrugged half-heatedly, turning away. She looked up at the kraferric books on the shelves, glancing up and down. Of course, there was no book on marriage. Or any book that could help. "Yeah, that's pretty bad," Dominique added, "but, in royalty, that tends to happen fairly often..." Dominique turned to Shadow, and sighed. "And, of course, you have no right to say no, huh? Because you're a woman?"

Shadow shook her head.
"I have a right to say no, but it means that the dimension I rule over and all my people will be killed." She said, rubbing the back of her neck, looking at the ground. "I don't know what to do."

"Because your army isn't as strong as the other one, eh," Dominique commented, closing her eyes sadly, lifting one hand up to her chin, "yes, you were right not to tell Bart about it. He would've probably gone pretty freaking mad. And would've killed himself trying to protect someone he cares about. He nearly did it for me. And I still remember that day as if it was yesterday..." Dominique turned away, trying to hide her face from Shadow. Her hands were trembling slightly, and she curled her arms around her body, trying to calm herself down. "And I don't want to see him like that again..."

Shadow walked over to Dominique, gently wrapping a comforting arm around the Kraferr's shoulders. She bit her lip, wondering what to say, and only three words came to mind.
"I understand." She murmured.

Dominique turned around, and hugged Shadow warmly, trying to hide her sad face. She closed her eyes tightly, just as her grip on Shadow strengthened.
"Bart scares me sometimes..." Dominique whispered, "that day, I noticed that he really counted on me. As I counted on him. He seemed ready to do anything to get me back that day... his state was terrifying."
As Dominique spoke the words, the memories slid back into her mind. She closed her eyes even tighter, trying to push them away, but they stood like a frozen icicle in the back of her consciousness.

Shadow just held Dominique comfortingly.
"He once stood up to Vrael, Shaeman and Raven, when they were still out to kill me." She said, remembering the lake.

Dominique sniffed to herself, staying silent. She didn't want to remember how Bart was, about seven months ago. The fear, and this bloodthirsty aura that raged within him. She didn't want to remember anything from that day. But the memory always came back, every night. She had even tried to use kraferric magic to get rid of it, but it had never worked. The memory was a would that would never turn into a scar.

Shadow didn't say anything as she gently let to of Dominique. She didn't know what to say. Being a ruler didn't mean that she automatically knew how to deal with situations like that, even though she wished that it were true. The demoness sighed quietly, her gaze turned to the floor.

Dominique smiled, quickly wiping her eyes, laughing at herself. "Eh, I'm getting all emotional again," she muttered to herself, "I guess I am weak... Anyways! We were talking about your problems, not mine!" Dominique turned away, scratching her tired eyes hurriedly, before turning back to the demoness. "So, you're having a problem, which can be summarized in some words: A male wants you, and if he doesn't get you, you're dead. Typical thing." Dominique thought for a solution, but couldn't get any ideas.

Shadow gave a small half smile.
"If only it were as simple as it sounds." She said, shaking her head. "But then again, it never is simple for women, no matter the species, is it?" The demoness snorted slightly. "Such as the stupid law about the female rulers of Aspheri having to wear a mask."

"I noticed it when you came in," Dominique commented, "why make something that idiotic? Eh, males, never logical... So, I guess that for now, I have no ideas to use... I know that we can't help you individually. And even if we gathered all our friends, -such as the kraferrs, if they were still alive- we wouldn't be enough to take them all on. Anyways, You and Bart would be exhausted after having teleported them into Aspheri..." Dominique drifted away, wandering into her own thoughts again.

Shadow started to pace around the room, her black dress brushing the floor, running a hand through her hair.
"So, you know my situation anyway. Hopefully it won't fall through and the Prince of Erica won't be turning up in Aspheri anytime soon, but I can't get my hopes up..."

"Yes," Dominique replied quietly, turning her head to the ground below her, "I'm sorry I can't help you out just yet..." Dominique's face darkened, and she gulped quickly. Normally, I can help people just by using the kraferric magic. I even managed to regenerate Bart's arm. But, in this kind of situation, I'm less than nothing. Damn it.

Shadow turned her violet gaze to look at Dominique, her facee softening.
"There was nothing originally that you could to apart from perhaps help me make the decision. I just couldn't stay in Aspheri and try to think about this at the same time."

"Well," Dominique muttered, "I don't want you to die, and I don't want you to go against your own will. So, yeah, I can't really help you for now, until I find some sort of solution." Dominique sighed, and looked at the time on her watch, lifting her hand to do so.
"7:30 PM," she remarked, "I better start preparing dinner with Bart." Dominique lifted her head to Shadow. "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen with Bart." Dominique nodded once briefly, and walked out of the room quietly. Her footsteps echoed down the hall until she arrived in a large room, with a wooden table standing nearly in the middle of it. There was a small kitchen attached to the room, and Dominique padded away to the lit room. Bart's name was yelled out from that room, and more heavy footsteps followed Dominique's, before stopping nearly at the same place.

Allyssianne sighed heavily, sitting down on the bed. She pulled at the hem of her sleeve, thinking that she really should change out of the dress. Standing up, the demoness summoned a portal, not unlike the one she had summoned while clearing out her flat so many years ago. She disappeared inside ot for a brief moment before reemerging dressed in her old familiar outfit of black jeans, equestrian-like ankle boots and black hoody. She smiled, closing the portal with a few murmured words as she tied her hair up in a high ponytail.

After forty-five minutes or so, the faint clicking of the silverware being put on the wooden table was heard, just as heavy plates were placed on it at the same time. Dominique went back in the kitchen, and took out the salad that she had composed of lettuce, tomatoes, corn and a nice small sauce with it, while Bart just grabbed the plate of melon and smoked ham onto the table. He patted his foot on the ground, looking at the prepared table for a while.
"Shadow," Bart called loudly, "time to eat!"

Shadow smiled, silently walking through to the place that she had heard the voice soming from. She felt a lot better being in her old clothes rather than the stiff dresses back on Aspheri. If she didn't think about her problems, then it would be hard to think that she had ever been back to Aspheri.

Bart and Dominique were seen sitting at the table, Dominique already serving herself with the neatly placed food, that inspired her tastes vividly. Bart had his head leaned onto his hands, with a slight dark expression on his face, looking boringly at the table. Once Dominique had finished serving herself with salad, Bart did the same, keeping his eyes on the food, but with no sign of want or rejection. He got a slice of smoked ham, and pushed the plates away, leaning his head on his hands again as Shadow arrived.
"I'm not much of a cook," Dominique excused herself, "it probably ain't what you eat on Aspheri, but I hope it's good enough."

Shadow gave Dominique a warm half smile.
"If you lived on the timetable I had back there, you wouldn't have time to eat!" She said, smiling. What she had said had actually been true. She ate very little back in Aspheri, and it had only been because of the armour plating inside her bodice that no one had actually noticed. She quietly sat at the table, taking a little bit of salad.

Dominique started munching her own meal timidly, using her fork and knife normally, fork in the left, knife in the right. Bart was still staring at the table, breathing calmly, not even glancing at his food. He seemed... somewhere else. Behind him, was a black-fabric couch, along with another gray chair next to it. Right in front of the couch, was a small glass table with metal stands. A nice knife was posed on the table to cut the bread that Dominique had posed on the table.