Lorelei didn’t come for the match. She didn’t like the sounds of bare fists impacting someone else’s skin, the exasperated grunting of two combatants beating each other up, even if it were just for sport.
No, she came for another prize, one that seemed light years away.
Lorelei winced each time she heard the wet slap of the dueling boxers, each one threatening to spark a dreadful memory. A particularly loud wet slap made her wince, and ground her teeth, temporarily distracting her.
Theo was only fifty seven feet away from her, she knew the exact distance. Any closer and there was a risk of him spotting her. Lorelei couldn’t bare the thought of that, especially not after she so rudely ran into him the other day. She loved the way he smelled, the heat of his body pressed so closely to hers, even if for but a second. Already her mouth was salivating at the memory.
It was easy to hide oneself in the crowd, when everyone was wearing the same thing. The school uniform was the only approved attire on campus, and her skin was just pink enough to blend in with the humans. Of course, there was no masking her tail or horns, but, Lorelei was comfortably assured Theo hadn’t noticed her.
She was drawn to his mannerisms, the way he grinned at his roommates gawking over the arena. Unlike his roommate, Theo didn’t seem to get much enjoyment from the nearly naked women thrashing around on the stadium floor. At least, he wasn’t ogling the naked women, or snapping photos like so many others around him.
Lorelei’s eyes were drawn briefly to the stage. Noticing how…strained Marci was in her tight uniform. Her Lamia roommate was very alluring, and attracted much attention from the crowds. Lorelei wasn’t jealous though, in fact it was Marci who was envious of her.
The fight was about to come to an end, Marci’s opponent writhed in her serpentine bodies grip for the third time. The wolfkin girl was struggling, her face growing pale. It wouldn’t be long before she would pass out. Before the bell rang, Theo seemed distracted. He started to wander away, then quickened his pace toward the exit.
Lorelei leaned forward, watching him leave. Her heaving breasts strained underneath the fabric of her buster. She ignored the sudden tightness around her chest, her lungs compressing. The sounds of leather folding, and the stitching of her brassier stretching, was concerning. She kept her tail low, which made things even more uncomfortable.
Just as Lorelei tried to get up, to quietly continue her stalking, A nudge pushed her to the side.
“Move aside, rat tail,” the voice belonged to a male student, and sounded gruff. The student’s use of the slang for Redevers made Lorelei grimace.
“Back off,” Lorelei sneered, her teeth showing.
Stupid ape, she was tempted to say, but held back. She was trying to avoid conflict, or had been trying since she left the military. Besides, there were many other more indecent words that were more fitting for this human. Too many in fact. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
When the human refused, Lorelei snapped her fingers, a mute expression on her face, and a small spark of flame lit up the mans breeches.
He didn’t know she was a magi. Statistically speaking, only one in a hundred were born with the gifts of magical arts. Those odds were slightly improved for Redevers, but not by much. So it made sense why he didn’t consider her a threat, and it explained his sudden fright when he recognized what she was capable of doing.
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Fire magic was among the most common among the mystical arts, and the most destructive. Under a skilled ones hand, it could be very precise. Lorelei was more than capable of sparking a tiny, yet violent flame, on the mans pants. It could’ve been worse, much worse. She held herself back, but not enough to give the guy a fair burn on his leg.
“Crap I’m sorry, sorry,” He jumped back, patting his extremities. The sudden flash of smoke barely created a scene, however, as most were too absorbed in the fight below.
Lorelei glared at him, the narrow end of her tail pointed directly at him. It was a reflex, not uncommon among her kind, whenever someone got too close, and they wanted them to go away. Jabbing at the intruder, her tail could cut through skin, if she pushed hard enough.
She got up from her seat, sneaked her way through the crowd, and scurried to catch up with her distance crush. Following his scent, Lorelei was able to discern he was walking toward the exit of the stadium itself.
Riding the escalator to the ground floor, his scent grew stronger as she approached the gift shop. Lorelei kept at a distance, hiding behind a pillar near one of the stadiums popcorn dispensaries. There were packed lines, and small crowds of students talking amongst themselves in the lobby. The sounds of their collective voices bounced off the walls.
I wonder what he’s getting? Lorelei mused. The gift shop mostly sold small souvenirs, commemorating the ‘most popular fighters’, including plushies, blankets, and other decorations.
There was a small trading card fad going around, and packs were sold there as well. Whenever a new student decided to become a combatant for the foxy boxing intramural, their costumed photo was added to the trading card collection. The more wins, and popularity you got, the less cards were put in production, making them rarer and more expensive.
Lorelei could only imagine what Marci’s card would look like, and figured her roommate would be grinning ear to ear when she got her complimentary copy.
“C’mon, I know your in there. Where are you?” Lorelei peeked from behind the pillar, trying to find the man that stole her heart. She thought she could see his curly brown hair for a second, when, suddenly, a cool brush of wind made the hairs on the back of her neck straighten.
“Very nice,” the voice came from behind her.
Lorelei squealed in fright, her trail shot up as she hopped around to face whoever had snuck up behind her.
“Sorry didn’t mean to frighten you,” the vampire spoke with a stringy accent. She was short, slender, with dark pixie hair, and sharp red yes. Her student uniform fitted over her petite frame rather nicely, accentuating her comely hips. Like most vampires, she had pale ivory skin, her blue veins easily visible along her neck, and shoulders.
Lorelei was in a couching, fighting position, her nails ready to plunge as if she were about to be attacked. She looked at the vampire with in trepidation. “What do you want?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Oh nothing, just curious I guess. You seem…quite peculiar,” the girls head cocked to the side. “Couldn’t help but notice you just standing there…glaring? I was wondering if you might be some kind of secret agent tailing a suspected spy.” The vampire grinned, her finger waving in the air while she teased Lorelei’s behavior.
“I’m not doing anything! Go away,” Lorelei jerked aside. She rushed several feet away, hiding beneath the escalator. She thought she was alone, having outwitted the vampire.
She was wrong.
“So, are you not a secret agent?” The vampire’s voice returned from above her.
Lorelei nearly screamed, seeing the vampire girl seemingly lounging on the underside of the escalator.
“I’ll take that as a no?”
“Get away from me you creep,” Lorelei sputtered.
The vampire laughed at that, “creepers be creeping with other creepers, or so the saying goes.”
“What?” Lorelei furled her brow, completely bewildered.
The vampire grinned, her fangs poking through her lips. She stretch out a bit, but refused to come down. “I’m just saying, creepers be creeping with other creepers.”
“What are you talking about!”
It was then that Lorelei realized others could hear her.
“Careful, you’re gonna blow your cover secret agent,” the vampire teased.
“What is wrong with you.” Lorelei’s heart froze, sensing someone looking at her. She turned her head slowly. A thick bead of sweat strolled down her forehead. Theo had stepped out of the gift shop, both hands in his pockets, and was looking at the source of the disturbance.
Shit!