Alptraum returns to his suite in the castle only to find a page waiting for him outside of the door. "The Lady Melusine requests your immediate presence!" the young Eeee squeaks out nervously.

"Immediate? Er, how immediate? Can I change clothing first? I'm not sure I should go dressed in my finer clothing," Alptraum asks of the page, trying to not reveal the fact that this news is well, rather nervous. He is, at least, removing his cape.

"Uh… " the page says, looking frightened. "I've been waiting here for awhile now, sir," he says, as if that were answer enough.

"Now it is, then," Alptraum says. He only takes enough time to toss his cape into his room and onto the bed before patting the page's shoulder. "Let'sgo."

The page sets a hurried pace, but at least the route is familiar – even if all deep hallways and staircases look alike after awhile. The end of a long tunnel is reached, and Alptraum is ushered through the heavy doors at the end of it.

The Lair of Melusine
Deep in the base of a mountain, this dark cavern is of unknowable size. The only light comes from a circle of crystal embedded in the cavern floor, and the silence is oppressive – even echoes are somehow muted out.

Alptraum goes along, trying to not look as worried as he feels. When he finally reaches the chamber, he walks in, and draws a long and deep breath. "Lady Melusine?" he calls out politely, "I just received your summons and hurried my way here. I apologize that it took a while for the page to locate me. I was discussing some things with Lilith on the castle roof." He continues to walk forward, to the spot he first saw the shadow dragon.

Near the circle of light, the darkness moves. Even with the sound dampening effect of the Shadow, Alptraum can just make out the sounds of animal grunting in the darkness. "You need not have dressed up for me," the Shadow Dragon says, once more forming a noticeable neck and bulbous head so Alptraum has something to address.

"I was not certain how you would prefer me dressed or what would be appropriate to learn in and the page said you requested my immediate presence. Once again, thank you for your willingness to be my mentor," Alptraum says as he drops down to one knee to bow to the forming 'dragon'. "Can't hurt to always be respectful," he thinks as he bows. Remaining down on that knee, he does start unbuckling his gloves to free his hands, figuring they will at least need to be free.

The 'head' comes closer. "Before you can begin your dracul training, I must examine you. Come forward and stand within the circle of light," Melusine instructs.

Alptraum stands and nods slightly. "If you would permit, I would like to examine you some as well," he says as he goes to stand within the circle of light. "I did not have much time to examine your friend, Muriavan, before he fused with me."

"I am not certain how you could examine me," Melusine says. The head is hovering directly over Alptraum now, and it splits open to mimic the jaws of a physical dragon. "Do not struggle, or I may accidentally swallow," Melusine warns, as the head begins to descend.

"As the Barsunala, and just by touch," Alptraum tries to explain … and trails off when the 'head' of Melusine hovers, splits, then starts to come down around him. He draws in a deep breath and tries to hold completely still, wings and all.

Darkness engulfs the Eeee, and holding his breath doesn't stop it from flowing in through his ears. Soon, every surface – internal and external – is coated in that oily blackness, and Alptraum can't help but feel as if he's being tasted. It begins to withdraw after several agonizing seconds, until he's free once more.

Somehow, he does manage to hold still while he's examined. Though, when Melusine finally withdraws from him he lets a long breath out. He also, well, can't help but examine himself with a few glances to make sure everything is still in place and more or less normal. "That was … " he starts to say, "It felt like, you, well, like I became a part of you briefly, or perhaps that I was absorbed."

Melusine makes a sound that is disturbingly close to lip-smacking. "Your Shadow-essence is still confined to your right hand," the dragon says. "You are resisting its spread. Why?"

"I am resisting it?" Alptraum asks, sounding a bit surprised by that. "I wasn't aware I was actively preventing its spread. Should I … allow it to spread? If so … ah, how?"

"I assume it needs to, ah, spread to make me compatible with the Countess?" Alptraum adds to the series of questions.

"You still fear it," the dragon says, her voice circling around Alptraum. "You can command it, but first you must surrender to it. Let it suffuse you. Be bonded to it through rebirth. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Alptraum says after a bit of thought. "It would be easier, if, hmm. I assume that allowing it to completely bond is safer in the long run than keeping it isolated?"

"Safer?" Melusine hisses. "That is the fear I sensed. To be dracul, you must be one with the Shadow. It must abide in every fiber of your flesh. Only then can you begin to explore what it means to be a true vampire."

"And I must, to be able to help the Countess," Alptraum says with a nod and a sinking feeling. "The shadow was damaged by its long imprisonment. If I let down my guards and permit it access to everything … will it need assistance to complete its binding? Would you need to help it?"

"Only you can help it, and only you can open the channels it needs," Melusine says. Part of the Shadow moves aside, and in the glare from the circle of light, Alptraum can see some large hogs tethered to rings set into the stone floor. "First, you must feed it. It will need the energy."

This … well, Alptraum knows what to do. He walks towards the bound hogs. His chitinous right hand flicks a bit, plates sliding against plates lightly. When he gets close to the first, he draws in a deep breath, then reaches out and grips down hard on the back of the first hog.

The hog squeals and pulls at its tether. It isn't like it was with the smaller animals – the glove can't absorb the hog all at once. It takes time, but at least the animal stops struggling after the first minute. When the usual skin-and-bones are left, the glove unclenches, returning control of the hand to Alptraum. The orb on the back glows brightly in the darkness. "That should be sufficient," Melusine says.

Alptraum draws his hand back and closes his fingers as he looks over the brightly glowing orb, trying not to think too much on what just happened. After he swallows, he nods to Melusine and walks back into the center of the light. "Now, what must I do to become complete?" he asks the shadow.

"You must open yourself to the Shadow's power, by calling on it with all of your being," Melusine says. "Are you prepared to do that?"

Alptraum takes a breath, then nods. "I believe that I am," he answers, "I started this path to aid my country and my friends and I will see it through. The sacrifices I have made have all been worth it."

"It is good that you are accustomed to sacrifice," Melusine notes. "Now bare your chest."

Alptraum undoes the ties on his shirt and then pulls it loose. After a thought, he pulls it the rest of the way off his body and folds it up. With a flick of the wrist, he tosses it to the side. His black fur shines in the odd light, looking almost liquid itself.

"This may sting a bit," Melusine says, just before a lance of darkness impales Alptraum's chest. The sudden cold stabs through his heart, and his own blood seems to hover in the air as the Shadow Dragon's claw withdraws.

"Grrk!" goes Alptraum when the talon pierces his chest and through his heart. He then staggers forward, his expression a mix of pain and confusion. The shock of everything somehow actually keeps him on his feet.

The first thing that gets through the shock is that his heart has stopped. The circle of light is the only thing that seems visible anymore, and darkness is already gnawing at its edges. Even as Alptraum's strength flows out of him, he can sense a different pulse, as if another heart were beating in his right hand, holding all the strength he could need… if he could just access it.

The Eeee's expression goes from shock … to exhaustion, every limb wishing to collapse and just give in to the desire to rest. "No, I can't die, not now," he thinks, trying to hold himself on his feet. Shakily, he raises his right hand and places it over the gaping hole in his chest.

"No more barriers. You and I are one," he thinks as remembrance of the black heart hits him again and the symbolic irony of that being in his hand now. So … as his breathing slows and before darkness takes his senses … he simply lets go; no more resistance. In his mind, he visualizes the heart flowing from his palm into the hole in his chest, repairing and becoming part of his own stilled heart. "Take your proper place," he thinks, legs growing weaker.

In the darkness, Alptraum can feel another presence standing over him. The Wraith looks down with its blind eyes, waiting to take him to the Sea of Souls. But the vision fades as the pulse in his hand spreads outward now. The warmth is like nothing he's ever felt before, and the Eeee is aware of every vein and artery that it surges through, and every nerve and muscle that it lights up. It passes through his arm, then spreads out across his chest. It reaches his head before his feet, and Alptraum imagines he must be lit up from inside, with ever organ glowing through his skin. Once the energy has reached every extremity, the warmth begins to fade into the background of his own body heat, and the pain in his chest is gone.

Alptraum draws in a sucking breath and the energy surges through him. He doesn't fight it, he welcomes it … to still the pain, to push back the hand of Death as it was about to take him beyond. Slowly, he lowers his hand from his chest as he tries to resume slow breathing. He also … tries to feel if his heart has resumed beating; either repaired by, or fused with, the heart of the shadow.

There is only one thinking pumping within the Eeee's body now, and it resides in his chest. There is some weariness, but his strength is returned enough that he can move and stand if he chooses. And the numbness in his right hand is gone now as well, the chitin feeling just like skin again.

After a few more breaths, Alptraum finally stabilizes his stance and draws back to full height. He looks to the back of his hand, then simply nods. As a thought, though, he looks to the point where his chest was pierced, looking for any mark, or if the hole was also covered with a chitinous growth. "Thank you," he finally manages to say to Melusine, "For not telling me what you were going to do."

There is a patch of white fur on his chest now, marking the spot where he was stabbed. It's shaped like a ragged star, the tips extending into lightning-like veins that fade into the normal black of the rest of his fur.

"You survived," Melusine says calmly. "That is a good first step."

Alptraum feels over the scar on his chest, seeing if it feels any cooler than the rest of his body. At Melusine's words, he asks, "Then the bonding is not yet complete?"

If anything, the mark on Alptraum's chest feels warmer than normal.

"It is complete enough, given the reduced state of your Shadow," Melusine explains. "Your body is still fully physical, save for the gauntlet of Shadow-flesh you wear. Some of your natural resistance to magic still lingers, but as you practice with the Shadow that will fade." 

"Then, as I was assuming, this is permanent?" Alptraum inquires and taps the hardened shell on the back of his hand, "As I've told the Countess, if so … it is not a bad cost." He pauses for a moment, then asks, "I had thought being able to resist magic was a good thing, but … now I should try to lose the resistance?" His head shakes, then drops down into a bow before Melusine once more, saying, "But, no matter. I have chosen this path. What do you wish me to do now?"

"Observe," the dragon says, and a skirt of shadow passes over the remains of the hog Alptraum drained earlier. When it finishes passing, the skin and bones are gone completely. "Now, I will show you how to properly feed on life and spirit." The second hog seems oblivious to the implication, grunting to itself with hoggish ignorance.

Alptraum's brow arches, eyes widening as he watches the hog's remains be consumed by shadow. He doesn't interrupt, though, and watches intently … wondering just how gruesome this is going to be.

"Place your Shadow-hand on the hog, and extend your shadow around it, as I did to you earlier," Melusine instructs.

Alptraum draws to his feet and walks over to the hog. His chitinous hand is placed on its back, but this time he does not grip down. Instead, he thinks to how it felt being covered by that oily substance … then tries to bring back that same feeling, only centered on his right hand, as if the liquid could flow from that hand and cover the hog.

The darkness does spread out to cover the hog. There is no struggle this time, as the hog seems to slow, as if being frozen. And then Alptraum can feel it. The way its heart beats, and its blood flows. The energy of its spirit, the shape of it, the flavor – everything that makes it a hog. It's as if he was suddenly shown a complex tapestry called 'Essence of Hog' that detailed how a hog is made.

"I can … feel it. All of it," Alptraum whispers in awe, "Unlike anything I have felt before… "

"You are kenning it," Melusine says. "Now draw it in and make it a part of you."

Alptraum has to think on how to exactly do that. In the end, he just pulls his shadow back … only in the process he doesn't release the hog frozen within. "This time … I bet I'll feel like I consumed it," he thinks, remembering as how with the gauntlet before he could feel the drain, but not where it went.

As expected, the shadow-substance is drawn back in, but the hog vanishes along with it, leaving only a severed rope behind. Alptraum can feel the surge of energy spread throughout him this time, along with… a brief urge to root in the dirt and grunt.

Alptraum shudders at the sensations and actually does let out a brief grunt. "Different," he says quickly, trying to cover up the fact he did just grunt.

"To ken something is to know it in an absolute fashion," Melusine says. "You can call on that knowledge again, and project it onto the flesh of another," she explains. "But you aren't ready for that yet. You must be careful now, for the urge to do what you just did can be very strong, and as a mortal you can become addicted to it. You must, above all, resist the desire to ken another person."

Alptraum nods at this. "To consume a person is to walk the path of true necromancy and vampirism. It is not unlike what Vorgulremik would do … and I know the evil he became," he says. "I also assume that I could mold my own body and should take care not to do that as well, correct?"

"Correct, but do not mistake kenning with consuming," Melusine says. "I kenned you earlier. If you had failed to heal yourself, I could have used that to restore you. It is an intimacy that is too powerful for mortals to comprehend."

"Would you have healed me?" Alptraum can't help but ask, "Had I … failed in the union?"

"Yes," the dragon states.

Alptraum actually smiles and dips his head. "Thank you," he says. "So, I should never ken anything but animals. I can see how that would be … bad to do, I think," he says as he idly scratches at his neck. "What should I do to practice with the shadow?"

"Do not thank me yet, apprentice," Melusine warns. "I am now free to do what I will with your body, knowing that I can restore it afterwards. For now, you will practice restraint: willing the Shadow part of you to not act."

"Free to do what you will with my body?" Alptraum inquires, brow arched, "That … well, is your choice to make. I agreed to this."

Alptraum then nods, saying, "I will work on resisting the urge for the Shadow to act. I, well, assume that you will be testing that somehow."

"In various ways, yes," Melusine says, and draws back beyond the circle of light to become invisible in the rest of the darkness.

Alptraum walks back to the circle of light, where he kneels upon the floor. "Just what is she thinking?" he wonders, the twinges of worry returning.

Nothing happens as the minutes pass, until finally there is soft sound of a bare foot on stone, followed by another. Someone is walking towards the circle.

Alptraum's ears flick towards the sound and he focuses on it, trying to identify the person by sound as much as by sight. "Who is this?" he wonders.

It isn't until the figure is at the edge of the circle that it becomes clear. The sleek black fur is nearly invisible until it shines in the light. It's the Countess, her irises now visible as two circles of red. She kneels down in front of Alptraum, and then leans forward to kiss him full on the mouth, with one hand holding the back of his head.

"Mmprgh!" goes Alptraum when the Countess lip locks the rather stunned Eeee. He doesn't show a slight bit of resistance … as his own hands come up to cup at her cheeks as he kisses her in return. Even his wings curl forward a bit, lightly embracing her.

The Countess doesn't say a word, but is certainly in a passionate mood, as she playfully bites Alptraum's neck next.

"Well, uh," Is all Alptraum can manage to think. The next thing he's doing is letting out a playful rumble … as she's nipping his neck, his claws lightly rake down her shoulders. Still … some part of his is telling him he shouldn't be doing this … especially not in front of Melusine!

The black-haired, black-furred Eeee in Alptraum's lap doesn't seem to have any inhibitions about where they are, and continues to eagerly draw out Alptraum's ardor as far she can.

Alptraum meets the excitement of the Countess … but only up to a point. He remembers something Kaira once told him about how moments of passion can trigger things; dangerous things, if one is not already in firm control. Still, he does continue for several minutes of nibbling. Even with a rather raised heartbeat … he stops and lowers his eyes a bit. "I … don't think this is safe to do right now," he admits weakly, "As much as I want to … as much as you mean to me, Rose … I don't dare risk harming you or something worse. Melusine told me to control and resist the Shadow … and I need to be careful. I'm sorry."

The woman smiles and tilts her head to the left, looking into Alptraum's face, and then saying, "Baa-aa-aa?"

Alptraum laughs and shakes his head. "That's just mean, Melusine," he comments, "Shaping something to look like … someone I care about."

"Would you rather I risked a real person?" Melusine asks from the darkness.

"Well, no. What would have happened had I not stopped?" Alptraum asks.

"That depends on your control," the dragon says. "Either you would have consummated without incident, or you would have lost control and kenned or consumed her. If the latter, I would need to get another pet Rughrat, and you would require further training."

Alptraum laughs again and shakes his head. "So, you were hoping I would consummate and wished to see the result?" he asks, looking moderately amused and grossed out at the same time.

"I don't care to watch, it is the end result that is all that matters," Melusine says. "I am not Kaira. She seems the voyeur type, doesn't she?"

"Well, yes," Alptraum notes with a chuckle, "How like the original is she, anyway?" He glances to the 'Countess-formed' Rughrat, then asks, "Are you still wanting me to, uh, well, consummate?"

"She seems less… snarky," Melusine admits. "At this point, I assume that the 'mood' has been spoiled. But there are other tests I can use."

"Well, true, that. My heart wouldn't be in it," Alptraum admits with another glance to the faux-Eeee.

The not-quite-Countess has gotten a hold of a strand of Alptraum's hair, and is chewing on it.

Alptraum pulls his hair back. "Mine," he chides and prods the Countess with a claw tip. "Uh, shoo."

"Urr-rr-rr!" the woman retorts, and bounds off into the darkness on all fours.

"And oh, I can bring Kaira in to observe any of these sessions if you would wish it," Alptraum notes to Melusine, "Assuming the dagger still functions with my hand and the Barsunala powers are still intact, of course."

"I don't see why you'd want her here," Melusine says. "She'd just try to interfere or criticize your lessons."

"True enough. Though later I will have to try inserting the dagger and seeing if I feel it. I can feel the chitin as if, well, it was just skin," Alptraum comments and scratches the back of his neck again. "May I try something quickly? I want to see if the Barsunala form still functions. That is, of course, if it will not interfere with your instruction."

"You may try, I will wait," Melusine says.

Alptraum draws in some slow, steady, breaths … then he tries to draw the wraith form out and let it envelop his body.

The Wraith manifests without any strain, just as it did earlier in the night. However, something feels off this time: Alptraum's skin begins to crawl, and his wings hurt as well. He can feel the membranes trying to pull apart to match the spirit overlay.

"Ow," Alptraum winces in pain as he feels his skin crawling and his wings hurt. He doesn't try to push the Barsunala away, though and instead tries to stop the discomfort the wraith form seems to bring. "Is," Alptraum hisses in discomfort,"my body actually trying to shift?"

"Of course, you are giving the Shadow a new form to fill," Melusine says. "If you do not suppress it, the Shadow will transform you into that form if it can."

"Gah," Alptraum mutters and continues to try and push back the shadow from shifting his body to actually match the overlay. "I assume I shouldn't allow it to actually shift me, correct?" he says through gritted teeth. The battle seems to be a stalemate for the moment as actual tears in his wing membranes are alternating between spreading and sealing themselves.

"Well, unless you have a way to make it shift back, no," Melusine says, and then suggests, "You could try reinforce your natural physical form instead. Instead of fighting the Shadow essence, give it a new focus."

Alptraum tries to divert the Shadow. Instead of trying to shift his body, he tries to get the shadow to outline his body underneath the wraith. Not completely unlike the time inside the dagger where he formed the full body armor when he tried to protect himself.

This seems to help, and the pain in Alptraum's wings eases off. It's the Shadow-flesh of his gauntlet that tingles instead as the darkness spreads out from it to hide the Eeee's body in a shadow-suit.

"Better," Alptraum thinks as the shadow envelopes his body instead. Now that he's not in pain … Alptraum looks towards Melusine with the eyes of the wraith … curious as to how it appears.

"Do you expect me to hold up a mirror?" the dragon says.

"No. I was wondering what you looked like," Alptraum rasps, "But … what do I look like?" It seems MElusine asking has made the Eeee curious.

"Tattered wings, dead eyes, gaunt," Melusine replies. "Very Sylvanian, really." The dragon herself shows up as a silvery outline in the darkness, but with little detail beyond a bright point of light somewhere inside her nebulous body. A Rughrat is behind her, showing up through the Shadow's body in the usual silvery shades.

Alptraum lets the wraith form fall away and draws in a deep breath. He can't help but look to his own body as the wraith vanishes … hoping the diversion didn't do anything too significant or irreversible.

It's hard to see his own body, with the shadow covering it.

Alptraum gently 'tickles' the shadow and tries to nudge it back to his right hand.

"The Countess has used the shadow covering before, hasn't she? It's how she snuck up on me," Alptraum mulls over.

"Many of my abilities can be manifested through Rosalind," Melusine explains. "That is the bond we share. However, I do not… saturate her. I am stuck here, for the most part, and the farther she goes from me the more tenuous our connection."

"That implies that I … am more saturated than she is, then?" Alptraum inquires as the shadow covering him does finally recede back into his only pure shadow-flesh. "Would she be harmed if she strayed too far? And because of this distance bond … are you going to use me to extend your reach?"

"She has traveled beyond my influence before, but never for very long," Melusine says. "Over time, her body becomes slightly dependent on my power to maintain its youth. You carry your Shadow within you. I cannot bond to you any more than I could to another Shadow Dragon."

"No, but that doesn't mean I cannot still act in your, and her, benefit," Alptraum notes as he resumes his kneeling in the light and rests his hands upon his knees. "I do feel that I owe you for your assistance. You have been patient with my questions. Thank you. I am ready to resume the tests and practice."

The dragon's outline comes closer to the circle once more, and Melusine asks, "Are you certain? The next test will be unpleasant."

Alptraum nods. "Yes," he answers, "Things worth learning are never without challenge."

"The Shadow within you acts reflexively to certain things, just as your own body does," Melusine explains. "One of those things is injury. It will attempt to heal damage as fast as possible, but this is a hidden danger: it puts great stress on the body, and the repaired tissue may suffer flaws. This reflex must be broken, so that the Shadow will only try to heal when directed to. To this end, you must focus it only on your left shoulder, while I pummel you in the abdomen."

Alptraum's brow furrows and he draws in a breath. The Eeee then tries to tighten up his abdomen in preparation for impacts. After another could breaths, he grits his teeth and thinks of his left shoulder, trying to envision the shadowy body glove enveloping it and concealing it, as a distraction. "Ready," he whispers.

Shadowy talons strike at Alptraum's 'protected' shoulder, while another pseudopod punches him in the stomach over and over (but not hard enough to cause serious injury – yet. After all, Melusine can fix it later… )

It's an amazing act of will for Alptraum to try and keep is abdomen tense all the while his shoulder is also struck. Over time his muscles weaken and the pain increases in his stomach, though. Still with the talons striking, he keeps his focus on that shoulder and starts to sacrifice his stomach so that his shoulder isn't mangled from the onslaught. But even that starts to weaken as he goes weary…

"Very good," Melusine says, pausing just before Alptraum reaches his limit. Having black skin and fur doesn't quite hide the blue-tinted bruises on his stomach though.

Alptraum falls forward and catches himself with shaky arms. "Ow, dagh," he hisses as he resists the urge to curl up and clutch his stomach. "Did the Countess go through this training too?" he asks, pained.

"Of course not," Melusine says. "I can control my own power, so there is no danger of her losing control of it in the first place. Your Shadow is stripped of its mind and will, though. So, you must learn to control it yourself."

"Heh," Alptraum grunts. It takes him several minutes before he can push himself back into a kneel, though his body is screaming at him in pain. "How dangerous is it to use the shadow powers on myself. You mentioned healing is bad, what about willed changes?" he asks.

"So long as you don't go crazy with them, temporary changes should be safe," Melusine notes. "You cannot ken yourself, however, so major changes are dangerous. Seek me out for those. Try now to let your energy flow to your bruises, but resist letting it gush to them. Attempt just enough to ease the pain."

"I asked because Lilith keeps joking I should temporarily form a mouth on my palm. I've joked I would," he comments trying to look amused through the pain. He then goes about the task of letting the shadow flow down to his wounded stomach. He thinks of it as just slowly pouring water from a glass, not unlike the energy transfer lessons. Act as the value and let it flow at the rate you choose … and be ready to close when the pain lessens.

"How… silly," the dragon comments. "As you wrapped shadow around your shoulder, you might also wrap it around your abdomen to serve as a bandage. It is not a replacement for a real bandage, however, as it weakens you the longer you maintain it."

Alptraum nods and tries to flow it around his waist as a bandage. "Yes, it's silly, but … sometimes I admit to being silly," he admits weakly. Back to the task at hand, he nudges and tickles the shadow until it flows with a soothing cool around his waist.

"I think that is enough practice for tonight," Melusine notes. "You will be overly fatigued in the morning if you do not rest soon." After a moment, she asks, "Am I a better tutor than Kaira? I'm sure she's tried to teach you things."

"For some things, yes, you are," Alptraum has to admit as he shakily gets to his feet. "You are … less condescending about it. I've actually enjoyed this session, even with the … painful points. I felt like I made some progress." He motions for Melusine to come in a little closer.

The blob of a head moves in, although whether it really represents the Shadow's head or not is pretty arbitrary.

Alptraum actually leans in and places his hands on its 'cheek', then leans in and kisses it. Meant to be a sign of thanks … it also serves as a way to 'examine' Melusine up close … how she feels when contacted and well, how she tastes … when he draws back and licks his lips quickly. "Thank you again, Melusine," he tells the shadow as he goes to fetch his discarded shirt. "I am certain I will see you again for more practice. It only gets harder from here, doesn't it?"

The dragon's 'skin' is solid and smooth, and the kiss leaves a tingle, but no real taste. "Harder perhaps, or perhaps not," Melusine says. "Be careful when you drink blood from a living creature as well now. You may find yourself kenning it slightly."

"Ah, that is good to know," Alptraum says as he slips on his shirt and pulls the ties closed. It only half-conceals the scar on his chest, though. "If you ever just want to talk about, well, anything, call me. I don't mind listening. I've been through enough experiences that I'm not so quick to judge."

"Or the Countess, of course," Alptraum adds with a smile. "I'm just making the offer of, well, a potential friend as well as just your student."

"I don't particularly care for the company of mortals," Melusine says, but doesn't reject the offer out of hand. "Serve me well, and I will look after you."

Alptraum gives the dragon a long look, but doesn't argue the point. Instead, he pulls on his concealing gloves and goes about buckling them down. "I will do the best I can, Melusine. I cannot promise not to make mistakes, not can I promise you may not have to do … repairs on me once in a while. But, be that as it may, I intend to be around a long time and do all that I can for this land." Alptraum bows low again to the shadow, saying, "Until next time, Lady Melusine; honored teacher." And with that, the Eeee slips out the door. "Curious. Very curious. I will have to tell Kaira all about what she did. She was not … nearly as evil as I had expected."