Man Witch [Goody + Prince]

[OctopusPrince]

Alluna listened in turn to Quinn's blatant dismissal of all she had to say, from his flippant dismissal of her concerns to the out right suggestion that she ought to sleep with him. Now, certainly, he made her want to vomit. What a strange, arrogant creature, to think not only that his powers would not be dangerous to his peers, but that he, covered in his own vomit and sick from her magic could have any chance at satisfying her in bed. She regarded him with the same neutral composure as he flirted and smirked and rebuked her, and then, slowly, a smile began to pour itself across her mouth, followed by laughter. It came as a chuckle first, and then louder, and then she was tipped, one hand with knuckles pressed over her lips as she let out reams of laughter over his words. What an imbecile. This was the first male witch? It was both harrowing and hilarious. She could hardly wait to tell Uther that all of this had been said upon their first interaction, in fact, he'd probably have some insights on how to deal with such a man that didn't involve throwing him from a high tower window.

Alluna had had plenty of men who thought they could speak to her this way, but it had been a long time, and if not for her disciplined personal control, Quinn would be dead. Instead, she realized, that the only reaction she could give that might put him in his place, was one of a woman rather than a teacher or a venerated military officer so she behaved within the nature of her womanhood, and tried to catch her breath in her laughter.

"You really think you could have sex with me and do anything but bore me to tears? Look at you-- you couldn't even lift me, and that?" She pointed to his cock, "Is nowhere near sufficient. You can't hold your liquor, I've just watched you writhe around like a new born colt in your own vomit, and the girl you had with you this morning was practically virginal. Did you get to show her the ropes in her obvious lack of sexual experience? What a man. To think I'd acquire a student who was not only prideful, but delusional." She clicked her tongue disapproving, "Mm, I will have to modify all of my plans to accommodate your lack of intelligence. Who would've thought the first man to receive gifts would be so..." She began to laugh again as her eyes dropped over him in assessment, chortling and shaking her head, " Ah, no. No you won't be fucking me, ever. I think girls who barely know what they're doing are more your pace. Of what age are you? Late twenties? And you think you can handle me when you can't even control yourself with a bottle of feather blossom and wake at a reasonable hour after fucking a kitten like Ariel Degatto? She must've really worn you out, poor thing. You're under qualified to even seriously suggest having sex with me. Quit with your jokes, and get in the shower." She waved her hand at him dismissively, still laughing a bit under her breath.

Knowing this type of man, this would only provoke his desire more. The only thing she was sure of was if he didn't go to shower then, if he dared to get into her space, then she'd be using the force that had initially coiled her muscles as he dared to speak to her the way he had. No-- crushing him physically would likely only amuse him, or send him packing. She had a responsibility to him, as much as she already despised his attitude, so the first boundary to set, would be to make it very clear that she was out of his league. Again, hedonism at a price. She could handle a man chasing after her to fuck if she gained something from it and she was capable enough to dodge coyly away from getting into any situation where that man got within reach of his goals, so she'd do that, if she had to, as unethical as it was to provoke a student with the prospect of getting laid by their teacher to get them to work. She'd already stepped into the realms of unethical here, what he was saying to her would get him expelled in any other situation, so well... things were going to be plenty unorthodox from here on out.

 

[Jericho Z. Barrons]

Well, that wasn't very nice. Quinn frowned and blushed, his ears growing hot red as he scowled. She hadn't even finished before he started spouting defenses. "What? What kind of bloody standard is that? Where the fuck am I liftin' you to?? And...yeah huh! Yes, I can!" Another wave of redness bloomed over his cheeks and Quinn reached down to start stroking himself. "Sufficient??? Are you fuckin' serious?! You haven't even seen me hard yet! It grows! What kind of tent poles are you riding, anyway? You know, when it hits your cervix and you're not even touching pubes? That's not a cock! That's an arm!"

Stopping his unsuccessful attempt to get an erection, he scoffed at her repeatedly, flopping his arms at his sides. "I can hold my liquor! How about instead of sissy cleaning work, you and me! 10 fricking minutes! Tavern lounge! I'll fuckin' drink you under the table! Let's go! All that happened..." he glanced warily at the pools of clear bile and chunks of ambiguous, half-digested food. "...it was just unfamiliar! I told you that!"

Her poking him about the girl hurt, though. Because...yeah, she was fairly easy to snare and he'd chosen her with that in mind for his first night enrolled in the school. A kind of...celebratory gift to himself. And it was true, she'd been inexperienced, but that didn't mean that was the only reason he'd impressed her. Quinn had just ruined her for any other guys she might encounter, because not only would she expect a man to go down on her but she'd be disappointed in any who did. Quinn had an awareness of his skill in the art of eating out a lady and he burned in spiteful irritation at Alluna over her cheapening his talent, being unable to refute her because some of what she said was true.

All he did say about the girl though was to click his tongue, his eyebrows bouncing in realization, nodding as Alluna solved the mystery. "Ah. Ariel," he said in mild triumph. He knew it started with an "A". Pouting at her like a distempered teenager, Quinn searched his reserves for anything to combat her degradation with. The fact of the matter was, he'd already lost, for the moment. He hadn't considered how he might have ruined his chances, vomiting explosively in front of her, rolling in his filth while naked and vulnerable. And the worst part was, he couldn't adequately combat anything she said without proving it to her. And...his game was instantly shot down because he was covered in grimy, sticky, drying puke. He didn't even want to sleep with himself in this state. Confident that he'd get her, but allowing her to have this round, Quinn was still disgruntled about it.

"You're an idiot," he countered finally, in a snotty tone, glaring defensively at her. "I'm disappointed that I have such a...dumb bitch for a teacher...! I'm gonna get cleaned up but not because you told me to. ...Because I'm gross right now." That was weak and childish and he knew it, clicking his tongue again in irritation, as he turned into the washroom, letting the door fall closed behind him. In the shower, he attempted to rub one out but he was too mad to finish, finally giving up, dripping wet as he returned to his room.

Like a petulant, grumpy kid, Quinn glowered and ignored Alluna as he walked naked and erect to the chest in the corner, pulling out some clothes he'd brought from home. Worn, brown leather pants with a loose, beige tunic and green vest overtop of it, he looked like he was ready to go lounge in a tavern all day. He did nothing with his short hair, the dark brown, straight locks spiking out in odd directions on the top of his head, only growing fluffy as they dried, while still spiking. After splashing himself with a bit of cologne from a merchant back home - something called Stormcharger - Quinn finally got around to cleaning the floor, mopping up what he could with wet towels from the washroom.

When he was done, he tossed them in a corner to be tended to later, tired of dealing with the mess and declaring it "good enough" for himself. Standing up and turning to Alluna, he sighed and rubbed his hands together, finally pulling his eyes up to her face, only to roll them and shrug with an obnoxious, displeased expectation. "So, what next, teach? I'm clean. Room's clean. Are you actually gonna teach me anything or just "punish" me some more? Light knows it doesn't reflect poorly on you at all if I don't actually succeed or anything." They'd just met an hour ago and already, Quinn was fucking done. Just lobotomize him now.

 

[OctopusPrince]

"It doesn't," Alluna said casually, having held her silence while he stomped around like a child throwing a tantrum. "I am one of the best witches this academy has ever produced. If you fail to learn from me, the likely reaction will be that because you are a man you are incapable of the finesse to control your abilities. And that will be further validated when I explain in my report that your first inclinations upon meeting me, someone who is a hundred times over more masterful than you and that could, with a touch make you bleed out of every orifice in your body, were to proposition me and call me a "dumb bitch". I doubt I'll have to do much explaining at all as to why you're a failure for it to be ascertained that you are a hopeless case. We'll have to see though, won't we?"

She tipped up off the wall with a sigh, "It's day one, after all. Perhaps you'll be less inclined to be so pathetic in the arts of magic, manhood and sex by the time we're done. Come along." Her hair swished as she turned on her heel to leave the room, expecting him to follow. Her arms met again at the small of her back as she walked, brisk and with purpose, not glancing back to see if he was keeping up or obediently following because if he wasn't, well, she'd be happy to include that in her report of his abysmal progress too. Day one, and it already felt like they were a hundred paces back from where they needed to be to even begin.

She was considering as she paced forward what they ought to start with-- from what the matrons had told her, his magic manifested itself in bursts of energy, and when these expulsions occurred, Quinn appeared to lose his consciousness, at least in the sense that when he returned to himself he was unaware of the damage he'd done. She had two thoughts on why that might be, but both of them would require his cooperation to study and fine tune, and that cooperation was barely given over at this point-- she could tell he was ambling behind her if only because the witches that were wandering to and from their dorms were gawking at them like they'd grown extra heads-- a man and Alluna Jahdiel walked the halls of a magic women's academy. It was the opening to a terrible joke, really.

" I have some questions," She mentioned over her shoulder without looking, "Do try to answer them without being petulant, I really don't have time for your attitude if we're to be doing anything related to magic. But, on the other hand, if you'd like to waste more times, by all means..." She considered, given Quinn's wounded pride over her laughing at him and his irritation with her in general. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if he made it a goal to get under her skin AND into her pants, so she called it out, if only to let him know she was prepared for that particularly childish level of bullshit.

"When did your magic begin to manifest itself? When you lose consciousness, what is it like-- do you experience a sort of dream state, or is it simply like blacking out? Do you experience physical symptoms after using your magic, such as sweating, dizziness, exhaustion, et cetera? In what situations specifically do you find these outbursts occurring? And lastly, does you talent frighten you?"

She had walked him out of the dorms, beyond the beautiful, marble stone vestibule between the living quarters and the academy itself, and after a few turns, she'd led him into something quite like the training grounds in the guardian's school below. It was cleaner and less laden with any sort of weapons or shields or targets, instead a simple, open space that was cool and a perfect circle, runic symbols swirling through the floor to give the space a sort of charged energy. It was a perfect place really, to enhance a witch's magic and see what they were capable of at their limits, the space itself called the Unfurling Grounds. Alluna wasn't afraid of whatever was hidden under Quinn's frankly embarrassing level of devil-may-care buffoonery. She needed to see it, so she brought him there to see if perhaps it could be drawn out. When she asked her last question, she had stopped, turning to face him with an expression that was guarded, neutral, but nonjudgmental. After all... she knew what it was to fear ones power. She still lived with that fear, even as she wielded her power with perfected precision.

 

[Jericho Z. Barrons]

A flinch greeted her threats, his brow furrowed, all bravado and obnoxiousness seeping away, replaced by a wounded grimness. So, he'd been joking a bit about the lobotomy. It actually wasn't an outcome he desired and if he was perfectly honest, it was what terrified him the most about the situation he was in. It would never come from his lips, an admission that he felt trapped or like this had been a mistake, wishing he and Armie could have just...gone off, someplace else. It only seemed like his black outs were a problem back home. And if it continued to be an issue, well, what was wrong with constantly moving around? In fact, he was so bowel-looseningly, primally scared of the fate Viv had laid out for him, it was on his list of options as an escape plan. If things got too tough or if, by the 9th or 10th month they still hadn't made any progress, Quinn would just grab Armie and they'd sneak away in the night. He would rather run than face the matrons and their sadistic judgement.

His manner was subdued as he regarded Alluna again, understanding from the simple reiteration of the point that truly, she was the only thing that could save him now. Not that he was any happier about it but he followed her willingly as she turned to enter the hall. Shadowing her, for a moment, Quinn let his eyes travel liberally over her backside, noting the shape of her under the layers of clothing. Then, as more students started appearing in the hallways, Quinn directed his attentions to them. So...many...women... Gorgeous, curvy, lithe, and graceful. And just about all of them wearing skirts and short dresses, looking fine enough to eat, long legs, shoulders bared, practically naked. All colors, shapes, and sizes, and all of them looking at him, like a celebrity in their midst. Quinn was so wrapped up, tossing out winks, lustful gazes, and charming grins, he had difficulty redirecting his focus to Alluna when the questions started coming.

"I don't know," he said absently, nodding at a gorgeous, curvaceous woman with deep, brick red skin, her hair a reddish brown and her eyes a startling blue. "I don't have an exact timeline. I started blacking out about 10 or 12 years ago, when I was 18." Her next question had him wobbling his head on his shoulders, regretting using that term now that she asked about it. "It's...different than a black out from getting wasted. But kinda close. More like...I blink and suddenly, things have moved, things have exploded, people look scared." He shrugged flippantly, uncomfortable with talking about it, not mentioning the heavy shame he often felt when looking into the eyes of friends and strangers, finding them regarding him with fear.

Passing a red head chatting with her friends in the vestibule, Quinn made a kissy face at her, winking as well. She gave him a coquettish, knowing smirk, arching an eyebrow as she reached down and lifted her skirt to flash her underwear at him; first the front, then turning to show the backside, silken fabric cupping her sex, then grown thin, practically wedged between her tight, bouncy butt cheeks. Quinn continued to follow Alluna but turned around, walking backwards to continue watching the show, scoffing with a lustful gasp, touching his chest like she'd wounded him. Definitely a gal who knew how to fuck. As she giggled and fluttered her skirt back into place, turning to talk excitedly with her friends, Quinn made a mental note to search her out tonight. No alcohol. He'd rock her world and let her tip his on its axis as well.

When Alluna asked about symptoms, Quinn turned back around to follow her correctly, nodding and sighing as he breezily agreed, "Yeh. All of that." Glancing around at the beautiful, already warm and sunny morning, Quinn released another displeased sigh. "I don't know. I went to the town witch to get a remedy and it happened in her hut. When I was with my best friend in the milk bar a week before that, it happened there. Bathing in a creek a year ago, because I briefly lost my house, and it happened there. At the Kissing Faire. Walking in the woods. Playing darts." He shrugged, flopping his hands on his thighs.

There wasn't a pattern. Not that he'd looked too hard to find one. For several moments, he fell silent, somber as he remembered the times of merriment tainted by the horrific episodes, most often hanging out with Armie, although he didn't know of any times when it had happened without her around. The milk bar had been a particularly traumatic event. The jug of milk on their table exploded, the white, creamy liquid all over him and Deidarmia, and the other patrons in the bar staring at him like he'd suddenly turned into a monster. There were very few times it'd happened in public but all of them had been in the last year, the 6 times he'd lost it, and in that way, he could partially see why the Greenwood family had been so adamant about him going to Valheru once Oleandra had told him to.

"There's not a pattern. It's never happened during sex though and I've never hurt anybody," he said shrugging and rolling his eyes, quick to add that last part.

As they came to the training grounds, Quinn could feel the charge in the air, his eyes latching onto the ground of the open space. Distance grew between them as Quinn stopped before stepping onto the runed ground, blinking at Alluna as she turned and asked her final question. His hair stood on end, sticking up on his arms, and his heart thundered in a panic that he couldn't understand the source of. Where were they? More stone statues?

Despite the lack of judgment in her voice or expression, Quinn did not consider Alluna a friend. He barely liked her and every moment they spent together, his impression did not improve, although his lust for her grew. Was he scared of the magic inside him? Yes. It seemed to scare everyone else, what happened to him, and he dreaded the day he might be conscious during it being unleashed again. If he was completely truthful, he came to the University to be turned away. To be told that it wasn't a big deal. Or at the very least, to have someone cast a spell on him to nullify his own powers. He didn't want it, he didn't want to know how to control it but that was what he was stuck here doing, or else he'd basically be put down like a rabid sheepdog.

The memory of her laughter at his manhood still fresh in his mind, Quinn sensed the trap she was laying for him. This powerful witch who had control over her powers like a breeze, was already telling him that he wasn't as good as her. She didn't even care if he was turned brain dead or not; there was no risk for her and he was worthless in her eyes. She was possibly even waiting to laugh some more and call him a pussy. Quinn wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Firming his shoulders and holding his head high, Quinn gave her a determined look, ignoring the way his heart hammering in his throat practically shook him where he stood. "No. I'm not scared of anything," he said, while thinking, except Blackwater Eels. Then, with a resolute ease, Quinn stepped out onto the runes, his skin buzzing and crackling as soon as his boot crossed some kind of threshold. Just barely two steps in and Quinn stopped, instantly regretting the brazen way he'd walked out here. A strange nausea curled through his body, his skin prickling as if with electricity and the veins in his arms bulging with inner tension. Something was wrong with this place...something was happening to him...

Shooting a helpless look at Alluna, his eyes growing bleary as he felt himself being swallowed, Quinn stumbled to turn, running to get off of the runes as quickly as possible. But whatever reaction they created didn't stop once he'd returned to the normal pathway and he barely got a foot or two away before it hit him.

Body stiffening, a choked shout ripped from Quinn's throat, tendrils of purple energy floating off of him in waves, his back arching as a bark of pain shot up to the sky. A roar of terror came from his chest as his eyes sunk into cracked, black holes in his face, irises glowing inside the obsidian pits with an inner, purple fire. The tendrils grew thicker and darker, purple iridescence swirling over the thick black tentacles coming from his body, marking the ground as they lazily waved, occasionally dragging across the marble path. Sedately, Quinn looked at Alluna with his firelit eyes, possessing something menacingly quiet and confident in his posture and expression that was so unlike the man who'd arrived to these training grounds, moment ago. A smirk curved his lips as an errant tentacle reached out to curl around one of the columns nearby, sizzling and crackling as it burned wherever it touched.

Then abruptly it was gone. Tentacles, purple light, and whatever had been standing there, wearing him as a skin, vanished and sucked back into his body, like a lid on a drawer suddenly closed. Quinn blinked at Alluna, brow slowly furrowing in confusion, feeling his eyes drawn to the ground. A grimace came to his sweat drenched face as he glared at the concentric circles marring the ground around him. "Fuck! It happened again?!" he shouted, irate and horrified, fatigue biting at him, not noticing the dampness to his hair, nor the stain of sweat now on the front of his shirt and in his pits. Then he remembered: this place didn't feel right and now he understood what the real trap had been.

Seething, Quinn jabbed a finger in the air at Alluna, shouting through gritted teeth, "You did this on purpose! You made me black out again! Why? Why did you fucking bring me here? Are you happy? Did you have a good fucking show?! Got to see ole Quinn lose control for yourself, yeh?! Sadistic bitch!"

 

[OctopusPrince]

Alluna listened to each of Quinn's answers a frown pressing at her mouth as she considered all he had to say in regards to her questions. He had given her some things to consider, but not much to go on. Her need to see it for herself only became more practical the more he told her, as dismissive as he was about the whole thing. It seemed to her at least, that he hadn't given all of this much thought. It was... perhaps a good thing, that he hadn't found it in himself to consider the benefits of being the only male witch, all he could do if he gained the power and held it under his control rather than it lashing out on its own. Men of a different caliber of scum would've held royals hostage, stolen from armories and treasuries a like, killed the many, many people who might stand in his way. Alluna could at least detect enough of a care free honesty from Quinn that she didn't think he had any of that in mind when it came to his magic, and that, well-- that was a start. Not a terrible person in that way at least.

When he answered her final question, she had to work to keep her face straight, not to laugh at his arrogant display, but to show him any empathy for that attitude. How desperate she had been to not be afraid of what she was, when she had begun... She had had nightmares often, of the ones she loved bleeding from their eyes and noses, of the life draining from them over an embrace or a kiss. She had feared letting teachers touch her to congratulate her growth, had feared rough housing with other girls when they tried to become her friends, had feared that the powerful man who had set eyes upon her to become her guardian might touch her at just the wrong time and bleed himself into nothing. She had been so afraid, but she had said something similar, when a teacher had asked her.... that she didn't fear anything, when she had everything to fear.

Before she could respond to him, he was strolling towards her, trying to prove a point that ended up moot and just how she suspected it'd be as he suddenly and blatantly became shaken. She watched, patient and at a distance, as his power overtook him, the dark purple glow of his power, the whipping, scorching tendrils coming off of him, and that smirk, that posture that was not like the man she'd seen that morning in any way. Intriguing. This told her more than he had told her verbally, at least in the sense that she had something to go on.

It wasn't terribly uncommon for young witches with a great deal of power to manifest different personality traits when their magic took hold of their judgement-- she'd seen it a couple of times, witches talented with elements or able to draw up visions of the future becoming different people all together when their magic manifested itself. But that typically came with a connection, a bridge wide enough that when they returned to themselves, they were aware of what had occurred. Most witches she had seen with such a shift could come down from the heights of their ethereal power and extrapolate on what had occurred, or were shaken by their loss of control because they were vividly aware of what they had done even when they had no real hand in it. Quinn however, it seemed, had burned the bridge between his magic and his mind, to the point that when he began yelling at her, sweating and furious, she could tell that he had no grasp of what he'd done. That, she did not know the answer to. Were she a simpler person, as uninvested in his growth as he thought she was, she'd chalk that up to him being a man. But she was there to teach him and see him grow, and it already was churning in her mind what the cause could be, what had, over the years, brought him to detach himself so completely from a part of him that was, if it was anything like female witches' talents, perfectly natural.

She didn't react to his anger, instead moving to close the space between them. "Quiet yourself." She said, her tone gentle. " I needed to see," She explained, considering his word choice. Sadistic. "Does it hurt you, when you return to consciousness?" She considered that perhaps he meant it shamed him, she had already struck multiple blows to his confidence that morning, perhaps he thought she was trying to show him how inferior he was. No matter. She stood before him and reached out, pressing her palm to the sweaty curve of his pectoral. "Quiet yourself," She said again, patiently, her hand pressed gently against his chest as she regarded him. "This level of detachment from your talents is distressing, I understand that, but for this lesson to yield results, I must ask you to be calm. You didn't do anything wrong, and you won't hurt me, so... let's try again. This time, I will help you." She said, and with that she closed her eyes, and sent her own energy through her hand, seeking with her talent for Quinn's harbored magic. She sucked in a breath and tensed all over as her own energy wrapped around it-- it was very strong.

She focused herself to consider something kept in a jar, and put her energy over the lid, pushing down with as much power as she could manifest because she would not underestimate this challenge and risk herself and Quinn. She opened her eyes, the blue of them glowing hot. "Now.... Come with me." She said, " One step at a time, into the circle, together." Her breathing was labored and she worked to keep it slow, deep, controlled. "Don't be afraid." She told him, even though he'd proclaimed to her he didn't fear anything. "Come into the circle, together." She repeated, saying the words to hone her focus.

She wanted to see how hard this magic would push to take control, if she could let it out in parts, and how Quinn would react to the charge of the Unfurling Place when his magic wasn't dragging his conscious mind into the abyss. These things, she needed to see and even though he disliked her, and did not trust her, she hoped he would have the sense to know from her tone as well as the powerful, protective vibrations of her energy reaching within him from their connection, palm to breast, that this was a necessary exercise.

 

[Jericho Z. Barrons]

It wasn't like he thought. He expected flippant attitude and jeering laughter, some sort of power play. None of that occurred as she came towards him, her voice steady and soothing. On the one hand, he understood. She wasn't there when he touched the Stone of Awakening, so, she hadn't yet bore witness to what happened to him. But Quinn was exhausted and irritable, tired of everybody having to fucking "see" it. There was barely a moment between his before and after losing it, but it always left him feeling sticky with shame, drenched and dirty with the weight of guilt. And the marks on the ground... What happened while he was out?

"No, it doesn't hurt," he sneered at her with a defensive huff. Then, itched his eyebrow with a finger, mildly uncomfortable. "It doesn't feel fuckin' good, though." Quinn grew silent the second time she gently chided him, huffing again and fidgeting in place, glancing warily around. They were alone and that was important. He'd never make it through a year of this shit if he couldn't get companionship from some of the ladies around here. And Alluna was right. Even the freshman witches just as new as he was might be wary of going into his bed if they found out he exploded with power and couldn't control it. Not that they were in any actual danger but looking down at the marks on the ground and the reactions from witnesses before, Quinn had an idea that he did something scary when it took over. Scary in a probably unsexy way.

He maybe should have asked Armie what it looked like. She'd been there most of the time when they happened. But he'd been too chickenshit to ever ask her for a description of what he looked like when he went into witch mode. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd be willing to talk about it but he'd never given her the chance. Maybe, it was worth the discomfort now to sit down with her and at least get a mental picture of what was happening to him.

Blinking down at Alluna's hand, Quinn was yanked from his thoughts by the sudden contact and her reassuring tone. There was a funny combination of helpless trust in her and lust, swirling around inside him with the way she was looking at him and touching him. Maybe he had it wrong? Maybe she did really care about him? Maybe she was even attracted to him and all of her laughter before had been a show? A smugness overtook him then but it was shortlived when she told him they were going to try again.

Instantly, he wanted to say "no." He wanted to tell her that he wasn't ready, still feeling queasy and his head aching from the first time crossing that threshold. But on the other hand...she was touching him, and he wanted her to keep touching him. She would "help" him, she said, and despite the hammering of his heart and the cold sweat clinging to his shirt and vest - why the fuck did he layer today?? It was humid and sunny out as it was and now they were doing all of this testing shit - he wanted to believe her.

Quinn was fascinated as he watched her close her eyes, his body stiffening underneath her palm as he felt her...well part of her enter into him. It was an alien sensation and he didn't understand what was happening, only that he became conscious of her suddenly being much closer than she physically was. ...which was kind of kinky. Vaguely he wondered how this might work during sex, because as invasive as it was, it wasn't altogether unpleasant. He felt safe, secure, comforted, and...held. Inside but not his body, somewhere else he couldn't explain, they were together and Quinn liked it. That is until she "pushed" and he felt a vague suffocating, contained sensation. Something inside had grown tight and Quinn grimaced, flexing his shoulder muscles back, unable to really articulate the manner of his confinement or shake it loose. On the one hand, Alluna inside him, cupping him, holding him in some way, it felt...intimate, special, like she was deeper than he knew anyone could ever go. On the other, he was collared, and although not painful, it was like an invisible band wrapped around him and he felt the urge to touch and mess with it, to loosen it even a little bit, just to have some illusion of freedom back.

When her eyes were opened again, blue light burning within them, Quinn lost his breath, staring. She really was quite gorgeous. With a show of such power, Quinn willingly followed her to the circles and patterns on the ground, watching her with rapt attention. His hand shot out to grip her wrist as he crossed the threshold, becoming acutely aware of himself, but he didn't do anything but cling to her as he continued to take the steps with her.

"By the Light..." he breathed a gentle curse, as he could feel the pulse of power within. It was...his. There was Alluna's, cradling him, but then there was his own signature, his own swell of power and...he recognized it. Green eyes glowing soft shades of purple, Quinn looked at her, rubbing his hand on her wrist idly as his mind raced. "Is this... Did we do it? Do I have control?" licking his lips, Quinn gave her a beatific, boyish grin, excitement swelling within him. If this was what the power was....well, he could live with it, yeah. "I can feel it... Like so much light inside... Is this...? Am I awake? Is this real?" He laughed softly, feeling jubilant and surprised and full of power. So much so, he sported an erection but it was less bothered with sex and more to do with the blood pumping through him and his exhilaration at having finally seen for himself. "Wait...is that all? Why do people get so scared--?"

Suddenly, there was a violent pop and crack of something inside, his smile frozen a second before he was swallowed up. Both he and Alluna were flung backwards away from each other to opposite ends of the patterned training grounds. Quinn skidded along the stone on his feet, crouched low as he used his hand to steady himself and slow down. Purple tendrils whipped out of his body and he tipped his head up to look across at Alluna, black pits cracking the fabric of his face, purple orbs of flame deep within their centers. Giving her a crooked smirk, the not-Quinn stood slowly, unfurling the tentacles as they grew thicker and darker, constantly moving in swaying, curling waves about him.

Shaking a finger at her, he tsked at her in playful reprimand, giving her a baleful, unhinged grin. "Want to touch?" he asked in a whisper that carried over the distance between them, practically hushed and breathed right into her ear. A double meaning because of how it was aware that she'd touched him, unsuccessfully trying to trap him and also, Quinn's body was still excited. Stroking at the front of his pants, outlining the bulge of his erection with an obscene groping of his fingers, it gave her another feral smile before charging at her. Floating just above the ground, he moved like a shadow, the fire in its eyes filled with malevolent intent and insane hunger as he bore down on her. A few feet away, the flame blew out again, tentacles disappearing and Quinn's eyes returned to normal.

Dropped to his knees on the ground, Quinn shivered and sweated, gasping softly as he clutched at the stone beneath him. "Why?" he asked, his voice croaking as he stared at the ground, unable to look at her. Smacking his fist upon the patterned stone, he shook his head in exhaustion. "I had it...I had control. I felt it... What happened? What broke?" Gritting his teeth, hating the feeling of failure now added to the guilt, Quinn panted softly, finally catching his breath. "Why would I attack you?"

Finally, he lifted his head to look at her, a mess of sweat and dust, revealing in those simple words that he might not have been in full control but he remembered what happened while the other took the driver's seat. He shook his head, bereft, and frustrated. "I don't understand."

 

[OctopusPrince]

Alluna took a moment to take in all that had happened, trying to regulate her breath as she moved to get to her feet from where she had been thrown back. She was shaken, and determined to hide it if only because her student was much more distressed than she was, but... that had been truly... frightening. She suddenly felt the desire to call the matrons together if only to tell them that what was going on here was far beyond the simple, but incredibly novel idea of a man being a witch-- whatever was inside of Quinn was something else all together and she could only guess as to why it was there, how it had grown so powerful, and what she could possibly teach Quinn to control it.

When it was a matter of a witch who's powers were fractured and out of their control due to an internal rejection of their nature, meditation, focus and practiced study had always been the answer to the problem. It was text book, and the only variation that usually occurred from what Alluna understood of it was how long it took for the witch to reconnect with her magical talents and gain control over them, rather than siphoning them into another part of themselves. What she had felt when the energy inside Quinn had shoved her out, pushed off her grasp so easily, was so deeply foreign to her that as she stood she wavered a little, dizzy. She had to think quickly, to give Quinn an explanation that was the truth but not the whole truth, if only to calm him down.

"It's alright." She said quietly, amazed by the rush of nausea that came up-- well... that was deserved in a way she supposed. Perhaps the magic and well... the identity within Quinn had detected that she had used magic on him that morning to make him unwell, and that was the malignant intent that had manifested from it. The sexual provocation was...well... Quinn had done nearly the same that morning when she'd suggested his cock was small, so while it felt like it wasn't him, some how, it was, at least in that sense. Her mind was spinning trying to make sense of it all, so she drew her focus away from the mystery and brought it to Quinn instead as she moved to close the space, making her steps steady and certain until she was before him.

"It's alright Quinn-- it was an error on my part." She explained, kneeling down to him so that they were eye level. "Had we been somewhere else to conduct this, I imagine you would have been able to continue to feel the magic within you without disruption, but this floor, this room," She gestured to the runic circles carved into the marble, "Assisted your talent in overpowering mine. Nothing's broken-- your power was enhanced, that's all. And you likely attacked me because I was trying to restrain your talent-- you don't take well to any kind of restraint, so there's no surprise in that is there?" She was making a joke, a gentle smile touching her lips if only to ease his mind and assure him. They had gotten off on the wrong foot, but she had a feeling that a gentle prod at him, at his wild nature, would assure him that this wasn't as strange as it actually was. Until she figured out what to do, she didn't want him to panic-- it wasn't his responsibility to solve this issue, it was hers, and the last thing she'd do as a teacher was let her student fret over things out of their control.

She reached a finger out and brushed it under his chin, catching a drop of sweat that was about to fall while also encouraging him to look at her. "I think that's enough for now... I have some things to consider as far as your study goes-- so why don't you go change again, and go have breakfast before the hour is up and you have to wait until dinner service. Make some friends, friends only, and attend your elemental balances and conjuration courses. I will meet with you again after dinner to discuss what you learn today, if you have any questions, and we will run another, easier test." She drew her finger away from his chin and waited for him to respond, raising a brow at him. Perhaps he'd still be angry, untrusting of her, or discouraged in general by what had happened, but her lips still smiled, hoping that he might find comfort in knowing that if she wasn't worried, he shouldn't be.

But she was worried. Very worried. Lunch with Uther tomorrow would be very... very interesting.

 

[Jericho Z. Barrons]

It was an odd mess inside him. A struggling mix of jubiliation, regret, and relief. He'd had it. He knew he did. For the first time he could remember, he'd felt something inside him, the glowing light of power. It felt good, exhilarating, and he was proud of getting in touch with it. On the other hand, it was like never having seen fire before. The glow and heat of it tempted him but even as inexperienced as he was, Quinn could see that it was a destructive force. A terrifying force buried within him and for the first time, today, he got to look it in the eye and touch it, to feel its heat and depth. But not having control of it...or having it and losing it so easily, he felt wounded by his own failure.

The things Alluna said made sense to him and truthfully, he didn't fault her in any way. Honestly, he was still high from his brush with it and stinging from the mix of shame and relief from having once again bowed under the weight of such force inside. Her touch brought him back from his moment of despair, and Quinn smirked crookedly when she insisted that he make friends while attending classes, knowing full well, any promises he made in that regard would not be genuine in the slightest.

That was another relief. She was letting him go. Granted, he needed to go do things but Quinn was all too eager to get away from her at the moment, as grateful as he was that she escorted him to his first real glimpse of controlling his power. "Yeah. An error indeed, teach," he muttered smugly, leaning an arm on his knee as he started to get up to his feet. At full height, Quinn took in a deep, mellow breath as he ran his hands through his short hair, giving her another lazy smirk. "Well, since I'm traumatized and all...maybe later, you can make it up to me by sharing a drink with me. If this place has any good ale or whiskey, I might be convinced to forgive you for your judgement errors."

Huffing a soft laugh, all cool bravado once more, Quinn pulled out a cigarette and lit it, nodding at Alluna with a leering sweep, a cloud of smoky cinnamon engulfing him. "Another test? Bring it on," he said breezily through a lazily curling wreath of smoke, ignoring the fact that he was still sticky with sweat. "I'm not scared. I've touched it now."

Nodding a final time, he sighed and waved a hand as he turned and wandered away. Stopping back at his room, he briefly got on a new shirt, his other soiled from the morning's labors. Then it was a matter of not thinking too hard about what had happened to him, burying himself in distractions. In some ways it was easier than others. Breakfast made a nice event, women clamoring to sit at his table and asking him questions about his presence there. He was a novelty, a special, and Quinn preened and gloated under the attention, especially when it was so seemingly easy to charm these women.

"I'm a bit behind," Quinn shrugged, humble and smooth, dipping his heel of bread in his eggs and taking a bite, glancing around at the faces of the girls clustered around him. "But they say I'm really gifted. I'm sure I could always use the study help and I'm willing to scratch your back, if you scratch mine."

A crooked smirk came to his lips as feminine voices cooed and burst out excitedly, offering their services and desire to help him. He'd originally thought being an expert was the way to go but Alluna had been right. If any of the girls found out he couldn't control his powers, they'd look unfavorably upon him. The best way he could see to get ahead of such a reputation shift was to simply admit to it. At least, a little bit. Because no doubt, he was going to fuck some of these women. And there was no guarantee that he'd always be able to hide it from his prissy, snobby teacher, and although she seemed to have softened on him considerably, Quinn wasn't willing to risk that she might not tell everyone about his power issue. So, he'd take the wind from those sails a little bit by admitting that he was a student, here to learn, just like all of these gorgeous, sumptuous young women.

"I'll definitely be your study partner," the redhead from before purred, rubbing a gentle hand on his arm while sitting on the tabletop next to him. Quinn raised an eyebrow at her, letting the fire of his gaze lick over her bare, creamy thighs, the hem of her skirt riding high on them.

The elemental balances class was a little less helpful with distracting him. ...or at least, it would have been, if he'd gone, he was sure. He actually spent that block fooling around with Kat, the redhead in the hallway alcove near the less popular astronomy class. One end of the hall had a balcony that looked out on the beauty of Valheru's city campus, vines and blue fluted flowers climbing the sand colored marble pillars. In the shadow of the alcove, Quinn's tongue danced at the edges of his mouth, his hands bracing on stone on either side of him as he glanced down towards the other end and the quiet double doors of the observatory. Panting softly on a groan, he bit his lip and shivered as he leaned back, Kat taking him so deep, her breath softly tickled at his dark pubes. He'd been right. The girl knew how to use her body to please a man.

"Fuck!" he gasped on a pleasured smirk as she bobbed rapidly, one of his hands going to her head to help her glide on the hard, veined length of him. 8" and some change and the girl took him like a champ, not gagging even once. After switching with her, freeing her of that delightful thong and making her come, sopping wet on his upper lip, Quinn humped her up against the wall. Dirty, rushed, and secretive, he gave her a rough old good time, barely making it out of there with their clothes back in place when the astronomy teacher came out and opened the doors to her classroom to let her next class come in.

After that, Quinn did attempt to make it to his conjurations course but 1. The witch in charge of teaching it wouldn't let him smoke, and 2. It was exactly as he predicted the elemental class would be. Apparently, talking about using magic didn't help him forget about magic. So, he used the excuse of needing to put out his cigarette to leave 10 minutes into the 2 hour class and he never went back into the room. He did find a gorgeous, plump, brown haired beauty to make out with in the library. She was a virgin and skittish about losing it, so, Quinn, still tuckered out from Kat, played understanding and fingered her to orgasm, delighted by how her thick, plush thighs trembled and squeezed his wrist when she came gasping and cursing the Light. Just to give her something to think about next time when she contemplated wanting to give her first away. Quinn would make it worth her while. Plus, she was nice enough to share her conjuring notes with him after.

*****​

The morning air was crisp and cool, the warm glow of the rising sun tenderly touching the tops of the University buildings on the hill, promising another warm day ahead. Uther Dhoul, dressed in loose cotton training shirt, high-waisted leather pants with bracers on his forearms, walked out into the hard-packed, dusty training grounds. It'd been...an interesting morning so far. He was still grappling with the things he and Alluna weren't saying to each other. Things he couldn't say, so as not to come off desperate and aggressive and things she couldn't say to confirm or deny her true intentions for returning to Valheru. And he certainly caught that small slip about making him wait for her.

He let himself brood over it during breakfast in the dining hall, eating at the table with the other trainers. But once the bell tolled for meal's end, he put it away. Uther was a big believer in focusing entirely on the here and now during a fight, whether it was for training purposes or drawing true blood. A slip of attention, a minor escape into emotion, could spell disaster. Ever the professional, Uther had become a master at compartmentalization, allowing himself the time and place to let his bullshit stir and setting it aside when his focus needed to be elsewhere. Besides, it wasn't like problems with him and Alluna would be solved by thinking at them; it was her move and he would wait all eternity if he had to. Stubbornly.

Out on the compound, Dhoul was the picture of cool composure and refined warrior, arms neatly folded at his back, feet planted a good space apart, ignoring the urge to glance at the spot where he and his Moonshine had wrestled for top on the ground. The new trainees clustered together in a group but today they were not alone. Facing them, Uther stood beside a grouping of guardians, his trusted and esteemed trainers. All of them were massive men, tall, broad shouldered and muscular, most dressed casual for training, a couple shirtless, unaffected by the chill of the morning air.

Surveying the group, Uther once again went over in his head his first impressions, the fighting decisions he'd seen on display the night before, and how he'd off-handedly sorted them in his head. His gut instincts were pretty good, especially this time, getting to watch the men fight from outside, fully studying their movements and choices as they'd battled the woman trainee. He gave her a glance now, his expression neutral as he looked her over, already knowing where he wanted to place her in the sorting. Finally, with everyone waiting, the trainees quieting and watching him avidly, Uther spoke, his deep voice resonating for all to hear.

"Welcome to morning sorting," Uther said. "Briefly I spoke to you last night about the expectations here and what it means to be a guardian but I would just like to reiterate what your goals here should be. It's not to find a witch wife and go off and live happily ever after. It's not to become some bodyguard or side muscle for a defenseless, yet high-ranking woman. You are to become a weapon. A companion, an advisor, and a loyal defender. The witch who may choose you does not need you to protect her but you will be an indispensable tool to her, a sword at her side. When you each go off with your trainers today, starting this journey to refine yourselves and turn yourselves into perfect weapons, keep in mind that this is about making yourselves worthy of being chosen. Not only will you be training your bodies but your minds as well. Do not expect to stay as you are by the end of your two years here."

Looking them over, he could see the light in some of their eyes and how his words had gotten to them. A couple seemed to recognize the repetition from last night, looking unphased by it the second time around. They would learn. Of that, he had no doubt.

Pointing to each man in the cluster of trainees, Uther called out a trainer's name. "Dane. Gred. Lor. Yenson. Balor." On and on until there was no one left but the girl. Each man would be entrusted to their individual trainers for a period of 1-4 years, depending upon what was needed. Each man came from different backgrounds and some picked up the philosophy and the duty quicker than others, while still more men came to them less trained than was necessary to stand at a witch's side. Occasionally, they would combine events and training classes but Uther had confidence in each trainer running his own program, tailored to fit the needs of their unmolded warriors.

Looking at the young woman who remained after all the men had been paired off with their trainers, Uther regarded her silently a moment before motioning her forward. "You'll be with me," he told her as she approached him. Mostly, Uther saved the most interesting and promising student for himself, although not often he did. He sometimes chose the ones that needed the most work, knowing that they'd rise up and become something amazing under his tutelage. But there was more than one reason Uther selected the woman as his student, the biggest being, if the other men saw her with him, knowing she had direct access to the Master Guardian, they'd be less likely to mess with her in an inappropriate manner. Uther was a generally good judge of character but he wasn't a mind reader. So, if there were any rapists in their midsts, it might not have been revealed during the first night test.

"Now, I just want to be clear about something," Uther said, giving her a resolute look. "I'm not ever going to give anyone special treatment. It would be a disservice to you and the witch you eventually get bonded to if I were to treat you lesser than the men I've trained. Besides, I'm a big believer in people rising to meet expectations, especially when their limits are tested and pushed. That being said...I will not tolerate any disrespect towards women in my outfit. To any degree. And I expect you to be forthright and open about any issues you may face when in private quarters with your fellow trainees. We're in a unique situation here...one I've never faced before, even when I was in training. But I'm willing to adapt and I stand by my principles when it comes to the female gender. You may be 'one of the guys' here but it says a lot about a man's character how he treats a woman he doesn't expect to need to respect."

Uther gave her a silent look before finally asking, "How did you sleep? What is your name, by the way?"

 

[OctopusPrince]

Alluna watched Quinn go with a trepidation she had carefully hidden from him. The wall had come up awfully quick, she noticed, and while she was struck by the familiarity of it, the ability to brush off a harrowing experience and return to a status quo of behavior, it wasn't remotely comforting to her that Quinn's status quo was one of blatant arrogance. When she had been young and training, it was in her way as well to step over her failures like they didn't shake her to her core, instead relentlessly attempting things again and again, sometimes to the point that it was notably pitiful to her instructors who watched her approach a problem in the same fashion over and over as though the first method she thought of had obviously been the right one. She had been proud in that sense, to always trust her instincts and intellect without wavering, but arrogance had never been a facet of her personality as a student, and to see Quinn brazenly use it to overcome what she was sure was fear and confusion was troubling.

She hadn't bothered to rebuke him about drinking-- she hoped it was obvious to him that they wouldn't be doing such things, likely ever, while he was her student. But once he was gone, she regarded the dark lashings on the ground and considered what she had felt and seen... it would be a trick indeed, to get under that stubborn facade, and get Quinn to trust her implicitly with his emotions and thoughts. She would need that to guide his progress and perhaps a drink would help, a little.

She passed over breakfast to train, going through magical study and combat training that was as familiar to her as breathing, but strenuous enough to bring her to sweat and pant by the end of the session. After, she made her way to the library to pick up some books she thought might help her with unraveling the mystery set before her by her student's unique predicament. She had a lovely space to herself, spacious and apart from the loud, bustling commons of the student areas with a sitting room, a sleeping chamber, and surprisingly, a lovely marble bathroom. She'd run herself a bath, poured herself a glass of wine, and soaked while reading over the texts, attempting to at least hold to some of the notions Uther had taught her about caring for herself, but ultimately failing at it when she sat far too long in the water, all of it cold by the time she'd finished reading the first text with her glass of wine barely touched.

She collected the next book before a shiver rolled through her so intensely that she was shaken from her concentration and made distinctly aware that she was absolutely freezing in the cooled water. She sighed and climbed out, drying herself off and putting on new clothes before settling in her sitting room to continue her reading. The bell for the second meal chimed, and went ignored, because she felt like she was on to something-- at least she hoped, and as the color of the light she was reading from began to change to the glow of afternoon and her head began to clamor with pain, she realized abruptly that she had neglected herself with predictable ineptitude. She decided, despite herself, she'd go check in with Quinn's teachers about his progress in class and on the way, find something to eat to tide herself over. This was why she'd come back... Uther would keep her from this foolishness, from the pounding in her skull as she walked the halls to go meet with Quinn's teachers. He would help her find the answers to this strange situation too, she had no doubt. Her trust in him was unshakeable, after how long she'd known him, and she felt no shame in the idea of relying on him as much as it had brought her shame in the past to even humor the idea.

Finding out from his teachers that Quinn had not attended his classes was not surprising, and deeply irritating. Finding out from a few of the students that Quinn had been fooling around with girls instead had been a step towards infuriating. She'd make him bleed for it, later that night, she'd already decided. She'd warned him, and all it had taken was him stepping out of her sight for him to fail miserably at showing any sort of decorum. Blathering, pompous, arrogant idiot. He'd be expelled before she'd have a chance to help him, that much was already a very prominent risk. He'd be expelled, and the matrons would turn him into a mule or erase half of his mind or lock him away to keep him from being a danger. Did he not understand what was at risk? Alluna forgot to partake in food in her anger, and instead paced the training grounds where she would be meeting Quinn later that evening, devising just what she would put him through to show him just how serious this was. There had to be a way... and as cruel as it was, her first inclination after her kindness had gotten her nowhere, was to scare him shitless.

~~~

Deidarmia had slept like the dead, even though she'd kept her first curled around a knife beneath her pillow the whole night. Thankfully no one had bothered to disturb her even though her morning had been loaded with disgruntled sneers and appraising looks. Men were so strange-- the clarity with which she had demonstrated that she wasn't there to fuck them had only served to anger some and tempt others, not a single one of them attempting so far to befriend or approach her with some semblance of dignity. No, instead she moved through the new trainees like she was parting water, and while she couldn't give two shits about what they thought of her, it made her miss Quinn. This would be a lonely time, she could already tell.... these idiots would probably only talk to her in attempts to degrade her for her womanhood or to try and illicit some sort of romantic or sexual attention from her. Boys, all of them. Quinn was a brash piece of shit every day of the week, but he'd always treated her like she was worth more than what was between her legs, always trusted her to carry her own weight, and never talked to her like he wanted anything more from her than what she'd already given him.

As the men were picked off and paired one by one, she started to feel a sort of sinking feeling-- she had been left to last, and that came with an almost striking sort of embarrassment, like being the least desirable on a team, the unwanted odd number. That was at least, until Uther called her to him. This was the head hancho, that much was obvious from the night before, and more intriguing than that, he'd had that silvery, terrifying woman from the night before whining like a cat in heat on the training grounds. Everyone had heard it, but no one dared to say anything

She drew near to him and pushed some of her wild, half kept hair over her shoulder, offering a smile to him until he began to speak to her, her brows raising a little in an expression that was easy to read-- this was not impressive. Uther was certainly impressive, sure, but this lecture was predictable and some how she felt he was doing it to be performative more than because he truly believed he needed to say it. Did he think she was stupid? She'd heard him the night before, she got it-- he respected women, he was a weapon, or whatever, he didn't need to tell her she wasn't going to be treated specially.

"If I wanted to be coddled, I'd have joined a girl's school for fighting." She pointed out dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not gonna be much of a "weapon" if I'm treated differently from the rest of those idiots, am I? You don't have to tell me that-- it's special treatment in the first place to bring it up. Do you tell the boys how you won't treat them special when you pick them? That if anybody picks on them they should tell you right away? Because I'm betting you don't. That's plenty, teacher, thanks. You'll hear all sorts of clamor if anyone decides to bother me, I won't have to tell you." She blinked at him, still distinctly unimpressed. This hulking man was going to be her teacher for two years, so she wanted to make it abundantly clear to him that the high and mighty chivalry bullshit wasn't necessary. She liked him already, but he was being stupid, and she wanted to clip that short so they could get on to having a proper teacher student relationship and not some complicated, sexually tense dynamic because she had a vagina. "I'm Deidarmia, and I slept fine. Are we gonna fight or what?"

 

[Jericho Z. Barrons]

To say Uther was stunned would be an understatement. Granted, she was right on all points, however, it hadn't been his intention to set the tone of their relationship as one of delicacy or feelings. It was important to him that deviants not be allowed to become guardians and he'd made mistakes before in that regard. Asking for her help, basically turning her into bait for the less scrupulous monsters that could be already hiding among them, was not only less about her feelings and more about the integrity of the organization. But also, he'd intended it to be the only consideration she would get for the next 2 years. And she fucking threw it back in his face, declaring him to be foolish, in not so many words.

Green eyes flickered with an internal light and the ends of his lips curved ever so slightly in amusement. It took balls to speak to him in such a manner, and Uther couldn't deny that there was a very big part of him that was turned on by her firey tongue lashing, even as misplaced as it was. In fact...she reminded him starkly of a certain other tough talking young woman who'd wrapped him around her finger.

"I see," Uther said smoothly, raising a cool eyebrow at her. "Not much of a talker, yeah? Unfortunate, with a tongue so sharp. We'll work on it. You're expected to be not only a physical benefit to your witch but offer an intellectual assistance as well."

When he moved, it was without warning, lashing out fluidly at her. A sudden hand, heavy and brief, swatted against her cheek, barely giving her a moment to register the blow as the other came from the other side, ping-ponging her with a playful cuff to the temple. In the split second of her head knocking back towards the first hand, it found its way towards the back of her neck, pressure applied, forcing her to lean forward, upsetting her body's core balance. He'd had the element of surprise from the first couple of slaps but now, she knew what was happening, so, it was with both a competitive desire to win, and an excited anticipation to see what she would do, as Uther's foot whipped out to drag and hook at her ankle to knock her down

.