"I don't think we're really in the position to be picky, so I suppose anything would be good, even a motel."

“A motel it is then,” Giltwith said, already leading the way to shelter. “You do realize that they will be looking for us Elliot? We’re pretty much branded traitors for all of the Imperium to deal with. Pairing up with Kiara…well, that doesn’t help our cases.”

It wasn’t long before they stood before a decent motel. The bustling of city life was already starting to stir from its morning rest. Cars and other flying automobiles soared high ahead, and they would soon cause the typical traffic of the airways.

Kiara placed her hood up, aware that she was public enemy one. If she were to be seen, it would mean all the more trouble for the group.

"Well, I suppose we can use some help. But if you don't mind, I went to the hospital with a reason. And the sooner that's taken care of, the sooner we can get back to work."

“A-Ah! Yes, of course Miss Jackson!”

The girl saluted the both of them, trying to contain a serious gaze before obediently following Jackson further into the hospital, Spencer lingering behind.

“Hmm…I have more files to report Jackson. You two be good now. Bye!”

Before either of them could say anything more, he had already opened up a dark green portal, stepping inside and whisking away.

"In that case, we better not get caught." Elliot said in response to Gilwith. Sure, the knight had a point, but the fact that he had helped Kiara and attacked a fellow knight was almost definitely already enough to sentence him to death.

Trixie looked around as they walked, trying to remember the exact location of the motel. It had been close to her former workplace, but she always suppressed thoughts about that, so she didn't remember it exactly.

"Thank you for protecting me, even though my life doesn't have much value." She said to Gilwith, looking at the former knight.

Jackson didn't react to Spencer leaving, not caring too much about it. If anything, it was a relief. The man had gotten on her nerves quite much.

When they reached the room where Jackson was supposed to be, she looked at the new knight. She realised she hadn't asked the girl's name yet.

"My apologies for my rude behaviour during this first meeting. The truth is that there's something that worries me at the moment, and I need to be assured about it." She apologised, before reaching foor the doorknob.

"Now I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, I'll ask you not to come along. The thing I'm here for is pretty personal." She said, before entering the room.

"Thank you for protecting me, even though my life doesn't have much value."

“Oh. Uh, you’re very much welcome,” Giltwith answered back to the AI. “I’m afraid we’ve only caused more trouble for you both, so apologize for getting involved in what no doubt was a tangled mess to begin with.”

Entering the motel, Giltwith headed to the counter while motioning Elliot to follow him, leaving Kiara to wait with Trixie. News of their betrayal would not be leaked out to the public for some time, so they might as well get some sort of discount for being serving Knights.

Former serving Knights.

Back at the hospital, the newly partnered Knight only nodded enthusiastically to her superior’s words.

"My apologies for my rude behavior during this first meeting. The truth is that there's something that worries me at the moment, and I need to be assured about it."

“Oh! No, it’s quite fine really! My name’s Melody by the way. I guess I’ll just be following you from now on until Mr. Spencer returns from…whatever he’s doing?”

"Now I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, I'll ask you not to come along. The thing I'm here for is pretty personal."

Melody nodded once more.

“Ah, yes I understand. Please, take all the time needed Miss Jackson.”

Elliot followed Gilwith to the counter, and left the girls behind to wait. It did make sense, as the girls were already publicly known as criminals, though the same thing may just not yet count for the two former knights.

"How much for a room with four beds?" He asked, figuring that would be more helpful than each of them sleeping in separate rooms. This way, they at least knew when something happened to someone else.

Trixie waited, as she was told to. She had to admit that she was happy to have her friend back, but wished that they weren't in such an unfortunate situation.

Jackson entered the room and shut the door behind her, looking at the doctor. After a quick explanation of what happened and a check to see if everything was alright, the man had no good news for her.

"I'm sorry miss Thorne, but at this point there's nothing we can do anymore." The man said after telling her the bad news. Jackson couldn't manage to get any words out of her throat, and nodded instead. The doctor gave her something to treat the burn with, and after that she left the room, bursting out in tears.

The manager at the front desk took one look at their uniforms and smiled. They were most likely used to Knights strolling in with their maidens, usually for a night of fun. However, this was the first time they’d have something occur in the morning. Oh well. Something new everyday.

“For our most humble protectors, a discount, no? No, scratch that. Make that for free! Ha!”

The manager looked nervous, his voice tense. It almost appeared as if he expected the Knights to hurt them at any given moment. Giltwith opened his mouth in the attempt to reassure him but stopped, for fear of putting the poor manager further on edge.

“Thank you,” was all he said finally. He waved for the girls to follow as the manager gave both him and Elliot a key. Room 538.

“W-Wha?”

Melody was more than a little surprised when her senior Knight suddenly burst from the emergency room in tears. That in itself was wrong. Miss Jackson wasn’t supposed to cry. Never ever.

“Miss Jackson, wait please!”

Concerned, Melody took off after her superior officer, not caring about the public scene the two were making.

Elliot headed for their room. He had expected a discount, but not a room for free. Even though it seemed odd to him, he supposed they shouldn't complain about it.

Jackson hesitated for a moment when Melody asked her to wait. She never shared her thoughts or feelings with whoever she was supposed to work with, but considered trying to hide how awful she felt no use right now. She was already crying, so it was pretty obvious that she felt miserable.

She stopped walking and turned around, looking at the knight. She seemed concerned about Jackson, and she supposed that was understandable, and somewhat strange, too. At work, nobody ever cared about her.

She had no idea of what to do, how to react. Part of her just wanted to scream, but it wasn't fair to scream at the new knight. She did nothing wrong.

"I had a miscarriage." Was all she said softly, explaining why she was crying.

Kiara and Giltwith promptly followed, arriving at their room number and entering their makeshift home. It was more decorative than imagined and planned; Giltwith had the suspicion that the manager had purposefully done so because of their ranks as Knights. Of course, he wasn’t about to turn down such a generous offer to them.

Shaking his head, he went to the far corner of the room to place his belongings while the others did the same. Four beds, a small kitchen, two bathrooms, and a large window to oversee the city. Perhaps this could hold them for just a few more days.

Back at the hospital, Melody was glad to see that Jackson had heard callings and so stopped. However, her relieved smile soon turned into an expression of horror as Jackson’s next statement sunk in.

"I had a miscarriage."

“Y-You…you what?” the elf asked in disbelief. “Miss Jackson I…I-I’m so sorry….I shouldn’t have tried to visit you and Mr. Spencer today. I just…I’m so sorry…”

Jackson looked at the girl and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. You had no idea that this would happen, neither of us did." The apologies sounded ridoculous. There was no need for the girl to say sorry, while she had done nothing wrong.

If anyone should be sorry, than that person had to be Elliot. He hadn't known about her pregnancy, but regardless of that, he did turn against her and attacked her, killing her child unknowingly and injuring Jackson herself as well. It only made his betrayal worse.

Jackson rubbed the tears out of her eyes, but they were soon replaced by new ones, making the action a rather useless one. This was no way for her to behave, she was a professional knight and should act like one. She couldn't just started crying at her job.

She reached for her phone to call her husband, but changed her mind. He had to know about this for sure, but maybe it was better to wait until she had at least managed to calm down a little bit. She hated having to tell such a serious thing through a phonecall rather than standing face to face with him, but she was on a mission, so what choice did she have?

"Don't be sorry. You had no idea that this would happen, neither of us did.

“E-Even so….that doesn’t mean you have to grieve alone,” Melody said quietly. Standing closer beside her superior’s side, she took her hand within her own and squeezed it gently but firmly.

“Can you…can I ask how? Things like that don’t just happen. Did something happen in a fight?” The lumen elf’s eyes then widened. “D-Did…Did the rouge Knights do it?”

Jackson nodded. "Yes. One of them was my assistant, Elliot. He threw a fireball at me, and it ended up hitting my stomach. He didn't know that I was pregnant."

She had to say that she felt surprised that she could still manage to form a sentence, despite how much she was crying.

The girl was very kind to her, unlike what Jackson was used to. Nobody at her work ever seemed to care for her, this girl was a rare exception, and Jackson really appreciated it.

"Yes. One of them was my assistant, Elliot. He threw a fireball at me, and it ended up hitting my stomach. He didn't know that I was pregnant."

“I…I see then.”

Melody took a few moments to gather her thoughts before flashing Jackson a bright smile. Personally, she couldn’t imagine what that pain must have felt like. To lose a child so easily…no. She had to be strong, if only for her superior and her…friend? Were they friends now? Melody didn’t know, but right now she didn’t care. Jackson needed her.

“Come on then,” Melody said softly, gently taking Jackson’s arm. “Miss Jackson? Consider yourself relieved of duty for the day. We can do anything you want today. Bar? Movie? Do you wanna go home and rest? Anything.”

Of course, she didn’t the jurisdiction or power to proclaim that order, but at least she was trying to help.

Elsewhere, a certain dark portal opened up into what appeared to be a massive court hall. The Imperium Citadel. It always was so interesting visiting the place, though Spencer didn’t take the time to admire the building’s inner beauty. No, right now he had work to do.

Smirking to himself, he tipped his fedora downwards and walked along. Looking.

"I'm too far away from home to go back for just one day, but if you don't mind, I'd prefer to call my husband before we do anything. He should know about this." Jackson said to Melody.

The girl was kind and in all honesty in no position to just call a day off at all, but at the moment, Jackson didn't care. They would get back to work later, now she just wanted a moment to just find a way to deal with this loss.

Back at the citadel, a minotaur was passing through the halls, noticing an individual he considered looking somewhat similar as to how they had described his new supervisor to be like. It felt odd, having to listen to a human. It made him feel like a pet, a feeling he wasn't very fond of. Shoving the thoughts aside, the minotaur headed towards the man. "If I am not mistaken, you are Spencer, my newly assigned companion."

"If I am not mistaken, you are Spencer, my newly assigned companion."

“Hmm?”

Spencer paused just enough to tip his fedora away from his eyes and glance at this new and sudden arrival. For a single heartbeat, the man’s eyes flashed as the ghost of a grin crept onto his lips. However, that’s all it really was; a flash, one so fast that it was questionable if he had reacted at all.

“Oh? Why yes, that’s me alright! Spencer Parker here to serve!” Taking off his fedora, he gave a little short bow before placing it back onto of his dark-haired head. “And…you are? I don’t recall requesting for backup…”

Ah, this newbie was staring at him. He…oh no. He actually thought Spencer was human? The demonic dressed man wanted to snicker right then and there. But no, that would have been rude, now wouldn’t it?

Oh well.

"I'm too far away from home to go back for just one day, but if you don't mind, I'd prefer to call my husband before we do anything. He should know about this."

“Of course,” Melody responded with a nod of understanding. “Please, take your time.” Her voice faded off as she turned for Jackson to handle her personal business. Frowning, she instinctively summoned an orb of harsh light around her left fist, clenching and unclenching her fingers back and forth slowly.

Damn that Elliot. A traitor who had murdered the life of one not even conceived? Unforgivable. She would make him pay.

"It appears that you are my new supervisor. My name is Cyrias." The minotaur said in return. Supervisor. He still didn't like the sound of it. He needed no babysitter to take care of him. Did the Imperium not trust him enough to do things on his own?

Jackson got to a more lonely spot before taking her phone out of her pocket and calling her husband. The man was under speed dial and picked up quickly.

"Hey dear, it's been a while since I last heard your voice. I miss you, you know that?" The man started, obviously eager to get a call from his wife.

"Honey, there's something I need to tell you..." Jackson started, after which the man's voice got more serious, although he kept silent as Jackson told him everything.

"It appears that you are my new supervisor. My name is Cyrias."

“Ah. So you’re here to help, hmm? Looks like you’re not exactly fond of the job yourself,” Spencer noted. Smirking, he motioned for the minotaur to follow him into they stood in front of two massive gates. “Well in that case, you can help me with a little…homework.”

Melody nodded, standing a good feet away to give Jackson all the private space she needed.

"You could say that I am not exactly fond of the idea of having a babysitter." Cyrias said in response to Spencer, following him to the glass gates. He had no idea of what he should expect.

Jackson talked on the phone with her husband for a little while. He wasn't angry or telling her she was reckless. He was just as saddened as she was, but didn't blame her. Did his best to soothe her and told her that once she was done with this mission, she was going to take some days off, to spend time together again. She deserved that.

Once she was done, she headed back to Melody.

"You could say that I am not exactly fond of the idea of having a babysitter."

“Oooh. Aren’t you the entitled one,” Spencer muttered, his voice held with hidden venom. However, as he walked through the opening chambers, an idea formed in his head and he led them down a second corridor.

A few more steps, and the both of them were in a new location. It looked to be some sort of training ground. Spencer stepped back, waving his arm to try and give the new place some much needed justice.

“Care for a sparring match Cyrias? You know, a little something to prove to me you’re worth my time?”

He grinned innocently.

Melody saw Jackson’s distressed face and ran over to her. “Miss, Jackson,” she said. “I know this seems too much right now…but trust me, it will get better. I want to help you. I want to…help you hunt down the one who did this to you.”

Cyrias looked at Spencer and shook his head. "I afraid I can't do that. I have some anger issues, and am because of that not trusted in any dichts other than against targets." The minotaur explained. Probanly one reason as to why he had a supervisor.

Jackson forced a smile onto her face. "Thanks, that's very kind of you." She answered.

"I afraid I can't do that. I have some anger issues, and am because of that not trusted in any dichts other than against targets."

“Aw, you’re one of those….pessimist Minotaur types then?” Spencer tipped his fedora back and rubbed his hair in questioning. “Well, I suppose as a rookie, it would have been foolish to try and take on their commanding officer, lest they crave for that sort of embarrassment. Ah well, at least we know who the weakest link is, yeah?”

Shrugging, Spencer carried on and walked deeper into the Imperium’s chambers.

"Thanks, that's very kind of you."

“Of course,” Melody said with a nod. “Right then. Do you know where this traitor fled to? Do we have any sort of lead?”

"I said that I have anger issues, not that I am weak. There is no trason for you to assume that you are stronger than I am.' Cyrias replied with a growl, obviously offended.

Jackson looked at Melody, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to take a day off first?" She reminder her.