`When Ro, Momo, and Aerie arrived at the locker room at eight fifty-five the next morning they found Laine already waiting. Surprise then irritation flashed across his face when he observed them coming up in a group. They stopped just in front of him.
"Good morning, Laine." Ro said greeting him with a bright smile.
"He really is handsome." She heard Aerie mutter behind her. Laine stiffened like he heard her.
"Who are they?" he asked gravely.
"Oh, these are my friends Momo and Aerie." Ro pointed to each respectively as she said this. "They wanted to talk to you about some stuff. I figured they could do it while I changed." Ro gestured to her bag. Laine looked at them seriously then replied,
"Yes, I suppose that'll happen anyway."
"Yep." Aerie said with determination apparent on her face and in her tone. Momo nodded.
"Okay, then I'm going in now." Ro headed into the locker room to change.
`As Momo, the cute dark-haired girl, and Aerie, the blond barbie doll, closed in on Laine his face took on a haughty cast and his eyes narrowed. They may be attractive, but their power level was far below that of anyone he'd even consider talking to. Compared to his, theirs was practically non-existent.
"I have no interest in weak women." He said before they could begin. "You are wasting your and my time."
"That's not what this is about." Momo said quietly. Laine relaxed slightly, and his face returned to its normal somber tones. "I bumped into Shiki yesterday. He was asking questions about Professor Arzandia's sudden change in personality. We assumed it was on Rage's behalf."
"We want to know if you have told or are planning to tell Rin about the gift that Ro wears." Aerie stated, annoyed at Momo for beating around the bush.
"About the bracelet? I made her get rid of that thing." He placed emphasis on the words that thing to show his disgust.
"Then, you don't know that she is still wearing his necklace?" Aerie asked. Laine began to experience a feeling of buzzing in his ears as he processed this piece of news. He felt a wave of anger wash over him, but he kept his face completely still.
"No, I didn't know that." He told them. "But now that I know, I don't think I'll tell Rage. Does that satisfy you both?" He watched them both as they looked at each other.
"Well, that actually brings us to our next question." Momo said, "Why? Why not tell him? Why do any of this?" Surprise passed over his face.
"Because I am her tutor. The school assigned her to me. I am just doing my job."
"Funny, that's what Ky said when he gave her that thing." Aerie said dryly. Laine felt his anger increase at the mention of the necklace.
"But why not tell him?" Momo pressed noticing that his explanation didn't cover that part of the question.
"That's simple. I don't want to have spent all this time on her just to see her end up as a plaything for Rage." Laine watched as the two girls conferred about his answer.
"Then it's decided: she can train alone with you." The blond one said. Laine had to stop himself from sneering. Like he would have let these two weaklings stop him. "We leave her in your hands." She said cheerfully as she turned to go. The other one however, gave him a long backward glance as she followed her friend. Laine wasn't left to contemplate his dark thoughts about the necklace for too long. Ro reemerged from the locker room soon after her two friends left.
"Did the talk go well?" she asked as she walked over to him.
He was immediately riveted by her. She wore a deep red, tight-fitting tank top that showed a healthy amount of her generous cleavage and loose fitting, black work out shorts that exposed her long, well-toned legs. Strapped in holsters around her thighs were her daggers. She looked mouthwateringly hot. But there, dangling in the valley between her breast was Ky's necklace. The buzzing in Laine's ears increased to a pounding as he fought the desire to rip it from her neck.
Ro noticed he was looking at her funny. She assumed it was about her clothes so, she said, "The school only issued five sets of the workout clothes. Mine are all dirty so I am stuck with regular workout clothes until I do wash tomorrow." He still didn't say anything. She reached out and lightly tapped him on the bicep. He instantly grasped her wrist and began to quickly stride away from the locker room, pulling Ro behind him.
"Laine that hurts. You're holding me too tight." Ro complained trying to pry his fingers from her wrist. His grip loosened only a fraction, but it was enough for the pain to stop. He towed her out of the building and onto the grounds. It appeared that he was heading for the enclosed prettily sculpted woodland that stood to the north of the main school building. "I would be willing to walk on my own." She said trying to make him let go of her wrist. He didn't respond.
Zephyr, who had been waiting for his friend to come here for a while, was intrigued by the show taking place beneath him. Lying on his stomach, he floated on a little bit of cloud mostly hidden from onlookers. He watched as Laine, who had some of the highest standards he'd ever met with, towed one of the ugliest girls he ever seen to his private place of power at this school.
It was exceedingly rare that he would let anyone in. Yet, here he was bringing this girl. It interested him. Zephyr turned himself invisible and floated lower but still far enough away that Laine wouldn't sense his presence. As soon as Laine lowered the gate section of the barrier, Zephyr darted inside. Laine dragged the girl through the opening and released her to close it again. Then he took her hand again and began pulling her into the forest.
Zephyr guessed they were heading for the big clearing in the center of the forest, so he flew there and waited. He observed it. It was a circle of clear earth with a diameter of about twenty-five feet. On the west side was a small pond that he knew from experience was only about ten feet deep. Behind the pond was a small rocky cliff. The ground of the clearing was covered with springy grasses.
He watched as Laine burst through the trees still dragging the girl behind him. He abruptly released her, and she stumbled back a few steps before tripping over a root that protruded from the ground. Zephyr drifted lower so he could get a better look at her as she lay splayed out on the forest floor.
The girl's expression of pain was so hideous it was comical. Her wide set bug eyes were squinting and her too large nose was scrunched up making wrinkles appear on her flabby face. The best part was the revolting grimace on her lopsided mouth.
Zephyr summoned his sound proof barrier so he could laugh without them hearing him. As he wiped his eyes something sparkling on the girl's oversized chest caught his attention. He flew lower. It was a pendant of some sort. He heard Laine speaking in low tones. He glided closer to catch his words.
"Take it off." Laine ordered in a menacing growl. The girl paled and placed a hand protectively over the pendant. Zephyr looked at Laine in surprise. He couldn't remember if he'd ever heard that tone of voice come from him before. As Zephyr saw him, his shock deepened. Laine was in his demon form.