digitizedsouls | (psl) meet me in the shadows, won't you tell me what you've found

[Diluc Ragnvindr is a monster that hunts monsters worse than he is.

When those monsters happen to be mortal, he gets to feed.

That has been how he has conducted himself for centuries, and it has worked well enough. He has no delusions that this somehow makes him more noble or honorable than his vampire brethren. Much like people, creatures of the night run the gamut of ethics and morality, and the communities to which they belong tend to reflect those values. In his coven of Mondstadt, Diluc's methods are considered extreme; there are many that would consider even this a step too far, that human life isn't intended to be snuffed out no matter the circumstances.

Diluc finds that attitude hopelessly naive. It's part of why he keeps his distance from them, more often than not.

Tonight, he is on patrol through city streets, eyes aglow behind a cloak and mask. In his prowling, he comes across an unassuming young woman skulking in an alleyway. Warily, he slows and stops his steps.]

What are you?

[Not "who." He can tell from her scent that she isn't human. That doesn't necessarily doom her - non-humans aren't automatically evil, and humans can be among the worst monsters - but it makes him cautious.]

[ Were Oriphi privy to his trepidations, she would agree. He's right to be cautious.

She is well-aware of what happens when she cannot feed. Insatiable lust becomes uncontrollable, not to be stopped until she's had her fill - and it just might kill a person, if she's not careful. She desperately doesn't want to get to that point, but she can feel that she's so very close.

She hates it, and she hates what she is. But she doesn't want to die... If she could just find someone, perhaps a bored tavern patron looking to distract themselves after a few drinks, anyone—

Then appears a figure before her, his shadow casting over her as she looks up at him, flushed and hungry, and yet there's a suffering in her eyes.

She is silent for a moment as she regards him. This must be the Darknight Hero. She's heard Donna go on and on about this man while daydreaming at the flower stall. She's tried to be careful, to refrain from attracting his attention whenever she is searching for someone to seduce, but it seems her luck has run out this time.

What she needs to do to survive just might kill a person, if she's not careful— but one glance at the one before her tells her that he is no ordinary man. Does he know what she is...? ]

I... I don't know what you mean.

[Ugh, he hates being known as the "Darknight Hero." It's a stupid name given to him by the people of the city in recognition of the filth he rids them of, and he wishes they had come up with literally anything else. Or, more preferably, no such title at all. He doesn't want their recognition. That's not the point.

The woman is evasive in her answer. Little surprise, given that she's going through the trouble of concealing her true nature in the first place. But he has no intentions of allowing her to slip away from the subject so easily.]

You do.

[His voice is flat and stern, not allowing any room for argument.]

It will be easier for both of us if you're honest. So I'll ask you again: what are you?

Edited 2022-09-08 20:04 (UTC)

[ Her gaze falls away from his face as she bites down on her lip. He has her cornered. If he were anyone else - a human - she would have some hope of escaping if she could knock him out and continue her hunt elsewhere. But she can likewise sense from his scent that he isn't human, and thus she's left with very few options. She could continue to lie - which she has always been terrible at, contrary to what most would assume of a succubus - and risk drawing his ire and perhaps get herself killed, or... tell the truth.

While she uses the bodies of others for her own pleasure, for her own survival, she isn't heartless. It is simply the circumstance of what she is. She likes to think that in the light of day - when she's been sated, when she simply appears as any other woman would - she is a kind, generous person. Just another citizen of Mondstadt, growing and selling flowers to make a humble living.

So when she looks up at him once more, her eyes are pleading. Maybe he'll think that this is part of an act, but it isn't - not on her part. She just wants to live. ]

I... I'll tell you, but please, I— I don't mean to harm anyone.

[ She staggers and leans on her side, against a wall. ]

I'm a succubus. I'm just... [ Hunting. ] I don't have much time.

Edited 2022-09-08 20:28 (UTC)

[He watches her impassively, taking in her words and weighing it against the evidence of his senses. He has no reason to disbelieve her when she says she's a succubus - it explains the scent, and it explains how and why she's taking a human form. It's how her kind hunts, luring hapless mortals to bed and draining their life force via coitus. Some succubi get off on sucking their victims dry and leaving their husks behind. Others only take what they need and move on, not entirely unlike how the vampires of Mondstadt tend to operate.

This one, it seems, is an extreme example of the latter. That's demonstrated just as much by her obvious weakness as it is by her panicked assurances that she means no harm. No succubus worth her weight in cruelty would let herself go this hungry. It's possible that this is all an act, of course, but his instinct tells him otherwise.

He sighs and closes the distance between them.]

You'd be a lot less dangerous if you didn't let yourself get to this point.

[It's an admonition, but not a threat.

He looks down at her, taking the opportunity to look her over. She really is quite lovely, even by the standards of her species. Perhaps moreso, as she somehow possesses more charm than the purely sexual charisma that most succubi seem to prefer when taking human forms. Beneath her desperate desire (a scent that is much more evident now that he's close to her), she smells of flowers and earth. Eventually, his gaze settles on her neck. Her heart is beating fast, and it's impossible to ignore the effect it's having on her pulse.

She's not the only one who hungers tonight. It would be so easy, so satisfying to pull her close, sink his teeth into that beautiful artery, and drink. He could make it painless for her--pleasurable even. And he could sate her and take his pleasure at the same time. Such an arrangement is far from unheard of, and they'd both benefit.

No one has to die tonight.]

You feed from me, I drink from your neck. We both live. Yes or no?

[This close, she can surely see his fangs. Her instincts were right--he's no more human than she is.]

[ She shrinks a little it into herself when he steps forward, both because she's unsure as to what he's going to do, and because she doesn't know how much longer she can keep herself from simply feeding on someone who's standing right there. But most of all, she knows little about the Darknight Hero; what if he hunts monsters like herself?

What he says, however, isn't something she anticipates in the least. She would sooner think that he would turn around and run away - sooner still that, weakened as she is, he would simply ignore her plea and take her out. She certainly hadn't been expecting him to sound... understanding.

So he knows of her kind... Then he must know that the way he stands over her could very well kill her. She can't help but groan as she senses him looking her over her appraisingly, because all she can think is how badly she wants his hands to be where his eyes roam over her body. ]

Please, I have to—

[ go, she wants to say. She would very much like for him to spare her, and then to let her go so that she can find someone to seduce.

But then he offers himself up, instead. He has subverted all of her expectations in such a short time. Who on earth is this man...?

Her eyes widen as she looks up again and finds pointed teeth, fangs that are meant to sink into flesh and drink blood. ]

Ah...

[ Just like that, the pieces have fallen into place.

Though rare, her her hunts usually involve her simply putting herself at the right place at the right time. She'll catch someone's eye around the tavern. Or some unsuspecting fool will buy flowers from her and show up at her door not too long after, already bewitched.

But this is a first, for many reasons, and she cannot refuse or she would be in danger. And so too, it seems, would he, although perhaps to a lesser extent.

At length, she reaches up to brush her hair away from her shoulder, baring her neck to him as she takes a few steps back, beckoning him further into the dark alley, her eyes never leaving his. ]

Yes. Please.

[She's amenable. For her sake, that's a good thing - had she denied him out of a sense of propriety or fear, it would be dire for her while merely uncomfortable for him. The best case scenario would have been that he'd only take three steps away from her before she attacked him from behind and took what she needed from him by force.

He would have let her. And then he would have made sure to put the fear of hell into her so that she doesn't do it again.

Instead, he can't help but grin slightly as she starts to lead him further away from the light of the street. Humans won't be able to see them, but they can still see each other just fine. They're both creatures of the night. Darkness is where they thrive.

Speaking of:]

Let go of the disguise.

[He knows what she is. She's just wasting what precious little energy she has left in keeping the human image up.

Besides, he wants to see her for what she really is as he fucks her. There's a dark thrill behind all of this, no doubt enhanced by the pheromones he knows she's emitting, and he's letting himself be pulled into it.]

[ Oriphi would sooner let herself starve to death than take what she needs by force. She is aware that sometimes the lines are blurred, and that it's an inevitability. Sometimes she purposely preys on someone who's had too much to drink, in hopes that they won't remember her. It's wrong, and she knows it. But it's how she survives. At the very least, she's never physically harmed someone to get what she needs.

Emotionally, perhaps. But not on purpose.

But this vampire isn't some human who fell in love with the wrong woman. For once, she doesn't have to worry about breaking someone's heart because they wanted to see her again - not knowing that doing so could very well kill them. And she can't help but feel a strange sense of relief.

As such, she only hesitates momentarily at his suggestion— though he doesn't quite say it like one. She peers up at him, and her lips draw into a thin line as she takes a deep breath and reveals her true form to him. Olive skin turns to lilac and rose as horns appear on her head, tail beneath her skirts. She undoes the buttons of her blouse all the while to shrug it off, the fabric pooling at her waist as wings emerge and spread from her back. And yet even through the transformation, her face remains the same. There's something gentle behind those glowing, amber eyes, something a little too kindhearted and soft in spite of what she is. And even as she bids him closer, there's a strange sense of comfort and warmth that lurks beneath the allure of this dark thrill. It's with that same sense that she looks up at him and asks, ]

You, too. Let go.

[ as if to tell him that his secret is safe with her. ]

Edited 2022-09-08 23:48 (UTC)

[The succubus is lovely as a human, and even lovelier in her true form like this.

The look in her eyes, especially, takes him aback. What he finds there is relief and warmth and honesty, and he can tell that his instincts were correct before. She's not harmless - no one truly is - but she has no malicious intent. Like many, she's simply doing her best to get by. He's in no position to judge her for that, even if her methods leave much to be desired.

Her request for reciprocity draws him out of his reverie, and he blinks at her a few times in surprise. The thought of unmasking himself never occurred to him, but now that she's given voice to it... well, fair is fair.]

As you wish.

[He pulls off his mask and lowers his hood, revealing fair skin, youthful features, and a long red ponytail. His eyes, crimson and piercing, continue to glow as before as he looks her over again. This time, he allows the gaze to become hungry as it follows the curves of her breasts.

It isn't long before he reaches down, undoing his pants and lowering them just enough for them to free his already half-hard cock. And then he picks her up and presses her back to the wall, hiking up her skirts to her waist and pressing his hips up against hers.

He moans softly when skin meets skin instead of finding fabric there. She's not wearing panties. Fuck.]

[ The moment that he shows her who he is, her lips part in awe. He is gorgeous, crimson eyes to match the hair the frames his face and the length of it held up into a ponytail, contrasting against fair skin. But a second more of admiration is all she needs to realize who it is that she's looking at.

Master Diluc Ragnvindr stands in front of her, eyes aglow with hunger as he gazes upon her bare chest. Master Diluc, who is a vampire - one who is about to feed on her, and on whom she is about to feed herself.

If not for the way that she feels feverishly ravenous, she might have said something upon the realization. But as it is, her thoughts and words are lost entirely as she simply moans instead when he finally closes the distance between them, pressing her against the wall. His body feels so good against hers, and she's aching everywhere for him. Her tail winds its way around to him as if it would keep him close, and her legs wrap around his body as she grinds her hips impatiently against his.

She is sinfully wet between her legs - a testament to her desperation and hunger - and it's possible that she has been ever since he first found her. ]

Ah...

[ Fuck, this feels so good already. ]

Hurry, please...

[They can deal with the matter of confirming identities later. For now, all Diluc can think about is the exquisite wetness between her legs and the sound of her heartbeat pounding in his ears. She begs for him to continue, and he doesn't hesitate in obliging her. With a shift of his hips and a firm thrust, he slides into her easily.

It takes every bit of self control for him not to immediately sink his fangs into her gorgeous, exposed neck. But it's not to her benefit for him to take from her too quickly--she's diminished, and drinking from her before she's had a chance to feed from him is a recipe for disaster. This is meant to be mutually beneficial, which means he needs to be patient.

In that, at least. When it comes to fucking her, there's no need to take things so carefully. After taking a few moments to savor how wonderfully wet and tight she feels, he pulls out enough to thrust into her again, harder this time. And from there, he starts to set a feverish pace, pounding into her and not even bothering to muffle his moaning from how amazing it feels. There's no one around to hear them.]

[ Gods, he feels so good inside of her, and the pleasure from even just that first time that he buries himself into her is delicious. She’s not thinking about the terms of their exchange right now - she’s only thinking about how badly she needs this— and how badly she needs more.

Luckily, he gives her exactly that without her needing to further beg for it. Her eyes slip shut as he rocks into her with a steady, maddening rhythm, and from there her mouth parts and stays parted for every pant, moan, every sound of pleasure that bubbles up out of her throat.

This is almost exactly what she needs. Almost perfect. There are only a few things that could make this even better - and to that end, she loops her arms around his neck to pull him down towards her chest, a silent urge for him to have his way with her breasts. ]

[There's something exhilarating at the fact that this is so rough and unrestrained, the two of them going at it like animals in the open air of the alleyway. Chasing his carnal desires isn't something he gets to indulge in often, if at all, and the debauched way that she's caused him to snap like this is enough to make his head spin.

Someone less acquainted with what's going on (i.e., someone mortal) would be unaware of the way that already she's managed to feed from him quite a bit. He begins to feel the absence of vitality as he continues thrusting into her. Not enough to make his stop, not even enough to make him slow down. But enough to notice.

It shows, too, in the way she becomes more responsive as he fucks her, more insistent on what she needs and wants. She pulls him down to her perfect breasts, and he indulges her by biting and suckling the curve of one of them before focusing on teasing her nipple with his tongue. All the while, his body screams with barely-veiled want. She's so warm, so close, so good. Her pulse is strong now, beautiful and perfect. The scent of flowers and sex fills his nostrils, and the temptation that he's held at bay until now finally ensnares him.

After one last bite - just hard enough to leave a mark - he shifts his head to her neck, bites into her, and drinks deeply. She tastes phenomenal, sharp and sweet all at once.

Somehow, he manages not to completely spill into her from the taste of her alone. But he knows he won't last much longer at this rate.]

Edited (why am I so bad at html) 2022-09-09 03:16 (UTC)

[ Given the way that Ori often waits until the last possible moment to feed herself, rough, unrestrained trysts like this happen more often than not. She’s not proud of it by any means, but it’s how she’s chosen to live her life.

He indulges her so easily and so well, and she nearly screams as he sucks and licks and bites at her breasts, never ceasing the way he pounds into her all the while. Now, it’s perfect. It’s exactly what she needs. And this time, she can enjoy the pleasure to its fullest. There are no worries about whether she’ll accidentally kill someone by losing control. No worries about someone wanting more than she can give them. Right now, she doesn’t even care that he’s Diluc Ragnvindr. All she cares about is the life surging through her veins, all molten heat and pleasure, and…

She has not felt this alive in what feels like a long, long time. ]

Gods, yes… Yes… More— Give me more, please—

[ And as if he hears her plea once again, he shifts his head; she angles hers in response, allowing him better access to her neck as he closes in on it and bites down, hard, piercing and breaking skin to drink her blood. Even having anticipated it, she still yelps in surprise - and in pleasure, because hells. The pain of it is so sweet, so good— ]

Good. So good…

[ — it’s enough to drive Ori off the edge and towards her long-awaited peak. Her fingers weave into his hair, grasping tightly and pulling hard as she screams, mind going blank with utter bliss as she comes around him. ]

Fuck.

[She's screaming and pulling his hair and tightening so perfectly around him, and he's helpless in response to it. With a low, guttural noise of his own, he thrusts a few more times into her and hits his own orgasm just as hard, holding onto her thighs with bruising force as he fills her.

Breathless silence follows, and he manages to muster just enough presence of mind to remove his teeth from her and run his tongue over the puncture wounds to close them. Bleeding her too much would be counter productive, given what he's just done for her. There are definitely vampires who would take advantage in that kind of way, bringing someone back to health only to drink them dry, but the thought isn't remotely appealing to him. He kills monsters, not vulnerable succubi who don't know how to care for themselves properly.

Besides, he prefers her warm and alive and close to him. Just as she is now.

It's an oddly sentimental thought for him, and he dismisses it as an effect of the afterglow.]

How are you feeling?

[The goal was, first and foremost, to feed her. It makes sense to check with her before too much time passes.]

[ Her hands fall limply away from his hair, coming to tentatively rest atop his shoulders in the silence as they both catch their breath. She can feel clarity seeping slowly back into her mind, albeit dampened by the haze of the afterglow.

To her surprise, he doesn’t continue to drink. She’s had very few encounters with vampires, and though none of them have ever drank from her, she has seen the way that some go about their hunts. Some drink their prey dry, or otherwise leave them in a state where death would have been a merciful choice. Surely, he must know that he could continue to drink from her if he needed to…

Instead, he pulls away and laves at her neck to ease the pain and close the wounds. The gesture is surprisingly gentle and considerate, and yet again not what she would have expected from this encounter. There are already so many things about it that are unusual for her, however, and that includes the fact that he asks after her.

If she didn’t know any better, she might deign to think that he could be genuinely concerned for her wellbeing - but logically, she knows that he only asks with respect to their respective conditions. They made an agreement tonight, after all. He simply seeks to know if he’s fulfilled his end of it. ]

… I’m alright.

[ A white lie. And a bit of a bad one, given the way she had been begging him for more mere moments ago.

But he’s done enough— more than enough to stave off impending disaster for her. She’ll live to see the dawn, thanks to his help, and perhaps the blood he's taken from her is enough, too. Yet, as he keeps her pressed against the wall, body to body, hungering thoughts yet linger in her mind. She wants to feel his skin against hers. She wants to lick and suck and bite at him, to have his back against the wall as she has her way with him. If an encounter such as this had already done so much for her... She can't help but wonder how it would feel to take her sweet time with him.

But she doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she shifts to allow him to pull out of her, barely stifling the groan that rises up out of her at the empty feeling left behind. She turns her head towards the opening of the alley, warily watching, before she casts him a sidelong glance.

Master Diluc Ragnvindr… not only is he the Darknight Hero, he’s a vampire. And now that she’s thinking just a little bit more clearly, she can’t help but dwell on the fact. She’s entirely uncertain as to what kind of situation she’s now landed herself into, but she knows that she must be careful.

So, it would probably be wise not to ask for more. ]

I don’t want to keep you any longer, Master Diluc.

Edited (kylo ren more gif) 2022-09-09 14:27 (UTC)

["Alright" is good enough, even if she's not quite at 100%. He can see the lingering hunger in her eyes, even as she tries to downplay it, but for now he pays it little mind. The important thing is that she's no longer a danger to others or in danger of keeling over herself.

He pulls out of her and tucks himself away, his gaze following hers to the open street. At first he wonders if there might be someone there, but then she speaks and he realizes that she's looking in that direction in anticipation of leaving--and to avoid looking directly at him.

A humorless chuckle rises out of him in response.]

I wondered if you had recognized me.

[A thoughtful pause.]

I never asked your name. May I have it?

[In hindsight, it seems rather rude to have neglected that detail until now. But they were both distracted, first by wariness and then by carnal urges. Now that they're both operating with more mental clarity, it seems like something too obvious to overlook. And yet, here they are.]

[ Of course she would recognize him. She would have to be living beneath a rock to not know who the most powerful man in Mondstadt is. Come to think of it, Donna can never stop talking about Diluc, either; to think that the two objects of that woman’s obsessions are one in the same… It’s rather humorous, in a way, that she’ll likely never come to know the truth.

Oriphi, on the other hand…

She can’t help but look hesitant when he asks for her name, although she has no reason to believe he’ll do anything like reveal her true nature to the masses. If he wanted to ruin her, he simply would have either killed her in this alleyway or walked away to leave her to die. Instead— well, he ruined her in the best way possible. He did her quite a favor tonight by quite literally saving her life, and the least she can do is give him her name, despite not knowing what he'd even want to do with it. ]

…Oriphi.

[ A beat, and then she begins to straighten herself out. Her wings fold in as she begins to shift back into her human appearance, buttoning her blouse back up in the process. ]

I realized who you were when you took off your mask, but… [ She couldn’t quite formulate a sentence, at that point. ] You don’t have to worry about your secrets.

Edited 2022-09-09 18:35 (UTC)

Oriphi. It's a pleasure.

[To say the least, after what they've just done.

He takes a step back out of her personal space as she begins to shift back into her human disguise and button herself back up. It's more difficult to do than he anticipates, removing himself from her warmth, and he quietly berates himself for the hesitation. He ought to remain focused on what it is he does in his nightly patrolling, not allowing himself to get so distracted by pleasures of the flesh.

Still... even now, covered and looking up at him in an innocent-looking human form, she's quite distracting indeed.]

I appreciate that. Likewise, your secrets are safe with me.

[It's not quite an equitable offer. With his power and reputation, he could damage her much more than she can damage him with their respective truths. But it's the least he can offer, and it's an offer made in good faith.

That established, he gets back to business. So to speak.]

How often do you let yourself starve like this, Oriphi?

[ He steps away, and she can’t quite conceal the way that she sighs in relief. It gets just a touch easier to breathe and even have a conversation with a man she’d just met and fed off when he’s standing further away, allowing her to steer her focus away from the voice in her head that still wants to pulls his clothes off and wants to see what he would look like beneath her… ]

Ah… You’re worried that I’ll cause trouble. Is that it…?

[ It’s the only reason she can imagine for why he keeps asking her questions. She’s becoming more and more aware of the imbalance of power between the two of them… As such, being as honest as possible might be the only way he’ll allow her to continue living her life. If he'll allow her to continue living her life. ]

I don’t… Like to feed often. I always hurt someone when I do. I’d rather starve myself…

[ Of course, when she does, then it becomes all the more likely that she’ll hurt someone worse than normal. But she can’t help it… She just wants to forget what she is and live as normally as she can. ]

[Oriphi isn't wrong. He is worried she'll cause trouble if she keeps this up, both to others and to herself. But that isn't the only reason.
Simply put, he's taken something of an interest in her. He's never met a creature so terrified of her own power and potential as she is, and he'd be hard pressed to say that it doesn't pique his curiosity. There's also something almost endearing about the whole thing, that a succubus would yearn so strongly for a simpler, less predatory lifestyle. The thrill of the hunt and her biological imperative to feed don't overshadow her empathy for her victims, and that's rare to see in her kind.

Also... it's hard to ignore how really good the sex was. But he insists to himself that's not a factor in his interest.

He's lying to himself, of course, but it's not like it's the first or last time he's done so.]

I see.

[A plan begins to form in his mind.]

I managed to come away unscathed, however. Do you feel any different, feeding from a vampire instead of a human? Anything to be concerned over?

[ The way his eyes remains fixed on her feels both a blessing and a curse. She feels as though she’s withering beneath the intense, scrutinizing gaze of those crimson eyes of hiss that glow in the shadows where they stand. Yet at the same time, she would be remiss to say that there isn’t a part of her that isn’t enjoying the very same attention, that hasn’t stopped thinking about alive she’d felt while he was fucking her senseless. Her hands come up to idly twist the ends of her hair between her fingers. A nervous habit— though, perhaps, that same part of her is aware of the potentially alluring nature of it.

But she stops, realization flashing across her features when Diluc brings up a simple fact that hasn’t even occurred to her until he says it out loud, even though it’s been obvious this whole time: he managed to come away unscathed. More often than not, she leaves her victims in some form of debilitation, whether it be physically or emotionally. And yet here he stands, and, as she looks at him again, he looks ostensibly hale and whole. And he doesn’t look even the least bit tired.

Then he asks after her, again, and her brow furrows as she considers herself. ]

I— I feel good.

[ She means to say, alright. Just as she’d said earlier when he first asked, only that’s not what’s come out, is it? ]

I mean— Alright. And I think that it didn’t… Take as much… To get to this point.

[ Gods, why is she saying all of this? And why does he keep asking questions? ]

[He kind of had expected that detail to escape her notice, nervous as she seems to be about simply existing in his presence. Or existing at all, if her words are to be believed. It really is amazing, how different she is now that she's not desperate take and be taken in equal measure. If he didn't see it with his own eyes, he's not sure he'd believe that the succubus he fucked against the wall is the same as the woman looking up at him now.

This time, the asking after her is a probing question. He needs to know that there aren't any adverse side effects to what he's about to suggest. As luck would have it, it seems to be quite the opposite--she's feeling better drawing from him than from a mortal person.

Good.]

Then allow me to make a proposal. You require to feed to survive, and you don't want to hurt anyone while doing so. But your method of minimizing harm is reckless and potentially disastrous--for you and for any hapless person who gets too close to you. For reasons that I hope should be obvious, I would like to prevent that.

Going forward, I can be your sole target. And we can do this regularly, not just when you're so starved you can't handle yourself.

Your thoughts?

[ He’s not saying anything that she doesn’t already know. She knows it’s reckless, what she does. But she can’t help but frown as he lays it all out in front of her in such methodical, unfeeling words. Though it would be worse if he were to be angry about it, she supposes. She can’t say that she completely understands where he’s coming from, but…

Still, she listens carefully, and her shock is clear as he gives her the option of feeding on him, and him only - and in such a way that would prevent her from finding herself in this situation again. She would be free to live her life, and not have to worry about starving or hurting anyone.

But… Why would he go to such lengths? ]

And you’re doing this… Why?

If you just wanted to make Mondstadt a safer place, Master Diluc, you could have just killed me. You still could. I don’t… I don’t understand.

[This time, it's Diluc who looks surprised by her response. Was his reputation as the Darknight Hero (or as Master Diluc Ragnvindr) really so cold-hearted and terrible? Of course it is; he's built himself to be untouchable, a force in the night to punish the guilty that more "proper" authorities refuse to acknowledge. Such an image is necessary, as it discourages bad behavior from humans and supernatural creatures alike.

But to see such that reaction from her stings a bit, for reasons he can't quite understand. When he speaks, there's a softness in his voice that wasn't present before.]

I kill monsters and punish the guilty, Oriphi. You are neither. Everything you've said and done tonight has demonstrated that much.

[Monsters don't care what happens to those they come into contact with. Or if they do, it's with malicious intentions.]

So allow me to help you and Mondstadt at the same time.

(psl) meet me in the shadows, won't you tell me what you've found

first meetings.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)