Marilyn stirred at the quiet knocks that came on each door within her hallway, she smiled faintly as she rose from her nest of blankets and reached for the mark on the right side of her neck.

"I'm in the same room I've always been in Artemis, the last one at the end of the corridor. I'll tell you what happened but do me a favor, I feel...someone watching me. I'm not sure but I feel eyes on me. See if you can find someone, I'll tell you about the call after." Pulling her hand away and scooting back until her back hit the headboard of her bed, she glanced out into the darkness and tilted her head.

Will someone come to take me? Or kill me? A sneer stretched across her lips at t he thought, she wasn't going to let anyone kill her before vengeance was done. Her grandmother was but a nuisance, closing her eyes and sighing softly she allowed herself to relax. No harm would come to her as long as Artemis was at her side.

---

Shifting and moving forward, the figure raised a gloved hand and gestured for the others to move into action. He'd get his money and see fear reflected in the young lady's eyes. Slinking forward and heading for the window he'd managed to unlock earlier, he silently slipped inside and made his way towards the stairs. His other four companions would be a distraction while he completed the job, either frightening the girl into giving Madam Margaret the money or roughing her up a bit to get the money. Either way, money was involved.

Grinning and quickly and silently making his way up the staircase, his left hand absently pulled out a switchblade, his right hand absently fiddling with lighter he always carried on him. @pyroman

Hearing the voice of Marilyn floating around him, Artemis nodded, but a small frown adorned his features. His knocking ceased, and so did his movements. "That will not do." he spoke to himself. "We can't just have unannounced guests running about the premise." With Marilyn and Margaret together, whoever would be there to kidnap them for ransom could get away with quite a lot. However, any negotiations with Artemis involving the prolonged life of Marilyn would only reward the kidnappers with the cold embrace of death.

His steps were different now. he was no longer strolling about, wondering which room his master was in. He was now alert for any suspicious activity. His steps, though at the same pace, were quieter, almost silent. He needed to be able to hear anything and everything for intruders, and being noisy just wouldn't work. His eyes narrowed as he walked about, taking a specific route to and around Marilyn's room to make sure he could get to her in anyone tried to go after her.

Marilyn remained where she was, a weird smell began to fill the air after a few minutes, her nose wrinkled in distaste as she shifts and moves to the edge of her bed. Rising to her feet and grabbing the gown closest to her, she moves toward her window and then away, swallowing and gagging she steps away and feels the world tilt and fade around her. Reaching hee bed and lifting the skirts until a familiar white python slithered into her lap, she soothed Eros' scales and brought his head close t her lips.

"Go find...him...get away..." she manages to whisper before her throat closes and her limbs go numb, her eyes blink heavily as the smell seems to shift and increase. Trying to get to her feet only caused her stomach to churn and roll unpleasantly, she'd just managed to get to her feet when a hand yanked her hair and something cool was pressed against her skin.

"You won't be able to move for a bit dear. Now shall we chat?" The voice that drifted into her hear mixed with the odd smell that filled her room, the press of the cool object against her pulse point had Marilyn's eyes blinking slowly in an effort to keep them open.

"...how?" She grits out, her half-lidded gaze shifting to where Eros is slithering towards the door, rearing up and using his tail to unlock the door, he slithers out into the corridor.

"I have my ways. Been breaking and entering since I was a lad, now shall we get to business?" The voice was soft, soothing as the cool metal seemed to caress her skin. Marilyn stiffened when it passed against the mark that connected her to Artemis. "What's this young lady?" He hummed against her temple, Marilyn jerked away from the metal as he began to trace the design, her stomach gave a lurch as her vision faded to black before returning. She felt heavy, dizzy and so tired.

Why..can't I move... she thought softly as her body gave a faint twitch as the blade -she vaguely recalled it from the point that ran against her skin- moved against the mark again.

She wanted him to stop. @pyroman

Artemis was alert, watching with the eyes of a hawk to make sure that nothing happened. There was the slight possibility that it was just a false alarm, but he could not take that chance. If her reactions actually did foresee some danger, then he needed to take it seriously. He could not take the time to think about Eros, the adorable little snake that Marilyn owned. He couldn't think about its little scales and tiny red eyes, looking up at the world with a look of wonder. Whether he actually did wonder about the world or not, Artemis did not know, but his face always alluded to similar thoughts. He also always had that little smile that formed on his face. It seemed to have just grown like that naturally, but Artemis always did enjoy thinking that it was a smile.

All of a sudden, the butler jerked forward. His body shook as a single feeling overtook him, but the feeling was not his own.

Her distress.

It racked through Artemis' body and the butler froze. it didn't help that only moments later, he came to see a white python slithering about and en route to him. Artemis crouched to pick up the snake, allowing it to wrap about him before he turned to walked down to Marilyn's room with a brisk pace. However, he stopped before he moved too far ahead. If there was an intruder in Marilyn's room, then they'd most likely be watching the door to see if anyone came in. Surely...

With an even faster pace, Artemis walked the other way, and quickly exited the estate. He knew the layout from any position, and knew how to get anywhere from anywhere.

Surely nobody would expect a butler and a snake coming through the window.

"Now, how shall we go about-" the man began, oby to pause when Marilyn elbowed him hard enough to cause him to stumble back a bit, she managed to steps before falling to her knees.

"You're with her aren't...you? With Grandmother Margaret...?" Her words were slurred but easily heard in the silence of the estate, the man blinked and shifted, his fingers absently twisting the blade he held in circles. Marilyn swallowed and tired to keep her eyes from closing, when the man moved forward she lifted her heavy head to watch him, her eyes narrowing in silent anger and challenge.

"None of that matters young Miss. Are you fine there or shall I move you back to your bed?" He took another step forward and Marilyn grit her teeth as his fingers tilted her head to the side and her mark came into view. "How'd you get this young Miss? I'm curious." His voice had lowered again, Marilyn stiffened and bit back a scream when his fingers trailed up from the mark to her hair, his fingers lacing within golden strands and yanking.

She found herself flung against the other side of her room, her body tilting limply to the side as her head and back sang with pain. The blade caught her unfocused eyes as it continued to spin between the man's index and middle finger. Within a blink and another narrowed emerald eyes were inches from her own and the cool blade was pressed once more to her pulse point. A strong and painful grip holding her head up by her hair once more, the blade beginning to caress her skin from pulse point to mark and back again.

She could feel something warm and wet beginning t trickle down the side of her head, a faint smell of copper filling her nose, she stiffened and felt bile roil in her stomach when the man's lips hovered just beside her ear. "Are you scared of dying?" He asked softly, fingers tightening in her hair had Marilyn flinching, from the discomfort not fear.

She knew she wasn't going to die.

"No. But you'll regret your actions...you and your companions..." she could feel it, warmth curling in the middle of her stomach, a smirk tugging her lips upwards. "Have you met my butler? How rude of you sir, he loathes having uninvited guests...arrive at the estate without warning. Make this pathetic man and his helpers fade to nothing Artemis, make them pay..." The mark blazed to life as the words left her lips, her head and back throbbing as the man cursed and gripped her hair tighter and pressed the blade harder against her skin.

"What are you doing? Who's Artemis?" The man snarls as he shakes Marilyn's head roughly, she doesn't answer him, just tries to stay awake and alert. @pyroman

Ertos would not do well in the cold weather, Artemis knew that, but he had to make it to the window of Marilyn's room. The butler personally wrapped Eros around his body and held his arms around his body to keep the snake warm. They wouldn't be out for too long, but it was the thought that counted. The cold winter air hit him hard, but it did not effect his pace. He continued to walk around the exterior of the estate. In his mind, he kept track of his position, and made sure to look out for the room Marilyn was in.

Without warning he stopped, hearing another set of word in Marilyn's voice. This particular wish made him smirk with delight.

"Make this pathetic man and his helpers fade to nothing Artemis, make them pay..."

Now there was no reason to hold back. He was free to do with these intruders as he wished, and for coming uninvited with ill intentions, he certainly still make them pay.

His pace picked up once more, his smile only widening as he reached the window he was looking for. Due to the layout and construction of the estate, it was higher off the ground than one would expect, but it was of no concern to him. In an instant, he ran at the wall and scraped his feet against it, pushing himself up more than enough to grab onto the ledge of the window sill. His arms needed to move away from Eros, for only a moment, and his other hand opened the window with ease.

The cold air blew into the room with force, Artemis standing tall and looking inside.

"Hello."

The man cursed and spun, blade tip dripping the fee drops of blood that trickled down Marilyn's neck, Marilyn relaxed and allowed her tired eyes to close. The smell that she couldn't decide even if her head wasn't fuzzy and pounding with pain, evaporated with the breeze and cool air. When it reached her, Marilyn sighed deeply and felt a small smile twitch her lips up.

"Artemis, meet our invited and unwelcome guest. He has others that are probably circling the estate. I order you now, make them pay for their idiocy by accepting this job for money. Shoe them no one messes with the Arimon family and gets away with a simple slap on the wrist."

Her words were strong, laced with confidence and anger, in reality she was exhausted and disgusted that these people had dared enter her hone. The feel of something wrapping around her slumped form had Marilyn tensing before a nose nudged her chin. It was Eros, wrapping himself around her until his head was atop her own. His hiss had Marilyn trying and failing to rise to her feet as the man reached down and yanked her up by her hair once more.

"Who are you ordering about? Young Miss your being very rude" he tsked softy as the blade came to rest on her neck, wincing as it traced the pierced skin almost teasingly. Her mark was blazing and warmth was curling in her entire body, Eros' hiss reverberated in the silence aso he reared up and opened his jaws. He would strick with a word from either Artemis or Marilyn. He had no venom, but could strangle the person other ease. @pyroman

Carefully and slowly, Artemis could feel the snake uncoiling from around his body. He knew that the snake was ready to strike, and smiled at the sight of his rearward facing teeth. He lacked venom, but it was unneeded at the moment. Artemis would simply have to do without hearing the screams of a venom-filled body decaying slowly and painfully. Had he still had Eros in his grasp, he'd have coiled him like a whip. Had he actually been in possession of a whip, he'd have snapped it to show power. It was a trick he had learned long ago during his time in Spain.

"Eros." Was the only word that left his mouth before he moved out from the window sill and further into the room. His body did not move, as if he simple disappeared from the window, and reappeared only a few feet forward on the ground. He lunged at the kidnapper, his hand going for the hand with the knife. He grabbed onto the attacker's hand, pulling it away from his master before digging his thumb into his wrist, ready to rip out the tendons at any moment. With gloves on, the task was more difficult than it should have been, but Artemis made it work nonetheless.

Hopefully, if Eros managed to coil around the attacker like he had hoped, then he wouldn't have anywhere to move, and would be at the mercy of Artemis. His thumb dug deeper into his wrist, a small smile of pleasure curling on the edge of Artemis' lips. With his free hand, he yanked the knife out of the presumed damaged hand and held it in a backhanded fashion, ready to launch it into the wrist that he had just damaged. The blade of the knife dangled above, and the wicked smile Artemis had only became wider as he looked at the attacker, thrusting his hand forward and stabbing the wrist just as his thumb moved out of the way.

Eros lunged forward, jaws clamping down on the man's pulse point before the rest of his body coiled around the man, the hiss still coming from his throat. Marilyn allowed her eyes to close in gratitude, she was tired and achy and knew from the way her snake was tensed and bitting in the jugular that he was serious. Normally coiled around her in affection and love she knew of only one time that Eros had wrapped himself around another. They'd screamed and tried to pry him off, which only caused him to tighten his coils until the sound of snapping bone filled the air and the person fell limp, she'd only shoved Marilyn but she wasn't going to point that out. The girl had deserved it for supporting her grandmother's way of thinking, her pet had protected her and she wasn't going to rebuff him.

She didn't know when she succumbed topeaceful darkness but she allowed it, her face smoothing out from the thinned lip and grimace she'd been had. The trail of blood that slid down her throat and temple began to dot the floor with red and Eros tightened his coils and bit down deeper. His gray eyes focused on the man he'd been told was a friend and mentor by his mistress, slow blinking in silent question.

What now? He seemed to imply, for a Burmese python he was wicked smart and showed human characteristics from time to time. This was one of those times, he was enraged, unhappy and worried. They has to help but which was more important: following the order or helping Marilyn? @pyroman

The very moment that Marilyn had succumbed to sleep, Artemis looked to Eros and passed a glanced to Marilyn. A soft smile adorned his lips, and the words that flowed out of them were just as gentle. "My good sir Eros, please look after lady Marilyn while I dispose of our guest here, as well as his accomplices." As he finished speaking, he jammed the rest of the blade through his wrist, eventually popping out on the other side, covered in blood. His wrist twisted, twisting the blade in turn and moving the tendons and whatever was left of his wrist. By now, the pain would have been too much for him to bear, having just lost his hand in a violent and painful manner. Not to mention he was being constricted by a python who was most likely pressing the last of the oxygen in his lungs out and snapping a few ribs to go along with it.

With a quick pull, Artemis yanked the blade out of his wrist and slashed his neck in a quick motion. His body became limp, releasing Marilyn and only giving Artemis so much time to catch her. He was physically unable to care less about the man he just killed, and let him drop to the ground as he set his master on her bed. As much as he hated to leave her dirtied and bloody, he needed to catch the others and remove any trace of their presence from the estate first.

With a smile, he pet Eros and exited the room out the door, but only after he shut the window letting all of the cold air in.

He had some people to catch.

Eros did as told, uncoiling from the limp man to slither up to where his mistress slept, hissing softly and moving gently as to not disturb her, the python laid himself along her still form. His head falling to rest against her own as silence fills the estate once more.

---

"How the hell are we lost?" A voice frantically hissed, all four paused as they turned another corner and came across the same tapestry and vase as before. They'd managed to get the just fine, finding the room however was proving more trouble then it was truly worth.

"I'm just letting you know. This whole damn estate seems like one big maze to me." Another stated in the silence thar followed, moving as one they began to walk down the hallway, steps slow and hesitant.

They felt watched. @pyroman

From the shadows, Artemis watched. He could see four figures from many angles, and waited patiently for the right time to reveal himself. He was unsure if there were more, but that did not matter at this very moment. All that mattered was that he dealt with the guests that where right before him. Anyone else would get similar punishment if they were found on the premise. He could hear each of their steps as they made them. Their steps were careful and slow, unaware of the slitted eyes that watched them from only a short distance away from their location. He eyed each of them, making notes on what each of them were carrying so he would figure out the best way to deal with each of them, if they chose not to comply and leave immediately.

"I say we leave. This place is giving me goosebumps and honestly, I didn't think it'd be sneaking in the Arimon estate." One stated as he came to a pause, the other three stopped and listened, one reaching to touch his arm.

"The Arimon hospitals are by far the best, I'd rather now do anything to the young mistress. We should go." The other two shared a look before turning and heading back they way they came.

---

Margaret sat in the chair closest to the window and lazily brought the cigar in her hand to her lips. She was expecting a call soon, once she got the good news wanted, she'd head to bed. @pyroman

Just as they turned around, Artemis appeared behind the group and smiled at them, bowing graciously before rising back up and fixing his gloves. "I do hope that you know that the Arimon family does not tolerate intruders or any sort." He flicked his wrist to reveal the bloody knife that he had taken from the assailant that tried to capture or kill Marilyn. "Your partner had already been dealt with. If he somehow survived being crushed by a python and survived the blood loss from having the tendons in his wrist stabbed and pulled, then he is going to have a hard time finding legal work." He pointed the knife at one of them in a taunting fashion, ready to flick it at someone and add to the body count. Just then, he hesitated for a moment. He had forgotten about the one he just killed! His possibly dead body was just laying in Marilyn's room, and he needed to get back to it and tend to the blood before it stained anything. He would also have to dispose of the body, and clean up any loose ends along with way.

All shifted uneasily but managed to bow, their faces paler at the sheen of the blade and dried blood that coated its metal. Nodding and turning to fast most of them tripped over the other and cursed softly, following the others and hurrying down the halls.

---

Margaret rose to her feet and swayed slightly, hee ringed hand reaching out to grip the small table she'd been siting next to. A frown marred her lips but she shrugged and moved towards her bed, exhaustion pulling her under before she had the chance to pull the sheets up and over herself. @pyroman

His smiled widened. He had successfully taken care of the problem without creating more work for himself to do. He twisted the blade in his hand, watching the light reflect off of what small parts were untouched by the now dry blood. The sounds of many curses flowed through the halls, music playing just for Artemis' ear. With little reason to remain there, he walked back to Marilyn's room in order to dispose of the body.

Luckily, the body did not bleed too much on the floor. Most of the external damage was done to his wrist, the rest being internal. It wasn't even his original intention to keep clean while he killed the intruders, but it seemed to have worked out in one of the best ways for him. He picked up the body with ease, silently carrying it out of the room and through the halls. He didn't expect anyone to be out at this hour, and he knew the perfect way to dispose of the body.

He walked through the halls of the estate with little to say. What could he say to a dead man? I hope your wretched soul finds an equally wretched home to rot in? I wish I could have kept you alive longer to make you suffer more for your actions? There wasn't anything he could say that wouldn't be macabre. Well, he didn't need to say anything to his kill. His body was nice and toasty in the fireplace, and Artemis mare sure to take special care of it and see that everything was burning and turning to ashes correctly. He poked and prodded the decaying body accordingly, adding extra wood to keep it going. When the body was finally gone, Artemis stopped the fire almost at will, and began to clean it furiously. He needed it spotless and scentless, or at the most bottom of lines, the scent of charred wood and fire to cover the scent of a recently burned body. It had taken hours, almost the entire night being spent on making sure that any shreads left were properly disposed of to leave absolutely no traces. He was a demon, sleep wasn't a need, but a luxury.

The morning found Margaret up and roaming the halls, heels clicking against the back marble floor as she made her way tout the as stairs thar would lead her to the main floor. She paused however before she turned the next corner, head tilting in thought as she wondered where Marilyn slept. Humming softly and spinning on her heel she began to search the floor door by door until she found Marilyn's room. Reaching the final door and opening it slowly she found a four-poster bed with gray curtains surrounding it. Her golden eyes taking in the gray painted walls and white rug in the center, her head tilting to the side as he spots a white dresser and white vanity along with a set of oak doors that lead to another room if she guessed right. Moving into the beautiful room with quiet steps -she knew how to walk with heels- she made her way towards the bed an paused just before reaching the edge of its wooden frame.

Eyes that seemed golden with slit-like pupils watched her, eyes narrowing Margaret moved toward the bed and pulled the curtains aside. Marilyn lay asleep on her side, golden locks spilling freely around her curled up form, hee face seemed paler and small drops of blood decorated her pillow and white-silken sheets. Margaret felt anger coil in her stomach at the sight and reached forward, only to still completely when a powerful gray-flecked white tail wrapped around her wrist. Eros watched her ashe reared up from where he lay beside Marilyn, head tilting as his tongue flicked out to test the air, Margaret managed to smooth her face and form a smile and add a tone of confusion into her voice.

"I'd just like to wake her, it's not good to sleep all day. The storm's past for now so I wanted to spend some time with her. Is that alright?" Eros merely flicked his tongue out again, his tail tightening around her wrist until Margaret winced, he released and dropped his tail back onto the sheets after a moment more of the tight pressure.

What's it doing? Protecting her? As if a snake can do that, he might be long but he's still young. Pathetic really. Margaret offered a falsely sweet smile and reached forward towards Marilyn, the snake made her uneasy, it seemed more human that reptile. Hiding a shudder when Eros drew closer and watched her hand as it touched Marilyn's shoulder she silently wished death to the snake. @pyroman

When Artemis was finally done cleaning the fireplace, he used the early hours of the morning to wander the halls of the estate. As much as he wanted to go back and clean Marilyn's room, he would have to wait until she was awake and out of the room before he began to clean. He needed to check the floor, the sheets, everything. He wasn't sure how deep a clean the room needed, but he supposed that he would find out soon enough. It was not a result that he liked, but the one that he was going to take.

As the hours passed, Artemis could hear another set of footsteps that were not his own. Was it another group of kidnappers or assassins? Whoever it was, they would surely feel his wrath. His feet sped up to find the source of the footsteps, making sure to keep his own as light and quiet as possible to not let anyone know that he was there. As he neared the source, he smiled to himself. The blade that once belonged to the kidnapper was now one of his, and had been cleaned off and sharpened for maximum effectiveness.

However, he was somewhat surprised to see Margaret walking about, seemingly looking for something. he would have assumed that the woman would have awoken later in the day, but that's what he got for not being fully prepared much earlier in the morning. He put the blade away, shadowing her from a distance to see her find Marilyn's room. He did not enter the room with her, but instead, rushed out of the house once again to view the room through the window. She could not know that he was there watching him, and her eyes lay focused on her as she touched Marilyn's shoulder.

"Mastah Penrose? What might you be doin' outside so early in the mornin'? It's awfully cold to be in but that suit o'yours." A voice shook Artemis out of his focus. It was low and somewhat gravely, and could only belong to one person.

As Artemis turned around, the butler could easily identify that old, tattered robe and whatever lay on the sides and back of his head. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was fabric, and did serve the purpose of keeping his ears warm. His citrine eyes gazed lazily and curiously at Artemis' own. "You lookin' int' mistress Marilyn's room?" His brows narrowed slightly, seemingly disappointed in the butler. "You're younger than I'm, but lookin' at a girl in'er room isn't a good look on ya."

Eros stayed perfectly still as Marilyn rolled over and lapped the hand away from her shoulder. Margaret's eyes narrowed as Marilyn rose from her bed and blinked her eyes slolwy.

"I thought you'd he awake by now. How are you feeling Mari?" Margaret staged sweetly, stepping back when Marilyn snarled and slipped free from her bed and moved towards her bathroom.

"I'm taking off for today. You may explore as you wish, stay out of my study and library." The words were harsh and caused Marilyn to disguise a wince. Margaret narrowed her eyes and made to step forward, only to pause when Eros reared up and hissed.

"Very well My Lady." Margaret managed to say, keeping the hiss from her words as she spins on her heel and exists the room. Marilyn swallowed slowly and winced, her eyes blinking slowly as if trying to focus and unable to do so. She shakes her head and opens the door to her bathroom, Eros following close behind.

She wondered if Artemis would allow her to take today off. No doubt Margaret would search the estate for riches and the like, shaking her head once more as she slips free of her gown Marilyn slips into the tub of warm water and relaxes. She'd see when she finished. @pyroman

"Ah, Christian. It's good to see you." Artemis stated with a smile upon his face. Of course, the look of mild concern did not leave, and the smile on Artemis' face faded slowly. He knew that a simple statement wouldn't lead Christian away from what was on his mind, and there was little use in hiding what Christian would find out soon enough. He directed his full attention to Christian after hearing the brief exchange between Margaret and Marilyn, already forming his itinerary for the day.

"So? Mastah Penrose, I've no problems if you're sweet on a lass, but that girl can't be Mistress Marilyn." he spoke with a tone of seriousness. "You're young'n handsome, probably have a couple lasses chasing your tailcoat, but she just a child." His words got Artemis to chuckle, which only made his look of worry deepen. How was Artemis finding this funny, he wondered. The look on his face started to fade as the butler shook his head at the gardener.

Artemis could only laugh at his insinuation. He thought it was rather funny that Christian thought he was stalking their master. He didn't have any such feelings for Marilyn, no. He was her servant, and he was wary of Margaret looking about rather than just going to the kitchen. "No, no." He waved his hand along with the shaking of his head. "You see, Lady Margaret seemed to be wandering the halls, looking for something. When I saw that she was en route to Lady Marilyn's room, I had to see what she was going to be doing there so early." He lowered his head briefly, as if bowing with just his head. "But without being seen, of course."

After a moment of silence, Christian nodded and turned towards the green room. "I'm glad you're lookin' out for the Mistress, but please." he turned his head to look at her. "Don't be so much a stalker about it." He said to Artemis before walking back to the green room, leaving Artemis by himself.

Artemis sighed lightly. His little conversation held him back a little, and he had to go and deliver food to Marilyn quickly. If Christian was awake, then surely Tsubasa would be as well. In an instant, he disappeared from beside the window, leaving to take care of the rest of his morning tasks.