Meira's POV

One afternoon, while I was off duty, I looked out the window. It was such a nice day out-the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the leaves were swirling across the ground, carried by a light breeze. It was fall again, my favorite season. I should be able to enjoy it! I glared in determination-Marx wasn't going to keep me from enjoying the great outdoors! I marched outside, mentally claiming to be checking the mail in case anyone asked, and took the risk to enjoy some fresh air.

I thought about Meta Knight as I waked around outside. I thought he would be harsh towards me during our training-I had zero experience when it came to defending myself, since I never really thought a zombified jester would be hell-bent on killing me at any point in my life-but instead, he understood. He was gentle with me, never really trying to slice me until I got the hang of swordsmanship. My left arm was sore from swinging the sword I was practicing with-swords were a lot heavier than I expected. My arms were never really strong, anyway, so for now I have to condition my muscles for holding and swinging heavy objects before I can protect myself with them. I'm slowly learning new techniques, but it'll be a long time before I'm ever half as good as my attractive mentor. Who knows if I'll still be breathing by then?

Thinking this over,I looked towards the ground, admiring the vividly colored plants and creatures. A shadow passed over me, accompanied by a distant flutter of powerful wings. I quickly looked up in time to see a blue speck drop from the sky, instantly blowing up in size as it came closer. The blue orb smashed into my chest, exploding all over my body. My neck and head were spared, but the rest of my body was entangled in blue taffy. I struggled in my bindings, attempting to free my arms and legs, at least. All the while I tugged at the blue gunk, I wondered who had the nerve to throw something so sticky at me. To my surprise, the taffy was stronger than I had thought. No matter how hard I tried to rip it away from me, it wouldn't tear-it would only stretch further and create more layers. It was no use escaping this way. I called out for help, as dumb as I sounded doing so-the blue taffy could only be pulled off from the outside.

I yelled for all it was worth. It was dangerous for me to be out here alone with Marx flying around. And all I was doing was checking the mail! I should have expected something like this to happen! No one seemed to acknowledge me-a few Waddle Dees walked past and ignored me. I was getting really pissed off. This wasn't a game!

Soon my throat became sore from yelling, and I had to stop. I bit at the taffy and gave it a tug, seeing if it would be easily removed from the outside. It had a rubbery consistency, and was tasteless, like gum that had long lost its flavor. The taffy didn't even leave my skin. I let the taffy drop out of my mouth as I groaned in agitation. I'm still weakened from last week when Marx drained half of my blood supply. I'm positive I can't survive another attack.

Eventually my screams were answered. But not by who I thought would hear me. No, not my mentor Sir Meta Knight. Not Kirby, either. I screamed again with renewed vigor when I saw Marx Soul drop down from the sky nearby. I should have figured he was the one who trapped me! I shut my eyes tightly and fought at my bindings again, desperately trying to free myself and escape. Somehow,I thought if I managed to cut and run I'd get away-I was faster on my feet than he is in the air.

Eventually my arms grew tired, and my feet were glued to the ground by the blue gunk. As strong as the stuff was, it was more like paint, not gum. My eyes slowly opened, and I looked at Marx. In his claws was a pink orb, much like the blue one that crashed into me-the one he dropped on me.

"I can't ever catch a break," I growled under my breath.

I couldn't stand to glare at him for more than a few seconds. He made me uneasy-pale purple eyes, long fangs and a long tongue. It all got under my skin, but mostly his fangs. I cast my eyes down, my cheeks turning warm with something that resembled shame. He laughed at my coy behavior, a sick, distorted laugh. He knew I was scared,but I tried to deny it as much as I could. I had seen worse. I had seen worse from watching my father play video games as a child, and I wasn't scared then. Only this wasn't a game. This was real.

With my downcast eyes, I didn't see Marx Soul approach me until he was less than a foot away from my face. I found myself looking at his pointed shoes instead of the ground, and down at myself covered in blue goo. I tensed up, pursing my lips together. No one was around to help me, as I stared blankly into his amulet.

"This is maddening to you, isn't it?" He crooned, letting go of the pink paintball. For once his tongue wasn't hanging out, so I was able to look him in the eyes. For once.

"How dare you do this to me!" I snapped defensively. "I never asked for any trouble. I don't want any."

"Wrong! You were looking for trouble when you first got between me and those puny villagers! You should have known what you were getting into."

I didn't respond. What could I say to that? I was a dead woman the second Marx Soul set his sights on me. Not to mention one of those villagers I saved repaid me by snitching on me to the police. How ungrateful! I should have just let them die! It wasn't my job to protect Dreamland, anyway. There's already a hero for that-I nearly died trying to intervene.

I was at a loss for words. Marx won this. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk, either. The more we talked, the longer I'd be stuck in this blue paint.

Marx Soul grinned at me, making me avert my eyes uncomfortably. His claws tore through the blue taffy like it was nothing, peeling it off my arms and legs. The blue substance collected at my feet as it was removed, so I couldn't move my feet very much. Strangely, the taffy melted from its rubbery state to a fluid-like state. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, seeing if they came loose. He lifted me out of the paint puddle, his eyes narrowing precariously. Suddenly I felt nauseous, like I was about to puke but I couldn't. I've had this feeling before. This anxious feeling that wasn't anxiety.

His tongue plopped out of his mouth again, making me nervous. He set me down and licked me on the neck, causing me to shudder. I knew it. He did want to drink my blood again. I had to keep him away from my neck until the next week or so, or maybe next month. My heart was racing, making me lightheaded, so I had to calm down. He lifted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. My face contorted in discomfort as saliva lined his mouth, and his other hand grasped my shoulder affectionately. Now that I was forced to look right at him, I couldn't look away. I was captivated. The anxious feeling quickly dissolved, and suddenly I felt a burning sensation grip the lining of my chest. A powerful, stinging pain, one that could only be silenced by specific physical contact.

All rational thinking abruptly left me. I took his claws in my hands and kissed him for all it was worth, thinking it would tame him for the time being. I hated doing this. I hated the slimy connection of his tongue in my mouth, but it seemed to get him off my back last time and the time before that. That first accident may have saved my life. The other day I voluntarily kissed him as well, although I initially hated it. Even more of my rational thinking slipped, and before I knew it, a...a great feeling struck me like a malevolent force. I became strangely drawn to my tormentor, and I lost all control of my body. Then I could only fall weak from my own energy that surged through my veins. My skin and legs each had a mind of their own. My skin tingled as if numb and my legs gave out, causing me to trip backwards onto my back. Marx Soul stayed where he was in mid-air rather than tumbling with me, and even through my blurred vision, I could see him smiling down at me, his tongue poking out and dripping with saliva. As my vision cleared, I got a temporary dizzy feeling in my head and a moan escaped my lips.

I felt weakened, like I had just regained stamina after running a mile-my legs trembled and my chest felt compressed. Somehow, this felt even worse than having my blood drained, yet I felt…happy. And so did Marx Soul, judging by both his facial expression and the scene on the edge of town the other day. Together, we narrowly averted humiliation, and we're getting better and better at it. Maybe this isn't so bad after all, taking risks. If they haven't already, Sword and Blade Knight will come looking for me, and see that I haven't gone far, and that I'm not in danger despite my company being Marx Soul. Maybe I don't need to be a knight to survive under dire conditions. Someday, I'll impress my mentor with my skills. Maybe I can teach them all the ways of 'enigmatic grace', as I did with Marx. (It's not like I have an unlimited supply of blood for him, and with the way things were headed that fateful day, it was completely unavoidable-blood pooled into my mouth.)After all, I always wanted to please my elders…