[b]“This… feeling — connection? I’ve never heard of anything 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]

Ren watched the Huntress struggle to find the words, clearly just as bewildered by the unlikely bond formulating between the two of them. In her many years on the planet, Ren knew better than most that the universe had plans that weren’t always expected. These unforeseeable plot twists were like the Universes’ idea of a funny joke and Ren liked to imagine her sat somewhere secluded, laughing as she watched her plans unfold. The Universe would write in destinies that her subjects did not predict. They were her favourite plans. And there was no way this union was predictable nor common! The two of them, pitched against each other by their very nature of being, could never have predicted this. But Lyselle was right… What was [u]this[/u]? A spiritual entanglement? A chink in the armour? A shooting star? Either way, it was utterly unprecedented and the ancient vampire shared Lyselle’s confusion. She was certain they hadn’t met before… Had they? How could they possibly? The only capacity in which they’d have crossed paths would be in a Vigil VS Vampire scenario, and Ren was adamant she wouldn’t have forgotten this astounding young slayer. So, the bond was responsible for this feeling, surely? A serendipitous sensation that tricked them into thinking they’d met before, in this life or another. Although Ren hadn’t experienced a deep connection in hundreds of years, she imagined this feeling is what humans would describe with wonder. They wrote songs about this feeling, they dreamt of this feeling. But what did it mean for Lyselle and Ren? Could their differences become their strengths? Could they find a way to discover exactly what was happening? Ren’s thoughts raced at a rate that she pressed a single digit to her temple and massaged gently. She exhaled slowly, letting the worrisome angle of her inner monologue flow from her. She needed to remain as clear minded as she could, and hypothesising wasn’t helping. 

[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] Lyselle sighed, and Ren smelt the fresh mint on her breath as it crossed the small distance between the two leather sofas they were sat upon.
[b]”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]

Renaissance nodded pensively. She’d held Lyselle’s intense gaze the entire time, watching her carefully. Not cautiously, but more as if she were viewing a work of art. Mounted proudly in a gold hilted frame in front of her, the art begged to be admired. Ren scanned her for every detail, every brush stroke, every varying shade. She admired the care with which her maker had taken to put Lyselle together. She had a soft, unassuming beauty that left Ren wishing for more time to analyse and adore. Like artwork, the huntress remained out of reach, just being. All those micro expressions; The bite of a lip, the furrow of a brow, the breathy barely-formed sentences that fell from her mouth… Ren noticed all of them. She smiled knowingly at Lys, continuing to nod in encouragement as she shared her honesty. At the mention of the Vigil, Ren let out a gentle [i]“Mmmm”[/i] of empathy. 

[i]“I’m just as confused as you when it comes to ‘this’-“[/i] Ren mentally tugged at the bond, demonstrating that the tether between their souls could be held, gripped and acknowledged in a different way to verbally. [i]“In all my years of studying, I’ve not come across any documentation of this kind of connection. I’m sure it’s the Universe playing some sort of sick joke…”[/i] Ren laughed melodically, shaking her head and raising her shoulders as a sign of bafflement. The image of the Universe flashed before her again, sat at a writers desk, giggling as she wrote out their stories thinking to herself how very clever she was to unite a Vampire and Slayer by bond.
 
[i]“I wish I could explain it. But all I can tell you is that I’ve never experienced anything like it-“[/i] For this, Ren had leant forward to deepen their gaze. She set her elbows on her knees and placed her chin daintily in her upturned hands. 

[i]“Although I have no family to turn their back on me, I too have betrayed my very essence in inviting you here. Letting that Hunter live took everything within me, I had to exercise a self control I would never normally let in… And yet, I did, for you.”[/i] The ancient vampire accentuated that final sentence, determined to convey the intention behind her failure to kill. Did Lyselle have any idea how few victims had crossed her and lived? How even fewer had been allowed to live through Ren’s choice? 

Ren wanted to align them both, to show Lys they were truly in this together. Whilst their lives were far apart, they seemingly shared the same destiny now and whatever differences they had before would have to be set aside to survive. There was no going back, not anymore. Ren would never know the peace of knowing the Loft was completely unknown to another soul, she couldn’t erase the glimmering stream of energy threading the two of them together and she certainly couldn’t undo laying eyes on the Huntress. She wouldn’t want to, either. This bond was the only feeling she’d experienced that could surpass her thirst. As that beating, vice grip of a connection tied them together, Ren felt no desire to sink her fangs into Lyselle’s throat. She didn’t wonder what her blood would taste like, filling her mouth with scarlet. Ren’s primal instincts were totally suppressed by Lyselle. Another astounding concept. A human whose blood had absolutely no appeal? Blood without desire? Another layer of uncharted territory, another unfamiliar landscape to be faced with. But Renaissance Le Sang was not someone to turn away from the possibility for new knowledge. She was determined to get to the bottom of this.