A Small Wizard from a Dark Guild

Bunny had always been enchanted by the idea of Rose Garden. A city all about magic?! It sounded incredible. Growing up in her household, magic was always a shameful thing. But now, she couldn't help but look around. Even though she was a 'Dark Mage' or whatever now, she just walked around without a care what so ever.

Cetus growled, unable to see around the box he was currently carrying. He'd spent all day gathering up these supplies. Ever since he'd given Pandora her new leg, thousands of people seemed to suddenly pop out of nowhere. It wasn't bad. At least he didn't think it was, not that he'd truly be able to tell. Merely irritating. He liked having his free time to create and now he could make money off his hobby. However, what was irritating about it was he couldn't walk outside without his mask or people swarmed him. They were constantly asking to either be his apprentice or for him to craft them a leg. His patience was rapidly growing thinner every day. One of these days he'd kill one of them simply to get them off his back.

Since Cetus was unable to see, he ended up bumping into someone. He cursed loudly as the boxes tumbled from his grasp. Lacrima, precious metals, gems, wood scattered across the cobblestones. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" He snarled, barely catching a glimpse of whoever he'd bumped into. It looked like a white haired girl, wearing some sort of white dress. The assassin dropped to his knees to begin picking up anything and everything he could. With the foot traffic around here, he didn't want anything smashed. It'd taken way to long to find a few of these things.

The girl fell over, her once happy persona sort of fading as another person was so close to her.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized quite quietly. Not sure exactly what to do, she set down her staff lightly next to her. She started helping the strange man put things back in his box, but still watched him carefully.

"Uhm, I'm Bunny." She said quietly, not exactly sure what to say to the man. "Again, I'm sorry I knocked over your stuff... What is all this exactly." She picked up some of the items, tracing their edges with her fingers.

At least she'd apologized, Cetus thought to himself. There were some people that would have yelled right back. She was also helping him which was a rarity as well. His golden eyes swept over her, suspicious. Was she perhaps an assassin herself, looking to harm him? Her introduction took him by surprise. "I'm Caimileir." He said gently. His irritation had faded when she'd begun to help. It was enough of an apology that she realized she was in the wrong. "This is all stuff for my projects. I like to make things."

The shark man quickly snatched an explosive lacrima out of the woman's - Bunny's - hands. She'd almost set it off by running her fingers over it. "Careful. Some of it isn't exactly stable." He looked over the lacrima to make sure it wasn't active. Setting off an explosion in the middle of a city could be fun but he'd rather not be in the blast radius. "Perhaps don't touch the crystalline objects. They're most likely to explode." He said trying to make his face into a kind smile. He wasn't sure if he succeeded. It wasn't like he was used to smiling for other people. His face was usually hidden behind a mask. "What brought you to Rose Garden, anyways?" The shark man could feel a light magical pressure from the woman. She was a mage. Perhaps she was here on a mission. Cetus would have to proceed carefully if she was a legal mage. He'd hate to have to fight people off here in the center of a populous city.

Bunny took the man's advice opting to hold a metallic object instead while she cleaned.

"Ah, well, I'm actually a mage. The only left in my part of the family." She thought of her brother for a moment. "My family doesn't like magic very much, so I thought it might be a nice change to travel to a city run on magic like Rose Garden. I'm no where near disappointed." She looked up.

"The sky here is so pretty, don't you think?" She was no longer very defensive of the thigh that held her guild mark.

Cetus listened patiently to Bunny's story. He wasn't sure if now would be the time to interject with his own or not. Magic hadn't been abhorred by his 'family' but there had been plenty of other injustices done to him. Things had been done to his friends as well. Enough that they had eventually run away from the Law of Order. They'd split up to protect themselves but now Cetus was looking for them once again. He could only hope that he'd be able to find them. "I can understand that need" He said quietly, rubbing his jaw. Most of his things were back inside their various boxes. Only two were missing. One, the assassin couldn't see. The other was clasped to Bunny's chest. Cetus was unsure if it would be rude to grab it. Women didn't appreciate being 'groped' by strangers.

The other mage brought his attention to the sky. He assumed it could be considered beautiful. Cetus looked back at the ground catching sight of the tattoo on Bunny's thigh. Nightmare huh? His old guild. He'd found a better place among Hidden Blades. The shark man gave up on the missing piece as a lost cause and looked back at the sky. "I suppose you could say that." The assassin said carefully. "I have a rather difficult time seeing the beauty in things." It wasn't that he couldn't see it. Simply that without many emotions, Cetus failed to see beyond surface beauty and appearance simply wasn't all that important to him.

"Speaking of pretty things, do you mind if I keep this? I've never seen a metal piece-" She paused after realizing his comment about being unable to see the beauty in things.

"Unable to see the beauty in things, huh? You've gotta be stronger than me then. I don't really think I could keep living in a world where I couldn't see the beauty in things. It would make my songs hard to write, too. And, considering my magic relies on my being able to write songs, I'd be in pretty deep trouble."

She didn't want to make him feel bad, so she decided to change the topic. "Say, since you probably know this place better than me, why don't you show me the nearest place to drink and I'll buy you a drink?"

Cetus chuckled humorlessly at Bunny's assumption that he was stronger than her. Logically, that didn't make any sense. How did not seeing the beauty in things make one stronger than another? "I can tell you were to get another one but I need that one." He said responding to her earlier question. He didn't want to try and address her other bit of conversation. It would lead to a place he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Though, the assassin mused, he could seduce her. It had been a while and it was apparently unhealthy to go too long without sex. Cetus found he couldn't be bothered. It was a biological itch that was easy enough to ignore. There were no emotions attached to it.

At Bunny's strange offer of a drink, Cetus felt a flicker of something in his chest. Odd. This one was stirring up emotions in his black dead heart. It was a strange phenomena. Did he pursue it or let it lie? It was rare that his emotions flaired. He searched for the things that made them do so. The shark man had a secret desire to feel as others did. To have at least some piece of humanity. But then the pieces of his project could be stolen. The shark man frowned. Such a dilemma. "Please put the piece in the box and we can be off." He said finally, making a decision. "I hope you don't mind strip clubs. There's a magic one down the street that sells magical alcohol. That stuff can knock your socks off." His frequent buying of the stuff was the only reason they let him stay. None of their employees, male or female, could tempt him and that was their biggest money maker.

The assassin picked up his box. Proceeding down the street, Cetus moved quickly. He had no desire to dawdle, 'looking at the sights' or whatever it was that tourists did. Bunny seemed like a tourist to him. No reason to indulge her either. She wasn't doing anything for him outside of buying him a drink. The shark man stopped outside a large brothel. A lazy pink cat curled upon the sign that read The Pink Kitten. Cetus only then glanced back at Bunny. "This is the place. Best watch yourself, lest some people play grab ass. The people inside don't keep their hands to themselves unless you give them a reason to." He smiled to let her see his pointed teeth. More than a few fingers had been bitten off inside the Pink Kitten. Patrons had learned quickly not to touch the shark. Message delivered, Cetus stepped into the smoky interior. The bar wasn't far from the door and he headed straight for it.

She smiled at him, putting the piece of metal in his box before starting to go inside. Her white ears slightly twitched at seeing his sharp teeth. He was exciting to her, even though in recent years (And one particular mission involving a man, 3 women, and 2 children) Bunny had seemingly lost interest in talking to most men. Her childhood experiences with ones her father knew were... unfavorable. But this man, while being a shark, did not seem predatory like them.

Bunny was also craving a drink. She hoped they had champagne. She wanted to lift the bubbly liquid to her lips and numb what she had felt recently. Those awful memories, all washed away by a liquid her mother had given her the money to buy when she turned 18. It had made the jobs she did for her father easier. It was also probably what gave her the courage to leave, other than her brother that is.

Bunny walked in, gently guiding the man to a seat. She called the waiter over, asking politely for a glass of her favorite champagne. She smiled as the bartender as he delivered her drink, but did not seem as such when showing her spear to any man who began to walk an unsafe distance. She turned to her new acquaintance, smiling.

"What do you want to order?"

Cetus wasn't sure what to make of Bunny guiding him to a seat. Then threatening any man that came close besides the waiter. Was this a thing that couples did? Maybe he should feel flattered. Or perhaps this was one of those things that crazy potential stalkers did? Cetus wasn't sure what to make of the situation at all. This was well outside his realm of knowledge. How to kill someone, torture someone, even how to best cook a person was all in his repertoire. Yet when it came to interacting with people, the assassin found himself swimming in a pool of confusion.

The shark man carefully set his box down. His feet immediately went on top to keep anyone from stealing from it. Bunny's inquiry about his order made him start. "Ah, uh...Fireball whiskey, double, extra juice." He said finally ordering his usual. It burned on the way down and could actually give him a slight buzz. Cetus' head tilted as he realized he'd never been drunk before. He always nursed a single glass until the drinking was over or he left. The assassin shook his head. Best not to try and test his limits here. There was no telling the carnage he would unleash. He decided to take a slightly safer route.

"Forgive my forwardness and my ignorance, but is this a date?" Cetus asked leaning on the table. His drink appeared at his elbow. A jewel briefly flipped through the air toward the waiter who caught it. Having served Cetus before, the man knew to make himself scarce. "I've never been on a date. I haven't actually done many things a normal person would do." He carefully took a sip of the Fireball Whiskey. His eyes stayed on Bunny though it was impossible to tell if the look was predatory or it was Cetus being watchful. "So if you could educate a rather poorly taught fellow, I'd rather appreciate it."

Cetus could see a couple thugs stirring over Bunny's shoulder. Oh goodie. Perhaps they'd try to start something. He had, after all, humiliated their boss a while back. The man was probably still getting used to his new status as a eunuch. Though would that make him a man? Or would he become it? Cetus wasn't sure about the nuances of the situation. "I should also warn you. There are a few enemies of mine here. They may try to start something. If you're not a fighter, simply run when they attack. If you are a fighter, I'd appreciate some back up. There is no telling how many of them there is." He took another sip of his drink. His whole demeanor was relaxed and he spoke in a matter of fact way. Nothing about the assassin was ruffled regarding a potential fight.

Bunny took a sip of her drink, responding happily, her cheeks tinted a bit red. "A date? See, I don't know much about that either. I didn't exactly live a life that allowed that, and in the past 2 years that's not really what I've focused on. I guess we're alike in not leading exactly 'Normal lives', huh?" She finished her thought. "I mean, if you want this to be a date, it can be. Can't promise it'll be any good though." She smiled politely at him.

Bunny thought about the concept of having this man on a date. It may be naive, but the thought of something like that hadn't even crossed her mind. She even realized that her temporary naivety had allowed her to go through a glass of champagne already. 'Damn, I was too focused on the guys around the bar to remember I was already dealing with a man.' She silently examined the man again, but found that even now that she thought she had been being careless, the man didn't seem to incite nervousness or fear within her. Not in the way most men did, anyway.

Bunny then thought about combat for a moment, tapping her finger on the end of her spear. "I'd be happy to lend you my help. I might look pretty small, but I'm actually pretty strong. So, don't worry too much about those guys messing with you for now. If you have enemies, what type of magic do you use anyway?"

Cetus managed a small smile at Bunny's assertion that the date might not be a good one. "So long as it isn't like one of my friend's dates, I'm sure it'll be a good one." He said sipping his drink. Deam hadn't exactly had dates, according to Eolas. He had meet and fucks. One night stands as it were. No connections, no problems. Cetus wasn't sure that was really what he wanted. He didn't want only a brief moment of pleasure. He wanted a connection. He wanted something that stirred him inside. A passion that wasn't anger or blood lust.

"Though the next question might be what constitutes as a bad date in your opinion?" An elegant eyebrow raised in Bunny's direction. The shark man wanted to know, what was a bad date? Other than Deam's one night stands, Cetus had never really witnessed one. What made a date bad? What made it good? Would one or the other make him feel something other than anger? They were questions that Cetus wanted - no needed - answered.

Cetus chuckled mirthlessly at Bunny's assertion that she was strong. It wasn't amusing per say. It was simply that her idea of strong and his own were probably very different. "I have little doubt." He took another drink before answering her question about magic. "I have no magic as of yet. I'm currently searching for one that fits me." More like training with the infuriating one that he'd already found but that was semantics. "I simply can't find one that's just the right fit."

The thugs at the other table were getting irritated. Cetus flashed them a smile over the rim of his cup. Imitating a move he'd seen Deam make thousands of times, he laid a hand over Bunny's. "They're looking over here. Mind if we give them something to stare at? Like a kiss? It's a little... strange to simply having them watch me." A kiss meant nothing. That was what Deam said. It was what went down between the sheets that was really important. On the other hand, Eolas and the girls had told him the opposite. Cetus had never been able to figure out which was correct. Some of the women he kissed made it more. To others, it meant nothing. Would Bunny unlock the secret for him? Or would she stab him in the gut with her spear. That would no doubt get interesting.

Cetus smiled gently at Bunny, trying to put any nerves she had at ease. "I know its a bit abrupt. Don't feel like you have to. I just don't like having all their attention on me." Especially since he was usually completely unobserved. With his mask missing in addition, Cetus was unsure as to what to do with himself. "I'm not usually the center of attention. I'm more like the shadow on the wall. It's weird to have so many eyes on me." And that was putting it lightly. The thugs were starting to whisper to one another. Cetus took a quick look around. The brothel was coming alive with enemies. "It's now or never, Bunny." He said quickly, turning back to the woman. "Otherwise, they'll... be unpleasant to you and gang up on me." Again, the shark man was skimming on details. It was something that irritated the logical centers of his brain. If things had been reversed, he'd have wanted Bunny to give him all the information. Was it too late to try and fill her in? Give her every detail his brain immediately picked out with a mere glance? Probably. Hopefully, she was a little more understanding than he was.

"A bad date or a good date? Well, I guess it just depends on how things go. I mean, I think its a bad date if you don't want to go again. If you're just waiting for a waiter to bring a check so you have an excuse to leave. It's a good date if you kinda get sad when it's over. like, you kinda wish it could keep going." She smiled. "So I guess a good date is where something about that person just kind of, clicks, for you. Like they give you something you don't have when you're just kind of alone."

Bunny then blushed a bit. Her heart started pounding, which was something that didn't happen very much. She looked over at the group. To be honest, part of it was that she wanted to give them something to stare at. The other part is that she was kind of enjoying her time with Cetus.

She slowly leaned in, her breath a bit warm against the man's lips. She looked gently into his eyes. "Okay, whenever you're ready, you can kiss me like this." She whispered, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Cetus tilted his head, not entirely understanding what Bunny was saying. Clicks? Something just clicks? That didn't make sense. Was there some part of him - other than the obvious - that intertwined with a female? And didn't people automatically give you something when you were together? It was called company. Or was this some other strange cryptic thing? Something told the shark man that this had to do with emotions. It was something that in his current state he had no hope of understanding. He'd probably have to revisit it at a time when he was whole again. It was an experiment that he would be happy to revisit.

Cetus' eyes widened as Bunny wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breath, warm against his lips, stirred something. Something fluttered in his stomach. Was this anticipation? Yes, he was waiting with baited breath for this. He wanted this kiss. A dazzling smile spread across the man's face. "Forgive me if I'm too aggressive. I'm a little out of practice." Cetus whispered, his face flushing. Was that something too? What was it that Eolas said? Cetus had barged into his friend's bedroom while he was...busy. Eolas had called the emotion that followed... embarrassment. Then there was anger but Cetus understood that. Such a bevy of emotions today. Not powerful ones like he might have hoped. However, a flicker of emotion was better than nothing.

Cetus gently rested a hand on Bunny's waist. The other he used to cup her face. Slowly, he lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers. There wasn't a blinding flash of light. No sudden influx of emotion. Yet for all intents and purposes, Cetus was content with the kiss. He broke away, only to have another flicker. "I...want more?" He said in surprise. "I want more. I want more!" Bunny probably thought he was crazy now. She didn't understand the absolute joy - another great new emotion - that he felt anything at all.

"May I have another?" Cetus asked smiling down at Bunny. "And if so, might I pull you onto my lap? It can't be comfortable leaning between the two seats to kiss me." His brow furrowed in concern. Why hadn't he worried about that before? She should be comfortable. Cetus' eyes widened again. He was worried about another person. A virtual stranger. Could this be the empathy that Eolas talked about? Today was simply full of surprises. "I'd like to kiss you over and over, Bunny. I can't explain why now cause I'm afraid I'll lose this feeling." Lose them all really. Perhaps kissing others was what he needed to recover the emotions stolen from him. It was an experiment that he wanted to try. After he was done here. It was callous to Bunny but Cetus didn't have the emotion in him that allowed him to care. Maybe a few kisses would fix that. He leaned down, stopping to let the woman make the decision here. There was no need to force her. That would only ruin the situation.

Her face went red, and she chuckled softly. 'He actually wants more? He wants to kiss me again?' She looked at his face, and could tell he was happy. It was that kinda happy that made Bunny wanna smile too. She couldn't help it.

"Don't lose the feeling then." She pulled herself closer to him, her face still quite red. She let her fingers slightly tap on his back. "You can do whatever you want to me. Right now, I'm totally into this."

She gave him a small peck on the cheek while she moved into his lap. Her enjoyment by now was obvious. Fun like this was something she hadn't had in a while.

She remembered his bit of confusion from earlier when she had tried to explain the difference between a good and bad date. "Does what I said make sense yet?"

"Whatever I want?" Cetus smiled, the expression on his face completely predatory. "Those are dangerous words, Bunny. Especially to a man." His hands wandered down Bunny's back, stopping just above her butt. "You're lucky, I'm a gentleman." Cetus let his hands drop further, squeezing that tight ass. "At least mostly."

The shark got another surprise when Bunny climbed onto his lap. He was enjoying this. He peered between them, getting an eyeful of cleavage by accident. Of course he couldn't see his body's reaction to this beautiful woman. She was sitting on top of it. "Uh, um... no unfortunately not." The assassin looked up at the bunny. His lips slowly formed a smile. "I think I'm starting to though." Cetus leaned into Bunny, kissing her gently. He turned the seat slowly so he might lean back against the table. All he cared about was enjoying this moment. His fingers kneaded Bunny's flesh, gently exploring as the two kissed. Cetus always stopped if Bunny made a noise, continuing his exploration elsewhere.

That blissful moment couldn't last however. A hand slapped down upon their table. "I call next with the whore." The fuzzy little nubs of feeling that Cetus had had vanished instantly. He stood up carefully, carrying Bunny with him. A smooth turn and he set his date upon the edge of the table. "I'll be right back" He told her, kissing her nose. "I need to teach someone to respect others." Pity this wasn't an emotional thing. Cetus might have enjoyed that more. Turning toward the thug, Cetus put on his most disarming smile.

"Apologize" The thug looked confused. His brow wrinkled. "Wha-?" Cetus was on him in a moment, slamming his face down into the table. "APOLOGIZE!" He roared. The thug struggled under his grasp. The rest of the brothel was silent. Some people were edging toward the door. Dancers were headed toward the back. Cetus had provoked the gang by manhandling one of their people. He couldn't care less. No one disrespected those under his care, watch, whatever it might be. The thugs were moving toward their table at a slow steady pace. They didn't know who they were messing with. Especially if they thought numbers would help them.

"I won't ask again. Apologize or I start biting off fingers." His voice was low, dangerous. There was a hint of a growl on the edge of it. The thug wet himself in fear. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He blubbered, crying pathetically. Cetus looked up at Bunny. "Well, darling? Do you accept? Or should I punish him for insulting you?" The warm eyes from earlier were gone. Now Cetus' eyes were glacier cold, no hint of warmth in them whatsoever. They were the eyes of a trained killer. Dangerous when crossed. Too late did Cetus worry about chasing Bunny off with such a look. Now it didn't matter and he'd have to deal with the consequences of his actions. All of them.

Cetus slammed the thug's head into the table again. Bunny's tears were clearly fake but they didn't ease Cetus' anger. "Did you see that? You made my darling cry. I'm not sure your apology was good enough." He looked up at Bunny. For the briefest moment, something inside him softened. There was a flicker of that empathy. A need to see her happy. However, that flicker couldn't hold against the surging tide of his anger. Her question made him chuckle, though there was little mirth in it. "No, darling, I don't think it was. But how to punish him? Especially since his friends are about to interfere." Cetus looked around the brothel.

The thugs were steadily getting closer. They were still confident that they could win. Another surge of anger nearly took the assassin over a dangerous edge. Cetus needed to bring himself down. Now. Or there would be a blood bath he couldn't afford. Without his mask, killing people was a big issue. They could identify him and point him out. Cetus released the thug. The man slid to the floor sobbing. "We'll have to punish him later, Bunny dear." Cetus said, stepping back to the woman. His fingers brushed against her thighs. Strangely, his focus switched to Bunny instead of the thugs. "His friends think they can teach us a lesson of their own. Shall we... defend ourselves?"

The assassin found himself leaning forward to brush lips with Bunny. All of these emotions, desires, feelings would have to be examined later. None of them made any sense. A heavy hand landed on Cetus' shoulder. "We'll be taking your girl now. Don't worry. She'll be well used before we return her to you." Cetus' eyes went completely blank. Sionnach and Easgann rose in his mind. They'd both been hurt when he was too weak to defend them. He'd be damned if he let these bastards touch the best chance he had of regaining his emotions like that. "If you think you're laying a hand on her, think again." Cetus said coldly. Frost actually clouded his breath with how icy his tone was.

Grasping the offending hand, Cetus broke the pinky. The man screamed, releasing the assassin. He spun, planting his foot in the thug's stomach. The male flew backwards into the tables. "Here they come." Cetus said as the thugs charged. "Brace yourself, darling." He raised his hands, a fierce look on his face. He couldn't use his shark skin or his magic here. It would give away his identity as The Shark from Hidden Blades. Looked like his hand to hand skills would have to do. "Don't kill any of them. It'll bring down too much heat. Since they attacked us, it'll be self defense up to but not including killing them." Cetus informed Bunny. He didn't want her to get in trouble for this. Thanks to some extensive law studying, he knew that they were in the right so long as they didn't kill anyone.