Kalika Becker's Story

The testing had gone as Kalika expected, a profound ability for nothing but summoning being the inevitable conclusion reached by the examination. Kalika was slightly disappointed that the tester was a female and a rather stern looking one at that. Flirting being one of her favorite pastimes it was annoying when she was denied the opportunity to enjoy that particular activity. She could only hope there would be plenty of cute guys in her classes to offset this disappointing first impression.

The map she held in her hand might as well have been directions to the North Pole for all the use it would be to Kalika, trashing the map in the first bin she passed, she then began to wait for a suitable guide to walk by. She didn’t have long to wait before a particularly geeky guy happened to appear just down the hall from her current position. Bingo.

“Hello there!” Kalika called in her friendliest tone. The guy looked around in obvious confusion. Ignoring his bewilderment, Kalika got straight to the point. “I’m a bit lost, would you help me find the summoning classroom?” She asked, flashing a bright smile in his direction.

“Uh, well,” he stuttered nervously “I think I know where it is. It used to be a broom closet before they converted it into a classroom.”

Kalika frowned at his last statement, causing him to try and take the words back.

“I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with classrooms that used to be broom closets.” He replied nervously.

Figuring it was a minor slipup, her smile returned. “Okay, why don’t you lead the way then.” Kalika linked arms with her personal guide as they set off towards the classroom. Inwardly she giggled at the furtive glances he kept taking in her direction while they walked, her choice of a shirt had been spot on it would seem.

After several turns and two flights of stairs they finally arrived at the correct room, though Kalika had a suspicion that they had not taken the most direct route. Saying goodbye to her new acquaintance, she took a moment to check her appearance. Pink was by far her favorite color as shown by her matching outfit, the deep scooped necked shirt and matching mini-skirt were both a dark shade of pink, while her jacket and ankle high suede boots were a distinct pastel pink. Even her exposed bellybutton had something pink in the form of a small jewel.

As soon as she crossed the doorway, Kalika began analyzing the occupants within the room. First she noticed a heavily tattooed woman in the center of the room, followed by two younger women, one obviously had a thing for latex, but the other one looked about average nearly like she didn’t want to be noticed. Then he, caught her attention. Brown shaggy unkempt hair and slightly wrinkled clothing all added to the picture of a tough and rugged man. Kalika would enjoy getting to know him. Finally she noticed the humanoid snake that the women were petting. “Eww.” Was the only comment she uttered before taking a place in one of the seats.

Kalika was hardly worried because she had no doubt that her parents would send for her before the week was over, they couldn't expect her to stay with these people.

This one is quite the talker. I like him. River cocked her head, a small grin on her face as she listened intently to Alexander’s rapid fire questions and observations. Her eyes tracked him as he moved around and came to touch the naga’s hood. He’s so interested and in awe, all of them are. This is going to be a good group. As Alexander was finishing up his ramble yet another student walked through the door. This one appeared less than enthused though and even sneered at the sight of them, at least she assumed that’s what it was about. Oh well, there’s always one in the group.

“Well, Alexander, to start off answering your questions it seems we’ve gotten one more student to add to our group. That makes four which is the largest class Jack and I have seen in quite some time. The reason for this is because summoning isn’t the most popular of classes. Yes, I’m afraid in the world of hunters we’re considered the black sheep due to our uh, what do they call it? Ah, yes, fraternizing with the enemies also known as the fae such as the one you see right here.” She gave the naga a firm pat on the belly. “We’re just able to see the strength in partnerships with creatures such as these.” River rose from her spot seated on the ground, dusted her ragged jeans off and walked over to a corner of the room. “This is exactly why we start off the school year with summoning a familiar for each of you. A familiar is some form of a fae creature that identifies with your very being. What you become bonded to may surprise you.”

The pendant around River’s neck began emitting a mist as she finished her sentence. It was a simple silver chain with a black stone hanging from it, the source of the odd fog spilling to the ground and beginning to take shape. “Just to give you an example of a familiar I’ll show you my partner who happens to be a Wendigo named Achak.” The mist grew solid then as an exceptionally tall creature stretched to its full height. “Hrmmm,” a rumble rolled through Achak’s chest as he looked over the gathered humans. “This is what you woke me up for? To prance about in front of a bunch of little brats.” His voice came out in a quiet hiss, almost like the wind blowing through the leaves. River cut the Wendigo a look and he seemed to actually pull back from the scathing glance. “Achak, be polite.” She huffed a sigh before continuing. “Achak is an example of what your familiar could look like but there are numerous, numerous creatures that might conjure up here because they identify with you when we send out the calling spell.” Achak rolled his eyes, folding his larger set of arms. “It’s like a siren spell, we can’t resist it and then suddenly we’re trapped with an annoying human until the day they die.” River rubbed her eyes, obviously irritated. “Achak, if you’re not enjoying it out here then just get back inside the charm.” The Wendigo tilted his head in the air as if he were raising his nose at the situation. “Gladly.” His body dissipated into a mist again then returned to the necklace.

River shook her head as she grabbed a piece of chalk off of a nearby shelf. “You’ll have to excuse him, he can be quite crabby most of the time but don’t let it fool you. He’s quite cuddly when he wants to be.” She grinned then kneeled and began drawing a summoning circle. “Now, I’ll take our newcomer.” She motioned towards Kalika then flicked her eyes to Mackenzie. “and you. I want the two of you to come into this circle with me and Alexander? You control creatures like the naga and whatever creatures we’re about to summon with the power of will. You have to be determined and focused and all times while simultaneously being able to split your attention span at times when needed. The creatures we’ll be summoning after Jack banishes our friend there won’t be as difficult to subdue, if needed at all, due to the fact that they identify with you. Now Alexander and Winchel, you two go to the opposite corner and Jack will be with you shortly. So!” She clapped her hands together, a smile spreading widely across her face as she looked at the two girls in her group. “Who wants to go first?”

After scoping out the rest of the room the blonde girl came, sat down next to her and began to pet the creature that she later found out was called a Naga and it was from the Hindu area. Kenzie sat and wondered what kind of personality the Naga had when it wasn't sedated. Was it as vicious as it looked, maybe it was as mischievous as those little goblin's that she grew up with, or even pretty calm when not being summoned by forced to some strange place. She was still pondering about the creature when the guy in the doorway, who introduced himself as Alexander, began to rattle off a series of questions.

They were all valid and honestly interesting questions. Though shortly after that he went on talking about science and dinosaurs, or something. Kenzie didn't really pay much attention, all she could think of was how she wanted to draw the creature. Just a rough sketch really, she'd later take brush to canvas and bring him to life for all the world to see, although they'd think he was a figment of her imagination. 'I wonder what the Naga would think of a painting of himself?' she thought briefly giving a chuckle.

Kenzie had pulled out her sketch pad from the satchel she carried with her and began to draw the Naga when another student entered the room unbeknownst to her until she'd uttered a disdainful 'Eww'. Kenzie offered her only a glance, noticing her expensive taste in clothes, before going back to drawing. When the picture was finally finished McCree had begun to talk about familiars, something that made her sit up and listen. ". . .A familiar is some form of a fae creature that identifies with your very being. What you become bonded to may surprise you." she said then went on to say that she was going to show them her very own familiar, a wendigo named Ackak.

As the mist swirled and flowed from black stone around McCree's neck Kenzie stood. Before the mist solidified she wondered what it would look like, she had heard the legends of the wendigo. A demonic creature or spirit that could either possess humans or be a monster that had physically transformed from a person and was particularly associated with human cannibalism. 'What would a creature with a mysterious legend like that end up looking like?' It was not exactly what she was had imagined but he was still impressive. Kenzie circled him, etching every detail of his being into her minds eye. Oh she planned on painting him on the biggest canvas she could afford.

When the moody familiar went back to wherever it was he went to when not on this plane. It was then that McCree started setting up for each of the other students and herself to perform their own summonings for a familiar all their own. "So!Who wants to go first?” she asked a big smile on her face. "I'll go first. I want to meet this familiar that's supposed to resonate with my soul, sounds like an adventure." Kenzie said giving a smile of her own.

Jack grimaced as he watched the students and River pet the Naga. The damn fools were going to lose and arm. Jack was about to tell the students to get away from the "giant ass snake monster," but decided that losing a body part might serve as a better lesson. When no limbs were lost and the students were separated out by River Jack took stock of the class. This really was one of the biggest classes he had ever taught. While more than likely a few would die, the idea of actually getting to teach someone occurred in the back of his mind. Being a summoner was extremely dangerous and many students died for one reason or another. The others weren't able to hold up to the persecution that came with being a summoner. Over all a total of five people had graduated from Jacks class in his eight years of teaching and he hasn't heard from any of them sense. As he looked at the unusual bunch of students Jack grimaced. There was a beautiful little supermodel of a girl who didn't look thrilled to be there, a well dressed male student that seemed a little stiff, a girl that looked like she had raided the nearest hot topic and coated everything with latex. Where do you buy latex clothing anyways? Finally there was an average looking girl with an intelligent gleam in here eyes that showed she might be more than she appeared. Overall it seemed to be an interesting class.

With a huff Jack stood up and dusted off his bluejeans as he walked over to the Naga. Reaching out with tendrils of his will Jack felt the invisible magical strands that were anchoring the Naga to this reality. The summoner reached out his hand and with a sharp gesture snapped the strands. "Your services are no longer needed," he mumbled to the fey. The Naga lifted it's head and shot an inquisitive look at Jack as though it didn't quite understand. Still slightly high the creature slowly faded into nothing with a quiet hiss. Turning to the two students he would be helping. Alexander and Winchel he thought their names were. It didn't really matter anyways. If they survived he would put effort into remembering their names.

Jack walked over to the two and inclined his head slightly in greeting. “I’m honestly not sure what you might have already been taught by your parents, mentors, or friends, but I want you to listen to me well. The summoning of a familiar is a deadly task. If you haven’t ever summoned anything before then it’s going to be a shock to you,” Jack said as he quickly started chalking out a summoning circle. “I’ll help you through the ritual by helping the magic keep shape, but when your familiar appears it’s all up to you.” Jack finished the circle, gave it a cursory glance and re-chalked a line. “When the summon appears you will be connected to it in a very intimate fashion. It all really depends of the person doing the summoning, and the creature, but you’ll know it when it happens. You might feel what it’s feeling physically, emotionally, and maybe even mentally. Whatever happens doesn’t lose concentration. When the creature appears there is a good chance that it will try and reach through the link you’ve made to summon it, and it will try to crush you. If that happens then it becomes a battle of will. Can the fey destroy your mind and make you into a breathing meat vegetable, or will you over power it and make it submit. This is one reason why so few people don’t make it as summoners. They don’t have the will for it. They one day summon something that’s meaner than they ever are, and it crushes them.
“So I’ll give you one chance to reconsider this before we start the ceremony. Do you want to turn around and try to get into another art? If you don’t think you can handle this then please do. I really hate having to clean up the messes. When you start the ceremony the buildup of magic will be too strong to interrupt without the back lash killing someone. If your still willing then whoever want’s to go first can step right up and stand in that box over there,” Jack said pointing to a two foot square box that he had drawn attached to the outer ring of the circle. “After you are in the box then use this,” Jack held out the silver knife, “to draw a bit of your blood and drop it into the circle. After that you’ll need to gather the magic and will your blood to draw something akin to you through the portal that I’ll open with the magic you’ve drawn. Jack gave the students a predatory smile and offered the knife, “So who here is feeling brave? I can promise you one thing; you won’t get this kinda intro class in any of the other arts. ”

He can be such a jackass sometimes. River thought fondly as she watched Jack gave his typical scare the shit out of the students before class had even started speech. She folded her arms over her chest, watching him with a smirk as he stalked around his two students telling them of their apparent impending doom. When he was finished she rolled her eyes and turned to Mackenzie who had popped up as first to go. The new girl was still seated and still radiated with every fiber of her being that she didn’t wish to be here but at least there were more enthusiastic students this year. River gave Mackenzie a smile as she plopped the silver knife into one of her hands then pointed to the box. “Well, alright then here we go.”

River double checked the circle before straightening up and coming to stand beside Kenzie, just outside of the circle. “First off, ignore Jack’s big scary speech ok? Summoning is very dangerous but don’t let that spook you because the benefits and experiences outweigh any danger. I promise.” Heck, if everyone ran away from something that was difficult and possibly dangerous then nothing would ever get done! Then again, most difficult things don’t include the occasional monster that wants to snack on your face. “Now with that said I’ll be here the entire time, helping to draw your familiar out but like Jack said once it’s here then it’s up to you. You’ll have to control it and subdue it if need be then after that I’ll tether them to you with the same spell I used to keep our naga friend here, only stronger. Your familiar will never be able to leave your side unless you command it. It might seem a bit harsh but trust me, once you bond and the two of you resonate with each other then they will not want to leave. Alright, here we go.”

A nod to Kenzie was the signal to drop a bit of blood into the ring. The droplets splattered onto the hard floor and River moved herself into a stance, almost as if she were preparing for a fight. “Now use everything in you, focus on the droplets, focus on that and will it to draw forth a fae.” She waited a few moments, her eyes trained on Kenzie before encouraging her again. “Come on, you have everything in you to do this already. Just will it, use any stubbornness you have, all of your focus to push the blood to release your essence.” A few more moments passed by and a grin spread across River’s face. “There we go, there we go. Now I’m going to open a portal, remember focus.” There was obvious emphasis on the last word as River began making hand gestures in the air, drawing symbols into what seemed like nothingness. She then trailed her right hand over her left forearm, following the lines of a tattoo, before stretching out her right hand. This is it.

The blood seeped into the floor and a thick mist began seeping out from where it had been. It twisted and twirled, beginning to take form. “Focus, just focus and don’t be afraid.” I forgot to find out her name before we started this. Well, like Jack said if she lives then I can ask and remember. The mist finally solidified and the creature that appeared before them seemed innocent enough but it caused River to gasp sharply and curse. “Oh shit.”



The creature was a ball of fluff in the most literal sense. Its blue eyes shone with curiosity as it looked about the room trying to figure out exactly why it was suddenly here. “No one look it in the eyes.” When River uttered the warning the small thing fluttered its wings, apparently startled that there was someone in the room with him and he turned with the aid of his long, golden colored tail to stare at her and all the other occupants surrounding it. “This is what you call a white imp, very dangerous for many reasons. Don’t let anything it says to you fool you. Don’t look at its eyes until I’ve tethered him and you’ve bonded.” Her voice was stern, which was unusual for River and she moved around the circle, keeping her eyes fixed anywhere but on the cotton ball that had been summoned. “Stay focused, I know it’s difficult without actually looking at it but for the love of all that is holy do it.” River rifled through the cabinets as she spoke before pulling out a living, squeaking mouse from a small cage.

I’m so sorry little one. River approached the imp as it made a curious chirping noise, its small wings flapping excitedly at the sight of the distressed rodent. It then began to bounce up and down, chirping and squeaking before River tossed in the mouse. It was quick, the blink of an eye really, a clean cut appeared out of nowhere down the mouse’s back and suddenly its skin flayed off. The now skinless mouse writhed in pain and squealed loudly as the imp’s small mouth suddenly grew, revealing hellish looking teeth. A long tongue snaked out to snatch the morsel inside its mouth and it purred happily while loudly chewing.

While the awful sight unfolded River had lit a stick of incense and had begun motioning in the air. The air popped and sparked where she drew with the stick until finally she was finished. Kenzie would feel a sudden snap, as if a missing piece had been popped into place. It was as if she were two beings at once, two heartbeats, two souls. The imp made a noise that can only be described as a sream when the tethering was complete and its voice now resonated within Kenzie’s head. While it screeched and squalled to the others in the room she would hear a small, but very angry, voice in her head. ”What did you do to me?! I want to go home! I hate you, all of you!” It focused on River and hissed at her. ”You, look at me! Look at me and die! Its wings flapped in fury, its lips curled back to reveal teeth as it carried on in its fit. Kenzie would feel a pressure on her mind and her body as the imp fought at the tether. It clawed and pushed, the feeling was that of getting a cut on your skin again and again and again. He turned to face her, hissing loudly. ”Let me go or die!”

River winced at the noise the creature made; obviously it wasn’t happy about being tethered. “Fight whatever it’s doing to you. My part is over but yours has just begun. Wherever you go, he goes. So, I want you to take him somewhere quiet and calm him down. That’s your first test.” She flashed a smile at the girl. “Please do be careful, I’d rather not have this demonic piece of lint skin you and then run loose in the school.” After that warning she turned to the blonde girl. “Next?”

Alexander watched across the room as the first to summon stepped up. As he was told, he averted his eyes after the creature was summoned to avoid looking in its eyes, but he really didn't want to. He was fascinated by the idea of being able to bring something like that from where it was here and, in theory anyway, controlling it. As it screeched and screamed though, his mind turned to the idea of himself. It was almost like time slowed down and everything was reduced down to what was in his path.

He found summoning to be amazing and something he was so glad to have discovered. It was something he now wanted to try for himself and feel what it was like the way you never can until you actually do something. But he was terrified. He felt himself move towards Jack, his mind seemingly acting separate from his body. The fear of death is in all of us. Alexander thought about this as he approached. The unknown, man's greatest fear, the ultimate act that can't be taken back, death would come for us all in our time. Was now his time? Did he care? He'd floated through life so far. He'd been told what to be. Strong. Always be strong. But he'd never been told why. He had no true purpose. He could feel, somewhere deep inside himself, that he wanted to be something more than what he was. But he had no direction, no way to know what it was. Death would answer so many of his questions. If something went wrong and he died, he might no longer exist, and so his questions wouldn't matter. If he still did exist, where he was, what he felt, everything would start answering some of the questions man has tried to answer since we could think.

He saw his hand reach out to Jack, signaling him to pass the dagger. Death would not be so bad, should it come to that. But there was still that fear. It hadn't lessened, no. It was worse. Everything more he did that got him closer that moment where he would summon something here, it got worse. If he wasn't afraid of dying, the summoning not working, then that must mean he was afraid of if it worked.

Dagger in hand, he approached the box. He thought back on his life. He's always enjoyed being alone. Never has he had someone he felt he wanted by his side, truly. Someone to trust his life with, someone who he knew he could count on if the worst came down on them. He never had anyone he didn't feel he had to be strong when facing. Even his family. He knew they loved him, but he couldn't be just Alexander when he faced them. He had to be strong. He wasn't even sure if he was truly himself when he was alone. He even felt a need to prove his strength to himself. Then he thought, Not only have I never had anyone like that, I've never been anyone like that. I've never been able to. He felt like everything in his life was counting down to this. This was the fork in the road. He could run. He could give into fear and run from everything, his family, his fears, the summoning, any true responsibility, everything. Or he could die and none of it would matter. Or his life could be changed forever. He would never be alone, not really. He would share his life with someone else in a way more personal than anything else. More than any best friends, more than any two who married, more than two soldiers facing certain death in a fox hole, he would never be the same. And he couldn't stand the thought.

He didn't realize what his body had been doing as his mind raced until he felt pain of skin parting. He still hadn't decided. The decision had been made for him instead. He watched the blood fall into the circle. His time was up and whatever was to happen would happen. He took a breath and tried to clear his mind of all the ill thoughts he'd had. Focusing on the drops of blood, his sense returned. He could hear everything like normal again, but his eyes stared at the circle. He would try to do as he was told. Try? At this point, you want to try? You think that's an option? As his eyes focused on the blood, his ears focused on the instructions, he couldn't help but whisper to himself, "Be strong."

Eliza stepped back and off to the side as the class’s introduction seemed to begin. So we’re at a count of four. The semi-dominatrix artist doesn’t look like she’s going to have a problem. The Sherlock guy on the other hand… definitely not raised in the life. Was he referring to Jurassic Park? Hope he remembers the dinosaurs turned around and bit the characters in the ass. Then there’s legally blonde over there. For her sake, maybe looks will be deceiving. At least I can be pretty sure McCree knows her stuff. Don’t recognize this Jack fellow however…

Finished taking stock of whom she would be sharing quite a bit of her time with, Eliza brought her attention back to McCree as she was going to bring forth her own familiar. The entire previous speech was not worth listening to anyways. She had heard it often enough, and not put as politely as McCree had worded it. But summoning was of no consequence to her. Sympathizer, not a sympathizer; it was just another way of hunting as far as she was concerned.

When the Wendigo made its appearance from the mist, Eliza had to admit she was a bit impressed with the familiar. Cranky or not she could see where McCree and – Achak? Achoo… - would be a fit. They argued like a married couple.

With the show and tell over with as the cranky Windigo left, the time had finally come for their own summonings. Divided into groups of two, Eliza took her place on Jack’s side of the classroom. As he ran through what they needed to know; and an alternative choice of arts if they so choose to turn back, it was time to begin. As charming as Teach made it sound, I sure as hell am not batting first until I see how this is done.

Lucky for Eliza, McCree gave a more subdued lesson; and the dominatrix was the first to step up. Here we go. With the blood spilt and the summoning beginning, Eliza watched carefully as the mist appeared. Taking shape, she couldn’t help but wonder what the first student's familiar would be after the intro of the Wendigo. Then finally… it appeared with a curse from McCree.

It’s a freaking riceball. A furry, flying riceball. Not stupid enough to ignore their warnings, she dutifully kept her eyes averted while making sure the furball stayed in her peripheral vision. She would have thought the deceiving furball would tie itself to the other girl in team McCree; but if these familiars were decided from a deeper part of the summoners self… well who knew how things are going to turn out.

With the thing satisfied and her own curiosity satisfied as well, she wasn’t going to complain when Alexander decided to step forward next. I’ve seen Group 1, now to see how our little group summons. Staying off to the side as best she could, Eliza folded her arms across her chest as she waited; her eyebrows creasing in concern as she caught what the boy whispered to himself. Is he going to be okay with this? she wondered. Even if he wasn’t, it was too late to turn back as the second summoning began.

And this one comes with his own theme music. Watching the angel sprawled out on the floor, Eliza had to cover her laugh with a cough, keeping her hand to her mouth until she could control her grin better. The most sophisticated person in the room just summoned some punk angel, who looked a little toasted in her opinion… or drunk from the sound of it. It didn’t take long for her to lose humor in the situation. So far the two familiars were not exactly what she would have expected. And the more she tried to not think about it, the worry still built that she was about to be forever bonded with a familiar she would want to strangle, or find completely useless. But there was no room for doubt in this business.

Determined to keep to that mindset, Eliza snagged the small waste can beside a desk and walked over to Alexander. Gently taking the silver knife from him, she swapped it with the can with a smile. “You may be needing this Lexi-boy. Good luck with that one.” Not bothering to wait for a response, Eliza stepped into the summoners box; not wasting any time before she swiped the blade along her jeans to wipe off any leftover blood then nicking the side of her arm to let her own blood flow.

As the drops fell to the ground, she steadied her stance and switched the dagger to a more defensive grip. “Let’s get started then, Teach.”

Kalika had settled into the idea of sitting through a boring first day that would probably include a bunch of lectures covering the dos and don’ts of Summoning along with class rules and school policy. So it was extremely shocking to hear that they planned to summon familiars on the first day instead. There had to be more of a buildup to such a pivotal moment like lessons on it and practice scenarios. Kalika was starting to feel overwhelmed; she suddenly regretted all the times she ignored her parents when they tried to teach her about summoning. Crap. She thought, while eyeing the door as a possible avenue for escape.

The tattooed woman continued talking about familiars, even calling her own familiar out and showing him off. The Wendigo was an impressive and frightening sight to behold; while he seemed grumpy, Achak didn’t behave openly hostile to the humans around him and Kalika noticed a degree of respect between the Wendigo and River. Despite the tattooed woman’s unique appearance, Kalika felt herself relaxing and even beginning to trust this woman’s knowledge. Still, there was no way she was going first. Luckily the other girl seemed eager enough and happily volunteered to go first.

The ritual was fascinating to watch, but the appearance of a gigantic floating cotton ball with murderous tendencies was a bit much to comprehend all at once. Kalika had a strong urge to bolt from the room after seeing a mouse be skinned alive and consumed by the fluff ball. It also made her concerned about what her own familiar might be like and how difficult the battle of will between them would be.

The next person up was the suit wearing student, he looked very nervous as he approached Jack’s circle, quietly muttering under his breath. The appearance of an angel was amazing to say the least. The punkish angel had a mouth on him too. Kalika smiled wryly, what a pair those two would make. She watched them leave the circle, her eyes lingering on Jeston’s wings. She found herself wondering how soft the feathers might be and if the testy angel would even let her touch them.

So far none of her classmates had been killed; maybe it wasn’t as difficult as everyone claimed. Though she decided to wait till the others had gone first before making a final decision. The last student in Jack’s group approached the circle and let the blood droplets fall like the others had, but the portal opened on the floor this time around. The screams of anguish and torture seeped into the room while a sinister creature pulled itself up and out, resting its eyes on blonde girl standing before it. There was an exchange of words between the demon and the teacher, apparently they had met before. What was the demon talking about? Kalika wondered suspiciously. What had he meant by saying that the students had died at Jack and River’s hands? Demons were by far the most deceptive of fey and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the demon was simply trying to create distrust between teacher and student. On the other hand, the accusation hadn’t been denied by the teacher either.

After the blonde girl and her familiar left the circle, both teacher’s eyes fell on Kalika. It was definitely too late to leave now. Externally her bored expression remained, but inside she was completely freaking out. Leaving the relative safety of seat, Kalika stepped towards the female teacher, her hands quaking slightly as she grasped the knife. Hand or arm? Was this going to leave a scar? Hand. She finally decided. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kalika slid the blade across the length of her palm. The cut was far deeper than she had intended. Upon opening her eyes, she saw the wound begin to steadily drip to the floor, miraculously missing her shoes by half an inch.

“Eeee!” She screeched in horror, staring wide-eyed at the deep, bloody canyon that cut across her otherwise perfect hand. Kalika would have rushed from the room for immediate medical attention if not for the current of energy that started coursing through the air. She realized the summoning was starting and forced herself to suck it up till the ceremony was complete. She needed absolute focus in order to gain control of whatever was about to step into the room.

Kenzie raised her eyebrows as the instructor gave his doom and gloom speech about summoning. It didn’t matter to her though, she had been excited about the aspect of summonings since she had first heard about it. Nothing was going to stop her from trying now, besides in Kenzie’s opinion while the fae may be dangerous humans were only a different kind of monster.

She looked down at the silver knife that was handed to her as she listened to McCree’s instructions. When she was signaled she cut a decent size gash across her left palm, letting a bit of blood pool before squeezing it into a fist causing several good sized drops onto the ring.

Doing as she was told Kenzie focused on the blood ’You came from me, you are literally my lifes blood. Show me the fae that will be my familiar.’ she silently willed the blood. Kenzie was delighted when only moments later a thick fog flowed from where her blood had been spilled and it began to take form.

Kenzie was taken quite aback by the cute fluffy little ball that had a pair of mini angel wings. At first it was adorably confused and even became startled when River spoke. ”This is what you call a white imp, very dangerous for many reasons. Don’t look at its eyes until I’ve tethered him and you’ve bonded.” she ordered her, which wasn’t a problem for Kenzie, she was focused on the curly golden tail that swished about.

As the little imp turned at the sound of the frightened mouse any illusion that the little guy was some precious fae was shattered. The mouse was skinned in an instant and a treasure cat like grin appeared on the angelic creature’s face before it ate the still live mouse. Kenzie continued to focus on the imp all while fighting the emotions of disgust, pity, and above all curiosity. ’Why would something like that be tethered to me?’

With the imp distracted River had time to perform the last part of the binding. Kenzie felt it the moment it happened, she wouldn’t go as far as to say something corny as ’I suddenly feel whole’ but she did feel as if something clicked into place. That pleasant feeling didn’t last very long though the little guy was throwing a hissy fit. ’Let me go or die!’ he screamed across her mind.

”Shit that hurts! Knock it off ya little furball!” she barked at him, mentally pulling on their link causing the imp to falter. Grabbing him, being sure to keep her hands away from his mouth, she nodded to River. “I think I’ll take him to my room, I have to find something to bind him to anyways.” Kenzie hadn't paid much attention to the others but when she looked she saw that two of the other students had managed to survive the summoning. Giving a small smile and turning she headed out of the classroom but not before tossing a ‘good luck’ over her shoulder to the other students. It would be a shame if the others didn’t make it for one reason or another.

River folded her arms and watched as Jack summoned the familiars for Alexander and Winchel. Both fae were quite the surprise but that was usually the case with familiars. It wasn’t the fact that the familiars seemed ill fitted for the students that bothered River, it was the fact that these two were well known to her and Jack.

Jeston’s appearance had River rubbing the bridge of her nose. Many, many hours of annoying douche baggery would come from this poor excuse of an angel. She could only hope that he wouldn’t drag Alexander down with him. The next was Mendabra who was more worrisome than any of the three that had been summoned so far. Where Jeston was a pain in the ass, Mendabra was a legitimate threat. She and Jack had lost many students to his trickery. Her eyes narrowed in the demon’s direction as he taunted Jack. They’d definitely have to keep their eyes on this pair.

The last student, the bored looking blonde girl, stepped up to bat. River made a conscious effort to wipe the grumpy expression off her face and give the girl a grin as she took the knife. The droplets fell and the girl seemed quite distressed about the cut on her hand. River couldn’t help the fact that her eyes rolled of their own accord before she began shaping the energy. This girl was going to have to toughen up. Hopefully whatever familiar comes of this doesn’t give her too much of a fight.

The droplets spread into a pool of blood that began to boil. The heat from the pool was intense and filled the entire room as the steam wafted from it in foul smelling waves.Was that sulfur? River crinkled her nose at the smell, her right arm extended as she continued to shape the magic. What in the world was this girl going to be bonded to? The blood began to bubble up, the pile reaching higher and higher until it stood taller than any human or fey in the room. Piles of bloody goop began to fall off of whatever towered beneath the bubbles. With a disgusting plop, each section of goop that fell off revealed more and more of the creature. The look of apprehension on River’s face faded when the fae’s face was revealed and a bright smile spread across her features. “Benen!”



The demon warrior had been summoned multiple times before as a student’s familiar but the first timers couldn’t deal with the fae’s awful appearance. They would run in fear, leaving the laid back creature disappointed each time. If only the newbies would have given him a chance they would have come to realize how great of a teacher the demon was. Despite his terrifying tooth filled, smiling maw and his towering height, Benen had taken an affinity to humans and their strange ways.

Benen’s doll black eyes looked around the room in mild confusion that always came with suddenly being ripped from one place to another in the blink of an eye. Realization came over him and his eyes quickly found River. “Ah, a summoning ritual once again?” His voice was deep and rumbling as he spoke and River grinned at him, quickly lighting the incense stick and completing the tethering process. Benen rolled his shoulders, ridding himself of the last of the goop. He turned toward Kalika and stared at her, slightly cocking his horned head in interest. A warm, comfortable feeling would spread through Kalika when Benen was tethered. It spread from her stomach, throughout her body and finally it would settle in her mind, a constant, comforting feeling. There was a light prodding into her mind; each prod was gentle and curious as Benen watched her. There was no fight from him as he was eager to teach anyone who was willing to learn.

“This is my new partner?” He held out a large, clawed hand in a gesture towards Kalika. River nodded her head, stepping into the circle to practically koala onto his side. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you Benen. Some of the familiars these kids are conjuring up are ridiculous, dangerous or both.” The large demon rumbled a chuckle as he looked down at the small human attached to his side. “Well, hopefully my new partner will be accepting of me so I can stay this time around.” His eyes once again went to Kalika. “My name is Benen. What are you called, young one?”

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Albin fluttered his wings and wriggled with all of his might as he was carried down a corridor then forced into a small room. “No! No! Let me go! Put me down this instant!” He hissed and carried on before suddenly realizing he wasn’t going anywhere. The imp drooped in Kenzie’s arms, his tail hanging down and his wings flopping against his back limply. “Where am I?” The human could hear him, which was odd, but what was even odder than that was that rather than just sensing her in the normal ways such as sight or scent, he could sense her internally. He’d heard of things like this happening to other fae, being dragged from their homes to be bonded with humans but he’d always assumed it was just myth. Was this what had happened to him? Surely it was, the stories he’d heard fit everything that was happening to him now. ”Who are you?” He wiggled slightly in her arms so his eyes could face her. His gaze held no threat to her now. Before, he might have tried his hardest to flay her skin from her bones but now it seemed he would only be harming himself if he tried something like that. She was there in his mind, he could feel it, and he was in hers. It wasn’t something he was particularly fond of at the moment but if he couldn’t fight his way out he might as well figure out just what was going on.

All Eliza could register was terror. The summoning had been forgotten. Jack’s movements were never noticed. From the moment those shards shattered to the depths of hell; everything was filled with that single, utmost, pure terror. As those red eyes shone and the demon’s hand stretched forward, that terror formed into the deepest depression she had ever felt. A fear that spread like the shadows Mendabra was made of. Yet between all of this was the coldest comfort she had ever felt in her entire life. A promise like a kiss of death if she let it be. But Jack had managed to break through her fear just enough for his words to set root.

What the hell am I doing. The HELL I’m trusting a demon. Fighting back the mental assault, the terror lessened; and finally the urge to let this thing in was gone. How she did it, she did not know; but it was done. Mendabra was bonded to her till the day she dies.

Her senses finally back to reality, Eliza was taking deep breaths to steady herself as Mendabra and Jack spoke. She was pretty sure she was still shaking, but that was the least of her worries as words were exchanged between her two mentors. “Students lost to a demon spy. Can’t imagine why.” She said with a weak laugh. Dang it, I’ve got to pull it together. And what are they talking about anyways? I know students can be lost in summoning… but usually by their familiars. What’s been happening in this class? May be something worth looking into later. Mendabra accepted me far too easily for a demon of his standing… I’m going to have to be careful with the lot of them.

With the shaking finally stopped, Eliza stepped away from the summoning circle with her senses fully restored. And crap it was nicer without all of them. Sometime during the summoning she had managed to grip the actual blade of the knife, cutting a pretty good gash to the side of her palm in the process. Guess I was trying to snap myself out of it. Inspecting the silver knife a bit more closely, the young blonde weighed it in her palm before flipping it. “Nice knife. Well Mendabra, I do believe this would do just nicely to bond you too.” Showing the blade to her now familiar, Eliza slipped the little prize into her boot for later. If she was going to be carrying something around, it might as well be useful for more than one thing. Plus it was a nice knife. Pressing her thumb to the cut on her palm to at least slow the bleeding, Eliza turned her attention to the last student in the room; nodding her head to Miss Dominatrix as she took her flying riceball from the room with a ‘good luck’ exit.

Eliza could only give a withered look through the last summoning. The girl honestly sounded like a squeaking mouse as she cut her palm open. This class better have a first aid kit in here. As the smell of sulfur hit her nose, it didn’t leave many options other than another demon would be joining them. While the blood piled higher on each other, Eliza kept her eyes on the blonde girl to see how she was handling it. Then as Benen finally made his appearance, she could only raise an eyebrow at the greeting he received from River; as well as the one he gave to his summoner. “This is going to be interesting.”

With all the summonings complete, Eliza took another look at Mendabra before beckoning to him with a finger. “You and me need to have a little talk.” Making her way through the classroom, she made her way out the classroom door and shut it behind them before going further into the hallway outside the class. This should work fine enough. I want to hear what Jack and this guy have to say separately. “Alright then. What exactly was all that back there.” She asked with a polite smile that did not reach her eyes, “I see you and my teachers are… acquainted with one another. Care to clarify what happened to your previous charges?”

“Stupid alarm clock!” Diego cursed the useless piece of crap that always failed when he needed it most. Sneakers slapping the linoleum as he hurried to his class, being late on the first day was never a good idea. Teachers were quick to label late students slackers and he didn’t want to be on that list. The day before Diego had taken the time to memorize the location of the room at least, so that would save time and help him be less late than he might have been. He was itching to see what summoning was all about, just the mere idea of the possibilities that lay ahead put a bounce in his step.

His total focus on getting to class nearly caused him to miss a trio who were leaning against a wall talking and joking. Two of them wore jeans and t-shirts but the third was wearing a jersey for a team Diego didn’t recognize. Maybe they have a team here, Diego thought with a thrill of excitement. While he wanted to stop and have a chat with the students, the need to get to class was stronger. He settled for a wave instead and a quick shout hello followed by a head nod as he passed them. After class he would try to look for them and introduce himself properly.

Hiking his backpack up, he turned the last corner and stopped in front of the classroom’s door. Diego attempted to smooth his wrinkled shirt with his hand, but the gesture was useless the wrinkles were stuck fast in the fabric. With a shrug he accepted his appearance and carefully turned the knob, intending to quietly slip in the back and apologize to the teacher afterwards. Though that changed as soon as he stepped through the door.

“Holy shit!” Diego burst out, a bit too loudly for the relatively quiet classroom. There was a hulking creature standing calmly in the middle of the room. Huge horns curled back over a thick scale covered head, rows of razor sharp teeth in a wide mouth, pure pitch black eyes set back in their sockets, and the fae also only possessed four slits where a nose was normally positioned, what a sight the demon was.
I want one. Diego thought as he dropped his backpack in a vacant seat before stepping closer. That was when he noticed the fae’s gaze was locked on a slim girl. She had the look of a cheerleader, which was another confirmation that this school had a football team. His eyes lingered on the impressive demon a bit longer before he noticed another woman who sported a large collection of tattoos.

She radiated confidence and authority while she watched the cheerleader girl; which made Diego figure that she was actually a teacher, even though her appearance strongly suggested otherwise. Might as well bite the bullet and apologize now.

“Hi, my name’s Diego Taylor. Sorry I’m late, alarm clock troubles. Looks like I missed something really cool.” He said gesturing to the towering demon.

River watched with a smile as Benen introduced himself to Kalika. There’s a high chance this girl won’t accept him. She seems the type that’d rather have something cute and fluffy. She was going to hope though, that this girl didn’t throw away the chance at having an amazing teacher. River was so enthralled with the introductions that she didn’t even notice a fifth student come in. A fifth! The only reason she turned her eyes to him was his outburst. Ha, always entertaining to see the first timers reactions to demons.

The boy introduced himself then spouted an apology for the late entry after he had finished ogling Benen. River grinned at him, crossing her arms comfortably as she spoke. “Oh, don’t worry Mr. Taylor it happens to the best of us. You didn’t miss much, just a life and death struggle with a naga as well as the summoning of demons, angels and imps.” Her grin spread into a full fledged smile. “Perhaps you make certain you won’t be late again, hm?” Now she’d have to give him the run down on summoning a familiar which didn’t bother her too much. She did enjoy teaching after all but geez, twice in one day? Usually by this point they’d lost a student or two not gained more.

“Alright!” She clapped her hands together for emphasis and to gain attention as she often did when teaching. “You’ll be summoning a familiar much like Benen here.” River gestured to the demon who nodded his head at Diego. “Benen could you take your summoner out of the circle?” Benen nodded again and approached Kalika. “Come now dear.” He ushered her to the back of the class and was forced to hunker down due to his height.

The circle was clear and River motioned for Diego to step up on the box. “Now, what you’re going to do Mr. Taylor is cut your hand, arm, forehead, whatever part of your body you so please and let a few droplets fall into the circle. After that you’ll will your blood, the life force in it, to bring forth your familiar. I’ll help shape the magic to bring your familiar here but once it’s here you’ll need to focus on it, whatever the fae ends up being, and keep it here and under control. Got it? Good.”

River waited as Diego cut himself, letting a few droplets fall onto the floor. “There we are. Now, just focus.” Her hand followed the line of her tattoos before extending toward the circle. The blood evaporated into a mist, twirled in the air then settled on the ground. It thickened then began to change form, settling into a thick goop that bubbled with heat. Was that lava? The lava bubbled and roiled, a pair of fire covered hands emerged from the pit and began to heft their owner out. The hot liquid dripped from the fae’s body, dissipating into nothingness.



The creature looked about with calm blue eyes, a bit too calmly for River’s liking. “Ok Mr. Taylor, hold him.” A fallen angel? That’s new. She moved to pull the incense stick out of her pocket and begin marking the air. Still the angel didn’t make a move and watched the proceedings without emotion. Once the tethering was complete, Diego would feel a cool presence in his mind that burned hot at the same time. It was unusual and distant feeling but the presence calmed his nerves. There was no fight but the roiling of emotions under the surface of cool was easily felt in the fae.

“This is, uh, this is new for the class Mr. Taylor. What we have here is a fallen angel. It’s neither demon nor angel, somewhere in the middle. They can be helpful or deceiving, there’s no one stereotype I’m afraid. Be wary of him. Now uh, taking him somewhere so he can’t keep staring at me.” She eyed the angel nervously and didn’t lose the tension in her stance until his gaze turned to Diego. His wings ruffled slightly as he stared at his summoner. “You better prove yourself human.” With this said he walked past Diego and began poking about the classroom.

Jack gave a slight smile as Benen appeared in the circle. At least one of the familiars wouldn’t be any trouble. The teacher gave a sigh and rolled his neck to loosen the tight muscles when another by appeared in the doorway. “Well I’ll be damned,” Jack muttered under his breath. It was rare to have this many students in one class; so this one would probably be the one to die. Too many students had survived their familiar summoning today. Generally by now at least one of them would have died.

Jack sat in silence and watched the last students summoning. His eyes widened as the fallen angel emerged from the lava. They had dealt with Jeston a number of times, but Jeston was a particular case. Fallen angels were almost just as powerful as regular angels minus the holy power granted too them. With a shake of his head Jack dismissed the mystery. It didn’t really matter in the end. What mattered is what kind of familiar this fallen angel was. If he was anything like Mendabra then he warranted watching closely. Jack stood and addressed the two people left in the classroom. Barbie, and the jock. That sounded like it would make a good sitcom Jack mused as he addressed them. “Class is over for today. You can go and learn more about your familiar. Personally I would suggest trying to make friends with them. Otherwise this is going to be a very long year. Now if you wouldn’t mind, close the door when you leave.” Jack turned around and started looking on the shelves for a book he was wanting to study.
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Mendabra

Mendabra hissed under his breath as Benen appeared. “Waste of a good demon, didn’t even put up a token fight. Pathetic,” he whispered under his breath.

“You and me need to have a little talk.” His summoner said with a gesture.

“Certainly my dear.” The shadow man glided out of the classroom behind the girl.

“Alright then. What exactly was all that back there.” She asked with a polite smile that did not reach her eyes, “I see you and my teachers are… acquainted with one another. Care to clarify what happened to your previous charges?”

Mendabra smile his toothy smile and bowed his head. “Of course,” he said as his red eyes glowed faintly with inner light, “my only job now is to enlighten, and guide you my dear. All that I know is yours to partake of. I am but a humble servant.” Mendabra paused slightly as if collecting his thoughts then continued. “Jack, River, and I have met of a number of separate occasions. I have been the familiar of a number of their most gifted students, but sadly as you can see none of them managed to keep me,” he purred. “You see the students under my guidance always end up at the…how do you say…top of the class? The problem with being at the top is that the council of five start looking in on enterprising young students. Those five old fools are scared of young blood that may come rising up and becoming stronger than them. They like to keep a thumb on those that are potential threats, and when they cannot keep that thumb down they eliminate the problem.”

The demon looked hard at the girl and leaned in conspiratorially to whisper to her. “They send Mr. Demur, and Miss McCree after the student. If the students cooperate then they are tried and executed quickly, if they struggle then they are executed in a just as expedient, but messier manner.” A somehow warm and yet ice cold chuckle emerged from the demon as he leaned away from the girl. “Jack said for you not to trust me, to take my words with a grain of salt. Well the blood on his hands is just as red as the blood on mine. The only difference between him and me are that I don’t try and hide what I am. Of course don’t forget about the dear Miss McCree in their either. Beneath all of that joy and politeness on the outside lingers something,” Mendabra gave a small shiver of pleasure, “just as vile.”

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Jeston.

“Dammit,” Jeston yelled as the binding fell completely into place. After a little cussing and ranting the angel just crossed his arms and put on a scowl as he stared at his summoner. "Come on." His summoner motioned to Jeston to follow, stopping to let someone else out of the room first.

Alexander began picking up and tossing stray rocks and such that he found. "I, *sigh*, I guess now we're, I can't believe I'm saying this, stuck together." He turned and faced Jeston. "I just can't figure out why. Look at yourself, you're a mess. I didn't even know to believe in angels. Looking at you, I guess I really shouldn't." He tossed what he had in his hands out and tried to think of what to do.

“Yeah well fuck you too,” Jeston said with a scowl as he turned around and studiously ignored his summoner.
"I'm a bit new to this,” Alexander said, “if you haven't been able to guess. So I'm not exactly an expert on how these things work. So, since everything's fallen into place as it has, I guess," he rubbed his temple trying to think of what to say or do about everything that was going on. "I don't know. The people in there," motioning back to the building, "seemed to know you. You've had experiences with them before, I take it? If we have to work together, it would be best if I know you're history. So, tell me your story." He took out the piece he'd been working on and in frustration threw that out too

Jeston glared at the nearest wall for a second before turning around. He never let a chance to bitch about his problems pass by. “Fine you wanna know about my story I’ll tell you. I was created before your kind was even a twinkle in the big man’s eye,” he said with a gesture upwards, “and yet I’m sitting here now, bound against my will, to a weak little meat bag like you. Or maybe you’re talking about before this huh? Maybe you want my life story? Well go screw yourself!” The angel’s eyes flared up as he continued on with his story like he hadn’t just refused to tell it.

“I was a warrior angel of the lord before the fall. I fought against Lucifer and his traitors,” Jeston bit the last word as he said it. “I was stuck as a guardian angel after the battle as a reward for my good deeds. The most fricken boring job ever. Then when I partake of a little entertainment the archs put their thumb on me and say bad Jeston, you shouldn’t do that Jeston, not our way Jeston. Then those self-righteous pricks punish me by taking a hunk of my power away to make me think about what I did. Now I’m stuck here with you and I’m just praying that this is some kind of angelic candid camera.”

It was worse than she ever could have possibly imagined. The fae that appeared in the circle was gigantic and hideous, nothing like she was expecting her familiar’s appearance to be. Both her parents and brother had angels, why didn’t she as well? Kalika pressed both hands to her cheeks in an attempt to calm the racing thoughts in her mind. Though she only succeeded in leaving a bloody handprint across the left side of her face. Slowly her other senses returned and she became aware of a conversation happening between her familiar and River.

A powerful flare of jealousy ignited within Kalika and by the way the pair talked it was apparent that this wasn’t their first meeting. Steaming silently, she allowed herself to be lead away from the circle by Benen when a jock type of student entered the room. Kalika ignored the newcomer and turned her full attention to her familiar.

Now that she was thinking more clearly, Kiera took full accounting of the demon standing before her. He was still extremely hideous, but she began to notice other qualities that could prove to be useful. Benen was easily the tallest familiar that had been summoned so far, not to mention his wickedly sharp claws and horns. Kalika couldn’t help feeling slightly smug about that fact and he apparently was a high ranking warrior as well.

Taking a step closer, Kalika began to warm up to the idea of being tethered to Benen, though she had many questions for him. A reality that stung her pride, but she knew would be necessary if she ever wanted to become a great summoner. The cut on her hand had clotted, allowing her to cross her arms without ruining her clothes.

“My name is Kalika Becker. I can’t believe that the universe decided to pair me up with you; it apparently has a cruel sense of humor. My family tree is filled with summoners, but they decided to keep me ignorant of the art. All that heir and the spare sort of thing. Anyway, what I’m saying is we better start with the simple stuff.”

Kalika could tell it was the warm and comfortable feeling that the demon had brought with him that was causing her mood to improve slightly. She felt less angry, which was confusing to say the least and she wasn’t sure how to react to the sudden change.

“My first question is do you have to obey me absolutely? Can you refuse an order or try to find a loophole in the command? Are you able to read my thoughts? Why are so agreeable about being tethered to a puny human?” Kalika smiled a bit, in an attempt to be semi-friendly to the fearsome creature.

Benen calmly watched Kalika as he felt her flurry of emotions. Obviously she was unhappy being tethered to him, which wasn’t surprising but it was still disappointing. After sizing him up she finally broke the silence by taking a step forward and introducing herself. The introduction was tainted by insult but Benen didn’t mind. Usually his summoner had long ago banished him so this was a stride forward in his book. He merely chuckled deeply. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you too Ms. Becker. I believe we’ll make a fine team and I promise to teach you I’ll I know and more.”

He could only hope that Kalika was receptive of the comforting waves he was sending her way, otherwise getting to know one another was going to be a long and torturous process. Thankfully the next time she spoke it wasn’t with as much malice in her voice. However she did ask a long string of questions. He raised an eyeridge in amusement. “My, curious are we? Well, to address your first query the answer is no; I don’t have to obey you absolutely. If I don’t agree with a command then I can refuse it. Remember, I’m a partner, not a slave. However, you don’t have to worry about me rebelling against you because I can refuse commands. We’re connected, intertwined to our very core if you will so I can’t and wouldn’t harm you directly because that would be like harming myself.”

Benen shifted his weight and craned his neck down a bit to get a better look at Kalika. ”Now secondly I can’t read your thoughts but I can read your emotions just as you can read mine. For example if we’re in separate rooms but you’re upset then I’ll be aware of it or vice versa. Right now you should be feeling a, comforting, warm emotion right now. Something that calms you; we also can feel each other’s pain.” His eyes drifted down to her hand. He reached out and took her injured hand delicately with his large claws then turned it over to look at her palm. ”And I’m agreeable to being tethered to a human because I’m quite fascinated with your kind. You’re much more capable then any fae give you credit for. Certainly not puny at all; now why don’t you show me to your room so I can tend to your cut.” He gave her wrist a gentle, reassuring squeeze before letting go and looking in her eyes. ”Shall we?