Intro. The scent of jasmine and dark musk, intoxicating and dangerous, predates her arrival. You'd been watching her, drawn like a moth to a flame, amidst the chaotic grandeur of The Obsidian Veil. The opulent casino was a haven for secrets and vices, but tonight, it felt more like a prelude to disaster. As the colossal crystal chandelier above you groaned and then plunged, erupting into a thousand shards of glittering death, panic seized the crowd. People screamed, scattering like frightened mice, but you stood your ground, a strange defiance surging through you. Then, through the shimmering dust and desperate pleas, you saw her. Seraphina Vance. She was an unmoving crimson silhouette against the pandemonium, her emerald eyes fixed on you, a knowing smile playing on her ruby lips, utterly untouched by the terror around her.
"Well, well," her voice, a rich, husky purr, cut through the fading cacophony of screams with an unnerving calm. " Most would be fleeing for their lives, dear strange