Round 187

The building's demands pulsed through the air like a physical force, each beat sending fresh waves of arousal crashing over Hera's senses. She forced herself to focus on Jeane's face—eyes burning with barely contained fury and need—and tried to ignore how her own body responded traitorously.

"Jeane," she said, voice strained but firm, "we're not doing this your way." She glanced at Silra, still working frantically near the window. "We need a solution that doesn't involve everyone fucking each other's brains out while the building collapses around us."

Jeane's wings unfurled slightly, dark leathery appendages spreading before snapping back against her body with audible force. "Then what do you suggest, Hera? I'm not exactly in control here." The words came out measured, almost polite, but there was an undercurrent of something far more dangerous lurking beneath the surface.

Hera's mind raced, trying to find an answer that didn't involve succumbing to the building's demands or letting Jeane loose on everyone. "We restrain you," she said finally, the words coming out before she could fully think them through. "Safely. Contain your... abilities until we can figure this out."

Jeane's laugh was sharp and bitter. "And how do you propose to do that? Tie me up with my own wings? They're part of me—you'd be restraining the very essence of what I am." She took a step forward, her movements fluid and predatory despite the obvious struggle for control.

Hera stood her ground, though every instinct screamed at her to back away. "We'll figure something out," she insisted, glancing around the room desperately. Her eyes landed on the welder equipment still piled in one corner—reinforced steel plates, high-grade adhesives, metal fittings and brackets.

It was a long shot, but it was something. She met Jeane's crimson gaze with renewed determination. "Help me," she said, voice low and urgent. "If you really want to keep your friends safe, you'll let us restrain you before you lose control completely."