Casino Royale

[Scherezade deWinter]

The second they had stopped walking and she sensed the Dona freeze, she knew she'd said the wrong thing. Her curiosity had taken the better of her, and the mood shifted swiftly and violently. Her spidy-sense tingling, Madalena did nothing at first as the Dona turned to her.

Something inside her told her that she should have been scared right there and then. But she was not. Why not? She had no clue. She'd think about that later. Madalena had a horrible tendency to jump head first into the lion's head (and had jumped into a dragon's mouth not too long ago), but this… Was different. And if she didn't make any foolish mistakes, it would continue to be different.

She should have been afraid when the Dona ran the tip of her finger along her cheek bone. But something else grabbed her attention. Something inside her that seemed to rumble, something that almost beg a sort of release. Not something that was scared, something that was… Something that felt and tasted like the predator that she herself was, but somehow different.

Madalena blinked, tearing her attention away from it and back to the Dona.

You're as much of a human as banthas grow wings, Madalena wanted to say. But she knew, she knew very well, that if those word ever left her mouth, there would be no should be afraid, but just a so afraid, so very afraid instead. So she didn't.

Instead, she gave the Dona one of her charming smiles, and an innocent shrug. If only all humans had the same scent.

"You may be human, Dona," Madalena finally said, returning purr for purr, the word human very much emphasized. No, she knew exactly what this was about, "but you're nothing like me. There is but one person in the 'verse who can claim that, and he's in the Unknown Territories right now."

[member="Ahtemis"]

 

[Valgærd]

I raised an eyebrow at her answer.

So... it was true. Madelna, whatever she was, was about as close to a regular human as I was. Oh what I'd give to unravel such an enigma, to investigate and discover her in one of the suites with a bottle of top shelf and several uninterrupted evenings. But alas, not only would I never be able to get that kind of free time, it would hardly be fair. My true nature was my most closely-guarded secret, I imagined hers would be the same. At the very least, without being willing to give, I wouldn't presume to take.

Our path took us to the restaurant within the casino. Upon seeing me, the hostess immediately stiffened, subtly straightening her uniform and greeting the two of us with a bow,

"Your assistant called ahead, Miss," She spoke quickly, well-articulated but clearly nervous, "right this way."

"Thanks, Doll." I purred in response.

She dipped her head, turned and led us through the restaurant. While several of the tables near the front were occupied, it soon became apparent that they had cleared out the back of the restaurant specifically for us. We were led up some stairs, and seated right at the back, where the the restaurant met the outer wall of the station. As a result, we were able to sit at an elegant table against a large window, the shimmering planetary shield over Dohmus Prime dominating the inky star-spotted sky outside.

I scooped my hands under my thighs, sweeping out my dress as I lowered myself into the cushioned seat. My gaze drifted to the view; it's hard to get used to such a scene.

​

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It was agreed then. There would be no more questions regarding the Dona’s species, or Madalena’s abilities. It was a shame, truly. Madalena felt she’d entered herself into a game she did not understand. Her blood hound abilities were by no means a secret, though she supposed they weren’t actually written down in any official record. She wouldn’t have thought twice about explaining them had the Dona not used a purr-threat regarding the matter.

The rest of the walk remained silent, neither of the women having any word to add just yet. Madalena’s eyes looked around, searching forth, feeling the people that were gathered at the restaurant. None of them smelled like the Dona. She wondered if that was because none of them truly were, or perhaps a few were but their blood had been sufficiently diluted through the generations so that she could not pick it up.

Tables were cleared and Madalena joined the Dona, sitting across her. Her own dress was not of the kind that require any flattening while sitting, so she just sat there, discreetly ensuring that the top part remained where it was and did not move elsewhere unwanted. The sight through the window was indeed amazing, and Madalena stared for a few moments before returning her attention to the Dona.

Words. She needed something to say. But what could be said after the dialogue that had happened in the hallway? Madalena was usually not shy for words, but now she found her mouth going even so slightly dry as she tried to come up with something that would beak ice that by the actions of both women, was so subtle that it did not even feel icy.

“How long have you been running the casino for?” she finally found herself asking, eyes glancing over the menu, eternally thankful that there were enough meat dishes offered on it, “did you build it?”

[member="Ahtemis"]