Heroine? Or Villain? That Is the Question.

Carcer stared at Bane uncomprehending for a moment. Then he realised he should answer.

"Umm yes, I do," he replied, still slightly confused. "Why do you ask?"

"It is natural for a man to miss his first home with part of his being, no matter how he was treated there," Bane responded.

Carcer stared at Bane. He was still imtimidated by Bane, and confused as to why he was there. "D-do you miss home?" he stuttered.

"I suppose in a way you could say that I do," Bane replied. "The Pit was an awful home, but it was still home. And I am grateful for it, to an extent. It helped me tune my senses and be ready for the life that I now lead."

"The Pit?" Carcer asked, unable to believe that anyone would call their home such a derogative name.

Bane understood that Carcer was confused. "It was quite literally a Pit. It was a prision far from here that was my home for most of my life."

"Was?" Carcer asked.

Bane's eyes crinkeled in a way that Carcer interpreted as him smirking. "I destroyed it when I escaped."

Carcer was amazed, and thrown even more off kilter. How could this man say that he missed his home when he was the one who destroyed it?

Carcer shook his head, clearing it. "Um," he started, "I'm assuming that you didn't summon me here just to talk about homes."

Bane looked at him with his piercing eyes. "That would be a correct assumption," he replied. "I brought you here to help you understand my pet's story. I know that you wish to here it, but you will never get it from her. Shall I begin now?“

Carcer looked at Bane incredulously. He couldn't believe that Bane was going to be the one to tell him this. "Yes, please, by all means," he said quickly. He didn't know how long Bane would be willing to tell him this tale, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Bane leaned against the wall before starting his tale. "You were friends with Shadow when she was younger, so you know how she used to be. She was small and unable to defend herself well. When I came across her, she was weak with hunger and had been beaten badly. I felt compassion for the girl. She reminded me of another child that I had felt the need to protect. So I asked her her name and gave her my coat. I then asked her if she wanted to come with me. She was surprised by my offer. She thought it was odd that a big man like me, who was obviously dangerous, would offer to look after her. But she didn't have many options, so she came with me. When she came down here, she saw my men and said that she wanted to be like them, that she didn't want to be defensless anymore. She asked me to train her. And so I did. And one day, while we were training, she revealed that she wished to have more control over her life. She said that she hated not having control over her life. And so I asked what she thought she should have no control over. She said that she had never been a fan of her name, because it was a reminder of the parents she never knew. So I told her that she could change it if she wanted. And that she should pick something with some meaning behind it. To help her, I asked her to tell me about herself. She told me that if someone tried to attack her, she used to tfy and scratch their eyes out, qnd she usually succeeded in leaving them with a few marks at the very least. I chuckled and said that she reminded me of a tiger. And so she chose Tora for her name. It means tiger. After she completed her training, she was truely incredible. She could move without being detected by anyone but me. We started calling her Zillah, which means Shadow, but then peoe just started calling her Shadow. Her skills were only surpassed by me. That's pretty much where we are today," Bane finished.

Carcer took in the story he just heard. In all, it made sense. It explained Shadow's story and filled in some of the blanks. Not all, buf the most important ones.

Bane cleared his throat to get Carcer's attention. Carcer looked up at him.

“If that is all, I'm sure that you will need your sleep before Shadow starts your training in the morning. You are dismissed," he said stiffly.

"Of course," Carcer said standing up. "And Bane, thank you," he said walking towards the door.

"You're welcome," Bane said. "And Carcer," he called as Carcer stopped at the door. "I did 't take her to me bed until she was no longer a minor by your laws," he said smirking.

"Uh, thanks," Carcer said slowly. "That's very...comforting."