{Melisa}
"What are you doing?"
The words came out flat. Calm. Melisa didn't feel calm, but her voice apparently hadn't gotten the memo.
Sylra tilted her head, still smiling.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm draining her."
She said it the same way someone might say "I'm having breakfast" or "I'm going for a walk." Casual. Matter-of-fact.
The kitsune on the ground wasn't moving. Melisa could still sense her essence, barely, a faint flicker that might go out at any moment.
"She's dying."
"She's not dying. Probably." Sylra glanced down at the collapsed woman. "I've gotten better at knowing when to stop. The early ones, I'll admit, I was sloppy. But practice makes perfect."
[The early ones. How many have there been?]
"Why?" Melisa's hands were shaking. She balled them into fists to make it stop. "Why would you do this?"
Sylra's smile faded. Not into anger or guilt, but into something more complex. Something almost sad.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes."
