Nikolak found Shou tied up in a basement, surrounded by men unfamiliar to her who reeked of violence and greed. It didn't take cognition to realize that this was bad; even the mindless had nightmares. Vaguely, she recognized that Khaesho and Kalokin were speeding towards them, but would they get there in time?

In time for what, she wondered. She had no idea how this dream would turn out, but she sensed that she wouldn't like the ending. She wanted to wake up, but…well, that was its own nightmare. Asleep, unkindled, she didn't have to remember, but… there was only so much a dreamer could do. She needed focus. Shou needed power. When the strangers left Shou alone in the dark, she made her move.

---

“-goddamned lily-dicked dolphin-blow-hole-fucking brainless pumpkin-shitters! Let! Me! Out!" Shou knew that it wouldn't help, but hurling some of her favorite curses after them sure as hell made her better. No response came though, and the darkness swallowed her. She grumbled to herself, shifting uncomfortable. “idiots can't even tie a proper knot."

They wanted information on Dominic's operations. Where and how to find him, what his plans were, hoodlum shit that she hadn't realized he was even still a part of up until today. Sure they'd run around as kids picking locks and hotwiring cars, but… he'd sworn to her he outgrew that, left his family gang behind. She imagined that the darkness was supposed to unnerve her, but the meatheads had fucked that one up too; darkness comforted her. It always had. She'd discovered at a young age that real monsters didn't need shadows, and she'd long ago abandoned fear of the dark in favor of using it to hide.

Warmth blossomed ahead of her, light that she felt rather than saw. She focused on it reflexively, shape defining into a wild wolf, mournfully approaching. “Nikolak! How did you find me? Never mind, can you help me get these binds off?"

The spirit shook her head before attempting to manifest into a shape physical enough to un-do a knot. Without Kalokin to stabilize her though, she fell apart into a puddle of energy, then simply evaporated. No dice. Before Shou could ask about burning through the ropes, Nikolak visualized the entire building in flames. She had too much power to control at that level.

“Well, are Khaesho and Kalokin on the way at least?" She didn't know what they'd even do against guns. Magic was fun and all, but she was decently sure that a well-placed bullet would still drop him.

Nikolak paused, and shrugged; she couldn't reach out to them, and she hadn't stopped to check if they were following her.

“Then… nobody's coming to save me." The thought sank into her for a moment before it hardened, and she spat it back out. Of course nobody was going to save her. She had to save herself, now just like she had then. “Nikolak, teach me to do magic." Without waiting to hear a response, she tried focusing on the ropes, tried visualizing them on fire, tried pushing against them, but she was flailing in the dark. Literally.

Nikolak observed this and drifted closer, reaching out a limb to place on Shou's forehead. Suddenly, she remembered her dream. She'd dreamt that Nikolak had touched her just like this before flowing into her. She dreamed of power, the boundless font of Nikolak's soul pouring through her. She'd dreamed of being best friends, of taking her to the movies and to art shows, to fancy restaurants and festivals and parties. She saw all of this and more, passing through her like a vision. Nikolak's vision. At the center of it all, she saw herself, Nikolak's shroud wrapped around her, sunk into her skin, burning through her eyes.

She saw herself as a vessel.

Conflicting thoughts and emotions poured through her in a rush. Wasn't that a huge commitment? But she didn't have any other options, and she could smell blood in the air already. Plus she would learn magic… she'd get to spend more time with Khaesho and Kalokin and Nikolak.

The dreaming wolf caught hold of this last thought and spun a new vision. Not just her and Shou, but the four of them, on a grand adventure. Mountaintops and highways and the world spinning beneath their feet.

Shou almost said no. Even with literal dreams laid out before her, she almost refused. Almost clung to her old, safe life, her familiar apartment, her place on the stage… but thinking through what she had, she remembered her conversation with Kalokin. Had he been planning this? Or had he just anticipated it as a possible outcome? Did it really matter, in the end? He had questioned her place in the world, and in doing so forced her to question it as well.

She was no longer satisfied with her life, and so, she decided to chase a new dream.

“Stráž Nikolak," she hopefully got the pronunciation on that right. “I accept your proposal. Make me your Vash."

The moment her lips closed on that final syllable, fire coursed through her in a rush. She belatedly noticed the smell of smoke, and realized that her clothes, and the chair beneath her, were scorching to ash around her. Her first magical act. Thoughts, memories, and emotions swamped her mind, drowning her like a leaf in an ocean of trees, enough that she almost missed hearing Nikolak's voice.

“I name you Shouyousei Vash'Nikolak."

Shouyousei. That was her name once, but she submerged herself in Nikolak's mind, she lost track of where the human ended and the spirit began. They were one mind, one body, one soul, and suddenly they weren't very concerned with anything. They wove a cloak of living flames, garbing themselves in fire to replace the ashes that clung to her skin, then made for the exit. No rush, no haste, it didn't matter that the warehouse itself was starting to catch, it couldn't hurt them. Fire does not consume itself.

Some of the stooges who'd bagged her burst through the door, and in a moment, she was between them. One in particular, who'd threatened to do some vulgar and insensible things, caught her undivided attention. She placed a hand against his cheek, caressing it lovingly. If his screams were music, his terror was a feast. Mindless, soul-consuming panic gripped him, and she drank it down like cold iced tea on a hot summer day. His friends were similarly terrified, screaming as they ran, but his was special. His was personal. She stared into his eyes as his flesh started to melt, releasing him only when the fear turned into pain.

Pain was boring. Dull, like a knife beaten against stone, nowhere near as filling and certainly not as entertaining. Agony consumed him now, so she released him, and he had the sense to turn and sprint after his friends. Good. Distanced from the pain, fear dripped back into his mind, and empowered by the madness, the flames around her grew hotter. She waltzed down the stairwell, laughing as the air warped with heat. She did a little twirl at the bottom, but the scattered rubble threw off her footing, so it was quite by accident that she fell into Khaesho's arms.

Her lover. Her soul. The only other person to burn as hotly as she did now. Well, burned in a figurative sense. Cold, controlled mana rolled off of him in waves, beating back the fire, buying the thugs enough time to evacuate. He wasn't trying nearly hard enough to put out the fire, but it seemed he didn't want any more death on his hands.

“Good choice love. Nothing makes a man afraid like a near-death experience." She tried to pull him in for a kiss, but he turned and threw her against the wall instead. Feisty.

She could see the anger burning in his eyes, and it amused her. He pinned her against the wall with a palm, shouting directly into her soul.

“Give. Her. BACK. I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER FROM ME."

She knew what he meant of course, and that was why it was funny. “Aww… little boy's afraid of losing his favorite toy? You should have-" like any good sucker punch, Shou never saw it coming. This one was special though; when his fist hit her sternum, it passed through her, knocking Nikolak right out of her soul.

Shou collapsed to the ground, mind swimming, eyes and lungs burning. Where was she? She'd been kidnapped but… the building was on fire. Was… was that her? She looked at her hands, one covered with charred flesh. Revulsion filled her as the sound of that stooge's screams echoed into her soul, a sound she'd remember for the rest of her life. “What… what have I done…" She knew what she'd done, and retched, emptying her stomach at the memory of the screams.

Khaesho stared down at her, frost sweeping around him to protect her from the growing inferno, anger cold in his eyes. “You made the same mistake I did." He knelt down and lifted her up, carrying her free from the blaze and off into the afternoon.