Looking inside the jewelry box Dresden had just handed me, it actually took a second to think of something to say. "Harry, if you think we're going to need these after only one date, I don't know whether to be disappointed or encouraged."

"Hell's bells," he cursed. "They're not those kinds of..." His words trailed off, and he gave me a look. "Was that a joke?"

"You'll find, dear fiancé, that I am capable of making them, when I am in the mood." Still, I was curious. Dresden had already put on an identical set of bracelets, silver-wrought, with runes etched so lightly around the outside that most wouldn't even notice they were there.

"You've heard of thorn manacles?"

"I own several sets. For recreational purposes."

"Ha ha." Despite the flat delivery of his words, I saw something sparkle in his eyes for a moment. He liked the banter. "Ever since a madman first slapped a pair on me, I couldn't help but think of what kinds of applications they'd have if, y'know, they didn't hurt like hell to wear."

He left the statement hanging in the air, so I returned the conversational serve, hoping to start a proper volley. "By cutting yourself off from your magic, you could interact with modern technology without interference."

"That, or just...exist near the stuff. Stars and stones, I'd be able to go to a hospital without having to worry about getting someone killed." I blinked. That wasn't a hindrance of mortal practitioners I had considered before. Something to stow away for possible use, obviously. "But that isn't all these are."

It was only then that it occurred to me...why were there two sets? It wasn't as if I were a practitioner myself. Comprehension dawned at me, and I looked at the bracelets with sudden horror. "No..."

"Yes." Dresden seemed pleased that I'd caught on so fast. "Thomas is what got me thinking about it, all of his struggles with his Hunger. Theoretically, any White Court vampire who wears these will be completely cut off from their inner demon."

What I was looking at was something clearly made with all the best of intentions. It was also something that could, in the wrong hands, spell doom for my Court. The gifts granted us by our symbiotic relationship with our Hunger are less overtly impressive compared to some other hunters, but they were still a primary factor in what helped the White Court remain a power in the supernatural world.

And that was only thinking of it in terms of combative strategy. I'm not a fool. Thomas is not the only member of the Court who would gladly turn aside from their nature if given the chance.

I know that I'm a monster. Unlike my baby brother, I don't hate myself for it.

But even I couldn't help but look at the bracelets and consider, what it would be like, if even for just a night, to put that aside. Live as the kine did. A curiosity that inspired a sharp stab of fear in my Hunger.

Hmm...now that was interesting.

So many complex emotions, accompanied with racing thoughts, filled me as I looked at those bracelets. None of them were betrayed by my expression. "You're a man of endless surprises, Harry Dresden."

"And you're a woman of endless empty words. Are you okay with trying them on for a night, or not?"

The question shook me out of my trail of thoughts immediately. Years of self-preservation made me instantly distrust this notion. Wearing them would weaken me, make me easier to kill. Not easy, of course, but easier. Dresden could claim the pair he wore would weaken him, but they were silver, not iron. He'd still have the power of the Winter Knight. It would be a simple way to lure me in for a kill.

I discarded that entire idea rather quickly. It was all sound logic, but it was also the sort of thing Harry Dresden would never try. The man had a code, confusing as it was, and would not kill an ally just because he'd found an easy way to do it. There wasn't any benefit in it, the action would likely anger his liege, and I hadn't done anything to him recently that would make him want to kill me.

Which meant...well, I wasn't entirely sure. For some reason, Dresden wanted our date to be us...reduced. Rather than try to follow exactly what he was thinking, I decided to just be direct, loathe may any of my Court be to employ that method normally. "Why would I want to wear these? Why would you?"

He turned his head away, looking out the windshield, and shrugged his shoulders. "For me, it's pretty simple. I was thinking of taking us out to a movie, and...well, without these that wouldn't be possible."

I tried to keep my disappointment off my face. A motion picture? Really? "And?"

"And, well...I thought you might want to see what a night out would be like as a vanilla mortal." A barely visible smile graced his lips. "Plus, if you help me work out any flaws with it, I'm sure Thomas would appreciate it..."

That comment made me frown. I've never liked how Dresden bandies about my affection for Thomas as a weapon. The worst part is that even as he does it, I know that Harry loves him just as much. It's almost as thought he sees the tactic less as a tactical offense, and more as an olive branch.

He started the car, and I considered the offer. When we reached the theater, he reached over to take the box away, but before he could, I took out the bracelets and put them on.

They worked.

It had been so long without the Hunger's presence in my mind, that without it, I felt a sudden stab of loneliness. Strange. It wasn't as though I had affection for the demon...but my mind felt less complete with it gone.

The change wasn't only mental. Something about me felt...different. Dresden must have seen it too, judging by how he was looking at me, as though he was seeing me for the first time. A quick look in his car's side-mirror revealed that which I suspected: without the Hunger, I was...plain.

"Am I that dull, now that my demon is in a cage?" I asked, trying not to sound bitter.

"Nope." There was something warm and light in his voice, and I looked in his eyes to see desire there. What a hopeless fool...with these manacles on, he wasn't seeing me as a threat anymore. Just a woman he could hope to bed.

Just as I considered that the manacles may actually prove a larger advantage for me than him, I realized something else. Looking at Dresden, all I saw was...an ally. A very aesthetically pleasing ally.

Not prey. Not food.

How long has it been since I had looked at a mortal and seen them that way? It felt strangely nostalgic, but disconcerting enough that I almost took the manacles off then and there.

Instead, I resolved not to admit defeat in this outing. Dresden got out of the car, opened my door for me, and held out an arm. This evening, I realized, was going to be even more interesting than I'd anticipated.

"-effects were terrible! I mean, I haven't seen a movie in ten years! Am I an idiot for thinking that in a decade, technology would get to the point where every alien planet doesn't have to look like the Phantom Menace all over again?"

"Mmm," I replied, barely listening to what he was saying. Honestly, I hadn't paid much attention to the movie at all. Why would I?

The darkness of the theater had almost felt impenetrable at first, I couldn't believe how long it took my eyes to adjust. I wondered if I was somehow going deaf, considering how difficult I found it to listen in on conversations only three or four rows ahead of us. When I got up in the middle of the so-called 'film' to use a restroom, I wasn't able to smoothly slide from my seat and exit the room without issue. In fact, I almost knocked the snack food out of Harry's hands, before half-tripping and barely catching myself from falling into a random kine.

We returned to Dresden's car and he drove off into the night, his endless bantering about the movie ceased now that he realized I wasn't listening. It was becoming increasingly clear to me that, for all the power the Hunger gave me was a strength, it was also a weakness.

The wizard's enchantments could be copied, and there were likely other ways to achieve similar effects. The very abilities my bond with the Hunger gave me was a liability, if without it I was disabled completely.

Another reason to remind myself why I was doing this. It was strategic. It was good for Thomas. It was a good way to explore the capabilities of an ally.

It had nothing to do with nostalgia for a time so long ago I could barely remember it. It had nothing to do with how real every moment I spent like this felt. It had nothing at all to do with the fact that every time Harry leaned close enough in our seats for our shoulders to touch, I felt a foreign emotion flash through my body.

We reached our next destination, and I exited the car, confused to see we were in the parking lot for a diner, somewhere on the edges of Chicago.

Following the wizard as he led the way inside, I held my tongue as the server picked out a booth for us, left menus, and departed. Once we were alone, I finally had to ask, "What possible reason is there to take me here? You're supposed to be courting me, Dresden." It wasn't a question of my vanity or standards. I am what I am, and that is the leader of the White Court. Perhaps Dresden might have considered this pleasant outing material with past women, but they weren't monarchs.

Eyes still down on the menu, Harry considered his answer, a small, almost nervous smile coming to him. "You've done your research on me. What do you know about my dad?"

"He was..." I almost said 'a kine', but that suddenly struck me as a particularly rude thing to say, considering the context, and instead went with, "...a mortal. No magic. Nothing remarkable about him. A...traveling entertainer, performing parlor tricks."

For just a moment, I saw something very cold in Dresden's eyes, and his hands gripped the plastic menu much harder than was necessary. Then the moment passed, and he sighed. "Yeah, pretty much. Mom died having me, so it was always just me and him, on the road. We came to Chicago a few times. Dad loved the city. Every time we stopped by, we'd eat here together, even when money was tight." He set his menu down, and for a few seconds, met my eyes with his. "Those memories are why I moved here in the first place."

I could feel the tug of a Soulgaze starting, and we both broke away at the same time. I wasn't scared to see what lay inside of Harry Dresden, but I wasn't about to give him an advantage against me with a peek into my soul.

We placed our orders with the waitress, and it became undeniable that we had reached the part of the date where conversation would be required. Before he could say something inane, I struck first. "Who exactly was it that introduced you to thorn manacles?"

The question made Harry shudder in revulsion. "Quintus Cassius."

"The Denarian. Charming fellow." I took a sip of the provided water, and was pleased to see Harry smile at my use of sarcasm.

Smiling like a predator himself, Dresden nodded and said, "Yeah, real swell guy." Then he leaned in to whisper, "Also, he's an Ex-Denarian. And an Ex-Alive Person."

I already knew both of those facts, but I humored Harry with an impressed look, one I was happy to see he enjoyed seeing on me, based on how his cheeks flushed. "Congratulations. Every time one of their Order dies, the world briefly becomes a more pleasant place." Only briefly, of course, because the coins always found new owners before too long.

"It'd be nice to do something about those damned coins, though, solve the problem once and for all."

There was no way I could keep the mockery out of my voice, having heard him say something that foolish. "Yes, Harry, and it would also be 'nice' if the Black Court all walked out into the sun tomorrow. But that isn't going to happen, is it?"

That popped his good mood, and I suddenly felt a sharp sense of regret. The conversation had started to grow truly entertaining, but that energy fled the moment I talked down to him. A lesson. Harry likes banter, but I'd have to be careful about how far I took it, at least until he trusted me more.

"You've tussled with the Denarians before, then?" Well...that was surprising. It looked like he was trying to salvage the conversation.

I looked out the window, eyes idly tracking people as they walked by outside. "Of course. Though by the time I joined the game, it was established knowledge in the Court that one did not trust Nicodemus Archleone. I've seen some in my family, and fools from Malvora and Skavis, try anyway. Used and discarded, all of them. And we're supposedly the backstabbing snakes."

"Fucking Nicodemus..." A look of indignation came over Dresden just before our food arrived, and he waited to dig into his hamburger to tell me, "You know, when you decide to dip into villainy, you do it like...practically. You don't make big speeches that often, you don't leave people in death traps, and you don't mutilate your underlings."

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and waited to finish the first bite of the steak I'd ordered before agreeing with him. "How that man has stayed alive two thousand years, I have no idea. Far too dramatic, even by your standards."

From there, we continued to insult Nicodemus between bites of food, sharing stories of his most over-the-top moments and the things we'd done to vex him when we could. Eventually, we stopped eating entirely, bonding over our shared enmity. When Harry finally managed to recover from a laugh, hand holding his stomach and tears in his eyes, he mentioned, "You know, Anduriel could be listening to all of this."

"Good. We haven't said anything that I wouldn't mind the fallen angel repeating back to him." Enjoying the feeling of shared camaraderie that a mutual acquaintance was bringing us, I changed the topic. "Wasn't it in stopping Nicodemus's little scheme with the Archive that you first got to know Anastasia?"

He knew exactly who I was referring to. "Um...yeah?" He didn't seem to understand why I was asking.

Of course I knew that was the case, but it provided a good entrance to explore a new question. "It was disappointing to hear that the two of you went your separate ways. Is she still a screamer? In the bedroom, I mean." Even without the help of my Hunger, I was able to deliver the question perfectly. Tone insinuating, face innocent, chest emphasized as I leaned forward on the table.

"..." Harry's mouth opened, but no sounds came out.

I smiled cheekily at him. "What, Dresden? Did she not mention her interest in the fairer sex? I can understand why she'd fail to tell you about our fun together, but I'd hoped she'd have-"

"I know she's bisexual," Harry cut in, looking as though he couldn't decide if he was annoyed or bemused by this. "And...yeah. I used to get complaints from the neighbors upstairs after having her over. Hell's bells, I can't believe you two..."

"It was a long time ago," I told him with a shrug. There was no need to mention the relationship hadn't been purely sexual, nor how it had been the one to make her realize that her kind and mortal practitioners would never mix well. Though...Dresden had started to drift far enough away from the distinction that I was beginning to hope something beyond a political alliance might be possible. After all, we're both monsters.

The check came, he paid for it, and as we started to walk back to the car I saw something across the street. "Is that a motel over there?"

He looked at me, suspicious. "Yes..."

I quirked up an eyebrow. "There's no need for the night to stop here, Harry." I'll admit, there might have been a slight purr to my words.

There was no way for him to hide the conflict I'd raised with that idea. He wanted me. He'd always wanted me, and his reasons not to relent to his desire were beginning to fall away one by one. "No thanks, Lara. Unlike some people, I don't put out on the first date."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a prude, Harry?"

"Frequently. Ride back to the mansion?"

"No, your apartment will be perfectly fine."

Before long, the date was over, and that meant it was time to take the manacles off. A rush of energy and power and need washed over me, and feeling my Hunger again after a few hours without it was overwhelming enough that, for a moment, I almost lost control.

But I am the ruler of the White Court. I do not lose control. I steeled myself, exited the car, and told Harry, "Thank you for an entertaining evening," before leaving.

Our first outing together had been, on the whole, a success. I tried to ignore how pleased that made me.