A package for Seraphim

Elena's fingers eagerly flittered at her side as she watched Seraphim, ready for her to pounce at any opportunity.

What she did do was not nearly so satisfying. She pursed her lips, scowling at Seraphim's words angrily for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. She would start with a soft chuckle before an infectious, uncontrolled laughter overcame her, as though Seraphim had just said the funniest thing ever.

Between breaths, once she got under control, she taunted, "Really? Is that what you think of me? You stupid, stupid little prison bitch! I have never ONCE killed anyone or asked anyone to be killed! Do you seriously think I retain Phoebe's services as a killer? Did it ever once occur to you that, maybe if I were actually having Phoebe kill people, I would be able to provide a snuff film a bit more recent than four years old?!" Her tone had steadily transitioned from uncontrolled laughter to furious indignance, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Seraphim only had a few buttons that could be pressed, and just like before when they first met, Elena was pressing them like a child in an arcade, causing Seraphim the need to actually count backwards from ten in her mind, just like her psychiatrist had suggested, but finding that it had barely worked, making her eyebrow twitch just a little and her fists clench again as she kept a very small distance between them both, but otherwise, still somehow keeping the lid just barely over that steaming pot of anger, even after being called a 'prison bitch.'

"I know, you wouldn't have the guts. But you have something to do with this all. I don't know what it is yet, but I'm sure Phoebe would tell me. And the moment I find out that either you're lying to me, blackmailing her, or just doing something to her that makes her do so much as even frown... I'll stop you. I don't need to kill to get my point across, but when I do, you'll wish I had." Seraphim's tone came across like jagged ice being ripped along your flesh, still looking right into Elena's eyes, never even blinking as she spoke. She knew there was more to this all, and she was going to find out just what this was all about. After all, Phoebe could still tell her, she trusted her more then Elena, even if Phoebe had killed... Seraphim could forgive. After Seraphim had taken the life of a loved one, Father Maxwell taught her that any soul can be spared, even her own. And she planned to do the same for Phoebe... she was going to protect that woman, even if it meant having to fight Elena or getting involved with the business of a killer.

Seraphim was quickly becoming tiresome. Having Seraphim imply that she might have been a murderer was especially infuriating. Everything else was just white noise. She had heard much worse about her from people she tended to shatter soon after. She was certainly not afraid of Seraphim.

Still, her hand wasn't far away from her knife. She was in no mood to beat this girl senseless.

"Oh yes, you're completely right. I'm the big bad evil demon king, keeping the helpless little damsel Phoebe locked away in the Tower of Nightmares, and only the brave little one-eyed border collie can save her so they can go live happily ever after." She hissed tauntingly, the menace in her voice carrying no less intensity than Seraphim's. "You're not even worth the effort." She scoffed. "Do you seriously want to play dueling influences with me, darling? Clean your own house first. I'm sure that... karate girl, what was her name... would make an exquisite character witness for you. Or how about the... delightful Megumi Kudo. I'm sure Phoebe will still love you unconditionally after she hears all about the stunts you've been pulling since you're here. Because apparently in Harmonia-world, that's how things really work."

((Naturally, Elena is name-dropping here. She isn't really privy to all the information along those lines.))

This was a one sided conversation. Elena had plenty of ammunition to fire off verbally at Seraphim, apparently knowing more about her than most would, while Seraphim was simply firing blanks, running completely on her paranoid suspicions, and nothing else. This was getting too personal, and like a powerful one-two punch, Seraphim found herself stunned at what Elena had said, amazed and surprised that she knew about what Seraphim had been doing. But yet, it was all for other reasons, and taken out of context, it may have sounded bad, but Seraphim still made up and tried to fix it all as best as she could, it was all utterly unfair! "Y-You shut your trap! That's got nothing to do with this. Masane was that girl's name, and I fixed that whole situation as well as I possibly could. And Megumi I just.. I was just making up for all the shit I put her through, I don't give a damn about how..."

In the end, her words trialed off, falling silent. She wanted to say she didn't care, but she couldn't lie, nearly everyone in this league she fought against had become friends to her, and she was very well restrained as she tried to remain dedicated to Phoebe. But.. how could she if Phoebe never saw her over the past few days, and she may have lied about who she was? Seraphim was cornered, and even though Elena was taking things out of context and using it against Seraphim, it was still a low blow that nearly left her speechless, until finally she tried to say something back, but lacking some of her pride and confidence.

"None of this... not a damn thing between Phoebe and I has anything to do with you. You can sit up on your high horse like the queen you think you are, but that doesn't mean shit in the end. It's my life, not yours." She knew it was a weak reply.. once again, she just had no ammunition to use against Elena, it was nearly blackmail to Seraphim, even if she really had nothing dark to hide, Elena just knew how to make it seem that way. Though, Seraphim's crimson eye did catch a glimpse of something, her streetwise and experiance all twenty-two years of her life knowing just what Elena was hiding, making her own guilt shine for a moment.

"Oh yea... and don't think you can pull that knife out on me. That's the very reason I ended up killing in the past. So let's not have me repeat that and ease up that hand from your boot. I've taken on full two handed swords and automatic pistols, and I doubt you've got a blade bigger than a nailfiler in that boot."

Elena let out a soft chuckle, "Good spot." She produced the switchblade from her boot, flipping it open and closed once, just to show it off. "Really, I don't expect this to do any serious damage to you. It isn't my weapon of choice, but it is good for dissuading errant animals when no better implement is nearby." She slid it back into her boot. "Besides, it isn't the size, it is all in how you use it."

Seeing that she had rendered Seraphim speechless, at least for the moment, was some small comfort. "You keep... carrying on this charade, like I am on some unjustifiable high horse. Yet you are the one who continues to threaten me every time I extend you a nice gesture, a favor." She folded her arms, "I did not walk into this wanting this fight. It is a little late for you to claim privacy after threatening me based on your childish fantasies about what relationship I and my business partner of several years have. Your loss."

Her lips curled into a smile, she too had noticed something about Seraphim... everything she said tended to make the girl mad... but one line of attack seemed to stick out... "Besides, if you're such a sword-fighting, bullet-dodging badass, why do you bristle every time I bring up your prison record? A beast like you should've been alpha bitch in the penitentiary."

How else could Seraphim explain herself? There was something about her she just didn't trust? She didn't like her tone of voice? She was paranoid that this woman was hiding something? They were all really poor excuses, but they were the basis to why Serpahim didn't accept Elena's presence. Some would call it foolish, but when you lived on the streets as much as Seraphim had, you pretty much ran by with a scoundral's luck, and ninety percent of the time, her luck and hunches she followed saved her life, the other ten, she was just overcautious; but there was nothing wrong with that, was there?

Finally, she just sighed, the flare in her eye and tensity from her fading after seeing the blade briefly and hearing what Elena had to say, not even sure of herself any more when it came to this woman. "It's... because I just can't trust you." Seraphim said simply, deciding to stop coming out with her cold guard and threats, and just coming out clean, but trying to base herself on a sturdy claim. "You say you have no ill intentions, yet you send me this tape like it's a threat, you tell me these things like you have a hidden meaning, and something about you rubs me the wrong way; it's the same feeling I get from the mafia or drug peddlers. I'm not..." She sighed again, uncomfortable rubbing the back of her neck as she felt a lot of her frustration fade as she just decided to admit it all, but not relaxing too much just in case. "...I'm not angry at you in general, but I'm angry with how you approach this all. How else can I trust someone like you when you take this kind of approach...."

With only a small pause, not forgetting about Elena's comment about Seraphim's prison-time, the white-haired girl managed to let that blow by, knowing she had her guilt there, but trying not to let it settle in her mind. Right now, Seraphim told herself she needed to calm down, come clean, and try to keep things together before this situation exploded into something much worse or she lost control. "..Not to mention the way you bring up my history like that. Just because you are hinting to be things about Phoebe's, doesn't mean I have to tell you mine. We're not talking about that." With a bit of finality in her tone there, Seraphim had hoped maybe she eased this situation a bit, also dodging the subject about her prison time and trying not to dabble any more on the subject if possible. This was about Phoebe, not her...

"No, no," Elena corrected, "You're not talking about it, and it just feeds the fires of my curiousity." She scoffed, "You... cannot trust me, and yet you do trust a taciturn murderer. Your choice of bedfellows could use a bit of work."

Ever since meeting Seraphim, Elena had felt that the so-called Crimson Eye had a strange effect on her... She was finally beginning to figure it out... Passion. Elena saw the potential for great art in everyone she met, art in this case being her own perverse definition of the term, breaking women down and making them hers. People were a great many varied canvases to her... and Seraphim... she looked like the finest quality marble to Elena's sculptor. Sensuality, violence, anger, sorrow... The passion Elena felt upon seeing Seraphim drove her to emotional heights that she normally had more control over.

Which is what drove her to choose actively not to defuse this situation, her brow narrowed, her voice darkened, "Either way, it doesn't matter. I did not get to where I am by taking verbal abuse from confused little runts like you. As far as I am concerned, I am through with you. If I ever see you in my room, on my property, if you ever give me even a slight reason to believe you're about to make good on any of your numerous threats against me, I swear to you, I will take your remaining eye and I will love every second of the struggle for it."

Seeing her calm words becoming rejected, Seraphim decided to give up on even trying. What was the point in making a sort of peace offering if it was bust butchered in the end? Elena was a sharp and precise woman with what she did, and Seraphim knew she wouldn't do something without there being a good reason, so Elena must have had herself a good cause to why she was so harsh in the end and making a threat. It was nearly impossible to strike fear in Seraphim, and not for a moment did she find this girl's words to make her on edge or afraid. In fact, Seraphim found a bit of boldness in her words, like it was a sort of challenge that she was ready to take on, not even worried at all at what Elena could bring. So long as Seraphim told herself that this woman was all talk and she could stand up to whatever she threw at her, then there was nothing making Seraphim back down.

"Keep talking. I'm sure old hags like you just absolutely relish in making threats you can't back up. So why don't you just buzz off and fins someone who will actually take you seriously, because I agree; I don't need to put up with such pointless arguements, it's like having a child try to blackmail me." Without even so much as a glance, Seraphim turned back around, her words bold and straitforward, not even bothering to look back at Elena as she turned away. The only person she wanted to see right now was Phoebe, and the last thing she needed was for Elena to be a part of that world.

As Seraphim turned to walk away, Elena scoffed. "Bark bark, little doggy. It's all you've ever done." She called out. Seraphim was positively maddening, absolutely beautiful, and downright... addictive. Elena knew she was going to have fun with this one.

Seraphim might have heard the click of Elena's switchblade locking into place, but she would definitely see it fly by her shoulder, whizzing past her ear, and lodging itself firmly in the wooden door Seraphim was about to open.

If Seraphim turned back, she'd see Elena wearing a wry smile. Even if she didn't, Elena would still taunt, "You can't walk away from me, Seraphim. So long as you stay with Phoebe, you'll have to deal with me. Go on. I dare you, tell Phoebe to sever ties with me and run off to the idyllic farm with her new loyal cycloptic bulldog."

There was no point in staying, Seraphim knew that this was all just going to steadily get worse if she did, and Elena just wasn't worth getting angry at. Frankly, that was all she found from this woman, even when she attempted to apologize or sympathize, it didn't pay off, Elena was nothing more than a person who could talk, but had others do her dirty work, that was how Seraphim saw it. Even the words she said, Seraphim just ignored. She wasn't worth it, Seraphim just kept telling herself none of this was worth getting involved with, she had more important things to worry about, and none of it involved Elena.

As the white haired wrestler was on her way out, truly doing all she could to the best of her ability to ignore Elena, something else ended up grabbing her attention, and it was impossible to ignore. The knife flew just past her shoulder, nearly taking her ear off as her good eye caught site of it, and then saw with a dull thunk, the blade imbedded itself in the door. And then, that was it, Seraphim felt her body go numb, and the tensity in every part of her increase tenfold, like she was about to get into a fist fight with Death itself.

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Slowly, Seraphim turned her head just enough or her good eye to glare at Elena, the crimson-eye lit up like a fire, but the expression on her face grim and deadly, like her stare could send a thousand daggers right back at Elena, and she wouldn't have any problem in killing her where she stood.

Plucking the knife from the door with ease despite how deep it was embedded, Seraphim started to approach Elena, clutching the blade. Then, she held it up to her throat... her own throat as she slowly walked closer to Elena, a slow, unsettling grin breaching her lips, like she was playing a game with the devil. "You know... if you're going to make threats-" She said slowly, starting to press the knife into her neck, breaking the bandage that was their, and drawing blood as it stained the bandage a heavy crimson. "-Then you might as well cut me a little first..." Her words carried a cold chill, and then she dropped the blade on the ground at Elena's, her blood still fresh on it as she stared right into Elene's eyes as if daring her to pick it up as the look of a demon who reveled in the pain and chaos was plastered on her face.