[center][h1][b][color=af002a]Theodore Valentin[/color][/b][/h1]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/d2x4Jzk.png[/img]

[b]//A3 - The Plaza at Morning[/b]

[b]Interaction:[/b] [@Estylwen] Elys[/center][hr][hr]Theodore had put the swordswoman so far out of his mind that he was genuinely taken aback to see her. He’d noticed the stench first; the accumulated monster blood and viscera. The buzzing of flies drew him closer, and then there was that sensation of another Ichor Blessed. She’d gained some energy for herself now, and it was a strange thing – it still felt like [i]absence[/i], yet clearly, she had [i]something[/i]. It was like staring into a gaping maw, a never-ending hunger driving it to consume any and all who would dare approach. Similar to the Abyss, in a way.

Was that her domain? Greed? Absence? The anti-thesis of being; nonexistence? He wasn’t certain. He wasn’t, but he was attracted and repelled to it in equal measure.

When he finally [i]saw[/i] her, all miserable and beaten down, fatigued and unaware, as feeble as a nearly dead [i]prey[/i]–
He hissed on an inhale and stopped in his tracks.

The surge of [i]wrath[/i] and retributive desire was swift, powerful, and blinding; it was as if a surge of lightning had struck him that very moment.

Theo narrowed his eyes at the woman, bloody fantasies plaguing his mind. [i]He[/i] could cut her down now, [i]he[/i] could have her at her mercy, [i]he[/i] could humiliate her.

How easy it would be, to surround her and beat the rest of her measly life force out of her. How simple, to pass by and run his spear through her, leaving her for dead. Perhaps even tripping her would suffice, and she’d meet her end in an ‘accident’, an unfortunate soul who’d fallen into a ditch and broken her neck after she’d chewed off too large of a chunk of the Abyss than she could handle.

Then, there was a second desire, the inverse of his first one, and nearly as strong.

He was tempted to simply meld into the crowds, disappear, and let this one meeting never come to fruition without her being the wiser. Why would he bother interacting with her at all? Why should he pay her any mind, when she was so downtrodden? Surely, he had already surpassed her?

But no.

That would be running away.

Her first run might have been tough, but who knew how the next ones would go?

He could become villainous enough to murder her in plain sight, but what would he gain? A small amount of Ichor and resources, in exchange for infamy?

Clenching his hands, straightening up, a blaze of fury brightening his crimson irises, he strode up right to her. [color=af002a]“Hello, there,”[/color] he greeted a beat before reaching for her shoulder. His hold was firm, and he pulled lightly, urging her to turn around. Just in case she still had her reflexes, he was prepared to avoid any potential reflexive attacks on her part.

His followers were right by him, merely watching. Some were cautious, even spooked; the doctor and the child both looking at the blindfolded woman as if she were a fairytale monster manifest. Maris and Ezra were both tense, though they both oozed a particular smugness and sense of superiority. Sana appeared mostly neutral, if somewhat disapproving.

[color=af002a]“You found it, didn’t you?”[/color] he asked rhetorically. His voice held a clear spark of anger; challenge, even. She couldn’t see him in the physical sense, but he stared right where he expected her eyes to be located underneath the blindfold. [color=af002a][i]“Remember,”[/i][/color] he demanded. [color=af002a]“Remember who helped you.”[/color] He stared her down, studying her tired figure. She might be too out of it to appreciate subtle implications, so he’d spell it out for her. [color=af002a]“You know I could have attacked you now as you’d done when you first met me. You know what would happen if I did, don’t you?”[/color] [i]Know that I spared you. Know that I was merciful.[/i] [color=af002a]“Remember that. If you have any [i]honour[/i],”[/color] he spat, finding it difficult to believe that she might, [color=af002a]“you will find a way to repay me.”[/color]

He gave her the chance to respond, if she would, exhausted as she was.

But he did not expect the conversation to be long, if there even would be one. After their second meeting, he’d withdraw into the crowds, and continue with his plans – a shopping trip would be just the thing to clear his head.