Tempest kept a considerable distance from the gaping maw of the cave before her; the edges of her eyesight darkening at the mere thought of the sickeningly tight entrance. The woman, who Tempest was just now noticing was unclothed, had emerged, spearing the woman any more grief. "Yes, I think. . ." As soon as Tempest had answered the bare woman, a loud bang echoed through the foggy forest, disturbing the various birds and sending them scattering from the point of emission. Time seemed to slow down for the Storm as she turned and suddenly felt an intense fire in her upper thigh. She winced in pain and cried out "WAIT!"

Knowing the men had confirmed a hit, they had emerged from their cover to investigate the escapee and her impromptu savior. The pain was blasting through the curtain of adrenaline as Tempest fully turned to lay her gaze upon the offending men who dared caused her pain. It was no easy feat to break the flesh of Tempest. "Who the hell are you guys and more importantly, who the hell is she?!" She asked more so to herself than the others around her. She had to be very special in order for this squad to have such fire power.

By Tempest's count, there were about twenty five heavily armed men converging on their position. Anger swelled up within Tempest and was about to boil over. She levitated, rising several feet from the damp soil of the jungle. The moonlight peeking through the canopy in sheets of blurry light soon waved light fingers as the trees started to sway. Tempest began to breath in a rhythmic pattern. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. The men slowly encircled her, calling out to Tempest to stand down and return the girl. The trees sway soon because in sync with Tempest's breathing, the air around them pushing and pulling with each heavy breath. Soon, the men's words released no sound. Eventually all sound ceased as if the sound itself was afraid to exist here. Her lips moved, silently speaking condemning words to the men as their insides simultaneously imploded and exploded dude to the extreme suddenly changes in pressure from high to low in several instances. Their deaths would have been excruciating.

Tempest lowered herself to her feet as the pressure settled back to normal. Sound slowly returning to the area; the silent screams and Tempest's words being swept away with the silence.  Her body aching as the pain bolted through her body like fissures of electricity. "Now they are. . .I think. . ." She answered weakly. This projectile really did a number on her leg. "Get out here. ." Tempest demanded as she crouched to figure out what to do with her leg. Her body trembling and her mind racing. "Now. . ."

Now realizing more things materialized in the room in a blink of an eye, so fast that seems like they were always there but she never saw them. Things that were not there before? Like, a canopy bed?... Yes. Apparently she now has a canopy bed with 4 sturdy strong polls on each corner and some drapes around them. Oh, there is also an ottoman with clothes inside as well, which conveniently perfectly fit her too.

Marie blinks a couple of times to makes sense of it all, but what's the point? Just accept it and take it, that's all there is to it, that is her fate in this place, she signed it, she is his until the contract is finished. Making sense of an entity like him will drive someone mad, she doesn't need to do that to herself. And let's be honest, he doesn't her assistance on that. If Ciaran wanted too, she would already be in a straitjacket inside an asylum. She knows this. The delicate and careful dance of playing with actual fire and knowing she can be burned. Still, like a butterfly attracted to the flickering light of a fire, she chases the flames hoping she won't get consumed by them, by Ciaran. Here is to hoping.

When Ciaran leaves the room, Marie gets off the bed and puts on the robe he pointed at, finger combs her hair, and walks outside the room to meet him. Ciaran silently ushers her to the bathroom, and she also doesn't utter a word. They arrive to this beautiful bathroom, the only place in this house that looks like a sanctuary of respite. Ciaran instructs Marie to find him after she is done, and Marie nods in agreement.

Now that she here by herself, she inspects this room. The fancy sink bowls, the large waterfall shower, the amazing jet tub, the lavishing fancy spa like decor. It's time to get ready. The robe hits the floor as she walks inside the shower first. Turning on the warm water, Marie closes her eyes as she let's it cascade her troubles down from her, the burdens of the night she endured, the long road she took to arrive here. Trying to cleanse more then her body, she whispers a meditation prayer like trying to also cleanse her soul. Soap wasn't enough, she still feels dirty and stained as she scrubs as hard as she can her exterior skin. She stops, that is enough scrubbing, as some areas become red from the friction and intensity that kept building as she did this, like in a trance.

Turning the shower off, she walks out soaking wet from head to toe to head over the tub. She turns it on to quickly fill it, and looks for things to use. She finds what she needed, salt. She adds the salt and some unlabeled oils she found in a drawer, they smelled like herby and flowery essential oils? Most likely they were Sage and Jasmin...

Once the tub is filled, she enters it and lets herself soak in this bath. Trying to actually be still, immovable, quiet... seeking serenity and peace. And she does find some of it. But this serenity and quiet peace is Just like the one you get in the eye of a hurricane storm. Before, her life was in a storm tossing her from side to side, now she is in this calm and silent room, but awaiting for her just outside this area is the Ciaran's storm.

After maybe like 20 - 30min in total soaking silence, Marie gets up and grabs the robe. Draining the tub, she dries herself and her hair as much as she can and leaves the bathroom to go to her assigned room. Inside the ottoman at the feet of this canopy bed, there were some clothes available for her to put on. They were the clothes she brough here, the ones in her suitcase at the hotel, are all here! Marie is not surprised at this, just slightly, but also not.

She puts on a very simple, don't care if it is damaged, cotton fabric - yellow color - summer dress that hugged her curves perfectly in the right places, which had off-shoulders sleeves draping down her upper arms. She arranges her hair up in a damped curly bun, no accessories needed, as they might brake. Simple.

Marie head out the room to go find Ciaran.

Marie hears the door being unlocked, she doesn’t even move, she doesn’t even say a word, still staring at the ceiling unmoving. Ciaran comes in and stays by the door and calls to her.

Turning her face to Ciaran, she looks at him in detail. Paying close attention to his tattoos while following the designed shape very slowly, then his built contoured muscles, his red piercing eyes, all of him. Still bare under the blankets she remains inside them. After a long dragged minute, she finally moves her lips to say very softly.

“Can I clean up before we go? I am dirty… or do I wait for after… because I will get more dirty?”

Honest sincere question. Last night she danced in the heat of the city to release her many troubles away like a mad woman would trying to escape them. After that, was that freaky instant in his office, and then she finally just went to bed here. Maybe today she will be made to work with dirt or something like that, maybe after whatever he had planned for her, she was going to get even dirtier.

Restless night? Surprisingly not the whole night. As her light sleep dissipated, she entered deep sleep. And when she let go of control of her dreams, little by little the nightmares started to dissipate. Like the night was trying to reach her, choke her, wrestle against her, suck the life essence out of her. The all consuming darkness of Loneliness tried to snack her, but couldn't.

This white, almost empty blank canvas room shielded her. The shadows and darkness chasing her couldn't reach her fully. Marie was warded here. Now she was only naked and ashamed. Choices that took her here, choices that destroyed all she knew. Now here trying to rebuild herself, trying to discover if she even had any power at all, any actual shine and magic. Was she a sun or a moon? Did she carry her own light source, or was she just a simple common mirror reflecting light from her surroundings and those she belonged too and no longer does?

Marie finally wakes up later in the morning. Very little actual sleep but restful. She stays under the covers looking up to the ceiling. Waiting. Waiting for what? She doesn't know yet.

Marie nodded to Ciaran’s amused smile to her question. She didn’t understand it to the fullest, but his amusement made her feel like she was correct in her assumption. She is a blank canvas, like this room. Her whole life will change and now it’s time to understand the power within, the colors and patterns that now will adorn and paint her life.

The door was closed behind Cirian and now Marie was alone. She locked the door and walked to the bed and sat on it. The young woman slowly removed all of her clothes and got under the blanket. She wanted, no, she needed to be naked in this empty room, as she wanted to have a naked soul, a naked mind. No more hiding no more coverings, bare.

Night reached her eyes and she finally felt sleep. Dreams? No. Nightmares. A restless night of nightmares. Nightmares of the unknown, the facing all the fears she had hoped never reached her, but now she was facing. Fears that made her flee her home and come here. The fear of loneliness. Right now she is alone, in a white, almost empty blank canvas room, naked and afraid.