[color=lightgray][center][h1][color=red]FLASHBACK[/color][/h1] [h2][color=#D0B4EC]Charlotte[/color] & [color=RosyBrown]Kilian[/color][/h2] [h3][color=#D0B4EC]P[/color][color=#BCA7D7]a[/color][color=#A99AC3]r[/color][color=#968DAE]t[/color] [color=#707386]1[/color][/h3][/center] [color=RosyBrown]Time:[/color] Early Afternoon of Ignis 3 [color=#D0B4EC]Location:[/color] The Vikena Estate [hr] [indent][indent] Cherry Lane had always been a polite little street. Trimmed hedges. Ironwork fences that were always kept scrubbed and shining. Sorian’s brightest and noblest fools going about their games of pomp and circumstance. This street had seen many wagons, travelers, and members of Sorian’s elite leave their tracks upon its cobblestone path. However, polite little Cherry Lane had never seen anything like the retinue of Vanguard Society witch hunters that now stalked the street. The dark cloaks of almost a dozen figures moved with true, disciplined precision. At their front walked Kilian Hale, chain in hand, shackled pet of a witch not far behind. Iron links rasped over stone, a sound that jarred bystanders and left them unsettled as their eyes processed the sight. Some had seen him pulling the chained woman along in the banquet, others had spotted cruel sight at the Gossamer the night prior, but many others had only heard rumors. Until now, as the citizens within sight all basked in the presence that Kilian brought with him everywhere he went. The woman at the end of his chain stood as a walking reminder of consequence. Kilian pulled her along as though she were nothing more than an obedient dog… And obedient she remained as he did what she could to match his pace. He smiled faintly as they finally reached their destination. So this was the Vikena estate Kilian’s fingers flexed at his side as he clutched the chain a little tighter, a surge of dark anticipation crawling its way through him. The smile he wore grew even more wicked as he turned to face his prisoner. [color=RosyBrown]“This is going to be so much fun, [i]Agony[/i].”[/color] He declared, referring to the woman by the twisted nickname he had given her. [color=RosyBrown]“Are you ready to pay this Vikena bitch a little visit? Because I…am desperate…to meet her.”[/color] He said, leaning in to whisper his words into the chained woman’s ear. Kilian raised a hand, and without question his retinue stopped in their tracks just outside the Vikena estate. He and his little pet made their way along the colorful path of Lady Vikena’s stunning estate grounds. They ascended the steps as they reached the porch, and Killian turned back to his prisoner once more with that same…[i]wicked[/i] grin before his gloved fist knocked on the door with confidence. That knock echoed through the manor, jarring Charlotte Vikena out of her slumber so violently it had stolen her breath. It had all been in such a manner that the line between the waking world and dream world had blurred just for a moment. Her eyes had fluttered open to an immediate betrayal of her mind: the sight of the man above her again and the feeling of his hand clamping her throat. Luckily, there had only been time for her eyes to widen before he vanished. Though shocking, he was truly no stranger to her. She had been drifting in and out of sleep throughout the day while her night had been stolen from her by brutal night terrors, each one leaving her waking feeling a little more raw and hollow than the last. She rose on instinct with a sharp inhale, her palms pressing deep into the cushions. Her gaze moved about slowly, her hair falling in a thick, dark tumble over her face as she peered through the strands. Charlotte swallowed hard as she recalled the reason she had woken up in the first place, and it was then her body recalled her manners even when her mind did not. So she stood, and crossed into the foyer, smoothing her skirt with trembling fingers, and she took her time then, pulling a shawl over her casual dress. Charlotte took far too long adjusting it, tugging it close, wrapping herself in it as though it may help hide what she felt on the inside. When her hand found the knob, her fingers hesitated. They curled around the brass and held it still. The hairs on her arm rose as if her body knew something her mind did not yet. She drew her upper lip through her teeth and finally slowly pulled the door open a few inches. Whatever she had expected, it hadn’t been [i]this[/i]. The sight beyond the threshold stole what little breath she had managed to gather and drained the warmth from her cheeks all in a single merciless instant. Her expression went blank in the same way the flame of a candle gets snuffed out. Her entire body went rigid as she froze with the helplessness of a deer caught in a predator’s gaze. She couldn’t even feel her feet anymore—only the awful certainty that she had chosen wrong. Her grip on the doorknob tightened until her knuckles paled, an involuntary tremor spreading from her hands up her arms. Her dilated irises jumped between the scarred man to the woman in chains as if she were trying to make sense of what she was seeing and failing to move beyond the initial register of the imagery. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even remember what words were meant to do. So, she only stood there, trembling in silence. Kilian bowed before her; a mocking display of reverence as he absolutely drank in the shock and awe in her expression. His chiseled jaw clenched as he let his eyes fully take in the splendor of the potential future Duchess. [color=RosyBrown]“Good morning, my lady,”[/color] The dangerous man announced with mischievous charm before pointing back at his plus one with a gloved thumb. [color=RosyBrown]“we heard you had quite the eventful night. Perhaps you should invite us in and tell me all about it.”[/color] Charlotte’s lips parted immediately, but no sound followed. She drew in her breath again, her gaze lowering as her lashes fluttered. [color=#D0B4EC]“G-good morning…”[/color] she managed at last in a wavering voice. Her throat worked after a swallow; her mouth suddenly felt so dry. [color=#D0B4EC]“I… I beg your pardon–”[/color] Her brows knit as she rummaged through her mind for something sensible that could possibly belong in a moment like this. And then, before she could even think to stop herself, the truth slipped out. [color=#D0B4EC]“Do I… have to?”[/color] She asked helplessly and in the softest voice she had ever heard escape her lips. As the question hung in the air, her cheeks blanched more if such a thing was possible. Kilian simply placed his boot in the doorway between them, blocking Charlotte’s ability to try and close it. He leaned down closer to her eye level, the wicked grin that often painted his darkly handsome and intense face fading into something a bit more severe. [color=RosyBrown]“Oh, Lady Vikena…”[/color] He said, voice lowering. [color=RosyBrown]“A girl with your kind reputation surely wouldn’t turn away a couple of visitors like us, now would you?”[/color] Kilian asked. He let his body turn halfway so that he could motion to the rest of the hunters out by her gate. [color=RosyBrown]“I can be [i]very convincing[/i] if needed.”[/color] His mischievous grin returned as he watched her take in the sight of his men. [color=RosyBrown]“Would it help if I said please?”[/color] As his question finished, the slightest, menacing little laugh escaped him as he reached past her and allowed his fingers to wrap around the edge of her door. Her blue eyes flickered to the people by the gate, then back to him. Wordlessly, she then took a step backward to allow him entry. [color=RosyBrown]“Ah, there we are…”[/color] He remarked, taking a moment to look back at his pet standing silently and submissively behind him. [color=RosyBrown]“See Agony, I told you she would be a good girl.”[/color]. Kilian turned back towards Charlotte, stepping past her and into her home, letting Agony enter in tow as he closed the door behind them. [/indent][/indent][/color]