The door closed, and Krave did not immediately move.
She stood in the absolute centre of the sprawling, shadowed chamber, listening to the crushing silence of the abyss pressing against the outer walls of her palace. For exactly three seconds, she maintained the posture. Her shoulders were softly rounded, her breathing slow and melodic, her aura radiating a fragile, desperate need for companionship.
Then, she let the illusion die.
It was a physical, terrifying transformation. Her spine snapped perfectly straight. The manufactured warmth completely drained from her striking features, replaced by a cold, primordial sharpness that dropped the ambient temperature of the room to near freezing. The sheer midnight-blue sea-silk of her gown stopped swaying. The Queen of Manipulation had left the stage. The Behemoth of the Ocean had returned.
"He is remarkably proficient."
