[Clever Girl] For Hawthorne22

After that gruesome match Akuma had set up against Phoebe and Elena, Karina had become pretty tired.. But that didn't mean she was going to stop. She had captured Phoebe, taken her to her house and actually let her rest on her bed and tended to her wounds quite skillfully. She was quite good at mending wounds, mainly because all the wounds she got in matches, she tended by herself because she simply hated hospitals ( Partly because of what Phoebe did as a ' nurse ' ) While it seemed that revenge was the main course when it came between Karina and Phoebe, she actually had another thing in mind.

She made sure Phoebe was comfortably resting on the bed before she took a seat besides her and casually waited for the girl to wake up, having another plan in mind rather then just beating Phoebe up.

Of the two girls, Phoebe was the worse off. Fortunately, she was not bleeding any more, and nothing appeared to be broken, but consciousness would not come as a friend to her, in several ways.

The first thing she felt was the agonizing throbbing of her head. Whatever she had taken, she had taken about three too many of. There was a fight, she must have lost. That much was apparent.

Blinking, her surroundings came into focus. A not particularly familiar house. She was in bed. And then... something shaped a bit like Karina.

Suddenly, she remembered, that beast, something far, far more fearsome than she had been accustomed to. She remembered the beast and a fight that turned south fast. Not a good combination to wake up to.

... And that shape actually WAS Karina.

Phoebe's eyes shot wide, her usually stoic face, still wound tightly as she struggled with pain and consciousness, betrayed a hint of surprise. She attempted to sit up, but found nothing in the tank to get her up. With a huff, she let herself fall back to the bed. "Fuck," she grunted. Something seemed about to come due. And rightfully so. Phoebe DID lose.

Karina only watched the attempted rise of Phoebe come to a descend not long afterwards. While it was amusing to see, Karina had something else in mind. She reached over for a cold glass of water on the night stand, twirling the spoon within it a few times to mix something she had put in the water and casually brought it over to Phoebe, bringing one arm underneath Phoebe's body to help her sit up and place the glass quite softly upon Phoebe's lips.

" ..This should deal with the headache. " She said in a non threatening way though there wasn't even the sightest hint of worry for this girl.

Phoebe eyed Karina warily as she was lifted, her violet hair drooping loosely around Karina's arm. She was not defiant, more cautious. Being at Karina's mercy... in Karina's home... in her arms like this was repugnant, but her place to argue that was back in the ring.

Speaking of which, why? How? So many half-formed questions buzzed through Phoebe's mind. Karina had not even bound her, at least as far as she could tell. Her intent was difficult to read but if she wanted to inflict further harm on Phoebe, her actions would be different.

And if the glass was drugged, Phoebe had no real means of resisting. She gulped down the glass swiftly and surely.

Phoebe stared at Karina silently for a second. "... Thanks," she muttered reluctantly. "Why?" Phoebe added shortly after, a single syllable to try to figure out Karina's intent. Karina's soft touch defied Phoebe's expectations, even from the frightened, scarred warrior in the hospital bed that night, especially from the beast she met in the ring, but... at the same time... Maybe Phoebe, at a deep, guttural level, could feel something of this is Karina, even from the first time they faced each other.

Still, as Phoebe took from Karina, it was now Karina's turn. Of course, Phoebe had not broken quite as much as Karina did then... That line was a thin one, however. She would not admit it, and she would die before showing it, but Phoebe felt some trepidation... some fear... as she remembered Karina's sudden ferocity in the ring.

Karina brought the glass back to the stand once Phoebe had finished drinking it, turning her head back to Phoebe to glare at her. Questioning Karina's motives to do this was off course natural. A few hours ago she was on a rampage to beat both her and Elena down and now she was treating Phoebe almost too kindly.

" You're a smart girl, Phoebe. " Karina almost whispered out faintly, bringing her hand back to stroke a finger idly over Phoebe's cheek, her eyes never leaving that of Phoebe's. " I need your help, to start planning my next moves. " Karina knew that her place with Akuma was a little shakey after a previous match she had and despite showing just how much Karina had, which was far greater then Akuma's, Karina still had a mind of her own, a true mind of a beast.

" In exchange, you can rest her and do whatever you want, even if it's me. "

Phoebe remained still, breathing softly as Karina caressed her. Phoebe's violet eyes remained sternly focused on Karina's, betraying very little of Phoebe's already muted trepidation. Her eyebrows arched up briefly in a genuine look of surprise at Karina's request. This was hardly reciprocation for how Phoebe terrorized Karina. Curiously, Phoebe responded, "Ah... I don't follow." Did Karina just... proposition her?

" You don't follow? " Karina tilted her head almost cutely, eyeing the purple haired beauty for just a few seconds before she sighed out. " Meaning, If you help me, you can stay here as long as you like, and you can have sex with me if you would like. " Karina was rather blunt about it but that was because the shyness was pretty much gone after a few people took advantage of her. She rested back besides Phoebe and casually looked at the ceiling.

Phoebe pursed her lips, eying Karina for a few seconds. "I was expecting..." Phoebe shook her head. A much dulled jolt of pain, Karina's medicine was working. She winced a bit, rubbing her forehead softly. "You want me to... help you?" The Beast seemed to be asking for someone to point her in the proper direction. This suggested a great many things, about what Karina thought of Phoebe... and what Karina thought of that mysterious woman who directed her during the match. Phoebe still was in no mood to think, however.

Plus, the whole propositioning thing. That was unexpected from someone whom Phoebe had forced herself on earlier.

"I... er..." It was a peculiar bargain to say the least, but... maybe it was time to branch out, find a new partner. Phoebe was not usually impulsive but Karina had a tendency to draw that sort of thing out of Phoebe, for better or worse. Phoebe took a deep breath, "Alright, I'm interested. What have you got lined up for me?"

Karina didn't seem to take advantage of Phoebe despite the girl being quite out of it, perhaps the next time she should not of hurt the girl all that much but she had her share of pain just because Akuma wanted her to act weak. It was a devious ploy but with unneeded damage, had Karina show her new brute strength from the start, the result of minor damage would have been certain. However, she still managed to catch Phoebe without Akuma knowing it and now she was going to ' enjoy ' her. She leant over to grab Phoebe by the sides and pull her up onto her lap, glaring up at her while she leant back against the bed post.

" I suppose you need your rest first.. " She brought one hand up to idly brush her fingertips over the side of Phoebe's breast, not seeming to mind that they were close to her face. " Have I ever told you.. You're quite sexy.. While Seraphim had my heart.. She comes nowhere near what you have accomplished. Claiming me for a short while. "

Phoebe let out a soft sigh as she was laid on Karina's lap. The tenderness was wholly unlike what Phoebe expected or was accustomed to. Phoebe still did not know how to react.

"I'm... I'm fine." Phoebe muttered. "I've had worse." Not by much, even if it were true. The last comment seemed almost a cruel joke... but at whose expense? Her eyes widened a bit, almost unsure of how to react herself. "You... I just took what you could not defend." Phoebe glanced away briefly, "And... you're... not," Phoebe stumbled. What was she doing? Repaying the compliment? It seemed right but it was so... so out of character. "You're quite... something... yourself." She managed to finish.