Words of gratitude were incredibly scarce from Neveah, even more so than the minuscule assimilation of her unprecedented defeats. She lifted her chin and narrowed her azure eyes as she caught the small indications of bewilderment that contorted his formerly neutral countenance; she was just as surprised as he was, but her current circumstances required anything that heightened her chances of surviving this predicament. A sigh slipped between her tightened lips as the familiar emotions of helplessness and traces of shame overpowered the ego she had spent years strengthening; defeat was the sole thing that could deteriorate her within the span of seconds, something she deemed a nuisance yet the harsh reality of things.

``Tell me.. why did I save you?``

Neveah remained silent as she processed his question, gauging her own mind for any sort of reasonable answer. She was clueless regarding the sentiments and beliefs that were solidified within Aurelius` psyche and icy blue eyes, so she had no right to even consider verbally answering his inquiry. The unwavering fact that he had asked her, however, indicated he was downright clueless regarding his own reasoning; if he were even slightly similar to Faust, then that would mean he had done it for the sake of entertainment and nourishment, yet he had done neither.. yet.

``I expected more. Please tell me you were holding back in that alleyway.``

Flashbacks of the combative waltz she had shared with Seb consumed her mind momentarily, silently calculating her own actions and the vampire`s. They had both been incredibly quick on their feet, Neveah slightly faster since she had been smaller in height and build; vampires were arguably quicker, but she knew that she could outwit and outrun the majority of lower ranks. Seb, based on what she knew, was certainly not of lower rank and, although he clearly was not royal due to Aurelius standing before her, she did deem it easy to misjudge him as one. He certainly had centuries of combat experience, something that she could not even rival. The unfortunate truth was that her reputation had been built on a foundation that few individuals were aware of; the key to all her success was unfair advantages, raging from pre-distributed poison, toxic gas, de-fanging, and a lot more. Yet, she could still hold her own against a vampire.

``Everyone has their bad days,`` Neveah settled on this response, her voice as soft as before, solidifying this outward appearance of a helpless, weakened human. Little did she know, her fierce spirit was already dwindling, as if it was already aware that she was more fucked than she had ever been before. Her eyes- their lighter hues of blue almost dim now- traveled away from Aurelius, no longer wanting to stare into those mysterious and taunting pools of pale blue.

``You can never leave.``

A small snort of annoyance left her at those words, causing her to glance over at him whilst noticing he seemed to be on the verge of departing. She would prefer him to stay, but only so she did not lose her mind to her thoughts down here. The loneliness and feelings of abandonment were things no one could prevent, not even her; they had a profound effect on anyone that felt them for far too long. Regardless, her expression and reaction revealed that she was not surprised by his words. Vampires never freed their precious prey and prisoners unless it was for an incredibly good reason; humans would rat them out the instant they stepped outside.

Neveah was silent as she observed the vampire leave without a word, flinching ever so slightly at the sound of the door closing behind him. It was a cruel, realistic reminder of her predicament; she was no longer the free spirit she once was, but a trapped one. The familiar cold that was often associated with cells washed over her as she returned to her arrangement on the frigid cobble, sitting down with her knees tucked against her chest. She felt a small, brief sense of gratitude for the apparent fact that she did not have to endure this imprisonment cuffed; Faust had kept her on chains at all times, treating her like some kind of.. pet. A grimace shook her body at the thought before she diverted her attention elsewhere, deeming there was no time for negative pondering.

Truth be told, Neveah would have preferred if Aurelius had remained in sight, even if he would have stared into her soul like the monster he was. It was much better compared to being left alone with her thoughts, especially with how demeaning and dark they tended to be in situations such as these. She blamed herself for getting into this mess and for underestimating the vampire she had taken on; if she had won, she would have had to face the royal himself and, given his attitude, she would have been more fucked. A sigh escaped her as she closed her azure eyes, tucking her chin between her legs in the apparent resort to warm herself.

It was not long before her thoughts drifted to her parents, the only people that seemed to have cared about her. Of course, she was still pissed regarding the fact that they had betrayed humanity by assisting the vampires, but sometimes.. she wondered why they had done it. Was it to save her life or to keep her in the dark regarding some twisted secret? Maybe they simply thought no one would ever know, which was clearly not the case; everyone knew about it and no one ever dared mention it to Neveah directly. Regardless, it brought her comfort knowing that she was not like them in the sense that she would stoop low enough to extend a helping hand to the creatures that were humanity’s biggest threat. She also had them to blame for all the success and talent she had when it came to vampire hunting, which was ironic given they had altered their ways before meeting their demise.

Neveah shook her head slightly in dismissal when she decided it would be best to get some rest. Honestly, she was clueless regarding the plans these vampires had for her, but she knew one thing: the best thing she could do right now was regain her strength and clarity of mind. She started to hum a quiet melody that roughly resembled the one her mother had used to lull her to sleep years ago, eventually slipping into a slumber that could easily be interrupted.

Peace and serenity were often associated with rest, regardless of what an individual endured in the confines of their own consciousness. These two sentiments did not exist- not even a wee fragment- within the tormented, haunted mind of Neveah. Her thoughts were overwhelming, dimming the faint traces of reassurance that her mind desperately tried to provide; it was a consequence of her immoral actions, her consciousness more than aware of how twisted her actions had been towards vampires. Her ears were tormented with the pleas for mercy, the screams for any kind of help, and even the cries of vampiric children begging for their parents. These memories- no matter how grotesque and cruel they were- proved just how far she had allowed her hatred to fester, growing into an inferno that had fueled the atrocious ideas and acts she had committed over the years. She had never regretted her actions, not even once, yet now.. the thought was fleeting, but she wondered how much of an impact she had made on vampires.

It was almost as if her mind were taunting her since she was now in the hands of Aurelius, a Lord of what she presumed to be one of the largest covens across the world; most covens considered themselves overpopulated at a hundred, yet this one.. she did not want to know the accumulative number. She may be a veteran hunter despite her young age, but she found herself wondering if there was anything she was missing.. Neveah was aware of how vampires classified themselves; there were royals, soldiers, simple commoners, which were somewhat similar to the way humans worked. Had it always been that way? The thought vanished as soon as it had appeared once again, reminding herself that too much curiosity could get one killed. Regardless, she knew that she needed to figure out what her plan was since it would determine if she would ever escape or if she would even survive.

Shifting her focus elsewhere, Neveah`s eyes slowly opened as she escaped her slumber-like trance, lifting her chin and looking over at the prison cell door. Her azure eyes had brightened once again with the intelligent glimmer, indicating she was thinking- truly thinking. With a huff of annoyance, she hoisted herself to her feet and stumbled over to the door, cursing beneath her breath at the reminder of the cobbles floor and her lack of nourishment; she had not eaten and, based on the fact she was captured by vampires, she doubted she would get anything close to food any time soon. She glanced around the room where the cell was arranged, taking mental notes of her surroundings and ensuring no one was near. Although she had absolutely nothing to toy with the cell‘s lock, it was still worth a try to take a look at it.

Once she was satisfied, she kneeled down and craned her neck, outstretching a hand to tilt the padlock that held her prisoner. It seemed simple, but that was impossible; vampires always were most careful when it came to things like these. She frowned before withdrawing, allowing the lock to fall limp and sway gently midair. Her gaze shifted towards the other door that led into the room itself whilst taking a small step back. It took her a few moments to realize that she was truly in a mess; the only way she would be able to get out successfully was with the help of a vampire.. one that lived here. So far, her only option was Aurelius, the royal that had decided to save her for what seemed like no reason, maybe simple curiosity. She swore, however, that she would not give up, not until she was face-to-face with death itself.

(Hm.. I already don`t like Carmilla, xd)

Neveah found herself pacing to and fro, her azure gaze drifting towards sporadic aspects of the cell; she took in the sight of the old cobblestone, the other prison cells scattered across the room, the single overhead light that prevented her from going insane in the dark. She wondered if she was the only human this coven had ever willingly left alive and ushered into one of these cells; Damian and Renier were definitely hanging on to their lives by a thread as they were used as blood banks. Fortunately, she did not have to endure that again, if she had.. there was no way she would be as hopeful in escaping as she currently was.

Occasionally, Neveah would hear the sounds of voices on the other side of the walls, gaining her temporary attention before she focused elsewhere. The walls were thick enough to where their words were jumbled and unclear; if she had the energy to do so, she might have considered implementing more effort into deciphering their chatter. At this point, she was beginning to feel the effects of starvation and dehydration, things that were bound to happen in the situation she was in. There was a chance her needs would be neglected until the last minute or- the more probable scenario- she would simply be forgotten down here. With a final glance at the door, Neveah returned to the corner she had been sitting within, propping her chin with a fist.

The only thing she could truly do was wait until a vamprie decided to pay her a visit, if it even happened. Based on the interaction she had between herself and Aurelius, she had an inkling that he would reappear at some point, but she was clueless regarding when. His questions and words had intrigued her greatly, especially since they all pointed towards a curiosity she had not seen in a vampire before.

(I can already picture all the drama *cries*. Also, this is ridiculously short, my apologies, x~x; Can`t do much in a cell, xD)

The sound of approaching footsteps penetrated her contemplative trance, urging her to her feet as she hoisted herself upwards. She observed quietly as Aurelius walked in with a plate that displayed a few slices of bread, her azure eyes briefly narrowing in on the food before they focused on the vampire. Neveah remained silent as she took a cautious step forward, as if contemplating whether or not he was plotting something; she doubted the food was untouched regarding poison, but the hesitance that he was displaying seemed to indicate the gesture was a mere normal one. Of course, she wasn`t going to tackle him the moment he unlocked the cell door, especially since he was the only vampire that was willing to come down here. If she were to retaliate, then that could also potentially lead to a different vampire- maybe even Seb- to burst through the door and actually kill her.

Neveah folded her arms across her chest as she stood there, glancing between the plate and Aurelius` intricately colored eyes; they were unique and, if she ever had the opportunity to, she would definitely enjoy it if she managed to get a thorough look at them. It was not uncommon for her to have these thoughts regarding eyes, especially since she believed they were the key to one`s soul.. Did vampires even have souls? The question made her divert her focus for a moment, eyes narrowing a tad as she descended into her thoughts. They certainly had emotions and opinions, but vampires were monsters and their hearts seldom beat at a rhythm, if they did it was abnormally slow. When she realized she was becoming side-tracked, she blinked and refocused on the vampire that was still staring at her, who was also contemplating whether or not she would lash out at him.

``Only a fool would attack you under these circumstances,`` Neveah spoke, her voice slightly strained and hoarse from the lack of sufficient water. She took a step backwards in order to encourage him, maybe even to make him more comfortable with unlocking the door. Besides, there was quite literally no possible chance she would be able to get past him and out of this room; she was weaker than usual and she had nothing to make him slower or stunned in some way. For some reason, a part of her wanted to learn about Aurelius, not for the mere sake of gaining information, but to also get to know him. It was strange that she wanted to, yet a part of her was screaming at herself to initiate some kind of conversation. He had been a tad mocking and rude during the interactions they had the day before, but the way he acted hinted at there being a different side to him.