[center][img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fl7dfu28ul3uouh/livvit.gif?raw=1[/img][/center] [center][sub]Collab with [@GreenGoat][/sub][/center] Deciding that it was best not to give their reaper friend any indication that she and her soulmate of sorts were entirely prepared to make a hasty exit, Liv decided it was best to continue at least trying to eat. That was the plan, at least, until Lancelot showed himself. His speech was...predictable to a degree, which was enough to make the Surt raise her brow slightly in a combination of underwhelming interest and some faint surprise. [i]'[color 7c9247]Well he certainly seems the charmer. Really feeling that personal touch here, I gotta say.[/color]'[/i] [i]'[color=477c92]How very politic,[/color]'[/i] Liv claimed. Much more than she had expected someone trying to take a title of Dark Lord to be, but she supposed that it was a show of strength to be able to command anyone without a show of strength. She would have continued eating after the speech had concluded if not for the being that showed up after Lancelot made his exit. Turquoise eyes fell on the man, something about him making her hair rise, her desire for nutrition whetted by an entirely different desire. He was strong in an understated way, and it triggered a primal [i]want[/i] in Liv's bones, starting deep and rooting itself with greedy tendrils like an ancient tree. So engulfing was the need that Liv didn't notice when her breath became silent, her eyes locked on the way they did before she decided on prey. [i]'[color 7c9247]I'd advise against it.[/color]'[/i] [i]No,[/i] said the rational part of the draconic girl. There were plenty of reasons not to act, the fact that some feral instinct told her that she'd be completely crushed in combat the least of them. A moment passed, and Liv took a deep, slow breath, this one audible compared to the last. Fine. She could eat in the traditional matter. [i]'[color=477c92]At least w--yerkgh?![/color]'[/i] Something was touching, no, grabbing her to tail. Her body jerked up, her fist clenching with her fork still in it. Liv's monstrous strength kicked in without her active efforts to reduce it, the silverware first warping sharply before it snapped, the tip flipping forward with the force and landing somewhere halfway across the table before the girl slowly, carefully turned her head to the offending presence. "[color=477c92]What are you doing?[/color]" The words came stilted, as stiff as her body had become. [i]'[color 7c9247]Who cares what she's doing!? She grabbed our ass! Punt the little molester![/color]'[/i] Camilla was starting to breathe more heavily, a slight flush on her face as she felt the tail, the scales upon it. It was real. It was undoubtedly what she would call a dragon's tail, pushing away the thought that the girl might be some lizard hybrid instead. [i]'[color 7c9247][b]STRANGER DANGER[/b][/color]'[/i] [color=ed1c24]"Apologies. I can't help-"[/color] [i]but think you'd be great for experimentation[/i] [color=ed1c24]"-I can't help but notice your unusual tail. Do you perhaps, have dragon blood in you?"[/color] [i]'[color 7c9247]Liv, I'm gonna be completely blunt here; but you should back up before you get us either bound to a wall or worn as a coat. Or both. In quick succession.[/color]'[/i] It was all she could do to keep herself calm, to keep herself from just hoisting up the girl onto her shoulders and spiriting her away where Camilla could examine everything to her leisure. As it was, she didn't relinquish her hold on the tail. Indeed, her hold tightened slightly, as if unwilling to let go of such a speciment. There were about five different levels of [i]creepy[/i] and maybe seven different Vitus alarms going off in Liv's head as she slowly set down the remains of her fork, taking a few breaths to keep the usual Surt reaction of trying to rip off an offending limb in check. Anger and fear usually battled each other for control, after all, and with Liv, the former usually won out. Her self-control had been better, she supposed, since the intrusion of Vitus in her life, but that didn't mean the half dragon was always successful in keeping herself in check. [i]'[color=477c92]As much as I'd love to start this fight, I assume that old...[u]thing[/u] up there doesn't want a brawl so soon.[/color]'[/i] Not that the abnormally calm tone suggested anything about wanting to control herself. Instead, Liv gave a tense smile, wondered briefly if she could jerk her tail free, and tried to set her gaze on the stranger. [i]'[color 7c9247]I certainly think we could explain it to him, at least. Even a Dark Lord has to have [u]some[/u] sexual harrassment policies in place.[/color]'[/i] "[color=477c92]Sharp eye. My father's a Zmey,[/color]" Liv started with careful, even words. The grip on her tail was...unrelenting, and part of Liv felt a rise of apprehension. Maybe this curious stranger intended on ripping it off entirely? But Liv beat down the unwelcome emotion with another, her tail tensing, ready to lash out in tandem with the warrior's uncanny strength. "[color=477c92]That said, I would suggest letting go.[/color]" [color=ed1c24]"Ah, I'm sorry,"[/color] Camilla spoke cheerfully, though her hands remained on the tail. Instead she moved closer to the half dragon, almost pressing against Liv's back. [color=ed1c24]"So youre part Zmey huh? I'm Camilla. I'm supposed to be the healer and the mechanic for our little group."[/color] "[color=477c92]I'm Liv. I'm mostly here to fight whatever needs fighting.[/color]" The words came out before Liv could stop them, the compulsive [i]need[/i] to make the introductory trade stronger than the protests that she knew were sounding off from both sides of the division. [i]'[color 7c9247]Liiiiiv. She's sizing us up. She needs to know how big the coatrack is gonna be...[/color]'[/i] came Vitus's unsure voice, whispering as though he was afraid the woman would hear him. Having located a loose scale near where her hands were gripping, she plucked it out immediately, without even a second though to how the owner of the scale would feel. An actual loose scale! From an actual person with Zmey blood! If she hadn't already modified her body, she felt as if she would have passed out from a heart attack induced by sheer excitement. [color=ed1c24]"I'll just keep that for later examinations. Speaking of exper-examinations, can I examine you? I w.. I need to analyze your normal state to be able to properly heal you."[/color] [i]'[color 7c9247][b]GAH![/b][/color]'[/i] Vitus cried, the shared sensation of scale being plucked from tail arcing through their body. [i]'[color 7c9247]DO IT! Do it now! Punt! All star leg; use it![/color]'[/i] Between the sudden feeling of someone quite literally pulling a scale off her tail--[i]damn it, she didn't have that many left![/i]--and the mental shout that was Vitus's reaction, Liv felt herself jump, her grimace torn between trying to react to both stimuli at the same time. A sharp exhalation, a sound of discomfort, and a sudden and fully expected flash of white hot rage that blinded the draconic being for a moment. The feral outrage overwhelmed everything else trying to keep its ground, completely consuming the mental processes from Liv's end for an instant. Long enough for her to instinctively grab for the nearest utensil, too long for her to properly gauge her strength. A spoon snapped in her grip, her nails digging into the metal as Liv jumped, her footing evening itself out on muscle memory more than any actual thought before the haze lifted, allowing an attempt at reasonable, rational thought try to peer through. [i]'[color 7c9247]See if you can send her out the window![/color]'[/i] Nope. No good. She tried to gently place the remains of one spoon back onto the table. What resulted was her hand slamming into it with enough force to shake the surface, the sound enough to sharply jerk Liv's anger back into line. Almost. Taking an even breath to make some pitiful attempt to calm herself, the girl gave a stilted smile that reeked more of predation than any other emotion. [i]'[color=477c92]It'll grow back,[/color]'[/i] said the part of Liv that was trying to be rational about it. [i]'[color=477c92]Or you can grow it back.[/color]'[/i] [i]'[color 7c9247]Right there! Right out the stained glass![/color]'[/i] The part that spoke through grit teeth was not the rational part. In fact, what escaped was little more than a low snarl from the back of Liv's throat as she tried, to no avail, to control herself...but there was no fear and little help from Vitus to at least try and keep the battlemage in check. The tail whipped out, the muscles moving with comfort and ease. It would be so easy, so simple and neat to [i]crush[/i] the bones in-- [i]Don't.[/i] As if in response to the sudden mental demand, Liv calmed herself just as her tail coiled, wrapping around Camilla's neck as the anger faded back into the attempt at calm. "[color=477c92]Don't. Do that.[/color]" The grip tightened faintly, and Liv felt her self-restraint trying to give in and crush. She didn't allow it. [i]'[color 7c9247]Booooring.[/color]'[/i] The tail was almost crushing Camilla's windpipe, and even with Liv trying to hold back, the sheer strength of her tail was readily apparent. Instead of the usual horrified response of any human however, Camilla had a look of extreme bliss. This was more than she could ever hope for; a demonstration of strength, and proof that her instinct wasn't wrong. A proper examination of Liv would give her more than she had ever achieved before. Seeing as the half dragon was occupied with wrapping her tail around Camilla's neck, Camilla simply put a hand on the tail, pushing through the scale and flesh with ease. Without warning all of Camilla's feeling exploded at the same time, just as her hand touched the bone and hence the bundle of nerve inside, connecting their body accidentally. [color=ed1c24]"Nngh... mgh..."[/color] Her knees went weak suddenly, unable to support her weight as all her emotions finally started to subside. [i]'[color=477c92]What in the w--[u]WHAT THE?![/u][/color]'[/i] [i]'[color 7c9247]GAH![/color]'[/i] Vitus repeated. The first half of the thought was cut short when Camilla's hand was suddenly [i]in[/i] her tail. Not [i]on[/i] it, not around it, [i]there was a hand inside her tail[/i]. Some distant thought told Liv that she should be in about twelve different forms of agony, but the immediate and obscene mental screaming at the sight was apparently a byproduct of shock. It must have been because Liv found herself in a state of frozen, mildly numb shock. [i]'[color=477c92]Okay, what exa--hrkngmh?![/color]'[/i] Something that sounded like a pathetic mix between a yelp and a cry tore from Liv's throat as a splended display of colors began to burst in her vision, her entire body recoiling as though it had been shocked, the tail freezing, tensing, [i]shuddering[/i] at an overwhelming tide of sensation. A tingling that fired from the point of contact all the way up and [i]through[/i] the half dragon, her slight frame unsteady. It wasn't something that Liv was familiar with, and she wasn't entirely certain if it was blinding, agonizing pain or simply so much sensation that she physically couldn't keep up. Worse yet, the girl had no idea how to react. "[color=477c92]Th-the fuck was that?![/color]" A surge of disdain at her own shaky voice as Liv willed her tail to [i]loosen its grip[/i]. Or...tighten it? Vitus, meanwhile, had been mercifully silent - the lack of vocal cords in his current state prevented him from making the same pitiful noises that Liv had. Although his voice did come out slightly shaky, just as hers did; a byproduct of her...[i]intense[/i] emotion. [i]'[color 7c9247]A-alright. Well. That's...that's a new one.[/color]'[/i] his voice was slightly embarrassed, as Liv could no doubt tell from his own emotional influence within her noggin. [i]'[color 7c9247]You...you should probably give her a second. She might need to...erm...catch her breath.[/color]'[/i]. Perhaps they were unable to notice it due to the surge of emotions, but Camilla's neck snapped with the sound of a dry twig as the tail tightened around it. Perhaps too tight, for her head fell off her shoulders. [i]'[color=477c92]Did her head just--[/color]'[/i] [i]'[color 7c9247]I said [b]GIVE HER A SECOND[/b]! You've [b]decapitated[/b] the poor girl! In the midst of recuperating, too![/color]'[/i] [i]'[color=477c92]I'm TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED, YOU ASS.[/color]'[/i] The headless body moved its free hand quickly, catching the head still wearing that satisfied smug look. With the other still inside the half dragon's tail, the hand moved effortlessly through Liv's flesh, stopping just short of where the tail met her rear. Once again, there was no sign of a mark or anything else to show Camilla's wanton invasion of someone's body as she pulled her hand out. [i]'[color 7c9247]GEH! Zombie! Bad-touch zombie![/color]'[/i] [i]'[color=477c92]Someone had their HAND IN US and you're worried about a zombie?!! THE THING WE ARE?[/color]'[/i] [i]'[color 7c9247]Oh. Right.[/color]'[/i] [color=ed1c24]"That was an interesting experience. I have all I need to be able to reconstru- to heal your body.,"[/color] came Camilla's voice from her severed head. [color=ed1c24]"Perhaps you might visit me for a more thorough examination later."[/color] Awkwardly, Liv lowered her tail, her mind still reeling with the sequence of events, turquoise eyes flicking briefly to where the hand had been, finding no mark, and raising a complex mixture of emotions that Liv wasn't entirely certain how to process. Anger at having something delve into her flesh, or maybe it was fear? Or...confusion? That was one too many things to be feeling for the Surt. [i]'[color 7c9247][b]FUCK[/b] no![/color]'[/i] "[color=477c92]Uh.[/color]" Pausing to regain her thoughts, Liv furrowed her brow slightly. Exactly how was she supposed to respond to that? The Surt's gaze trailed from the body to the head, then back to the body as though uncertain where to direct attention. "[color=477c92]So the more rational voice in my head is saying [i]'no'[/i], but I'm uh...sure my arm will fall off at some point and you can fix it then.[/color]" [i]'[color 7c9247]What the hell am I here for, then?[/color]'[/i] [i]'[color=477c92]Still looking for an answer on that.[/color]'[/i] [color=ed1c24]"You can count on me,"[/color]Camilla gave a wide grin. [color=ed1c24]"Your dead body will always needs maintenance now and then after all."[/color] [i]'[color 7c9247]Well that little mystery didn't last very long. Girl can't keep any secrets around these parts, can she?...We?...Us?[/color]'[/i] Vitus commented, the last part degrading into slightly confused mumbling. It was easy enough for her to see Liv's body was dead; the heart wasn't beating anymore after all. What intrigued her most was how the half dragon still managed to keep her body for so long without it or her degenerating into something less than whole. But, her time for such pursuits were almost at an end; the goblin person had already departed, and she too must go, and set up a working lab here. And there was still that scale she pulled off Liv.