He led her through the hallways and they began climbing a grand staircase. "I've always been here," he replied with a shrug. "The humans adopted me when I was a child, and I began my studies here."
"All sorts of things," he said, opening a door to a room. "But mostly mechanics, yeah." The room would be more lavish than she was used to, but it was dark and drab, with heavy red curtains and little natural light. "This one's yours."
She hesitated, looking around. "But.. I'm supposed to head back tonight to meet up with Puck again.."
He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing in thought as he considered her. "I'm sorry, Calliope," he said quietly. "You will not be permitted to leave."
Her eyes narrowed, and the hands summoned defensively. Her fists clenched and she looked terribly angry. "Are you kidding me? I bet everything you said was a damn lie and all you saw was a dumb forest elf to use! Oh my god, how stupid I've been!" The claws clenched and she looked up at him. "No. Absolutely not."
He tilted his head, eyeing the claws thoughtfully. "You're a bargaining piece," he repeated. "That doesn't mean you'll be separated from your beau forever; it means that we want to strike a deal. Take a deep breath and calm down. You know your claws would work better, in any case."
"No!" she said, her gaze fiery, "I will not be used as some bargaining piece so your kingdom can get a leg up on mine!"
He sighed, looking a little irritated. "Yes, Calliope, you will." He put his hand out, his fingers opened, and instantly, she would feel a dampening on her powers, the claws vanishing in a whip of smoke. The sensation was strange; her magic was still there; she still could sense it, but it was almost as if they had been locked away in her head in some inaccessible place.
"I know," he agreed evenly, his fingers slowly closing into a fist. "I know, Calliope, believe me. Just relax." Her limbs grew heavier, and she would find it difficult to stand.
She dropped to her knees, looking up at him with a harsh glare. "You're terrible. I was kind to you."
"You were," he replied with a small nod. "You'll understand tomorrow. I'll explain it all tomorrow when you've had some time to sleep." He closed his hand into a fist and she would feel intense drowsiness setting in.
He sighed, letting his hand relax. His shoulders sagged for a moment before he leaned down, picking her up and placing her on the bed.
He set her down gently, pulling the blanket over her before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.
