Lass's Tear

"Because you want to make sure she stays!" It tore from her despite herself as she laid there. "It was fine before! Everything was fine! And then.... And then this... and you... and your horrible people... You want to kill me! I'll kill you all first!"

"I never said I wanted to kill you," he responded sharply. "As I recall, you were the first aggressor in a house that welcomed you as a guest, and we sent you away out of self preservation."

"Lies! You all tempt her! You spirits and demons! The lot of you! I will kill you all and then we will be safe. You are waiting for me to be locked away so that you can steal her soul and leave me there alone! " She thrashed against the formless bonds again. "I'll not be bound! I'll not be left alone!"

An eyebrow arched. "I thought you wanted to get rid of her?" He ignored the accusation as ground cover already, instead focusing on her.

"Shut up! I don't wanna talk about this anymore!" Her anger and frustration were giving way to tears despite herself.

He sat down beside her, resting his back to the wall. "Strange, isn't it; we see only one way to win, and we fight for it as long as we can, but when it comes close, and we see what we've been rushing towards for so long, it's not quite what we thought it would be." He drifted in to silence, listening to her strangled sobs beside him as he though of his own family that he'd looked for for so long.

She did little more than lay there sobbing as she swore that she would get revenge for how he had made her feel. How he had used his spirit magic to make her lay her mind and heart open to him in an intimate fashion. This would never be forgotten as she laid there feeling emotionally violated.

Meanwhile Back with the river queen

I let out a growl of frustration, at the third dead end, meaning that someone is screwing with her trail flitting it about to make it harder to follow. about the third time the pointer begins spinning it dawns on me that we need to go Underground. sighing I glance at Liv, "sorry"

I sigh. "I should have expected it." My voice is heavy with resignation. "Lead on."
It's a long and twisting path, over unknown waterways that gurgle and suck. Once, something with tentacles reached out from the water, but Liam hit it and it didn't rise again.
As we twist deeper, I watch the darkness. I hate being underground. An odd statement for someone who was raised in a home made from a hill, some would say. But a holt is only steps from the air. Down here, everything is too close, and the stench isn't helping either; something green and fetid and rotting.
We turn down a side passage. Vines and creepers twist over the walls, seeming to crawl. If they don't live on light....I stop that train of thought before it has time to get truly disturbing, and focus on the species.
"Huh. Fitting." I mutter.

the odd echo of the tunnels causes me to turn my head "what is fitting Liv?" the situation we are in is one of the few where I missed the dampened senses i used to have. ye gods but the stink is almost something alive in it's own right made worse by the enclosed nature of the tunnels.

"There's nine species growing in here. And they're all poisonous. Typical Nightside." I shoot a look at a creeping nightshade climber that festoons one wall. A line of poetry runs through my head.
"Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?" I mutter thoughtfully. "Wonder if Rossetti ever saw this place. It would have given anyone the inspiration for that poem...and for the madness she suffered as well..." I eye the plants. "Let's not touch them... I've got a feeling they're a bit more than wall decor."

"Kind of a standard rule of thumb in the nightside" I laugh knowing she knows that full well, though now the feeling of being watched is rather pervasive. causing me to tense as if ready for someone or something to come out ahead, behind or beside us. my own senses straining to hear anything other then the water and our groups footfalls.

"Well, at least the compass is holding true." I state, peering ahead. "Is that...that looks a lot like a seedling house. There, see?"

I wink at Liv "well then since it indicates our missing blossom is in there shall we make an entrance or be all stealthy and quiet, I think no matter what the shite is hitting the fan once that door is open" I keep my voice low and almost monotone, gesturing at the flowers around us, "I feel there are secrets here we are about to discover weather we want to or not"

"Indeed." The voice came from behind as a slender young man stepped from a passage concealed behind a wall of vine and touched each of their necks with needle in the blink of an eye. As black feel swiftly over Liam and Liv's eyes, he stepped back and watched them fall. "Belladonna's been expecting you."

There's no headache when I wake; that's a nice change. I sit up slowly, feeling the tug of restraints. Vines, binding my arms. That makes me smirk. Vines? really? On me? Bending down, I let my teeth grow sharp. Dratsie teeth were meant for breaking bones and shells. Bloody little vines stand no chance. Spitting to keep their sap out of my system-never know what damage that might do- I stand. Liam's bound across the room from me.
"Somebody watched too much Batman years back." I comment airily, "And Poison Ivy was a pathetic villan to begin with."

I growl feeling the restraints "Really, this is what they come up with?" it is an uncomfortable reminder of being buried but that isn't so bad, what is annoying is that they Chafe. "so help me when I am fee of these I am going to tear someone apart limb from limb. and if they have laid a hand on any other of our friends they will wear the blood eagle carved in their back" I am completely oblivious to the fact that I am not the only one in the room and that I am speaking out loud.

"Blood, blood, blood..." the voice ticks down the passage, counting time with footfalls as they approach.

"Shut it you lummox!" I hiss, "And hold still, I don't want to bite you." Four quick bites and he's free, scrambling to his feet with murder in his eyes. I glance sharply at him. They took my bag, but by lucky coincidence they didn't look in my boot. I draw my blade, and grin. "Ready?" I whisper.

"Oh leave it be..." the voice echos. "The acoustics work both ways you know."

I growl in annoyance. "I'm in no mood to play silly buggers. If you want to talk, talk face to face."

I growl "besides you are the ones who decided to sneak attack, we were searching for someone" I can't keep the anger from my voice but i force my body to relax, a rush here will serve nothing more then a fruitless death.

"I will..." The voice sounds hesitant. "but I would rather talk to you then 'Blood Eagle'" The footsteps echo again, and a slight girl in a knee length red tunic steps around the corner, eyeing Liam warily. "You will die trying to escape." she warns as she steps to the tightly woven screen between the hall and the 'cell.' "Please don't"

"It's a little hard to be courteous when we're in a trap." I snap. "What are you called, girl?"

"Tetter." She says meekly. "I was sent to bring you to Belladonna." She looks nervously at Liam and steps back as he growls.