Slap!

The all-too familiar sound of an open palm striking another's face - Alice's face - resonated like a gun shot throughout the empty Miator courtyard. White icicles of hair swirled as the temptress turned her head to an almost mechanical degree over one shoulder, sporting a scarlet mark across one cheek that only seemed to glow in the dim light of the stars above. These white threads of hair ruffled with a life of their own, like serpents awakened by the scent of blood, and a few coiled down to brush her prominent collarbone which protruded out from under the frill of a white Lolita dress.

Before her was anchored a small, endearing girl whom had adopted a slumped over stance. The guilty arm was suspended in fading kinetic motion in the shattered midnight atmosphere. Underneath those endearing bangs Alice supposed a storm was further brewing in those dark eyes. It made her want to laugh. Laugh for no particular reason other than sickened amusement.

"Hmph." Alice grunted out a soft sound. She brought up an unfazed hand to cup her cheek. Two ivory fingers extended to stroke it, her body never once reacting to any flicker of pain. Because to her, there wasn't any, and even if there had been, she wouldn't be able to feel it.

"G-Goodnight, Himeno-san!" The girl shouted angrily. She seemed frightened. Just as Alice had desired her to be. Black school shoes soon tapped across the courtyard and into the silken black web of the night beyond. Frozen blue orbs prowled after her yet the temptress's head never once turned to look at her. Her torso soon quivered, accompanied with her shoulders, and she produced a series of low, quiet chuckles.

So that was the result of my pursuit? That reaction is nothing new.  

The white spider waltzed to a nearby bush and sat adjacent to it, tossing her gaze to the stars for them to judge the event. She really wouldn't mind if someone had seen that, but like a true spider, she desired to keep her acts hidden - in the shadows. Though you can't exactly play chess in the dark, now, could you?    

Indeed, a slap had broken quite the eerie silence of the night. Luria was out later than intended, and had to get home to her apartment off campus. Sadly, this meant a walk in the dark - alone. The thought only scared her in the areas beyond the campus gate, but she also knew how to defend herself well enough that the fear was a social construct instead of an instinct. She played with the byzantine chain around her neck nervously, a locket dangling from it fairly low, and carried herself without her Miator uniform through the courtyard. Her replacement was something fairly casual with hints of medieval to them - a top with flared cuffs at her wrists, a skirt that was longer behind than in front, which was accented by the vest that draped to her ankles and was tied in front with a single strand of ribbon and a button.

That slap had broken her fear and thought process entirely however, and even more so the shout had snapped her into alert. A warrior must always be at the ready. Immediately she began stepping more quietly on approach of the area she believed the shout to come from. Her softer approach kept her masked well enough to see someone leaving in a hurry - they seemed angry. That likely wasn't this Himeno character that was being shouted at, but instead was probably the one shouting. Immediately, she felt that the issue was none of her concern, but she felt an immediate need to check on the person who was struck. She retraced the steps of the perpetrator to find silver hair attached to someone who seemed to be retreating. She didn't move far, but rather sat close to a nearby bush. She seemed fine... but it would eat at her conscious if she didn't make sure.

"Pardon." she spoke with a slight Scottish accent. "I overheard what just happened. Are you alright? Do you need help?"

A voice - one edged with a Scottish accent - shivered through the tendrils of her invisible web, and like a spider drawn to any source of movement, she began to look up. She stopped herself midway and produced a soft chuckle. This girl sounded young. Almost like the one that had slipped from her web just now. She'd take a different approach. Patience and a lull into security was key.

"Help? Why, my dear, I appreciate your concern, though I am not the one in need of it presently." It was a bit threatening, perhaps, but she had tried to keep it laced with a small amount of warmth. A spider couldn't do much if it kept its fangs bared all the time. So she'd sheath them for now and see where it would take her. Not an immediate danger, but surely one to be cautioned if taken into consideration.

She felt self-conscious about the mark that painted her cheek now in the presence of another, though she really didn't quite care overall. The girl had probably witnessed the familiar scene anyways, so it wouldn't make much sense trying to hide it. In a swift, elegant wave, she next pushed herself to her feet. White sheets of Lolita frills swirled with her figure. It mimicked the serpentine shudders of her icy hair. Now sooner had she risen, had she stepped back to execute a formal bow. It was only proper, given the girl had approached to check on her well-being. Blue orbs slowly slid open; the white veil of her lashes contrasting ominously against them; and slithered up to pin the girl.

So this was who had spoken? A rare beauty, indeed. That accent had intrigued her, too. She wondered if she could make prey of her if she in fact become strung up in her web. Would the outcome be the same? Possibly. Unless, of course, she was the unresisting type. Or that her impression would come to be so grand as to dismiss the colloquial white widow from trying to play her. Either way, there would be an outcome. How it was decided to be exercised was entirely embedded in the reactions of the other girl. Twisted anticipation propelled her on.  

"Who might I have the pleasure of speaking to?" She inquired softly, not letting her gaze drop from the girl.

A few thoughts came to her then. The first being at how well spoken the girl was and the second being at how unfazed she seemed to be for someone who was just attacked. It came to her then that the tone in which she was speaking with left a somewhat aggressive air to the words that she had only picked up on after hearing the girl speak up a second time. This time, inquiring.

"Luria." she replied, bowing in much the same manner. She didn't want to give out her last name, as that would cause trouble. The girl may have never even heard of the Mirroheart family, but she didn't want to attach that stigma to her meeting just in case. Diplomacy was key. That being said she found herself thinking of the context of the incident immediately. The attacker was angry, and that had at first made her think that this girl was a victim entirely. But the way she carried her speech made Luria think that maybe she was the aggressor in this. That thought made her uneasy, but also not enough to make her leave. Chances are, her strength would be enough to fend off someone one on one, and she wasn't getting the impression that anybody else was here.

The analytical side of her is courtesy of her father.

"I gather you are Himeno? I heard your attacker call you that."

The girl seemed uneasy. Perhaps not outwardly yet, but rather inwardly. Alice didn't really expect her not to feel like that. As many cower at the sight of spiders, much more, poisonous widows, she was well acquainted with that sort of inward response. It was the basis to the fight or flight instinct that often evolved from it. She would try not to pusher that far. Not yet, at least. You can't aim for a checkmate if you move your pawns of hierarchy too recklessly.

Blue eyes pursued her as she dropped into a similar bow. She presented herself forwardly, yet the lack of family name surfaced a rough curiousity. Why had she not supplied a surname? Surely, she had one. The albino spider shook the trivial stance from her mind. Those were probably reasons beyond her control. Nor did she wish to pry too deep into them. Maybe much later, should she cultetvate an interest with it, or perhaps came to know the girl better. After all, a spider's venom must be gradually and generously injected in time, not all at once, should the girl capture her fancy.

"Luria?" The name rolled unnaturally off her tongue. She paused, then attempted again, adopting a softer tone, "Luria. Quite a lovely name for a lovely maiden. A pleasure, it is, to make your aquaintance." The sweet, complementary words burned her tongue. She had regurgitated those words so often in first meetings with many a girl that it was almost robotic now.

Then she heard her own surname project into the air as well as the mention of her "attacker". Had she been more lighthearted and less composed, she would have genuinly laughed. Luria, as she now knew her, seemed to have misconstrued the positions of the encounter. That was all fine, however, for Alice resolved to let her believe what she thought was correct. Though she mused that the girl might even had doubted herself and was beginning to sort the realism of if out.

"Correct, my dear. Alice Himeno." She rarely gave her full name in concurrence. Similarly to the girl, she had omitted it. Lest she ever wished to refer her by another name. Alice Shigeki Chantal Himeno. The spider of the aristocratic Himeno family, disputed daughter of a French family, thus Chantal, and emulation of the Himeno line's most successful, cruel, and powerful now deceased woman figure, Shigeki. "Alice" had been an off play of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland. And here she, the White Queen, had gone challenging the Red Queen in an internal battle of chess. One that she couldn't win.

"Ah, yes, my attacker." She continued with the ghost of a smirk. "Unfortunate you had to witness that confrontation. Quite an...unsavory ta -- way to first see someone." A spoonerism had almost soured her speech. She bit her tongue lightly in self chasisment. Hopefully the girl hadn't noticed.

Things certainly were interesting. her initial thought seemed to be swept away by the conversation and her inability to hold on to such notions without evidence. Why convict the unproven? Instead, she allowed the exchange to take place rather openly. What harm could it do? The girl was obviously doing fine, but there was a small tick in her speech that could have said otherwise. Maybe she was just good at hiding such things and needed someone to help her out. That was fine, Luria had no qualms doing so. Her father had always taught her to be sincere and offer help until you've been burned, then move on without burning back. No need for that kind of behavior. Especially here, where someone else had just been burned and seemed to either need help, or be very good at bouncing back. The nature of the argument struck her curiosity, but she chose to speculate on that in her head rather than ask.

Her name came up, and some slight recognition came to her. Not much, because she wasn't terribly involved with the family business, but enough that if she asked her father he would probably know who she was. Well... It was only fair at this point.

"Yes. Luria Mirroheart." she confirmed. It wasn't that her family was powerful or anything, quite the opposite. They were like a private bank with a seemingly endless supply of funds, based in Scotland, that supplied loans, employees, and many other working class needs to large companies and powerful people who needed them. They'd been called 'business mercenaries' more than once.

"Don't worry about that." she shook her head. "As long as you're fine."

But fine from what? The incident just now, could that have been a lovers spat? Friends breaking apart? Old rivals? Some club activity? So many possibilities, she decided to ignore and move past them. The reason would come out if it was supposed to. Who would know what to do in this situation better than anyone? She immediately recalled her maid Ayano and her usual answer to arguments.

"The wounded get healed and the wanted get Hell. Whoever she was, I'm sure she'll get hers eventually. You just focus on you for right now." the only issue was, she had no choice but to inquire slightly as to properly get help for Alice. "What were you two doing out here this late anyway? Maybe it isn't too late to finish it, if you need a hand."

Luria had already forgotten she needed to get home, it seemed.

Mirrorheart... Now that she thought about it, she was sure she had heard that name someplace before. It was foreign, of course, so she barely knew anything about its general connections than just its name. She wondered how much power it held. That is, if it held any power or influence at all. The Himeno line was mildly influential itself, though it had been loosing some of that steam under the foolish rule of the newest branches of the family. After the glorious Shigeki Himeno passed on - the cruel past mistress of the Himeno line of whom served as one of Alice's alternate names - the family name had begun to rot for there was no longer a vicious she-wolf guarding the aristocratic title. Her family had hoped to change that with Alice. It would be through her etiquette, charm, and elegant mastery of dance, specifically of ballroom waltz and common ballet, that they would try to gain the fullest of their name back. Alice was a pawn of her own of sorts; a marionette of her own family's bidding, perhaps, and it quite frankly disgusted her. They might be able to control her etiquette, but no one can severe a spider's individual web. Because a spider would only be brushed aside for a short while before climbing up to a perch to spin again.

Alice's ominous mask cracked for the slightest of a second when the girl offered to lend a hand with an inquiry. Her statement had been correct. She surely would get hers someday. She, the spider who had been the aggressor of the situation. And she would burn for it, that much she knew. Burn alone and probably in the fiery trenches of Hell itself. Though she had never felt any remorse for her actions. No, she had a fondness for stringing girls along. Inwardly laughing at their foolishness and vulnerability then crushing them in their strongest moment of helplessness. Usually they cried and ran off in a sobbing mess. Other times she received a violent outburst that sometimes resulted in a slap like the one that had just transpired. Yet nothing ever hurt. She felt nothing for any of the girls she lead in a false fantasy, nor could she physically feel pain because of her genetic inability to. In truth, she had known little about the girl who had just slapped her. Maybe a name after a stealthy pass by at her school papers, but either way, she had long forgotten it now. Not that the girl had known much about her either. They had only really seen each other once, and like the manipulative flirt the albino spider was, she saw an opening of vulnerability and went to snatch it. Honestly, she had had her pinned a little while before the slap, though after she had managed to wriggle out of her arms, she had no incentive to hold on anymore, and let her do what she desired. That freedom had earned her a slap.

"A victim of misbehavior, I suppose. Though I'm not sure there is anything to finish with her. Not that there originally was."  She offered in response.

 She didn't give away her exact intentions involving the incident, though it was enough to draw a conclusion, should the girl be analytical enough to piece together. Adjusting a strand of icy white hair with a single lily-white digit, she abruptly took a diagonal side-step as if to start a loop around the girl, but stopped in her place, assuming a more natural position with an arm wrapped around her waist and an elbow propped up onto it, leaving a hand to rest beneath her chin. Bending down a little so she could look more properly into the girl's face, quizzically studying her eyes. Searching for any source of reaction and just the type of confidence she possessed.

"May I similarly ask what you are doing out so late as well, my dear?" She tried to supply some warmth in her voice, but its natural chill spilled out to engulf it. She was merely testing what sort of reaction it would receive from the girl.

Okay, no reaction to the family name. That was good. Maybe she could be herself after all and not the girl she was expected to be. The trouble with that was, she had long forgotten what kind of girl she wanted to be. She knew she loved her sister and she knew she loved to make jewelry, but aside from that she was a blank slate - a vessel of empty ideas to be written upon by life. She had no dreams, no goals, not even a real sense of morality aside from protecting her family. Her posture and attitude were stolen from those around her to fit the situation at hand, and she was aware enough of that to consider it, but not enough to feel bad for it. Did that make her a bad person, she wondered? Probably.

"Misbehavior? That's, ah..." she thought for a moment. The rational conclusion was that the girl who ran off was a maid refusing to work, which would mean miss Alice was doing something that caused that outburst. This information was probably false, but it was the information she assumed and rolled with. She didn't want to assume too much, so this was as far as her thought process went. "That's no fun." she finally said, shaking her head. "People should always follow the rules unless they're at risk."

Then came the question of her own adventure outdoors, along with some kind of sizing up of Luria. Upon inspection of her eyes, one would see they were blank - As if ready to be filled with something. Her gaze held a certain air of listlessness to it, like her mind was elsewhere and her interest was low. She cared about the immediate needs, sure, but reflected in her eyes would be a pure, clean nothingness that seemed to beckon to be written upon.

"Oh, I was caught late tonight cleaning up a mess I'd made. I'm heading home now. I live off campus, actually."

There was a little more to it than that, but there was really no point in elaborating on her personal life to a stranger. Her immediate business and her long term business were separate entities entirely. Instead, she decided there was no more reason to be on guard and allowed herself a less ready stance.

Alice tried to stifle another inward chuckle. It seemed that the aspect of misbehavior made the girl hesitant. How, or perhaps why, seemed to impede her, yet it made her want to laugh all the same. It was fun. Very fun if done right. She assumed this girl was used to living under the strict code of rule. Unlike her. And she was supposed to be molded into the perfect lady. Granted, she permitted ladylike tugs here and there, but never let any hands lay too in control of her own being. That was for only for her to manipulate. Unless someone took a pair of scissors to her web.

"No fun?" Her voice sounded distant for a moment, almost as if she was speaking through a static telephone, "Why, my dear, at risk for what, may I ask?"

She was genuinely curious about the girl's seemingly adamant stance on the subject. Life wasn't life unless a few rules were broken on purpose here and there. Unavoidable temporary breaks were one thing, but it was the act of breaking them on purpose with intention in mind that really mattered in the long run. Alice was no stranger to severing rules should she find the need to. Such as staying out late past curfew or manipulating any stray insect that wandered into her web. That is, if they unconsciously stepped in or she coaxed them in with her silver tongue.

Then there was those eyes... Blank and emotionless; a blank canvas with no internal paint to be splattered across it. They seemed dethatched, perhaps floating in some other fantasy within that curious mind. Almost like there was no personality - no emotion - there. Why, they were quite different from any sort of eyes she had seen before. Most were filled with either some sort of hidden admiration or fear or a mixture of both. It was a look she was quite fond of, yet this... This was entirely new. What was she to do with it? With a blank slate? Should she develop an interest in this girl, could she perhaps further reach out and take that brush to paint something among its vacant void? They seemed to beckon for just that -- for someone to write something among it. A sense of baffled amusement fluttered through her mind. The girl had stunned the spider. And that wasn't a very easy thing to do. It was only for a moment, however, for soon she had risen to her full, lofty height and began to proceed few steps further into her signature loop, light, elegant strides carrying her across the courtyard like she was floating on air. Perhaps she'd try to write something. Maybe later, should they meet again.

The girl had seemed to relax next and relayed the reasoning of her presence. So she was heading home, huh? Off campus, too. An interesting predicament.

"Surely you are not alone, are you, my dear? It isn't exactly...safe walking around alone at night. Especially off-campus. You could run into a wolf if you're not careful."  Her voice had dropped a chilling octave for a moment to emphasis the word "wolf", but quickly crested back into its normal monotony at the last few words. She was well into her loop around the girl now.

    

Maybe she was reading too much into this, but she couldn't shake this feeling that she was being analyzed more thoroughly than a common person would. Alice seemed to be abuzz with analysis, and generally speaking had a curiosity of Luria's presence that was both natural and a bit more than she anticipated. Quickly she cycled through her previous encounters to find the most suitable rebuttal to the inquiry of risk.

"Risk of being hurt." she replied with a bit of a stern voice. "Self preservation trumps any form of rule. Preservation pf family comes second. The rules themselves come third."

And fourth on that list was fun.

"But that's not really the point, anyway. I just don't think she was right to run off."

It wasn't long before she felt herself being sized up again. The eyes wouldn't leave her, even as she moved about. There was nothing inherently tense about it anymore, but there was a certain sense of invasion. She pushed it aside and allowed the girl to observe her, knowing very well she was of average stature and unimpressive in almost every way. Nothing to analyze for too long, she thought, and she was fairly certain the girl would find the same result and move on from this into another thing soon enough. And as if on cue, thinking that way, Alice had spoken up about Luria's adventure home and how dangerous it could be. That is indeed one of her main concerns most nights, but she also knew she could handle herself in a fight. So, why not explain that to her?

"I may not look it, but I've laid out men and women twice my size." she nodded, crossing her arms. "My sister, the new self defense teacher here, has taught me a lot about martial arts. She developed her own style based on three others, of which she has almost taught me everything from one. I can handle your average thug."

For a moment, one could see a flicker of confidence. It quickly faded back into the blankness of her eyes and the lack of motivation in her voice. That must have been someone else's personality entirely, and not her own.

An organized list was presented, and Alice listened whilst continuing her loop. Self preservation, family, and rules. An interesting line-up indeed. Alice knew not the risk of being hurt. It was a numb word that she had never paid much attention to. She didn't exactly understand the meaning of it. The only pain she really could comprehend and attach a label to was that of which she herself inflicted on others. Or of what she had witnessed be inflicted unto others. For her, there was no real risk for breaking any set of rules. Suspension from the school, yes, perhaps scorn from her family, yet what would be the official product of the outcome? She knew how to behave herself when the time called for it. That was all that needed to be set.

As for not being right to run off, the albino spider would completely disagree had she voiced the actual fault of that girl's and her encounter. That girl had all the right to run off. To flee and dash off into the night. Heck, she even had the right to hit her. It wasn't like she could feel it anyways, much less care about the scarlet handprint she carried on her ivory cheek now. That girl wouldn't - couldn't - say anything against her anyways, so Alice was fully unconcerned about what that vulnerable girl would do next. She had simply put herself out there, and the spider had taken the bait in the midst of her web. Sure, it hadn't been the most savory ending, and running off was a bit childish, but she didn't reprimand her at all for that reaction. It was only expected in this garden of blossoming maidens, anyways.

"Perhaps she was, perhaps she wasn't, though that stems from the root of the situation in the first place of which cannot be augmented much." She relayed softly.

She had completed half her loop now, and stopped for a fraction of a second behind her, testing to see what that blank slate would register it as. A threat? Maybe an invasion of her personal space Many had a strong aversion or a sickening churn of fear whenever someone disappeared from their sight. Some just remained rooted to their spot in a sheer act of confidence. Usually, she would reach out or draw a little closer, but this time she hesitated, content with just sitting back and watching for a second. What would just this reaction hold? So far, she hadn't received many reactions from the girl at all. Just that blank innocence that seemed so apparent the more she lingered in Luria's presence.

"Impressive indeed, for a girl of your stature. An interesting incorporation of your sister's skills, too. Knowing this, I suppose you halk wom-- ah, walk home alone quite often then, do you not, my dear?" Ivory teeth sank down into her tongue once more, perhaps a little too deep, at the presence of a mild Spoonerism. It was a common speech impediment that typically affected everyone, except hers were a bit more extreme and had formed into a condition of sorts. Parts and sounds of words often became blended and exchanged out with others of a following word, creating an involuntary play on both beginning word sounds.

Tapping a long, thoughtful finger against her sharp chin, she took a step out from behind the girl, had she not turned around yet. She wondered just what kind of story about the incident she had witnessed had formed within that mind. There had been a flare of confidence there, too, or at least she had thought there had been, when the girl announced her capability of downing a large oppressor. As soon as it had come, it had faded. Alice was curious as to the reason why, but decided not to openly question it. Luria was an intriguing girl indeed. It was almost as if she had metamorphosed into an entirely different person for a second.

For one so well spoken, she did keep tripping on her words. It was as if she was nervous, but why would that be so? Luria was average, non threatening, and in no way thought she seemed like someone that would make others uncomfortable. Maybe she was a bit overly emotional? No, that wasn't right, she was using her maid's mannerisms, and she wasn't very emotional.

"You could say that." she confirmed about walking home. "But I'm never usually this late."

A mostly true statement.

"Ah, but I'm sure I'll be fine on the way. Are you certain you don't need help?"

It wasn't that she was trying to break the conversation, it was more that she wanted to make sure there was nothing she could do before parting ways. Something told her to be absolutely sure, and she always followed what something tells her. Alice seemed like a decent enough person, but she was also hesitant to agree with what things seemed in opposition to the facts. She had little information to go by aside from an assumption that Alice was the aggressor in the attack, and for some reason Luria didn't factor that in when thinking of the girl as a person. Perhaps she thought it was funny.

Perhaps she didn't think of right and wrong in terms that others did and rather assumed whatever she wanted based on the situation would be right or wrong.

Still no reaction. This girl truly did appear as a blank slate. Perhaps a blank personality as well. Alice felt somewhere within her believed that the words the girl spoke were not quite her own. They all sounded sunder to the previous; blended with different tones as well. Be it a fault of her ears, but she couldn't help but meditate on the premise for a short while. Maybe if she ever dug a little more into it, the answer would be revealed. Luria was rather intriguing to her, after all.

Knowing now that drawing any sort of reaction from the girl was almost a bit of a fruitless pursuit, she quickly completed the remainder of her analytic loop and turned elegantly on her heel to face her once she had waltzed in front of her again. White ribbons of hair haloed out in a fluttering wave at the deft action. Luria still seemed pretty set on helping her. With what, she wasn't quite sure, to be honest. The incident with the girl had passed, and she had just pounced upon the lone stranger anyways as she had done without any feelings of anything towards her. She couldn't even recall her name now. Nor did she have any further need or desire to pursue her. She has just been a brief pick of the spider's "prey" after all.

"I'm certain I am not in need of assistance presently. However, if you are adamant on lending assistance, I do suppose you can assist by making sure you are true to your word and do in fact get home safetly." She paused for a moment, gently batted a rather irritating white ribbon of hair away from her neck, then continued, "Unless you are in need of any assistance yourself, my dear."

Now that wasn't quite in character.

Alice didn't really concern herself in the intrigues or well-being of others in most cases. Her heart had frozen over long ago. Additionally, most times she only offered such if she was trying to lure a girl into her web. And she was still musing over whether this girl would be just another pawn in her heartless tampering or not. But this had just slipped without any former forethought. Maybe it was a bit uncomfortable, but it was certainly of new amusement to her. Icy blue orbs looked to Luria.

It always felt strange to hear that. She herself never really needed help that she was aware of. To be fair, she just coasted through life on everyone else's wings so how was she to know if she was in need of help? For that matter, who was she really? The question came to mind so often and was immediately pushed away all the same, as if her mind refused to contemplate it in favor of the road it had already paved.

Instinctively she shook her head, a fairly plain expression void of the concern she had showed prior and, for that matter, void of just about everything. It held a routine and somewhat pleased expression that she was unsure of if she was making it herself. What would happen in this situation back home? Whenever she offered the maid a hand, it went something like-

"I can handle myself, but I appreciate the concern."

What about June? Surely her sister had better mannerisms to accommodate the situation, right? This is where things got tricky. June was bipolar, her emotions flipping based on the mood of the author. She couldn't be referenced so easily because she had faced the same situations multiple times in various extremes.She decided to leave it at that and allowed Alice to finish whatever it was she was doing before speaking again.Think, Luria. What would Ayano do to continue conversation?

"I'll remember that offer for later though. And you should do the same. I'm a first year here, so I'll be around for a while."

You just met her, why are you offering her an IOU for the entirety of your stay on campus?

"Think of it as a way to guarantee we'll meet again."

A guarantee to meet again? Why, that was something Alice had never been offered before. Usually, she just saw and made do of whatever girl was unfortunate to wander into her path or surrender a fraction too much control of the present situation to her and that was the end of it. Of course, their had been a few occasions in the past, but that was only to further elongate the crushing blow that would cause that fantasy-stricken girl to crumble to her knees in the end. She wasn't quite sure why, but somehow she felt satisfied with this turnout. Refreshed, even. Though she wouldn't quite admit that to herself just yet.

Not only that, but Luria had stated that she was a first year. Alice, herself, was a second year. Albeit, a transfer student. Her parents had enrolled her in St. Miator without consent from her first, but either way she had went for the most part willingly. Sure, that had meant being forced to abandon her previous "hunting ground" at her prime, though of course, a new territory meant new opportunities. For better or for worse.

  

"If you insist, my dear. And I will consider just that. Perhaps next time it will be upon more favorable conditions." She responded with a nonchalant flick of a lily-white hand.

She was starting to become invested in writing on that blank slate again. There was no doubt with it now. Though to give Alice such a power would result in a canvas with the possibility of being written upon so heavily at points that it would come to be dyed in a monochrome black. It would be almost a little dangerous, perhaps. Intensely manipulative, if she chose to have her way. Something about that blank slate almost reminded her of herself, but she quickly brushed it away. An artist needed a foundation before she could fully make the decision of taking up the brush.