[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/BjtZNtv.png[/img][/center] [color=ed1c24]Location[/color]: Basement storage zone, Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance. [hr] Before she had even entered the basement, the pungent cocktail of scents wafting up from below had been assaulting and tantalizing her sense in equal measure. The full and varied scents of many herbs intermixed with the acrid stench of chemicals. And Veronica knew it was largely the influence of her vampiric instincts, but she couldn't help but feel revitalized by the scent of blood in the air, her cold, dead heart longing to beat with excitement and mouth longing to water. She felt her focus sharpening just breathing it in, her appetite rising at the temptation, and she became all the more keenly aware of the distant thunder of the guards' heartbeats, her gaze involuntarily drawing to the nigh-imperceptible pulse of their necks. Yet even so, this much temptation was easily shoved aside with long practice, as voices unexpectedly met her ears. Veronica expected many things going into this fight. She'd been prepared for the guards to not take the bait, but they'd bitten so hard it took her off guard. She'd been prepared for them to used ranged weaponry, but they instead resorted to approaching her in melee right away and even left their posts at the door entirely. She'd been expecting some level of magical or mundane complications in the form of personal skills or just good old fashioned wily minds, but neither guard seemed to overtly so much as suspect her presence was even [i]malicious[/i]! [i]What she had not in any form expected to get was no fight at all![/i] [color=ed1c24][i]Are these idiots actually propositioning me? [b]Unbelievable.[/b][/i][/color] Veronica would admit -at least to herself- that she was completely dumbfounded, and it took more effort than she'd like to stay composed in the face of such overt incompetence. Her pace nearly staggered, as she flashed her Sight again, thoughts flying, to simulate just a little extra time to think. This... wasn't according to plan. These guards couldn't be this foolish, could they? Yet, if they were...? Well, she knew all too well what they said about plans and the enemy. [i]And she was just as well-acquainted with adapting.[/i] Veronica's entire body language shifted, flowing from a tense dead sprint to a half-stumble, as she feigned needing to catch her balance, allowing the weight of her scythe to swing past her to clumsily clank against a crate. Within her body, Veronica's heart began to beat at her insistence, as she let deep gasps become audible from her throat, shoulders hunching in a way that made her look just a little bit smaller. Her pace finally came to a full halt with her leaning against a crate, radiating alarm. At the guards' words, she glanced over her shoulder, her new persona now full in place, as doe-like, half-lidded eyes met them. She deliberately fumbled with her scythe, feigning as if to lean on it for support like a cane, the large head braced against the floor, only to slip and let out an "eep", the weapon slipping from her grasp to clatter on the floor. [color=ed1c24]"[i]O-oh[/i], y-yes, that's me, my Lady Widernia's humble servant!"[/color] she stammered, looking every bit the hapless, overworked sort. [color=ed1c24]"I-I'm so sorry to barge in like this, but-"[/color] She paused to squirm and let out a whimper. [color=ed1c24]"It's awful! I just got here, and someone's attacking the place!"[/color] she whined piteously, making sure to pitch her voice to cover up the sound of something her keen ears and nose could vaguely pick up being lathered on the door behind the guards. [color=ed1c24]"I-I'm not much of a f-fighter, you see, e-even with this horribly cumbersome thing,"[/color] she licked her pale lips, pouting them invitingly, [color=ed1c24]"s-so I ran away, f-figured they'd be too busy fighting that big strong knight up there to chase me..."[/color] Squirming in place, the pale girl finally reached up to draw back her hood shyly, velvety-red gloves tucking black locks behind one ear. A casual shrug now had part of her cloak hanging off her shoulder, exposing the red and black garb beneath. Veronica was all too aware of the way she went out of her way to make her "panicked" breaths heave her chest up and down most obviously, "accidentally" giving the guards an eyeful, as she strategically twisted her body such that her cloak fell a little further behind her, draping concealingly over the weapons still on her back, yet exposing more tight clothing and pale skin. She watched, waited, allowing the guards to approach her without even a single speck of hostility written in her body language. Shoulders were hunched, one arm kept tucked under her ample chest to better emphasize it while clutching the opposite arm, and her eyes refused to mee the guards', constantly ducking away "shyly" and submissively. [color=ed1c24]"U-um, t-that is, I apologize again for startling you and interrupting your important work!"[/color] She ducked her head, hands rising to clasp together over her chest, as she gave them both a short, brief bow. [color=ed1c24]"I-I'm pretty useless as a fighter, [i]s-so[/i] I'm sure that scythe would be much better in s-stronger hands like yours while I'm speaking to Lady Widernia. D-do you think that would be alright?"[/color] Her tone was breathier now, letting hope intermix with desperation. All the while, internally, the vampire's mind was coldly counting every step of the guards' unhindered approach, her Sight periodically flashing towards the near future to ensure this wasn't a ruse and that these fools weren't far more cunning snakes, just waiting for her to lower her guard in turn. Her positioning was subtly shifted all the while, her busy upper body covering for one foot sliding to rest right next to her prone scythe's center of balance. The base of the large head was slightly suspended from the ground by falling against the crate she presently leaned against, leaving space for her to slide her foot beneath it if she wished.