Chapter 12 : Noon

Fiona and Kianna stood completely frozen as they stared at Anton. After a long moment of stillness they slowly looked at each other. Their eyes went wide in panicked realization as their ears pointed themselves straight upwards. Without a word they both exploded out of the tub on either side of Anton and began to stumble and fall as they tried to make a clumsy dash for the door.

Anton sighed as he snapped the fingers on his right hand.

The wave of bathwater that was about to land on him suddenly stopped moving forward and began to drift aimlessly through the air. The two dark elves both cried out in a panicked confusion as their feet slipped out from underneath them and they suddenly found themselves floating weightlessly above the tiled floor.

“W-what the Hell!?” cried Fiona as she flailed her limbs in an attempt to remain upright, despite her efforts she ended up floating upside down above Anton “Wha, what is this!?”

“This, is an ability I call “Quantum Break” it's a spell that allows me to manipulate the gravity in the area around me. ...It's also more proof that you've never really stood a chance against me” said Anton as he grinned up at the clearly uncomfortable dark elf “Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you. Unless I decide to turn it off and you fall. That, of course, will probably hurt you”

Fiona's eyes widened even further as she froze her movements and made a tiny fearful sound in the back of her throat.

“This is so cool!” marveled Kianna as she playfully waved her hands through the floating water “How are you doing this!?”

“Ah, well, it's kind of embarrassing for me to admit, but I can't really explain it that well because I don't fully understand the mechanics behind it myself” admitted Anton as he watched the dark elf make balls of water with her cupped hands and then try to bite at them “I learned this skill when a Voidling, a flatwoods to be exact, sucked my consciousness into the Void and tried to absorb me. I was able to get the upper hand on him and somehow learned a few of his abilities during the exchange. This is one of them”

“...Are you serious!?” exclaimed Fiona as she curled herself into the fetal position and clutched her stomach “So you don't even know how this shit even works!?”

“No, not really” said Anton as he folded his hands behind his head and gazed up at her “I know how to control it in the sense of turning it on and off and manipulating the intensities. But to say I understand how it works in anyway beyond that... Nope, no idea!”

“That's so crazy!” laughed Kianna as she twirled in a circle “Wait! Are we really gonna fall when you turn it off!?”

“No, I'm not gonna let you fall!” declared Anton as he smiled at her instant relief “I'll turn it off slowly so you'll just float down. Don't worry, you're perfectly safe”

“This is not safe!” cried Fiona as she clamped her eyes shut in an effort to fight back against her growing nausea “This is stupid! I hate this!”

“I love this! This is fun!” cried Kianna as she bobbed herself up near the height of the ten foot ceiling and looked down at Anton “...It is kinda weird though!”

“Oh, I don't know about weird!” laughed Anton as he settled back and crossed his legs at the ankles as he lounged in his chair “Personally! I think there's something sexy about the sight of two, naked, lady dark elves floating through space! I could watch this for hours!”

Kianna stopped short as her eyes went wide and her ears pointed themselves straight upwards.

“S-sexy?” she questioned as she absently pressed her shoulders and palms against the ceiling and stared down at Anton “...Really?”

“Well yeah!” grinned Anton “It's hard to beat a sight like this! Lots of angles you don't normally get to see! I'm having a hard time even blinking since I don't want to miss anything!”

“...Oh!” said Kianna as a slight grin took shape on her face “...Really!”

Anton cocked an eyebrow as Kianna smirked at him and folded her ears back so their tips were pointed down and away from her head. Bending her legs upwards, she twisted her waist just enough to hide her sex behind her thigh and folded her arms over her breasts to shield them from sight. Turning slightly to the side she laid herself back against the ceiling and grinned demurely as she arched her back and posed herself for Anton's attention.

“...Oh! Well now!” rumbled Anton as he tightened his eyes and smiled back up at her “Is my little dark elf feeling playful all of a sudden!?”

Kianna continued to twist herself to the side until she was essentially laying with her belly against the ceiling. Bending her legs back over her bottom and heavily arching her back and neck until she was bent into a crescent shape, she looked down at Anton and smiled at him while chewing on her lower lip.

“...I don't know!” she teased as she mashed her still hidden breasts together with her folded arms and shifted her shoulders back and forth “...Maybe!”

“Are you shitting me!?” snarled Fiona as she glared up her sister “What the fuck are you doing up there Kianna!?”

Kianna's playful expression shifted to one of irritation as she narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“Nothing!” she declared with a huff “I'm just playing around!”

“Oh! You're just playing around!” mocked Fiona as she clumsily swam through the air towards an empty towel rack that was mounted to the wall “Just playing around, with an asshole! Who just said he wants to enslave you! Nothing wrong with that though! Right!?”

Kianna stared at her sister for a moment before looking off to the side and twisting herself away from both her and Anton.

“Ugh! I wanna get down now!” groaned Fiona as she grabbed hold of the towel rack and hugged herself to the wall before clamping her eyes shut “Please!”

Anton sighed as he stood up from his chair and walked over to Fiona.

“If I stick you back in the tub are you going to try to run away again?” he asked as he folded his arms over his chest “Or will you promise to be a good girl and stay where I put you!?”

Seething, Fiona pressed her forehead against the wall and growled in frustration.

“...I'll be good!” she snarled through her teeth “I promise!”

“Hm, and what about you?” asked Anton as he looked up at Kianna.

The second dark elf was still floating up near the ceiling and was looking off to the side with an intensely thoughtful look on her face. After a moment she glanced down at Anton and nodded her head.

“Alright then” said Anton as he plucked a floating bathmat out of the air “Just give me a minute”

Using the bathmat as a combination of a shovel and a fan, Anton moved all the floating water back into the tub before turning back to the dark elves.

Fiona had curled herself back into the fetal position as she kept her death grip on the towel rack. While Kianna, despite the somber attitude she had only a few moments ago, had begun to happily practice free spinning somersaults as she continued to float around the room.

Anton chuckled as he smiled up at her and the gleeful dark elf quickly turned away from him as an embarrassed blush spread across her face.

With a smirk still on his own face, Anton walked up to Fiona and shook his head at her.

“Are we still ready to get down now?” he asked.

“Yes!” exclaimed the dark elf as she frantically nodded her head “Please!”

“Alright then, let go” mumbled Anton as he gave her a light smack across her butt cheek.

“Hey! You ass!” cried Fiona as she whorled around in a rage and tried to strike at him. Missing entirely she lost her hold on the towel rack and began to float out into the open air.

“Ah! No!” she cried as she twirled forward in the air and ended up floating upside down again.

The panicked dark elf flailed her limbs uselessly as she tried to right herself. She froze completely as Anton reached out and took hold of the top of her head. Holding her upside down in his palm, he grinned evilly and lifted her up to his eye level.

“You really don't like this!” teased Anton as he bobbed her up and down “Do you!?”

“Stop!” cried Fiona as she clutched Anton's wrist with both hands and curled her legs in against her belly “Put me down! Please!”

“Hm, but I kind of want to juggle you a little bit first” mumbled Anton as he gave her head a squeeze “And maybe see how well you can bounce”

“No! Stop! Please don't!” whimpered Fiona as she clamped her eyes shut and laid her ears back submissively “Please! Please don't juggle me!”

“Okay, okay! Don't start crying!” chuckled Anton as he gave her a light spin to get her right side up again “Just remember that you promised to be a good girl now, Fiona!”

Fiona moaned miserably and wrapped her arms around her stomach as she was spun in a complete circle. Keeping her eyes shut, she did nothing as Anton took hold of her shoulders and guided her through the air before easing her back down into the tub.

With one dark elf now in place, Anton looked up and shifted his attention to the second one.

Kianna was still floating up near the ceiling. As her eyes met Anton's she planted herself against the ceiling and made as if she were about to push off with her feet.

Smiling in understanding, Anton held his arms out and readied himself to catch her.

The dark elf had a excited smile on her face as she launched herself downwards and went sailing through the air. Curling herself into a cannon ball at the last moment she couldn't help but to start giggling gleefully as she landed cradled in Anton's arms.

“You are just having a blast with this!” exclaimed Anton as he squeezed the still balled up dark elf to his chest and teasingly tapped her on the nose “Aren't you!”

“...Yes!” smiled Kianna as she playfully laid her ears back and covered her face with her hands “I am!”

“Aw! My little dark elf is so cute!” teased Anton as he stepped back up to the tub “Does she like it when I let her float through the air!?”

“...Yeah!” admitted Kianna as she squirmed playfully and kept her face hidden “I do! It's really fun!”

Fiona growled angrily as she gripped the side of the tub and desperately tried to keep herself in place.

“Will you please hurry up!” she whined as she started to slip back out into the air “Please!”

“Okay, okay. Don't panic” teased Anton as he eased Kianna down and placed her in the tub next to her sister “You need to learn to relax and have some fun Fiona!”

The dark elf growled in annoyance as Anton snapped the same fingers on his right hand and caused everything to slowly fall back into place.

Fiona breathed a sigh of relief and went limp as she let go of the tub.

“Well that was fun!” exclaimed Kianna as she settled herself in the tub and tossed her hair back and off of her shoulders.

“That was Hell!” cried Fiona as she pressed her forehead against the top of the tubs edge “...I feel like I'm still spinning!”

“It's nice to know I have something I can threaten you with now” chuckled Anton as he ruffled Fiona's hair “Maybe next time me and Kianna will use you as a Volleyball!”

Fiona went stiff and then groaned in dismay as her sister laughed softly.

Shivering in the now chilled water, Kianna wrapped her arms around herself and began to rub her shoulders as she laid her ears back and looked up at Anton with pleading eyes.

“Aw, is my poor little dark elf too cold!?” exclaimed Anton as he smirked at her “Well let's fix that!”

Leaning over the edge of the tub, Anton ran his hand through the water before warming it back up with another tap of his finger.

“Thank you!” chirped Kianna as she looked down into the water and began to fidget with her hands “...Master!”

“You're very welcome!” said Anton as he gave her a quick rub on her bowed head.

Fiona tilted her head to give her sister a sideways glare and ended up blinking in surprise when Kianna defiantly glared back and stuck her tongue out at her.

“So!” exclaimed Anton as he settled himself back into his seat “Now that we've got all the theatrics out of the way. I think it's time for us to have another little talk”

The dark elves had both nervousness and apprehension in their eyes as they looked up at him and waited.

“First let me say its nice to see that you both seem to be recovering pretty well. I didn't know that dark elves could “bounce” back so quickly” said Anton as he gave Fiona a condescending smirk “That's always a nice trait to have in a slave!”

Fiona pointed her ears straight back and glared angrily as she moved away from the side of the tub and sunk down to her neck in the warm water.

“Honestly, you both had to have had an idea that this was coming” said Anton as he looked from one dark elf to the other “I haven't exactly been all that subtle. I've even had you calling me “Master” for crying out loud!”

Fiona bared her clenched teeth while Kianna stayed silent and merely stared at nothing.

“You can't just make us your slaves because you want to!” declared Fiona “That's not how the laws work!”

“True. Justification is necessary. And even then there is still a process to actually make you into a legal slave. Unfortunately for you though” said Anton as he narrowed his eyes at her “I think I have more than enough justification to enslave a pair of kidnappers who also happen to be attempted rapists and murderers!”

Fiona's glare began to falter as her eyes went wide.

“That's, that isn't!” she cried as her eyes darted from Anton to Kianna and back “We never actually tried to kill you though!”

“True. But that's only because I never gave you the chance” said Anton as he rubbed his chin “Are you trying to say you wouldn't have really done it? Because if so we can actually confirm that”

“...How?” asked Fiona as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards.

“With a Warden's Orb, obviously” said Anton as he reached into his pocket “And as luck would have it I happened to have one sitting around and thought it might come into play at some point today”

Anton pulled an oddly shaped glob of silver colored metal out of his pocket and set it down with a tap on the edge of the tub between the two dark elves.

Their curiosity getting the better of them, Fiona and Kianna both leaned forward to get a better look at the strange object that appeared to be a chunk of molten metal that had hardened around a blue jewel.

“...What is this thing!?” questioned Fiona as she glared at the unimposing little glob.

“It's, it's a Warden's Orb” said Anton as he cocked an eyebrow at her “It's the same thing they use in criminal cases to determine if a person is guilty”

“...How does it work?” questioned Fiona as she raised her eyes up to meet Anton's “What does it do!?”

“Well, normally it'll just measure your karmic balance, which is why these are also used in a few forms of divination. But if you activate it and consent to a screen then it'll do a deeper read and be able to tell exactly what you're guilty of” explained Anton “It is semi-sapient as well, and will record your crimes. So useless you're fully confident that you're innocent I wouldn't recommend using it”

“...We actually are innocent though!” exclaimed Fiona as she gave Anton a smug grin “You let us kidnap you and we never even came close to doing anything else! So we really are actually innocent!”

Kianna's eyes went wide as she looked from her sister to Anton.

“Then by all means” said Anton as he held out his hand and indicated the orb “Prove it”

“...And what are you going to do if it says we're innocent!?” demanded Fiona “How do we know you won't still try to enslave us!?”

“There's no point in enslaving you if I can't even show you off!” chuckled Anton as he shook his head “No, if it turns out that you're innocent then I'll be happy with everything I've already taken from you. And I'll just leave it at that”

“...You'll actually leave!?” questioned Kianna as her eyes widened even further.

“You promise!?” exclaimed Fiona “If it says we're innocent you'll really leave!? You swear!?”

“Yes, I'll leave and you'll never see me again” answered Anton “You have my word”

“Worth it!?” exclaimed Fiona as she turned to her sister with unabashed excitement on her face “What do you think!?”

“...I, I don't know!” mumbled Kianna as a hint of nervousness took shape in her eyes “I, I don't... I!”

Seeing the turmoil in the dark elf's eyes, Anton gave her a soft smile.

“Just give it a shot Kianna” he encouraged as he nodded to the orb “And we'll see what happens”

“We'll see your ass out the door is what we'll do!” exclaimed Fiona as she sidled up to the orb “How do we do this!?”

“It's simple, first I'll add a bit of mana to get things going” said Anton as he reached out and ran his fingertip across the blue jewel in the center of the orb “Then the rest is up to you”

Both of the dark elves stared transfixed as the blue jewel immediately lit up and began to pulsate.

“Now, all you two have to do is touch the jewel and ask “Warden am I innocent?” and it will do the rest” explained Anton as he settled back into his seat to watch “It doesn't matter if you both touch it at the same time, it can read you both”

“That's it?” questioned Fiona “It's really that simple!?”

“Yes, this is what this thing was made to do” explained Anton “It's designed to be simple”

“So just touch it?” asked Kianna as she reached forward and pressed her fingertip on the jewel “Like this?”

“Mm hm” hummed Anton as he nodded his head.

Fiona followed her sister's lead and pressed her finger down just next to hers. The dark elves then looked at each other before taking deep breaths through their noses.

“Warden am I innocent!?” they both cried out in unison.

The jewel at the center of the orb began to glow at a brighter intensity before the metal surrounding it suddenly ignited into a flurry of sparks. The dark elves both pulled their hands back as the orb rose up and floated in the air in front of them. As they watched, the metal around the jewel continued to ignite itself until it became a glowing orb of white plasma with a bluish center.

“No. You are not” said the wardens orb as it zipped forward and came to rest in the air directly in front of Fiona. The dark elf cringed back as three holographic-like square shaped screens shone out from the center of the orb and pointed themselves at each person before they began to run a list of crimes down their lengths.

“I wouldn't worry about this just yet” mused Anton as he watched the list run it's course “Technically everybody is guilty of something. So long as the words don't start turning red then you should be fine... Oh, nevermind, there they are...”

Fiona's spirit sank as the orb listed each time she stole from her sister before coming to a stop at the bottom of the list.

“Well there you go!” said Anton as he nodded slowly “Clear as day “Kidnapping with the intent to murder” that's far from innocent Fiona!”

Fiona sat dumbfounded as the orb turned to Kianna and began to run through a second much shorter list.

“Hm!” mumbled Anton as he playfully cocked an eyebrow at Kianna “Well now, what's this! “Kidnapping with the intent to rape and murder” so you were the only one who was going to take it the extra mile then!? That's a little surprising! And here I thought you were the good one Kianna!”

A bright, warm blush spread across Kianna's face as she looked down into the bathwater and flattened her ears back submissively behind her head.

“...Nope!” she mumbled softly as she peeked up at Anton and gave him a tiny grin “...I'm not!”

“...This! This is!” started Fiona as she shook her head and stared at the still glowing orb “This is-”

She stopped short as the warden's orb rose up into the air above them and then disappeared with a pop of sparks.

“And there it goes...” mumbled Anton as he looked back down at the clearly confused dark elves “It's on it's way”

“What!?” cried Fiona as she looked from where the orb had just been to him and then back “What happened!? Where did it go!?”

“It went to the closest “Center of Enforcement” office” said Anton as he rolled his head along his shoulders to crack his neck “Should be back in a few days. ...At least I hope it is. Those things are expensive!”

“...It what!?” exclaimed Fiona as she looked back at him with panic in her eyes “Why!? Why is it going there!?”

“Because it knows you're guilty. And it's going to record your crimes” said Anton as he gave her a perplexed look “I told you it would do that”

“No you didn't! You never said it was going to report us!” exclaimed Fiona “You, you tricked us!”

“I did no such thing!” declared Anton as he shook his head “I specifically told you that it would record your crimes and I warned you not to use it unless you were absolutely sure that you were innocent! And you said that you were!”

“So wait! What happens now!?” questioned Kianna “What does “Record your crimes” mean!?”

“It means exactly that” said Anton as he turned to her “It'll record your crimes and then the COE will confirm your identities and issue warrants for your arrest. The whole process may take a few days but afterwords officers and bounty hunters will be alerted to your wanted status and they'll be on the look out for you”

“You bastard!” screamed Fiona as she pointed her ears straight back behind her head “We're going to be arrested because of you!”

“Excuse me!? Because of me!? None of this is because of me, Fiona!” declared Anton as he leaned over the edge of the tub and glared at her “The only thing I'm guilty of is sitting at a bar and minding my own business! You and your sister are responsible for everything that's happened after that!”

“You!” seethed Fiona as she glared right back at him “You bastard! You planned this!”

“Well, that is somewhat true” said Anton as he eased himself back and resettled into his chair “I did think this particular opportunity might arise, and I did plan ahead so I could take advantage of it if it did”

“I knew it!” cried Fiona “...Wait, what are you talking about!?”

“I'm talking about using the Warden's Orb” explained Anton “I thought the opportunity to use it at some point today might come up so I kept it with me just in case”

“...Why did you want to use it?” asked Kianna.

“Because it'll make things a lot easier on my end” said Anton “It'll streamline a big chunk of the paperwork I'll have to deal with by having the information about your crimes processed by the COE itself. Now all I'll have to worry about is filing with the registry and maintaining your health records. Which will be easy enough really. We'll go ahead and get my personal files started and out of the way today, and I'll try to setup an official doctors visit for sometime in the next week or so”

Fiona fell back as her eyes went wide.

“Wait! Wait!” she exclaimed as she shook her head frantically “You can't be serious!”

“I'm very serious” said Anton as he folded his arms over his chest and looked her in the eyes “This is happening Fiona”

Fiona's eyes darted to the door before zipping back to Anton.

“You can't do this to us! We, we have to agree! You can't just enslave us unless we agree!” she exclaimed as she scowled maniacally at him “And I won't agree! I won't!”

“I don't need you to agree to anything Fiona” said Anton as he shook his head “I'm the reason you have that imbalance. You targeted me specifically, so you owe me personally. In this instance, I can choose to either press charges against you or keep you myself. We already know what decision I'm making. But either way, whether it's a prison cell, or a collar, you're losing your freedom regardless”

There was a moment of stillness as the three of them sat in silence.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

“But you stole from us!” exclaimed Fiona as her eyes widened in excitement “You're a thief! You're not innocent either!”

“If you had been innocent and I had just left with your money then yes I would be guilty of being a thief. That wouldn't be enough to stop me from doing just that however, as I would be remiss if I didn't feel compensated for all of the troubles that you've caused me. As it sits though, that's not going to be an issue, at all” said Anton as he slowly shook his head before again locking eyes with the dark elf “You struck first Fiona. And everything that has happened so far has been in direct response to that. You are guilty, and you will pay for your crimes. I suggest that you accept that”

Fiona lowered her ears and began to slowly scoot backwards until her back was again pressed against the back sidewall of the tub. Swallowing back the bile that had risen in her throat she pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared at Anton.

“And as for everything I'm going to take from you? Well, the sad reality for you is that I can't steal something from someone I own, Fiona” he stated softly “Everything they have will also belong to me”

Kianna had a solemn look on her face as she watched Fiona slowly drop her head forward and rest her forehead on her knees. After a moment of stillness she slowly turned to look up at Anton.

“...If, we had been innocent?” she asked as she let her eyes drift away from him and land on the doorway “...Would you have really left?”

“I'm not a gambling man, Kianna. I knew there was no way you would be” said Anton as he looked away from Fiona and stared forward at nothing “But in the off chance that you were... Then yes, I would have left”

Kianna shifted her eyes back just enough to see him clearly.

“Really!?” she questioned around a sudden tightness in her chest “After everything that's happened! You'd just leave forever!? Why!?”

“Because I'd have no right to be here, Kianna” explained Anton “And as hard as it may be for you and your sister to believe. I'm not monstrous enough to terrorize innocent people without a reason. There are more than enough guilty people in the world for that... I wouldn't be happy to leave though. I don't like to walk away from something that I want”

Kianna was still for a moment as she stared at him.

“...Why!?” she whispered as her eyes tightened in question “Why do you want us!?”

“You already know why he wants us!” snapped Fiona as she raised her head and scowled at Anton “The only reasons he would ever want us is so that he can rape and torture us until our minds crack! You know all he's going to-!”

“Do you honestly think that's all you're worth Fiona!?” interrupted Anton as he turned to face her “Is that really the only value you can see in yourself!? A warm body, something to put a whip to and a mind to crack!? Is that really all you have to offer!? Is that really all you are!? Because I don't believe that's true! I think... I think there's more...”

Fiona went to speak but stopped short as she seemed to be contemplating her words.

Kianna's eyes had gone wide as she swiveled her head and looked back and forth between Anton and her sister.

“...You two did something very stupid. And you've both been punished for that. You've suffered enough pain for it though” declared Anton as he turned away from Fiona “Now, I'm not going to lie to you. I do very much enjoy being sadistic. And if given a reason I will happily punish you both again. That being said though, I am neither monstrous nor bloodthirsty. And I have absolutely no intentions of abusing you two simply for the sake of it. You have my word, there is no reason to fear that ever happening”

Fiona shook her head and continued to scowl for a few moments before dropping her head again and hiding her face back behind her knees.

Kianna had once again become solemn as she watched her sister. Moving only her eyes she glanced down at the water before looking back up at Anton.

“...I don't, get it? Why? Why do you want us then?” she whispered quietly as her voice began to waver with a slight crack “Nobody else has ever wanted-!”

The dark elf stopped short as Anton shifted his head and locked his eyes with her's.

“You're doomed. Both of you. Neither one of you can defend yourselves in any way. You won't last in prison. You'll be targeted immediately. Simply because of what you are. It won't be long before you're gone. Your lives, amounting to nothing...” he said matter-of-factually “You're not innocent. You did this to yourselves. You've earned this. And I shouldn't save you from a fate that you deserve... But I just can't... It would be such a waste...”

Kianna remained completely still as she stared back at him.

“...There are several reasons that I could give as why I want you. And they'd all be true enough. I could just say that I think you lives might be worth saving. That I think you're interesting, and endearing. Or that I find you entertaining. And I do! But if I'm going to be truly honest with you... Well...” said Anton as he shifted his gaze forward and away from her “I've, had a lot of time available to me, and I still do. So far, I've managed to fill this time with various pursuits and goals. Mostly it's all been in an effort to keep myself occupied. You see, I don't like to be bored, and I rarely am... But even though I've done well to keep myself busy, the vast majority of my time lately, has been spent alone. Not that I don't have people in my life, I do! Family members, friends, coworkers, even a few business partners that I'm on pretty close terms with... Lately though. It's been that, well, I guess you could say that I've, stepped away... and distanced myself... I can't really say why, nothing caused this per'se. But for a while now... I've just... stepped away... People will call, stop in to visit, invite you to one thing or another... And as you decline and continuously cut the call or visit short... Eventually, they just stop calling, and stop visiting... And before you know it... You're alone, and have been for some time... And so far, I've been fine with this! Being alone has never bothered me before. And I wouldn't necessarily say that it does now... But for some reason though, and I'm not even fully sure why... I think I'd like to try, not being alone, at least for a little bit... So if I was going to give you a real answer Kianna. I guess that would be it... I just don't really want to be alone anymore...”

“...It sounds like you really need to get yourself a pet!” growled Fiona as she kept her face hidden against her knees.

“Hm! That's pretty much exactly what I'm doing!” chuckled Anton as a smirk spread across his face.

Fiona stiffened and pointed her ears straight back behind her head.

“Fuck you! You bastard!” she snarled into her knees as her ears began to quiver in anger.

Anton started to chuckle again but stopped short as movement at his side caught his attention. Turning, he found Kianna sitting right next to him and leaning with her shoulder pressed against the edge of the tub.

The dark elf had laid her ears back submissively and was staring up at him with eyes that were on the verge of tears.

“I, I don't want to be alone anymore either!” she claimed in a barely audible whisper “I hate it!”

“...I know Kianna” whispered Anton as he reached out, placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze “I know you do...”

The dark elf made a small sound and leaned into his touch as she felt the warmth of his aura begin to seep into her being.

“I hate it so much!” she whispered as she blinked away the moisture from her eyes and laid her head against his arm “I just...”

Anton gently tightened his grip on her shoulder as Kianna closed her eyes and sobbed softly.

“...Will it? ...Does it hurt!? ...When you!” she whispered quietly “...When you!?”

“It can, if you try to fight it” said Anton in a soft, calm tone “But if you stay relaxed the process will end quickly and it'll be painless”

“...When are you going to do it?” asked Kianna as she raised her eyes to meet his.

“I can do it at any time. We can even do it now if you're ready” said Anton “It'll only take a moment”

Kianna lowered her eyes and stayed still for several minutes before taking a deep, but quiet breath through her nose.

“...You!” she whispered around another shorter breath “I'm, I'm gonna trust you! Okay! I, I am! I don't know why you want-! ...But I! You, don't, don't just, leave! Okay! You can't, do that! Okay! Please!”

Anton stopped short for a fraction of a second before lifting his hand from her shoulder and laying it atop her bowed head.

“Kianna?” he whispered as he gently ran his hand across the top of her head “What are you saying?”

“...Everyone else is gone! They got scared!” Kianna whispered through her clenched teeth as her voice became laced with panic “You can't do that too! You-!”

“Stop” said Anton as he nodded and let more of his power flow into her through his hand “I won't”

“...You promise!?” whimpered Kianna as her ears raised themselves upwards in order to hear him.

“Yes” breathed Anton “I promise, I won't”

“Yes!” whispered Kianna as she raised her head to lean into the warmth of his touch “...Thank you!”

They both remained silent and still for a moment as they each digested what had just happened.

“Hm, well then” said Anton as he eased away from her and rose out of his chair “I think it's best if we just get this over with...”

The dark elf nodded softly as she watched him rise to his feet.

Anton stood still for a moment as he looked from Kianna to Fiona and back.

“I'll be back in a few minutes” he said as he nodded to Kianna.

Kianna nodded back as she watched him turn away and disappear through the doorway.

Fiona gawked in disbelief as she watched Anton actually leave the room. Looking to her sister she found her watching as well but with a small smile on her face. Moving as quickly as she could she frantically scooted back to the front of the tub and poised her ears forward to see if she could catch the sounds of any movement before turning to her sister.

“Holy shit that was great! I can't believe you fooled him!” she exclaimed in a hushed whisper as she rose out of the tub and sat on the edge “C'mon! Now's our chance! We gotta be quick!”

“What!?” questioned Kianna as she looked up at her sitting sister “What are you doing!?”

“What am I doing!? What are you doing!?” exclaimed Fiona as she glared at her sister “C'mon! This might be our only chance!”

“...For what?” asked Kianna.

“To get out of here you idiot!” cried Fiona as she reached down and grabbed hold of Kianna's arm “Now c'mon! We don't have time for this, we gotta go now!”

Kianna was still for a second as she stared up at her.

“...Go where?” she asked in a genuine tone.

“Wha? I don't know! Maybe Tantarra!? It doesn't matter!” hissed Fiona as she gave Kianna's arm a tug “We just gotta get out of here!”

Kianna turned to the door before looking back up at her sister.

“Don't be scared! I'm right here!” exclaimed Fiona “I'm with you!”

Kianna looked down at her sister's hand before looking back up at her face. Silently she opened and closed her mouth before quickly looking back at the door.

“Kianna it's okay! We can make it!” cried Fiona as she gave her arm another tug “But we gotta go now! Before it's too late!”

Her eyes wide now, Kianna went to turn away from the door but stopped instantly when her vision landed on Anton's book, now laying on the seat of his chair. She gazed at it for a moment before slowly turning back to her sister and staring her in the eyes.

“Fiona... nobody has ever wanted us before!” she declared quietly “They've never even wanted us around them! Nobodies, ever even cared about us before!”

“...What!?” exclaimed Fiona as her face took on a look of confusion “What the Hell are you talking about!?”

Kianna stared at her for another second before shifting her gaze back to Anton's book.

“...I'm gonna stay!” she whispered quietly “I don't wanna go!”

Dumbfounded, Fiona sat completely still as she stared at her sister.

“What, did you say?” she whispered as her eyes went wide “Are you joking!?”

Kianna's face was stoic as she turned back to face her.

“No” she whispered as she shook her head and eased herself back.

Realization spread across Fiona's face and was quickly followed by intense anger.

“What the fuck are you doing!?” she demanded as she tightened her grip on her sister's arm “This could be our only chance Kianna! We have to go now!”

“Go where!?” cried Kianna as she pulled back on her arm “Fiona we're wanted now! What if we end up in prison!? What are we gonna do then!?”

“That's not gonna happen!” snapped Fiona “And even if it did, that'll still be better than staying here and getting raped and tortured for the rest of our lives!”

“That's not gonna happen!” declared Kianna as she turned back to the door “If he was gonna do that then he already would have done it! We can trust him Fiona!”

“Trust? Trust him!? Seriously!? You're still on that shit!? How can you trust this psychopath Kianna!?” exclaimed Fiona “This guy wants to enslave you, you dumbass! And you think you can trust him!? Are you crazy!?”

Kianna went still before pointing her ears straight back behind her head.

“No, I'm not!” she declared in an even tone “And he is not a psychopath Fiona!”

“Oh please! You don't even know what he is!” growled Fiona “Don't fool yourself Kianna! You don't know anything about this guy!”

“...Yes I do!” declared Kianna in the same quiet even tone “I know he tells the truth. He doesn't lie! He hasn't once!”

Fiona went to speak but was taken aback as her sister turned to face her.

“I know he's smart! I know he's strong and powerful! I know he has patience! And I know you won't think so but Gods alive Fiona, he's damn good looking! Even for a human! ...I know he can be kind! He can be so kind and gentle! And then at the same time... He can be so cruel and scary!” exclaimed Kianna as she slumped in on herself and shuddered “...He's not scared Fiona! Nothing scares him! He's been in control this whole time! And he's been planning for everything!”

Fiona was silent as she pointed her own ears straight back and stared at her sister.

“You're right okay! I don't know everything about him!” cried Kianna as she tightened her eyes in determination “But dammit Fiona! I love everything that I do know!”

Fiona let go of her sister's arm as she slowly leaned away from her.

“You've lost your fucking mind!” she whispered as she shook her head “This bastard has you brainwashed!”

Kianna sighed in annoyance as she looked away.

“No, he doesn't Fiona!” she mumbled as she shook her head.

“The fuck if he doesn't!” cried Fiona as she pointed her finger at her “Why else would you ever do this to yourself!? You-!”

“Because! ...I'm scared!” exclaimed Kianna as she stared at the empty doorway “And I know you're scared too!”

Fiona was taken aback by her sister's statement. Before she could speak however she was stopped short as Kianna continued.

“Fiona we never even leave this house! And every time we do people always stare at us! They look at us like we're monsters! Like they're scared of us! And they don't want us anywhere near them! It's just like at Bridgemont! But it's like that everywhere we go!” exclaimed Kianna as she let her head list forward and her eyes fall to the floor of the tub “So it's always just us! And now we never even do anything! We never go anywhere! We don't know anyone! We're always, alone! And no one ever even told us why! Fiona! We don't even really know what we are!”

Fiona let her pointed finger fall away as she pulled her arm back to herself.

“But he does! And he's not scared of us!” cried Kianna as her eyes became misty and her voice began to crack “He's not scared of me! ...He even says he thinks I'm cute!”

Kianna hunched in on herself and lowered her ears as a heavy sob racked her body.

“Even though I'm not!” she whimpered as she covered her eyes and sobbed again “I mean look at me! I got red eyes! And fangs! I'm not cute! ...I'm creepy!”

“...Oh damn the Gods Kianna! Don't be stupid!” exclaimed Fiona as she dropped back into the tub and took hold of her sister by the shoulders before pressing their foreheads together “Listen to me! You are not creepy! Okay! You're cute! Really cute!”

“R-really!? Am I really!?” whined Kianna as she leaned in against her sister “I'm not scary!?”

“No! You're cute, you really are cute!” reassured Fiona as she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly “You're a stupid, stupid idiot too though!”

“I'm sorry!” laughed Kianna as she returned her sister's embrace.

The dark elves held each other tightly for a moment before slowly loosening their grips on one another.

“...I don't want us to be scared anymore!” whispered Kianna as she clung to her sister “And I want us to know more about what we really are!”

“Oh save me!” muttered Fiona as she shook her head “And what!? You think he's gonna be, fucking, Professor North! And just start teaching you everything you need to know about dark elves!?”

“...Well, yeah! I mean he already has been!” reasoned Kianna “He's told us way more than Mom or anybody else ever has before! And he doesn't even have to Fiona! He wants to!”

“He's just been trying to butter us up Kianna! That's all everything has been so far!” exclaimed Fiona “But you know what he's gonna do to you! He's gonna take everything from you! Until you have nothing left! Do you really wanna lose your freedom!?”

“What freedom!?” mocked Kianna “I don't really even have any freedom! And I don't have anything left for him to take! I really don't have anything left to lose!”

“Don't be stupid Kianna!” growled Fiona “You have a lot to lose!”

Kianna tilted her head to the side as a look of contemplation spread across her face.

“Not really?” she reasoned “Fiona, I really don't have anything?”

“Yes you do! What about your damn dignity Kianna!?” snapped Fiona “Or do you honestly think for one second that this guy isn't going to turn his “cute little dark elf” into his very own little fuck toy, sex slave!?”

“...What?” mumbled Kianna “His, what!?”

“What do you mean his “what”!? His fucking sex slave! Did you seriously not even think about that!?” exclaimed Fiona as she felt her sister go rigid in her arms “Like you're not gonna end up as this dudes fuck toy Kianna! Seriously! I don't even want to think about all the horrible things he's gonna do to you! Or make you do for him!”

Kianna's eyes went wide as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards.

“Wait! Really!?” she breathed as she blinked in question “...What, kind of things do you think he'll do to me!?”

“Fucking horrible things!” exclaimed Fiona “Disgusting things! Things that are so intense and perverted that you'll never, ever be able to forget them because they'll stay haunting your dreams forever!”

“...Oh, really. ...That sounds, um, yeah” said Kianna as she stared forwards at nothing “...But hold on a sec, what kinds of things are you talking about though!? Like, what do you think he'll he actually do!?”

“I, I don't fucking know!” snapped Fiona “Probably some shit that's so sick and twisted that... that... Wait a minute!?”

Fiona took hold of her sister's shoulders and pushed her forward so as to hold her out in front of herself.

Kianna had a light blush across her cheeks as she avoided looking back into her sister's eyes and instead stared sheepishly down into the bathwater.

“...Oh for fucks sake Kianna! Are you serious!” cried Fiona as her eyes went wide in rage “What the Hell is wrong with you!?”

“What!?” exclaimed Kianna as she lowered her ears and leaned even further back “I didn't even say anything!”

“Oh, you don't need to say anything! Your face says it all!” growled Fiona as she pointed her ears straight back in anger “I can't believe this! You, you fucking, cock-hungry little slut!”

“Hey!” whined Kianna as she dipped her ears in a low and sorrowful manner “You don't have to be mean!”

“Are you serious right now!?” exclaimed Fiona “Are you actually thinking about this, in a real way!?”

Kianna continued to look down at the water as she puffed out her cheeks and shrugged sheepishly.

“...Maybe!” she mumbled quietly “...I don't know!”

“You don't... What do you mean you don't know!?” questioned Fiona as she spoke through her teeth “What does that even fucking mean Kianna!? What are you thinking right now!?”

“That... That it maybe, might be kinda fun, to be a... you know!” admitted Kianna as her blush spread further across her cheeks “...If, if it's for him!”

“...Have you, lost your fucking mind!?” questioned Fiona as her tone became hushed.

“No!” said Kianna as she stared at the water and shook her head “I really do think that it might actually be kinda fun, you know... And, I think you could have some fun too! You know, if you just gave it a try, at least once!”

Fiona had become completely dumbfounded as she stared at her sister.

“...Well?” asked Kianna as she peeked up at her “What do you think? ...About trying it too?”

“No! Hell fucking no! You have lost your mind Kianna!” exclaimed Fiona “Do you not realize that you're talking about fucking the same psycho that locked you up and left you to starve for days! You do realize that!? Right!?”

“He's not a psycho Fiona! ...But yes, I do remember that!” declared Kianna as she pointed her ears straight back “And that did suck! A lot! But I was gonna kill him! So now we're even!”

“Oh! You're even now!” mocked Fiona as she smiled devilishly “You do remember that this guy stole your money though! Right!?”

“...Yeah!” mumbled Kianna as she narrowed her eyes into a glare “But so did you!”

“...And I apologized for that!” growled Fiona as she glared right back at her sister “This guy is still a sadistic monster though!”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Kianna as her glare tightened into a scowl “But so are you!”

“...Maybe!” hissed Fiona “But the difference is I don't want to turn you into my slave Kianna!”

Kianna eased back and gave her sister a look of disbelief.

“...What!?” exclaimed Fiona as she furrowed her brow “I would never do that to you!”

Kianna raised an eyebrow as she sighed through her nose.

“Fiona, sometimes you talk in your sleep” she mumbled “And there's been a few times now, that it's gotten kinda disturbing!”

“...That, that's not the same!” claimed Fiona “That was just some stupid dreams!”

“Yeah...” mumbled Kianna as she folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes “Right!”

“It was! But this is real!” declared Fiona as her expression became serious “You're being stupid and making a huge mistake Kianna! This is dangerous!”

Kianna's eyes softened as she stared at her sister.

“It is, I know it is...” said Kianna as her face became torn “It's a risk! A real risk... And I know I can't ask you to stay with me... But I really don't want you to leave either!”

Fiona blinked in confusion before rolling her eyes.

“You're such an idiot Kianna!” she declared as she wrapped her arms back around her sister “I can't just leave you here like this!”

“Well, that's very good to hear Fiona” said Anton “Not that I was going to give you a choice of course”

Both of the dark elves immediately turned towards the door and lowered their ears.

Anton was leaning in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. A thin grin was on his face as he stood watching them. In his left hand he was holding two small bundles that were each wrapped in a bright, white cloth.