I blinked. I was right... I didn't really want to hear that kind of offer... I had heard from his own lips that he wanted to kill me and given the chance... But that said what about me being able to do something harmful to Sigfried...

"You do realise that he wants to kill me, and even with a blindfold i'm pretty certain that he's more than capable of it? I realise that you want to see this defensive ability of mine... But its not going to do you any good if i'm dead"

“Oh, I am aware that sighted or not he should be capable of it. I also know that he wants to kill you. And I also know that he cannot disobey a command from me, even if it is suicidal. Oh, free will simply does not exist in him. He can plot against me of course but cannot disobey a command, however bleak, nor lift a finger to kill me.

“He could recruit others to do it, fail to lock certain doors making it easier for someone to infiltrate a manor or castle for instance, and thus far he is not plotting against me. He is too animalistic to consider such radical ideas, I don't think he knows what he'd do if he were to suddenly be freed since I give his life shape and meaning and I ensure that I keep the interest of my minions in hiigh regard so they do not entertain such treacherous thoughts.”

"But... You want me to fight him? To see if I can defend myself from him? How? He's faster and stronger than I will ever be, coupled with the fact he wants to kill and rape me..." I shuddered at that thought.

"I doubt your command will stop him trying to find loopholes in it... So.. What exactly are you proposing?"

“Fight him? No. He will purely be defensive, all we need to see is how you handle yourself. Chances are you will not harm him but the objective is to test your skills above all else. When taking someone by surprise they may not have succh luxuaies. If he attempts to disobey me in any way I will destroy him, it is as simple as that so he'd run the risks of finding such loop holes at his own peril.

“Perhaps another challenger, Gustav or Daffney for instance ...”

I wasn't sure. It all sounded a bit strange. He was giving me the chance to attack, to hurt Sigfried while he just tried to fend me off?

Still, Gustav I almost liked, and Daffney? my sister? There was no chance I was going to try and kill her unless she asked for it! (although, a bit of me did wonder if it wouldn't be doing her a kindness - held as a slave for eternity? Most definately not for me! But she must have entered into it willingly, if Sabin was to be believed.)

"Ok. You've made your point! Sigfried it is! But... what am I supposed to do? Its not like I didn't try to get him off me before..."

The thought also made me remember the chase through the woods, him pressing down on me, lust in his eyes. I gritted my teeth and for that moment, if he was there I would have happilly stabbed him. Perhaps sigfried was the perfect choice after all!

“To keep to our agreement you will be blind folded. He will too though his other senses of hearing and touch for instance are greater. He is quicker than you, stronger, though his role will be purely defensive in nature, Blocking those attacks that seek to land upon him of course.

“You do not have your memory but I'm curious as if your susbconscious retains how to enployee those attacks which may determine how I make future djustments ...”

I was still rather doubtful, but at least it seemed like this would be a harmless "test". Or at least harmless for me! The bit that really made me agree wasn't revenge at sigfried (although the more I thought about that the keener I became on the idea...) But the thought that if I have some abilitys it might be able to safeguard myself further if Sabin or the others try to press me.

Although, I was aware that I was also going to show them what I was capable of... or not as the case may be, which would ruin the suprise. But since I was still fairly certain that I wasn't about to suprise them I didn't see the harm. Besides? How else was I going to learn?

"Ok." I replied "When do we begin this test of yours?"

“Let's do this sooner, rather than later. Come.” He left the cell relocking it then moving through various halls until he came to a large chamber. There were various weapons here on walls and it was some sort of sparring room from what she guessed with plenty of space.

He soon gave her a blind fold and told her he would be back in a moment with Sig.





“This is stupid!” She could hear the large man growling as he came into the chamber. If she had her blindfold on she would have to assume he was blind folded as well, if she didn't have one on she noted that this was the case before Gustov pressed a dagger into each hand. The blades had not been long they would do. In fact it felt oddly familiar to grasp them in her touch again.

“You may begin when ready.”

One sense cut off, Ann had to rely here on her hearing the most and she could hear him ahead and slightly to the left sniffing the air, picking up her scent and position as she felt more than heard im moving closer to her.

“Defense only!” Sabin reminded sharly as the vampire revealed it's location with a frustrated growl. It was quiet evident that he was unsue to taking a defensive roll.

I stood in the room, looking around. Just like everwhere else in this castle it looked clean and well kept. A variety of some fairly brutal looking weaponary was mounted around the walls and briefly I wondered how much of it had been used.

Pushing that thought aside I took the blindfold and started to tie it around my head. "Bloody literal deals" I muttered to myself, but, I didn't want to start amending them because if I started, then he might too... And I was on shakey enough ground as it was!

All too soon I heard Sigfried arive, growling to himself. I wondered if he could see me or not, although by his growls it seemed that he wasn't in a good mood so I took that as a good sign. I just REALLY rather hoped that the first i learnt of a deal breach was a long time before anything actually happened.

I was just contemplating this when the two daggers were pressed into my hands. The hilts were soft leather, bound by wire to maintain grip, the balance was ever so slightly in the blade to give that extra cutting weight...

I paused, confused. How did I know this? I could almost see the blades in my minds eye, black leather, silver wiring, engraved pommel with a simple A on either side! How did I know this? My thumb sought the pommel to confirm what I knew, although I didn't have the faintest idea how I knew it!

I was right, I could feel the smooth engraving. My blind gaze shot too where I thought Sabin was, but before I could react he called the start.

All further thought of removing the blindfold stopped as I heard Sigfried close on me, stopped from Sabins shout. I smiled, happy that he was obeying although I wasn't sure what would happen now. Was I just supposed to find him and stab him? Strangely, the thought didn't really have any appeal for me despite what he had almost done. Still, this was supposed to be a test...

I stood there, just listening feeling my back crawl as I heard him shift off to my side. Again, I wished I could see him. Trying to find him in pitch darkness wasn't my idea of fun!

As I turned towards his frustrated growl I had the strangest feeling, like my brain lurched to one side. I stepped that way, not understanding why. Puzzled, I re-orinated myself, bringing up those daggers in a guard position as I attepmted to figure out what just happened.

The daggers where some of her own and it was clear that she had recognized them as her fingers tracked against the engravings. She was pizzled but right at the same time too unsure of how she got a hold of these “tools” again though her sister probably had a hand for acquiring them. She could only imagine that they were on hand, it seemed far too quick for Daffney to travel someplace to get them then it occurred to her that maybe Kurt was captured with them on his person and Daffney recognized them. Se supposed this made the most sense.

She guarded herself and could only hope that Sig could not see as well thoug from what she had recalled the mists had hindered his vision earlier forcing his to rely on both sound and smell as he was probably doing now.

But Sig was grumbly and this helped her locate him in a way. She could feel when he was close, when he moved away in virtual silence. Had he been able to see it would have been virtual silence,

But no attacks did come thus far, Sg was litening though frustrated. He was no more than a foot in front of her, slightly to her left.

“This makes no sense, Master. I would have defeated her already, allow me to attack!”

I heard the words clearly. For I moment I remained quiet, unmoving as I listened to his grumbling and begging to attack me.

However, while my ears heard the sound my mind wasn't thinking about Sigfried at all. I was listening to him instead. I could actually "hear" his presence! It wasn't like hearing a heartbeat, or a foot scuff. It was more like hearing silence... that dark, oppressive silence that you sometimes feel closing in around you when the lights are out and there is no-one and no sound. But rather than it being all about you she could hear it as a single sound, exactly where his grumbles came from.

Without thought I stepped forward, slightly to one side of that shadow in my mind. I saw it there, unmoving and as I stepped past it I let one of those daggers in my hand trail almost lazilly from my fingers. If Sigfried stayed exactly where he was it would pass through his sleeve and would draw blood as it cut into his arm.

Sig had been annoyed by this little set up by Sabin though he could not choose to disobey, couldn't so he lost track of what Anne was thinking or doing as he strongly voiced his opinions. It would be far easier to go on the offensive, attack and be done with it though it wasn't his offense that was being tested but rather her own.

He wondered what Sabin was testing anyway and while arguing he lost track of Anne, well rather he was not even paying attention to her as his hand pulled back as if he touched a hot kettle on a stove, the blade carving through a sleeve and the flesh beyond.

Sig snarled in pain, smoke sizzling up from that wound.

“bitch! I'll kill you!” And then he immersed himself into the moment, swniffing at the air, listening as his head whipped around as he attempted to locate her.

My eyes widened behind the blindfold. I had felt the blade pass through his skin and even if I hadn't felt it the snarl and vitrol that was spat at me left me completely certain that I had cut him. But how? I had moved like a dancer! Like I was in a dream! My balance had felt just entirely /right/ and my steps came withe asureity that I just didn't have back in the forest. And not only that... There was a satisfaction at the movement like I knew that my body could and should move that way.

Even as that thought moved through my brain I stepped to one side lightly on her feet. That sense of exactly where Sigfried was still there, pressing in at my brain. He had spun around and had just stepped against where I was not a moment before. It was a good thing I had moved!

But, I didn't actually want to kill Sigfried, although I had no doubt that he would kill her if he had the oppertunity. If I wanted him dead I would have bargained that with Sabin in the first place.

"Why do you hate me so Sigfried?" She I as she stepped thrice more to one side, making sure I wasn't stood where my voice came from.

His head whirled in the direction of sound but rather then step forward like he had he assumed that she wasn't there, flicking blood from his cut wrist there, then turning slightly and doing it again and again until he heard it splatter against something solid. He sniffed the air as a means of double checking and then slowly stalked in that direction.

He had not hated her more than many, though he did not answer to give away his position.

He's on your left, two paces amd a slight turn.

The telepathic voice belonging to Gustav of course.

Gustav was right. I could see him! But it did leave a rather odd question... Why the hell was Gustav of all people telling me this? I knew he didn't exactly hold Sigfried in high regard but that didn't explain why he would want to help me in any shape or form... Plus there was that issue about him talking to my mind! I didn't know he could do that!

For a moment I paused, and tried to form words back. "Why are you telling me this?" I attempted to form the words and "throw" them back at Gustav, although not knowing where he stood left it a little uncertain.

Still, knowing is location didn't help me as I didn't quite know what to do. If i closed him and he got his hands on me he would quite literally rip me in two. And if I stayed away from him it would make the entire test rather pointless, despite what I had already found out. It seemed though that there was more... I could feel it like something pressing at me, knowledge that wasn't quite /there/ but at the same time was.

I moved. Stepping just as Sabin said, letting that same knife trail, aiming this time for his other arm.