<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ccff99">Ayla blinked, hearing the voice that came from the other end of the room, silencing the woman who was about to attack. She turned around slowly, expecting to see Lucian glaring daggers at her for provoking the woman. Instead, to her surprise, he took what she had said and ran with it, driving the point home. Other than a few snickers at his words, the room was silent as he walked over to her and slipped his arm around her waist. She smiled again at Shar Tessa, though there was a smugness to it now.</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#a6ff4d"><i> &lt;try me, bitch.&gt;</i></span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff9999">The moment a strong hand clamped around her wrist, forcing it back down with such vigor that it nearly hurt her, she spun around angrily, only to find herself face to face with the man many believed to be one of the strongest mages in the city. Or at the very least, strongest Abjurer. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">“I….I… I did NO such thing!”</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff9999"> she said, outraged as she pulled her wrist away the moment he started to let go.</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff4d4d">“I earned my place in the fifth Circle with hard work and long hours, same as anyone else!”</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc">Quiet and reserved Alexi, in tune with his sister’s anger and rage, was shocked at what came out of his own mouth in response, his hand on one of lucian’s shoulders as his sister was pulled close to the vampire’s other side. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffa6">“She’s protesting awfully hard for an innocent woman…”</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc"> the words came out in his usual soft tones, but in the silence, they were clear as day.</span>