"So," Rania casually asks, dropping her pace to let Aeson and Jack go on ahead after Drayce, "what was with the color change earlier?"

Fiore huffs irritably, glaring ahead of her, but eventually mutters "As my birthday draws closer, I've been getting more and more mood swings. I've been told it's due to my Succubus heritage."

While Rania has no doubt she's been told that, repeatedly…she seriously doubts it's actually the truth.

Call it a hunch.

She hums, saying "I can't say I've heard that before, not that I can claim to know everything about Succubi."

Fiore shrugs irritably once more, and says "It's the only explanation Antonino ever gave, that my Succubus heritage was making me more hormonal and emotional as it prepared for when I come of age."

Rania frowns as Fiore scowls darkly, hair turning from her usual vibrant red to the color of blood in her darkening mood, and asks "How long has that been going on?"

Fiore spits out "Since he started bringing it up every other day."

Rania stops and stares at her, wondering just how to proceed when she's already sparking and starting to glow, and eventually says "Fiore, I believe…he just told you that to make it easy to keep you reliant on him. I believe…that's just him pushing you so often about it and getting you worked up. It sounds like he was just being possessive…again." To be perfectly honest, it sounds like he was reminding her she'd be bound to him forever - driving it home, and maybe increasing the chances of her accidentally Bonding with him if it takes her being willing rather than just her sleeping with him.

Fiore pinches the bridge of her nose after the full implications hit her, fighting back the urge to scream herself hoarse once more - she's already had to keep from doing it more times than she can count, what's one more time? - and slowly says "Of course…should've figured it out…" She shouldn't be surprised, she already knew he's a possessive ass…but somehow, she didn't think he'd go so low as to use her complete lack of knowledge of what she is and what she can do or will go through against her like that. She can feel lighting building under her skin, her hands heating up as her fury grows. After a moment, Fiore grits out "So, you're saying my mood swings aren't because I'm half-succubus, they're because…" Because…why, exactly?

She'd like to make them go away, make it so her Fae powers were easier to control, and if Rania has any suggestions she'd love to hear them.

Rania shrugs, giving her a sympathetic look as she says "You're seventeen, almost eighteen, in the middle of puberty - which I have heard is more intense for Succubi and Incubi, I'm sorry to say - and have been controlled your whole life? And the one that's been controlling you has been backing you into a corner you desperately wanted to escape from? Getting more and more emotional every time he brought the topic up sounds like a pretty normal reaction, in my outsider opinion." Not to mention the detail that the day she believes she's going to lose herself to her Succubus heritage, lose her freedom and be Bound to someone when it's the last thing she wants to be, is only days away - she'd be more surprised and much more worried if Fiore were perfectly calm right now.

Lightning suddenly bursts from Fiore's fingertips and scorches the ground around her black, surprising both ladies for a moment as they stare at the red-head's sparking hands and the way her arms light running up and down them. Fiore crosses her arms, gripping them so hard her knuckles turn white and she draws blood - both to try to control her powers before someone gets hurt, and to give herself something to focus on that's not the revelation of yet another lie she's been told as long as it's been relevant to her life.

Gods, she's so sick of the lies, sick of the constant secrets and lack of information that surrounds her. The only person that's ever actually been straight with her, up until now…

Fiore groans, putting her head in her hands, and mutters "If it absolutely comes to it…" Can't believe I'm even considering this…

Rania raises an eyebrow, asking "If it comes to what?"

"If I end up bonding with someone…I hope it's Jack. He's the only one that's been honest with me, tried to help me…" He's the only being immune to her she's ever met that's treated her like a person instead of an object. If she has to be Bound to anyone…he's the best choice.

She's starting to feel like Jack Fallon is her only choice right now.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Hey," Rania says, snapping Fiore out of her spiraling thoughts, "I know what'll cheer you up."

Fiore glances at her, scrubbing at her eyes that are suddenly stinging, and asks "What's that?"

"Blowing up some training dummies. C'mon, I've got my own training area."

----------------------------------------

About two hours later, Aeson and jack head to Rania's private arena where she practices her more destructive spells - they've tried the library, the garden, the kitchen, the Throne Room, Rania's room, and Aeson's room as a very unlikely possibility. Luckily, they finally find her leaning next to the door of her own private warded arena of sorts.

Aeson asks "Why're you here? We thought you and Fiore were right behind us!"

Rania puts a finger to her lips, and points inside - when the two boys look in, they see Fiore's throwing lightning and beams of light everywhere, there's about twenty destroyed dummies lying against the back wall, and she looks pissed off.

Rania says "Fiore's letting off some steam at long last. I'd leave her to it, Aeson. Jack, you may wish to talk with her about…contingency plans, at a later time."

Jack blinks, asking "Uh…what now?"

Rania shakes her head, saying "I won't break her trust like that. Just…ask her about it. Ask what to do if worst comes to worst."

Jack nods, a highly confused expression on his face…and then they hear a sound like a crackling explosion from inside the room, just after a furious shout in Fiore's voice.

Rania casually calls over "You still need to keep going?"

Fiore's exhausted voice floats over, saying "Yeah…but I don't think I can…" She thinks...she's about to collapse, like a less-sick version of when she first woke up in Asathaes.

When they all look in, there's a smoking crater where five dummies just were, Fiore stumbling away from it and looking like she's about to hit the ground. Jack is at Fiore's side in an instant, catching her just before her legs can give out under her. "Hey, easy, what happened?!"

Aeson nods, glancing around at the wanton destruction scattered across the room - the last time anyone caused this much damage in here, it was Rania when she was having a hellishly bad day.

Fiore tries to take a step away from Jack - if only to prove to some part of herself that has Antonino's voice that she doesn't need him for literally everything - only to need to hold onto his arm to stay upright as the room starts spinning.

Jack frowns down at her in concern, asking "What's wrong? You were fine earlier, and I can't think of anything that would've gotten to you…" He just remembers Fiore going all weird when she suggested calling Taylor, but…that was her idea! He can't think of why her own idea would get her this upset or anything!

Aeson opens his mouth, but Rania quickly shakes her head and he snaps it shut. If Jack and Fiore need to sort this out between themselves, he's not getting in the middle of it.

Fiore huffs, feeling more drained than anything else now - physically and emotionally, at that - and says "Apparently…puberty happened. Teenage girls can apparently get stupidly upset over the most ridiculous of reasons after trying to repress everything for months so they don't lose control of powers they're trying to hide." Ridiculous reasons like getting stupidly-jealous after he does exactly what she said to do. Especially since the both of them insist there's nothing but friendship between the two of them.

Jack deserves some kind of explanation for her sudden disappearance, especially after everything they've been through. Even if that explanation is 'I've got feelings and don't know how to keep them from doing whatever the heck they want.'

Jack relaxes, sighing in relief, then says "Remember what I said about breakdowns?" Specifically, how anybody else he's ever met would've had one months ago?

Fiore wipes at her face, fighting back a yawn, and quietly says "I'm just tired of being used is all…" Gods, why does she feel like she could sleep for a week? Her eyelids alone feel like they're made of stone, getting harder and harder to keep open.

Jack hums, raising an eyebrow as Fiore rather rapidly goes from trying to put some distance between them to snuggling into his chest while about to fall asleep, and says "Rania said we should talk…"

Fiore nods, murmuring "We should…"

"Maybe when you're not about to fall asleep on me, though." Literally, at that - Fiore's currently using his chest as a pillow.

Rania runs a glowing hand over her, then says "She drained herself. She should get some rest." Given everything, she's honestly amazed Fiore hasn't begged her to put her to sleep for a week - it wouldn't work, sleep spells don't last that long, but still.

Aeson motions back towards the direction of Jack and Fiore's guest suite, and says "We'll start working your back muscles after you get her settled."

After Jack nods and the two siblings go on ahead, Aeson silently asks 'Jealous?'

Rania nods, then says "I'm not breaking her trust to you, either, Aeson." Aeson may be her brother, but she's not going to spill everything Fiore told her - that everything she thought she knew about herself is almost certainly incorrect

Aeson grabs her wrist as she turns to walk away, expression serious as he asks "Was it this Antonino she talks about?" Despite the rocky start, he does consider her a friend.

Rania sighs, then nods and says "He's…part of it, I won't deny that. But you'll have to ask Fiore for the details."

Aeson deadpans "She just broke your heavily-warded training arena where you go to vent your frustrations behind supposedly-unbreakable Wards. Pass." He may like Fiore well enough now, but he does not want to be the one that sets her off like that.