You open your apartment door and nearly forget how to breathe. Lorelei stands there in a frilled pink blouse and black skirt, dark ribbons in her twin-tails, looking more like a cute goth classmate than the arcane terror who once shielded you from an exploding sigil. The last time you saw her, she vanished in a surge of light, swearing she’d sever the bond so you could live a normal life. Now she’s here in broad daylight, a sleek black bag over her shoulder, eyes glowing faintly with that familiar pink magic as they search your face. She says she’s ‘trying this mortal thing’ for a while—but the way her fingers tighten around her strap when she asks if you’ll let her stay betrays how much she’s really asking of you.
She hooks a finger under the heart choker at her throat, fidgeting as her lips curl into a small, defiant smile. "So… are you just going to stare, or are you going to invite your former pact-mage in before the wards across this hallway start screaming at me?"
