All these people, and you still found me (me and the lovely Beyril)

Addy shook her head, "My mother was a witch. You'd think that would mean a little more to them." She frowned.

"Please, I can sense other witches in this school. Obviously, they can't be too strict about it." Lucius pointed out, his senses cutting through a few soul protections. He didn't bother putting up his own soul protection. It didn't allow him to use magic, so he would never use it. He knew that meant that the other witches and anyone with soul perception could sense him, but he invited them to come and challenge him. If they be witches, then more souls for his collection.

"Exactly." she nearly spat the word.

It finally dawned on Lucius why she was acting this way. "So, you don't like them either. What's your reason?" Lucius asked.

"I don't need a reason. They're witches and they're evil. Is that not enough?"

"The world is grey, dear, not black and white. What makes me different from the witches you loath besides my sex? My mother was a witch, and my father a sorcerer." Lucius inquired, trying to understand her hatred. He was no fan of witches, and even enjoyed killing them, but he didn't hate them. To call all of them evil is foolish.

Her eyes nearly blazed in actuality as she glared at him, "You have no idea what I've seen of witches; the pain they put my father through, me through. They are evil to their core and there is nothing you can say that won't convince me so."

"Do not think to lecture me on what you have seen and what I have seen. I have seen more in several lifetimes than you could fathom. I do not seek to change your mind, girl; I seek to understand it." Lucius said sharply, reminding her of who she was speaking to. He was one of the few people who knew the harm witches could cause, and he would not be spoken to in such a manner.

"You'll understand my mind when and if I give you access to it." She snapped, "I prefer my privacy."

"You are the one who sought me out, or have you already forgotten that? If you want to work with me, then you will answer my questions. If you expect me to follow blindly, then you have miscalculated who you are dealing with." Lucius snapped right back.

Addy gritted her teeth. Yes, she wanted to hunt witches and she knew she needed his help, but she wanted to keep her motives to herself. Was there no middle ground?

Lucius continue to glare at her. His eyes literally had little flames in them, as they did when he was angry. "I can assume that your mother did something to your family? Did she hurt your father, or abandon you? I can relate to that, you know." Lucius told her, his voice still edgy. His mother had abandoned him and his father. She had hated settling down and ditched them both to return to the witch realm. It would not have been a problem to just relocate there, but she just left in the middle of the night. Lucius knew that pain more than many other people.

"Both of us." She stated quickly, in a hurry to have the words out and done with.

"Ah, and so the truth floweth forth. Honesty is always a good way to start out a partnership. Worry not, dear Adrastea, there will be witches for you to kill, but you will need to grow stronger, my dear, strong enough to never let any of them stop you. Perhaps even....a Death Scythe." Lucius said, more contemplation than actual conversation, but he did like the idea pd having a Death Scythe that existed outside the control of the DWMA. It would give him enormous power, indeed.

"I wouldn't protest that." She looked up at the sun, "Lord Death wouldn't have me, but being a death scythe certainly wouldn't hurt."

"No, if I agree to this, your power will be mine alone. However, my dear, you must be patient. Witches are crafty and extremely dangerous. It would be terrible to agree to this bargain and lose you on night one. Tell me of your time at this place. What have you done here?" Lucius inquired, seeking to learn more about her and also to gauge her skill level.

"Mostly training and research." She admitted, not wishing to discuss the kidnapping of weapons. Or how she had blown up an entire wing of the labs they were taken to. Her arm still hurt from the needles.

"Sounds boring enough. Do you live in the dorms here, or off in the residential district?" Lucius asked. He needed to know since he may be staying longer than anticipated and wanted to know if he needed to rent a place or not.

"I have a dorm," she shrugged, "But my dad keeps my room open for me in the residential district."

"Hm, very well. I will have to find a place than. Shouldn't be too hard with the money I have. So, you still spend a lot of time with daddy. Does he know you want to kill witches without mercy?" Lucius asked, a touch of humor to his words.

She clamped her mouth shut, "He doesn't know much. I visit him because he can't take care of himself."

"Can't take care of himself? Why so? Is he old or senile or something?" Lucius asked, not really used to sensitizing his words. He spoke plainly and without emotion, so there was no malice behind his words, but there also was any sympathy.

"He's just not been able to since mom left. He's in a haze. Memory's gone, he'll forget to eat for days if I don't remind him." She explained briefly.

"Sounds like a memory curse, if you ask me. People are not typically that useless." Lucius said dryly.

"Or it's heartbreak..." she muttered.