As the office door opens, the man in black leads Mill into the highly secured room, handing another man who appears to be the Manager her playerâ€™s card, then leaves her with the Manager and a security officer; the steel door closing with a sharp click as the tumblers catch in the lock, and Millicent whimpers again.<br/><br/>Her eyes dart around at the camera screens, various buttons and dashboards, biting hard against her inner cheek. She feels trapped, for all purposes IS trapped, and about to be sentenced; even for winning, this chaotic scene in her calm life, brings back horrible memories of too many times in this situation, and always because of her contact with Solas.<br/><br/>She may love him, always did, always will, but the man is nowhere to be found, and her gut instinct is screaming out he is gone. In the past weeks, she had come to rely on the man, for strength and life in general, even in his absence with work; she became dependant on him, and found now, in this state of anxiety, that this was not good. Not when he continuously was in and out of her life for centuries, and never stayed, regardless of the choice of Council or circumstance, this was not good. This time, was his choice, she told herself, nothing should have taken so long, even procuring tickets for the Gras Parade. If his words were true and heartfelt, he would not have let anything stand in his way to returning here to her.<br/><br/>As the Manager congratulates her on a â€˜remarkable winâ€™, asking for forms of identification, and how she would like paid, Millicent is in a blurred mindset, everything running through one ear and out the other. She answers without thought, void of all emotion and tone, standing still unless told to move.<br/><br/>The man hands her a stack of bills, which somehow finds way into her clutch, and then states a drink is in order. Millicent bluntly states opposition to the offer as he makes a call to the bar on a nearby phone, explaining she appreciates the token, however just learned of her pregnancy a few days ago. The Manager again congratulates her, hanging up the receiver, rambling on now about his own children and how her winnings should â€˜come in handyâ€™. Mill raises her right palm to hush the man, asking him to allow her to leave now; he obliges, opening the door, she quickly leaving the tombed quarters.<br/><br/>Nauseous, her eyes cloud to a dark hue, streaks of black snaking across her iris as she scans the Casino, asking a passerby the time; too much time has passed within the hours that Solas left for the tickets, she is well aware before hearing this from the stranger with their answer of the time. Why he has not returned, she hasnâ€™t a clue, and a swell of emotions flood through her. Millicentâ€™s stomach churns, this place far too busy for her and her simple life, and Izzy and Aaron are not in sight either, as they have made way downstairs. Mill feels utterly alone and vulnerable, and in fact, is.<br/><br/>She has not fed in weeks, and suffers mentally and physically; Arella feeding daily from her mother has placed a higher toll on her body. Mill waited for Solas to return from his business affairs, and waited tonight as he left her alone here, but by the God that threw them down she would wait no longer. She was no ones pawn, even his; she found him every time, if he wanted her, he would have to man up, and hunt her, and do far more than spew words of love and devotion, actions were always louder; and his actions, had shown by far a different tale than his words.<br/><br/>Her mind continues to reel, palm pulling back as it snugly grasps the back of her neck, fingertips kneading at the aching muscles, trying to fend off an oncoming migraine; she thinks further, assessing the situation, trying to drown out the noise. Mill needs to leave this Casino, and feed. Period.<br/><br/>Moving out of the main entry again, she curses to herself, hating what obviously needs done. This â€˜happy nightâ€™, â€˜wonderfully planned eveningâ€™, â€˜spending the night togetherâ€™, all a line a bull as far as she is concerned.<br/><br/>Dressed up for nothing, doting for such a being that left her, left them, pointless. Her heart aches and burns, and she brushes away her tears before they fall from her eyes. Millicent so strong and bold, fell for Solas once again, and all the love she offered, stolen without even a goodbye. She knew he was uninjured, would have felt this if it had happened, and in fact, she felt nothing, no tug, no call for her aid, no whisper in the wind that he would return and was running late. The invisible line that connected them, seemed detached, and for reasons she did not comprehend.<br/><br/>She reminds herself to stay calm, focus on Arella, do as she always had done; protect her daughter, now her children.<br/><br/>Walking from the Casino towards her apartment blocks away, she kicks the stilettos from her feet, wanting to vomit, she swallows the urge as well as the emotional breakdown trying to surface; there is no time for such things; he isnâ€™t coming back, she reminds herself. Her hands grow cold, bare feet slowly moving her frame in the darkness, shoulders rounded forward in an almost defeated posture. Her shadows slide around her feet, reminding her to again focus, do what needs done, and she inhales sharply through parted lips, clearing her throat as she stops, hand pulling up again to rub her palm over her eyes. They remain clouded, vision difficult, she is off track of her goal, and her shadows sense this; they gently tug her to her right, and she looks across the street at a woman apparently trying to work for what that woman considers â€˜easy moneyâ€™.<br/><br/>Millicentâ€™s head does not clear, instead a primal instinct takes over, and she nudges by the crowd to the woman, who is obviously uncaring as the gender with her clientele. Mill takes the womanâ€™s wrist as the prostitute gives her a cheeky grin, and leads her towards a junction between two establishments, tugging the woman down the blackened ravine of an alley. The woman asks what Mill wishes, starting to run through her list of options, when the clutch Mill was holding falls to the ground, and Mill attacks her. Rage, and her own internal pain, rule her now, and this woman, innocent to a standard, will suffer the price that Mill is paying in caring and expecting a life with the only man she was fated to partner with.<br/><br/>Before the clutch hits the ground, Millicent has taken control, her palms smacking against the womanâ€™s cheeks, thumbs curling under her jawline, face pressing to the womanâ€™s, shushing her as Mill squeezes her cheeks, forcing the womanâ€™s lips into a pucker. Millicent giggles, tongue snaking out as she licks at the womanâ€™s lips, the otherâ€™s hands grasping against Millâ€™s forearms and trying to push the Fallen away.<br/><br/>Mill clucks her tongue and shakes her head, still shushing, and the woman pauses a moment in her fighting what is inevitable. Millicent retrieves her tongue, head tilting at the woman, a wide grin passing over her features as she whispers against the womanâ€™s lips, â€˜bad bad girl, I taste your darkness, that, my dear, is not a good thing for you this night. Nowâ€¦.be a good girl and take it like a woman.â€™<br/><br/>The woman finds fight in her, realizing this is more than a â€˜gameâ€™ or a simple â€˜trickâ€™, and shoves at Millicent, who still has this womanâ€™s face in a vice grip. Mill sighs heavily, head turning to the right at an angle, the tiny bones cracking, then studies the womanâ€™s face again. The woman now attempts to kick Millicent and squarely connects the toe of her heel into Millâ€™s shin, causing Mill to wince, and react.<br/><br/>She steps backwards, dragging the woman by her face, the womanâ€™s hands pulling at Millâ€™s arms again, and Mill offers a scolding look, her wrists turning with force to the right, watching the wide eyes of the woman as her head teeters too far past her shoulderline, and loud popping echoes through the small alley. Mill repeats this gesture to her left, and the woman goes still, her body falling in a heap to the ground as Millicent releases her face from her grip. She stands over the body, shaking her head, feeling nothing but numbness creep through her, and kneels, snagging the hair of her victim as she pulls upward, bringing the head to her face.<br/>Millicent wastes no time feeding, now standing, gagging deep in her throat, again pressing back the urge to vomit, and her shadows begin to mingle with others in this deep recess. They know what to do, and immediately flow over the womanâ€™s body, hiding her from view; slowly undulating the form behind the establishment, and will eventually â€˜dragâ€™ her to the river, and dispose of the body there deep within the water.<br/><br/>Millicent finds her clutch, and dusts off the front of her gown, smoothing out the sheer fabric, then makes way to her apartment, thanking and paying the babysitter graciously from her winnings. Arella is asleep in bed, and Mill heads into the bathroom, washing her face, brushing her teeth and changing into her favored jeans, tshirt, flip-flops and tugging her hair back into a high ponytail. This done, fumbles through the clutch, finding Izzyâ€™s charm, unsure what it is, Mill pushes that into her front pocket and then she tucks the cash into her back pocket, along with her identification, and makes way into the bedroom. Along the path, she bumps into the bookshelf that harbors her â€˜trinketsâ€™, Solasâ€™ pocketwatch falling to the ground with a loud thunk, the glass shattering as the ticking item stops in time. Millicent reaches for it, then pauses, shaking her head; touching it meant she would feel again, and this was a no-no. She steps over it, and finds her daughter sound asleep.<br/><br/>Millicent quietly retrieves her lighter and gives life to a candle sitting on the windowsill, then moves to her daughter. She smiles, finding warmth in her being at the sight of the tiny one clutching her doll tightly to her chest as she snores softly. Millicent carefully tucks the thin blanket around Arella, and picks her up, cradling her against her chest. Arella mumbles in her sleep, and Mill hums the lullaby that Arella knows so well, again snoring as Mill takes her into the main room, sitting slowly on the couch, holding her little one tightly to her. Eventually she drifts to her own sleep, head nodding down against Arellaâ€™s as she finds a dreamless night, for once.