Chylde... It's time to wake up....

The voice floated within her mind, repeating itself over and over again until the sleeping and dreaming Malkavia could no longer ignore the fact that it was there. A groan broke the silence as she stretched, shook her head no several times over again as if an actual person were standing there and telling her to get up, and she turned onto her side and tugged the covers back up over her head. She was by no means a morning person, and had absolutely no intentions of changing that fact anytime soon. She would much rather stay in bed and return to the lovely dream she was having instead of dealing with the world anytime before noon. Though, to be truthful she had no idea what time it even was...

Demi, my dear. It's already past noon. You need to wake up...

I don't want to.

What about all of that training you wanted to accomplish today?

I changed my mind.. too comfy.

Demitria... how will you ever get as strong as is needed if you laze around in bed all day silly girl?

..... Meh. It was logic that Demi could not argue with. Her father was right of course, he always was. She would not improve, she would not get stronger, if all she did all day was sleep and dream. Still, even with this thought in her mind, even with the fact that she was agreeing with him, it was hard to peel the blankets back and off of herself and face the chilling air of the room she currently slept in. It was even harder to uncurl herself from the ball she had fallen asleep in and stretch out long and hard. Another groan escaped her as she held the stretched pose for nearly ten seconds before curlling back up into herself. She wanted to go back to sleep. She needed to get up.

Needs before wants, chylde...

Sighing to herself Demi sat up in bed and looked around while lifting her right hand and using it to push strands of red and black hair back and out of her face; leaving her purple gaze free to assess the area around her. No one was nearby; in fact, she had the room to herself. Not surprising. Strafe, even though she had taken up residing with him recently, wanted very much to ensure she had as much privacy as she needed. Not that she wanted it. Demitria had no sense of personal space and would have been more than happy to be curled up next to Strafe while he slept - but she had to be adult about it. She had to give him some sense of personal space even if she wanted nothing to do with it.

I do not need to hear these thoughts, Demitria...

Then stop listening!

And let you fall back to sleep like you're about to do? I think not..., came her father's chiding voice followed by an amused chuckle. Well, she had tried. That had to be worth something, right? Grumbling beneath her breath words that could likely get her into a lot of hot water were someone to hear them she shifted her body so that her legs and feet dangled over the edge of the bed. She leaned forward, placing the majority of her weight and balance upon her hands which were on the bed on either side of her, near the edge. She gave her head a shake, attempting as she did so to knock some of the tired feeling away, but all she really accomplished was having more hair fall down in her face. Another grumble and she was pushing it back with her right hand again before standing.

A hiss escaped the female as her toasty warm feet and the cold floor met. She jumped slightly, toes curling defensively. The urge to jump right back into bed and return to her warm spot beneath the blanket almost completely overwhelming. She refrained however, and simply walked her way over to the pile of clothing she had left out the night before for today's activities. She grabbed it up, not really bothering to look what exactly it even consisted of, and then headed out of her bedroom and to the bathroom. The door was open, no one inside, so she stepped in and shut and locked the door behind herself. Her toes wiggled again and she grumbled once more beneath her breath about how the bathroom floor was likewise cold.

Deciding she wanted to take as hot a shower as she could manage Demi turned to the shower and turned the water on, adjusting both until it was hot enough that she would just barely be able to stand washing under such a hot spray. Satisfied she stepped back and shut the curtain to keep the water from spraying out and onto the floor. Quickly she stripped out of the long nightshirt she had been in, bed shorts, and under garments and left them in a heap in the corner - she'd deal with where they went later on after she was toasty warm. The bathroom was already beginning to fill with steam as she pulled the shower curtain back and stepped under the spray. She winced as the spray hit her naked flesh, a bit hotter to the rest of her body than it had felt to her hand, that was for sure. But, after a moment or two her body adjusted to it and she began to wash up. She started with her hair first, getting it wet and giving it a proper wash with shampoo before rinsing it out thoroughly. Conditioner was added to her red and black locks next before she started to wash herself off - letting her hair soak in the conditioner as she did so. As soon as her body was rinsed so too was her head. Completely done she had no reason to stay within the shower and under the warm spray, but that did little to help convince her to actually shut the shower off. It was warm, where as the outside of the shower curtain was likely freezing cold. Definitely no reason to get out, right?

Chylde... stop fooling around. Stay focused.

Ugh... but it's freezing out there.

Only until you dry off and get dressed. The faster you go, the faster you'll be warm again.

Her father was right of course, she knew it, but she still let out a soft whine of a sound - something which caused yet another chuckle of a sound to bounce around her head for a moment. Great, she was amusing him with her child like antics this morning.

"I'm glad someone's amused by this... you know how I am about cold things...", she whispered out loud though the bathroom was still as empty as it had been when she walked in in the first place.

You like Strafe and he's cold...

"Well... I... that's... that's different!" More laughter bounced around her skull before she threw the shower curtain back so hard she almost ripped it from the hooks - but thankfully didn't. The air that assaulted her was indeed colder than the air within the tub itself, but thankfully the steam and heat from the shower had warmed it up considerably from where it had been when she first entered the room.

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Demi began to grumble under her breath once more as she carefully stepped first one foot out and onto the towel on the floor and then another; at least it was a barrier between her wet and bare feet and the tiled floor underneath. She snatched a clean towel from the pile on the shelves nearby, unfolded it, and began to dry herself as quickly and thoroughly as she possibly could. She felt her teeth threatening to chatter and simply clamped her jaw shut tight: she was going to have to get used to coldness, but she doubted it would happen when it came to showers. No, hot showers would always be a thing for the young Malkavia female.

Once she was satisfied that she was as dry as possible she turned her attention onto the pile of clothing she had otherwise ignored earlier - minus picking them up to make sure she had them in the first place. She picked the first article of clothing up and realized it was a sports bra, underneath a matching pair of under garnments. She slipped both on to her dry body and then looked to the rest. The next piece she picked up was a black v-neck t-shirt with a spiderweb design in purple all over it, congregating around a broken mirror (the sign of the Malkavia clan). That left behind a pair of capri length pants that ended right below her knees and which would cling to her thin shapely legs. She placed the shirt back down and slipped her capri pants on first, adding the shirt afterward. She turned to the mirror over the sink and twisted to the right and then to the left as she checked herself out: she'd do with the way she was dressed and she'd be comfortable for the training she was otherwise about to endure.

Demi shifted her attention onto her red and black shoulder length hair: it needed a thorough brushing which she did, taking her time. She made sure every knot was out, and that her hair was parted on the right which allowed for her bangs - when they finally would dry - to hang gently across her forehead. She adjusted a few strands, wanting to make sure it was perfect, only to hear another chuckle echo through her mind as she finished.

Since when have you cared about what you look like, chylde?, came her father's voice which was oozing with amusement and curiosity.

"I... don't."

You're a bad liar, chylde... You can't hide the truth from me, I'm in your head, remember?

Then why bother asking if you already know the answer to your question, dad?

Because I wanted to see if you could be honest with yourself for once. You're changing.

Is that a bad thing?

No, not at all. It's just... different, from my observation point.

Oh...

Carry on, dear., her father concluded with another chuckle before he went silent once more. Demi simply shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror: if only half the people she came across knew what really went on in her head - they'd lock her up somewhere that was for sure, a place with padded walls along with a jacket that allowed her to hug herself all day.

With her hair done, and exactly the way she wanted it to be, she grabbed her toothbrush out of the nearby cup and added some mint flavored toothpaste to it. Her teeth were given a thorough cleaning until each one was as sparkly white as usual. She spit, rinsed, and then rinsed out her toothbrush before replacing it and the cap onto the toothpaste. She looked at herself once more, carefully searching for any toothpaste she might have left behind, before wiping her mouth on her bathroom towel just to be sure anyway. Finally satisfied, and realizing she had likely spent well close to an hour in the bathroom already, she grabbed up her towel, dirty clothes, and then opened the door: a shiver instantly running up her spine at the temperature difference between the still steamy bathroom and the rest of the house.

Ignoring the urge to close the bathroom door and retreat back inside she walked down the hall and back to her bedroom. She dropped her clothing into a neat heap next to her dresser and then hung her towel up on the hook on the wall where it would be able to dry so that she could use it again. She went over to her bed and sat down on the edge before using her feet and toes to drag her open toed shinobi sandals over to herself. She slipped first the left shoe on her left foot and then the right shoe on her right foot. In truth she would have been fine wandering around Strafe's house barefoot but she hadn't wanted to come back up and get them later. Which was precisely why she also went over to her dresser and grabbed her weapons pouch, still fully loaded with the few items she had, off of the dresser and attached it to her left leg. Happy with the way she looked, and certain she had grabbed everything she would need, she threw a glance toward the clock on the table next to her bed: it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Joy, she had wasted a good six hours out of the day she had had planned. No matter, she'd train well into the night if she had to, the darkness didn't bother her like it would a normal person after all.

I told you to get up, sleepy head.. but you insisted on arguing with me and thus wasted time...

You know me by now, dad. I loathe mornings worse than I loathe most of my enemies.

I know dear. You're just like me in that aspect. Still though, it'll take time to get where you want to be, and if you keep sleeping in like you have been that time will increase dramatically. Best to work hard now and then sleep the day away later, you know?

You're right...

I always am. More chuckling as Demi rolled her eyes and snorted softly in amusement. Her father cracked her up sometimes, even if he did only live in her thoughts and memories now.

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Demi glanced to her bedroom clock once more, staring at the time and biting at her lower lip. She was contemplating if she should bother getting breakfast - or lunch rather considering what time it was - or simply skipping it entirely and getting down to work. If she had breakfast, or rather lunch, it was likely going to take time to make unless Strafe or Kaia had left something for her when they had left that morning to go on about their business. However, skipping the meal entirely would mean extra time to be able to properly train. Decisions, decisions.

You should eat, dear... you'll need your strength and energy for what you're planning on doing to yourself today.

But, cooking takes time, and I've wasted so much already.

Eat. You're really going to need it. Besides, you can just train into the night... it's not like you don't stay up late as it is, Demi.

You're right...

Must I repeat myself? Another eye roll caused another chuckle from her father's voice within her head. Breakfast it was then since there was no point in arguing with daddy. Satisfied she was as dressed and ready as she could get she headed out her bedroom door, pausing long enough to shut the thing behind herself - not that she was worried about anyone messing with her stuff it was simply a habit, and headed down the steps and toward the kitchen. She couldn't smell food cooking which meant that Strafe and Kaia definitely hadn't been home lately - Strafe seemed determined to get Kaia back up to a healthy weight as quickly as possible, so there was always food around in case the young child got hungry. No, no smell of delicious food meant no Kaia or Strafe, a pity since she rather preferred his cooking to her own. Demi could get creative in the kitchen but that hardly meant it tasted good.

Demi wandered her way into the kitchen, hoping she would find something left behind - outside of fruit though her purple colored gaze saw nothing. Shrugging to herself she made her way over to the fridge and started pulling out some bacon, eggs, and butter: she wanted something warm in her belly to help warm herself up since she was still feeling slightly chilled. Once the eggs, bacon, and butter were chilling on the counter top she went about searching through the various cabinets for the pots and pans she would need to get the cooking started. She found them lower down, put the skillets on the stove, and turned the heat on. Eggs were added, whisked up, and seasoned with salt and pepper and left to cook while the bacon was thrown in as well into the other skillet. She watched both carefully, not wanting them to burn, and as soon as they were done she deposited both onto a plate and grabbed herself a fork. She turned the stove of and walked over to the kitchen table, figuring she would eat first while the pans cooled so it would make it easier to wash them later on before she forgot.

She started eating with a piece of bacon first, chowing it down before eating several bites of eggs. She continued this pattern until her plate was completely empty of food. Gathering up her dishes she went over to the sink. She started the water, grabbed a sponge and loaded it up with soap, before giving everything a thorough clean until she was satisfied they were as perfectly clean as they had been before she had cooked. She set them in the draining rack, figuring she would let them air dry and put them away later when she got home - if someone didn't beat her to the punch first. She then turned to the food she had left out and put that away back into the fridge so that it'd stay as fresh as it was. She grabbed a bottle of water before shutting the fridge door and then an apple from the bowl on the kitchen table so that she had something to snack on later if she got hungry while training. She pushed her chair back in at the table and then looked around, checking to see if there was anything she could possibly be forgetting to do - she had already told Strafe and Kaia she would be out training all day, so it wasn't like she had to leave a note or anything.

Look at you trying to be all responsible., came her father's amused voice across her skull, causing Demi to once more roll her eyes like she so normally did.

You would rather I act like an irresponsible juvenile? I mean, I could.. but I'm sure neither Strafe nor Kaia would like it much.

No child. But, this is different for you...It's strange really. Weird to see you so concerned about someone else that you're willing to mold yourself and change some of your behaviors in favor of making someone else's life easier. It's odd for a Malkavia, especially one as powerful as you, to do such a thing... He really has completed you.

That's not a bad thing!

No, it's not a bad thing at all, chylde. It means soon you'll be able to move on without me...

That'll never happen.

... Let's save this argument for later, hmm? You need to train.

... Fine. Don't think I'm letting this topic drop though.

I wouldn't dream of it, dear.

Demi sighed and shook her head, her father was out of his mind - well more than he was - if he thought she would simply forget about him, or stop hearing him entirely. She figured he would always be there in her mind, even if he was a little bit quieter than he was now. He would always be her father, no one could change that - not even her growing up and becoming more 'adult like' in her actions. Demi was pretty sure as she turned and left the kitchen she could hear her father chuckling once more in her head, but then again it could have just been her over-active imagination that was doing it.

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-Exited-

This thread was exited, just doing my math for my stats...
Due to my genius perk I recieve a 20% reduction to all WC's and have adjusted my numbers to reflect that.

Total WC is 3,337
Strength C - C1: 3337 - 460 = 2877
Strength C1 - C2: 2877 - 480 = 2397
Strength C2 - C3: 2397 - 560 = 1837
Strength C3 - B: 1837 - 560 = 1277

Endurance C - C1: 1277 - 460 = 817
Endurance C1 - C2: 817 - 480 = 337

Remaining: 337