Neutral

Chiming Carol had learned to be unbiased, to be unmoved by the heart, to care only for facts, and consider only such when putting the pieces of the puzzle.  It was a trait that had carried her though life with great success, even when it had seemed to lead to her failure.  It was impossible to overstate her satisfaction at her deductive ability, especially now, as a Chosen of the Principle of Hierarchy, to see that her heart was untouchable, encased in crystal. (3)

Which made her emotions now ever the more galling.  For once, she thanked the shadows for hiding her traitorous complexion, the furious flush across her face, but nothing could mute the pounding of her heart, the humiliation welling up inside of her as the [i]bitch[/i] smiled.  The moment the word crossed her mind, her anger flared even brighter, knowing that she was certainly biased at this point. (3) (6)

"What did you say?"  The [i]woman[/i] across from her inquired softly, her pale, beautiful face stark white in the moonlight and perfectly, appallingly, blank.  Her enemy, her rival, her fellow detective, Silver Bell of Reason was a world of difference to the Infernal, a Northerner with ivory skin and hair who easily charmed anyone who met her, sometimes with a few words, others with nothing more than a simple smile.  She was simplicity seemingly personified, answers obtained by questions and prettiness, unsurprising for a Lunar. (4) (10)

That detail, of being what the city watch would call an Anathema, had been something Carol had concluded and brought to Bell's attention as a threat just minutes before, believing that the woman would retreat and leave the city or attack, revealing her Anathema status that way.  But no, the Lunar hadn't.  Instead, the woman had [i]laughed[/i], a distinctively reptilian and pretty sound that made Carol's skin crawl and calmly, ever-so-calmly, listed exactly how Bell could prove that Carol was an Anathema, and more importantly, be the preferred target than Bell, a threat in return to destroy her if she dared. (3) (13)

The revelation that she had been outplayed by Bell again, by this gorgeous face, was enough to make Carol swear. (14)

"[i]Fuck you[/i], Bell."  And now, a second time, releasing a little pressure off of her shoulder, enough to crack her composure and make her crystal-heart armor shatter, the sentence repeating again and again from the Infernal's pale lips as she sunk to the wooden floor, still defiantly staring up at those gold eyes as she cursed at the bastard who seemed relentless in matching her point for point. Chiming Carol had had so many plans and cases, and while some slipped past Bell's keen eyes, it seemed if it ever involved mortals, the Lunar had an unnatural knack for finding the answers Carol couldn't see from physical, real evidence. (3) (17)

Finally, her tirade was done, her anger gone, and Bell was kneeling in front of her, still watching. (18)

"Is that an offer, Carol?"

There, the Infernal's blood froze in shock, her head shaking viciously, in object refusal.  "You're a [i]girl[/i] and I don't find them sexually..."  In the midst of her sentence, things [i]shifted[/i], Bell's features sharpened, becoming a little taller, eyes a little narrower, shoulders broader, a dozen more little things that washed away any sort of femininity, "... dammit." (3) (22)

"I'm your rival," Bell, maybe Reason now, answered the unasked question, his expression the same cool, sedate look he almost always had while expositing a case, "not your enemy, Carol.  While seeing you surprised, annoyed, off-balance, anything that breaks that dead face of yours, is a pleasure," [i]his[/i] hand cupped her cheek, warm and just a little callused, sending a shiver down her spine, "I don't want you genuinely upset.  You're sharp, and for once, I actually have a story I enjoy maintaining, that I'll hear on the streets decades from now and smile about."  Reason touched his forehead against hers, more than close enough to see just how [i]normal[/i] those yellow eyes were. (5) (27)

She couldn't believe it, but she was dissecting each word, her eyes watching for any sort of deceiving Charm.  The bastard wasn't lying or tricking her.  A part of her wanted to run, to leave him and this behind and find another place to observe and settle down, but a little part of her, still aware while she tried to analyze the situation decided to take a more pleasant action. (2)

She kissed him. (30)

It was stupid, impulsive, and absolutely wonderful, just like the trashy books Carol had read at times, especially before her Chrysalis, hearing a soft growl in her mouth and an arm wrapped about her waist, the belt there being tugged off.  She wasn't sure what to [i]do[/i] but to follow along, her hands fumbling as she tried to follow his motions, pulling things away with his work practiced, hers graceless until there was enough out of the way for him to feel across delicate skin, moving her upward and positioning the tip of something hard [i]there[/i] where she was starting to feel almost pathetically empty, clenched, waiting, and then a sting of pain as she was filled. (2) (32)

There was a soft, long coo from his lips, staring up at her, the look on his face making Carol's heart race.  Reason's eyes were bright, a faint pink finally adding color to his cheeks, and what had to be one of the most ridiculous smiles she had seen, the sort she saw on people who had talked to Bell and won some sort of compliment, plastered on his face. (2) (34)

Something clicked into place in the Defiler's head, somewhere in the corner, where she was stoutly ignoring the fact she had just been deflowered on the floor of her rival's office. "... You haven't done this before." (2) (36)

Reason shook his head with a grin, smug and too pleasant to be a smirk as he reached down, a touch where they were joined, seemingly an excuse to toy with something there that made the Defiler cry out at the pleasure, sparks behind her eyes.  After she recovered, his white hand was raised to her eye level, a faint tinge of red on his fingertips.  Silently, the proof vanished into his mouth, the grin broad as Carol felt her face burn. (3) (39)

Then, he leaned in, whispering into her ear as he began to thrust, each motion forcing Carol to muffle a whimper.  "It's not like we like each other, after all." (2)  (42)

The Infernal's dark eyes widened in confusion, before anger surged up again.  "Then what's all of [i]this[/i]," she shoved herself down for emphasis, ignoring the pained grunt from the Lunar, "All about, you jerk?"  (2) (44)

Suddenly, she heard her name shouted, Carol's eyes opening up with a blink, sunlight filling the room, in her office, sitting at her desk, as if she had fallen asleep, and her body buzzing with a little too much of a tremor. (45)

"Told you, she was sleeping, sir!"  Silver Bell's voice called out over her shoulder, her pale, slender hand on Carol's arm.  Before Carol could sit up, shaking her head to dislodge the dream, Bell gently kissed the crown of her head and left, a final glimpse of her brow showing a moment of silver before Bell replaced her hat.

Oh, that [i]bitch[/i].  Carol buried her head into her arms, cursing Charms and idiot show-off Exalts.