[ P ] You Play the Saint, You're a Sinner

Ransom Cyprus

Ransom hadn't been up to anything particularly dastardly since arriving in these new lands, but he liked to think it was simply because he was still getting acclimated to the culture he found himself immersed in. It wouldn't do to reveal his true nature to those with more resources than he had. Ransom wasn't looking to die due to a foolish mistake, but his time here thus far hadn't been fruitless. His night with Satchel still played at the forefront of his mind, but he wouldn't go as far as to say the man made a lasting impression on him. He thought the reason the male was still on his mind was attributed simply to the fact he was the first he'd met in these lands.

He would surely forget all about him once he met more wolves and had more miles - and fucks - under his belt. With that final thought, Ransom banished the male of ivory from his thoughts and turned his attention to his immediate surroundings.

He had found his way to another body of water, but this one seemed to lack the annoying banks of sand he disliked. His paws had led him along the sloping trails, his curiosity pushing his sturdy limbs ever forward with each precise placement of his feet. He didn't know where he was, but no one would ever know he'd never been here before. He refused to look unconfident to any living soul. He moved forward with a flick of his tail, his electric purple eyes glancing at the surrounding trees to ensure no eyes were watching him.

Ransom was beginning to feel a little parched, if only because the journey that led him to this crystalline pool of water had been a couple of days long. His strides led him directly to the water's edge, where he dropped his head to wet his whistle. He was already beginning to feel rather bored, though. He never was one for scenery, and it seemed his journey ran its course.

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

Was she a bad student? Would one be considered a bad student for intentionally leaving the college for a few days to indulge in selfish splendors like a spontaneous outing? According to her parents: yes. But yet here she was, slowly ascending the base of the Earrach Mountains, a good ways away from Melrose. She couldn't help it! Herbology was interesting sometimes, but even more interesting was the lands of Rionnach. Her parents had been so strict, she rarely got to explore and now that they were in the Mainlands and she was farther away from them, she had more freedom -- she couldn't waste it! Sometimes she feared that someday they would summon her back home and she would be stuck in the same boring, mundane life. She wanted to live a little.

Thus, her adventure along the trails that led to Mirror Lake. She had been told about it from many a wolf at the college, and she was also told of its beauty. Almost prancing as the body of water finally came into view, she hurried with excitement to get a better view. But as she crested the slope, Lacuna realized that she was not alone. With a gentle bite of her lip, she slowed to a more casual pace, approaching the water's edge and the stranger nonchalantly. She might have even tried to completely ignore him if it hadn't been for the fact that he was standing directly in the middle of the closest point and she was dying to get a drink.

"Excuse me," she muttered as she skirted around him, giving the man a wide birth, before dipping her muzzle into the water to quench her thirst. It was as crisp as she had been told and she closed her eyes briefly to relish in it before raising her head. She turned to look at the stranger out of nosy curiosity and as water droplets fell from her snout, she realized just how large he was. His purple gaze was particularly sharp and she thought it might bear holes into her if he let it rest on her too long. He looked particularly menacing. "Oh my," she breathed before her eyes widened and she let out an audible gasp, paw instantly clamping over her mouth. Had she really just said that out loud?

"Sorry, I--" she spluttered before simply closing her mouth, stopping herself from doing further damage. It was one of her first outings and she was already setting herself up to be eaten by a strange man. In her opinion, Lacuna was doing great.

art & code by enie

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

Finally, Ransom hadn't been startled by the appearance of another arriving unexpectedly. The faint breeze had carried the female's scent to him, but the brute wasn't ever a man who found himself giddy over the company of a woman. Perhaps he was a little sexist, but all the females were good for back home were making babies. Besides that, he simply didn't like how delicate they were. They always needed something - protecting or to be saved or some type of bullshit like that. Despite his internal thoughts, he remained composed as the female passed by him, the quietly uttered 'excuse me' earning a roll of Ransom's eyes. He had stopped drinking in favor of staring the femme down. Water droplets fell from his maw to create ringlets on the surface of the lake, his posture remaining relaxed despite the annoyance flourishing through him.

She sported a cream pelt with light lavender pools situated in her skull. She was pretty, like a flower - ugh, he hated that. It seemed the weight of his gaze drew her attention to him. He had to admit that the widened saucer-like eyes accompanied by the audible gasp caused amusement to flush through his veins. Ransom straightened up, his crown lifting high as he regarded her the way one might look at a pesky fly. He could just walk away from her, or he could fuck with her a little bit. "Frightened?" Ransom tsked his tongue, his paws carrying him forward a step or two whilst his bright purple eyes remained trained on the fine features she possessed.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, my dear," he spoke, the endearment spoken in an overly-friendly manner that was anything but genuine. The brute halted after taking only a step or two forward, his haunches reclining to sit on the grassy bank. The last thing he wanted was for dollface to die of a heart attack. At least, not yet. "Perhaps we could try again, yes? Maybe with a proper introduction, unless, of course, you'd prefer for me to respond in a manner meant to scare you."

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Lacuna

He raised his head as she gawked at him as if he was someone of authority and for a brief moment, she wondered if she should know who he was. The way he gazed back at her, unbothered and as if she were some lowly insect, the corners of her lips tugged downward and a small feeling of indignation rose in her chest. She wasn't one to go out and pick a fight -- especially not with someone as large as the man before her -- but she felt her ego being pricked as he glared at her. "Frightened?" She narrowed her eyes slightly, frown setting deeper on her face. He moved towards her and, though instinct told her to take a step back, she raised her head and puffed out her chest a bit to give the appearance that she was bigger than she really was.

"Me? Frightened? Psh, no, of course not." Lacuna shook her head, holding her ground. "I didn't judge you. You just... surprised me, is all." She gave a little nonchalant shrug as if this were the complete truth and she gave a little nod to accompany it. Her lavender eyes flitted across his frame curiously as he sat near the water's edge, still keeping up his demeanor of significance. His offer to start over made her scoff slightly and she rolled her eyes, mirroring his action of lowering her haunches to the ground. "No, that's fine. You wouldn't scare me, anyways." Perhaps he just had a bit of an inflated sense of importance -- she wasn't exactly innocent of that either.

"A proper introduction? Alright, my name's Lacuna Assur. I'm a student at the college." Was it a bad idea to give a complete stranger her full name? Ah, she was sure it would be fine. Some life lesson her parents had instilled in her to not talk to strangers pricked in the back of her mind but she shooed it away, looking to him expectantly.

art & code by enie

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

Well, well. If the frown the femme wore grew any deeper, Ransom was sure her face would simply shatter. It was far too delicate to be able to withstand any heavy display of emotion. His amusement only seemed to grow as the little thing tried to make herself look bigger by puffing out her chest, much like a pup who was trying their hand at a battle for the first time. He didn't try to stop from chuckling at her. It was a ridiculous display, but Ransom knew someone might have thought it cute. He wasn't one of those wolves, but he'd indulge her, if only because it amused him. "How adorable," he crooned mockingly, but his body remained positioned where it was.

"I surprised you? Lady," he let out a laugh here, his head tossed back momentarily as the laughter rumbled from the depths of his chest. "Tell me, how exactly did I surprise you? You approached the lake and saw that I was standing here. No, no. You meant to say that you failed to recognize the potential danger you were putting yourself into because you were far too concerned with getting a drink. What if I were a man of less honor, hm? I could have slit your throat and dyed these waters red had I wanted to." He flashed her a wolfish grin then. "I know, save your thanks." This comment was meant more as a tease, but the rest of what he said? It was the truth.

Her rolled eyes coupled with an unconvincing scoff only earned his amusement further. "No? You wound me," he snarked, but he made no movement to show her why she should fear him. He was much too amused with her attempts at being fearless. One might find it cute, but Ransom simply found it funny. "Ransom Cyrpus. I'm the monster lurking in the shadows," he mused, his lips pulling back into a smirk meant to rile the femme up further. "In all seriousness, doll face, what do you research? Is it the typical snobby shit?"

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Lacuna

"How adorable." "Hmph," was her only reply as she turned her face away in protest. She didn't enjoy the fact that he was finding amusement in her annoyance and she wouldn't give him any more satisfaction by reacting. Lacuna only turned her attention back to him once he continued speaking, launching into a grandiose dialogue. She had to keep her mouth from hanging open by his dramatic flare. "It was your eyes that surprised me," she finally said, once he finally finished talking. "I might have even said they were handsome, but I fear your head might grow too big and explode." The corners of her lips tugged upwards but she continued.

"And yes, I will save my thanks. I'm sorry for expecting simple decency from those I stumble across, I suppose that's naive of me, huh?" It was a bit of a rhetorical question, but also had a touch of genuineness to it. She had been so sheltered in the mainlands, never having to fear for her life. Was it different here? Did she have to be more cautious and keep her guard up? It seemed like common sense to be wary of strangers, but she couldn't help but feel like she didn't have to worry about the man before her. Maybe that was naive of her. But the more he spoke, the more she relaxed. He just wanted to toy with her, that much was clear; she hoped assumed he wouldn't hurt her. "You're just easy to trust," she teased, lips parting in a small grin.

"I'm the monster lurking in the shadows." Now this earned a soft scoff, blinking at him. "Oh yeah?" she asked, leaning forward slightly, "What makes you a monster?" Lacuna very well might have been poking a sleeping bear, but she couldn't help it. Her curiosity was getting the better of her -- she wanted to know more about those who resided far from the mainlands. What were they like? At his next inquiry, she turned her snout upwards, narrowing her eyes with slight indignation. "And what do you consider 'the typical snobby shit'?" She had a feeling her area of study was exactly that, but she gave a small shrug.

"I study herbology. Not exactly by choice, mind you, so don't come insulting me." She paused for a brief moment before asking him another question: "And what's your occupation? It's not snobby, is it?"

art & code by enie

@Ransom

Ransom Cyprus

What could Ransom say? He couldn’t help antagonizing Lacuna when she made it so easy. The almost compliment nearly earned a bemused chuckle, but in a rare show of kindness, he let it go - for now. He tucked it away for later use if he needed the card, but for now, he remained silent whilst maintaining the smirk on his lips. “I’ve been nothing but benevolent to you since you stumbled into my space!” He interjected with indignation, but it was all in fun. He didn’t actually care about the words she spoke, but she made it too easy for him to get under her skin. “If you’re looking for a truthful answer to your inquiry, I’d have to say yes. You expect far too much of a world that doesn’t care if you live or die.” It wasn’t often Ransom gave advice, but when he did, one could consider him wise.

“You’re a poor judge of character.” Ransom offered a mere shrug at her tease, finding it lack luster in the grand spectrum of their conversation. If she truly believed he was easy to trust, she was not only naive, but also lacking intelligence. Perhaps she was a sheltered girl, but it wasn’t his job to teach her the lessons her parents should had instilled into her from a young age. It seemed they did Lacuna a disservice. She stole his attention away from his judgement when she questioned him, wondering what made him a monster. “What’s your definition of a monster?” He countered, wondering if she truly thought the dangers of the world were always obvious.

Her follow-up question earned another great shrug of his shoulders, this one more or less because he didn’t really know what he considered snobby off the top of his head. He would know it when he heard it, though. Her answer wasn’t all that pretentious, though. Herbology could be useful for many things. Tonics were incredibly useful, as were poisons. One could either do great good with their knowledge, or deliver devastating blows that the victim would never see coming. “Assumptions make you an ass,” he pointed out bluntly, his head tilting a little to the side. “Had you waited to find out what I thought about your field of study, you would have found I find it admirable. I wonder what it’s like to be a know-it-all and be wrong most of the time.”

Lacuna questioned him about his own occupation, which only earned a thoughtful tip of his head. He waited for a few heartbeats to pass before he offered a response. “I told you. I’m the monster your parents should have warned you about before you left your home, but you’re far too naïve to see it. Didn’t they tell you the dangers of trusting strange men you only just met?” It would be easy to tear her throat out, but her innocence wasn’t her fault. Ransom was a brutal man at times, but he wasn’t needlessly violent. Yet, he could see the merit in teaching her a lesson today. Maybe the next man after him wouldn’t be as generous as he.

-

"You prey on people like a spider waiting for a fly."

table by rae - image by bunny

@Lacuna