I was born bad, I'm so bad, honestly

Draped in an elegant ensemble that exuded sophistication, Karina offered a polite nod to Hyunseok and his secretary before taking her seat. Her sharp gaze, the color of steel, assessed the room with a calculating intensity before settling on Hyunseok. Deep down however, Karina was a bundle of nerves. This is the first time her grandfather had let her meet one of his potential business partners. All the way to Seoul no less. She had an entourage, but for this meeting, she preferred to gather her courage on her own.

Her clothes were chosen precisely for that reason. And for the first time since in a long time, Karina had abandoned the spectacles and wore contacts, enough for her eyes, almost reptilian in their color shine through.

He takes a deep breath as he stands up from his chair and walks up to her. He forces a welcoming smile on his lips as memories of his actions back in Moscow begin to make the bile rise up his throat which he keeps down as he extends his hand to her.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replies with a smile just as his secretary leaves the room. "If my parents had told me of the situation, I would've flown to Moscow myself. I do hope he's doing well. I do apologize as well that I'm here in their stead as they wouldn't want you to wait further for this meeting."

Suppressing the tumultuous storm of feelings raging inside her, Karina accepted his hand with a graceful nod, her own smile remaining composed but distant. The touch of his hand against hers sent a shiver down her spine, a reminder of the intimacy they once shared.

"Thank you for understanding," Karina replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil churning within her. "I'm sure my grandfather will appreciate your sentiments."

As their eyes met, Karina couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the distance that now lay between them. She had once thought they would conquer the world together, but fate had other plans.

"It's been quite some time since we last saw each other," she remarked, her tone carefully neutral. "I hope life has treated you well in the interim."

Internally, Karina cursed herself for the coldness of her words. She had rehearsed this meeting in her mind countless times, but now that it was happening, she found herself at a loss for words. How could she convey the depth of her emotions without revealing too much? How could she maintain her composure in the presence of the man who had broken her heart?

Eirwen’s watchful gaze followed snake-Karina as it slithered closer to take the healing potion offered. The concoction was not a special recipe, but it was potent, so a few drops should be enough to exert its best effect. She did not move until snake-Karina retracted its head, just to rest it again on top of Lio’s still-recovering chest. 

While Eirwen could see that the transformation had taken a lot of Karina’s physical strength, but knowing the other demigoddess, her curling up and resting atop a man became such an…intriguing sight. 

A good ten and some minutes passed in soothing silence, enough for Eirwen to cleanse the pestle and mortar with distilled water, put the vials to their places, and put everything neatly back into her satchel. She also got some extra time to cleanse the blood stains on the floor, but the cleansing liquid she bought along was not sufficient. 

Before Eirwen could decide what else to do to kill time while waiting, Lio let out a soft, low groan. 

When she turned around to check, Eirwen also happened to witness the snake-Karina’s transformation back to her human form. She had seen quite a lot, but it was always captivating to observe a shape-shifter in action. So she stood still and watched, not moving nor blinking, until she noticed Lio’s arm moving to rest lightly around Karina’s naked waist, and his eyes were half opened. And Karina was technically completely naked. 

“Oh dear,” Eirwen let out a belated gasp, hurriedly gathering some of Karina’s clothing pieces and throwing them on Karina’s bare skin. 

Her eyes met Lio’s tired, slightly disoriented gaze, the darkness in his eyes gleaming weakly, demanding an instant explanation. 

Slowly, Karina shifted back into her human form, her muscles protesting the transformation as she settled beside Lio. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, a gesture that filled her with a sense of warmth and reassurance.

But as she met his tired gaze, Karina couldn't help but notice the confusion flickering in his eyes. She knew she owed him an explanation, but the words caught in her throat, tangled in the web of uncertainty and fear that still lingered within her.

Eirwen's hurried intervention broke the tension, as she rushed to cover Karina's nakedness with a flurry of clothing pieces. She tried not to smirk, amused by her friend's scandalized voice. Karina wasn't at all embarrassed by her nakedness. The feel of his warm body beneath her was both relief and pleasure, even as she cursed her mind for immediately jumping to admiring his muscles after he nearly died.

Languidly, both due to the strain of her muscles and to reassure Eirwen that she wasn't bothered by showing skin, Karina straightened. Rising from laying atop Lio, she gave him a secret look, as if words were not enough. And for a moment a flush coated her cheeks at their positions now.

"Funny that I didn't think I'd end up naked with you tonight, lyubmiya." Her smile was sly as she stretched, pushing her long blonde locks away from her skin. Playfulness put aside for a bit, her eyes raked down his chest, a brief frown appearing at his wound.

"And please do not let anybody know," Karina scoffed, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of her coffee. She had finally managed to track down Eirwen after that incident off-island, and even Karina in her usual heartless situation, knew she owed quite a lot to her friend.

"I am thankful you managed to get there in time." Her expression was now serious, the glint of her eyes flashing into that reptilian gaze from her lineage. She hadn't spoken to Lio after they had returned to the island, telling him to recover quickly. She was still a bundle of stress that couldn't be shown to anybody. At least until she managed to ravel herself back together.

“You’ve just reminded me that I still haven’t sent either of you the bill for my presence, so thank you.” She put her cup of coffee down on the porcelain plate, a merry tiny sound came up, the audible version of the subtly playful gleams in her eyes. 

Eirwen was not exactly the playful type, but it was entertaining somehow to see a nervous Karina sitting on her couch. The daughter of Circe may get the urgency in Karina’s voice that day, as it was a life on the verge of unliving. She also could get Karina’s embarrassment for showing weakness in her body suit to Lio and her. But this prolonged aftermath tension that had stopped Karina from seeking her out just to have this conversation? Odd. 

“You don’t look like someone who knows how to give genuine compliments, but it’s better than nothing, so thank you again.” Eirwen knew she should take the cheeky smile off her face soon, but the coffee was too good for her to do that. She took another sip after her friend, buying herself some time to find the words to simplify the pages-long reply in her head. 

“If we want to say it exactly, then I didn’t reverse those cuts. And they weren’t caused by bullets.” She gently put the cup down once again, the sound coming off this time was much duller, barely there. 

“It’s an ancient venomous magic attack, or you can understand it simply as dark magic. I cleansed the venom out of his system with your venom, and the rest of the ingredients helped to heal the skin. Those could not help regain the lost blood, hence he had to spend some time in the hospital.” 

"Ah, yes, the bill," she replied with a hint of amusement, her gaze meeting Eirwen's with a mixture of gratitude and understanding. "I'll make sure to send that over promptly."

As Eirwen delved into the details of the incident with Lio, Karina's expression grew somber, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her shoulders. She listened intently as Eirwen explained the nature of the attack and her role in saving Lio's life, a sense of awe mingling with her gratitude.

"I see," Karina murmured, her mind racing as she processed the information. The realization that Lio's life had hung in the balance, saved only by Eirwen's quick thinking and her own unique abilities, filled her with a sense of humility.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice tinged with genuine appreciation. "I... I didn't realize the severity of the situation until now. And to think, it was your quick actions that saved him."

Karina's gaze softened as she met Eirwen's kind smile, a warmth blooming in her chest at the reminder of the bond they shared. "Revenge..." She mused thoughtfully, as if her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

"I never thought I would reach the point that it would exhaust me." She shook her head. "Not for the prize that I had to pay." Her eyes drifted close. "Almost had to pay. If you weren't there..." She shook her head as if dispelling the thought.

With @mpkarina

In the past…

It had only been months since the failed wedding, and Hyunseok was already back in the grind of his work. Meetings done left and right with suppliers and those they supply parts, software, and other things. It was easy to return back to his life, especially now that he’s not locked to an engagement anymore. His parents are still unhappy about what had happened, but he’s learned to just… move on with his life.

With him still being the sole heir to the company, he’s still the one to meet with their future business partners, learning the ropes and such.

Hyunseok, now clad in his suit, walks into one of the high end restaurants in Seoul with his secretary to meet a foreign business partner that his parents had asked him to meet with as they are currently out of the country. He had reserved a private room for them to have their meeting in.

Draped in an elegant ensemble that exuded sophistication, Karina offered a polite nod to Hyunseok and his secretary before taking her seat. Her sharp gaze, the color of steel, assessed the room with a calculating intensity before settling on Hyunseok. Deep down however, Karina was a bundle of nerves. This is the first time her grandfather had let her meet one of his potential business partners. All the way to Seoul no less. She had an entourage, but for this meeting, she preferred to gather her courage on her own.

Her clothes were chosen precisely for that reason. And for the first time since in a long time, Karina had abandoned the spectacles and wore contacts, enough for her eyes, almost reptilian in their color shine through.

“Yes, your venom, to save his life.” 

Eirwen looked straight at an incredulous Karina, clarifying the reason for her sudden demand of the other’s venom. Her voice and facial expression remained matter-of-fact, and only retracted her arm after Karina took the empty vial from her hand. Explanations could, and especially in this situation, should wait. 

While the Egyptian demigoddess seemed to be in a mental debate with herself, Eirwen methodically went through her satchel again, this time to take out a mini set of wooden pestle and mortar. She also placed down on the floor a sealed package of dried herbs, and another wooden box which was the larger version of the one containing the vials. Carefully sliding the lid open, she took out something that looked like a pomegranate, only in much smaller size, and glowing in a much brighter red.

Skilfully, as if she had done this way so many times before (she did), Eirwen emptied the dried herbs package into the mortar, placed the red-glowy fruit on top, grabbed the pestle, and started crushing and grinding the mixture. An odd smell soon permeated the room, not a stench, but could not be called a scent. If it had to be described, then it smelled like walking into a dense forest on the early days of summer, with a generous amount of moss and over-ripe apples added into it. 

Beside her, Lio remained lying still. His breath was as thin as the morning’s fog, as if he was steadily turning into a broken statue, and that urged Eirwen to speed up her work on the mixture. However, when she looked up again to see how the venom extraction was going on, Eirwen was transfixed. 

Karina was gone, only her clothes left on the floor, and there was an Orlov Viper next to the vial that was now filled with venom. She stared as the snake bowed its head, as if to signal her to take the vial, then made its way to curl up right next to Lio. Eirwen then realized that it was Karina in her full snake form, who transformed just so she could give her the venom. The Greek demigoddess had not been aware of that process, and so seeing how exhausted the snake-Karina was, a sense of guilt crept into her anti-emotional mind. 

But that did not last long, as Eirwen quickly resumed the potion making process. It only took a few more twists of the pestle, then she poured all the venom into the mixture, before continuing gently grinding for all the ingredients to blend well together. 

She turned to look at Lio again, just to be confirmed that he would not be able to drink the concoction. And so, getting back to her satchel for the third time, she took out a clean medical syringe, and filled it up with the mixture. Without hesitation, she sank the syringe’s needle on Lio’s chest, on a still intact area that was close to his heart, and injected the concoction in one go. 

It took one more injection to get the required amount of potion into Lio’s veins. Almost immediately, new wounds stopped appearing on his body. A few more minutes passed, the old cuts were gradually shrinking, while the smaller, less serious ones were already close to healing themselves completely. Lio was still unconscious and pale because of the blood loss, but he began to look less dead, and his chest could be seen moving up and down in gentle, even breathing. 

Eirwen let out a long, relieved sigh. 

“He’ll live,” she informed the snake-Karina with a calm smile, “but he still needs to be hospitalised once he’s up.”  

Then, as if remembering something, Eirwen reached for the vial box, opened another vial with a pinkish liquid inside, then placed it near the snake-Karina. 

She raised her reptilian head and slithered over Lio's recovering body to press it atop Eirwen's hovering hand. A silent nod of thanks, before Karina wearily turned to the open vial. The snake-Karina tried her best drink the liquid, only pulling away after her forked tongue was able to lap at Eirwen's concoction a few times.

Karina tried to straighten, but it seemed their diamond head felt too heavy, that she lowered it just as quickly and curled right atop Lio's chest, ignoring the still healing wounds in her exhaustion.

feature Eirwen @eirwenxmp

The last thing Lio remembered was Karina steering the wheel, and darkness came to gulp both the van and his vision. 

Probably the demigoddess had said something to him, but he could not quite catch it. Consciousness kept tapping on his chest, but whenever he forced his eyes to open, it slipped away. Shatters of images and sounds kept smashed up into a cacophony that confused his mind and rendered his senses numb. 

His body moved on its own, and by the time by the time Karina closed the apartment’s door behind them, Lio had already collapsed into another blackout. 

He could not feel it when Eirwen helped Karina drag his body to the old mattress in the middle of the room. The Greek demigoddess’ urgent first aid kit, a simple old wooden box filled with crystal vials, had already sat on the floor near the mattress, right next to her worn-out leather satchel. 

Karina did not have to explain for Eirwen to get a general grip on the situation at hand. In the cold white light coming from the single neon bulb in the room, she quickly pulled out a pair of small scissors from the satchel and cut Lio’s blood-soaked tee open. 

“Oh my hades…” Eirwen blurted out as she eyed the brutal gashes across Lio’s chest, tar black and as deep as the hatred of the one who put it on him. If it was performed on a human, the chance of survival was absolute zero.    

Eirwen then grabbed the wooden box, took out a vial filled with transparent liquid, and poured all of the content onto the gash. Lio was too deep in unconsciousness to react, but the wound did, stopping spreading almost immediately, and blood started to cease from oozing out. But it was barely enough, for new cuts continued to appear, determined to draw the last drop of blood out of his body. His breath was now as light as a feather, his face pale like the dead. 

Her eyes drifted towards the vial on Eirwen's hand, as if not understanding. "My venom--what?" She could only stare at the other woman, finally fully realizing that Eirwen was not just a baker of treats.

How did she even come to that conclusion? Her surprise turned into confusion now as her hand grasped the vial. How was she supposed to without---? Karina frowned, even as her eyes drifted towards Lio. While unconscious he looked innocent, even if it seemed to Karina he was writhing in pain.

"Fine," She muttered and took a deep breath as if bracing herself. She never shifted in front of others, especially her friends. The shifting had been traumatic enough, but any use of her powers still put her unconscious for hours.

The frown appeared on her face at his apparent anger at her. As if she had completely destroyed his life. Were it not for her, her grandfather would have instead captured Arwyn for his own sick amusement and not to be around her as an artist. Granted Karina was bored and Arwyn available, those sweet, innocent silver eyes just begging to be poisoned.

At the threat of Hel, Karina smirks, eyes briefly flitting towards the one-side glass windows of Hel's office. "You would set a goddess against me? Weak, defenseless me? How cruel of you, zayka."

tsk.

"and i said, stop calling me zayka." he'd forgotten what the word meant already--didn't bother finding out any further what it could possibly mean, even though a couple of his friends were proficient in russian.

arwyn picked almost vicious on the ugly cross stitch that he had made on the latest design of one of his dresses with a vehemence otherwise ill-befitting of him. arwyn lachance wasn't someone that allowed his uglier emotions to overtake him like it usually did whenever karina was around.

he was supposed to be the nice guy--the one that was more sensible than most, especially when it came to holding himself accountable for the uglier feelings that he knew he had.

"I don't have ill will against you, zayka." She pouted some more, deliberately ignore his wishes to drop the pet name. To her Arwyn had always managed to bend to her will. There really wasn't much a challenge when it came to those grey eyes and soft cheeks. And that was why she had just as easily lost interest. Well until she found out he too was a demigod. And she was curious.

"And why would you pissed off?" This time, there was a hint of challenge in those eyes and tone, a flash of malice in that sly smile. "From last I remember you were quite willing to give me everything that I desired, and I did give you quite a ride didn't I. And you're not grateful at all."

This time the look of remorse turned into something dangerous as she stalked closer. He was barely taller than her, and her eyes flashed into something quite reptilian before settling back into her usual cold look.

There they were at a Korean sauna, with Karina in the hot bath and Giselle in the cold one, and she waited until she got used to the bone-chilling temperature before she turned to Karina again. The Russian socialite didn’t utter another word again after throwing that off-handed compliment, and she tilted her head in slight annoyance, leaning over with an outstretched hand.

"Can I not simply miss you?" She murmured, reaching across the space to grasp Giselle's fingers light. "Exile has made me soft, pet." A smirk followed her remark before she opened her eyes.

"Silly, are you upset that I forgot? Did you think I really?" Her eyes shone with a seriousness that was not often there before the smile was back. "Of course my debt is far from owed. Think of this outing as just the tip of the iceberg." She sighs as she sinks back into the bath.

"Well, as you have declared it so, how else can I be able to live?" She teased but there was still a gratefulness in her eyes as she looked at her. "Oh please, you are telling me, Giselle doesn't have any gossip? Even on an island paradise such as this?" She adds with a wink, before sinking back unto the massage bed.

For now, Karina was content to bid her time, that includes getting a normal job. "Now, I honestly didn't think of that," Karina replied mock-innocently but the glint in her eyes told otherwise. The job was uncomplicated and only took a few hours in a week.

(  various  dialogue  prompts  to  send  to  your  worst  enemy  (affectionate).  feel  free  to  change  how  you  seem  fit.  )

❛ oh great, it's you again. ❜

❛ you? kill me? that's funny. ❜

❛ for being someone you hate, i'm sure on your mind a lot. ❜

❛ you're the last person i wanted to see, actually. ❜

❛ do us both a favor. stay away from me. ❜

❛ you really are an asshole, you know that? ❜

❛ i'm the asshole? what does that make you then? ❜

❛ sometimes i think you must hate me. ❜

❛ i thought you said you never wanted to see me again. ❜

❛ if you want me to go, then you have to tell me to leave. ❜

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

❛ well, someone needs to shut the fuck up. ❜

❛ just stay out of my way. ❜

❛ of all the idiots in the world, i'm stuck with you. ❜

❛ what is it you want this time? ❜

❛ sometimes i wonder if you're in love with me. ❜

❛ do you honestly think this is easy for me? ❜

❛ why would i ever want to be friends with you? ❜

❛ can we please just talk? ❜

❛ there is nothing for us to talk about. ❜

❛ you can yell at me later. just let me help you. ❜

❛ touch me, and you're dead. ❜

❛ oh, so now you care? ❜

❛ there is something deeply wrong with you. ❜

❛ i know i'm the last person you probably want to see, but... ❜

❛ you don't think we could be friends, do you? ❜

❛ i'm tired of fighting against you. ❜

❛ don't pretend you give a shit about me. ❜

❛ you're an idiot, but... i trust you. ❜

❛ oh, don't be cute. ❜

❛ wait, did you just say that i'm cute? ❜

❛ we're not good for each other. ❜

❛ if i say yes, will you shut up? ❜

❛ don't you have to be stupid somewhere else? ❜

❛ maybe we should kiss just to break the tension. ❜

❛ i'm sorry i can't turn off my feelings as easily as you. ❜

❛ maybe there's a universe out there where we're friends. ❜

❛ how can you be so smart yet so dumb at the same time? ❜

❛ don't think this changes anything between us. ❜

❛ you look ridiculous in that outfit, by the way. ❜

❛ if you die, i'll kill you. ❜

❛ is that a challenge? ❜

❛ ah, so you're not heartless after all. ❜

❛ i don't think i've ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ you never cared about me, so why now? ❜

❛ why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? ❜

❛ i don't even remember why we started fighting. ❜

❛ i don't have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you're not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

There they were at a Korean sauna, with Karina in the hot bath and Giselle in the cold one, and she waited until she got used to the bone-chilling temperature before she turned to Karina again. The Russian socialite didn’t utter another word again after throwing that off-handed compliment, and she tilted her head in slight annoyance, leaning over with an outstretched hand.

"Can I not simply miss you?" She murmured, reaching across the space to grasp Giselle's fingers light. "Exile has made me soft, pet." A smirk followed her remark before she opened her eyes.

"Silly, are you upset that I forgot? Did you think I really?" Her eyes shone with a seriousness that was not often there before the smile was back. "Of course my debt is far from owed. Think of this outing as just the tip of the iceberg." She sighs as she sinks back into the bath.

"Well, as you have declared it so, how else can I be able to live?" She teased but there was still a gratefulness in her eyes as she looked at her. "Oh please, you are telling me, Giselle doesn't have any gossip? Even on an island paradise such as this?" She adds with a wink, before sinking back unto the massage bed.