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[sub][@BrokenPromise][/sub][/center]
[b]"Not the name granted to me by my parents, mind you,"[/b] Lei Zi responded with a half-smile. [b]"Just a title passed down from my predecessors."[/b] It was dangerous, always, to share one's [i]real[/i] name within the magical community, after all. Though the veterans may have outlived their loved ones by now, those of the blood always ran the risk of some monster or the other tracking down their mundane relatives and exacting unequal vengeance.

Boteg though. That was a name she hadn't heard in some time. One of the last of the Sunscorched Dragons of the West, no? Tian Rong, hidebound and serpentine as he was, still educated each previous maiden on the existence of other dragons within this plane of existence, and Lei Zi had been no exception here. To think that such a [i]rare[/i] dragon would be housed within the same city...Penrose certainly lived up to its name. The woman hid her surprise with another sip of her cup, the sharp taste cutting through her moment of contemplation.

[b]"A home is nice, but alas, if I linger too long without fulfilling my rites, my Patron will be keeping everyone up at night with his thunder. Considering the amount of corruption here though, your patron certainly could certainly find a better place to stake his claim. Unless that endling prefers to be caught up in everyday maelstroms?"[/b] The priestess laughed at that. She wasn't so drunk yet, but she was certainly a bit more relaxed, even as the tension in the room crackled like the rain before the first bolt.

[b]"My role, unfortunately, is not nearly so benevolent. If this was the planting season, I would doubtlessly have much more genial duties to attend to, but for this rave, this convergence of opposing forces...I suspect he wishes me to partake, rather than to quell."[/b]

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[sub][@BrokenPromise][@Ariamis][@PlatinumSkink][/sub][/center]
No response from Eden. No questions, no concerns. Dolly bowed once more to the silent girl, before disintegrating, leaving nothing behind. And from the absence of one, came the prescence of another.

Between Justine and Veronica, a form emerged from the ether, manifested within an instance of inattention. A pale girl with gleaming eyes, dressed in gothic attire that seemed to eat away at the myriad of lights within the rave. Her back faced the vampire; she hardly seemed aware of what scene she had intruded upon. Folding her hands over her abdomen, she bowed towards Veronica.

[color=ccddee]"Vermillion,"[/color] Dolly spoke. Her tone was neutral, quiet, yet still carried beyond the raucous din of the rave. [color=ccddee]"The implements have been prepared. Shall we conclude our contract?"[/color]