"......." Lindsay was silent as she said what she did, answering the way she did.

"I... just heard your exclamation." he told her.

"It... well, it didn't sound good, to say the least." he went on. "To understate it." he muttered.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Did... something happen?" he asked further.

Lindsay seemed to be stunned for a second.

"He... he forced himself on you?" he asked.

"I... that's..." he stammered, seemingly growing angry, but forcing himself to calm down.

"That doesn't sound like him." he said.

"I mean... yeah, he'll flirt... heavily... and he'll make comments and innuendos... and his advances are little more than small things meant to elicit reactions, really..." he went on.

"But for him to force himself on you?" he asked.

"...." he was then silent, before getting closer towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked her again.

"....that... is a very concerning statement." Lindsay replied.

"A different look? Hmmm." he mumbled.

"Acting differently... a new look..." he muttered further.

"I wonder if someone or something was influencing him from without." he pondered.

"Regardless, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Anything I can do to calm you down or help you gather your thoughts?" he asked further.

"Food?" Lindsay asked.

"Sure thing." he said.

"I'll have Ash make something up for you." he told her.

"And I'll bring it up later." he added.

"......." he was then silent, before snapping his fingers.

"Oh, and the store is stocking that bottled frapp drink you love so much. I got a few for you if you want me to bring one up to to you." he added, hoping SOME good news would help.

"Sure thing." Lindsay replied.

"I'll go and get it now." he told her.

-A couple of weeks later-

Lindsay was at his desk, finishing up some paperwork, when he heard a knock on his door.

"Ah." he said.

"Must be Anna." he said further, looking at the clock.

"Enter!" he called to her.

Lindsay just sighed.

"I'm well aware of your opinion on your belief of how fruitless these endeavours are." he commented.

"However, these are necessary." he told her.

"These frequent and periodic checkups provide valuable information into your psyche, and will allow us to potentially identify concerning trends." he explained.

"And they never take very long, you know that." he then added.

Lindsay just rolled his eyes.

"You're better than that, Anna." he said.

"You're SMARTER than that, I would assume." he said further.

"If you were to ingest any part of me, it would ignite inside you." he told her. "As a Draydin, your biological composition is different enough from a humans, that you would receive a literal case of heartburn." he explained.

"Now... can we continue with this, or must we waste time with pointless hypotheticals?" he asked her.

Lindsay just sighed deeply.

"Anna, I've always said you were intelligent beneath your insanity." he said.

"Don't prove me wrong." he told her.

He then raised his hand, and caused it to be cloaked in bright flames.

"Please. I abhor violence, and believe it to be the first act of the incompetent, but I WILL defend myself. You know this." he went on.

"Let's not do anything we'll regret, yes?"

Lindsay narrowed his eyes.

"As I said, I abhor violence." he told her.

"And if you attack me, you jeopardise your employment." he warned her.

"You say regrets are for the weak, but are you willing to ruin your career because you wish to give into some lesser instinct to try and devour me?" he asked her further.

"Think carefully before you decide to go through with this course of action."

Lindsay definitely winced from the pain of having the tendrils pierced him.

However, he flared up his fire in response, burning the vines, and causing the fire to travel down them, towards her.

Anna had a choice now.

She could either relinquish control of the vines, and open herself up to another attack... or keep them inside Lindsay, suffering the inevitable burns from the fire.

'Curses, Anna.' Lindsay growled mentally.