She was no angel. Never was and never would be. If one longed to find arching white wings sprouting from the snowy temptress's back, they would find nothing but the dusky light of the stained glass windows. Only pale arachnid tendrils sprouted from the smooth covered skin. Twisting and tugging at the poisonous web that pursed her. Alice stared blankly at the sacred altar before her, frozen blue eyes flickering with jaded thoughts over the holy environment. Dusky resplendent hues from the painted windows dyed her form in a faint glow of color. They painted colorful rivers that flowed down each pallid strand, yet failed to purify the malice in her icy eyes. She had not come to repent. The acidic confessions of her web of sins were to be bleed out much later. Perhaps one day the glistening white structure would cocoon and burst the darkness out forth. Engulf her being and transport her to a stinging world of senses deafened by a chorus of agonizing cries.

An icy puff of air fell from the girl's pale lips, and the scene before her went black as white lashes draped over the blue orbs. White ribbons of hair shivered at its presence. It was cold. Not to mention late. Where one would struggle entering the church at this time of day, she had easily charmed the nuns into letting her occupy the building for the short duration of time she had requested. It had been a cakewalk. Her feet had merely driven her to this holy place without any former thought. On the rails of a question that never seemed to dissolve from her whirling mind. But now, alone in the company of herself among that very inquisition, she found the words had dried in her throat. There was no brooding or inquiring to be done. Not yet, at least. That time would come later.

An eternally unanswered question... Conundrum after conundrum...

Her thoughts echoed loudly in her whirling mind. A little too loudly. It was deadly silent in the church. Almost uncomfortably so. She didn't have any real intention on leaving very soon, so she decided she would distill it, even if only for a little while. Pivoting on a slender ankle sore from practice, she turned to face the phantom audience and exhaled. The wispy sound clumped in a faint cloud - an almost tangible intruder in the stagnant air - before coiling and distorting its away up to the broad ceiling where it evaporated across it. Wisps of it spiraled down the large ornate columns and into the pews. The acoustics were impressive... Another sound shivered in precession to the previous breathy sound; a foreign serpent with scales colored with a mellifluous voice. Pale lips parted to accompany it:

"Petite oiseau

Prendre la fuite

Sur les ailes brisees blancs.

Vous n'etes pas un ange

Ni un pecheur de la grace

Avec plumes en feu.

Tomber, tomber,

Dans le vide

Votre coeur chante pour personne

Dan la toile d'araignee blanche."

The softly sung French song of a small white bird aflame diffused to every corner of the church. Darkly daring anyone to draw closer into the white spider's waiting web.   

The time of the year when most people went away was the time when the nuns appreciated some extra help the most. Most of the nuns were on vacation themselves so the church would sometimes go unattended for many days. It was by mere coincidence that the soon to be fourth year found herself in church, not really one for prayers, but seeing how a thin layer of dust now embraced most of the furniture she had spent the entire evening swiping the floors. Not a single student had come visiting during that time and although she enjoyed some time to herself it did make her feel slightly guilty for not visiting more often, seeing how abandoned the place became during summer.

She was silently cleaning one of the storage rooms when she heard singing common from the altar hall. A beautiful voice, though she could not make out the words or language the other person was singing in. Latin? The blonde wondered, leaning her mop against the wall before moving closer to the source of the sound. Stepping out of the doorway she got a full view of the other student, a pretty girl around her age, perhaps slightly younger, with beautiful white hair. It wasn't often she saw people with snow coloured hair and icy blue eyes. She looked like the Winter Queen herself, Nayuki noted.

"That sounded lovely," Nayuki said as soon as the girl finished her song. "May I ask what the song's about? I don't think I've ever heard it before," she finished, smiling warmly at the stranger.

Notes: I hope it's all right that I jump in. If not, please ignore it~ considering that the seasons now have changed, I realise it might not be that cold anymore, even during the night. ^-^"

The foreign song crescendoed into the snow heights of the snowy spider's voice, then curled into the last few remaining notes. The closing of pale lips terminated the drifting melody, leaving the sound to funnel and evaporate across the high ceiling. It faded in a low resonance. Soon all would be silent once more.

Then came a voice. Complimentary and not entirely expected. While it was difficult to startle a predator, the widow twitched ever so slightly from her stuff stance. So another girl was here as well? It seemed as if her web was failing her. It did have its sensory limits, after all. Icy orbs fluttered up, to the beautiful blonde, pleased by the figure she saw there. Even at this far distance, Alice could perceive that this girl was much taller than her. Though she wasn't quite focused on the height more than she was the other's overall beauty. Ah, that's right. She'd been given a compliment and asked an inquisition, hadn't she? As was common with her and compliments, she regarded it with a casual sweep of an ivory hand, not exactly taking it, but not exactly brushing it fully off either. Likewise, pallid lips proceeded to part once more to cast out the naturally monotonous voice within;

"A white bird being engulfed in the flames of its sins." She answered, flashing the ghost of a smirk in return.

It was a song representory of herself. The wintry widow. She'd lost her angelic wings long ago and instead supplemented it with ice and the venom and predatory nature of an ensnaring spider. A temptress that wished nothing but to break hearts. Unless one warmed her own, that was. A slender arm eventually draped around her thin torso, leaving the other to prop up onto it; a hand folded into a relaxed stage and a narrow chin came to rest comfortably on it in her natural position as she looked to the blonde before her. What sort of character had she? Alice moved an experimental pawn forward to lapse into an opening question of her own. "What such name have a pretty face like you?"

(It's totally fine that you jumped in~ Thank you so much for doing so! c: Oh yeah, haha, season change X3)

Nayuki blinked and tilted her head slightly to the side as she came closer to the other girl, studying the stranger's face to find any hints of what she was thinking. There were however, none visible, at least not as far as the blonde could tell. What kind of person was this alluring girl? Her song, painful, cruel and yet beautiful, what lay behind such a hymn? "I see," Nayuki replied, forcing a reply to escape her lips, though being slightly at loss of words. What a strange metaphor. She mused, wondering what had made the author think of making a symbol of piece into a burning sinner.

"My name is..." She started, her voice soft and kind. Glad there was a change of subject she felt her smile returning, a faint blush graced her cheeks at the comment on her appearance. Compliments were always appreciated, though she had yet to get accustomed to them, having grown up hearing anything but kind words from her mother.

Now merely a few meters away from the other girl she bowed politely and continued, "Nayuki Inoue. It's a pleasure meeting you miss..?" Still unable to place the personality or mood of the other girl, Nayuki tried her best to stay polite and charming. Her own violet orbs met icy blue as she awaited a reply, feeling slightly intimidated by its cold stare, though she kept her eyes steady and warm in contrast to the other girl's.

Note: Thank you~ And I'm sorry so sorry for the short. >w< Yours are so amazingly written though. Such a colourful language. *u*

It seemed as if the vague explanation of her song had puzzled the girl. It wasn't much of a surprise; she had kind of expected that. Birds, especially ones crowned with white feathers, were of the grace of heaven, not of the fire below. Yet just as the snowy demon may appear as an angel, she had fallen from grace in those burning flames in about the same manner with the corruption of her icy heart. But the flames' blazing pain could never be felt, neither could any other physical blight except for pressure for that matter.

The blush that diffused over the other's face - albeit faint - alluded for another slight smirk to play across ivory lips. This could be amusing. Nayuki Inoue, was it? "A lovely name for a lovely face."

The girl was closer now which lead Alice to comfortably concluded the previous statement. Not that she had thought any different at the previous distance. But something was there in the other. It was hidden, yes, but not completely dormant. Ah, it appeared as if the spider had intimitdated the girl if only just a little. An all-too familiar response, though it wasn't entirely unwelcome. In fact, it was almost expected at this point in similar encounters, planned or not. An exchange of names was in order, and it was the widow's turn to respond.

"Himeno." She announced quietly. "Alice Shigeki Chantal Himeno." It wasn't too common of an occurrence that she let her full name slip, though she had decided to pass an exception. Lily-white fingers slithered to the edges of her frilled skirt and with a gracefull bend of her lower torso and decline of her knees, she performed an elegant curtsy. White wisps of shoulder-length hair billowed like snow in the air; the two small braids adorning the front swaying at the icicle angle. "Quite a delight to meet you, my dear."

Frosted eyes flickered up from the low curtsy to wash over the other's face once more.

(You're welcome~ No worries about the length; it's alright~ And aw, thank you! ^ - ^ You write very well yourself :3 )

This girl was surely something, Nayuki concluded as another compliment was gracefully sent her way, still visibly affecting the older girl, though she seemed considerably less fazed this time. The younger student was smooth in her replies, knowing exactly what to say and how to respond. It puzzled the blonde how someone could be this precise, as if already knowing how the conversation would go. The white head was cunning and highly sharp-witted, this much the taller girl could already make out. She did, however, remain unaware of the other's intentions.

Spending only a split second to compose herself, she hid her mouth behind her hand and chuckled soundlessly, "Why, thank you."

The blonde imagined quite a few Miator nuns would have smiled approvingly at the way the younger girl presented herself, had they seen her. Softly speaking her long, exotic name and accompanying it with a graceful bow. Anywhere else in Japan such a display would have been seen as slightly out of place, though in a church like this it was anything but. Nayuki guessed Himeno had grown up in a multi-cultural home, which had taught her conservative western styled manners, such as were much appreciated at this very school. It still fascinated her to see someone actually sticking to these manners outside class, as most students would have shown more casual behaviour in her place. "A pleasure meeting you too," She automatically replied, and, for the first time since their conversation started, took her eyes off the other student.

Feeling the tiredness from hours of work finally draw upon her, Nayuki stepped over to the front bench of the church, swiping her palm across the seat to remove the dust that had come to lay on top as she spoke, "How curious, meeting someone else at this hour," finishing the sentence as she spun on her heel and sat down, folding her hands in her lap, "May I ask, Himeno-san, what brought you here?"

(Aaah, how kind, thank you. >//////< Though I'll do my best to improve, slowly but surely! )

So the compliment hadn't had much of an effect this time. That was of no dissatisfaction to the predatory spider; it was a common occurrence. A chuckle - albeit muffled by a hand - soon sounded, wedded to a verbal expression of thanks. To this, Alice administered an administering nod. This blonde was quite lovely. Then again, every girl that happened to cross the spider's path; well, laced web; seemed so. Lovely girls she could make quick work of and dispose with a crushing shard of ice whenever a foolish confession was projected through fantasizing lips. Ah, the childishness! Yet it was not the final crushing act, but rather the expression that often darkened their heart-broken faces that the snowy widow was fond of. That was the ballad of a serial heart breaker.

Unique violet eyes finally drifted away. That wasn't a very clever thing -- to take one's eyes off a spider only to have them disappear them reappear somewhere in alarming striking proximity. But Alice had no intention of stepping off the sacred alter just yet. For now, the frosted webbing statued her in place as an analyzer. Icy orbs ghosted along with each movement the other performed in her preparation to sit on the dusty front pew. A sharp twist on a heel, leaving hands to fold on the open lap. It intrigued Alice how much dust had collected on the lonely pews. Granted, a holy place such as the church wasn't very suited for the corrupted snowy soul, but for some reason it disgruntled her slightly that it was fated to suffocate under a layer of antique dust when not in use.

When the seemingly older girl spoke again, Alice had resumed her signerature position with an arm draped over her torso and another propped up on it once more. How curious indeed. Being a being of the night and an insomniac as well, the white widow thought little of her own presence here. Though this girl's had brimmed her curiousity. It wasn't common to see others wandering about out late, let alone instilling their presence in the church. Alice didn't have to dwell for too long on the question that had been next inquired of her.

"It is quiet here likewise devoid of others. A perfect location to escape and think." Slid out monotonously. It was a vague answer, as was highly signerature of the predatory spider. The church was an arguably isolated location; spiders, let alone those akin to the poisonous widow, desired seclusion from others. Here she could immerse herself in the echoing snow flurry of her thoughts without being disturbed. Not that Nayuki had disturbed her much with her presence; this little meeting was proving amusing, after all. And with lovely company on the fringe of her web, she couldn't complain much. Then she shifted the conversational table to the sitting blonde.

"And you, my dear?" She echoed, white lashes whisking over the two icy pools.

(You're very welcome! (⌒▽⌒) Hehe, your writing is impressive as of current; don't worry too much~ ( ^ω^ ) )

"I see," Nayuki replied, her breast widening in a deep but silent breath before continuing, "It surely is. To some's pleasure and others' dismay," She chuckled lightly, though her eyes turned sympathetic, "Sister Sarah will surely be disappointed to return to the church in its current state. Though, I presume she's used to that." A slender hand ran through the thin strings of blonde hair as she spoke, an unconscious habit she'd come to adopt from one of her seniors during her first year. The blonde knew this girl most likely wasn't one for small talk, though she couldn't help herself, adding small comments that crossed her mind to the conversation. It was, perhaps, not always the wisest thing to do, though she barely knew how to hold them back; It was a sign of comfort, after all.

Nayuki had expected her question to be sent in return, though still spend a few seconds to select her choice of words for an answer. She realised her reason for staying here as long as she had would sound a bit silly without proper reasoning, but did she even have one? "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself," the blonde ended up admitting, "I walked by on my way back from an appointment and felt a sudden urge to go inside. I have never actually realised how empty the church becomes during summer. - That is, until I saw it in its current state," another soft laugh escaped her lips, "Believe it or not, I've actually been trying to shine it up a little. Seems like I lost track of time at some point..." She trailed off, yet again averting her eyes from her company to look at one of the most beautiful windows of the church, creating an image through different coloured glass.

"Oh, and I actually do not know what time it is," She blurted out, not sure whether she had said that to herself or the other girl. "It must be long past midnight, am I right?" Violet eyes found their way back to aqua ones at the question. Never one to mind staying awake till late at night, the observation did not really bother the blonde, though it surprised her that she'd spent this long trying to clean a place she had never really offered much thought.

(^///^ Ahh~ you're too kind. But really, thank you for posting with me anyways. )

A single sound of amusement tumbled out through snowy lips. An interesting answer; an agreeable one, too. Not all longed for the church's isolation. Even in the summer, it was next confirmed that one nun in perticular would not be too pleased with the church being frozen in timely dust. It was tended to firing the school year by students and nuns alike, though without any maintenance -- similiar to a spider's signerature web -- it emulated disrepair. Like an old antique preserved in the layers of time's dust. Alice didn't think too much of the church; she believed this holy place had no such purpose to house such a corrupt being as icy herself; though for some reason the whole surfaced fact of its sunmer isolation and the thoughts of those soon to be returning to its sacred walls stirred her own form of faint disappointment somewhere within her frosted being.

Alice remained in the position of the patient listener as the answer of the girl's own presence here was supplied. Their answers were relatively the same; though not mentioned in the contents of the spider's answer, she, too, had also just entered on the whim of an unexpected urge. She also concluded that Nayuki must harbor a fondness for the temporarily empty place. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that the girl had taken to cleaning it. Though now at this hour... Indeed miss Nayuki here had lost track of time.

"It is." The snowy widow confirmed. Really, she hadn't known the time, but drew off of an experienced assumption. Much too far past curfew, yet the spider had received permission to be in the church at this hour. Was that the same with this girl? Either way, it was dangerous to stay our and about at such late hours; something or perhaps someone could be lurking within the cover of darkness. Ah, yes. That's right. This girl had encroached upon the spider's web. Should she make prey of her? Alice debated that within her snowy mind as she prepared to carry on the conversation with a late comment.

"That is very gracious of you to tend to the church. I am certain Sister Sarah will be pleased with your attention." She commented genuinely, the nun's foreign name rolling with a strange accent off her silver tongue. Relaxing from her stiff poise, the albino girl gracefully approached the dusty pew across the isle from the one the blonde sat at. With no intention to sit herself; she was just curious how close she could get; she reached out a lily-white hand and swept the coiled fingers over the veil of dust. A cloud collected in the air before feathering down onto the glossy floor. "Such a lonely sight."

Frozen eyes frosted back up to the violet ones.

(You're very welcome :3 Thank you so much for posting with me as well~! （＾∇＾）)

Alice's short confirmation abruptly reminded the taller girl of the fact that she had forgotten to ask any of the nuns for permission for entering the church. Not having seen any of the teachers walking around she'd merely entered on her own, at the time planning to stay for just a short time. well, not much I can do about that now. The girl mused, hoping it wouldn't cause her any problems later on. She was well aware of the fact that the school, even in summer, kept their strict rules and curfew close. The thought of suffering any consequences due to this was unsettling, but she felt calm none the less, neither feeling any need to hurry back to her dorms. "I see," Nayuki replied, shifting to find a more comfortable position. Her eyes fell down to her lap, one hand softly rubbing some dirt of the other. She couldn't really tell what the dark stain was, perhaps ash, judging by its dark colour.

Violet eyes found their way back to Alice's cold ones as the other girl spoke up again, Nayuki's lips curling into yet another smile at the comment. "Perhaps it will go unnoticed, though it might've been worth a try none the less," she paused for a moment, "With a second look it doesn’t seem like I got very far," The words slipped from her mouth as she averted her eyes from the girl, scanning the different parts of the hall. Although the statement could seem slightly pensive, it was merely a voiced observation. The blonde had from the start known it was a project she couldn't finish on her own.

"It is... lonely," Nayuki almost hummed in agreement, "But still beautiful. I imagine that the rays of sunlight coming through those windows in some hours will be truly stunning." The tall blonde was a person of many expressions, many which were merely an act of what she deemed fitting for the situation. This time, however, her expression remained the same as she shifted her glance to the windows yet again, as if expecting the sun to shine through in any moment. The smile she had just given the other girl was still in place, yet it never fully reached her eyes.

Her mind was most often at ease, calmly observing her surroundings. She was hard to upset, on the other hand rarely completely blissful. She would smile, Perhaps was it due to her stable, borderline apathetic mind that the Miator student would often miss signs and actions that other made, deeming them unimportant to pay attention to. For some reason, she saw no reason to get worked up over small things, and had over the years started paying less and less attention to them. Perhaps she had even lost the ability to so do. Thus, she remained unaware the other girl's intentions, not showing any signs of discomfort as she came closer.

(My pleasure, really~ ^w^)

"Unnoticed, perhaps, but not unappreciated." The alabaster spider's words slipped out coolly in a cloud of warm ice. It spoke some truth. Even if the nun returned and noticed nothing about the church's inherited cleanliness -- even if just a miniscule difference, it would be evident that someone at least had taken the time to grace the summer-desolate place with their good-natured presence. Far sunder to Alice who had been nothing but a frosted arachnid on the wall seeking unplanned prey within its holy walls. Repenting it all would come far later. Like that sinful white bird, she would, too, one day corrode in the flames of her sins. "All that matters is that you gave an effort." She added to the casual comment.

Violet eyes once again drifted from the icy light of frozen ones. The girl looked away quite a lot Alice concluded, but it was merely just common human nature. Though when in the presence of a predatory spider, it was wise to keep them in your peripherals. For after a spider is found absent from the line of vision, there was little hope trying to locate them in time. And that's why so many other insects that crossed the widow's frosted web found the young temptress dangerous. A comment was casted out weaving a poetic sort of imagery of the stained glass windows of the church. Certainly they would be stunning in play with sunlight. Casting serpents of color all about the color and draping a rippling cloak over whoever ventured to stand in their rapturous light. Such a glorious spectacle was not deemed befitting of a sinner to gaze upon, though Alice couldn't help but form a sliver of longing to see that upon its mention. She'd been dyed in an array of colors before; mostly on stage by artificial colored lighting; but never in an organic spectrum. Would she burn in that beautiful light?

Ghostly blue orbs crinkled in amusement as the same smile from before flickered across the other's lips. She hadn't been really zeroing in at any specific part of the other's face; she preferred to capture the portrait in all its rosy features as a whole; but it had seized her attention. It was a smile, that it was. Yet it failed to connect with the averted eyes. Alice didn't muse too much over it, though it was just simply an interesting observation. It made her wonder how this girl ticked; what sort of clockwork lay behind that pretty face framed in a tapestry of golden locks? A flurry of erratic bells and whistles, or perhaps a more solemn knell of a tranquil clock? It flared up a spark of curiosity, and curiosity was a dangerous thing for the widow to harbor. Especially out of the sight of any other onlookers.

The blonde didn't seem to display any discomfort of Alice's closeness. That was a pleasing sign. Assuming her usual stance, she draped an arm over her torso and propped the other upon the folded arm so that a resting hand supported her chin once more. She figured she'd move an experimental pawn up the board. "It would be, wouldn't it?" She mused in agreement. Loosening her stance, she gradually began a slow walk in a sort of morphed arc around where the girl sat. It was a technique she often deployed to test her prey; their overall current state and just how trusting they were of her. Once she approached behind a girl, if the poor soul looked back, then she didn't trust the spider and thus was nervous. If she didn't however, Alice would use that to her advantage and snatch them off guard. What would this intriguing character do? Ghostly blue eyes kept focused on the possible blonde prey as she slowly made her round, pale lips parting to carry the conversation: "The church is quite a beautiful location. It is truly a disappointment that such an ornate place collects dust in the desolate summer months."

( ^ - ^ Thank you~ )

The other girl's comment made Nayuki's smile broaden ever so slightly. She wondered what made this girl say such flattering and kind things in an icy tone that made the older girl question just how sincere her words were. But, she admitted, Alice was probably right, and whether the white haired girl had meant it or not it made Nayuki feel slightly better about all the time she'd invested in this little project. "Well, I guess you do have a point." She replied.

Nayuki took her eyes off the windows and violet orbs found their way back to Alice. The blonde realised not looking at the person she was speaking to could come off as slightly rude to some, but couldn't pick up any hints that told her the other girl minded. That being said she knew she was quite bad at knowing what other people thought, and could've already offended the girl before her for all she knew. But she remained hopeful that she had yet to do that. But, as the younger girl spoke up she had yet again disappeared out of the older girl's line of vision. Her reply continued the train of thoughts Nayuki had just said herself, adding what the blonde believed to be the other girl's voiced opinion. "Indeed," Nayuki agreed, fixing her eyes on her hands yet again to make sure there was no remaining dirt.

The blonde still remained unaware of the younger girl's intentions. She's wasn't particularly trusting, merely unaware in her current state of mind. Nayuki was young, but she had yet to be experience being anyone's prey, her height and confidence making her an unusual victim. She saw no reason for keeping her eyes on the stranger, or rather, the thought never even crossed her mind. The younger girl's act of going behind her still perked her interest ever so slightly, making her wonder if Alice was planning on making her leave. "Are you leaving Himeno-san?" She asked, preparing herself to stand up and accompany the girl on her way out if this was the case.

Alice continued her gradual advance as the other girl spoke. What came out was neither a bland statement nor comment; rather just a simple agreement. One could label it as a half-hearted one at that, though to Alice, it didn't really matter too much the simplicity of the response. The spider soon once more found the rosy light of that intriguing violet gaze on her. It wasn't distrusting per say -- full of confidence, rather. The snowy spider had yet to experiment with confident prey. Though just how far did that solid wall of confidence go? Surely it was permeable, all that needed to be concluded was a point of weakness; something that would cause it to rumble under its own sheer guard. That would be difficult, yes, but not impossible for a spider of malicious, clever technique.

But as that distinguishable confidence - or inexperience, as Alice experimentally concluded - would have it, those watchful eyes parted from her, drifting back down to the pair of hands. This girl was either incredibly confident or simply inexperienced. She looked a bit older, too, though she didn't always account for experience. All may see a spider at some point in their life, but little was the time that they had to experience being the fly -- the unfortunate prey -- of one. And Alice was like a spider. Mysterious, potentially poisonous, and suspended on a frosted web from which she surveyed her sins. She weaved each glistening thread with delicacy and vigilance in malicious anticipation to string along whatever poor girl happened to encounter the snowy threads of her path. Smudge a dusting of allure and charm in their as well, and a spider-like temptress is erected from the ice.

A question arose, one that intrigued Alice yet made her desire to laugh at the same time. She supposed her fanning arc could appear as an indication of departure as she was now our of the other's field of vision. Black heels terminated their quiet clicking across the tiled floor. She was directly behind the blonde now. Icy eyes washed over the flowing curtain of flaxen hair. How would she react? Her prey was unaware so it seemed, and that inquiry had windowed an opportunity for the albino girl to put the experimental pawn into play. Melting from her analytical pose, the narrow chin lowered as she took a final silent step towards the girl. An ivory hand reached out, hovering in the air for a moment as if frozen in the church's dusty state, before ever so gently coming down to whisk a displaced blonde ribbon over to the front of the older girl's shoulder. Her touch, if felt on the skin, was like a corpse; as cold as ice. Though the entirety of her body and face were of no difference in that personally natural freezing temperature. Finally, she leaned in slightly, the little braids adorning the front of her hair dangling like twin pendulums. It wasn't close enough to reach Nayuki's ear though just close enough to be heard. Parting pale lips, she proceeded to answer the other's question, "Not quite yet, my dear."

Pulling back a little she added in a softer, more mysterious tone, "Though if my presence is unwanted here further, I will."