In Lieu of Formalities

"If you're quite done, you can leave." A low, menacing laugh parted her lips, a wicked smirk curving them. Subtlety was not was the Archmage was known for, nor was she called the Merciless without cause. "I can leave? You give me permission from your seat on the floor? How very manly." she said with a laugh. Men were such fools, thinking they could maintain a semblance power in the face of a woman who could grind their bones to dust with a harsh look. Such fragile creatures really, men. Zariah leaned forward, catching up his chin again, this time with a single finger, her nail caught under the tip of his chin and pressing painfully up. "You see, Neron, I'm not through, and I shan't be through untill you remember to whom your loyalty is owed." The way he froze when she grabbed him, still and submissive as she raged, gave her all she needed to know to pull him back in line. Once a Launceleyn, always a Launceleyn - magical manipulation wasn't necessary when the seeds of lifelong conditioning were so firmly rooted in the psyche. That same smirk still tugged her lips as she held his icy gaze, so close their noses nearly touched."Your icy demeanor might fool some but I know better. You are the same man you always were, striving for excellence, pretending detachment, yearning to feel something. The Eirachi cannot give you that, for you are merely her pawn. She is a goddess. The gods detest all that you are. But to me?" Without warning her face tilted forward, a soft, gentle kiss placed upon his lips...until her teeth teasingly tugged against his lower lip as she withdrew. "You are one I hold most dear." She paused, letting that sink in if only for a moment. Let him suffer in his anger and lust. "To the face of Halo, you are the Warden, and I your devoted Archmage. It is your plaything to do with as you wish, and I shall always support you, for your success is the success of the family." she cooed, the look in her eyes darkening ever so slightly. "But here, behind closed doors, I am the Family Head, and you will obey. Do not mistake my love and patience with you for weakness again, Neron. It is a priviledge you have earned, but you can lose it just as quickly. Have I made myself perfectly clear?" she said, voice but a sultry whisper. zariah If it is danger you seek, come on over. I covet tranquility but beget the tempest storm.