Private Old Spider, New Web

[Leliana]

She should’ve known her luck would’ve run out eventually.

Time had passed since the Sith Empire had collapsed, the Saaraishash along with it. And Leliana, the once wayward student of the Pale Assassin, seemingly disappeared from the face of the galaxy. In reality, she had retreated to the comfort the shadows brought her.

Her personal light amongst encompassing darkness.

But Leliana didn’t remain idle for all that time, no she eventually began popping up around the galaxy. Although the name ‘Leliana’ was never once uttered, instead in her place was something of a folktale.

Of a shadow figure appearing in random spots across the galaxy. Assassination contracts being anonymously taken, and collected upon within days, if not a matter of hours afterwards. Rare was it to ever catch a glimpse of the assassin, but on the occasions it did happen, the witness only saw a shadowy form, and a pair of featureless white eyes staring at them.

In recent months, Leliana had been deliberately taking on contracts relating to the Sith Order. Be it ones located within or close to their space, or targets they wanted assassinated. Of which were of low quality and challenge, in Leliana’s opinion at least. Contracts left out for independent assassins and bounty hunters. While the big targets were likely kept for the Order’s own assassins.

The Tsis’Kaar.

A target of Lelina’s obsession, fueled by her curiosity. Were they similar to the Saaraishash, the Inquisition of old? Or were they wholly different to what the shadowy assassin was familiar with?

She was pushing her luck, Leliana knew that. But she always thirsted for a new challenge, and when a prime opportunity showed itself? How could she resist?

But within mere seconds of her blade sinking into the target's neck, something struck her from behind, within that singular moment everything went black for Leliana.

When she finally stirred, the young woman found herself surrounded by darkness, only a single flickering light illuminating where she was. Instinct told her to move, only to find her arms and legs were restrained to whatever she was on. Chair, table? Whatever it was, she was inclined at an upwards angle.

Leliana let out an amused chuckle, looking up at the light. “Nice to see things haven’t changed too much, gotta appreciate the classics.” She looked down at herself, trying to assess what she had to work with. Which was nothing.

Her mask, long coat and vest had been removed, leaving Leliana in her buttoned up shirt, trousers and…The assassin wiggled her toes to confirm they had indeed taken her boots too.

“Well, at least they’re thorough.”

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

The dim light flickered, casting shifting patterns of gold and amber across Leliana's restrained form. The assassin had been stripped of her coat, her vest, her boots—left only in the crisp fabric of her shirt and trousers, her body taut with the tension of someone who knew exactly how deep in she was, yet refused to surrender to it.

Serina loved that look.

She took her time, letting her presence fill the silence before she even spoke. Heeled boots clicked against the cold floor in an unhurried rhythm, each step measured, a slow and deliberate symphony of control.

Leliana's eyes followed her—of course, they did. How could they not?

"Nice to see things haven't changed too much, gotta appreciate the classics."

Oh, how charming she was. A wry, knowing smile curled Serina's lips, her blue eyes dark with amusement. She stood before Leliana, one gloved hand resting on the edge of the inclined table, her fingers barely grazing the surface as she tilted her head in consideration.

"Well, at least they're thorough."

That earned a soft chuckle from Serina—low, velvety, rich with amusement and something deeper, something more wicked.

"Oh, darling," she purred, leaning down ever so slightly, close enough for Leliana to catch the faintest scent of perfume—something dark and heady, like embers and spice.

"You have no idea how thorough I can be."

She let the words linger, deliberately drawn out, her voice dipping into something just short of a whisper.

And then she touched her.

Just the barest brush of her gloved fingers along Leliana's forearm, a slow, idle stroke that could have been casual if it weren't for the deliberate lingering of it. Soft, calculated, possessive.

"It's not every day someone captures my attention." Serina straightened, one hand lifting to toy with the cuff of her sleeve, as though Leliana's captivity was merely an afterthought. "And yet, here you are. Slipping through the cracks, dancing just at the edges of my vision. Leaving me curious."

She let the word roll off her tongue, slow and savoring, like something she was tasting.

Her gaze dragged over Leliana, languid and indulgent, like she was appreciating a particularly fine piece of art—or a meal she was in no hurry to devour.

"You've been looking for something, haven't you?" Serina stepped to Leliana's side, her gloved hand tracing the cold metal of the restraint at Leliana's wrist, just barely brushing against skin. "Flitting between contracts like a restless little bird. Tasting the game, but never quite satisfied."

She leaned in, close, until her breath ghosted against Leliana's cheek, until her lips hovered just shy of the assassin's ear.

"Tell me, Leliana… is that what you were hoping to find?" A slow inhale, close enough to be intimate, too close to be anything but deliberate.

"A challenge? Something worthy of you?"

Her tone dipped lower, honey-thick with wicked amusement.

"Or were you simply hoping to be caught?"

Serina felt the slight tensing of Leliana's body beneath the restraints, the sharp inhale, the way her lips barely parted in response. Oh, she was delicious.

"Mmm…" The sound was a pleased hum, a vibration of satisfaction as Serina finally pulled back, straightening with the grace of a queen surveying her newest acquisition.

"You won't admit it yet, of course." A knowing, indulgent smirk curled her lips. "You'll play coy, you'll make it a game. I do enjoy that part."

Her hands trailed down, slow, teasing, sinful, as she circled Leliana again, letting her fingertips barely brush against the assassin's bound wrists before she withdrew.

"But let me tell you a secret, darling." Serina's voice was almost intimate now, an insidious whisper laced with promise.

"You came looking for something, whether you realized it or not. And lucky you—" she leaned down, trailing the backs of her fingers along Leliana's jawline, just a whisper of touch, just enough to let her feel the silk of her gloves—"You've found it."

She let her hand drift lower, nails grazing just beneath Leliana's chin before she tilted it up with the barest pressure, forcing those brilliant brown eyes to meet hers.

"And now, the only question that remains…" Serina sighed, languid, indulgent, relishing every moment.

"Is how much you're willing to give for it."

Oh, she would enjoy this.

 

[Leliana]

That feeling of danger, of something stalking in the shadows around you was nothing new to Leliana. Her eyes were already watching her ‘host’ the moment they made themselves known. Boots clicking against the floor, a patient pace of someone who was intending on enjoying the moment.

Leliana wiggled in her restraints a little, feeling a tad warm under her collar.

The voice, the scent, the touch, all calculated moves to elicit a reaction out of her. And it sure did, having the hairs along Leliana’s arms stand up. Even managed to get a slight rosy tint to her cheeks.

She was human after all, and there was a particularly attractive lady before her.

A perfect, natural facade.

Beneath the surface Leliana was watching Serina like a hawk. Analyzing the woman to figure out just who she was dealing with. Was she just an agent, one lucky enough to have caught her trail. Or maybe a more senior agent of the Tsis’kaar?

Either way, there was one word Leliana would describe her. Temptress.

It’s certainly made this a lot more interesting, and entertaining.

She’d continue to play the part, react the way her host expected her too. Not that it was a difficult task to undertake. The blonde woman’s allure was strong, and striking. Leliana’s body tensed up as she leaned in, whispering close to her ear. Sending goosebumps down the dark-haired assassin’s neck.

She knows my name, but how exactly? Do they have access to old Empire records?

Her face was a known one during her years as an apprentice, so it wouldn’t have been at all difficult to find a match once she had been captured. Leliana’s thoughts were interrupted however, as she felt nails graze beneath her chin, before it was raised to meet the woman’s striking blue eyes

“Well that depends, what’s on offer?”

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

Oh, Leliana was delightful.

Serina watched, savored, as the assassin's body responded to her. The minute tension of muscle, the faintest intake of breath, the subtle shift beneath those restraints—all tells, all pieces of the game. And yet, behind those dark brown eyes, Serina could see something else.

Leliana was watching her just as carefully. Studying her.

That sent a delicious thrill through Serina.

"Well that depends, what's on offer?"

Oh, how utterly perfect.

Serina's smile was slow, decadent, her thumb just barely tracing the edge of Leliana's jaw before she let it fall away, her fingers grazing down, teasing the column of her throat before she withdrew. She didn't answer immediately—no, that would be far too simple. Instead, she let the silence stretch, a languid moment where the air between them thickened with tension.

Then, she exhaled—a slow, pleased sound—her lips parting slightly as if she were savoring the very question Leliana had just asked.

"Oh, darling… you shouldn't ask such dangerous things if you're not ready for the answer."

Serina shifted, her movements deliberate, indulgent, intoxicating as she moved around Leliana again, trailing one finger across the assassin's shoulder, gloved fingertips barely pressing against fabric before she leaned in once more—this time behind her, just at her ear.

"But since you ask…"

A soft, wicked hum.

"Let me tell you what I could do for you."

Her voice was a murmur of silk, a whisper that felt less like words and more like a caress against Leliana's skin.

"I could take those little contracts of yours—the ones you so carefully select, so meticulously execute—and give you real challenges. The kind that make your heart race. The kind that leave you breathless, on the knife's edge between victory and death."

A pause, just long enough for her words to sink in, for the weight of them to settle against Leliana's spine.

"You're skilled. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. But you've been playing with scraps."

Serina let the word hang, dripping with a mixture of pity and amusement.

"I could give you more."

Another slow movement—Serina shifting around to Leliana's front once again, her fingers trailing along the assassin's arm as she did. She was savoring every moment, letting Leliana feel the way she was being studied, admired, desired.

"Power. Resources. Influence."

Her fingers curled beneath Leliana's chin once more, but this time, she took her time—tracing the line of her jaw, the pulse of her throat, as if memorizing every inch she touched.

"I could put the whole galaxy at your feet, if you so desired."

Her eyes gleamed with wicked amusement, drinking in every flicker of reaction Leliana gave her.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Serina tilted her head, voice dipping lower, softer, more sinful.

"No, no… that's not what you really want, is it?"

A soft chuckle, indulgent and knowing, as if she had already unraveled Leliana, as if she had already won.

"You want the game. The thrill. The feeling of danger curling in your gut. The knowledge that you're walking into something you shouldn't, and yet, you can't resist."

Serina let her nails graze just beneath Leliana's chin again, her blue eyes locked onto brown. Close, so close, their breath intermingling in the dim light.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?"

She let the moment stretch, let Leliana feel the weight of those words, the undeniable truth of them.

Then, a slow, deliberate smirk.

"So tell me, my little shadow…"

She leaned in, closer than ever before, lips brushing—not against Leliana's skin, not quite, but so tantalizingly near—that phantom of a touch meant to tease, to torment.

"How far are you willing to fall?"

 

[Leliana]

There was a mischievous twinkle in Leliana’s eyes, as she watched Serina. It had been quite some time since she had last played this kind of game. She had been raised and trained to be a cold, lethal killer. Emotions were a thing removed from the equation, to ensure there would be zero compromises during a mission.

Which went out the window after she dismantled the operation training her, and she found herself in the welcome arms of the Sith Empire. Emotions came into play during that time, and boy it had been messy. But it had been a valuable lesson for Leliana, one that helped teach her to better control them, to use them as a tool if need be.

If my host was around during that time, I’d have been in trouble.

Leliana pride wasn’t so above her, that she couldn’t admit something that would’ve been a fact back then.

The assassin smirked slightly, hearing Serina talk about asking dangerous things. “Well that’s half the fun, isn’t it? The gamble.”

Her host had it right though, Leliana had been deliberate in what contracts she picked. Small pickings they might’ve been, but they were diverse enough for her to demonstrate her skills. All done in order to garner the right kind of attention.

And that attention was certainly enchanting.

Serina’s words were enticing and promising, words of power, resources and influence. Aspects that Leliana had never truly grasped during her time in the Sith Empire. They were of interest to the assassin, but as Serina correctly guessed, they weren’t Leliana’s primary focus.

My little shadow am I? Already staking a claim are we? Leliana didn’t voice the thought, but her raised eyebrow in response said more than enough.

“How far further can one fall, if they’ve already fallen so far?” She replied, answering Serina’s question with one of her own. Because for Leliana, she had long since fallen into the depths of darkness. Allowed herself to become one with the shadows around her, and those that spread across the galaxy.

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

Oh, she liked this one.

Serina watched, drank in Leliana's every flicker of expression, every shift in posture. The raised eyebrow, the playful smirk—delicious. The assassin was playing along, oh yes, but more importantly… she was enjoying it.

That made it all the more intoxicating.

"How far further can one fall, if they've already fallen so far?"

Serina let the question settle between them, her lips parting slightly in a slow, delighted smile.

"Oh, my sweet, misguided thing."

She leaned in, slow and deliberate, until her breath ghosted against Leliana's lips, until there was nothing but a whisper of space between them.

"You think you've fallen?"

A low hum, her gloved fingers trailing back up Leliana's arm, this time slower, more indulgent. The touch was deliberate, mapping the shape of her wrist, teasing over her pulse point.

"No, no… you've only been flirting with the abyss, darling."

A wicked chuckle, throaty, velvety, luxuriating in the moment.

"You dance in the shadows, you wade in the dark, but you don't drown in it. Not yet."

Another feather-light touch, this time along Leliana's jaw, guiding her gaze back to hers—because Serina wanted to see her eyes, wanted to see that sharp, wicked intelligence behind them as she whispered her next words.

"You've been in control for so long, haven't you?"

Serina's voice dipped lower, a sultry murmur.

"Careful, measured, always calculating your next move."

Her fingers traced the faintest curve of Leliana's throat, barely touching, just enough for her warmth to linger.

"But tell me, darling…"

Serina let her lips part just slightly, let her tongue barely graze the corner of her mouth, as if savoring a taste not yet taken.

"When was the last time you let yourself fall?"

She pulled back just enough to watch Leliana, to revel in every flicker of reaction.

Serina wasn't offering just power. Not just contracts. Not just resources. No.

She was offering the unknown.

The thrill of something she could hope Leliana had long since buried—the surrender of control.

"Because I promise you this, my little shadow…"

The way Serina purred the last two words, relishing them, letting them curl off her tongue like a lover's whisper, like a vow.

"I could show you depths you've never even dreamed of."

She shifted, slow, deliberate, stepping around Leliana once more—but this time, she let her fingers trail, let her touch linger as she circled.

A tease. A promise. A claim.

"You say you've already fallen."

Serina leaned in from behind, her lips just shy of Leliana's ear, her breath warm against her skin.

"Then let me show you what it's like to be caught."

A delicate pause, letting her words settle, letting the moment stretch just long enough to leave Leliana wanting.

Then, just before she pulled away—just before she let the distance between them grow—

Serina tilted Leliana's chin up once more, her thumb ghosting over her lower lip, so agonizingly close to touch, but never quite crossing the threshold.

"All you have to do… is let go."

And oh, how she wanted to watch Leliana struggle with that.

 

[Leliana]

Oh, she’s good at this.

It had been a long time since Leliana had been this entertained. She had certain presumptions for whenever the Tsis’Kaar would answer her call. But she could never have predicted it would be so enticing.

From her observations, her host positively thrived off drawing such reactions out of her. If Leliana wasn’t confident she was a flesh and blood being, she could’ve easily been convinced this was some entity that derived sustenance from them.

Each time she guided her focus, brushed against her arm, teasing as she leaned in close. The latter in particular had Leliana squirming against her restraints.

Want me to let go, do you?

It was time to tip the scales a little.

“You’re not wrong in that I like control, to take measured and calculated steps.” Leliana’s gaze didn’t leave Serina’s as she spoke. “But I think you underestimate how much I’ve fallen already.”

There was the smallest of smirks on the assassin’s face, right until the light above cast a large enough shadow, and Leliana seemed to melt into the darkness.

Silence fell for several moments, until a cold; yet oddly pleasant breath tickled across the back of Serina’s neck. A hand settled across her left shoulder, long, sharp talons for fingers.

“We’ve long since accepted the shadows, and drank deep from the darkest pools.”

Just like that the sensation disappeared, as the shadowy figure made its way around the now empty table. Inhuman hands tracing along the metal, until they stood opposite to Serina. They leant against the head of the angled table, elbow to metal, head resting within the palm of the figure's hand.

Even from this distance, it was only just possible to make out the faint outline of a face amongst the shadows. A pair of featureless white eyes staring out from the abyss.

“Does our lovely host have a name?”

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

Oh, Leliana was exquisite.

Serina felt the shift in the air, the way the shadows whispered in response to the assassin's will. The temperature dipped just enough to prickle against her skin, and then—oh, that delicious moment of nothingness.

The empty restraints. The silence. The absence of weight where Leliana had once been.

And then—

Cold breath against the back of her neck.

Serina shuddered.

Not in fear. No, no, no. Never fear.

In pleasure.

The low, delighted sound that spilled from her lips was somewhere between a purr and a sigh, a hushed, indulgent exhale as taloned fingers settled on her shoulder.

"Mmm…"

She didn't move, didn't startle, didn't react with anything but utter appreciation as those words slid like silk through the darkness.

"We've long since accepted the shadows, and drank deep from the darkest pools."

The sensation disappeared as quickly as it came, but Serina didn't turn to chase it—no.

She let it play out.

She let Leliana have this moment, let her shift around the now empty table, let her prowl the room, trailing sharp fingers against the metal like a creature of myth.

Oh, this was magnificent.

And when Leliana finally reappeared, white eyes gleaming like specters through the dark, resting so casually at the head of the table, Serina simply stood there—watching, drinking it in, reveling in it.

"Does our lovely host have a name?"

Serina's lips parted into a smile, slow and indulgent, eyes gleaming with nothing short of pure, unfiltered delight.

"Oh, darling…"

She moved.

Not rushed, not startled— but deliberate, indulgent, savoring every step that carried her toward Leliana once more.

"You are magnificent."

Her voice was low, reverent, adoring.

"I should have expected nothing less, of course. But oh, you've truly outdone yourself. It's been so long since I've had someone with such… exquisite potential in my grasp."

A soft hum, velvety, as Serina reached the edge of the table, standing just opposite Leliana now, drinking in every detail of her shadow-wreathed form.

"A name, you ask?"

She leaned in, slow and knowing, her eyes half-lidded, her tone pure, honeyed indulgence.

"You may call me Serina."

Her hands found the edge of the table, fingers tracing the same path Leliana's had just moments ago—a silent mirror, a game of unseen intimacy.

"And you, my lovely shadow, are wasted on small contracts and fleeting whispers."

She let her gaze roam, taking in the perfect marriage of human form and something… far, far more interesting.

"You are so much more than just an assassin. Aren't you?"

Serina tilted her head, letting the flickering light catch the sharp angles of her face, the knowing curve of her lips.

"Tell me, Leliana…"

Her voice dropped, sultry, edged with amusement, admiration, and something far, far darker.

"How deep does your abyss truly go?"

And oh, how excited she was to find out.

 

[Leliana]

“Serina. Serina…” ‘Leliana’ spoke the name several times, as if testing the sound of it. Reciting it, remembering it.

The query whether she was more than just an assassin, brought a grin to the shadowy figure’s face. Well, the impression of one, obscured beneath the shadows that seemed to wrap around the assassin’s face.

She made an active, animated gesture of thinking; a talon tapping against her chin, as she thought about Serina’s last question. What would be the best way to show her?

It clicked moments later, and ‘Leliana’ almost wanted to physically facepalm at the obvious answer.

Sensation.

What else would be perfect for a temptress like Serina?

The shadowy figure moved, sauntered around the table towards the blonde woman. She raised a hand, talons brushing against Serina’s arm. Delicate and deadly, sharp enough that a sudden movement would’ve drawn blood. But ‘Leliana’s’ movements were gentle, enticing, mimicking how Serina had acted before.

“Close your eyes.” She muttered quietly, whispering into the woman’s ear. Once she did, the recollection began.

It started with innocence, a degree of which could only be attributed to a young child.

But then it was poisoned by treachery. Forcefully removed from a place of comfort, like a fish out of water. Replaced with an environment of cold and ice.

And then move one again, now surrounded by more. Similar, broken innocence, frozen within an icy cage.

Until one day curiosity took control. A serpent whispered into her ear, began to mold and manipulate what was once frozen.

Satisfaction soon followed, a plan succeeded, bodies falling one by one.

There was freedom, after so very long.

Only for emotion to leak out, to drape across one's sleeves. Caught between two, a domineering and demanding presence; White. And a more kind, gentle presence; Red.

But uncertainty swiftly followed, falling in the wake of a collapsing empire.

She walked away, returned to the shadows. Step towards the edge and peered down at the endless abyss.

It beckoned back. It called to her.

And Leliana stepped over the edge, willingly.

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

"Serina. Serina…"

Oh, she liked the way ‘Leliana’ said her name.

Testing it. Rolling it over her tongue. As if memorizing it, savoring it.

Serina's lips curled into a pleased smirk, watching Leliana's animated deliberation, the way those shadow-wreathed fingers tapped against her chin, as if genuinely considering the depth of her own abyss.

And then—oh.

The assassin moved.

Sauntered. Oh, she was playing now.

Serina felt the touch before she even processed it. Talons—sharp, delicate, dangerous—brushing against her arm. Gentle. But not weak. No, never weak.

Serina did not flinch.

Instead, she exhaled, slow and indulgent, letting the sensation settle, letting the delicious thrill prickle along her skin.

Then—

"Close your eyes."

A whisper.

A command.

Oh, Leliana had learned well.

Serina let out a low, pleased hum, the ghost of a smirk on her lips as she complied.

And then—it began.

A rush of sensation. Of memory.

At first, innocence. A feeling so alien, so foreign to Serina that it almost made her scoff. Almost.

Then—a sharp cut of treachery. Cold. Isolation.

Serina's fingers twitched, her breath hitching ever so slightly.

Oh, this was fascinating.

She let herself sink into it, feeling every moment as Leliana let it unfold before her.

The icy cage. The whisper of a serpent. The delicate, meticulous molding of something once frozen into something far more dangerous.

And then—

Satisfaction.

Serina felt it.

The sharp thrill of a plan executed flawlessly. The cold, euphoric realization of control. Bodies falling. Freedom in its purest, most vicious form.

Serina shuddered.

It was exquisite.

Then, emotion.

Serina's brows twitched, just barely, just enough. The sensation shifting, something warmer bleeding in.

White. Demanding, domineering.

Red. Kind. Gentle.

Two forces, two poles of influence, both weaving into Leliana's path.

Serina let the emotions wash over her, but she didn't let them take hold. No. She simply observed. Studied. Analyzed.

Then—

The fall.

Serina felt it.

The edge.

The abyss staring back.

The final step forward, not in hesitation, but in complete, willing surrender.

And then—

Darkness.

Serina's eyes fluttered open.

Her breath was steady, slow, measured— but her pulse thrummed beneath her skin, an eager, hungry rhythm.

She lifted a hand.

And cupped Leliana's face, or as much as you could cup a living shadow.

Not gently. Not cruelly. But deliberately.

Her thumb glided along the unfounded edge of Leliana's cheekbone, tracing the darkness that still clung to her form.

Serina's gaze was molten now.

"Oh, Leliana…"

She sighed the name, reverent, indulgent, positively dripping with pleasure.

"That was…"

She tilted Leliana's chin up, just slightly, enough to let those white eyes remain locked to hers.

"Divine."

A slow exhale.

Serina relished in what she had just experienced.

And in what Leliana had become.

"You don't just walk in the shadows."

A low chuckle, a hum of absolute, unfiltered adoration.

"You are woven from them. Threaded through with darkness so rich, so perfect, I could simply… drown in it."

She let her nails ghost down Leliana's jawline.

"You need to fall further, my dear."

A wicked smirk, sultry, knowing, promising.

"You will fall so much further, I will assure it."

And oh, Serina loved what she had found there.

 

[Leliana]

The shadowy figure grinned at the reactions they were eliciting from Serina. Each and every one of them was intoxicating, making it all too apparent why the blonde woman enjoyed doing the same thing.

It was an interesting dynamic for ‘Leliana’, as someone who had been taught for so long that emotions were a handicap. They had no place for an assassin, who needed stoic precision to kill.

And her old teachers weren’t exactly wrong then, but emotions were a whole different set of tools that could be utilized. That much was more than clear, just from this initial interaction with Serina.

‘Leliana’ hummed quietly, indulging in the blonde’s touch as she leant into it. She let out a chuckle, the shadows melting away, returning to the more flesh and blood form of Leliana.

This was but one step into the Sith Order, one of many if she wanted to create something of a foothold. But Leliana would be lying if she wasn’t appreciative of this being her introduction.

“Then tell me, Serina. What exactly do you have in mind?”

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

Serina thrived in moments like this. The unraveling. The slow, deliberate give-and-take of control. Leliana was playing the game—no, she was mastering it. And Serina was utterly enthralled.

The way Leliana leaned into her touch, indulging in the moment rather than resisting it, sent a delightful thrill through Serina. Oh, this was no ordinary assassin. No mere killer bred for precision. Leliana was something else entirely.

And Serina would shape her into something more.

Her smirk widened as the shadows melted away, peeling back to reveal flesh and blood once more. There was something beautiful about that shift—an acceptance of form, of self. A being woven from the dark, stepping between worlds as easily as most drew breath.

She was perfect.

Serina's blue eyes gleamed with hunger, a gaze that did not simply look at Leliana, but consumed her, devoured her, possessed her.

Then came the question.

"Then tell me, Serina. What exactly do you have in mind?"

Oh, what a delicious question.

Serina sighed, slow and indulgent, her hands sliding down from Leliana's face with calculated leisure. She took her time—always took her time. She wanted Leliana to feel it, to savor every second before she finally spoke.

"The Tsis'Kaar?" Her voice was silken, laced with dark amusement. "Oh, darling… they are merely the first step. A foundation upon which we will build something far greater."

She tilted her head, stepping in close once more—not to crowd, but to claim. Her presence was commanding, intoxicating, overwhelming in its sheer weight.

"They will think they are consuming you. That they are bringing you into their fold, molding you into one of their own."

A soft chuckle, low and knowing.

"But what they don't realize—what they couldn't realize—is that we will be the ones taking from them."

Serina lifted a gloved hand, her fingers tracing a slow, indulgent path along Leliana's arm, teasing against the fabric of her sleeve.

"I see it so clearly, Leliana. You and I, together, weaving our own empire within the dark."

Her gaze burned, not with the frenzied hunger of lesser Sith, but with the slow, patient, all-consuming fire of one who understood the weight of eternity.

"We will not merely serve the shadows, my dear." Her fingers lifted to Leliana's jaw once more, tilting her face ever so slightly upward. "We will become them."

Serina's voice dropped into a sultry whisper, a breath against Leliana's lips, so agonizingly close.

"The Sith Order. The Tsis'Kaar. They are all so… limited. So caught in their games of power and paranoia that they fail to see the bigger picture."

Her thumb brushed just beneath Leliana's lower lip, lingering.

"But we? We will see it all. Control it all."

Serina exhaled, her amusement dripping into something darker.

"I will drag you into the abyss with me, my little shadow. And together, we will drown the galaxy in it."

She paused, letting those words settle, letting the sheer weight of her ambition sink in.

Then—a slow, wicked smile.

"Tell me, Leliana… doesn't that sound fun?"

Oh, how she longed to see how deep Leliana would let herself sink.

 

[Leliana]

It would be vastly understating it, to say Serina was ambitious. She practically radiated it as she described what she had in mind.

The Tsis’Kaar, a stepping stone?

Deceiving the deceivers?

An empire woven in shadows?

It was very enticing, and very Sith. After all that was the game they all played, of ambition and power. The desire to overcome one’s rivals and be the one at the top.

Whether it was to be seated on the throne, or the one controlling it.

In the depths of Leliana’s mind though, she wondered how many others had heard those exact words, if not similar. The assassin didn’t believe she was the only one. Serina struck her as the type to thrive in Holo-chess. Patient, manipulative and calculating, meticulous in placing her pieces on the board.

But Leliana knew where she stood, she was but a small fish about to be thrown into a very large pond. Survive on her own, that she could do? But if she wanted to grow then partnerships had to be formed.

And Serina was promising to drown her in it.

“Sounds absolutely thrilling.” Leliana replied, a small grin on her face. “Where should we begin?”

Serina Calis​

 

[Serina Calis]

Tag: Leliana ​

Serina laughed.

Oh, it was a gorgeous sound, low and indulgent, rich with amusement and pleasure. Leliana had not only accepted the offer—she had embraced it. Oh, there was still caution there, still an assassin's mind lurking beneath that playful grin, calculating, measuring, testing. But Serina was all too familiar with the art of control. She could feel the weight of Leliana's consideration, the careful way she had balanced the risks against the rewards.

And she had chosen Serina.

That was a thrill all on its own.

"Where should we begin?"

Oh, that question sent a delightful shiver through her.

Serina let the silence stretch for just a moment longer, relishing the way the air between them hummed with unspoken promises. Then, she moved—graceful, slow, deliberate, as always. Her fingers brushed against Leliana's wrist, just barely, a teasing whisper of touch.

"Where indeed?" she mused, her voice silken, dripping with honeyed amusement. "The path before us is so vast, my dear. So many avenues, so many choices…"

Her blue eyes gleamed with delight, as if she were savoring the weight of the decision before them.

Then, she tilted her head, a thoughtful hum slipping from her lips.

"But first—"

Her fingers curled beneath Leliana's chin once more, guiding her gaze up. Not forcefully, no—just enough. Enough to remind Leliana of the game they were playing, of the shifting balance of power between them.

"I need to know something, my little shadow."

Serina's voice dropped, turning into a soft purr, as she leaned in just slightly closer.

"When the time comes, when the moment arrives that the Tsis'Kaar begin to suspect what we are doing—when they realize that they are no longer the ones pulling the strings…"

A pause.

Serina let it hang, let it stretch between them, let Leliana anticipate what was coming next.

"Will you hesitate?"

The question was asked so gently, so intimately, it might have been mistaken for something far softer than what it was.

Serina's fingers trailed lower, down Leliana's throat, lingering at the pulse point there. She felt the rhythm beneath her touch, the steady, controlled beat.

"I see what you are, Leliana. I see what you could be."

A smirk curled at Serina's lips, indulgent, knowing.

"But I need to know if you will flinch when the moment arrives. When it is not some nameless, faceless target beneath your blade, but one of our own—one of the very people who will believe they own you, who will assume you are nothing more than a tool at their disposal."

Her fingers pressed, just slightly, just a whisper of pressure, teasing at the edge of something more.

"Because we will have to carve our empire out of their bones, darling."

Her lips parted just slightly, her tongue running the edge of her lower lip, as if savoring the very idea.

"We will play their game, for a time."

A slow, deliberate hum, as Serina finally let her fingers fall away from Leliana's skin, withdrawing as agonizingly slow as she had approached.

"We will let them think they are the ones shaping you. Training you. Refining you into something useful."

Another laugh, soft, wicked.

"And when they least expect it, we will rip them apart from the inside."

She then pronounced a single word, a code for the first of the greatest corruptions of the Weaver, the Harbinger of Susefvi, the Heir of Malak, the Corruptor of the Light, the Mistress of the Dark.

A word that the whole galaxy would one day remember.

"Daggerfall."

Serina stepped back just slightly, giving Leliana space—but not distance. The tension between them still throbbed, the undercurrent of power and promise thick in the air.

"But that, my dear, is our future."

She let the words settle, before exhaling, slow, indulgent, as if savoring the weight of what was to come.

"As for the present…"

Serina turned, her steps measured, elegant, until she reached the console on the far side of the room. With the flick of a gloved finger, she disengaged the restraints that had once bound Leliana.

"It is time to introduce you properly to the Tsis'Kaar."

She turned back, her smirk positively radiant with dark amusement.

"Time to let the wolves think they've caught themselves a prize."

Serina watched her now, truly watched.

The assassin had taken the first step.

Now, Serina would drag her the rest of the way down.