Tessa Verrevia's Story

Tessa walked out of the Mages Headquarters and stared at the city before her. She didn't care all that much about it and why the hell would they have the headquarters in the middle of a busy city was beyond her, but it was what it was. Now she was free for the rest of the day. She looked up at the sky and saw the black rain clouds headed her way and sighed. She needed to go that way to get to home, but it looked like it would downpour while she was here. Tessa started to walk, thinking getting closer to home before the rain would be smart, and accidentally bumped into a guy. She looked up at him and blinked, "sorry." She said and smiled softly before continuing to walk.

Caleb roamed these streets for easy pickpocketing, but the tourists thinned, so it made his job harder. The rich tended to frequent the shops in the area and flood the social events in town. Women and men dressed in their finest, milled around the cafe's, or shopping district. The items in the stores were affordable by the rich, but he'd have to pickpocket hundreds, before he could afford anything from the high-priced stores. That didn't mean that there weren't other ways to acquiring the items. Pickpocketing was his skill, so he could target a weaker shop owner and take what he wanted. Sometimes the items sold for a higher price tag in underground markets, or could be traded for rarer items. Unfortunately for him, he had been targeted by the guards in the shopping district, so he needed to find new territory, or wait for the guards to calm down about his latest shoplifting spree.

He walked with an even pace down the cobbled streets and looked upward, the sky blanketed in grays and ink-black clouds. It was going to be a shitty day, but he didn't have to let the weather ruin his mood. He smirked at the sight of a lone woman walking ahead of him and conveniently bumped into her. She was an easy one to focus on, since she was too busy gazing about and looking generally confused in the crowd. She'd be completely oblivious to what he did to her next.

As they bumped into one another, he slipped his hand into one of her pockets and dropped an item in. It wasn't heavy enough to be detected, but it was something of value missing from the shops. When the guards searched him, they'd come up empty handed and he'd be a free man. The risk created an adrenaline rush, his mind compartmentalized the exit strategy and how he'd deal with the girl if she became hysterical.

He winked at her and didn't return the politeness that was more than likely bred into her. Guards began to exit one of the higher end shops and he disappeared into the crowd, his hands shoved into his pockets, while the guards began to search for the individual responsible for stealing a rare magical item.

Tessa blinked at the guy, he was a strange one, clearly. The girl didn't pay any mind to the guards that had worked their way through the streets, why would she when she didn't do anything wrong? As she walked toward the dooming crowds one of the guards stopped her, "Hello, Princess, sorry to bother you but we need to search you." He said. She blinked, totally confused by the whole thing. "Uhm, can I ask why?" She asked and the guards, looking just as uncomfortable as her since if they were wrong it would be hell, looked back at the shop, "There was a rare magical item stolen at a shop and we are searching mages... you are one of them... no?" He asked.

Tessa couldn't believe it, "Fine... search... I can tell you that I didn't steal such a thing. Why would I when I have money?" She asked and then as they searched they pulled out an item she certainly did not have on her the whole damn day. "What the he-" She was interrupted by the guard. "We are going to have to take you in, Princess." He said rather uncomfortably.

"You will not! I did not steal from that store nor have I stepped foot in the damn thing. Have you even looked at the damn cameras?" She asked. The guards looked at each other.

"Did you look at them?" The one who had searched her asked.

"No... I thought you did." The other one said.

"Would you be willing to come with us while we look at the cameras, Princess?" He asked and she shook her head yes. "Of course and then maybe you two bimbos can learn your lessons." She huffed and walked with them back to the storm. Now she was going to be further from her home when the rain would start. It was clear she could always use her light shield to spare her from the rain but she didn't like using her magic unless it was necessary.

All three crammed into a small room filled with monitors, desk, and two chairs. It smelt like junk food and men. They played back the tape and she saw him, the one she bumped into. "That fucking asshole!" She said, which made the guards look at each other. She didn't look like the type of girl who cursed. "He bumped into me before you two found me. He must have.., ugh if I find him again." She growled. "Can I go now, please?" She asked, eyeing the two and they nodded.

Tessa hurried out of the shop and looked around before running towards the direction the thieving asshole went, but it was useless. He could have turned down a number of streets or gone into a number of buildings. Today was a shit day, one for the books if she had to admit, and hurried towards the train station.

She was just a few feet away from the station when it began to downpour, making the already tired and annoyed princess wet and pissed. Tessa bought herself a ticket and went to the bathroom to dry off as much as she possibly could before going sit in the waiting area for her ride. Why she didn't just take a car, the girl didn't know. Tessa was going to have to look into who that guy was, there was no way in hell she was going to let him get away with such an act.

The downpour of rain soothed him and he watched puddles collect an abundance of raindrops. What transpired next, caught him by surprise. The girl he ran into earlier, was in front of the station, but then she dipped into a nearby bathroom. She changed position again and sat in the waiting area for her ride, which was convenient for him. Since the item in her pocket had been a decoy, there was little for Caleb to concern himself with, but he wanted to toy with her. He made his presence known and stepped out from the thick of the shadows and sheets of rain. His eyes weren't emotionless, but there was a blackened depth to them that looked other worldly. Caleb was an ordinary human, but had experienced enough to turn him into a hardened young man.

He stepped in front of her with an ease to his posture and studied her with a bored expression. The guards let her go, which interested him more than who she was. Caleb felt the magical item in his pocket and was shocked when it gave off a faint glow. Interesting, it's never done that before, he thought to himself. Since he approached Tessa, the device acted alive with an inner light.

Caleb decided to take his chances and removed the magical item, its light shimmered with an silver luminescent gleam. It was spherical in shape, but it had raised foreign numbers, or words on the surface of its body that he couldn't understand. Once he was in the presence of Tessa, it reacted to her with an all-knowing sentience. From the legends, he was told that it was a key to a powerful weapon, or treasures beyond his wildest dreams. Either way, it reacted to her and she could help him solve the puzzle.

He tossed the brilliant sphere in his hand a couple times and smirked at her with a playfulness. She looked innocence, or naive to this world that he was accustomed to.

"Thanks for helping me earlier. You got those guards off my back. What's your name? I'm Caleb." He said, his voice satin smooth, with a hint of arrogance. Caleb treated the experience like one would talk about the weather. The sphere faded from silver, to a shimmer and specific words glinted with a shine to them. "I want to apologize for earlier, but if you can help me solve this device's riddle, I will split the riches with you 50/50." Caleb expressed, unsure if she would buy it. She had already been taken advantage of him before, but maybe the thought of money would put her mind at ease. Most women were greedy creatures by nature, so he didn't expect her to be any different. He smiled with a warmth and tucked the device back into his pocket. If she agreed to his terms, he'd explain more in detail what it was all about.

Tessa had been staring at the wall on the other side of the subway when a familiar shape appeared in front of her. When she looked up she saw a device and could hear a hum come from the sphere like object in his hand. If she was correct she had seen one before in one of her many books and frowned. That guy certainly did not deserve to own such a thing. When she looked up at him once more something in her snapped back like a rubber band. Inside that cold and dark man a small pin like hole casted a light. Many people who have been through one thing or another had something like this, but a good many did not. She could be that person who snuffed that light out in him and she wasn't about that.

"Oh? Is that what I was doing for you?" She asked and smiled sweetly. "Next time be a bit better at avoiding the camera's, okay? If you are going to try and use me as a decoy again, that is." She giggled and pressed her elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her palm.

"So you want me to help you, once again, and I get paid half of whatever you think that thing will give you? But I am Princess Tessa, what would i need with MORE money? Nah... I want none of it... better yet... no... wait.. I will help you, BUT you will open it, Mr. Lazy Bones." She giggled. There was only one way he could open it and that was making the light in him more so than the darkness. "It won't be easy, but the payment will be grand. What do you say, Mr. Caleb?" She asked.

He smiled at her words. They were cute. Adorable even. He was skilled at avoiding cameras, which she obviously was not. This was a fact, not based on re-writing ones history and pretending the events didn't happen. Caleb studied her for a moment, as though to find some sort of vulnerability in his ice Princess. He tossed the sphere a few times in his right palm and felt the texture. It called to her, the hum vibrated deep in its core, but he wouldn't call attention to it. Caleb understood his Princess, even if she thought he was ignorant to the fact of her own behavior.

She needed him, more than he needed her. He had the prize. The sphere could contain information to her lineage, or some sort of ancient magic. Either way, it was a priceless item and he wasn't about to hand it over to this snobby woman. It was apparent that nobody had the guts to put her in her place, but to him, she was just another woman on the streets. Her heritage meant nothing to him when she wandered the dark streets.

Caleb's smile remained, as though he knew something she didn't. His eyes remained impassioned, the thrill of his hunt over, but the intensity remained in his veins.

"You were questioned by the police. Not I, Princess." Caleb paused and allowed that to be processed by Her Highness. "Perhaps it is you who needs to learn not to be seen by your own men." He smirked at her, unmoved by her words. "The streets are not for the soft hearted and vulnerable." At those words, he pocketed the sphere and reconsidered his offer. She could be more trouble than she was worth. He could always have someone hack into the device and override its function. The thought had crossed his mind before, but with her in the picture, that changed things. Besides which, what if there was some dormant power in the sphere and he gained access to it? She'd want a piece of the cut, or she could have him arrested and imprisoned for "stealing," the artifact.

In other words, he was royally fucked, but he didn't have to tolerate her nonsense, even if they ended up as partners. With slim options and police patrolling the grounds, he motioned for her to follow him to his place. They could investigate the relic in private. His underground world was about to be opened to an outsider with royal blood. Caleb wondered if it was worth the effort, or if this relic was causing him more trouble in the long run.

Lanterns illuminated the pathways and reflected against the cobblestone streets. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of crickets chirping, or the echo of someone's footfalls in the distance. Caleb walked a few feet ahead of her, but only to scout the area before he took her to his home. There was always someone watching and waiting for you to fumble at your most vulnerable state. He was unprotected and with a person of high status. This was one of the most dangerous moments in his life, but he embraced it with a smugness.

Evening invaded their moment and the moon became their only guided light. Stars penetrated against the darkened blanket of the night sky, their silvern miniscule bodies, flickered like jewels cast against velvet. For any other couple, this would have been a romantic venture, but Caleb was too concerned about making it to his home safely and escorting a Princess with little attention.

Once they arrived, he knew she'd judge the exterior and interior of his small apartment. Caleb acted unbothered and motioned for her to step inside with a hint of sarcasm to his gestures. There would not be a finger lifted for Her Highness, as he kicked aside a bag of garbage and cleaned up what he could to make it tolerable. His home was a sanctuary and rarely visited, as the evidence showed with dishes piled in a sink and clothes strewn about in his bedroom. When one worked as a thief and understood the perils of the operation, one didn't have time to worry about making their home life livable.

Caleb placed the sphere on a coffee table and sat down on couch. His body sank into the furniture, but he still felt sore and tense. He treated her as though she weren't present, then realized she might be hungry or thirsty. "Help yourself to my food or drink, Princess." He waved his hand toward the fridge and put his feet up on on the coffee table. The sphere slept, but it puzzled him that it was no longer activated, even in the presence of the princess.

"We will make the official contract here. I do not like to do my dealings in public." Caleb remarked. He pondered her sensitivity and considered treating her with a coldness to test her strength. Then again, that action in itself would take more energy out of him, then he was willing to muster. "Make yourself at home." He commented and smiled at those words.

Light and Dark always clashed, it was a common sense kind of thing. Especially right now in the train station. Tessa was met with a force she had always studied, always made sure she was aware of its being. There was a reason she chose a different route in her life, despite being a royal. Even though she was literally a being of light, she didn't like being in it and preferred the shadows that seemed to hold everyone in with welcoming arms, but her.

It was a wise thing to always be informed about your enemy, whether it would be the darkness or the person that the darkness lived in. Tessa wanted more, she wanted to learn from the very thing that she was taught to fight. It would be hard, yes. That was a common knowledge. It would be stupid of her to let the thing engulf her, so she usually took to learning and studying a bit at a time. Darkness was a dangerous thing, she knew that, but it was something that also fascinated her just like light did. They both had its greatness and flaws.

So when he made the comment about how she should learn to not be seen by her own men she pipped up, "Maybe you can teach me how... even in the shadows I shine... if you show me to hide I will show you how to shine." She said and got up when he motioned for her to come with him. Was it a stupid move? Very much so. Was she going to regret it? Maybe, but right now he had something she wanted and he needed her.

Walking with him felt awkward, like a long-lost twin, thought it was very clear they were not. If one were to pay attention they would have seen light clashing with darkness. Though she saw a light in him, it didn't help he was snobby and somewhat of an asshole. Was she pissed he had set her up? Of course, who wouldn't be but the guy had potential and he also had the sphere. Again, she had only read about it, coming into contact with one was actually rare and how he had managed to get a hold of it was also something that interested her.

When they got to his place she looked around. It wasn't a surprise to her that someone like Caleb would live in a dumpster. In fact, she ended up giggling at the fact that not only were they physically opposite but habitual. Her room was always cleaned and everything was in their place, not because a maid had done so, but because she liked to have everything in its spot. That way when she needed something she could find it.

When he motioned for her to have a seat she looked and smirked, years of her cleaning by herself has prepared her for this. She took the trash that was on the seat and neatly piled it on the side and did for everything around the seat before returning to the actual spot. "I know you probably think I have everything done for me, but you are going to find out real quick that your ignorant belief about me will be dead wrong. You want to play the badass man, let's do it, but don't expect me to bend as easy. You need me to get that sphere open, whether you like it or not, Caleb. Hack it? I would love to see you try. No... seriously... you will end up killing yourself or whoever you get to do it. There is only ONE way into it."

She looked around and then back at him, "you are like your apartment. Dark, you stink a bit, dirty... if I can clean you up and make you shine... well... you can open this up." She said and poked the sphere. "In payment, I want to be able not to be seen. Even if I hide in the shadows I get spotted. Every light should have some kind of darkness and every darkness some kind of light. We can help each other, but your bad boy act is gonna have to come down a few notches, kid. Meet me halfway. I won't even report you to the damn authorities." She said. Tessa meant every word she said. She was hungry for knowledge that he had. Of course if he got what was on the inside of the sphere it could be lethal, but by that time he would have to be fighting a moral battle.

Caleb listened to her and smiled at her bold words. Unlike most nobles, she had a spine. He gave her credit for that fact. When she began to insult him with such scrutiny, he kept himself still and remained calm. There was no sense in getting worked up over the words of a Princess.

Yet, he wouldn’t tolerate her disrespect either. Like a child, she begged to be disciplined by a firm hand. Perhaps life had pampered her too much, regardless of what she thought of herself. Caleb continued to listen to her and when she asked for his help, that was when he moved against her with a swiftness. Thick plumes of shadow swarmed the both of them, until their bodies were swallowed up in the aftermath. Caleb didn’t speak, but she’d feel his unearthly presence. The sphere beckoned to him in the room, like an otherworldly gem that glistened. It was his drug, but she was the catalyst. He didn’t know which one vexed him more.

As the shadows thickened and enveloped their form, he whispered in her right ear. He had a knack for bringing out fear in creatures of all sorts, but human fear was his second drug of choice. They could be brought to their knees with forgotten painful memories of their past. There would be no definition in the shadows. All manner of distinct furniture outline disappeared, overcome by his powers. Any light was drained within moments, much like a vampire taking the last drop of their victims blood.

You will not disrespect me in my home, Princess. I will make you regret that decision.

Caleb spoke to her, but his voice was everywhere. It sounded disembodied, as though he vanished from existence entirely, yet she’d still feel him. If he wanted to, he could tug at those painful memories and make her beg for mercy. The memories would play over and over again in her head with a relentlessness, but only if he felt so cruel. He didn’t pity her, or feel any specific emotion toward her. Shadow morphed and devolved back into the room, where he sat on the couch. Caleb’s movements were undetected by her for now, but he wouldn’t hesitate to drag her back into those hellish confines again.

“Now that we understand each other, I will help you and train you, but only after a blood contract has been made.” Caleb understood that the Princess could change her mind and flee with the sphere. Although, she wouldn’t get very far with progress without him. Still, the blood contract was like a form of security. He took out his pocket knife and sliced the palm of his right hand. Blood dripped near the sphere, but he ignored the droplets. He stretched out his bloodied palm and waited her to do the same. He handed her the knife handle first and waited for her to show him her commitment.

“With this blood contract, you are bound to fulfill your end of the bargain. What would you like to wager?” Caleb worked like some demons, but there was no other way to prevent a good old fashioned backstabbing. With the contract at work, she’d be bound until her part in it had been accomplished.

If Tessa said she wasn't scared even a bit, that would have been a lie. Though if she were to say she was downright fearful, that would have been a lie too. She didn't put up her shield like she should have, though even in his shadows a dim light had shined. It had been coming from her. The blonde mentally sighed at herself, more than him. Even in this pure darkness somehow, someway she was to be seen. If she could just harness that in, keep it internal instead of it out and about, this was going to be a difficult process.

When she heard his voice she nodded, though she didn't know if he could see her so she spoke too, "Okay." She said softly. "Also please just call me Tessa. Just because I was born into the royal family doesn't mean I act like one. I rarely go to events. I hide away in my lap or libraries. All that jazz." She said.

Tessa smirked, "okay." She said once again and when he handed her his knife she gently pushed it back and produced her the tip of her sword out of light and cut her hand like he had done to his own. She took his bloody hand in her own. "I guess my virginity could be one." She said. "Ha jokes. Hmm what can I wager... I guess... I mean... all I have is my life or knowledge. Both? What would you want?" She asked him. "What can I have that would interest you?" She asked another question.

It was ironic for a princess to have so little to wager. Money, sure. Her knowledge? She guessed. Life? Seemed a bit cliche but hey it was as good as any and running in perfect tune.

Caleb wasn't a fool. He noticed the glimmer of light that illuminated off the Princess. When he shrouded her in darkness, he could feel her faint desire to fight back through. She had heart, determination, which were admirable traits. Yet, he found himself vexed by her presence. Not many individuals had that ability, but Tessa had that gift in her. She made him react to her and that was when he felt most vulnerable.

His eyes darkened, while he listened to her express her woes of the palace life. If she only knew the struggles out here just to survive, but why would he bother explaining that to her? He felt like it would be a waste of time and a distraction. Once they clasped each others hands, an ethereal bond would take place. Darkness and light would flood the two beings and merge their souls under the contract. Ancient practice was at work, but Caleb didn't falter. He pressed their hands together and watched a droplet of their mixed blood fall near the sphere.

Caleb smirked when she offered him her virginity. Perhaps to some nobleman, it might have value, but he merely smiled at her words. There was nothing of interest in Tessa. He didn't even desire her body then, no matter how readily she would have offered her flesh to him.

He was providing the contract with her for one reason only: the sphere.

"I require your servitude, Your Grace." He muttered the words and mischief flashed across his eyes. When the contract was sealed with their blood and they were merged, Caleb knew he could request her of anything he desired...even her body. He wondered how she would manage herself then, but he let the thought dissipate.

Once the droplet of blood fell, he watched the sphere react with a passionate rush of violence. The blood graced its edges and forced it to respond with an urgency. All light and darkness seemed to be extinguished from the room, but then he watched with amazement, as the core of the sphere opened and exposed its inner workings. From the outside, it appeared to be shaped like a spherical music box, its intricate creation beckoned him for further inspection. Inside the center, a tear-dropped jewel of gold and onyx gleamed from its ornate prong setting.

The jewel was more-than-likely another component to their mystery. Perhaps when the Princess explored the gem, it would react to her in some fashion. Caleb removed his hand from hers and marveled at the smoothed scar in the center. He motioned toward the gem and waited for her reaction to the current events.

"After you, Princess."