Homecoming (open)

The whole fucking trip had been terrible. Eating people on a train was a pain in the fucking ass, and with the stupid airlines fucking up their scheduling it just wasn't a reasonable way to travel anymore. She sure as hell wasn't gonna send herself freight, and anything else would be too chancy with a plane any more. Fucking humans, always screwing things up. So, greasy train blood with cheap booze, then LA. She'd never noticed how nasty the smog was, but having been in Nachton, it bothered her. At least she didn't have to breathe it as often.

Then there was Ko. That had been expected. The "Welcome Home" asswhooping from him. She'd dealt with the rest - giving much more than she took. Still, her progression seemed linear, and he was pissed. The root of the matter came out quickly. Apparently he had heard through channels that she hadn't been focusing as much on the Hunt as he felt she should be, and was somewhat horrified that his prodigy was being considered as a member of the Order of the Night by Elder Sorin hisself. Ko was so pissed he'd turned purple. He thought it ridiculous that his little spitfire would be any good at intrigue, and called her a pawn of the Elder's schemes. Things got worse when she mimicked her creator, some of her siblings, Elder Mai and Elder Sorin...Ko didn't appreciate the mockery or the disrespect, and she'd earned a sound beating for that. She'd deserved it, but it still got her ire up. It also showed talent...talent that the old man had missed.

The rest of the visit went about as well. Argument after argument, fight after fight. Ko's speech forbidding her departure from training. Her spitting on his altar and telling him where he could stick his eternity of control. His dark fury and explanation of what he felt the Order of the Night really was. Her punching the head off of the statue of his sire. His star student assaulting her for the desecrations, and subsequent weeks of recovery due to the horrible beating she inflicted upon his meddling ass. She'd never seen Ko so pissed, and she'd pushed him hard before.

It was safe to say that she wouldn't be going back any time soon. Hell, comparatively she'd enjoyed the greasy seat tasting train blood on the way back home.

Home. Dawn was surprised to realize that she did think of Heolfor as home now. Dropping her shit off in her room, she stripped and dove naked into the pool. Floating on her back, staring at the marvelous ceiling, she felt the first inkling of peace and relaxation that she'd felt since...well, since three days before leaving for her command appearance with her creator. Letting it go, she shifted direction in the water, her bubblegum pink hair tickling lightly along her shoulders and chest. She'd have to cut it again soon. Letting the air out of her lungs, she allowed herself to sink down to the bottom of the pool, watching the distortion of the light through the surface.

Growing bored with the moment of tranquility, she kicked hard off the bottom of the pool, shooting herself up out of the water, causing a great splash.