Dinner ended quietly as everyone separated to prepare for their evening excursions into the castle. Death is possible tonight; walking the halls of a nightmare is never a safe thing to do. As Xander was dressing in clothing more appropriate for exploration, he received a small note to meet Umeko in the sitting room. Thirty minutes later, he has entered into the large,and dark, room.

On the far side, in front of the window, stands a figure still dressed in the beautiful ball gown. She's facing the window, perhaps watching the rain fall outside.

"Wow, that was… uh… some dinner!" Xander notes, sounding a bit nervous. "I need to prepare a spell for snooping with later too. What… umm… what did you want to see me about, Umeko?" he finally asks.

"You don't need to be nervous in here. There are no monsters waiting in here to grab us, Xander," Umeko comments, "Do I have to have a specific reason?" The high ceilings make the room echo oddly.

"I figured you'd want to go over strategy or something," Xander notes, coming closer, until he's finally next to Umeko at the window. "Or did you just need help with your dress?" He wonders if the Kiriga is actually nervous herself about exploring the castle. "Are you worried about tonight?" he finally asks softly.

Well, the figure, as it turns out, isn't Umeko. In fact, it's an armor dummy she must have appropriated and put her dress on. Behind him, Xander can hear the clicks of the lock tumblers fall, locking the door. "Perhaps a little," Umeko's voice answers … somewhere in the room.

The Lapi jumps in surprise and spins around, pulse racing. "Is that really you, Umeko?" he squeaks. "It's too early for ghosts, I think… "

"Who else would it be?" Umeko asks. Lightning flashes and all the shadows in the room jump and shift. "Were you hoping for someone else?"

"What? No!" Xander says, bumping back against the dress dummy. "You just surprised me!" He smiles into the darkness, just in case Umeko can see his face.

"You seem very nervous, though," Umeko's voice points out. The shadows continue to move and stretch out in the room. It's hard to tell exactly where she might be. It also doesn't help she has apparently slowed down her own breathing, making it even harder to try and pinpoint her.

"Well… you're scaring me a little… with the darkness and all," Xander notes, swallowing hard afterward. "Is it okay if I light a candle or something?"

"Why do you need a candle?" Umeko asks. Her voice currently sounds like it might be slightly to the right. "The darkness in comforting. It also makes some things … easier."

"Some… things?" Xander asks, crouching down a bit now and laying his ears back against his head. "What sort of things?" he asks.

"Hunting practice," comes Umeko's very plain answer. Now her voice sounds like it's on the left!

The Lapi spins towards where he thinks the voice is coming from, and squeaks, "What? Hunting practice? Why do you have to practice hunting me?"

"Why wouldn't I practice hunting you?" Umeko's voice whispers. Gah, it sounds like she's right next to Xander now!

"Because… it scares me?" Xander asks, crouching down even more into a ball.

"Hunting doesn't mean hurting," Umeko points out. Xander feels something cool and smooth slide lightly over his back. Her head comes into few as she cranes her neck over and looks into the Lapi's face, upside down. She smiles toothily.

"W-w-w-w-what does it mean then?" Xander asks, uncurling a bit.

Umeko comes sliding around and over Xander's body, feeling like a serpent in coil. It becomes quickly apparent that she's completely naked. "That for the next hour or so … you're my prey," she says softly, voice low and slightly deeper. She curls her fingers under Xander's chin and lifts it. "I promised you in the library that one day I would hunt you. Or have you forgotten? Given the dangers we now face … I thought … "

The Lapi holds his breath, and then thumps his foot a bit. "Soo… ah… hunting in this case means… um… snogging?" he asks.

"That depends on how hard you make it to catch you," Umeko murmurs, her nose a mere inch from his now. She pushes him back and slides slowly atop him, then lightly presses his arms back with her own and holds them against the rug. "Which so far has been easy … "

"Well… do you prefer me to struggle?" Xander asks, his panic starting to ebb.

"I was hoping you would be excited," Umeko admits and bows her head a bit, her white mane falling forward and obscuring her face. "Or maybe I was wrong in that you liked that I was … more of a predator than other women you have known."

"Well, my heart is racing!" Xander admits, and tries to lift his head enough to catch Umeko in a kiss, using the touch of her hair as a guide.

Xander manages to find his mark, because kissing someone with distinctive fangs has a rather unique feel to it. So does the slight tingle his lips get from what might be remnants of venom in the grooves. When the Lapi draws back, Umeko releases his arms and sits back a bit, though still on him. "Am I as pretty as one of the mammals?" she actually asks, sounding a bit unsure and nervous herself. "I worry that I just seem … weird."

With his hands free, Xander runs his fingers up Umeko's stomach and chest. "Very pretty and exotic. I've always liked gold scales, ever since… er… well, that's not important," he says.

"Since you interrupted my bath at the club?" Umeko asks, unable to resist smiling slightly.

"Well, that renewed my interest and… sharpened it, I suppose," Xander says, sitting up so he can get his arms around Umeko and nuzzle her throat.

"So … you had a reptilian girlfriend before, then? I thought I was the first," Umeko murmurs as she puts her arms around Xander to support his weight a bit.

"No, nothing like that," Xander murmurs and licks Umeko's cool throat. "Just someone I thought was attractive, but… ultimately unattainable."

The Kiriga lightly tugs at Xander's shirt, then slides her arms under it. There she lightly drags her claws down his back; just enough to be noticeable. "I'm a little worried about tonight. I can fight people, but not … forces of nature," Umeko admits. "So, I guess if anything happened I just … Well. I wanted you to finally feel wanted, in case something bad happened to either of us. I still remember what you told me in the library; about how you saw yourself and what you felt your future was."

Xander pauses for a moment, and asks, "Are you doing this because you worry we won't see one another again?"

"Maybe a little," Umeko admits, "But mostly because I want to. I know you said you weren't considered an attractive male, but you are to me." She even smiles a little, looking embarrassed and hangs her head, her mane obscuring her face again. "I wanted you to, well, have your fantasy tonight. You seemed to like the idea of being desired and hunted, so … "

The Lapi doesn't reply immediately. Instead he mutters a cantrip to make his hands warmer as he rubs Umeko's back. "Thank you for liking me, Umeko," he says afterward.

"I guess I seem silly," Umeko murmurs, her head still hanging. "I never quite know how to show things. My kind isn't known for being very … expressive in this manner."

"You are pretty atypical for your kind then, Umeko!" Xander notes, and nibbles on her neck. "You're a pioneer."

Umeko actually shivers a bit. "I considered treating you as I would if you were Kiriga and my husband. The first joining has procedure, expected preparations, and all sorts of rituals. It is very beautiful from an artistic view, I suppose. But … in truth, there is no passion," she admits, "It's also geared towards the husband enjoying it the most. Women are not expected to … want for personal enjoyment."

"Well, I expect you to enjoy it!" Xander proclaims. "I'm going to make sure that you do! But you might have to let me up first, unless you want me to carry you to the bed… "

"The door is already locked and the rug is comfortable," Umeko notes as she glances back towards the door. "And you're still my prey," she adds, accenting it with a low, rumbling, growl.

Xander squeaks at the growl, and says, "Well… in that case… try not to damage my clothes too much, please? Otherwise Anisa will tease me about it later… "

"Well, I don't have to do anything," Umeko comments as she runs a claw slowly down Xander's chest. "If you're certain we'll see each other again and this wasn't really much of a fantasy for you … then there is no hurry, right?"

"Well, we have to do some exploring tonight," Xander points out. "So tonight, you can be the hunter… but tomorrow night it's my turn!" the Lapi says with a big grin.

Umeko puts her small hand on Xander's chest and pushes him back down to the floor. "I apologize now, because this will be a little awkward until you get used to my physiology. And just keep in mind that I … won't be as warm as, say, Anisa would be," she says as she starts unbuttoning his shirt. "Now … I just want you to relax for a bit… "

"Relax?" Xander squeaks, and does his best to not vibrate too much. "And actually, you're a lot warmer than Anisa has ever been to me!"