Warm weather, puppies, war - damn, it really was the season of hellish things, wasn't it? On top of that, Rogue had decided she'd had enough of lingering around Diveen, Malina was sure of it, and apparently a boy from Spirane wanted to come learn to fight, too. Sigh, though with any luck she could at least palm the boy off to Azrael or Ava... or maybe Heyel, any of the three would be so much better. Besides, she had other things to worry about - namely, Lucid. Where the hell had the boy been? Alright, so she'd disappeared for a while but she had a real reason to get away from Diveen. What reason could Lucid possibly have? He hadn't died, she knew that much at least. Well, if he had, he'd done a terribly good job at hiding his own body and she would have to find him to commend him on that. But, she was lazy. She wasn't going to look today - instead, she was going to lay in her den and damn well enjoy it. It was the first time she'd had it alone for some time (it still reeked of puppies, urgh) but she figured she'd have to get used to it whether she liked it or not.

Now, on the matter of Lucid... She rested in the bowels of her den, tail flicking idly and eyes staring out in a thoughtful frown. She wondered if he would march on to battle with the others, and if he did, how exactly she felt about that. Not too fondly, she thought. It wasn't right to send an Apprentice to such a battle, particularly when he had hardly learnt how to decimate an enemy. It was going to be hard enough to protect Fathom and Rogue let alone Lucid, too, and she hoped - almost prayed - he would keep out of it. Maybe she could convince him to do some kind of task, like... babysit. Hah, it was perfect! She'd gather all of the puppies and make him care for them. It was perfect Assassin work, right? To keep calm, to keep your cool... she chuckled darkly at the thought. The perfect revenge to him laughing at her the day all of those brats had pulled at her tail and ears.

She was so moved by her idea that she rose, suddenly interested in finding the boy. As she did so, though, she heard his familiar voice from above her den - imprint? Fate? What? She was baffled, blinking in confusion and remaining silent. Well then... that was... abrupt. Uh, she wasn't so sure how to take that. Imprinting, huh? That was the cursed thing that had gotten Rogue pregnant! The same thing that made Heyel act all stupid around that old lady - Cats Eye? Cat? Cat Eye? One of those. She sighed as she rose from her den, composing herself for a moment as she assessed Lucid, sniffing wearily at him.

"Glorall?"

She asked as she moved away, leading him a few yards from the den before turning to face him with a cocked brow.

"Tell me about her. I'm curious as to who fate thinks is good enough for my Apprentice."

As she waited for his response, she leaned back and stretched out her legs, shaking her pelt free of debris as she did so. So, he'd come to learn, huh? Well, opening with the topic of imprints was an interesting way of doing so but why the hell not? She probably should have put more time into actually knowing her Apprentice anyway. Anyway, the topic of imprints was fascinating! It could afford to learn about it, right?

"As for killing - sure, why not. I expect you know the primarily killing point? The neck, obviously."

She motioned to his own with a wicked smile, her tail waving momentarily. With that, she began to move, circling him once, twice before she aligned herself behind him. With a burst of speed, she aimed to move along side him, close enough that there fur brushed before she darted her nose up his neck, hoping to nudge him roughly at the most exposed point of the jugular. To move so close, so beside another, was the easiest way of getting to the objective - it required silence and a position behind the target for the most part. Still, what better way to understand the vulnerable point than to have somebody pretend to want it? She chuckled as she pulled away, backing up a foot or two, flashing him a toothy grin.

"Of course, to get at such an area, you'll need to master ambushing. Even an inch between you and target could let them twist away, and positioning your head too low or too low allows your own throat or neck to be exposed. That is why there are other ways to kill."

She paused, waiting expectantly for him to put answers into the blanks. Blood loss was the easiest way to kill, of course, but it was certainly not the only way of doing such a thing.

"The spine is another target - it is somewhat easier to get to seeing as it is a larger target. However, it is riskier and more difficult to crush. However, doing so can kill or totally incapacitate. Try to get mine - don't kill me, though, okay?"

She dropped then into a defensive position, her legs braced and head lowered over her throat. She would go easy to start with, allowing him to test his own speed and strength but when the time came, he would need to prove he could do it against an unwilling target. Let the real lessons begin, huh?

M A L I N A
[ six - dark angel of diveen ]


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