Kristia was sitting inside her home, curled up on a couch, her attention completely captivated by the book in her hand. Lounging out, one arm hanging over the couch arm and her legs were sprawled out. She was in the back of the Manor, in the library. Piled around her were books, many of them taken down from the shelf walls and left on the floor. Messy, disorderly piles. It looked as though someone had ravaged the place.

There was a quick knock on the door to the library. She looked up to see Ky, her young anthro slave, standing at the door. He was part fox, those pointy, furry ears open and twitching. He brushed a patch of his long blond hair from his eyes, giving her a sheepish smile as he looked down, speaking quietly.

?Mistress.. I?m sorry to bother you.. but I heard noises at the gates. I looked outside and there seems to be a small troupe at the front door. One woman and a couple men.? Ky informed her.

Kristia frowned, bending the top of her page and closing the book, tossing it to the floor as she sat up. ?Well. What the hell are you standing around here for? Go see what they want and don?t just let anyone in.?

?Yes, Mistress.? As Ky disappeared from sight, Kristia scratched at her chin. Thinking. Who could possibly be bothering her at this hour? She wasn?t accustomed to having company at her home, save for Joseph.

Curious, she decided to get up and stroll to the hallway. Leaning back against the open library door, green eyes focused in on the direction of the front door. She couldn?t quite see from where she stood, but at least she?d hear the conversation. From there she?d decide if it was someone she needed to meet, greet, or kill.

The anthro was nervous as he opened the door, and it was easily read on his face. Ky wasn?t much of a fighter and he was an anxious boy to begin with. Really, the poor fellow made a terrible doorman and anyone wanting cause trouble at the Manor would be able to push him over without any hesitation. This, he knew, and was terrified of. He liked his mistress enough, but most of the company she kept made him nervous. Hell, she scared the crap out of him.

The door was opened with a creaking noise; Ky pulled the door back only far enough to stick his head outwards. ?Can.. can I help you??

Ky appeared as if he was going to wet himself. When her thugs stepped up to push the door open, the anthro released his grip on the handle and fell back a few steps. He began breathing rapidly, looking frantic.

?Mistress Kristia said.. that.. to.. what is your n-name?? He managed to force the words out, but he was trembling all the while. Eyes wide, he didn?t seem to relax even as the men moved back behind the woman.

Kristia, who was still listening from the library, immediately became active at the mention of her mentor?s name. Who would be coming to her home asking about Dalamar? She felt a little worried feeling rolling around in the pit of her stomach. Her first reaction was concern. Did something happen to him? She was going to find out.

Quick, rapid footwork took her just behind the anthro. A hand was raised, placed on the fearful boy?s shoulder.

?Ky, I?ll handle this.?

Ky breathed a sigh of relief when his mistress approached. But that relaxed feeling only lasted for a moment. Blue eyes darting quickly between the woman outside the door and then to the woman inside, he became stiff with fear again. It had just occurred to the poor boy, that while Kristia might protect him from the guests.. who was going to protect him from her? He was sure to get a whipping for his behavior.

Kristia was noticeably irritated with the creature. She snorted at him, giving him a push towards the wall. ?Go pull yourself together.? Ky whipped around, his furry tail slapping against the door as he turned to race off. He continued to glance over his shoulder at the new guests, worriedly. It almost caused him to run right into the wall.

She sighed, fingers moving to tighten the wrap on her black robe, looking to Lerida.

?I?m the Mistress of this house. You?ll have to ignore my pet.. He?s terribly skittish.?

Ky was also terribly loyal. It was one of the only reasons why he was still breathing and hadn?t yet become part of her body parts collection. She took a few steps backwards, leaving the door open, and allowing room for them to come in. She made a gesture with her hand.

?Please, come in.?

She made a quick assessment of the people she was inviting into her home. They might not have weapons hanging out but she was pretty sure they had them. She was weaponless, her blades and whip nowhere to be found. And it would be hard to hide them, seeing that her only apparel was a long black satin robe, and hardly anything underneath. Today was supposed to be a lazy day and so she was appropriately dressed for that.

She wasn?t terribly concerned, however, because a weapon was always within arms reach. The Manor had weapons concealed and stashed all over, sometimes in the most peculiar places. Anything could also be easily turned into a weapon. Did you know that an eyeball could be scraped out in fifteen seconds with nothing but a toothpick?

Her gaze focused in on Lerida, chalking the males up to be nothing but goons. That?s how it usually was anyways. The smart, smaller woman and the big, dumb men. She had a casual, almost friendly, expression as she spoke. And she went right to the point.

?How do you know Dalamar??

The foyer was small in space, but opened easily to other rooms. Three curtains in the front room, one to either side of the door and one at the end of the hallway that connected to the foyer. All treated with ruby red curtains that were tied up on each sides by thick matching braids.

A chair sat directly across from the wall, a dark mahogany color with S-curved arms, acanthus leaf carvings at the crest at the end of each handle. The upholstery was hand sewn with heavy corded trim. Above the chair was an oval-shaped mirror, with a dark beechwood frame. The two pieces, however simple and elegant, set the tone for the rest of the manor. Elegant and royal.

Kristia had her hand on the chair arm, fingertips tracing over the carvings as she listened to the woman speak. A brow arched at her words. Well, the woman certainly had her interest.

"You're welcome to come in.. Your goons, however, stay here." Kristia pivoted around on her bare heels, starting down the hallway and beckoned the woman to follow.

"Ky, come back." Said as she passed down the hall. Ky had barely made it into another room before he came racing back, his tail between his legs. "Y-yes Mistress?"

"Stay out here with them." A finger pointed back at the woman's men. Poor Ky. The anthro froze, looked at the men and whimpered. She continued on to the doorway into the library, giving Lerida a wave inward.

"Please, in here." She had already been working on something and wasn't quite ready to toss her plans for some strange woman claiming to know Dalamar.

Plus there was still the possibility that this woman meant harm to her tutor, so Kristia didn't find it necessary to be showing a possible enemy the insides of her Manor. And besides that, her library mirrored Dalamar's, messy and active. This was almost a little test. If the woman knew Dalamar so well she'd be comfortable in the surrondings.

After walking into the mess of books, Kristia choose a pile to sit upon, nodding her head in suggestion that the woman did that same.

"Dalamar is not here. He hasn't been to my home in quite a while.. " Decades, in fact. But she knew how to get ahold of him. Letters constantly flew back and fourth between the two of them.

She crossed her legs, tucking them to the side of the book pile as she starred intently back at the woman.

"What exactly is it that you're looking for? Miss... ?"

It was hard for Kristia to imagine Dalamar in trouble. The man could talk his way out of anything. And in the rare chance he couldn't talk his way out, he'd buy his way out. He was a sneaky, clever man that usual made sure all loose ends were tied up before he'd move onto the next project. It was one of the difference between them that usually sparked a debate. Kristia would fester and hold grudges, leaving things to come back years later to kick her in the butt. Dalamar would never do such a thing.

So that meant one of two choices. This woman was either lying through her teeth or that Dalamar had meant to get away from her.

Doubtful expression, her face crinkled as she continued to watch the woman. She gave a sigh, her arms refolding over her chest as she stood up. Walking in a moon around the woman, she kept her eyes on her. She was tense and ready to spring, pacing much like a cat that was rounding up it's mouse.

"You need to enlighten me a bit more on your relationship with my mentor. And I need a name. I simply cannot ask him to return here on the whims of some female."

Kristia was well aware that if there was a relationship other then business with this woman, Dalamar would never tell her. That was something he'd also refuse to discuss with her. Oh, he had plenty to say about her choices of lovers but when she'd ask him the same question, she was met with a smile and not a word.

She wasn't about to let the woman leave without getting a little more information of her own.

Ky had been standing in the foyer, shuddering. His furry hands clapped together, stuffed against his stomach. His tail was turned inward as well, his eyes moving from one man to the next. He had the feeling that these men that came with Lerida could turn him into a puddle by simply looking at him.

He was almost relieved when he heard a knock on the door. Those furry ears turned outwards as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation happening in the library. Ky had excellent hearing.

Ky gave a gulp before squeezing his body sideways to get through the men. They stared and he, in turn, whimpered. "I .. g..gotta get the door. Pleasedonthurtme." The last comment was strung together as he quickly sped past the men.

He was breathless as he reached to open the door. Once the door was swung open the anthro gave a loud groan of relief. The face looking back at him was one of the few that Ky was ever happy to see. He didn't know Master Joe that well but he knew two important facts about him. She spoke highly about him and he was the only man that ever was invited into the Mistress' bedroom. There were several times he'd caught the Mistress talking about him with a dreamy-eyed stare. Something he'd never seen before.

"Master Joe!" Ky hopped out from the Manor and snuck around him. He was lunging at the opportunity to distance himself from the goons standing near the doorway. "There's.. um.. people here.. these guys," He pointed a furry finger at the men, "And a woman. A scary woman.. She's with Mistress in th-the library. Talking about .. um.. Dalamar.."

Most of the conversation that Ky had been listening to meant nothing to him, but he was hopeful that it might mean something to the Master. He flinched and twitched his ears.

Kristia was not very happy with that response.

"Dalamar has had many friends and foes over the years.. How am I to be certain what you want with him unless I know of your history and intentions.. " She spoke his name as if it was only her's. That this Lerida woman shouldn't even be able to speak his name. Kristia was obviously agitated and the thought of beheading the woman, then asking Dal about her later, had crossed her mind once or twice in the last few minutes.

She ignored the comment about the admiration of her mentor. She wasn't going to allow this woman to question her relationship with him. Those feelings that crept beyond the line of teacher and student had happened.. but it was decades ago. They no longer existed.

One reason was because of what had taken place when a much younger Kristia had expressed her devotion to her teacher.

Dalamar responded with anger. 'You're too smart for this, Kristia. If you forget everything I've taught you, remember this- The only thing that romantic love can do is make you weak. It is the beginning of a tiny crack that will lead to the strongest man's downfall."

The second reason was because time had passed. The cliche phrase, 'Time heals all' was true in this case. Her immediate feelings of rejection hurt but faded. She also found his words to be truthful with the demise of her first two marriages. Duilliath had left her. Kir had been murdered. What a waste

"Dalamar has also had his handful of stalkers," Kristia mused, scanning the woman from head to toe, "Women that he bedded and tossed aside.. I'd hate to be calling him home to something he's been trying to rid himself of. Lerida? Fine. Be gone with you now.. I'll pass along your name to him.. what he chooses to do from there.. "

She didn't need to hear Ky babbling to know that Joe was here, which was moreso a reason to encourage the woman to leave. She hated having to explain things to him since he always seemed to think she went looking for problems. Trouble? She didn't go looking for trouble, trouble found her... well.. most of the time.