Malice Melting

This is a background story for the history of two characters in the campaign I'm currently involved in. It will eventually get graphic enough to earn the NC-17 rating, promise. Freya Alda is my own character, and Riley Sinclair belongs to our ST, Tekia.

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She wasn’t quite sure if it was the act itself or that infuriating grin upon his face when she looked up, but it was at that moment that Freya decided that she would spend the rest of her days working to outdo Riley Sinclair. She had been demonstrating to some of the more accomplished members of the Chantry what she had learned so far in the new path she had been working on, the Lure of the Frost. She created a single, foot long icicle and was hovering it above her hand, a proud grin on her face at the small applause she received from those present. Suddenly a small burst of flames engulfed the hovering form of ice in front of her, sending a wet splash of water across her surprised face. The culprit of the taunting attack sat near the front of the assembly. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he was dressed entirely in black, in all appearances just another Tremere… except for that cocky smirk. She found herself gritting her teeth, the water on her face turning to a thin layer of ice, cracking and then falling to the ground. He only winked at her.

At first Freya had simply thought he was one of the many Tremere that didn’t approve of exploring new paths, but she later found out it was quite the opposite. In fact, Riley Sinclair was a rather rebellious member of the Chantry. Quite the opposite of his brother, Sebastian, whom she had been watching until now, planning to somehow surpass him. She had thought at first that perhaps Sebastian had put Riley up to that little stunt of his, but she knew that in reality, Sebastian didn’t even know that she existed. And so, for no logical reason she could see, Riley had forced himself into her life, under her skin, consconstantly on her nerves. Looking back, she could blame her irritation on that over-confident smile of his alone. That damn smile… something about that smile of his made her blood run both cold and warm at the same time. She chocked it up to anger back then, that she was so irritated by his demeaning little joke that her normal competitive nature grew threefold. She would beat him, somehow…

For the weeks following, her thoughts would be frequently invaded by images of him along with the bits of information about him thhe hhe had managed to scrounge up around the Chantry. No matter how hard she tried to study, that smile would always sneak back into her mind to jeer at her more. To make matters worse, it seemed that she saw him more and more about the Chantry, always sending another smile and a wink her way when their eyes would meet in passing. She knew she would have to finish this, if only to be able to return to her studies in peace without him intruding upon her thoughts. She knew a confrontation would be inevitable.

What she didn’t know was that he would initiate it himself. One day she was practicing controlling a field of icicles levitating above her palm when another stream of fire surrounded her work, melting the ice and sending the water to fall across the front of her white blouse. Riley stood in the doorway of her workroom, that seemingly ever-present grin of his painted quite obviously across his handsome face. She shot him a rather annoyed glare along with a questioning look.

“Hello.”

Her anger flared again at his casual attitude. “Can I help you, Mr. Sinclair? I’m sure whatever it is you’d like must be dreadfully important for you to interrupt me in such an… abrupt manner.”

She hadn’t thought it possible for that cursed smile of his to get any wider. “Oh, not all that important really. I just wanted to see how your studies were coming. Apparently fairly well as far as I can see.” His eyes wandered down from her face. It took Freya a moment to remember the affect water sometimes had on women’s white shirts, not to mention certain parts of their anatomy. With a small, flustered gasp she turned to grab her black vest and pulled it on, covering where the fabric of her shirt clung revealingly to her chest.

“Really, Mr. Sinclair! That’s highly inappropriate!”

Riley shifted from his lean in the doorframe, walking towards her until he stood a mere foot away. She found herself looking up into his dark eyes, angry at herself for the rush of blood to her cheeks, undoubtedly painting them at least a pale shade of pink. “Really? I thought it a most natural response given the situation. I’m sure any man here would have done the same. How could they not when presented with such an image?”

She growled in frustration, hands clenched at her sides. “If you hadn’t barged in here and disrupted my work, you… that wouldn’t have happened at all! Now unless you have something vastly important to tell me, I would ask you to kindly leave me in peace!”

If his smile had been unsettling, that gaze of his was simply devastating. He must have known it as well, for he didn’t respond until she turned away from him several moments later. “I suppose I have nothing for now, though I’m sure I’ll think of something later.”

She waited until she heard his footsteps leave the room before she allowed herself to relax. Reaching for her ever-present black notebook, she quickly recorded the little encounter for future reference along with notes to herself. Be more alert, hold the ice further away from her body, and don’t look into his eyes…