Lyselle was slowly drawn out of her inner frets after the woman had replied with her name — letting the stillness blanket the space between them until Ren finally spoke again. This time, the young huntress' attention was fully on her opposite, her gaze gliding along her skin, examining every inch she could make out as she listened. There was a particular wash of calmness that swayed over her, causing goosebumps to appear on her arms, as her eyes were drawn to the vampire's own — locking with a purposeful stare. It may have been the first time that Lys outwardly recognized the connection they shared, by whatever mysterious means it had come into existence.

[color=#9BA7C3][b]“We…”[/b][/color] she repeated softly, her eyes seeming to peer into the vampiress' soul — like Ren still had one. Lyselle let the word hang in the air for a while before letting out a slow exhale, closing her eyes, all in an attempt to send some sort of unspoken thank you along the string that tied them together. Her eyes fluttered back open a moment later as she continued to speak, [color=#9BA7C3][b]“Thank you… Miss Ren… but may I—…”[/b][/color] A pause as Lys let out a thoughtful hum. [color=#9BA7C3][b]“I… sorry… I’m just not sure — what is this?”[/b][/color] Lifting a hand up, she gestured between the both of them. [color=#9BA7C3][b]“This… feeling — connection? I’ve never heard of [i]anything[/i] like it. Even on the best of days, both of us should be… extremely alert of one another… but we both—… it feels like—… like we’ve met before. H-Have we?”[/b][/color]

Even in the face of such uncertainty and fear of losing everything she knew, this connection somehow gave her comfort — the vampiress’ mere presence was enough for her to question everything the Vigil had taught her, every book she had read, every legend she had heard. Ren didn’t seem [i]evil[/i] or [i]blood-thirsty[/i], but instead sat there calmly, as if the two had met at a book club and Lyselle had been invited over for tea — which in a sense, she had been. Everything inside her told her to be alert, to be protective of herself, to never trust anything that was born from the night… and yet even among her most familiar mentors, she had never felt this level of kinship with them. Clearly, it must have been the same for Ren — Lys noted easily how at ease the vampiress was around her, who was raised to hunt her kind, having even gone so far as to spare Delwyn simply because Lyselle had asked her to do so.

Although just a moment before Ren could reply, Lys added, [color=#9BA7C3][b]“New beginning… I’m not even sure what that would look like… I grew up in the Vigil — was taught and trained since I was little. It’s all I’ve ever known and I just…”[/b][/color] A light sigh slipped past her lips. [color=#9BA7C3][b]“gave all that up. It’s funny how little I regret it too, if it meant you staying alive — though I’ve no idea where that urge comes from.”[/b][/color]