Ichigo's momentary interruption had not deterred the rapidfire changes in Gwen's body, and his absence had left Petra vulnerable.  She had held onto the wrist of the arm holding her suspended, struggling for breaths that would not come easily or deeply.<br/><br/>Gwen had had enough presence of mind to toss Petra rather than hurling her; it still sent the slender woman crashing into shelving and linens, leaving her bruised and a little battered.  The door was open, and it was not worth the risk of causing the disruption Ichigo-san had warned them against, so she had allowed herself to be thrown.  Gasping softly, she watched Gwen fighting with herself, her aqua eyes half-closed, narrowed in pain.  She slowly got to her feet, looking down at Gwen as she panted heavily.  Petra's fingers slowly traced the thick leather of her collar, checked the tiny pendants of ruby.  Her throat was already starting to bruise above and below the collar, and underneath it would be even worse, no doubt.<br/><br/>Petra stared at Gwen a long moment, her expression unreadable....and then she leaned down, her hand sliding through the dark locks slowly.  "I cannot take you to that place.  you never left it at all."  She stood slowly, and started to finish buttoning the shirt, walking out into the hallway with slow, deliberate aplomb.<br/><br/>Once outside, she walked a dozen feet away, then collapsed along the wall, her breaths quick and uneven, her knees going weak, the adrenaline coursing through her body as only Gwen could make it.  She was hot, soaking wet, and beads of sweat traced her brow.  Only the pressure of her hands against the wall kept them from trembling.  One thought raced through her mind, filling it with white noise.<br/><br/><em>Damn Ichigo-san.</em><br/><br/>Finally Petra stood, and finished buttoning her new shirt, moving with very deliberate leisure.  The impact had largely been absorbed by her suit - part of the reason she wore it near-constantly - but she ached, and would continue to ache for a little while.  She ran her hand along her throat, sighing softly.  It would be so easy to fix those bruises, make them disappear, but that would alarm everyone in the wedding.  An explosion of noise that loud inside the mansion would cause more trouble than it was worth.  Sometimes, she wondered if her mother had done this to her just to see how disciplined she was....