Emanuel D. Angelov
"All Losses in this world are due to a lack of ability"

Emanuel felt the cold, cruel metal clasp around his throat and then he felt a shock race up the collar and jolt him back into half-consciousness. "This is what that cage you saw was for: skinning disobedient pets who refuse to obey their masters." Domingo's voice was as bitter as cinnamon and could've punched him in the gut. Once the noble had the leash on, the sense of unwound power faded immediately and Emanuel was once again tired and ready to slip into unconsciousness.

Than, Domingo did something that he hadn't expected. He donned a wide, cheshire cat-like grin that made his heart stop. It would've fit perfectly on the face of a clown. With one hand, Domingo reached up to his face and began to peel something off that rescinded like tape with a 'ZZZZZRRRRRRTTTTT'. "Paper? Tape?" Emanuel wasn't sure what it was, but the material came right off his face and then floated to the ground like feathers, tapering off features that were once masculine and turning them feminine.  He reached up to his shirt and tore off more of the material that seemed to come off of him like a butterfly malting from its cocoon. Instead of resembling a 'he', Domingo's malted form was far more feminine with bustling hips and a sizeable bust. His voice was also gone, replaced by a more lighter and springier. "A little parting gift."

And then the collar issued him yet another shock and Emanuel's struggles cease. Domingo (or whatever her name was.. Dominka?) held the leash in hand and continued to do something that was making the collar shock him more and more. "You should've drank the kool-aid. Your life would be much more peaceful if you did. Now it looks like you're goin'ta get skinned." The female Domingo turned to the Matriarch. "Another nice, new shiny pelt to sell. Can't say I'm happy about all the damage he caused, but at least the damage was minimal. The Fleischers should be happy to reimburse you for all the trouble you went through. Once I get to recapture my sister, I'll send the usher to..."

The young man-turned-wolf struggled and tried to wretch it off as more shocks made him moan and whimper. Domingo seemed to delight as she pressed it each time while her smirk grew wider and wider, showing deep pearly white teeth. Emanuel beat his fist against the wall, beginning to snarl purely for the sake of spite. The torture made his eyes almost glow red. Without warning, he made a grab for one of the objects that had fallen off, grasped it, and then through it right towards Domingo. Luckily, he felt a loud 'thud' that signalled a direct hit and the noose around his neck loosened. He pounced at the first opportunity, grabbing hold of the noble and then using his shoulder to slam his body into the stunned matriarch.

With the collar released from hand, he grabbed the noble (wo)man and bounded out of the mansion. Her face was bleeding from the forehead from whatever object he had thrown, but it had also knocked him/her out cold which made it easier for Emanuel to sling them over his shoulder like a rank trash bag. Outside, there was much chaos. Stella had apparently been busy; she was flinging goons about like baseballs and there were legs sticking out of walls. Most notably however, two of the black werewolves were lying face-down on the ground and had had their skulls caved in and their necks viciously chewed out.

If those were the two that (s)he'd sent against her, than it seemed that she'd passed the test without a problem. Emanuel spotted her surrounded by at least a dozen more town guard all firing bullets at will. A part of him believed she might have even been enjoying it as it seemed the wolves had been more of a challenge when she just casually swiped them away.

When the she-wolf spotted Emanuel with Domingo, she unleashed a puppy-like coo and ran on all fours toward him. When he was living with his parents on a ship, Emanuel had at some point wondered what it would be like to have a pet. Of course, he had wanted one of the sea turtles or be allowed to keep one of the dolphins he saw. He never expected to own a werewolf. "Woof Woof (Good girl.)" Emanuel stood on hind legs to pet her with his one free hand that Stella seemed to respond playfully towards.

They weren't in any position now to be messing around. They were at the far-end of the Emerald District and it seemed that they were most likely going to be beset by elite guards very soon. Emanuel quickly had to think up a place to regroup. "The sewer system might work... but they've probably got that gated off... we'll have to..." 'WHOOSH!!!!!!' An arrow of pure silver raced down from above, bringing with it a crisp gust. It happened before he realized it and so fast he would've completely missed it had it not happened just out of his peripheral vision. With nary a word or a wisp spoken, the arrow flew down and silently pierced Stella's heart.

The burst of silver in his vision shattering his thoughts. Stella dropped to the ground without a whimper or that single thud sound as if her body had suddenly been rendered weightless. In that moment, Emanuel's brain lurched as his vision was distorted. One second he was considering his next move and the next everything seemed to fade to white. Disbelief started in slow and then it popped like a balloon. Emanuel remembered inhaling a breath as his grief mounted, but then his survival instinct took precedence first. He jumped back as more arrows came raining down on him.

He jumped back, but not a single one looked like it had been aimed truly with the intention of striking him. He looked up with the expectation of seeing one of the elite guards or a sniper from afar. Some expert wolf hunter or another foe he would have to tear to pieces. That wasn't there. Instead what he saw was a great white holybird. It looked enchanting, like its feathers were made of pure light. When he looked down at Stella's corpse, he saw that the projectiles hadn't actually been arrows, but feathers. White feathers that looked like they were swathed in heavenly aura.

The bird descended slowly to the ground, gliding down seraphically. When it came close to the ground, it started to change form until it resembled the female form with its golden neck becoming softer. From the re-shaping, Emilia's form emerged clad in white armor. Her black hair had been tied up and her looks were even more fearsome than they had been before. On her face, the woman held a smile that seemed to both insult Emanuel in some way and indicate her bemusement. An ensnaring twitch of her eye and a flash of her teeth.

Eyeing every approaching step, Emanuel snarled with spite oozing out of every pore in his body. As if acknowledging that he couldn't speak a word, Emilia kept him captive with her stare. She reached down and picked up Stella's corpse, holding it up with no effort despite the amount of weight it must've been. "Is this yours? Trade?"

His hostile eyes did not recede, instead he grabbed his captive and unsheathed his free claw in front of the noble's throat. Emanuel held it firmly beside the jugular vein of Domingo(ka) and then left Emilia see threat entirely. Her eyes furrowed, flashing a mild bit of anger, but also a bit of something that looked to him very much like 'understanding'. "Very well than. Have it your way. I'd say you've earned it."

In a second, one of her arms became a bird's golden wing that she flapped once that unleashed speckles of gold and silver. Instantly, Emanuel felt his body start to shrink while Domingo seemed to become heavier and grow in size. Before long, Emanuel felt the fur on his body vanish and he was standing out in the nude as himself now while he was holding up the noble Dominka who was now a werewolf again in full. "There you go. All better now."

Emanuel glanced back at the sack over his shoulder and then picked his hand up and flexed it. He was human again. Crisp night air chilled him to the bone from head to toe, but it was a welcome feeling to have his own skin back again. Flexing his vocal chords, one hand on his chest, Emanuel let out a short wheeze. "Don't rush it. It'll all return after a little while."

Emilia approached and stood a couple meters away. Even though he was no longer a werewolf, the sight of seeing her holding up Stella's corpse drew a beastly growl and a snarl from him. "Can't say I hardly blame you. You must've been close to her. Still though, I need that bag of flesh over your shoulder. If you have a moment, why don't we try talking somewhere else..."

In an explosion, Emilia re-assumed the form of the holybird and stood with her back turned to him. "Get on. Easier to talk if we're out of earshot. Do not worry. I won't do anything that would unnecessarily endanger his life."

To say the least, the marine wasn't exactly wanting, but after some hesitance, he pushed it to the back of his mind and clambered on top of the large bird with Dominka unconsciously held in his grip.

---

Emanuel D. Angelov
"All Losses in this world are due to a lack of ability"

They flew far and wide, high up above the Lulusia Kingdom. Circling around it, Emanuel couldn't help but gain silent admiration for the large place. He could see the Emerald Gates and even the Emerald Palace just a bit farther to the north. After a fast ride, they glided above until reaching the outskirts of the common ground

The space was wide and open, but not well-traversed with no one in sight at this point at night. The Emerald district may have been on high alert and they may very well arrive to this place soon, but for the moment it was only them. Emilia wore the same smirk like a shoe that fit her perfectly. It was the subtlety of it that gave him pause, but he stood up while wrapped in a cloak he had snatched quickly before take-off. He held Dominka, still unconscious, in his hand and walked to the central point between them. Without speaking, Emanuel handed over Dominka while Emilia dropped Stella and the two picked up their catch.

Afterwards, the two of them retreated back from the center and stood opposite one another. He made another effort to test his voice box and though it was still a bit sore, he was able to speak now. "I still have too many questions to leave like this. What was the point of all this to begin with? What exactly is wrong with all of them? The Fleischers and the Durantes?" he said in a half-crackling, weak tone. "Hmmm... Well, to give you the simplest answer, her time was coming. I take it you learned quite a bit from the old woman, but I asked her not to say the whole thing. Most of the Fleischer family are born as either female or infertile. They have only themselves to blame for both misfortunes, but I fell for Dorothea of my own free will. She was born this way, hating herself and dreading becoming the wolf that you saw. She thought this world was too cruel and I could only find one way of curing her."

"My power, the Caladrius, works by taking ailments or afflictions and transferring them to another recipient. Unfortunately, I couldn't affect her gender, but the curse her family caused her was doable. So I turned it to my advantage." Emilia turned towards Emanuel and this time her smile didn't appear. "You were the only one I found who also shared Dorothea's blood type. What she wanted was to never be turned like this, but I can find her another in due time."

A mixed expression overcame him, but his eyes remained resolute and Emilia didn't miss it. "You didn't have to kill Stella. You didn't need to hurt her!" His fists went up, "There is more to this than you're telling me. After all I've been through over the past day, you still reek more than anyone else. I'm not sure if I should buy half that. Your mother lured me into a trap and your fiance is skinning all the wolves YOU created and selling them. I don't see where you benefit from just turning a blind eye to all of that!"

Emanuel braced his legs and did a high jump before lashing out with a swift roundhouse kick. Emilia barely reacted, simply flicking his leg away with her middle finger and thumb that sent Emanuel's foot way off course. After that, she turned her one arm into a bird's wing again and fired three quick feathers at him. They flew right to the sides of his hips with the third one nearly grazing his neck. After that, Emanuel was in midair and without a method to dodge so the femme fatale gave him a slight poke to his forehead that sent him barreling backwards onto the ground.

Without missing a beat, Emanuel got up and went for another plan of attack, this time aiming low and trying to sweep her legs out from under her, but that was quickly parried and Emanuel got a stomp straight to his face that drove him straight into the ground. Both times done with no effort whatsoever on her part. "As a marine, you really should start thinking more of your own health rather than just trying to uphold whatever ideals you have. Ideals don't die, people do. Perhaps the next time we meet, it will be on better terms. Who knows, if you can make me lift a finger, you might even be worth my time."

With Dorothea in hand, Emilia's form disintegrated into her Caladrius form again and this time rocketed off into the night sky, leaving Emanuel to simply lay there, clad in a cloak, with nothing from this adventure except for a broken heart and a lost pet.

[exit]


Emilia flew far, far off into the night until she reached a ship anchored far off the docks where she touched down gingerly with Dorothea. "Be prepared to ship off. I didn't get everything unfortunately. The Revolution will have to wait for another day. For now, lets head back to Baltigo. The ones I was hunting escaped and I suspect they're headed there."

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