Location Down the street from home
Time: About 6ish

The night was a very tranquil and relaxing one. That wine was indeed a very good one, coupled with some vis infused meat, prepared to her liking, it was enough to make her forget about the last day. As the sun rose, the light illuminated her room, making it lit up with a blood red color, as the light reflected from the beautiful red tapestry and curtains, decorating a wonderful, Victorian style bedroom.

"Hnnng!" Corinna let out a moan as she stretched herself, getting up.
"Maybe I'll find something more interesting to do today...?" She said to herself, jumping out of the bed and wearing a deep violet dress, and silk gloves matching it, going to the kitchen to drink a cup of tea with some biscuits before heading out. It was her usual breakfast, she didn't like to eat too much that early on the morning, so her usual choice was simply some tea and biscuits.

"What it will be~ What it will be~" She sang to herself as she opened the big front door, getting out of the mansion. It was a very pretty day outside, it would be perfect to take away the bitter taste that it was left on her mouth after the things that happened last day.

Corinna's mansion was a bit far away from the center of the city, but she never cared too much about that. In fact, she even liked the small walk she had to do when going to the city. It was nice to walk a little bit, the outskirts of the town were quite peaceful and pleasant. It was nice to take a walk without being stared by everyone once in a while... Well, she didn't needed to keep up her façades when she was alone.

Halfway from her home and the darker half was already playing the talkative moron. A small step here, a small step there, twisting of the woman’s head in order to fake surprise making Erin’s patience that much thinner as is. If it wasn’t for the young woman being later than usual she would have snapped. Then again there wasn’t many people around the area. Worst case scenario she would have to play if off as a play of shorts.

"Cad atá cearr ar mo lotnaid beag. An bhfuil mo scáth glórmhar ag dul chun cinn a dhéanamh agus athsheasaidh tú ar do shaol? An dteastaíonn uathúil an duine go raibh sí níos láidre ná mar atá liomsa?" The Ifrit asked as her hand moved to mimic an actual fainting motion.



Oh how the human was annoyed at seeing this transparent being attempting to mock her. Yes, she was nothing more than a human. Yes, the girl’s father literal stole a Licentia core from a living creature. That was inexcusable but did the fucking woman had to remind her every fucking time!? The teenager stops in her place watching the unwanted companion continue to go forward. Though when she stopped to peer towards the human the already straining string which held her temper back snapped.

"Cén chaoi a thugann tú duit ollphéist !? Cén chaoi a gcaithfidh tú gníomhú níos lú liomsa! Níl tú rud ar bith gan Clara, níl aon rud ach bíobán beag gan chumas! Má deir do dhaoine go bhfuil tú ag taispeáint an laige sin a chuirfí leis na daoine a mheasann siad gan úsáid! b'fhéidir go mbeadh do chroí lárnach ach beidh mé dhamánta má leanann tú orm ag caint orm amhail is nach bhfuil aon rud agam ach míchaoithiúlacht i do shaol!”



Soon after entering the heart of the town, she met a very interesting scene, that immediately sparked her interest. It was a young girl, carelessly walking through the town. Was she going to the school or something like that? Poor girl didn't knew who had her eyes fixed on her... Maybe the most interesting thing wasn't that she was alone, but the fact that she was talking to herself in a language Corinna didn't understand at first.

"Cad é a dúirt tú liomsa leanbh! An bhfuil tú ag iarraidh dúshlán a dhéanamh orm? Mar is féidir liom a rá, má tá tú ag Erin, caillfidh tú iad siúd is gaire duit. Déanfar na daoine a mheasann tú an chabhair is mó sa chás seo a mharú. Gan aon fhocal rabhaidh cailín beag." The woman said with a devilish smirk. Her figure turned as if to continue to walk before the human caught up, catching her off guard, and throwing the Ifrit to the ground.



Corinna would see the woman jogging forward, hand seeming to grasp the thin air, making a fist as if catching something in the air then violently throwing the limb downward. The woman releasing whatever within her grasp away. Erin’s usually softened features replaced with a look of anger. Eyes narrowing in a scolding manner with her hands being placed on her hips.

"Éist anseo saileach. Níl ceadúnas agam. Níl mé i do dhaltaí a ordú timpeall cosúil le saghas madra. Tá meas agam ar a leithéidí ar mhaith leat. Gan mo chomhlacht lagú, bheadh ​​tú á mharú nó á dhíol le duine éigin a dhéanfadh i bhfad níos measa. Is é seo mo chorp Clara. Mine. Mine. Ná do chorp. Ní ghlacfar le linn féin fiú. An dtuigeann tú dom?”



"Hmm~ That is something I don't see everyday..." The girl was really speaking with nobody. The poor girl would soon learn that Corinna's attention wasn't a very pleasant thing to have.

"Oh my! Are you ok, sweetie?" Corinna said, approaching her with a preoccupied expression.

”Awe. Erin has a woman who’s worried about her. It’s too bad that when this is all over you’ll be inside a padded cell, locked away with the one thing you hate the most. Go on pest. Act as if I don’t exist inside that little mind of yours. See what the woman says while I make her think your mental because you will regret what you just did.” Clara stated as she struggled to get up from the hard ground.

"Are you a foreigner? Are you lost?" She asked, obviously referring to the language she was speaking.
Corinna's façade was perfect. The young girl could really see the preoccupation in her expression and tone, but if she stared deep into her eyes, she would see a spark of curiosity.

Erin grumbled as she opened her mouth to speak, though a new voice entered in the air, forcing her mood to sour even more. How many cores did her father place inside this weak body. The female turned her head as a sigh she goes to address this newer voice. The girl’s hand grasps actually clothing making her realize that this one was real.

” Ah. So if I’m not mistaken this one is real. At least I don’t have another one filling my mind. I mean...Hello? Or do I tell her my name first?”

” I don’t now you little shit. Why don’t you handle this… Wait. Something doesn’t feel right with this one Erin. Something feels off.” Silence filled the space between them making Clara smack Erin in the back of the head. A yelp of pain meant some had hit her though there was still nothing there. ” Focus moron. This isn’t a regular person. This one is much different than those in your class. Be careful.”

Corinna giggled after hearing the girl's confused answer.
"Oh, let me present myself first, okay?" She said, with a kind smile.

"My name is Corinna. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Corinna said, nodding her head in a discreet greeting.

” Corinna? This is a rather interesting name. I’ve never heard anyone with this name before. My name is Erin McGarth and my invisible monster’s,” A another strike to her left shoulder caused another whimper of pain. A glare towards the left, than to her right and finally straight in front of her made a rather odd look form. The girl’s eyes held a tingle of annoyance, limbs tightening in anger, and a stern look added to the uniqueness.

The darker half smirked at the woman, as if to show what was hidden from those with a different sight from her counterpart, as a hand began playing with the woman’s hair. Slowly the girl walked around the woman while scoffing. ” Such a pretty woman. I wonder why such a person is staying in this shitty city. I wonder is she’s going to use you for her own gains? Than again I won’t allow… What was the phrase you used. My body to be harmed.”

"You seem to be a bit... confused? Maybe it is the sun? It's not that hot... but you seem to be from around here, right? So you could be used to colder climates perhaps? You've been walking through the town alone, my child? It might be dangerous to do so! Are you thirsty? Lost?" Corinna said, bombarding the girl with a lot of questions, all that while still maintaining her kind smile and a motherly tone.

Corinna was incredibly curious about that girl. Was she insane? Why was she talking with herself on that strange language? There was a lot of questions on Corinna's mind right now. She had a very, very erratic behavior. Suddenly stop walking, then resuming, speaking with herself, waving her hands as if she was grabbing something…

"Is é an rud is giorra nach bhfuil sí?"



”She’s not the only one Clara. You’re just as noisy when it come to my life events. So will you please stop moving circles around our guest woman?” Erin asked in more of an annoyed toned voice than a question. The Ifit stopped in the middle of her third circle. In a way this was to annoy the human to give up the sanity play she was attempting to play. Not like anyone was believing them, making this utter chaotic scene that much enjoyable. The teenager sighed in relief addressing Corinna next.

” I’m not technically a foreigner. Yes, I was born in Ireland which after certain events forced me and my mother to move this way. I’m not lost per say Miss. Corinna. Just been annoyed all day by a certain someone whom is invisible to everyone but me. Yes, it sounds mad but the way I see it a Licentia like you would be able to understand the other one much better. If your next question is going to be if I’m making this up then the answer is no. My father made a mistake with one of your kind in the past. His extreme method was to save me from a very rare genetic disorder which shortened my life span every day.” She explained just like the other thousands of time she did when thinking the truth would make the person go away.

” Yes I’m walking to school by myself which in the end I’m running a bit later than originally thought. Is this the only question you have for me?”

Clara glared at Erin. Her figure moving towards the light half and gripping her neck while walking the other half away from the danger. Her eyes continued watching the stranger closely as they walked. For the most part the woman was able to tune the lighter half out. Though she was ready to take over their shared body when the time was correct. Hopefully Charles’ golem was somewhere around the area and would help them if the case arose to it. Only time could tell now.

Corinna watched carefully as the girl explained the situation from her. She did it so unexpectedly well, covering most of the questions that passed through her head in a clear and practical way. It seemed like she was used to explaining her situation to other people, maybe situations like this one happened a lot? But she sounded... Much more different from the adorable and confused girl that had greeted her a few seconds back... It was strange.

One thing on her speech caught her attention. The girl said something about an invisible being, another licentia inside her body only her could see... It sounded very unlikely to be true, but the second Corinna paid a bit more attention on the girl, she noticed something strange... Her vis... it was all messed up... Almost like if there was another thing mixed with the girl's vis. What Corinna felt matched exactly what the girl had explained.

"I'm sorry! I didn't knew it was something like that... I guess many people do ask those same questions to you all the time right? I didn't meant to be rude. I can, in fact, feel a strange peculiarity coming from you. Your vis is quite... unique, I should say. So don't worry, I won't doubt your words, nor I will pry into such personal matters. If you wish to discuss about them, I will gladly hear you, but I wont insist." Corinna said, with a smile. She could feel the girl was a bit suspicious of her, seeing as she knew Corinna was a licentia.

"Would you like some company? I would feel bad letting such a young girl walking through the city by herself. It may not look like, but there are some parts of this city that are quite dangerous..." Corinna said, making a slightly more serious face.

"Anyways! Enough with this grim and gloomy talk! Would you like me to accompany you? It is less likely that anyone will try to mess with you if I'm nearby, and we can go chatting as we walk!!" she said, with an excited expression, still keeping up her façade.

"I've never been to the school before... Even though I live here... So, what do you say?" Corinna asked, extending her hand to the girl, with a motherly smile.

Erin went to open her mouth, letting her mental guard completely opened, giving the stronger half access to their shared body. Being the charming devil of the two taking her chance to encounter this odd woman but most importantly to stretch out into the real world physically. As her lungs filled with actual air the human blinked in surprise. In able to revert the process Clara took another deep breath, savoring the crispness of the season. Her eyes searching for something specific only to force back towards Corinna.

” As much as I hate to admit this I’m glad you took over. I’m not sure how this will play out. Corinna scares me. She scares me more than you did.”

"Ná déan dearmad ar Erin. Ní dhéanfaidh sí dochar a dhéanamh ort níos faide. Codlaim anois mo phrionsa, lig do intinn réidh. Lá amháin nuair a bhíonn tú mór agus láidir, beidh tú ina banríon." She remarked as a hand caressed the human’s cheek making her wrinkle her nose. A small chuckle made the girl glare some more. ” To the matter at hand. I must thank you for distracting the lighter half. She was becoming rather annoying and these clothes are very distasteful. I’m sorry where are my manners? I’m the much darker and stronger side of this simple minded human. My name is Clara Moon. Chieftain of the Ifrit.”



Corinna was not that surprised after she saw the girl's voice and even her behavior and the way she spoke change in a second. She already knew that there was another being inside the girl. The transition between personas was rather quick and smooth.

"Oh, so you must be the invisible being that is constantly annoying her, right?" Corinna asked, with a giggle. She was interested on that girl, especially now.

“I’m not invisible to her. She can see me quite fine without anybody’s help. As for the annoyance I’m more intent an taking the body instead of continuing to be a parasite. You don’t know what it’s like constantly watching everything from the sidelines.”

"Ó Dhia. Ná déan cad a dhéanann tú de ghnáth Clara. Níl aon trua eile agam. Táim ag iarraidh ort," She began to beg only to have her plead be laughed at. The woman’s upper lip twitched in annoyance. So far the darker half has done all what she wanted. Now the Ifrit wanted to add pity to the annoyance!? How many times must they go through this argument?



“I hate you. I hate you so much Clara. I hope Corinna take her time mentally scaring you. I hope she starts making you uncomfortable.”

"I'm sure you already heard my name, but it would be inappropriate to not properly introduce myself to you. I'm called Corinna, It's a pleasure to meet you, Clara." Corinna said, looking to her curiously, tilting her head.

"These clothes aren't your style? I happen to have a very nice selection of dresses back at my home. I could give you some hints about fashion. What's your style? Simple and elegant? Striking and vibrant? Or more of a provocative and sexy style?" she asked, inspecting the girl from her head to her toes, almost like if she was trying to take her measures.

“I hate to be the bringer of bad news but dresses aren’t my thing. Give me a nice pair of blue jeans, a sexy shirt to make Erin die of embarrassment since she likes both genders, and boots.” The woman remarked smiling when the human’s jaw dropping opened. It was rather amusing to let the pest find out she knew. Hell it wasn’t really a secret due to the young woman being horrible at hiding those interested glances. “Please do stop walking around me. I’m very uncomfortable with you walking around me.”

”You knew!? How did you know!? How did this happen!? Please tell me that my mother doesn’t know too!” The girl shouted as a blush formed across her cheeks.

“Erin you don’t hide it as well as you think you do. I mean come on. Your eyes start at the other person’s eyes when you’re speaking. Down to the chest when they speak. Once they leave, your eyes then go straight for their ass. As for your aunt knowing this fact the answer is yes.”

"Hm... There is nothing wrong with a simple style. Depending on the person, it can do a very interesting job, in accentuating their natural proportions..." Corinna said, after she heard Clara speaking. The information that Clara said about Erin was indeed interesting, making her giggle and look at the girl, with a mischievous smile.

“I’m being to really fall for this woman Erin. Looks like you might be fucked in every way possible. At least figurative anyway.” The woman said with a smirk. The face the huma was making was priceless. The perfect amount of horror with embarrassment. The way her hands subtly covered her face in order to pretend to hide, granted this only added to the tasteful distress. If only the other Licentia could see this. Perhaps words would help with the mental image.

"Cén fáth go gcaithfeadh sé seo tarlú? Cén fáth nach féidir leis seo a bheith ach gnáth-lá? Níor chóir a bheith ag tarlú taobh istigh de mo intinn, gan duine ar bith a chasann ar mo dhiaidh sin chun maireachtáil maireachtála a dhéanamh ar mo shaol, nó gan aon chruinnithe Ceadúnas áirithe."



"Oh my~ Does she? That is indeed interesting!" Corinna said, giggling, still with that mischievous smile on her face.

Although Corinna could only guess Erin's reaction to all that, it was pretty obvious due to what Clara said right after that. Corinna was indeed having a lot of fun with that situation. She wouldn't miss that chance to provoke the girl a bit...

"Oh, so she was trying to hide that? That's so cute!" She said, giggling again.
"I don't really dislike if someone stares at my body... I would in fact feel good that someone likes what they see..." Corinna said, studying the girl's body without even trying to hide her stare.

"Ach mo chroí Erin, má d'fhág mé tú féin ina n-aonar ná go mbeifeá ag smaoineamh go ndearnadh orm iarracht a dhéanamh ar ais cad é atá i gceist agamsa. Tar éis an tsaoil tá rud éigin agat a dhéanann tú croí i bhfad níos fearr ná mar a rinne sé. an comhlacht seo a ghlacadh. Agus is é seo an rud is mó le mo lotnaidí is gaire ná ní dóigh liom a athrú. Ar feadh tamaill ar a laghad. " She replied to the other half. The woman’s hand slowly move upwards at her right, touching exactly where her core lay, though the Licentia’s eyes burned in hatred.

“You father might be dead Erin but you’re his descendant and I do plan to remove you from existence. But for now I’m still stuck like this.” The girl snared.



“Do I not get a choice in this heated debate? I never asked to be cure with your core. I never asked to have a disease in the first place. I never begged my father to keep me alive by destroying innocent lives! I was ready to go. I was ready to die peacefully but you know what. I’m glad it was you. I’m glad you were the one placed inside my body because without you I wouldn’t be able to stand here and admit you taught me something about Licentia.” The woman shot back. This single sentence caught Clara’s attention. As far as she knew there wasn’t anything she taught Erin. Yes, the woman cared for the human despite how she reacted around her but this was all.

"A woman should be proud of her body. It was made to appreciate and be appreciated, right?" Corinna said, putting a slight emphasis on those two words. It was... almost too easy... Clara was basically setting the stage and giving everything to Corinna... Oh~ How much would she love to be able to see Erin right now... To watch her expression of embarrassment, to see her struggle with her own words and try to repress her own desires... But she shouldn't be too careless right now. She didn't want to provoke her too much. She wanted to savor that moment…

“Hold on my dear Corina. I don’t understand what you mean Erin. I’ve never taught you anything. I only took care of your injured body because I don’t want to be slowed down moron.” The girl said roughly. She didn’t wait for Erin’s response before addressing Corinna once again. “I agree completely. Shall we continue this lovely conversation while we walk or are you going to drag me to your home. I’m only asking due to knowing that look in your eyes. You’re interested in us. Perhaps this is something you never encountered before. Maybe it’s because you’re wanting some new excitement in your life? Either way I do believe the next move on the board is yours. Please make it a good one.”

Corinna heard in silence as Clara discussed with Erin. Although she wasn't able to hear Erin, it was very clear that they were currently in a pretty heated argument. Clara seemed to know things a bit better, including interpreting Corinna's stares and words, her hints, and the fact that she was a licentia, but the other girl, Erin, seemed to be just an innocent girl.

"Oh~ Miss Clara... You sure is straightforward!" Corinna said, looking to the woman, as she replied to her other half.
"But I'm interested in both of you... Erin included..." She said, looking directly to her eyes, almost like if she was looking inside her.

"I would love to have your company... Maybe a dinner at my place? Would Erin agree with that?" Corinna asked, getting a bit closer to them.

"Until then... Why don't I give you both a little... motivation?" Corinna said, suddenly getting her face closer to the girl's and giving her a long and deep kiss, ending it with a small, but sharp bite on her tongue.

"I hope you don't mind... I wanted to have a little taste of you..." Corinna said, licking her lips.

"My house is the big mansion at the far end of the city... Its hard to miss..." Corinna said, gently putting her hand on Clara's face.

"I'm waiting for you... I hope you don't mind, but I tend to bite a little bit..." She said seductively with a giggle, putting her finger over her mouth before turning her back and walking away.

When the door was opened the young man’s face just light up. Even though Emma wasn’t quite dressed for company her natural beauty peered outwards perfectly. The young man softly chuckled when she opened the door completely with a smile. Apparently she wasn’t quite sure if he would show, making him prove true to his word. “Hey. I wasn’t sure if you would be up soon so I made us breakfast. It’s nothing fancy mind you.” The man explained only to be caught off guard by the dog barking towards him.

In all honestly Killian wasn’t scared at all. What caught him off guard was how much the small animal was happy to see him. The animal darted towards him, running between the space mad by his legs a few time, then headed back inside making his cold heart melt a bit from joy. When welcomed into Emma’s home the guy grinned and walked inside.“ This place looks amazing Emma. Much better than the places I’ve been in the past.” He said in a honest voice.

“Ah. Something warm might go best with the breakfast wraps. I’m hope you don’t mind me taking the extra step. I’m not used to hanging out with other people yet. Heck, I’m trying to get used to having a little sister figure though I’m happy she’s here.”

She chuckled some at him as she followed him in and closed the door behind them. She scooped up the dog before she could attack him with kisses or worse, attack their breakfast. "I have odd sleep hours sometimes," she said with a shrug of a free shoulder. "Especially when little puppies wanna go potty at the early hours of the morning."

She bloomed around her apartment with a dubious sort of look. Her home growing up had been much more opulent than this. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't much either. "If you say so," she mumbled as she headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on and get another mug down for him to make him something as well.

"You're doing just fine," she replied, looking over at him as she grabbed plates out of the cupboard onehanded. "I pretty much never say no to a good meal. Especially if I don't have to cook it and clean up is easy."

---

Unfocused magenta eyes slowly opened, only to find an unfamiliar ceiling sprawling overhead. The sight did little to quell the waves of disorientation wracking Vi’s muddled mind, as the last thing she remembered was being in Nabriales' shop. She tried to connect the dots that led from that to waking up fully dressed in somebody else’s bed, but she quickly gave up as she brought a feeble hand to rest upon her brow. It felt like she had been asleep for months and there was a feverish feeling clinging annoyingly to her body.

Her eyes went wide as decades of discipline finally kicked in. With grit teeth, Vi painfully forced herself into a sitting position on the needlessly extravagant bed, eyes quickly darting across the room looking for any potential threats. The Prae’s hand had instinctually reached for the pocket knife she had kept hidden in her boot, but the action quickly proved to be unneeded. As long as the extravagant furniture in the room didn’t turn on her, there was nothing threatening about her immediate surroundings.

That didn’t mean the former Exeo was about to let her guard down though, so with more effort than she cared to admit, she sluggishly hauled herself off the ridiculously fluffy bed. Her first few steps were unsteady, but it only took her a few moments of holding onto the nightstand to fully regain her bearings. The events that had unfolded in Nabriales shop were slowly returning to her in flashes, causing the corner of her mouth to twitch in slight annoyance. And as the memories of her new employer’s antics practically coaxed her fingers to curl into a fist, she realized that she was unknowingly crumpling a small piece of paper.

Try to rest, hon. I'll be back when I'm done at the store, and we can talk about things then.

”Tch.” The small, disgusted noise was the paper’s only companion as it fell carelessly to the floor. Vi was hardly thrilled to find out that she had been more or less marooned and left to the whims of Nabriales, but there was hardly anything she could do about it at this point.

However, reading the short letter had made the last piece of Vi’s memory fall back into place. And as she opened the door, she remembered the potent bottle of vis that the alchemist had offered her as payment. Merely thinking about it made the Prae recall the feeling of it burning down her throat, of the immense power it had brought to her fingertips, and the crash that had reduced her to her present sorry condition.

If the mess that had been her morning was any indication, Aismael would still be sitting comfortably outside of her reach for the foreseeable.

The redhead’s brow furrowed at the thought, squeezing the door handle in front of her harder than was absolutely necessary. The rational part of Vi was well aware of the fact that she was closer to her goal than she had ever been in the last two years, but she also couldn’t simply shake off the infuriating feeling that she still had a long way to go. Even with the tremendous surge of power the potion offered, there was little doubt in her mind that she would not have posed much of a challenge for an Exeo, much less one like Aismael. And that wasn’t even mentioning the awful drawback that it came with.

Vi briefly closed her eyes and sighed, willing all of her frustration and impatience to drain out of her with it. She was prepared to do whatever she needed to get her answers. A few years, even a few decades, would be a small price to pay if that was what it took.

The door swung open without even a squeak, a testament to its fine craftsmanship and the likely exorbitant amount of money Nabriales had put into the place. Vi’s boots clacked noisily down the hall as she slowly ventured forward. With little idea of where she was, the Prae had little choice other than to wait for her employer.

That didn’t mean she would be content with sitting around for him though, so for now she set her sights on figuring out the place’s layout.

---

Charles casually entered into the ‘watch’ room.

Upon walking through an indicated door, he was surprised to found it rather normal and cozy even. A demented illusion for those who knew better. Disinterested eyes surveyed the scenery to gain a good grasp of his surroundings.

Within the room was the minimal creature comforts available to mankind. A few simple chairs were scattered across the wooden floor with the occasional table. Each topped with a few cards or a chess set for entertainment, nothing more. The only source of light came from a wide, double panel window door. It drew in daylight and splashed color upon the vapid surroundings.

The design worked well because patients could coop easier when reality was hidden. His eyes darted from one chair to the next. All were empty but one.

He rested his eyes upon the sole inhabitant, his heart skipped a beat. A young woman, freckled and red-haired, limply settled at a table with a chess board. Her forehead held a cracked tricolored gem. A simple yellow sundress hung about her thin frame, her legs hidden with a plaid blanket. She seemed to stare into space on a wall and ignored his presence within the room.

A sharp pain broke his heart to see her this way. Lifeless and defeated, a far cry from her former strength he loved. Charles’ mind needled him with faded memories. Her lively and smiling face faded to the sound of her laughter, each picture more painful than the next.

It was difficult to believe the creature before him held any spark for her existence. A slap in the face would’ve been a mercy compared to this.

He inhaled as he continued to study her. Still looking for a single trace of the woman he once knew so well. His pride and experience chided him for expecting it to be otherwise. He had caused this after all and deserved to suffer through the aftermath.

Another moment passed before he cleared away his attachment and approached her. Someone’s shape caught his peripheral vision. Instinctively his head adjusted and spotted the male nurse lurking nearby. Someone to ensure she didn’t become hostile.

Being the gentleman, Charles ignored the man and focused on the woman. His arms folded at his side. His mannerisms were out of place in the modern world but still well practiced.

“May I join you, Mistress Lilith?” Charles began.

Slowly, Lilith’s eyes flickered with awareness. Her head turned and a small, gentle smile light up her face. A blade of guilt stabbed into his soul before he casually bowed and took a seat across from her.

“Please, ladies first.”

She nodded and thought about her opening move. After several moments, she moved her first piece: a white pawn. She slid it forward two spaces then clicked the timer.

Charles visibly relaxed as he mirrored the same move and ended his turn. It was known as the French Defense. Common and usually his opening move for such tactics.

Lilith’s expression hardened at maneuver made. She seemed to struggle with understanding why it was familiar to her.

Patient and hopeful, Charles’ features revealed none of the worry laced over his heart. It was rewarded when she moved her knight next. The click of the timer once more indicated it was his turn again. For nearly an hour, they played their game in utter silence. Each trying to outplay the other with various moves.

The nurse interrupted their game with his approach. He leaned into Charles’ ear and mumbled something.

“I’m sorry sir, but your visit’s time has drawn to an end. I need to feed her before it becomes too late."

---

Charles stood in the center of the college’s large gymnasium. The immortal sported slacks and a blue button-up shirt, topped by a whistle at his neck. It was a far cry from his usual dress. He finished folding his right sleeve to his elbow when his students began to gather.

Many were excited and new arrivals to the course. Others had been here since the start of the semester and waited for things to proceed. A subtle desire to demonstrate their developed talents to each other. Interest grew in volume as Charles spied a few casually staring at him.

This was normal.

---

The ad had gone out in the papers that morning. Because there were just some holdovers that didn’t seem to want to let go. The online print of them had of course been out since a few hours after she’d paid them. So she was sure there’d be a few people in today to interview for the varying positions that she had put out there. They needed a few new bartenders, especially since they were currently down one with Nikki being hurt. A bouncer or two would be of use. And some pretty girls and boys to walk the tables and charm the money out of their clientele. And maybe another cook, just to make sure that shifts were totally covered. She’d see who came in though and work from there.

So she was already sitting out at the bar at about noon when she’d set the time to start, she had had too much to do in the morning to try and do it sooner. And she had figured that most people who would be willing to work a shift at a club were probably not morning people anyways. Cigarette in one hand, drink in front of her, and her tablet propped up in front of her as she casually scrolled through paint options.

Cortes uncharacteristically arrived late. Dressed in a button shirt, slacks and sneakers, his fashion seemed more casual for this morning. As he pushed the door open and strolled inside, his eyes brushed the atmosphere. Noting Afua’s absence, a small smirk slipped onto his thin lips. A mischievous one.

He took a seat upon the stool next to Masha and casually glanced at her tablet, noting the subject. Ordering a scotch from Bruce, who nodded, he shifted to the cabinet display and placed a glass upon the table. The rich brown liquid filled the crystal easily to the top before sliding it over to Cortes. Feigning interest in his drink, Cortes raised it to his eyes and tilted it side to side.

“So, any word on Ms. Patel? She was absent from your meeting.” His words broke the silence between them then took a sip.

Masha didn’t even look up, just kept scrolling through and taking a drag from her cigarette. “I’ve looked into it,” she said with a half shrug, blowing out the smoke towards the ceiling. “And that’s all you need to know. I’ll deal with it. I’m the boss after all.” She knew that that would open Nikki to more danger, but she’d made sure to put better guard, both police and personal protection over her and the boy.

Cortes gave an unsatisfied nod. His fingers gripped his glass at the edges then downed it in a single round. Softly smacked his lips a bit, he pushed off the stool and began to make his rounds. He seemed to be stewing over what Masha had said.

Nabriales Taeryn had had a wonderfully eventful morning. Some of his contacts in the alchemical wholesaler's association had threatened his access to staple alchemical goods without a pay rise, and as he still (after all this time with an exorbitant amount of money to his name) had almost no idea how much things were worth in mundane currency he had had to get in touch with Accountant - 11. After paying for the privilege of his services - though he swore paying the price was a service in and of itself - they'd gone over the details and worked out that they were already paying them over double the industry standard for their goods. Needless to say, Nabriales was unhappy. Not because of the financial loss - because he paid people to worry about that for him - but because of the sheer gall it took to try and swindle him. After reaching out to a few friends of friends, he had struck new supply deals within the hour and had very legitimately considered taking due reparations against the unscrupulous merchants... But had quickly grown bored of the revenge fantasy and decided to do something more productive with his time. That happened to be browsing the internet for anything he might find interesting.

Just as luck would have it, Nabriales came across the recently advertised opening for staff members at a Nightclub he'd heard some about. If he recalled correctly, his foxy friend had alluded to some interests in that type of thing in the past - and thinking about it, it would be difficult to become entrenched in such an establishment without Darius getting wind; that was precisely the push that Nabriales needed to decide to go for it. He read the time, memorised the location, and proceeded to get himself into some of his nicer, flowier clothing.

At twelve on the dot Nabriales poofed out of existence at Victorious Secret, having left Damian in charge of the basic day-to-day running of the store. He poofed back into existence at the approximate whereabouts of the entrance and unintentionally found himself standing a couple of feet away from Masha. In order to best save face and not let slip that he'd overshot the teleport to a new location a little, he immediately announced:

"Your newest bartender has arrived, hon."

Masha had hardly even acknowledged that Cortes had gotten up. She was sure that she'd not said exactly the right thing, but sooner or later he was bound to figure out that Nikki wasn't as dead as he had intended her to be. But she was also confident enough that she had her protected well enough too. So she went back to focusing more on her color options. So she didn't notice Nabriales’ arrival until he spoke.

She jumped a little in surprise, spinning on the stool to look at him full on over the rim of her dark framed glasses. “Okay, yeah, sure,” she said, seeming confused as she tried to actually process what it was that he had said. “Suppose the confidence is good,” she went on once her brain had finished up the thought and her heart beat had calmed some, “but it's going to take a bit more than that. So let's start that over again, mmkay?”

She turned slightly again and put out the last little bit of her smoke before turning back and looking Nabriales over now with much less surprise. She supposed he’d be a good fit, visually, at least. But at the same time, looks weren’t everything. Cortes was decent looking too, but he was an ass and not in the fun way, and that kinda ruined it. It would take a lot more than good looks for her to be interested in someone who was actively trying to kill her.

When she was done with the look over, she looked back up to his face expectantly, waiting for him to go first.

Masha's momentary confusion came as no surprise to Nabriales, who had noted several decades ago that he just generally had that sort of effect on people. Teleporting around willy-nilly did seem to confuse most people, though in truth Nabriales was more confused than all of them - how did they get around if they didn't teleport? Uber? Walking? Goodness, no. That wouldn't do. As Masha started looking him over for the second time he shook himself from the tangential reverie and gave her a warm, genuine smile as he sat down opposite her.

"I suppose that's fair, though I must admit that I am used to my reputation preceding me! Let's see... My name is Nabriales Taeryn, and I own a quaint little potion shop across the city - Victorious Secret! I'm an alchemist by trade, so I know my way around a drink or three... I have all of that relevant customer services bollocks that everyone goes on about, though sometimes people really just need a bottle of vodka up their ass and a slap, you know?"[/color ]Nabriales began, speaking in somewhat hurried tones that denoted not so much nervousness as a mixture of excitement and unfamiliarity. It would be clear that he'd never had to interview for anything in his life - when he came to the city with nothing, he'd used charm and his magical skills to build himself up. When he was well-established, he'd had enough money and charm and alchemy to bend whatever he'd wanted to his will - and now his current fascination was in the hands of another. Charm would certainly have its perks, as would the fact he was wealthy... But not being in control of a situation was something he'd not experienced in a long time - and he enjoyed the relative helplessness as a change of pace from his otherwise predictable (if in an unpredictable fashion) lifestyle.

"Ask anything you want about me, hon. I'll think up some questions to ask about this place and my new employer in the interim!" he added, speaking as if this was already a sure thing and that the song and dance were merely for show. Assertiveness was a key component of a successful business venture, so he figured the same logic would apply to an interview.

Masha quirked an eyebrow up as he went on, noting the way he seemed to be a big bubbling ball of enthusiasm. She wasn’t certain that she could deal with that much hype so often. She wasn’t made of cheer, and having to deal with that much cheer might do the opposite of cheer her up. At the mention of his name she nodded her head, filing that away with what she’d heard about him before. Of course she’d heard about him, even if she was rather new to the city and all. But this was not quite the image she’d had in mind for him.

“Why would you want to work a slum like this when you have your own business to run?” she asked with a tilt of her head, crossing one leg over the other at the knee as she turned to face him again. “I can’t imagine that being a bartender is top on the list of fun side jobs. Nor do you even need a side job for that matter.”

"I don't need a job at all, I work because it gives me something to do! I'd consider myself to be a bit of a hedonist, hon, and I spend my considerable energy and talent doing whatever it is in the moment that I find interesting... Which is usually either alchemy or men. With some help in the marketing department and some serious mixology, this could certainly qualify as a place for me to indulge the latter! 'One Night in Hell' has that gritty, sexy vibe that people tend to go for, and that works for me!" He replied, somewhat coyly. He could see the potential in the place, that was for sure - Darius normally knew how to pick 'em, and with some fixing up the club could easily make it to the forefront of the entertainment world. Niche was the new mass appeal, after all - the place just needed some bling and some talent. Fortunately, Nabriales had plenty of both.

"My evenings are usually spent brewing up new treats or chasing tail, and I figure that a bar is the perfect environment to do both, in short. Why would you want to get into running a business like this? I can tell from a look at you that you're more... Refined than what this currently is." He noted, gesticulating towards the area as a whole. He turned to look around, and then let his gaze rest comfortably at Masha's face. Being forthwith was perhaps not the most ideal strategy, but he got the feeling that Masha was the kind of person that would appreciate total honesty. If Darius had a hand in this place - and it was beginning to look like he did - Nabriales was certain that not a great deal of honesty had graced the club.

That was such a strange thought. Working because he was bored. Even when bored, she'd rather not work. She'd rather not work ever, but needs must. She had expensive taste and even though she had money now, it wouldn't last forever. She needed to establish a flow of cash, and hopefully something that once it was set up, would run itself and she could just sit back and enjoy it.

While she smirked at his comment about basically wanting to work to get laid, she didn't at all seem bothered that he wouldn't be available to her. Maybe a little bothered by him possibly taking men away from her, but that was a road to cross later. If she hired him. At his questions, she shrugged and picked up her mostly finished drink. “Gotta start somewhere. I'm new in town, so I don't have the luxury of something that is more my speed to just step into. As you probably know, you've got to show your worth, build yourself up before you can just dick about and indulge. Besides, as you said, this place has potential. Just need to bring it out.”

"I see, I see... Well, in that case, don't worry about paying me! I have more than enough money to last me several lifetimes, and you seem like you could use a saving or two around here! If the place gets big enough, I'd be happy to throw some money into marketing it for you - the more people come through, the better the choice!" Nabriales offered, somewhat nonchalantly. His motive was on the table - meet people, get laid - and he had plenty of money to spare. Most people would be suspicious of such an offer, and rightly so - but Nabriales certainly didn't give off the impression of someone who was disingenuous, and his reputation attested to the reality of his situation. What Masha made of it either way was up to her, but Nabriales knew an opportunist when he saw one. What he offered was an extraordinarily good deal, though the nuances of having to work with him muddied the waters a little. Still, if she could stomach his unique personality and lackadaisical attitude towards everything not in a bottle he'd make a very powerful ally.

"The easiest way ahead is to have wealthy friends or wealthy lovers, as I'm sure you well know! I'm happy to be the former, provided everything works out! I'm also a dab hand at teleportation magic, so I'll be happy to lend that to the cause... Do you want to know anything else about me or my skills? I'm not really sure how an interview is supposed to go, if I'm honest!" Nabriales added, waving his hand and summoning a bottle of red wine from Victorious Secret, along with two pristine crystal flutes.

"You seem like you could use some good wine." he laughed as he poured two glasses halfway full and invited Masha to drink at will.

As the conversation between Nabriales and Masha continued, a familiar woman’s voice became louder. Sounds of pots and pans hit the floor as Cortes abruptly ducked into the room. His arms were shielding his head and his shirt ruffled, some reddish sauce smeared over the front. Irma immediately followed him, her face red hot in anger, as she waved her fist at him.

“Don’t you dare come into my kitchen again! You arschgeige!” Irma shouted loudly. Her hair was a mess and fists ready to beat Cortes into a pulp. Spying Masha’s business, the plump and hot temper cook considered what to say.

Wiping his now bleeding lip, Cortes smugly commented, “You didn’t have to swing at me, Ms. Quin. I merely told you the truth.”

Masha had looked at Nabriales like he had just suggested that he could sprout another head. No one offered that sort of thing without some kind of payback. There was nothing free in this world. He seemed genuine, but that didn't mean there wasn't some hidden costs either.

“Well I already have both of those,” she murmured mostly, though she didn't make it so hard for him to hear either. And since she wasn't about to share who her lover was, she didn't have to admit that he was both friend and lover. But of cause more wouldn't hurt, especially the friends portion because Nabriales was not to be the lover. So she didn't say no outright. She'd be stupid to pass this up without looking into it more.

She looked obviously impressed at his wine, smirking at little and going to reach for the glass when the commotion from the kitchen stopped her hand just before it closed around the crystal. “What now,” she groaned, shifting to watch Cortes come scurrying out with his metaphorical tail between his legs, even if he was acting like he wasn't wounded.

“Cortes!” she hissed, standing up on the rung of the stool to give her the height she lacked. She thankfully had very good balance or that might have been a dangerous move. “Get your ass over here now.” Irma was temperamental, but every cook she’d ever met had been. And even if she wasn’t, she was 100% sure that it was Cortes at fault and not really anything to do with other woman. Masha looked up to Irma, her face apologetic as she gestured to Nabriales next to her to indicate that she was busy, but she wouldn’t forget either. “I’ll be back in a few, okay?”

Irma, unperturbed by Masha’s voice, continued to glare at Cortes’ retreating back. Her fist tightened again. She mumbled in German at the older delinquent under her breath. With a deep inhale, her portly figure turned to waltz back to do her job. Her mood was still too sour to watch the fallout of Cortes’ actions as she slammed the doors open.

Irma paused just long enough to deliver a warning.

“You deal with him, or I’m gone!” Her tone was only a small degree softer in response to Masha’s expression then vanished.

Her voice carried behind her in German and loud enough for Masha to catch. Another clash of pans erupted. Whatever Cortes did, Irma’s rage wouldn’t subside without some addressing.

Cortes frowned when he spotted Masha allow the cook to retreat back into the kitchen, unchallenged. His eyes fought hard not to roll at the show of favoritism. On route to the bar, his hand gestured to Bruce for a napkin. Moving past Nabriales, the burly male crouched down and snatched several before he passed them over the counter.

“Crazy woman,” he mumbled as he mopped up the mess.

Tossing several crumpled napkins on the bar end, he turned to Masha with chuckle.

“I have no idea why you’re getting upset with me. I’m the one with sauce all down my front and nearly beaten by an ill tempered woman while doing my job.”

Masha’s eyebrow quirked up and she rolled her eyes as she sat herself back down. “Somehow, I doubt that,” she said, her annoyance clear in her tone. “I’ve been around enough cooks to know that typically they don’t do well when other people invade their kitchen. Especially people who have no business being there.” She cleared her throat some and finally picked up the wine that Nabriales had offered. “Now if you’d like to actually do your job, we have someone here for an interview.” She gestured to the other man with her free hand, looking at Cortes seriously. “Then we can address what it is that happened in the kitchen.”

“Certainly, but your opinion might change when you realize the situation.”

Cortes had shrugged off the incident, but didn’t make any additional comment. His tone still indicated he didn’t believe he started it as he wrapped up cleaning himself up. The stain, however, refused to be completely removed much to his disdain.

Moving the conversation along, he folded his hands on the table and made one last snip comment.

“Of course. I apologize for my absence, I had to address daily check ins. Mr. Cortes, and you are?”

"Nabriales Taeryn! Charmed, I'm sure." Nabriales replied, extending his hand in what ostensibly looked to be a handshake, but was quickly revealed to be more of his signature teleportation magic. Cortes' shirt appeared in his hand, and Nabriales gazed upon the stain somewhat intently before placing the crystal flute in his hand down and summoning a vial of purple liquid to his hand. He opened the stopper with his teeth, looking up at Cortes as he did so, and allowed a couple of drops to fall onto the shirt. The stain vanished almost immediately, but the shirt was left with a bright purple tinge to compensate for its newfound cleanliness. He thrust it towards Cortes, and replaced the stopper and returned the vial from whence it came.

"You're welcome! That said, you're better off without the shirt." he added, turning back to Masha.

"Feel free to go and deal with that, hon. My little Damian is taking care of Victorious Secret - I'm free all day!"

There wasn't much else for Nabriales to do until the issue was resolved, he figured. He could sense the discomfort in the air, and the tension was so thick as to be palpable - whoever this Cortes was, it was clear that he at least enjoyed making Masha's life more difficult than it needed to be. Nabriales just wasn't sure whether or not that was jokingly or maliciously, and he intended to stick around long enough to find out.

Masha rolled her eyes some at the show. Though admittedly, Cortes wasn't the worst to look at. So it wasn't an awful experience. And she did enjoy watching him be embarrassed for the sudden disappearance of his shirt in his own bar. She sipped at her wine, very thankful for the increase in quality between what she'd been drinking. She'd had the bar restocked, but the quality was still not the best though it had improved.

She looked at Nabriales, then over to Cortes, lips pursed in thought for a second. “I'll be back,” she said standing and obviously taking her drink with her. “Actually do your job, not just scare him off,” she said pointedly to Cortes before heading to the kitchen to see what sort of level the rage was at with Irma.

Cortes reached to shake the hands only to feel the cool air dance upon his skin. Arm still outstretched, his eyes snapped down to his shirtless torso. His eyes widened in shock and a hint of fear as he digested what had happened. At Nabriales’ words, Cortes’ head tilted upward to note where his shirt had gone to.

He frowned, clearly not ecstatic about having lost his shirt. His tongue rolled across his mouth side while he waited and watched the cleaning process Nabriales performed.

Carefully he took it back, “Thank you… I suppose.”

His hands held it at arm’s length to scrutinize the job. After a moment, he decided to risk it and placed the shirt back on. Placing one arm through the sleeve, he turned his head at Masha’s words.

“Very well,” He replied then mumbled softly under his breath, “No promises though.”

Straightening upright, he mentally took a moment to collect the proper questions.

“So what experience do you have with bartending? References you can provide or past employment?” Cortes was unaware that Nabriales had been asked these questions before his arrival.

Cortes' reaction to Nabriales' little cleaning trick wasn't quite as pronounced as he'd hoped it would be - and that was a little disappointing. Still, making someone uncomfortable in what they perceived to be their own territory was amusing in and of itself, and he'd demonstrated a little of his magical prowess to boot. It could certainly have gone worse.

"Oh, we already went over the boring interview questions, hon. Besides, I'm more of a believer in... Practical experience." Nabriales replied, raising his eyebrows suggestively at the word 'practical'. He placed his hands on the table before him and took a moment before asking another question.

"What's your tipple of choice? And please - nothing 'on the rocks'. I can't very well demonstrate my mixology if what you want is someone to decant your favourite liquor and not an experience." he added, waiting for Cortes' reply expectantly.

“Strawberry tequila sunrise.”

Nabriales raised an eyebrow at the choice of drink, looking at Cortes as if to say "really raising the bar high here, aren't we?". Still, with a wave of his hand he poofed into being a punnet of strawberries, his favourite mortar and pestle, a bottle of Tequila that didn't quite make him think he was drinking the Devil's piss, and a pitcher full of ice-cold freshly squeezed orange juice. Having permanent access to one's kitchen and bar at the wave of a hand was remarkably convenient - and though he ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead drinking a Tequila Sunrise of any variety at this time of year, it was what Cortes had asked for. Likely because it was such an out of season drink, and fresh strawberry puree was not something bars tended to stock with any regularity - even in season.

Nabriales imagined that Cortes imagined he was being crafty - and he may well have dissuaded someone with lesser experience and tenacity. He wondered what that meant - trying to set someone up to stumble like that... If he had something to do with the club's management, he would surely want it to do well? Perhaps he wanted to reflect a negative image on Masha, to reclaim something he'd lost? He seemed like the type to crave power - he had that weaselly, squirrelly look of someone who desired above their means. He'd made potions promising fortune and glory for many such men and women in the past - reading that particular trait wasn't hard at all. Still, he senses there was more to the picture than anything he could currently come up with and elected to leave the conjecture in his head. He did, after all, have a drink to prepare.

Nabriales proceeded to grind some of the strawberries to a fine pulp within the mortar and pestle. Some liked their fruit puree sieved finely to get rid of any conflicting textures, but he liked that about freshly ground fruits and elected to leave it in. He teleported himself behind the bar, the components of the drink to the bar, and Cortes onto a barstool in front of him as he assembled the drink. He looked around briefly, managing to find what he considered a passably clean glass before simply summoning a crystal flute of his own. He filled it with a tablespoon or so of the puree, then with ice from a nearby bucket, and topped that off with the orange juice and a shot of tequila. He looked at the glass, before adding in a splash more tequila and stirring it, infusing it with just a little of his vis slyly as he did so. Nothing untoward, he reasoned to himself - just a little extra kick to take the edge off. With a wink, he slid the drink over to Cortes in one clean motion.

"Though your taste in drinks is questionable, do enjoy! You certainly look like you're in need of something to help you unwind, you know..." He beamed, patiently waiting for Cortes to taste what would be the best - and possibly only - strawberry tequila sunrise of his life.

Cortes didn’t flinch at Nabriales’ look. He kept up the smirk and reclined back a little, waiting for his drink. An eyebrow raised when he watched the items magically appear, but he made no comment. His arms crossed over the counter surface while the theatrics played on.

His hand reached for his back pocket and withdrew his phone. A casual eye glanced over it then noted the message sent to him. A thumb swipe pulled the text up causing him to frown and then delete it. Inhaling a single breath, he scrutinized the drink passed to him.

“Oh, I just wanted to see if you could make one. It appears you have skills at least.” Cortes commented then sent it to the side.

His attention moved to Bruce, who lurked nearby cleaning a shot glass, then ordered a scotch on the rocks. Obediently, the burly man lowered himself and pulled up an unopened bottle. Popping the seal, the dark liquor poured into the glass with a few ice cubes. They bobbed and tinged about the surface while Bruce passed it to Cortes.

Wordlessly, Cortes told a long drink before continuing the conversation.

“Now, what drew you to want to work here? A man as well off as yourself could clearly do much better.” His voice held a seriousness to it, hidden under false curiosity.

"Consider why anyone works, hon. We all put ourselves in situations in which we can most easily get what we want. I have money, so I don't need that... I have my own business, so I don't need the challenge... Bearing in mind that I need neither of those things, I think this place will provide me with just what I'm after. That's why I'm here!" Nabriales replied, his look turning a little at Cortes' refusal to consume the beverage he'd prepared. Poor manners, and there was a glimmer of distaste just behind his eyes that concerned the soon-to-be bartender. Still, he could see it wouldn't avail him any to waste the effort on trying to win Cortes over. He'd dealt with far worse than Cortes in his time, and the sticklers like him usually found a way to get themselves ahead or get themselves killed - one would happen to him eventually.

"If I may... Why are you here? You're clearly not very enthused about this whole arrangement, and if your shirt was anything to go by there's no love lost between you and the rest of the staff... Seems like you could be doing something that more easily gets you what you want, you know?" Nabriales offered offhandedly, picking up the drink he'd made and taking a deep sip himself. He smacked his lips in satisfaction and put it down beside him - he really did make a damn good cocktail. While waiting for Cortes to reply he took a quick look around the club, surveying it closely. He wanted to get familiar with the layout and with his new colleagues as quickly as possible in order to carve out a niche for himself early on. He was very confident in his ability to fit in just about anywhere, but it was always good to make oneself indispensable as quickly as possible - especially if someone like Cortes was around.

“If you’re hired.” Cortes stated.

It was a reminder to Nabriales that the final decision still resided with Masha. Cortes' mood appeared to suddenly sour during the interview. Something was grating on his nerves, but the source was difficult to tell. It could've been Nabriales' overconfidence in his qualifications or his earlier text message.

Taking another sip, Cortes tilted his head toward Nabriales’ observations.

“Using a twist off your own words, I’ve already put myself in a situation that brings me closer to my wants. It just requires a bit more work than expected.” Cortes cryptically answered. His expression indicated he was done answering any additional questions beyond interview variety.

"Unless she finds someone else who'll work for free, I'm pretty sure this is a done deal! Still, if I don't get hired... You should stop by my store some time! Victorious Secret has a potion for every occasion." Nabriales laughed, shrugging off Cortes' apparent turn of mood. It became clear very quickly that there was no more discourse to be had, so Nabriales picked up his drink and decided to give himself a makeshift tour of the premises. He walked around the bar area reasonably slowly, investigating the decor quite intently as he did so. It wasn't something he'd choose, but he'd garnered quite the appreciation for finery over the years. The current style would likely give off the illusion of wealth to those not surrounded by it daily, and he supposed that was what mattered. The bar existed as a separate world for its patrons, a place where they could go to shed their everyday worries and focus on something that felt better. Nabriales appreciated that, and resolved to ask Masha about using a couple of his potions as part of the bartending routine. Anyone willing to put alcohol in their system would be more than willing to drink something that loosened their inhibitions and got them in the mood to party without the inevitable hangover, surely - and it would give the bar a unique edge that nobody else would be able to replicate.

Really, it depended on the kind of person that Masha was. He figured that she'd be on board from what he knew of her, but he didn't know nearly enough yet to be certain. Perhaps he should have been thinking more along the lines of "what if", but he'd never gotten anywhere by being anything less than 100% sure. He believed in dressing for the job he wanted, not the job he had (so to speak). After a couple of minutes of careful observation, he took a seat back at the table where Masha had left and grabbed his cell phone, browsing the internet as he waited for Masha to return from her business in the kitchens.



Masha came into the kitchen a little hesitantly. She was sure that Irma wouldn’t throw anything at her like she had at Cortes, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t get splash back from something else being tossed about. She looked around, locating the chef and heading towards her, crystal flute still in hand. “Okay, what stupid thing did he do?” she asked, with no other preamble to things. She didn’t have the time for it, nor did she think that Irma would be interested in the pussyfooting around.

“Stupid is an underestimation of his actions. He expects a high class meal with this.” Irma nearly snapped.

She gestured to the various spices, vegetables, and other ingredients that sat upon the counter. Upon closer inspection, it would be clear the chief had to have some talent. Spices were outdated enough to be dry and tasteless. Most 'fresh' vegetables were either aged, often market garbage, or frozen. Even the meat appeared to be mostly fat rather than marbled.

“Then when I bring in better quality stuff, he threatens I will be fired for breaking the sanitation laws! This…THIS is not even close to proper for a kitchen.” Huffed the chief, her lips pressed into a thin line and turned to her employer.

Masha’s nose wrinkled up some as she looked about the place. She'd been taught to cook by a very good chef, and while she understood that a business sometimes needed to cut some cost on quality, especially at a bar, this was way too much of a cut. “Well...you're both right,” she said with a heavy sigh, sipping at her drink because she had nothing else to deal with this mess.

“it's a bar,” she started, coming over to lean against the work station, “people don't come here expecting Michelin star quality. But that doesn't mean it needs to be shut either. I guess I'll have to move this up the list. I'm gonna need you to make a list of things you need, not just want , need. Including better, but still cost effective vendors for food stuff. Okay?”

“Vendor food, I can make easily. The main issue is with the food.” Irma handed one package to Masha.

The expiration date was nearly a year ago. When Masha passed it back, the old German plump woman huffed in frustration and ground her teeth. “Before Cortes took over, I had decent ingredients and people came not to just drink but eat too. One Night in Hell was a place for sinful indulgence of all variety.”

She inhaled then passed the food back into the counter, cleaned recently.

“It’s what made this club stand out compared to others. It’s sad to see how far it has fallen since Otto… died.”

Masha made a worse face at looking at the food up close. This was...unacceptable was the best word. How had they passed any health inspections with this? When was the last one? She thought she’d looked at it, but now she couldn’t remember. Cortes just seemed to want to watch his own place burn to the ground. Which was just dumb. If you wanted this place to be your cover for whatever it was that you were doing, making it work was the better plan. If it worked, and you did well, people like Darius would leave you to your own devices and you could pretty much do whatever you wanted with the unknowing support of your boss. But he was obviously an idiot.

She looked up at the pause, thin dark eyebrows pulling together in confusion. “Cortes?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. The question was about who was responsible for this man, Otto’s, death. Because that pause implied more than something natural or accidental. She knew that pause well, she’d used it enough herself before with other employees of her father’s who had messed up beyond repair. People who’d brought police questions in, who’d intentionally done stupid things. People not unlike Cortes. Not presumable innocent cooks who just wanted their job to be done the best it could.

“No proof, but several of us suspected he had something to do with it. It was too perfect and timed too well.” Irma sighed, her arms wrapped about her. She leaned up against the counter edge while she continued to talk.

“Otto was a good man. Even Mr. Cain felt his loss enough to shut down the club for a few days. When Cortes stepped into the picture, things changed for the worst. Bouncers weren’t allowed to touch ‘VIP’ members. Even when they groped and interfered with the female staff members. Some were even fired for it.”

Irma’s lips cracked a smile at the memories. Her hand lifted a cast iron skillet, weighing it in hand, then looked at Masha. “I taught a few of them not to go helping themselves to my kitchen. Hard to argue with a woman with a cast iron skillet in her hands, right?”

She tossed it back down upon the cooling stove as she continued. “ Strange things happen when you defy him, Chef. Too strange to be misfortune. I haven't an idea what he's up to, but I do know confronting him makes it worse. Especially for those who can't defend themselves.”

Masha nodded as she listened, taking in what she had already suspected. There was no surprise in her conformation of Cortes being at fault, even if it wasn't totally confirmed. She'd seen and heard enough of what he'd done to do the math required for this.

“Well I can defend myself,” she said with a firm nod of her head. “And I certainly won't let wandering hands continue.” And not even just because of what was done to Nikki. She was all for fun, when it was consenting and not forced on you at your workplace. That was not okay and she wouldn't let it go on any longer.

“It’s not you I’m worried about. Cortes knows how to manipulate others. How to hurt or help them. If Cortes can’t make you vanish, someone close or important to you will.”

Irma bit back the fear in her voice. She let the words settle as she placed her cast iron away and the cupboard door clicked shut. The woman took a defeated breath then released it. She seemed to reflect on something internally before her eyes turned upon Masha.

Masha sighed and finished the rest of her drink in one go. “He’s already tried that,” she said with the anger she had just under the surface at him about that clear in her voice. And the only other person in this town who was close to her or meant anything to her was more than capable of taking care of himself. There was no way that Cortes was going to be able to make Darius disappear.

She lifted a free hand for a moment, as if considering placing it on the cook's shoulder for reassurance, but she dropped it soon after and instead offered her a little smile. One that hinted at the darkness of her thoughts. “Don't worry too much, I'm here to take care of him.”

“I hope so… I’m getting tired of watching ‘accidents’ happen.” Irma stated as she went back to work.

Masha merely nodded her head and headed back out to the front of the bar. She looked around to find where everyone had gotten to while she’d been dealing with the other things. She spotted them separate from each other and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. What ever did Cortes even do around here besides drink and generally be a terrible manager? She glared at the other man as she passed, but didn’t say anything to him either as she headed back to Nabriales.

She placed the glass back down on the table and picked up her cigarette case to pull out another smoke offering it out to the other man as she did so. “So let’s see,” she started right away, lighting up and taking a drag. “Your experience is none, you’re not looking for a paycheck, and you seem totally up embarrassing your potential bosses.” She hummed softly, looking into the middle distance in thought for a moment. “What hours are you available to cover then?”

As Nabriales heard Masha returning from the kitchen he looked up at her with wide, bright eyes and his usual toothy smile. Putting his phone away, he placed his hands on the table as she sat and declined the cigarette that was offered. He raised his left eyebrow ever so slightly when she said "no experience" and actually laughed when she suggested that he had no problems with humiliating a potential employer.

"I'm free basically any time after 5 on weekdays, and free whenever on weekends! Give me the times whenever and I'll show up at a moment's notice!" He replied, taking another sip of the strawberry tequila sunrise that Cortes had refused. Having used his own liquor, the quality of the drink was superb - and though it didn't necessarily speak to his skill as a bartender as it was mostly good for the sake of being comprised of good ingredients, the alchemical augmentation did place it on a higher level. Seconds after swallowing the slightly sweet and slightly sour drink he could feel the edge of speaking to Cortes melt away. Leaving about half of the drink within the glass Nabriales set it down and nudged it across the table towards Masha, motioning for her to drink.

"You look like you could use something to take the edge off, hon. Satisfaction guaranteed!" Nabriales winked, giving Masha a knowing look about what had transpired within the kitchens. He'd not been here long, but from his brief interaction with Cortes it was quite immediately obvious to him what a snake in the grass Cortes was - and given Irma's outburst earlier and Cortes' somehow still arrogant sheepishness he could put two and two together.

---

Having dressed, armed himself, and departed his residence quickly, Mairyell flew high above many of Ominar’s buildings. The occasional star twinkled above him, and the moon was clearly visible, lighting his form with a pale glow.

His clothes rustling as he flew, Mairyell made his way to Raiden’s residence quickly. As he descended several smells began to catch his attention more than the rest. His eyes narrowed and he broke into a dive, folding his wings. The wind hurtled back against his body, clothes ripping back as he fell at tremendous speeds. The smells grew stronger still.

Blood. Fear. Death. Licentia.

His wings snapped open, his healing factor pushed to the max along with Brisn, and they still buckled after several seconds. He was prepared, arms and legs held out he slammed into the empty concrete sidewalk on all fours.

The concrete shattered, spraying artificial stone and particulate outwards for several meters. There had been microfractures in both his arms and legs on impact, but they had healed so fast that he didn’t take more than two seconds to rise to his feet, wings folding around him--whole where they had been broken seconds before.

Those few nearby were either gawking in his direction or dialing 911 to alert the authorities. He ignored them, eyes crimson, instead turning to the door of Raiden’s home. He dashed forwards, punching the door even as he released a burning blast of Brisn, vaporising it before it could even be sent across the house’s foyer.

The Shade made an irritated hiss at the interruption. Its grip tightened about Emmett’s throat causing slight bruising. The boy’s body still hung above the floor and began to wiggle in its grasp again. Red eyes glared at the foyer's direction as the Shade’s senses extended to a radius around itself. Including its fear aura.

Alice’s unmoved corpse laid halfway to the annexed kitchen. Her scent was still strong and marred by death.

Emmett’s figure continued to jerk and tug at the Shade’s grip. He couldn't find leverage on the bizarre, cold substance touching at his neck. It stopped him from prying it off. His breath became shallower and shallower the tighter it closed around him. A strange, terrifying need spilled into his core. Trying to suffocate him into place.

The sound was enough to wake Olivia. Emmett’s expression paled when he watched his younger half-sister stir from her slumber. Her figure propped up and she rubbed her eyes to clear the grit away.

“Emmett… what the-” Olivia ceased her thoughts when the Shade’s attention turned to her.

A thick, black tentacle-like shape rose from her bed’s shadow to silence her.

With one desperate action, Emmett managed to pull himself up for breath. He used it to yell, “RUN OLIVIA, NOW!”

She didn't move in her terror.

The air was thick with fear, death, and the essence of a licentia’s vis. A shade. He grit his teeth as the fear aura washed over him, eyes narrowing. Springing into the motion as he noted Alice’s corpse, blood coated his arms, chest, and back forming armor as it hardened.

The door to the kids’ room was ajar, and then it was gone, burned to ash by a flare of blue vis: Brisn once again. Mairyell took in the scene in half a second and reacted, slashing with superhuman speed, flecks of blood flying like bullets through the air. Bullets that lit afire with Brisn moments before striking the Shade.

“Release them and I might make your death swift,” he ordered, rage in his tone. He was already ready to move, muscles tensed, blue fiery vis burning off of him. His eyes were a deep red, and glowing. Surely he would look just as frightening as the monster that now held them in its clutches. At least he would be familiar. They’d recognize his voice and eyes immediately.

The Shade had been distracted by Olivia. Its appendage about to slap down and crush the child when Mairyell burst into the room. Its head turned to face the hunter. The shape enlarged and attempted to intimidate the threat.

Meanwhile the fear aura poured into Emmett’s very core. From his peripheral sight, the sight of the man brought relief. It tried to wrestle with the combination of real and enhanced fear surfacing in his head. A long second passed before he realized from where he recognized the individual.

Mairyell.

It was one of his father’s friends and fellow hunters. A dark, cold sensation twisted itself into his heart at seeing the man. Not because he wasn’t relieved to be rescued, but Alice should’ve been the one to bust in.

Unless she was….

He refused to say the word. If he didn’t say, it wouldn’t be true. Even though the logic failed him, it was the only comfort he could draw in the situation. The only thing to keep his focus from crumbling in the moment.

Noting the lack of fear in the hunter, the Shade jerked to the side and lifted Emmett to shield its main body. It wasn’t enough to completely protect itself.

Several of the blood bullets managed to sear across its dark figure causing it flinch in pain. The rest had managed to cut down the tentacle threatening Olivia.

It continued to keep Emmett’s back protecting her cores when Mairyell threatened it.

Reaching a hand up to touch its wound near its cheek, the Shade’s aura darkened into a mischievous one. It tightened its grip upon the boy. Once more, Emmett wheezed for breath and struggled.

“You interrupted my meal, half breed.”

The appendage curled back and whipped Emmett harshly at Mairyell.

“Your meal?” The Hunter said, and his eyes went wide. He suddenly faced sideways, tendrils of Blue Blood erupting from the wings he had wrapped around his body. The tendrils caught Emmett, pushed him to the side of the doorframe, and set him on the ground in an instant. Then Mairyell vanished.

Olivia disappeared in a blur the moment after and suddenly the Shade was in the room alone.

The kids would find themselves disoriented, but safe, in a bathroom lit with burning blue light.

The Shade would find itself feeling the heat of a similar flame of Brisn as Mairyell reappeared, stalking towards it.

“Let’s see how you enjoy being made a meal yourself.”

Fresh air. It flooded his lungs causing Emmett to gasp, his throat painful and tender from the Licenti’s grip. As his body was thrown to Mairyell, he curled into a ball. His main object was to protect his head and vital points. He expected to feel the brutal impact of the wall against his young body.

Nothing… Instead, Emmett found himself upright in some strange, glowing tendrils. His eyes widened when Mairyell seemed to vanish before him. Unable to process what exactly happened, they suddenly found themselves inside their bathroom.

He knew this because his eyes caught the fluffy pink and skull covered toilet seat. Alice did have odd tastes. The memory amused him for a brief moment as a calmness washed over him.

Emmett turned to his side and spotted Olivia, huddled and terrified, in the small room’s corner. Instantly he was crouched down to check her over carefully. Not a scratch, much to his relief. Emmett exhaled as he lifted upright and checked the door.

His hand turned it only to realize it was stuck. Great… he thought bitterly.

Meanwhile, the Shade lifted her arm to shield her from the Brisn, a feminine curvature hinted in the shape. Even her voice reflected it when she spoke again.

“You have to catch me first… I’ll finish what I started another time. I’m patient.”

Words lingered in the air while her figure shimmered and began to Shadow Walk away. Being nearest to Emmett’s bed provided an excellent escape.

Mairyell stopped his approach, glaring at her, and then smiling as she began phasing away into the shadows. Once she had vanished he whipped out his phone, chuckling to himself. He held down his first speed dial key and in moments he was ringing Aeris.

The moment she picked up he was speaking, and there would be a tone in his voice that she may have never heard. It was a strange mixture of amusement, anger, and urgency all rolled into one. “Close your eyes, follow my vis with your senses. There will be a Brisn flare in the location. You need to shadow walk here ASAP. Fully dressed obviously. There will be a dead body. In the bathroom there are two children. Their names are Emmett and Olivia. Take care of them. Neighbors and onlookers have likely already called the authorities. When they arrive show them your hunter’s license and drop my name. I’m hunting the criminal responsible. It’s a licentia, don’t tell them that last detail. Make sure the kids don’t see the body...it’s their mother. Got to go.” He hung up, stowed his phone in a pocket--which he then fastened shut--before drawing his favored gun, “ℛend”.

His eyes now glowing a bright purple, shining in the darkness of the lightless house. Making his way to the bathroom he marked a wall nearby with his vis, setting that vis aflame with Brisn. Yet it did no damage to the material. He placed a hand on the door and spoke, “Emmett, Olivia, you’re safe here. The blue glow you’re seeing will keep you safe from anything that might want to hurt you. My sister, a woman named Aeris, is going to be here in a few minutes to look after you. You’re going to be alright, understand. I’ll come back once I’ve taken care of some business. Take care of each other and listen to Aeris.”

This said he didn’t wait for questions and turned, stalking through the home, out the front door at which point he unfurled his giant black wings, a faint tinge of crimson shining off of them from the low lit hallway. He crouched down, flexing the muscles in his legs, his blood pumping faster than normal, Brisn channeling through his whole body.

He moved, and he was a blur of red and black, with streaks of light from his purple eyes left behind in his wake. The window at the end of the hallway shattered as he rocketed through the glass. He left behind no blood.

---

Aeris, having already gotten dressed after Mai left, was sitting on his couch, a bowl of soup in her hands. On the coffee table sat her phone, silent. Part of her was worried, but she knew that Mai would come back. He always did.

Then, as if answering her thoughts, the phone rang. WIthout even looking at it, she knew it was Mai. In one quick motion, she answered, “He-” Before she could finish the word, Mai was speaking. His voice was clipped, his words rushed. Calming worried thoughts, she listened to him until he hung up.

Even before the line went dead, she had already made her way to the wall and was walking through her shadow.

It took her roughly five minutes to arrive where Mairyell had left his marker. A wall across from a closed door. Logic told her that was the bathroom, and so she silently crept around the house, surveying the surroundings.Within the foyer, she found Alice’s corpse. Carefully, she guided shadows over the woman’s body so that it blended with the darkness. Once that was done she returned to the bathroom. “Emmett, Olivia. My name is Aeris. Mairyell sent me. I’m going to open the door, alright?” Her voice was gentle, though there was urgency in it, as she wasn’t sure of the state of the children. If they didn’t answer her, she would have to pull the door from its hinges.

Emmett fought over the instinct to keep the door closed.

As Aeris spoke through the door, Emmett’s head turned toward Olivia. His sister pressed close to the shower’s far wall. Her arms crossed over her curled up legs against her body. She was completely terrified.

That sight made the choice for him as he answered, stepping back.

“Yeah. Did it leave again?” The words poured out before he could restrain them.

“As far as I can tell. Seems like Mai went after it.” Aeris spoke calmly as her hand reached for the knob. Upon finding that the door would not budge, she gripped the knob a little tighter, and jerked.

The door came free of its frame rather easily, and she leaned it against the wall gently. “Sorry for the mess.” She spoke softly, more to the apartment than to the children. Once her iridescent blue eyes settled on the children, she smiled warmly at them. The girl, she assumed to be Olivia was cowering in the corner, and Aeris couldn’t help but walk over to her. Carefully, she picked the girl up, and held her close, one of her hands gently stroking the girl’s hair. When she spoke again, it was in Olivia’s ear, while locking eyes with Emmett. “Everything’s going to be alright. The police are on their way, let’s go out to the sidewalk and wait for them, shall we?”

Emmett tensed when the door jiggled a little before it opened. On impulse, his hands rested at his side in fists and stood between Aeris and his sister. A protective brother against any possible threat. Trust seemed to be the last thing on his mind in the aftermath.

He relaxed, slightly, upon seeing the woman. There were some traits that made him think of Mairyell, but enough differences that draw worry.

His eyes watched Aeris scoop up Olivia, who clung to the vampire and hugged her tightly for comfort. She was trembling like a leaf. Tears glistened on her cheeks while she rested her head on the shoulder. She didn’t fight the touch and instead was drawn to it.

Emmett nodded, but couldn’t help the questions.

“Where’s Alice? Have you called my dad? I don’t want to leave until he knows where we’re at. He’s working and will worry.”

His tone was indifferent and calm, but he didn’t know how long it would last.

“I don’t know your dad, but I can get his number from the IHO. I’d rather we were outside the apartment, however. The police will need us out of the crime scene. As for Alice, I haven’t seen anyone but you two. I’m sorry.” With her words spoken, a warm and gentle lilt to her voice, she placed her hand on Emmett’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. Silently, she bid him to follow her outside, where it would be safer to wait for his father, and the police.

Emmett didn’t fight the nudging. His feet shuffled toward the exit, unaware of the reality in the room. In one last motion, he paused and his eyes glanced over his shoulder. He partly expected to find Alice’s dead body laying there on the floor. There was only shadows and silence.

He inhaled and continued to follow Aeris outside.

Once all of them were standing on the sidewalk, Aeris closed her eyes briefly, and the shadows that had been camouflaging Alice’s body dissipated. Gently, she squeezed Olivia’s small form which she still held in her arms, letting the girl cry against her shoulder.

After a moment, she adjusted how she was standing, so that she could hold Olivia’s weight in one arm--moreso to appear Human to the children, so as to not frighten them anymore--and then slid her cellphone out of her pocket. A few numbers were dialed and she was connected to a desk clerk within the IHO. She gave the woman her ID number, and then asked for Raiden’s phone number. When asked for clarification, she gave his street address. Once the information was given, his cell number was recited, and she hung up with the clerk.

When she dialed Raiden’s number, however, no one answered and it went to voicemail. With a frown, she looked at Emmett. “Emmett, is he on a hunt? He’s not picking up, so I figure it’s probably because he’s tracking something.” Aeris’ voice was calm as she speculated, and waited for the child’s answer.

Emmett frowned. His expression shifted into confusion as he looked at Aeris. His head shook in disbelief.

“No. He wouldn’t turn it off on a hunt. Not after the last time, he would make sure to have it on silent. Try again.”

Following the child’s suggestion, she tried again to no avail. She looked at Emmett, and shook her head. “Do you want to try?” She asked, calmly, her phone outstretched toward him.

Emmett nodded, then reached for the phone. He pressed the call button and pressed it to his ear. Anxiety began to replace the numbness in his body. His foot tapped the concrete as he waited for the dial tone to end and his father to pick up.

“Come on… come on… Please pick up.”

Nothing. Emmett admitted defeat, his hand passed the phone back.

“Something’s wrong. He wouldn’t shut it off. He was too worried this would happen. I don’t understand.”
Aeris looked at the boy as she slid her phone back into her jacket pocket. “Don’t worry, Emmett, everything’ll be alright.” As she spoke, she shuffled Olivia back into both of her arms, her hand returning to idly stroking the girl’s hair.

Ten minutes passed and the police arrived, approaching Aeris and the kids while others, armed and ready, entered the building to investigate and cordon off the crime scene. A woman who appeared to be in charge, approached Aeris.

Aeris looked at the woman, and once again adjusted Olivia’s position in her arms so that she could show her Hunter’s License.

Eyeing the license briefly, the woman nodded “Alright, we’ll consider the kids under IHO protection for now. Leave us a way to contact you and take the kids somewhere more safe and comfortable.” She met Aeris’ eyes.

Aeris nodded, and recited her full name, her address, Hunter’s ID number, and cellphone number for the woman to contact her should the police need something. Then, she slid her license back into her pocket, and grabbed her cellphone. From there, she called a car to come and pick them up.

While the woman did seem to recognize Aeris’ name she didn’t say anything and instead kept things professional. Once she had the necessary information she dismissed Aeris and walked away to join her team.

Emmett looked to Aeris, his thoughts and worries intertwining in his heart. It made it uncomfortable to be in his own skin. His eyes studied Aeris then shifted to the cop. As the conversation drew to a close, and the officer walked away, Emmett spoke up.

“What now?”

“I’m going to take you to my house, we’ll be safe there. I’ll call Mai and let him know once we get there.” As she spoke, a black sedan pulled up to the curb. A man in a suit stepped out of the driver’s side door, and opened the back door for the children and Aeris. The woman waited for Emmett to get in before gently pressing Olivia into her body as she ducked into the car herself.

Emmett, though resistant at first, nodded. He couldn’t just stay here with the cops. With any luck and hope, his father or Alice would be picking them up. Then things would return to normal once more.

Silently, he crawled into the car to the middle. His eyes turned to watch Aeris slide in. Olivia still whimpered and sniffled at her side, gradually falling back to sleep in her state of mind. His expression softened at his sister’s mood.

It took them about 30 minutes to ride from the children’s apartment to Aeris’ rather large house. Once the sedan pulled into the driveway, Aeris dialed Mai’s number on her cellphone. When he didn’t answer, she left a message. “The kids and I are at my place. Drop by once you’re done.” Once she hung up the phone, the driver opened the door. When she and Emmett got out of the car, they would be able to see a 3 story brick and mortar house nestled delicately into a treeline.

Sometime during the drive, Olivia had fallen asleep once more. It seemed Aeris’ comfort had been enough to ease his sister. He was grateful but questions and the need for answers still persisted inside him.

Emmett turned to Aeris, his figure waiting just outside the car. His eyes seemed to harden a bit. Though none of the emotional issues were at Aeris, the look just showed he knew something was wrong.

No amount of comfort was going to ease that realization.

“Alice’s not coming to get us… is she?” He began searching for answers.

Aeris looked at the boy, her ever glowing eyes meeting his. “Honestly, probably not. That doesn’t mean your dad won’t, though.” Aeris’ voice was calm, and ever gentle. Once she’d given him her response, she walked up to the doorstep with Olivia in her arms, and opened the door for him to come inside. Once she and Olivia were in the house, Aeris put the girl down gently on her couch, and ventured a few feet down the hallway.

When she returned, she covered the girl with a blanket.

The house was pristine, with elegant decor furnishing every inch. In the living room where she had put Olivia down, there were two couches, with a coffee table in between them, as well as a large TV hanging on the wall.

Once she thought Olivia was comfortable enough, she sat down on the other end of the same couch and waited for Emmett.

Emmett walked inside and closed the door behind him. His words became silent as he watched his sister set upon the couch. Aeris naturally came back with a blanket to wrap her up in as she continued to sleep off the trauma. Feeling too wired to sleep, Emmett lowered himself into the nearest recliner. He later fell fast asleep.

Little did he know that a cloying darkness stirred inside him.

---

The night beckoned him and he answered its call, glass scattered in the air behind him, his great crimson wings spread wide, form hurtling through the air. Each breath, each movement, brought him closer to his query.

The Shade thought she could run and hide, but only the former was possible, and she couldn’t run forever. With his gun still in hand, Mairyell soared over the city and every time the Shade surfaced he aimed and fired.

Even with wind resistance and bullet fall off, his bullets full of Brisn hit the shadows she emerged from 7 times out of 10. With Brisn in her system to any degree she would slowly find her strength sapped and will flagging. He waited, eyes closed as he soared, using his hearing and smell to navigate a middle ground as she ‘bounced’ between shadows in different directions, trying to throw him off the trail.

Then, all at once, her scent faded. His eyes opened and he angled off, feet striking the flat roof of a skyscraper as he slid to a stop, wings flapping once. He took in the air and the vis within it.

Nothing. He exhaled and a smile came over his face, amusement turning his crimson eyes purple. He chuckled lightly and it mounted into a laugh as he shook his head and spoke aloud, “Had me for a second, but illusions are tricky to get right when you don’t understand your target’s senses properly.” He turned around in a swift spin, a grin plastered across his face. He released a tiny, weak pulse of Brisn, shattering the illusion by absorbing it, to reveal a number of shadowy tendrils striking out at him. He didn’t move fast enough and so they pierced him.

Lifting up its would be prey, the Shade slid its shadowy limbs all the way through the vampire’s body, impaling him on them. He laughed.

The Shade’s features screwed up in frustration and then pain, as the Hunter’s blood began to disintegrate her limbs. The blood rapidly began traveling up the tendrils and he watched as the Shade’s eyes widened, as it yelped, and then severed its own limbs, sinking into a shadow to escape.

“Hahaha, oh, I’m almost glad you showed up. I’d been itching for a good hunt. Still, shame about Alice, a real damn shame. Those kids too, they won’t be forgetting you. Of course, that’ll be the only thing you’ll be living on in: Their memories.” His amusement vanished with those last two words as he leapt back into the air, wings unfurling as if from nowhere. He was airborne once more, following her trail as she hopped further and further between shadows.

Her vis signature was getting weaker by the moment and it wasn’t because she was getting further away. About ten minutes passed of him following her at which point he landed on another roof and sat down. Taking in a deep breath he memorized the scent of her blood, of her vis, of her lifeforce, and then closed his eyes and waited.

---

Two hours passed of him sitting, waiting, meditating, and checking his phone. He sent a text to Aeris that read “Alive and Well. Hunting the Shade. Kids alright? No word from Raiden.”

Sending the message, his gaze lingering on Aeris’ name for a moment, he almost missed the moment that the Shade’s signature stopped moving. Pocketing his phone he pushed himself to his feet and took in another deep breath, Brisn pumping through his veins.

Revitalizing his body and pumping adrenaline through his system, he walked to the edge of the building and drew ℛend once more. Taking aim in the direction of the Shade he let the scent of the Shade ruminate in his mind as he expanded his senses via a healthy dose of Brisn and vis. Sounds grew sharper, smells more distinct, sensations almost uncomfortable against his skin.

He raised his arm higher, angling the muzzle of the gun upwards from his intended target, then adjust for wind resistance over the mile or four between them. Small slits in his skin sliced open as he punctured his own flesh with blood, letting the liquid flow up his arms and into the gun. It glowed a fierce blue, pulsating with his heartbeat.

He exhaled and shot once, twice, three times. He spread his wings and took off, pushing himself more than before as he climbed. Then he dove.

---

Hiding in the darkness in the outskirts of Ominar nursing her wounds, the Shade shuddered faintly, its form expanded to fill the entire warehouse. Having eaten a few people on her way to her lair, she felt a bit better. Still, she didn’t feel certain that she had shaken the Hunter, not certain at all.

How the hell was he finding her to begin with? Why had stabbing him hurt her It was like his blood had been acidic….

...and god those eyes, always changing colors. Piercing blue, dark crimson, and purple. She frowned, the narrow glowing eyes and mouth in the darkness shifting slightly. Those traits sounded familiar somehow.

Acidic blood. Eyes that shifted between three colors. Hunter. Vampire.

Wait. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t be that unlucky, right?

The north wall suddenly fractured in one spot from two impacts. Then a burning sensation lit up part of her extended shadow form, and she screamed as blue flames spiraled outwards through her, lighting the inside of the warehouse and engulfing her in pain even as they slowly began to fade.

Fuck, she thought, I’m dealing with Sanguine.

---

Form cutting through the sky like a bullet wreathed in blue flames, Mairyell made his approach. It only took him three minutes to cross the distance between him and his prey. Extending Brisn in front of himself, he increased the acidity of the blood throughout his body. He could almost feel it shifting to a black coloration before the Brisn absorbed a significant portion of it. He felt lightheaded for about ten seconds before his Core outputted enough vis and blood to replenish his body.

Thus, the Brisn struck the roof of the warehouse before he did, effectively ‘burning’ through it with the stored acidity of his blood. He opened his wings, they slowed him, broke, reformed and then held. He redirected his Brisn at the ground and used it to slow himself further.

The cement floor of the warehouse still cratered from his landing.

Eyes glowing purple in the darkness, he felt himself pierced from several directions by tendrils. He released a blast of Brisn, disintegrating all of the Shade’s vis directly around his body, before transmuting the remaining energy he’d released into an aura.

"I won’t come easy, Sanguine,” the Shade roared, condensing herself into a much smaller space within the warehouse. The air seemed to warp around Mairyell as the licentia exerted her vis on the shadows in the warehouse, using them like a physical force to press against his aura.

He stalked towards her, gaze meeting hers. The pressure grew as the distance shortened and he found himself slowing down. Gritting his teeth he exhaled, flaring the aura of Brisn around him with each breath. He kept moving.

“This isn’t enough to stop me, Shade. You’ll have to try much harder than that.” As if on cue, his Brisn flared, flickered, then faltered, the sensation of it in his form dimming as well. His brow raised before his eyes widened, the Shade’s gaze suddenly right before him, its form enveloping him, he felt just the faintest thread of wariness enter him.

Steeling himself, he tried to exert Brisn, but it was in vain. The only way that was possible was if she was using some kind of anti-magic, which was...rare for a being of her sort. Dangerous too. Sadly, that sort of thing only worked to deal with proper spells. Taking a breath he exhaled, and let his skin split in a hundred places, releasing blood from his body. He couldn’t control it, but that didn’t matter. He moved, using his prodigious strength to escape the Shade’s clutches.

It was like trying to run underwater. It took a few moments, but finally he got up to speed and increased his blood output, releasing streams of it like whips and trails as he moved.

The pressure lessened, as did the intensity of the dispell, allowing him to channel Brisn through his body again. Immediately he could run faster, shifting into a blur as he circled the licentia.

She lashed out at him, and occasionally hit, quite nearly cleaving an arm off at least twice. Her hold weakened further, his speed increased, until he jumped into the air above her, and stopped. Unveiling his wings he sent a blast of air downwards at her and the blood that had been building the air around her form, held there by the pressure of the shadow’s under her control, suddenly struck inwards. The droplets came together into numerous needles, and pierced her. She screamed, the burning of the acidic blood harming her even as she was.

He fell onto her, talons made from blood digging into the shadows of her body, pinning her down as his wings wrapped around her. Claws made from blood digging in as he closed his hands on her. The needles of blood merged with his crimson wings, and a cocoon formed around her form. A blue glow spread across the blood, trapping her completely.

He rose from her, wings melting into his form as he stood over the trapped licentia. Raising his hand he made a few lanterns from Brisn, lighting the area around him. No screams. No reaction. Good. He only smelled her scent from within the cage of blood.

“We’re going to take this slow, Shade. I’m going to bite this little prison I’ve made, and drain your vis until you’re a barely conscious group of soul cores. When I am satisfied that you have suffered enough, I’m going to take you to my associates. They’ll decide what to do with you. Scum.” He then sat down, texted Aeris that he’d be available tomorrow, and set to work.

---

---

Masha had headed home for a quick change and a chance to decompress for a few moments. There was so much to do at the club. There was so much to do with Nikki. And she was somewhat regretting jumping so quickly into this deal with Darius and the club. She might have been a little over confident about things. She might have bitten off a little more than she could chew. Thankfully her little boutique was going to be fine without too much of her input for the time being. But this might have been a bigger challenge than she should have taken on.

But right now, she wasn’t going to think too much about any of that. Right now she was going to take a shower and head over to Darius’ place and spend the rest of the night indulging in his companionship. She stripped out of her heels as she came into the door of her apartment, settling down on her couch before her newest little companion hopped up onto her lap, it’s weight lighter than his living counterparts. “I’m sorry I’ve not been here much tiny one,” she said softly, running a finger lightly over the zombie cat’s spine before she settled down. “My attention has been drawn elsewhere.” It meowed horsley and curled up, not letting Masha go any time soon. “Guess I should probably ask Afua if you have a tendency to turn others to your side,” she said with a soft hum, feeling the soft rumble of a purr coming from the creature's chest.

She hadn't meant to, but she drifted off for short while. Shaking her head clear she headed to the shower after gently dislodging the cat from her lap. After a quick blow dry of her hair that had gotten a little damp, she pulled on a short, vintage cut black dress patterned with cat skeletons and a pair of black heels. Her new home companion looked at her from the new perch on her bed (which was still made as she'd not slept in it yet) with an almost laughing look in her slowly milking eyes. “I'll take that as approval,” Masha said with a smug smirk. “See you later furry one,” she said with a wave as she headed out the bedroom and the apartment in general.

And for the first time, she was actually sober enough to drive herself to Darius’ place. It was actually probably the first time she'd driven in the city at all. Well maybe the second. And she was proud that she only got little lost once. Just hopefully she would be sober and not too hungover in the morning so she could drive herself into work.

Darius typed away on his computer. His eyes flickered from the keyboard to the screen in a trained habit. Claws tapped each letter with surprising gentleness. The words flowed in precision before reaching the end of the document. Casually he reached for a tablet and signed his name to the very end. With the last touches finished, he clicked send before his vulpine head tilted up. He saw Masha being let into his office.

A twinkle of lust and excitement at her presence filled his features.

Easily he pulled up from his chair and stepped to meet her, his figure careful not to brush the desk. Though he wasn’t expecting her, he obviously wasn’t disappointed in her arrival.

“Interesting fashion selection. Afua would approve of it, certainly.” Darius said as he paused to set his computer to a screen saver.

His figure strolled over, still resisting the urge to eye her up, as he debated with himself. Granted, he already seen her at her finest and most natural. An experience he enjoyed each time.

“I’ve been updated by Afua over some of the recent events. However, I prefer to compare notes from the source. Would you like something strong to drink?”


Maha smiled slyly at the look his face took on at her appearance. “I'm sure she would,” she laughed, genuinely amused. “Her gifted pet approved as well.” She took a step into the room, moving in further as he came towards her as well. She stood, just behind the chair that faced in towards his desk from the other side, one hand placed on the back of it as if considering if she was going to sit just then.

But then he turned the conversation over to less fun matters and she sighed slightly. “Yes, please,” she said with another soft sigh. “It’s been a very trying day, and it did not start off all that well either.” It had, somewhat, waking up at his place after another fun night. But work itself was a problem almost from the moment she walked into the door.

“I’ll admit, Afua’s ‘pets’ have some charm to them. Even when in a decomposing state.” Darius’ tone hinted to an aversion to Afua’s undead creatures.

He liked the necromancer, but her fascination had unforeseeable quirks. She often surrounded herself in corpses. Sadly, the odor began to linger upon her person. Whenever the scent filled his nostrils, his fur electrified into an alert state.

He found it distracting when he tried to hold a conversation some times.

Darius, the thought pushed to the back of his mind, opened his cabinets. He selected the Grenache bottle and two flutes, then turned back to the desk. The dark liquid cascaded into the V bottom and topped it off.

Darius passed it to Masha while he poured his own. He continued his idle conversation, intend on finishing what she started at his own pace.

“Feel free to elaborate.” Darius began to resume his seat across from her, intently looking at her.

She took the drink with a thankful smile, settling herself down into the chair at last. She took a drink, a big drink, before she spoke. “I should have listened to you better,” she murmured after a few moments, looking down at her lap instead of up at him. “I...he…”

She had been pushing these thoughts to back of her head all day, trying so very hard to not think too much about the details of what Cortes had had done to Nikki. Because thinking about it not only made her angry, it made her remember all the things she'd gone through too. Things she'd worked very hard at reprising through drug and alcohol abuse. Not that what had happened had left her in the same physical state, but she understood all too well what Nikki would be feeling once the physical pain was gone.

“They beat her and raped her and left her for dead in her own apartment,” she murmured softly, swirling the dark liquid about in her glass, watching it form little whirlpools. “And all because I thought she was pretty and I could flirt the info I wanted out of her before bedding her.”

She was quiet for a moment, obviously brooding some before looking up at him at last, her eyes a bright gold that showed a sort of excitement that wasn’t the quite the same as looks she’d given him in the last few days, but wasn’t that far off either. “I want to rip his cock off, shove it down his throat, and watch as he chokes to death on it. Then I’ll take every one of his useless, piece of shit thugs, and make sure they truly understand what it is they done before I help end their worthless lives.”

Darius, unfazed by her words, leaned back into his chair. His vulpine eyes studied her reaction to her first taste of Ominar’s underbelly. It seemed to be quite the eye opener. He sipped his drink and savored it, then gave his two cents over the matter.

“I wish it was that easy. Sadly it’s not.” Darius set his drink down and folded his hands across his lap. His intense eyes continued to lock with her.

“Appearance is important. Those under my employ and I can’t be unreasonable or the smaller fish might rally together in defense. This can be costly. Bigger sharks are often attracted by blood in the water.”

He inhaled. “I’ll be a gentleman and advise you to consider this a lesson. Now…what do you intend to do about it?”

Masha sighed and finally took a rather big drink. When that was down, she looked back at him and shrugged a little bit. “I am not fully sure of that right now,” she said a little reluctantly. “I don't know him well enough to know the best way to make him emotionally pay before I get rid of him. But I will make sure that he pays properly.”

She took another healthy drink before putting the glass down on his desk. “I do know he’s cocky enough to think that Nikki is all taken care of and that he can so easily get rid of me as well. He isn't very smart at being all that secretive. I mean, he plotted right in the same building I was in and could have easily walked in on.”

“Cortes is arrogant, not ignorant. If he’s acting stupid, there’s a reason. Possibly to increase your confidence so you’ll misstep. I’ve attempted to confront him and bring the hammer down in the past. Such actions had strained relationships I hadn’t expected.”

Darius pointed out his own experience with Cortes. Though it might've seem difficult to believe, he pushed caution against assumption. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. That last incident had been more hassle to clean than worth it. “It also could be someone other than yourself he’s trying to fool. How much do you really know of him?”

Masha pursed her lips, not enjoying that he always seemed to nay say what she said. Not that he was doing so to hurt her feelings she knew, which is why she didn’t say anything about it. But that didn’t mean she was happy about it either. “Well I wouldn’t act on anything without looking into it first,” she said with a passive little shrug of her shoulders, trying, and failing a little bit at not sounding like she was annoyed with him. “Honestly, not much. But given that I’ve been in town all of a week and only just had to know him. And I’ve had his mess to start cleaning up as well…” She trailed off some, shrugging again.

Darius’ right eyebrow lifted.

Through his expression remained neutral, he wasn’t quite use to the hint of attitude in his employees' words. Perhaps he should allow her to once more learn the hard way. This time having an employee die in her care due to ‘accidents’ and aiding Cortes’ bigger plot.

“If you rather learn the lessons the hard way, I will avoid any conversation and allow things to play out. As long as it doesn’t interfere with what I request for payment…”

The last words held a hint of warning. If she continued to get frustrated with him, he would no longer assist her. Darius inhaled, calming himself inwardly.

“I’m not dismissing your ideas, but offering other possible reasons based on what I last knew. Cortes has changed, but still has a talent for getting under people’s skin. Even doing it in a way you can’t exactly publicly slap him for. He will also discover Ms. Patel is alive one day.”

Darius took another sip of his drink. “You’re intelligent and resourceful enough to figure out his motives. I’m merely curious to the how.”

He didn’t genuinely compliment people, but Masha’s father and brother spoke highly of her. Darius expected more than he likely should from her.

Her cheeks colored at his words, making her feel childish for acting the way she did. Which only further reminded her of their age difference. Something she was sure that he was going to realize sooner rather than later and things would take a very quick turn for them. “It’s not that…” she said, looking up and sounding defensive. “I’m just...it’s not...I’m not used to being wrong or taken advantage of. Not anymore at least....” She trailed off for a moment, letting that hint of sadness and anger flash through quickly before she shoved it all back down again.

“I want your advice,” she went on when she was calmer again. “You know him better. I’ve already made sure that Nikki and her boy have better protection now. And I will double check it all in the morning as well.”

She flushed more at his compliment, as limited as it might have been, smirking the littlest bit smugly when she looked away. “I won’t let you down, I promise.”

Darius didn’t fully react beyond listening. He silently appreciated her regret of her behavior. Temper was best only when you needed to make a point and could do so with very little repercussions.

He let the moment linger. The lack of reaction to her pain might’ve seemed cold and distant, but it was only a mask. In fact, he could relate dangerously well to the type of experiences Masha mentioned.

Darius wasn’t here to give life lessons to her though or share his own past.

“I hope not. I don’t want to have to make an example of you and risk hurting my connections with your family. As for Ms. Patel and her son, they won’t be safe forever.”

It was hard, cold fact.

“As I said, Cortes has changed his tactics but he still is arrogant. If he’s doing things near you, he might not see you as a threat. Something you could play off of.”

Darius leaned forward as he continued.

“One thing you pointed out is that you really don’t know him. Take a few months to change that. Study where he goes, who he meets and his behavior. You have Afua, but I suggest you find someone with unique skills to help you when she leaves.”

She nodded her head, smiling at him some. She was glad that he'd not asked her to elaborate just now on past trauma. She knew that he wouldn't know about any of it. Because her father certainly didn't, and her brother only hardly knew. And she knew that Sergei wouldn't say anything to anyone, even Vlad. Not that she maybe wouldn't have liked if he would have asked, but she was least alright with not having to talk about it just then.

“I have open interviews tomorrow for our lacking staff,” she said with another nod of her head.

“Hopefully someone interesting and useful shows up to fill in just that role.” And she was sure that she could. Or at least get someone to be completely on her side that she could use to her advantage against him. And she would make sure of just that.

Darius felt he had enough business for the moment. As he digested her words, his figure rose upright. He walked casually around his desk to approach her. The vulpine eyes traced her skin. His attention traveled from her dress’ outline down to the meat of her legs, each peaking out from the skirt. It was obvious what he was thinking about.

“I have few… interesting employees that make me question my sanity. They are useful, but sometimes I wonder if they are worth the headache. Keep me updated on anyone that catches your eye.”

His figure leaned against the desk as he smirked.

“I’m pleased to say our business has reached its end for today.”

Masha watched as he walked around his desk, seeing easily what he was doing and where his eyes were at. This time, when her cheeks colored, it wasn't for anything embarrassing, but the thrill of what he was offering with that look. She tried not to squirm too much, sliding her one leg over the other tapping her foot with tattoo around her ankle to a beat in her head.

When she looked up at him, she smirked as well, her look a little more sly than his. “Well I'm very pleased to hear that,” she murmured, standing up and taking the few short steps to stand right in front of him. “Perhaps I can interest you in something a little more personal?”

---

Sunlight trickled through the drapery, as the scent of cooking food drifted through the house. Aeris had been awake since 8 AM, but had only just started making food for the children who were sleeping in her living room. She moved through her kitchen, prepping ingredients, and checking other dishes to see if they were done. The kitchen she was working in was rather spacious, allowing her room to move even with how much she was trying to cook.

Granite-topped counters lined the walls, with cabinets above, and below them. In the corner of the kitchen sat a refrigerator with two doors, and a drawer that served as a freezer on the bottom. On one of the doors of the refrigerator was a small, 6” LED panel that could tell you what she had in the appliance, and what she needed to get at the store. On the left side of the fridge, there was what looked to be an open closet door. In actuality, it was her pantry, which was simply a room completely lined with shelves. On the other side of the pantry door was her stove, its burners all covered by something she was cooking. Above the stove, her microwave was mounted into a small section of cabinets. Next to the stove, a counter moved along the outer edge of the wall, forming an L-shape as a barrier around the majority of the kitchen. Nearest to the stove there was a double-bowl sink laid within the granite, and presumably pipes, and plumbing in the cabinet beneath it. Next to the sink nestled into its own space beneath the counter was a top of the line dishwasher. On the other side of the L-shaped counter were several chairs for people to sit and eat at the counter if they wished to, though the dining room was clearly visible from the kitchen itself.

As Aeris cooked, she couldn’t help but think about things she’d likely have to do today. The children would need clothes, so she’d probably have to take them shopping if they couldn’t get back into their apartment to grab their belongings. She had to drop by the office, mostly to save face since she hadn’t gone into work the previous day. She was the CEO after all. The question was: could she bring the children with her? Or, would Mai be able to watch them for an hour or so?

Most importantly, however, her mind wandered to their father. How long would it be before he came to get them?

Olivia stirred.

Her hand reached up and thumbed away the sleeping grit in her eyes. Blurriness faded from her vision while she sat upright. Her memory was unable to place the unfamiliar surroundings.

What happened?

The question pushed and pawed at her heart in a dark fashion. Something bad had happened. She knew this, but her thoughts couldn’t fathom what quite yet. Trying to understand it, Olivia couldn’t fully grasp it. It was like smoke within her fingers. Elusive and distant, but always present in right front of her.

Not lingering on the sickening twist in her core, the young girl pulled her legs over the sofa edge and rose to her feet. Hunger gurgled at her middle causing her to frown at her middle.

Being in a strange place, she concluded this wasn’t the best time to consider eating. Not until she found out more about where she is.

Olivia took a breath then glanced over to the recliner. She relaxed upon seeing Emmett, dozing away. At least her brother was with her. Her nose scrunched and inhaled, noticing a wonderful aroma. Curiosity driving her, Olivia edged toward the source.

Exiting the dining room, she stopped at the door frame when she spied a lithe, pretty woman cooking. Her stomach growled deeper in protest at her stalling.

“Hello?” Olivia said quietly.

Upon hearing the small titter of footsteps, Aeris’ head lifted from one of the vegetables she was chopping, to see who was coming. When she saw Olivia, she smiled warmly at her, blue eyes resting on her face as she spoke. “Good morning, Olivia. Would you like something to eat?” Her voice was warm, though her head moved to keep track of the chopping she was doing. Once the vegetable was chopped, and without another word, Aeris walked over to the stove and began removing pans from its burners.

Delicately, she plated what was in each of the pans, then sat them on the counter facing Olivia.

Olivia’s eyes wandered over the various foods. Several were very common to her as her mother often cooked them. Others felt more exotic. Her eyes lingered over a few blueberry pancakes and a stovetop quince.

Ignoring everything she was taught, aside from manners, Olivia took a seat at the counter.

“Yes…. Please. I’m starved. Is there any strawberry and blueberry short cake?”

She looked for the red and blue fruit laced bread among the various foods. It wasn’t hard to miss the skillet. It looked surprisingly too gorgeous to eat in her opinion. Olivia smiled as she leaned forward to catch a whiff. She loved the sweet scent when the dish was done in the skillet. The butter seemed to add a crispy, baked-liked quality to it.

The girl plopped back down on her seat before she looked to Aeris. Her eyes studied the woman a moment as the name popped into her head.

“Your name is Aeris, right?”

Olivia’s arms folded under her chest before she began to fix herself a plate, her curiosity overwhelming her need for food.

As Olivia sat herself down, Aeris simply smiled, and continued working on other various dishes. Though, she did watch the girl from the corner of her eye while she worked. Before she could answer her question about the shortcake, Olivia seemed to spot it, and then began fixing herself a plate.

Upon hearing the question about her name, Aeris nodded. “That’s right. Let me know if you need any help with that.” She spoke, momentarily digging through a drawer and retrieving a knife, fork, and spoon, and setting them down beside Olivia’s plate.

She then returned to preparing more food.

Olivia nodded then tucked in. The knife sliced through the bread-like substance and into the fruit. It was soft and juicy. The dish was moister than she expected. She leaned in to take a bite then smiled. It melted on her tongue causing her to hum in delight. She chewed it a bit and watched Aeris return to her frying.

“Can I help? Emmett doesn’t like spinach in his omelets. He prefers mushrooms, cheese, and pepperoni in his. He says cooked spinach is weird.”

Olivia stated when she noted Aeris about to place the green vegetable in.

She really thought it was odd that Emmett didn’t like spinach in his omelet. Especially when he couldn’t taste it among the other ingredients. Shrugging that off, she bit into another piece of her meal. Her pace showed how hungry she was as her meal was gone in a flash.

“Aren’t you going to eat as well? Do you want me to set you a plate? What do you enjoy to eat?”

Questions flew from her lips, driven by the desire to feed her inner knowledge. Olivia had picked up a few scoops of another skillet. The egg yolks broke and spilled over bacon and sausage, all of it cooked together.

Aeris chuckled a little, pulling back from putting the spinach into the eggs. Quickly, she walked over to the refrigerator, and grabbed pepperoni from one of the shelves. After chopping, and then dicing a few slices, she placed it within the omelet, which she sat on on one of the back burners to cook. “Thanks for the heads up.” The vampire spoke with a grin just as Olivia asked if she’d be eating as well. “Ah. I do plan on eating, but I’d rather you enjoyed your food. I wouldn’t be a proper host if I let my guest serve me, now would I?” Aeris smiled at the girl, and then took a few moments to think about the other question she’d asked. “Hm… I have a pretty big sweet tooth, so I think my favorite thing to eat is probably chocolate cheesecake.”

Olivia nodded, happy to help. Her fork went for some of the sausages and once more took a few more bites before commenting.

“I hope you bake it better than my mom. She burnt the last one during Emmett’s birthday last year. My dad tried to eat it. It was funny watching his face.”

A smirk erupted across her lips as she thought about her parents, savoring the memory. She picked at her food a little before she asked another question.

“Did you get a hold of dad? Is he coming to get us? Or someone else coming?”

Olivia knew better than comment on Alice, her mom’s whereabouts unknown. The dark sensation seemed to grow in her gut over the thought of her mom. It didn’t help last night was a complete blur. She partly thought it was a dream until she woke up here.

As Aeris meandered around the kitchen, listening to Olivia all the while with a small smile on her face, she sat the last thing in the oven to bake: A chocolate cheesecake.

When the child asked about her father, however Aeris frowned, “I haven’t been able to, but I left a message on Mairyell’s cell, so I’m sure he’ll go and look for your dad. Until your dad comes to get you, though, I’ll be taking care of you. I hope that’s alright.”

“I won’t have a problem with it. Emmett might get restless and antsy, but he’ll be fine.”

Olivia bounced a bit in her seat. Her figure leaned around the counter and spied the cheesecake being placed into the oven. She couldn’t wait for it. As she settled back down and continued to eat her meal, her mind drifted to last night.

“Last night was really weird. What happened?”

Any additional questions were dismissed when she spied movement in her peripheral vision. Her body spun in place to face Emmett edging into the room. He was pale in color causing her eyes to narrow in concern. He didn’t look well.

“Emmett, you alright?”

Before Aeris could answer Olivia’s question about what occurred the previous night, she heard movement, and turned around just as the girl was asking her brother if he was alright.

It was clear to Aeris he wasn’t feeling well. “Morning, Emmett. Are you hungry?” She asked, the concern clear in her voice.

Emmett rubbed his eyes. This fingers worked to clear the watering from them and see better. It took a moment for him to speak as his head was light and unbalanced, like a case of vertigo. His arm stretched out to use the wall to keep him steady along the way to the counter.

“I just slept terrible is all, Olive.”

Olivia frowned, not fully liking the nickname, as she turned back to her meal. She immediately reached for the cottage-cheese for a side and tried something she hadn’t yet. Meanwhile, Emmett managed to get up on the stool without falling. His movements were sluggish and uncoordinated, but he managed not to fall.

“Any word from dad or Alice?”

“Nope. We’re staying with Aeris until dad calls, I guess. Try some toast without butter.” She said as she passed him a half slice, hoping he will eat it.

Grudgingly, he eyed it a moment then took it and started to nibble on it. The coiling of his middle began to slowly pass but the lightheartedness remained. He closed his eyelids for some relief as he rested his cheek upon his propped up arm.

"Who's Aeris?"

Emmett asked, clearly forgetting what Mai had told him last night.

Aeris, largely unfazed by the boy’s reactions spoke, “I’m Mairyell’s little sister.” Her voice was gentle, and a little more on the quiet side so as to lessen its impact on his head. She knew that the adrenaline rush he’d been through the night before would cause some form of trauma, but she hadn’t guessed that it’d make him sick.

Emmett nodded weakly. He continued to nibble on the toast as Olivia decided to take up the conversation. Mostly because she hated quiet when she could talk and ask questions.

“Aeris made you an omelet if you want something else, EZ. And Aeris, what’s this called?”

Olivia pointed to a large, silver pot with several floating slices of pinkish fruit. It had a spicy, but sweet scent to it.

When Olivia pointed at the silver pot sitting on the counter, Aeris glanced at it. “It’s called Quince. It’s boiled fruit in a sweetened syrup. I think it tastes really good on waffles, personally.” After answering Olivia’s question, Aeris glanced at Emmett, studying him.

Emmett’s stomach rumbled then churned at the mention of the food. He shook his head, the toast only half was eaten. He knew he should eat but he didn’t feel well enough to risk it. The boy didn’t understand why he felt so crappy. Was it because of last night?

“Maybe later… Aeris, wasn’t it? Where is the bathroom?”

Olivia paused and looked at him. On impulse, she did something her mother had showed her last time her father was sick. Her hand came out and pressed against his forehead. There no fever. The girl’s expression slipped into a confused one.

Memories, hazy still, surfaced into her attention. Instinctively, she pleaded at Aeris for help then back to him.

“Emmett, that…thing did hold you up by the neck. You still have bruising.”

Olivia gestured to the fading purple marks on his neck. Emmett hunched in his seat a bit and pulled his shirt closer to his neckline to hid them.

“I just… I don’t feel well. It will pass.”

Aeris watched the two siblings silently, her hands resting on the counter. She could feel he didn’t have a fever, but she wouldn’t interrupt the girl trying to help her brother. She understood the sentiment. Once Emmett had withdrawn into what she presumed to be a bubble, she answered his earlier question. “Walk out of the dining room, turn left, walk down the hall until you see two doors, it will be one on your right. There’s a couple of steps once you open the door, so watch your step. I’ll call the police station later and see if we can drop by your apartment to pick up some of your belongings.” She paused, looking at Olivia, and then back at Emmett. “If we can’t, then I’ll take you shopping to get some things. I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck in those clothes, after all.”

Olivia couldn’t help the smirk at the mention of shopping. Her mother often had let her pick her own shirts and jeans out before trying them on in the back. It was one of her favorite things to do. Especially when they would find something they both liked.

Emmett nodded then carefully pulled off the stool. His feet dragged across the floor and disappeared into the hallway. After he left, Olivia tilted into her seat to notice he had really left. Snapping upright once more, she looked at Aeris.

“I hope EZ is going to be alright. Do you have any chicken noodle soup?”

“Mai and I don’t really get sick, so I didn’t have any reason to keep around. When we go out later, I can pick up the ingredients, though.” Aeris replied with a sympathetic smile.

Olivia pressed her lips thoughtfully together. She found it hard to believe neither Mairyell or Aeris ever got sick. Her dad was among the healthiest she knew, and even he got ill occasionally.

“Why? Even dad got sick and he was usually eating carrots and stuff.”

Her nose crinkled at the thought of the orange root vegetable as she leaned once more into the counter. Her fork toyed with her food during her wait for an answer.

When Olivia asked why, Aeris shrugged, “I work for a company that makes medicine, and I take my vitamins everyday.”

“That’s pretty cool. Lots of people look to you to make them healthy, right? Ever come across something weird?” Olivia asked as she began to eat again.

After a bit of conversation, both women heard Emmett step back into the kitchen. He still looked pale, but some coloring had returned to his face. Moving into a seat near Olivia, he started to fill his plate with a few odds and end breakfast items.

Olivia noted it wasn’t a lot, but she was grateful his appetite had returned.

“Emmett, are you going to feel well enough to go with us? If we go clothes shopping. You could rest.”

Emmett gave her an annoyed look. Olivia raised her hands, non threateningly, into the air.

“It was just a thought. Don’t get mad and cool it. You don’t look good. We can bring you some soup back.”

Emmett rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath, “I’m fine.”

Olivia shook her head and just ceased the conversation, mostly to avoid arguing with him. She hid her head from Emmett when mouthed her words to Aeris.

He throws up, I’m not cleaning it.

Aeris chuckled a little, a small smile on her face as the two siblings bickered. Emmett reminded her of a younger Mairyell with how cool he was trying to act. Then, as if on cue, the oven went off, and she hurried over to it to pull out the cheesecake she’d placed inside. Triumphantly, she placed it on the counter, inhaling deeply, clearly enjoying the smell of chocolate.

While she left the cake to cool, she started filling her own plate with food, finally. To start, she put a few different fruit dishes on one side, then a healthy stack of pancakes, which she topped with the Quince Olivia had asked about earlier. She wasn’t sure if she should eat more than that, or if eating less would make her look strange. She didn’t usually have to pretend to be Human, and it’d been so long since she was one, she was struggling a bit.

Olivia’s eyes widened at the amount of food Aeris placed on her plate. It wasn’t an unreasonable, but rather more than she had seen most adults get. Especially her mother.

“At least I feel better about how I eat.”

Emmett stared a moment, a mixture of surprise and suspicion on his face. He wasn’t sure what to think. As Olivia commented, he turned to her and couldn’t help a comment from escaping his lips.

“If you’re that worried about it, don’t eat like a horse.”

“I’m not the only one that does… EZ.”

Her tone hinted at his similar eating habits when she stressed his nickname. Emmett just grumbled again and lowered his focus to his meal. Feeling proud of her comeback, her fork took a few waffles and plopped them on her now empty plate. Mimicking Aeris, she scooped some of the quinces on top. Drowning the crispy waffle in sweetness.

Aeris, mouth full of food, chuckled quietly at the siblings. It would be evident to the both of them that her cheeks were slightly more red, indicating a bit of embarrassment at how the children reacted to how much she put on her plate.

Once the three were done eating, Aeris made a phone call to the police station as she’d promised. After several minutes on hold, she spoke to one of the detectives working on the case, and found that they wouldn’t be able to go back to the the apartment until later that week. Dismayed, Aeris gave the children the news.

She’d have to buy them a week’s worth of clothes, not that that was a problem.

Once it was determined that they’d be going out, Aeris placed a call to Mairyell again, and left a message asking if he’d heard from Raiden.

She hoped he would answer soon.

After calling Mai, the woman called her office to let them know she’d be dropping in at some time in the afternoon, and then she called her driver to bring the car to the house.

Emmett stared out the car window most the car ride. His eyes drifted along the passing buildings. Boutiques for jewelry to wedding gowns floated past. Each became blurs in his attention before fading past. His lids closed to shield him from the dizzying effect as he flopped back upon the seat.

Olivia, on the other hand, had kept close to Aeris. To her, this was temporary and something to experience. They were chattering about likes, dislikes, or anything that caught their attention. No worries at all.

It was the total opposite of what Emmett felt inside. Something was wrong and he couldn’t shake that sensation. It grew when their father hadn’t answered his phone earlier.

Maybe he was being too paranoid. After his father picked them up, it would fade.

He tried to push it from his mind while the car began to slow and finally stopped. Emmett was the first to crawl out. He held the door open for his sister and Aeris, a polite behavior pounded into him by his stepmother. When Olivia moved out, she smiled at where they arrived: the Mall.

Both children had only been here occasionally. Mainly whenever one of their parents had time to take them and usually for a special event. Emmett raised his right eyebrow at the building then turned his head to Aeris for her to take lead.

As the car drove through the city, Aeris looked through her cell phone, noticing that she had two unread text messages from Mairyell that she hadn’t previously seen. With a sigh of relief, she continued to entertain Olivia, though her mind did wander to the question of why he didn’t answer his phone when she called him earlier.

Once the trio had arrived at the mall, Aeris lead them inside. As the three walked through the corridors of the building, the children would likely notice many of the store managers standing outside their respective workplaces, trying to get Aeris’ attention to come inside. She would stop and greet the individuals, but the choice to enter the store was left entirely up to Emmett and Olivia.

Olivia’s attention idled on one shop. It was called ‘Teens and Tots Boutique’ , but she knew it best as TNT for short. Outside the entrance, a small dwarf sized woman shouted out for attention. Dressed in some examples of the latest, but more modest fashions, she smiled at the younger girl while greeting Aeris.

What really caught Olivia’s attention was the fact the woman was or barely over her own height. It was a pleasant surprise. Olivia’s eyes darted back to Aeris’ direction as if asking her permission to check it out.

Emmett rolled his eyes then reached for Olivia’s arm.

“Come on. I know that look.”

He tugged her into the shop, nodding to the smaller woman who followed the trio in. Emmett led Olivia to the preteen/teenager section. An entire room was dedicated specifically to boys and girls of his and her age.

“Go wild. I know you want to.” Emmett stated as Olivia smiled.

Her arm pulled from his grip and reached for the nearest jeans before she turned to Aeris. “Can you help me pick a few outfits out? Then we can do the same for EZ?”’’

Emmett’s lips puffed out in annoyance.

Aeris chuckled to herself as Emmett pulled Olivia into one of the shops, and elegantly followed behind. When the girl asked if she could help pick out some outfits, the vampire nodded, and leisurely followed her through the store. With each item Olivia picked up, Aeris would hold it against her body to see if the size was right, and then ask if she liked it or not. If she did, the woman would simply smile, and place it on her arm. If she didn’t, she would agree, but not supply much information as to why.



Emmett’s eyes widened at the number of clothes that sat in Aeris’ arms. The petite woman was underneath the mountain causing Emmett's lips to tighten. Alice wasn’t going to be happy about this, but their father would’ve laughed. He found this type of situation amusing. Especially how Aeris was currently spoiling his sister.

He wasn’t even sure how to tell Olivia to put them back without risking offending Aeris’ generosity. Mentally he groaned. The thought of making more room for the ridiculous number of clothes hurt his head.

“Do you know how much you made Aeris spend?” He hissed under his breath at Olivia. His figure leaned into her space as they waited at the register.

The small shop owner beamed with a victory over the purchase. She hopped onto a ladder then began to ring up each individual item up.

Olivia shook her head. She wasn’t pleased with Emmett’s concern. Aeris offered and she was taught not to be rude, important things she felt her brother forgot.

“Dad’s not going to be mad. He’ll likely chuckle.”

“No, but Alice won't. Where are we going to put all this?” His hand gestured to the twin miniature mountains on the counter.

“We’ll figure it out? Don’t be a jerk, EZ.”

“I’m not swimming in your clothes to get to my bed.”

“You have as many as I do!” Olivia protested.

“Not by choice. Most of them are what you and Aeris picked out. So don’t go getting me in trouble for this!”

“No offense, Emmett, you stink a bit when you’ve worn the same outfit for a few days. You need them.”

Emmett groaned, unable to find the strength to argue with Olivia. Why did he had to have an annoying little sister?

“Fine. You win. But I’m not moving out of our room just to make more space.”

“Never said you needed to…”

“Your total comes to about... one thousand, three hundred and sixty-nine pounds and sixty-eight cents. Cash or credit card?” The woman pleasantly asked. Her lips curled into a friendly smile and the clothes placed into bags, waiting for payment.

At the price tag, Olivia swallowed in surprise. Her eyes turned to Emmett’s ‘told you so’ expression as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Alright… I got carried away.”

As the two bickered behind her, Aeris watched the manager intently as she rang up the items. Once the price was spoken allowed, she responded as though the number was nothing at all. “Credit.” As she spoke, she pulled her wallet from her jacket and slid her debit card through the reader, then signed the little machine. Once all the clothes were bagged, Aeris dialed a number and spoke to someone quietly for a few moments. Once she hung up, she looked at the children with a warm smile.

“The clothes will be there when he get home, I’m having someone come and pick them up for us so we won’t be bogged down. Is there any where else you’d like to go?”

Emmett raised an eyebrow at Aeris. While they weren’t exactly poor, their father had been more conservative with their money. Mostly to please Alice who planned for the future.

For him, it was weird to see someone indulge openly. Shrugging it off, his attention to return to Olivia. She was still in her nightshirt causing him to twist on a heel and walked back into the shop without a word.

Olivia blinked. Her head angled to watch him and bit her lip, trying to figure out what he was doing. Flipping back to Aeris, she looked for answers at her. Realizing she wouldn’t find any, she decided to make her own guess.

“I guess he forgot something?”

When her statement finished, Emmett returned with two pairs of jeans, a tee shirt and a frilly shirt in his hand. He was biting the tags off so they wouldn’t poke her. As he stopped beside Olivia, he passed her the clothes.

“Here, slip on the jeans. Then we’ll find a dressing room so you can change shirts.”

“Thanks… And what about you? You’re still in your PJs too…”

He lifted his own clothes up, located in his other arm.

“Step ahead of you. I’ll change when we find the dressing rooms.”

A thought crossed his face causing him to ask something at Aeris.

“Aeris, what time is it? About noon isn’t it?”

Aeris didn’t seem at all confused when Emmett walked back into the store, as she had had the same thought just after him. When he returned with the clothes, Aeris noted that there were still stickers on them, and gently peeled them off before Olivia took the jeans.

“There’s a dressing room in the store we can use.” The woman commented with a small nod back toward TNT.

When Emmett asked her what time it was, she pulled out her phone, and read the display, “It’s about 12:43, do you want to get something to eat?”

“Yeah. I didn’t eat much at breakfast, but I’m feeling better now.”

Emmett mentally cursed forgetting about the ones in the shop but tried not to show it on the surface. It was pointless to berate himself now. He would only look stupid as he nodded instead. There was nothing more he could say.

His mind wandered to his father’s and Alice’s whereabouts. Namely why the prior hadn’t picked them up yet. It was strange. He scratched the back of his head to distract himself and stop from voicing his worry.

Olivia perked up at the mention of food.

“I would like that too. Where are we going to head? And can we get dessert? Father found this little ice cream shoppe. They hand crank their stuff and it’s soo good.”

“First, we need to get dressed…” Emmett reminded her, then began to walk back into TNT.

While the children went to get dressed, Aeris thought about different places they could go to have lunch. Most of the places she went to were more of fine dining establishments, and she wasn’t sure the kids would enjoy them. After a bit, she settled on a hole in the wall diner Mai had once brought her to. It reminded them of when they were younger, the thought made her smile.

Once the kids had returned to her from getting dressed, she walked them out to the waiting car, and told the driver where to go. It took another 45 minutes, but when they got there, the scent of freshly cooked cheeseburgers and fries filled the air outside the establishment, and Aeris looked at the children with a genuinely bright smile. The worn sign above the door read, Sunny Side Up Diner.
“I love the food here. It reminds me of when I was younger.” Aeris’ voice was filled with what the kids would likely figure to be nostalgia.

Emmett’s eyebrow raised at the worn sign, clearly depicting its name. He had never actually heard of the restaurant until now. A good thing because he didn’t want to stir any memories. Their parents hadn’t come to pick them up and this made stomaching any reminders difficult.

Olivia, still smiling, bounced in excitement.

“Neat. Come one, I can’t wait to try it. It smells terrific.”

She always loved new places and it showed. He watched his sister pull open the door for Aeris and him, her arm waving for them to head inside. His head shook as bit while he followed Aeris into the place.

Inside there were about three large tables with connected benches. A few families and individuals were scattered along the sides. It seemed the busiest time over and the leftover customers were enjoying themselves. Either waiting for their meals to be ready or devouring the burgers and fries.

The aroma wafted into Emmett’s nose. His stomach began to growl loudly, the vibration drawing his attention to how to starve he was. It seemed whatever he had possibly passed. At least, he hoped so.

Ignoring the memory, he pointed out an end at the first table to Aeris.

“There’s a spot.”

“They have cheese fries on the menu. Aeris, can we get some?”

“Olivia, don’t you think you’ve asked for a lot already today?” Emmett’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Olivia, her thoughts trailed back to the price tag at the boutique, didn’t reply to this point. She chose to pretend she didn’t hear him as she took a seat. Sighing, Emmett plopped into the place beside her.

His eyes drifted to the large billboard that listed all the food options.

“I’ll have a double bacon burger. Cheese, pickles, tomatoes, but no lettuce or onion… Please.”

“Isn’t that asking for a lot?” Olivia asked in a begrudging tone.

Emmett frowned but managed to hold his temper. Barely. He had been taught enough not to snap at his sister, but boy did he want to. Usually, he wasn’t so moody. He knew last night’s events and his lack of a decent sleep only increased his irritation and attitude.

Olivia, not willing to pour more salt on the building fight, began her order.

“Can I have some cheese fries, coke and for my burger… Just one patty with mustard, ketchup, pickles and sweet relish. Please?”

Emmett’s stomach growled at the description. He wished he had ordered more because he felt famished.

Olivia noted the loud sound, her small moment of anger gone and replaced with concern.

“Aeris… could you make that two cokes and two big cheese fries? Emmett, you sound like you’re about to eat the table.”

He grumbled under his breath.

Aeris, bemused by the siblings’ exchange, simply smiled and nodded to the waitress to give the kids what they wanted. Then, she ordered herself. “I’ll have two doubles with no lettuce or tomato, extra pickle, a chocolate milkshake, and an order of cheese fries. Also, we will be ordering dessert once we’ve finished our meals, if you could bring us a small menu with those on it, I would appreciate it.” After writing down a copious amount of food, the waitress smiled, and nodded, heading into the back.

A few minutes before their food arrived, the same waitress sat a small menu with all of their desserts on the table for them to peruse. Before they’d even gotten a chance to look at it, though, multiple large plates of food were set down before them. “Ah, I should’ve warned you how big their servings are. Sorry.” Aeris apologized, a small laugh escaping her lips.

“I’m not. I’m starved.” Olivia said then raised the delicious looking burger to her lips.

A huge bite disappeared from it as she chomped down. Grease and condiments dripped down her mouth side causing her to reach for a napkin. It was clear Olivia was a big eater despite her thin frame.

Even Emmett had to wonder where she put it at times.

His fingers curled about the cheese covered fries. He dipped them some more into the sauce, covering every inch before he popped them into his mouth. The salty and cheesy flavor exploded on his tongue. It melted well with the crisp fries as he sipped some of his coke.

“So,” Olivia asked between bites, “You’re Mairyell’s sister? Is he anything like mine? A pain, I mean.”

Emmett rolled his eyes but continued to eat. Nothing made him queasy, a fact he was thankful for. He didn’t really want to taste his meal a second time. The cheese covered fries would be the worst.

Aeris laughed a bit at Olivia’s question, carefully taking any fry that didn’t have cheese on it, and dipping it in her milkshake. The sweet and salty flavors melded well together in her opinion, she couldn’t help herself. “I used to think so, but now… I don’t think I could see my life without him. He’s always had my back when I’ve needed him.” She paused, carefully thinking about her words. “We learned young that if we couldn’t count on anyone else, we’d always be able to count on each other.”

Olivia scrunched her nose at the thought of counting on Emmett. She looked at him from top to bottom. It seemed she found the idea hard to accept. Emmett chose to ignore her little display while he continued to eat.

Several of his toppings kept slipping off whenever he took a bite. He immediately paused, pulled apart the bun and shoved them back on. The tissue-like wrapping on the plastic baskets was covered in small stains.

One of the best burgers he had ever, Emmett couldn’t stop himself from occasionally licking his thumbs.

“I think I got the short end of the stick... Mai is way cooler.”

That earned Olivia a glare from Emmett. The younger girl shrugged it off as she started on her fries. She wasn't at all bothered by the blunt insult she caused to his pride.

Aeris laughed, fully for once in all the hours the trio had spent together, her voice full of glee. Thankfully, even with her laughter, her fangs were quite well hidden behind her lips, keeping her secret for just a bit longer. She hoped she could keep it until Mai got home, so that he could tell them in a way that wouldn’t scare them since they knew him better than they knew her.

Once the group had finished their meals, Aeris looked at the children, “So, can you stomach dessert, or should we head home?”

“I think I can.” Emmett said, his voice questioned his own stomach’s stability.

Things seemed fine for now, much to his relief. He considered for a moment then decided to push things against his better judgment. Olivia didn’t need additional encouragement.

“I want to try that.”

She pointed to a chocolate chip biscotti. A very crunchy, twice-baked biscuit filled with chocolate chips, it was cut into oblong shapes. It had the option of being served with warm milk for dunking.

“Can’t you just enjoy something simple? Like plain vanilla ice cream.”

He then addressed Aeris, “I’ll take just plain chocolate ice cream.”

Aeris nodded, “You don’t have to be worried about me spending too much, honestly, it’s fine.” The vampire stated simply, before ordering a slice of chocolate cake with strawberries and a dollop of vanilla ice cream, and a cup of coffee.

“I still don’t think we need to. It’s not really how we were taught.” Emmett admitted.

His ice cream arrived in a waffle cup with a plastic spoon. There even was a cherry on top. Emmett frowned then picked it off. It wasn’t a fruit he didn’t really like because it was too sweet, passing it to Olivia.

It naturally disappeared in a heartbeat. Silence enveloped them as they wrapped up dessert. Emmett was actually happy for this because he didn’t feel like talking much. Though the day had been fun, he couldn’t shake the sensation something wasn’t right and it only grew.

Olivia didn’t seem bothered in the least. However, Emmett suspected it was a mask. His little sister was good at bubbling over her negative emotions with positive ones.

“Well, that was pretty good.” Olivia said as their dessert came to an end.

As the trio finished their respective desserts, Aeris paid the bill. Soon enough, they were on their way back to her home. The city whirred past them as the car moved through the its streets. It wouldn’t be long before they reached their destination.

Pulling up to the house after a brief trip, they exited and approached the doorstep with Aeris in the lead. After a moment to get her keys and open the door, the trio entered her lavish home to find a number of bags--presumably from their shopping trip--strewn in neat rows in the room just beyond the entrance. Upon their entrance into the house they’d hear the sound of a TV droning on. While the children would hardly be able to make out the voices properly, Aeris would clearly hear that it was the news.

A few moments later the sounds ceased as, presumably, someone shut the TV off.

As Aeris entered the house, and heard the news turn off, she tilted her head. Slowly, deeply, she inhaled, taking in the scents of her home. With a small smile on her lips, she called out, “Mai? S’at you?” Though she didn’t actually have to ask.

“‘Course not, the mailman decided to drop in after delivering packages,” Mairyell replied, entering the room with a smirk. He grinned down at the children, though in the back of his mind he had no good news for them. Far from it.

He glanced at the menagerie of bags near the entrance, moving his arm in a sweeping gesture, “I mean c’mon, you can’t ask a man to just leave after he hauls all of that for you. Or you can. I guess that’s what the pay is for.” He shrugged.

They could feel the eyeroll as though it had cascaded through the entire house.

Olivia leaned forward, her arms pulled behind her and a smile still on her lips.

[color=pink] “I don’t think we’re that mean, Mairyell. Thank you.”[color]

Emmett was the last to walk in, his eyes rested on Mairyell. He seemed to want to ask something but resisted for a moment. The boy’s head turned to the wall and stared a moment before he gained the courage to approach the dark subject.

“Did it escape?”

It would be clear what he was talking about to Mairyell, but Olivia shot him a confused look. She didn’t know about the shade’s last encounter with him because both Raiden and Alice never mentioned it. They felt it was best left in the past.

He stepped around his younger sister to better face Mairyell for the answers.

Part of him feared the shade had gotten away and would return again. He had been wanting to ask these questions burning inside his head since this morning. Now might be the only time to get them.
As the boy asked if the shade had escaped, Aeris simply watched her brother, and the children, wordlessly.

Gaze falling to the boy, Mairyell’s smile became more gentle somehow. “No. It’s in the custody of the IHO. It’s not going anywhere ever again,” he replied, before meeting Aeris’ eyes and then looking down to Olivia and then at Emmett. He approached, ruffled Emmett’s hair before, rather unashamedly, hugging Aeris, then turning away and walking back into the house. He waved over his shoulder for them to follow.

“So how was your day kids? Aeris treat you to anything fun?”

Slightly surprised by her brother’s sudden hug, Aeris was a little slow to reciprocate, but she did so eventually. “Welcome home, Mai.” Her voice was gentle as she spoke to him, a small note of relief hidden within it. As he walked away, she followed after him, being careful not to trip over any bags as she moved.

Emmett let a relieved smile crack his worried expression. Things were going to be alright, he thought. It was a temporary hope. Emmett’s eyes followed Mairyell as he hugged Aeris then gestured for them to follow him. The boy didn’t need encouragement.

“Aeris took us shopping, then out to eat. Emmett felt sick this morning though. I think it was something he ate last night.”

At Olivia’s last mention, Emmett flinched slightly. He didn’t want to remember last night as he struggled to find a reply. Olivia didn’t seem to notice. Her attention on Aeris and Mairyell while she reached for one of the things Aeris bought.

“Shopping eh? For clothes it looks like,” he said without glancing back, or down, at any of the bags. He glanced over his shoulder at Aeris as he walked, “You trying to drown them in a mountain of clothes or something?” He winked at the kids.

At Mai’s remark, Aeris shrugged. “They can’t go back to the apartment until later this week, so they needed clothes, and toiletries. I just let them pick out what they wanted.” After a moment of thought, she clarified, “Well, Emmett didn’t really pick much of his things out, if I’m being honest…” The vampire trailed off awkwardly, glancing away from her brother’s back. She hadn’t picked out all his clothes, but it felt wrong to foist the responsibility on Olivia. It wasn’t a problem, but it could’ve come off as her blaming the girl.

Mai only chuckled in response, before spinning on his heel and plopping himself down in one of his sister’s incredibly expensive--incredibly comfortable--armchairs. “Ahh, man these always hit the spot, so to speak,” he said, sighing as he relaxed into the chair. After a moment or so of organizing his thoughts, the hunter opened his eyes and looked between the two.

“Sit down,” he said, and the geniality of before had faded considerably. There was steel in his gaze as he regarded them, his attention flickering to Aeris briefly. The subtle movements of his hands, the position of his body in the chair, the way his gaze shifted from her to them, to the couch, seemed to imply that he wanted her near to them when they sat.

He didn’t like it, but it was time that he explained to them the situation they were in. It would perhaps spoil the wonderful day they’d had so far, but...well, it needed to be done and the longer he waited the worse it would be.

When Mai told the trio to sit, Aeris placed herself in the middle of the couch, taking the hint, and waited for the children to sit down as well, gently patting the cushions on either side of her.

“I thought you two were going to buy the whole store…”

He was happy he wasn’t the only one to notice a number of clothes being ridiculous. His hands pushed into his jean pockets while he followed Aeris and Mai.

Seeing Mai get comfortable, Emmett decided now was the time to ask about his dad.

Before he could get the question out, Mairyell asked them both to take a seat. He didn’t like the look on the hunter’s face. That dread and fear returned to his very heart once more. Something was wrong.

Cautiously, he took a seat where Aeris indicated. Olivia, unsure about this sudden shift in mood, settled in beside Aeris too. She looked at the older woman as if the look would gain some understanding.

Emmett heavily doubted it.

“Something happened, didn’t it? Alice?” He naturally assumed the worst.

Why wouldn’t he? The last time he encountered the damnable Licenti, it killed his own mother. There was nobody there, so had something worse happened? So many questions. Emmett closed his eyes and inhaled, letting his nerves calm.

Watching the two children, Mairyell let the silence hang for a moment while he decided on the words to use. For what was not the first time, he realized that there was simply no easy way of putting things. “It appears that the shade got to Alice before it reached your room,” he said, lowering his gaze for a moment before looking at them again, “...she didn’t make it.” Well, there was the first bomb dropped.

Aeris looked down at Olivia, a placid expression on her face. She didn’t have the answers the girl wanted. That duty unfortunately fell to her brother. When he dropped the first bombshell, that their mother was dead, Aeris’ arms gently pulled both the children a little bit closer to her. She didn’t know how they were going to react, but she wanted to be sure that they knew she was there if they needed it.

Emmett heard Olivia gasp. Her eyes widened and all color drained from her skin. Her hands raised up to cover her mouth.

“No…no..”

Tears formed in her eyes, trickling down the edges and staining her cheeks. As Aeris pulled them in closer, Olivia just broke down. Her face buried into a shoulder and muffled her cries. This was her brush with a loss.

This was Emmett’s second one.

Emmett just swallowed the thick sensation at the back of his throat, letting Aeris hold him close. He felt a mixture of numbness and pain spread from his core. Why? The question always came to him in his darkest moments and always left without a proper answer.

It took all his strength to keep the eye contact with Mairyell.

“Does dad know yet?” His voice seemed distant.

At the mention of the boy’s father, Mairyell had to resist the urge to react. Still his jaw clenched, then relaxed. A frown formed on his features and he sighed before meeting Emmett’s gaze.

“Yeah, that’s..." he trailed off, looking away as he saw how hard the boy was trying to hold it together, probably for his sister. He breathed a moment then met Emmett’s eyes again. “I’m not exactly sure what happened, but...Emmett, Olivia. Raiden’s gone." There were few things harder than what these kids were going through, but damn...telling them was definitely difficult, even for him.

He was glad he wasn’t a doctor.

Whatever strength Emmett had managed to hang onto fell from him. His stomach sank into his legs as the stoic face he wore crumbled. A spirit didn’t break easy, but this news seemed to slice his in half. He paled worse than his sister. A flicker of pain darted into his eyes, but was then devoured by bitterness and anger.

“No. NO!” He shouted in denial.

Emmett shoved away Aeris’ touch and rose to his feet. He didn’t want her comfort. Not now, or ever. His eyes fought the hot tears rushing to them as he glared at Mairyell, blaming the messenger.

“You’re LYING! Dad… Dad is a hunter. He isn’t dead! He can’t be…”

Emmett’s fists clenched at his side until they were white. He wanted to hit Mairyell- or anything- to make the painful truth go away.

As Mairyell told the children their father didn't make it, Aeris prepared for the worst. The woman held Olivia close as she cried, watching Emmett from the corner of her eye.

She didn't have to wait long for an outburst. When the boy pushed her away, her body didn't move as he wasn't strong enough to displace her, but she did let him go. She listened as he yelled, and gently squeezed Olivia. Though the children wouldn't notice, Mai would be able to detect the subtle amounts of Brisn that had begun to fill the room. It would help diffuse Emmett’s anger, and hopefully calm him down enough to listen to her brother. She knew how badly he must’ve been hurting, but lashing out wasn't doing anyone any favors.

Watching the boy’s reaction closely, he listened as Emmett expressed his outrage, even going so far as to yell at him. He had to admit he had spirit, but still it didn’t faze him at all.

Meeting Emmett’s eyes he spoke once more, tone quiet, but hard, unyielding. “No, I’m not, Emmett. I wish I was. I cared about your father too. You’re not alone in your pain." His gaze was trained on the boy as he noticed the Brisn that his sister was releasing. He didn’t react, instead waiting, weathering the storm.

When Brisn swept over Emmett, it was like water touching fire. A cool, soothing sensation washed over the burning, painful anger. It pounded at his insides. The boy’s body tensed, fighting the gradual change.

He didn’t want to be here. Not now. Not in front of Olivia, Aeris or Mairyell.

“Why? Why is this happening? First mom… then Alice… now… Just, no. This can’t be right. It’s not true.”

Emmett’s voice seemed to plead for the facts to be a lie. A nightmare he would wake up from and everything would be as it was. Why did he keep losing everyone he cared for? He was no closer to answers than when it all started.

The Brisn finally seeped into his very core.

The calm etched into his heart as his fists started to relax. He wanted to feel anything but the numbness. Try as he might, he couldn’t win over Aeris’ magic.

In the background, Olivia’s crying had dulled down to a gentle sobbing and finally ceased. Her eyes were still an ugly red. She pulled up from Aeris’ shoulder and wiped her eyes clear.

“W-what happens now?”

It was a question Emmett both dreaded and couldn’t answer.

“I’ll be honest with you both because you deserve that, despite how young you are. I don’t know, not just yet. The authorities are still sorting out this case and we haven’t been contacted as to what is to happen to either of you. However, I can say this. This isn’t either of your faults. We live in an unfair world. Bad things happen to good people. You deserve better, but unfortunately this is the hand you were dealt. It’s hard, but you’ll get through it." He glanced at Aeris, thanking her silently.

“If you don’t have any relatives that can take care of you, well...I’m not sure what will happen exactly. We’ll probably know more by tomorrow though."

“Well, until we know if you have relatives you can stay with, I have full authority to take care of you. So, if you want to, you’re more than welcome here. If anything comes up, we’ll go from there.” Aeris added on to her brother’s statement calmly.

Mairyell nodded in response.

Olivia nodded her understanding. The pain was still clear, but she hid her worry well. Her eyes glanced at her brother, the only close relative she had left. She leaned back into Aeris for comfort.

Emmett’s reply was silence.

He didn’t know what to say or how to react to the way things were. He just wanted to hit something, but even that was painful now. Life was unfair. It was a fact, but he still hated it. He couldn’t stop that.
“You said the shade got Alice… Did it get dad too?” The words felt thick on his tongue as he asked his question.

The boy remained standing and his tone had calmed somewhat.

“It wasn’t the shade," he said, but didn’t elaborate. It was clear that he didn’t intend to say more.

Emmett studied Mairyell a moment longer than necessary. His eyes softened into depression before he turned around. Feet dragged him to the couch nearest Mairyell as he plopped down into the cushion.

Elbows on his knees, He pressed his head into his hands and tried to accept everything. Emmett still wanted to hit something, but he could rein in the urge now.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Emmett. We’ve lost people we care about to Licentia as well. It hurts. Mai and I understand that.” Aeris’ voice was soft and gentle, as she spoke, still holding Olivia. Mairyell made a small sound in his voice, agreeing with her.

Emmett just nodded, but the words didn’t seem to ease his struggle inside. He raised his head up to glance at his sister. Olivia looked as bad as he felt. Her eyes just kept quietly tearing up and holding onto Aeris. The whole time, she was using the woman’s strength to keep herself together. It hurt even more because he couldn’t.

Once the children had calmed down enough, Aeris left them with Mai so that she could show her face at Kasio Korp. Once she got there, she interacted with several smaller business moguls whose companies Kasio Korp was looking to acquisition. After working through their terms, and setting her own, she was told they would contact her within the week. With those meetings done, she filed several hours worth of paperwork.

When she finally made it home again, it was 12 AM. As she entered the house, she would find Mairyell sitting on the couch, body pressed back into it, eyes closed. However, his breathing revealed that he was awake. After a moment he opened his eyes to look at her.

“Kids are asleep...or well, in bed. We’ll see how tired they are in the morning." He looked away, staring up at the ceiling. He seemed kind of drained. Sighing to himself, he pushed himself off of the couch, getting up.

“I guess we should get some sleep too, even if we don’t need it nearly as much as most."

Aeris simply nodded, and took Mairyell by the hand. With a sympathetic smile, she led him up the stairs to her bedroom, and shut the door.

The city of Solhavre was awash in the glow of hundreds of lanterns amidst the dusky blanket of twilight covering the sky. It had long been a tradition that whenever an important dignitary arrived, paper lanterns were made and thrown to the winds in celebration of their safe arrival and in hope that their stay would be pleasant and prosperous. Tonight, they had created the lanterns for Ashariel vei Inaris - a visiting Exeo from Priscus who had come to the city in hopes of furthering diplomatic relations between the resident humans and the Prae. Though ostensibly chosen for its pleasant seaside location and warm, welcoming people Ashariel had not selected the city for its mundane qualities but for its location, some 30 miles across the ocean from the city of Ominar. Influence, she knew, was like a network of vines: it was largely a matter of time, and the growth was quickest closest to the core. They had developed quite the system of roots across the channel, and Ashariel's job was to ensure that that little nest of influence found fertile soil within Solhavre.

Though the embassy had already been tailored to her every need - such was her right as an Exeo - Ashariel was uncomfortable. As she stepped out on to the balcony to survey the lovely seafront view that the embassy offered, her thoughts could not help but drift towards distant Ominar. Despite the light of the lanterns gently illuminating the seafront, much of the inky depths had only the last dwindling threads of sunlight to reveal them, and were close to becoming a field of inky blackness that stretched as far as she could see. She longed to see the shining beacon that was Ominar amidst the sprawling darkness of uncertainty, to feel Aismael's presence once more - the Queen's Spear was magnificent in ways she still couldn't fully comprehend. The thought comforted her somewhat against the prevailing chill in the air. A series of sharp knocking sounds, seven notes played in tune, brought Ashariel from her brief reverie. Rico was early, though that was not necessarily a bad thing - given the chill in the air and the encroaching darkness, Ashariel would much rather remain inside. She turned around slowly, letting her gaze linger out towards the dappled darkness, before returning indoors and closing the doors to the balcony.



Ceptum would never get the chance to experience Medius as a mortal. She had watched it from distant Pylae for the last three or four thousand years, eager to see what the landscape would become - to watch its fledgling people rise up from the filth and muck and achieve their potential.

She had been gravely disappointed.

In them she noted all of the negative qualities that her brethren had let consume them, and when she looked for that spark of progress, that instinctual wisp of genius that drove the brilliant to madness or clarity... She saw only rot. They were a mayfly people with mayfly lives buzzing around in a world that they could not understand, never mind begin to master as her people once had. For all the flaws of its people, however, she found Medius to be an interesting place. It was free of the ever-present radiance of Priscus, and in the absence of that coruscating light the shadows had found much more purchase. There were entire spectrums of colour and sound and taste that she could not find in her beloved homeworld, and that had kept her interested.

Her physical presence on Medius indicated that something had pushed her beyond mere interest. The truth had been revealed to her.

There were no words to express the outrage she felt. It was like a flame consuming her very thoughts from within, burning down the years of rational and careful precaution that she had built up in her long exile; a searing, caustic pain that somehow made her feel alive again! What Aismael had done was unforgivable, unthinkable except to the most depraved mind Ceptum could imagine - she had taken everything from the Prae - even themselves. She would rather have seen Priscus burn that be reduced to what it was - and all of that emotion had churned around within her, boiling until the point of bursting. It had brought her to Medius, and it would bring low those that had aided Aismael in her transgression.

As she stood atop the chalky cliffs, she gazed down towards the city of lights below her. This was the beginning of a vendetta, the first step in righting a wrong that had gone uncorrected for far too long. She would strike at the heart of the false queen for all those that had been lost and for all those that could yet be saved. She would ensure that the God-Queen's will - her true will - would be spread to her wayward children and she would ensure that this time she could not be ignored.



Ashariel perched her hands together, the muscles contorting in rhythm with her face. The scowl she wore was unbefitting of her radiant beauty, and yet only a scowl could accurately convey how she felt about what Rico had told her. She took a moment to compose herself before standing and nodding.

"You have failed, then. Aismael would punish you, but I am a believer in redemption... In second chances." Ashariel smiled, walking over to the disgruntled Prae and placing a hand gently upon his shoulder. She gripped it firmly, enough to cause just a little sensation of pain, before letting him go and walking out of the door. This late at night the embassy was largely deserted, and the building was certainly not small. She led Rico down the stairs towards the Grand Hall, and gave him a slight telekinetic nudge that shoved him quite efficiently into the room as the doors slammed shut behind them.

"You were sloppy. This time, you won't infiltrate them - you're going to apprehend them... Starting with the leader that you installed." she calmly stated, the same smile she had previously worn in her office on her face.

"Yes, Exeo." came the reply from Rico, who simply bowed and turned as if to leave.

"Do not fail the God-Queen again, Rico. My mercy does not extend to a third chance." Ashariel called out, the words echoing in the cavernous room. The only other sound was that of gentle footsteps, their pitter-patter creating a soft rhythm that filled the empty silence. Rico closed the double doors behind him, watching Ashariel through the rapidly closing space between the doors, before visibly exhaling the pregnant breath he'd been holding. He took a second to collect himself before continuing his walk out of the doors of the embassy.

As he opened the door, he was met with a figure unlike any he'd ever seen. He didn't so much see them as he felt them - their vis heavy and cloying, yet with a certain frenetic energy that he couldn't quite place. As he focused and looked up, he could see that the figure was visibly female - her skin almost ashen but marred with crackling lines of purple energy that vaguely reminded him of his own markings. He opened his mouth as if to speak, to ask her who she was, but found himself unable to even begin to vocalise any of the words running through his head.

"What mockery is this? That you would call yourself prae is an abomination." came the voice, raspy and throaty and yet with a clear feminine edge. It sounded like gravel spilling from the mouth, before dissipating into ashes that coated his mind. Whomever this voice belonged to, he could tell immediately that they were no longer among the living - and from their vis he could sense an unthinkable amount of power. Scared as he'd been of Ashariel - and even more so Aismael - his mind screamed at him that this thing in front of him was far more dangerous than both.

Before he could even think about reacting, her hand was around his neck and he had been lifted off of the floor. It took all of his wherewithal to clutch at the figure's arms fruitlessly, before he realised that the more tightly he pressed against her body the more her vis was invading his. The process began slowly, but as he flailed and choked it expedited significantly, and before he knew it his own dead flesh was sloughing off of his body and exposing both his bone and musculature. The rot continued to progress, his arms quickly reduced to bare bone, before he finally managed to let out a piercing shriek of anguish - though before he could finish it, its source fell to the floor and shrivelled into dust.

The terrible noise echoed within his empty ribcage, and as his mind faded away he felt what was left of his flesh join the mounting pile of himself on the floor. Within seconds he was nothing but a skeleton, and shortly thereafter even that had been reduced to a fine gray ash littering the marble porch of the embassy.

Ceptum stepped through the ashes, blasting the doors of the embassy wide open with a thought, and walked through the main hall.

Ashariel did the same.

Ceptum's eyes met Ashariel's - one set pale and radiant, imperious and graceful; the other vibrant and pulsating with energy, hiding behind them the embers of a flame rekindled.

"... So the legends are true? The Race-Traitor exists..." Ashariel bristled, clearly surprised at the figure standing in front of her's existence. She'd read those stories in the history books and in children’s fables - and while she knew that much of the history of their race was vague and arcane at best she’d never assumed the likeness to be so… Accurate, or for that matter, real at all. Still, when it was staring you in the face it was difficult to dismiss as a fairytale.

If half of what she had done in those tales was true, though… Ashariel spat on the floor in disgust and contempt rolled off of her in waves, almost palpable and electric within the air.

"You have no right to address me. I answer to the God-Queen, not some churlish pretender with delusions of grandeur."

"Churlish? Pretender? She is the tip of the spear, the future of our race, our link to the God-Queen!"

"Our race? No. You are abominations all, and you are not Prae - even that has been denied from you."

The confrontation came to a standstill as Ashariel considered the weight of Ceptum's words. What did she mean by 'not Prae'? The implications of such a statement, if true, were mind boggling - and the contempt with which she'd been addressed certainly attested to the being telling the truth. Even so, she refused on a fundamental level to accept what this traitor was saying.

"You were a fool to come here, traitor. I shall put you down in her name!" Ashariel hissed, gathering her vis and entering her manifest state. From her back sprouted enormous, feathery wings the colour of freshly fallen snow, and her entire body surged visibly with energy of the same colour. In an instant, Ashariel was wreathed in a bright white flame that seemed to illuminate the room around them with the same pristine glow as Priscus itself. In the blink of an eye, she was rushing towards Ceptum, using her wings to propel her motion rather than fly - and her fist impacted Ceptum's sternum with a loud crack and the crackle of the flames burning away the flesh. Ceptum went flying back like a ragdoll, and Ashariel slammed the doors shut to catch her. Gouts of flame cushioned the blow somewhat, preventing the door from completely splintering, but the sound of bones breaking was distinct among the chaos.

Ashariel lifted Ceptum up with her telekinesis, bringing her almost face to face with the Exeo before spitting at her and engulfing her in an enormous column of searing white flames. The blaze lasted for a couple of seconds before dying out, and Ashariel let the lich go, causing her to crumple to the floor in a smoking heap. Not content to simply let it lie there, the Exeo focused even greater blasts of the white flame at the prone body on the floor, screaming with white-hot rage as she did so. After a couple of moments of attempting to thoroughly disintegrate Ceptum's body, Ashariel picked her up with her bare hands and held her still with telekinetic force before unleashing a flurry of furious blows at her limp, smoking body. Time after time her blows broke Ceptum's body as the flame scorched her vis, and by the time Ashariel had brought herself to stop there was only a smoking pile of ash remaining on the floor in front of her. She paused for a moment with the sheer exertion of it, breaths quivering gently in her lungs before being released. Ceptum’s body had taken far more energy to destroy than she’d anticipated - and she’d begun with enough force and vis to annihilate a normal prae’s body a hundred times over.

"Pathetic creature." she spoke as she spat down into the pile of ash.

"Your first mistake, Exeo, was thinking that I would let you live long enough to make a second." Ceptum's voice called out from the hallway, and Ashariel looked upwards in shock. Much to her dismay, there the Race-Traitor stood, hale and whole. Unfazed by the veritable onslaught she'd just delivered. How was such a thing possible? What remained of the body in front of her was no illusion - she'd sensed the burning vis, heard the bones snap, felt the body crumple beneath her fury. What in the Queen's name was the traitor?

"You labour under the misapprehension that I am limited to a single body, or even that my body matters. It is merely a construct created by my will - a tool to serve a purpose. If that is all that a so-called Exeo can do to it... You truly have fallen." Ceptum stated, sighing condescendingly

"Let us see how much of my onslaught you can weather."

In a moment, Ceptum was in front of Ashariel and her hands were around her neck. Ashariel gasped at the suddenness of the movement and tried to fight it both with her arms and her telekinesis, but found both to be completely ineffective. In contrast to before, where it had been like moving a ragdoll with her mind, Ceptum's body now proved to be completely unassailable by her force. Ceptum lifted Ashariel off of the ground, and focused her vis at the tips of the Exeo's wings. By virtue of her undeath, Ceptum had access to an inordinate amount of necromantic power - able to rot and wither mortal flesh with nothing but a thought. Now she was introducing it to the Exeo's wings, and she wanted to see just how long it would take for those pretty white wings to decay. The energy travelled slowly, at first - largely kept at bay by the flames surrounding her. Seconds passed, and soon Ashariel began to scream as the rot and miasma began to work upon the feathers of her wings. Once it had taken hold it took virtually no time at all to strip her appendages down to the bone, and only slightly longer to remove them entirely. All the while, Ashariel's screams of pain and terror only grew. She wanted with all of her heart to curse Ceptum, to bring her to her knees and force her before Aismael herself - but all her mind could articulate were gurgles and screams.

"You are an abomination." Ceptum spoke, releasing her grip on Ashariel's throat and suspending her midair with telekinesis, just as had been previously done to her.

"You... You are..." she coughed and spluttered, almost choking on the air that she gasped in, heavy and gulping.

"The abomination… You are no prae!" Ashariel managed to sputter through laboured breaths, slowly composing herself as she managed to regulate her breathing and soothe the burn in her throat from Ceptum's caustic touch.

"It is you that is not prae. You are a half-breed, a mere shadow of what we were and an insult to what we should be! I am a Lich and even I am more recognisable as a true prae than you!" Ceptum roared back in response, appalled at the arrogance and ignorance displayed by this pathetic excuse for an Exeo.

"I am sorry, Amana, for what I must do."

Ceptum began the process of extending her own vis - much of which was the raw stuff of Pylae, filtered through her phylactery - into the ambient vis around Solhavre. With an almighty surge of effort inwards, she began drawing on both the energy in the land around her as well as that from Pylae and concentrating it within Ashariel's body. Simultaneously, Ceptum forced the white flame that heralded Ashariel's manifest state inwards and used it as the beginnings of her spell. As she intoned low, arcane words Ashariel's body began to swell, visibly bloating with the sheer enormity of the energy forced within her. Ceptum continued to chant for several minutes, each word uttered further concentrating the white flame and feeding it until it was beginning to boil and sizzle Ashariel's skin from the inside out, several cracks appearing and leaking radiant white energy. As Ceptum finished the spell, she teleported herself and Ashariel to a couple of hundred feet above the embassy and looked out towards where she knew Ominar was.

Aismael's Spire was radiant and beautiful, reminiscent of the pristine ivory sunrise in Priscus. Ceptum resolved to make a Spire out of Ashariel to rival even the most beautiful morning in her homeworld - an end all too good for the creature that dared call itself an Exeo.

Ceptum took a moment to savour what was about to happen before turning Ashariel around to face her and savouring the terror in her eyes as she reached up towards her forehead and with a single swift motion plucked the small crystal from her. The second it was removed Ashariel immediately died, falling slack and limp, and the hungry white flames within her began to escape their prison of flesh. Ceptum teleported her body several miles away, hovering at the same height above the ocean, and preparing for the first spectacle of many necessary to enforce Amana's will. The God-Queen had been ignored for far too long, and it had had dire consequences - at this moment in time, mostly for one Ashariel vei Inaris.

As she was no longer alive to keep the flames trapped within her, Ashariel's corpse simply burst from the immensity of the vis inside her. Her very own white flames combined with the chaotic energy of Pylae collided with one another forcibly, and the resulting explosion of energy was so fierce that the light it gave off rivalled that of an early sunrise, bathing the area for miles upon miles with its coruscating glare. Then, just as the flash of brilliance began to wane, the sheer force of the blast hit the city. As the raw, white chaos engulfed the prae embassy it simultaneously cracked from the pressure and exploded outwards in massive streaking arcs of white flame before crumbling to ash, and just as the ash begun to settle each of the buildings in their vicinity suffered the same fate. Brilliant white flames engulfed the entire promenade upon which the embassy had stood, spiralling outwards and through everything in their path. The ground beneath them quaked and trembled before it too was split open from the sheer force of the flame, and the earth seemed to erupt in glaring ivory light as if in protest before being pulverised. The flames spread outwards like a terrible ring of destruction, levelling half of the city of Solhavre before burning out and dissipating into loose clusters of glittering ash and dust within the night sky. Where once lanterns had floated about in an idyllic scene, now only the lingering white flames of destruction remained in a mimicry of what had come before. As the ashes fell into the smoking and boiling sea around them, the majority of the city atop the cliffs fell into that yawning, black abyss.



The next morning, the entire city of Ominar was abuzz with the news of the destruction of Solhavre. Newspapers everywhere commented on the sheer magnitude of the destruction and that no trace of the visiting Exeo Ashariel vei Inaris - who was known to be a close colleague of Aismael vea-Vartari - had been found. The authorities stated only that there had been an altercation at the embassy and that the blast had originated from the location of the building, and they were working closely with Ominar's government to determine the exact cause of the event, as well as the person responsible.

Aismael would find on her desk that morning a copy of the newspaper with the news, as well as a charred wooden box. Contained within was the crystal from Ashariel's forehead, as well as a handwritten note:

"More shall be cleansed until all evidence of your foulness is purged. - Race-Traitor"

---

Damian: Busy doing work for Nabri, Darius, and Masha, getting bullied by Vi, going over to Corinna's house sometime during this mess, and maybe befriending Emmett on how much being a Licentia can suck.

- Nabriales has been working at One Night in Hell with Masha and is helping prepare for the club's grand reopening after they have remodelled. Nabriales has also assisted Vi with concealing her identity and joining the IHO. Nabriales has also joined up with the Resistance, offering access to his considerable funding and stock of potions.

- Fandaniel has come to Ominar with Yvette, joined the IHO, and has opened a dialogue with Sophia and Nabriales regarding their shared heritage. Fandaniel has joined the resistance, unwilling to abide the prejudice against what she believes are a largely innocent race.

- Ithuriel has been working on his art and partaking in hunts at the IHO. He has been partnered with Vi in a new mentoring scheme to help transition new hunters into their roles.

- Truth has been digging around Ominar and has pledged itself to the resistance.
- Aeris has adopted, and enrolled Emmett and Olivia into the university, while also helping Emmett learn about his nature at home. While teaching Emmett how to control his powers, she has also started teaching Olivia how to fight her brother's fear aura. She has also begun to participate more readily in resistance missions.

- Sophia has reunited with Mairyell, and found out that not only does he have a girlfriend, he has two adopted children. Hearing about the resistance from her brother, she has added her considerable wealth to its resources.

- Nysi and Szayeis met up, and Szayeis created more safe houses for her. She moves between them quite often.

- Leah has gotten registered for classes, and has moved in with Reates for the duration of her time at the university. She may meet Emmett, Olivia, Erin/Clara, Corinna, or Emma at any point in time. Interest in Maddie is building.

- Yvette has joined the resistance at the behest of her mother, and in an attempt to show solidarity with those she holds pacts with.
- Erin has been spending time at Corinna's. She has been noticing Clara being strangely good. The girl has been trying to speak with Olivia and Emmett with a little bit of luck. She's been able to form a friendship with Azulia and getting to classes on time without problems. Mysterious scratching around home.
- Killian has been undercover with gang. He's been getting to know Emma and has dating her for a bit. Spending time with little sister.
-Vi has settled in at Victorious Secret with Nabriales and the new subject of her disdain, Damian. With the help of Nabriales, Vi has acquired a new identity as Sylvia Morel and has begun to disguise her appearance. She has joined the IHO and is being mentored by Ithuriel. After hearing about the Resistance from Nabriales, Vi has tentatively thrown in her support for the movement.

Emmett/Olivia
SoL
Day 4-end of the SoL
 1. Aeris and Darius work out the paperwork to allow Aeris to foster Emmett and Olivia. (Memory to come)

Month 1-3
 1. Mai has to ID Raiden and Aeris has to make arrangements for the funerals of both parents. Aeris is notified of a will from both Raiden and Alice. (Cel, I’ve PMed the details.)
 2. Register for school, kids met Azulia and start class.
 3. Emmett and Olivia get adjusted, the papers allow them to foster the children. They are also assigned a caseworker.
 4. Mai and Aeris need to go through the stuff in the apartment. Deciding what to keep or sell. Not sure if you want to bring the kids along, which by this time they are slowly healing.
 5. The investigation, I’m assuming they have to due to protocol, happens and the case is close to Alice and Raiden. At least for the police. (Yosh has a pm over the scene with Raiden and will follow up with )
 6. Raiden and Alice funeral. Due to Emmett and Olivia being their age, it’s up to Aeris to decide if it’s an open or closed casket. For Raiden, the open casket is not possible.
7. Met Damian (memory to follow)

- Darius
SoL
Day 4-end of the SoL
Killian contacted Darius, information about Charles in exchange for employment. Killian currently works for Darius, by becoming involved in the Thunder Dragons and building rep over the next few months.
Both M’ve and Nabriales has gained a sample of the poison that Krysta hit him with. Primary to create an antidote for the future. (Aeris called M’ve to check in on Darius ICly, Post title: Finer Things)

Serpientes de Ouroboros: starting to grow in members, they clashed with the Royal Bloods and various other gangs in the Entertainment District. Slowly dragging Darius into having to deal with this.
Month 2-3
 1. Gotten closer to Masha. He’s even helped her improve her shape-shifting skills with a keen eye for detail and advice. Their relationship is still outside of the public eyes, though occasionally Darius has been spotted in her company.
 2. Darius had grown another tail, increasing his power. As a result, he’s been forced to contact Szayeis to update his crystal. The price of this has yet to be made known.
 3. Krysta hasn’t been seen or heard from since. She seems to be laying low… Darius doesn’t know.
 4. Within the last week, odd things have been happening. Small moments of time are lost in his memory (longest was an hour), a sense of being watched, and glimpses of something lurking in his peripheral vision in mirrors or other shiny surfaces. (Those who worked frequently with him would notice odd behaviour - Players who want to, contact me over this.)
 5. Darius had been digging up information about Charles Aeon, for Killian.
6. Afua has been removed from Masha's employ as of last week.

Lily

Month 1-3
- Works at One Night in Hell, the lead singer in the club and bar occasionally.
- She contacted an associate, another Licenti, to retrieve the crystal that Nabriales required. Currently, she had delivered it to the Alchemist as a precaution.
- Visit from Szayeis (?)

Charles

Month 1-3
 1. Adjusting to being Azulia’s guardian, while judging his college courses and substituting for teachers. Including move Killian into his room (Charles’ memories and bulk of his unimportant stuff in storage) then set Az up in her room.

 2. Had Az meet Emmett and Olivia, which they likely occasionally stay here supervised. (old fashion traditions…yeah)

 3. Forced resistance organization (all in his head btw then dropped into a special memory box): Met with new additions allowing him to determine everyone’s skills/talents as well as reasons for being there, which he’s also likely done this with others. Created a temporary method to move money without being traced. Been looking into renting or gaining a new location for a base (untraceable to anyone), which he’s likely been using the College/his home for the meetings.

4. Been keeping his ears open for news over the aftermath of the jailbreak, Prae activities, and additional changes to what he can compare to the city’s past activity.

 5. Visited Lilith 2-3 week, fortnight at most. She appears to be getting better, nearly normal. But Charles know she’s following a pattern in her behavior. He’s dreading when it reaches its peak.

 6. Flipped out some of his spells and popped a few memories over old skills he gained during a few of his lives, which I’ll add/alter later. He’s also been improving and practicing them with Killian, or anyone interested, in evening sparring matches (hidden as magic tutoring). He kept his vis one.

 7. Been tunnel vision on the memory that Rico taunted with him, hoping to find clues. Caused him to study other memories which fit the same pattern, which he’s only found one: the night he met with Charlotte's murders. Dead ends right now.
 
 8. Been looking into how to allow Az to explore her Prae heritage. Also struggling with it.

- Emma... Well Emma will be doing the exciting thing called school… and more school… and some dating of Killian.

- Masha has been working on the reconstruction and remodelling of the club, hiring new people to replace those who left after her 'contract' with Darius for his men ran out. Any who want to stay on (like Damian and Killian) are welcome, but new pay negotiations will arise. Socially, mostly seeing Darius, though mainly because she doesn't have much time for anyone else. Is also actually working at befriending Nikki, not just seducing her.

- Corinna has been going to the night club and generally trying to seduce others & provoke them, tormenting Damian (letting him get extremely uncomfortable if he is on his normal form by provoking him, flirting and trying to seduce the poor boy, or provoking him and really tormenting him if he is in his other form), regarding Erin and Clara, Corinna is still testing the waters. She is very curious about both Clara and Erin, being provocative enough to keep Erin interested, but not enough to scare Clara away.

- Mairyell

What has Mairyell been doing? Well, mostly Aeris. Though he’s also adjusted to Emmett and Olivia being apart of his life. He has also run various contracts and done research on Raiden’s murder along with the occasional meeting with members of the Resistance.

- Szayeis

>Deceiving people.
>Killing things.
>Making various arrangements for his dastardly schemes.
>Stopped by “One Night in Hell,” to greet Lily.
>Visited Darius.
>Sent a prae paladin/hunter to intimidate/threaten Charles in order to keep him with the Resistance proper.

- Madison

> School
>Hanging out with friends, such as Leah.
>Taking care of her younger cousin occasionally.

- Bree

>Chased Dranai due to contracts/favors owed to Aismael.
>Failed to permanently capture him.

- Dranai

>Managed to figure out who hired Bree.
>Managed to get his Focus back.
>Eluded Bree.

- Aismael
>Received word of Ashariel’s... demise.
>Received word of Bree’s failure to capture Dranai.
>Increased prae/police presence in Ominar.
>Put more people on the task of figuring out who was behind the jailbreak.

Nabriales had seen himself out not too long after they had finished setting up most of the details about his new employment. She still wasn't fully certain having him there was the best of ideas, but she did enjoy the way he'd tried to embarrass Cortes. And she could deal with that for a few weeks while she found someone a little more permanent. And a little more able to be controlled by her. That was a little more important to her. Especially with Cortes being who he was.

So she went back to flipping through paint colors, checking profiles of local interior designers, even though she figured she could do it herself and save some money. She had done it before, after all, and she'd been in enough clubs to know what was good and what wasn't. So she was sure that she could handle it.

She was sure that someone would be along shortly to beg for a job that they probably shouldn't be taking.

Damian fingered the newspaper clipping in his hand as he walked down another dodgy looking alley in the entertainment district, eyes scanning the small ad for the hundredth time as he tried to wrap his head around the current situation. To say he’d been a touch confused when one of Darius’ goons had stopped by to give him a seemingly random newspaper ad that morning and an order to apply was an understatement, even after looking up all the info he could on this ‘One Night in Hell’ club.

From what he could gather, it used to be a pretty popular spot till a change in management, as the previous owner had met their end in an ‘accident’, and was immediately replaced by this Cortes guy. How . . . convenient for him.

Too convenient.

After the change, the club had seem to have fallen into obscurity, plagued with numbers of complaints, fired staff, and more ‘accidents’ and disappearances. It hardly seemed like the kind of place that an errand boy like him would be sent to in order to work, but it wasn’t his job to question Darius. He just had to do what he was told and try not to screw things up.

That being said, the thought of having to run two part-time jobs on a regular basis brought about a slight grimace to his face. While it wasn’t like he had much else to do in the city, his time as Darius’ errand boy and messenger was harrowing enough for the young licentia without adding in the stress of two jobs, especially given how one of them required constant interaction with Mr. Nabriales. While Damian held a good deal of respect for the man and his craft, having to serve as his guinea pig had lead to some awkward and embarrassing moments, such as the whole kerfuffle with Ms. Corinna.

Just the thought of that whole incident brought both a blush and a shiver to Damian, the memory of her parting words still poking at his mind, no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. With a sigh, he pocketed the clipping, letting his mind and feet wander ever so slightly

After a few more minutes of walking, he would find himself at his destination, a rather drab looking building that seemed more suited for storage than entertaining the many party-goers that made up Ominar’s nightlife. As he cautiously made his way inside, he found the interior to not be much better, as the decor looked as someone tried to depict a classic depiction of the underworld with left halloween decorations. Damian wondered whether it’d truly was worth it to renovate this dump of a club, but quickly shook off the thought as he turned his attention to the bar where he noticed two people, a man and a woman, sitting down and talking to what must be another job applicant. Well, one of them was talking, the man seemingly more interested in his drink than anything else.

Not wanting to interrupt, Damian simply took a seat nearby, waiting for his presence to be acknowledged in someway.

It took Masha a few moments before she looked up again, glancing around over the rim of her glasses for a moment. She looked back down for a second before looking back up at Damian. She raised an eyebrow, pushing her glasses up into her hair as she took him in. After another second she asked “can I help you with something?”

“Uh, yes Ma’am.” Damian quickly rose from his seat, making his way forward, offering a brief nod to the other applicant before taking the seat across from his possible employers, glancing between the two with some apprehension. “My name is Damian, and I just happened to . . . find your ad in the paper. I was hoping that I could, perhaps, f-fill one of the positions. W-with my skillset, I could be either a server or a . . . b-bouncer, if you need one.”

Damian mentally cursed at himself as he stuttered his way through the end of his introduction. Still, he couldn’t take it back now, so he continued onward, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small notebook. Flipping through the pages, he found the page he was looking for and placed it on the bar table, pushing it slightly in Masha’s direction as an invitation to look. “I’ve also have some skill in fashion design, and after doing some research, made a few uniform designs that I thought might be good for a renovation based off the old designs. They’re just some quick sketches tho.”

The sketches presented weren’t bad , giving a range of 3 different outfits for both male and female staff, each with a set theme and all of them looking rather good for simple sketches. The first set seemed to take the name of the establishment too heart, having a slightly devilish flair to it with deep red coloration mixed with black, while holding mostly to a formal dress code. The next one was more oriented to a club setting, looking to be a bit lighter in terms of fabric without becoming tasteless and focusing on cooler neon colorations tempered by a midnight blue. The final one was the most standard of them all, just being some slight retouches to the current uniform, adding just a small hint of flair to them with flashes of iridescent accents making the outfit as a whole look fancier than it really was.

Masha looked at him with a raised eyebrow, smirking a little at his nervous panic. She looked to the other man for a moment and waved him off a little. “We’ll let you know,” she said to him and he nodded and got up. She took the notebook that Damian offered and looked through it with a reserved expression as she did so. They weren’t too bad, really. Maybe he could be of help with this place.

She slid it back over to him, smiling. “They’re nice,” she said passively, though there was sincerity in her tone as well. “So...Damian. Just happen to find the ad, of course. What kind of experience do you have working in a nightclub then that makes you think you capable of so many positions?”

“Um, well. . . I don’t have much experience with nightclubs specifically,” Damian admitted while nervously pulling at his hair. “b-but I have a good head for numbers, have a good memory, have been told that i’m generally pleasant to be around, which is why I think i’d be good as a server. I’m also pretty quick on my feet as well.”

“As for my qualifications as a bouncer. . .” His pause was longer this time, his face turned downward as he seemed to struggle with what he was trying to say. However, after a deep breath, he continued on, though his eyes didn’t rise to meet Masha’s as he did so. “Those are more tied to what I am, rather than who I am.”

Closing his eyes, Damian released his hold on his physical form, his features fading away into a haze of thick violet mist for a moment before reforming into a carbon copy of Masha, as if she were looking into a mirror. The only issue was the eyes, which still held Damian’s anxious energy instead of her own relaxed confidence. He would change once more, this time into a large and intimidating man that easily looked the part of ‘Nightclub bouncer’, before resuming his original form, eyes still downcast as he continued speaking.

“. . . My grasp on shadow magic isn’t perfect, but it can serve as a good restraint if need be.” Another nervous tug at his hair. “Me being a Nightwalker isn’t a problem . . . is it? I know my kind isn’t very . . well liked.”

Masha smirked at his acknowledgement that he'd never worked in a club before. She was not at all surprised. That had been her whole day. But then he went on and she sat looking at him with open surprise. This...this was not at all the type of applicant she was expecting to want to be in this shit hole of a night club.

She laughed, shaking her head slightly. “You literally have enough power to squash me, and you want to work at this trashy place?” She blinked more, closing her mouth that had been left slightly open in surprise. “You work for the Fox,” she said simply after a moment. She didn't need much more to figure that out. There was no other way that he'd be here. “He sent you. Maybe indirectly, but your his.”

Damian nodded, somewhat worried about her reaction and her knowledge of Darius, and that she had figured it out. Was this something she was supposed to know, or had he screwed up his job before at had even begun. His mouth suddenly felt very dry as anxiety and paranoia began to creep in, but he held the panic down for the moment, if only to formulate a response.

“Y-yes, but i’m uncertain of the reasoning behind it. I was just given the ad and told to apply, preferably as a bouncer.” Licking his lips, he ceased his sideways glances in favor for looking Masha right in the eyes. “I d-don’t want to cause any trouble Ma’am. I’ll do as you tell me as well as I can, I’ll keep my head low. I’m uncertain of what Darius has planned for me, or for you, or this club, but I’m certain he doesn’t want to hurt you or anything. Well. . .at least as certain as I can be.”

Masha laughed, picking up her cigarette case and pulling one out. Unless he counted any love bites he might give her, no, Darius didn't want to hurt her. “He and I are business partners of a sort. I'm doing him a favor here, of sorts, and he is doing me a very big favor. Well, sorta. It isn't as free or easy as all that. But the simple version is that he's mostly my boss too.”

She shrugged a little bit, lighting up. “As to why he sent you specifically, I'm sure I can figure that out soon enough.” And she did have quite a few ideas of what he could do for her, but she wouldn't put voice to them just yet. “So you can relax, Damian, I don't bite. Well, unless you want me to.”

Damian visibly relaxed as Masha explained her relation to Darius, glad that he hadn’t ruined one of Darius’ plans with his bumbling. That said, her last comment sent a shiver through his being, Masha’s form being momentarily replaced with that of Corinna before he quickly turned his eyes downward once more, his face quickly reddening with a blush as he once again started playing with his hair.

She laughed at his embarrassment, pleased that she could so easily make someone like him blush with just some joking words. “You are something, aren't you,” she chuckled. “I guess that concludes the interview. But might I suggest you don't let the other Manger know who else you work for. He and our mutual friend aren't on the friendliest of terms at the moment.” She hummed in thought for a second before deciding. “Probably best you meet with Irma, probably gonna put you on wait staff unless I really need your other abilities.”

“Understood.” Damian said with nod, his nerves finally having settled. It wasn’t the preferred occupation, he had managed to get hired and wait staff was likely a better fit for him anyway. However, he felt as if he was missing one crucial piece of info about his new employer. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking Ma’am, what’s your name? I’m guessing the other Manager is this Cortez i read about in the articles written online about this place, but there wasn’t any mention of someone like you ever working here. Did Darius pull you from somewhere to help run this place?”

Masha laughed as she put out the cigarette she was smoking and stood up. She had to think of how her accent sounded today. Did she sound more Russian right now because she was kinda tipsy and frazzled about this whole thing or did she sound more English just then. Not that she was sure that he’d know either way. “More like I showed up out of nowhere and asked for something. This is what he gave me.” She looked over at him with a smile as she started towards the back, adjusting her skirt back down to where it was supposed to be. “My name is Masha by the way.”

“I see,” Damian said with a somewhat confused look upon his face. From what he knew of Darius(which was admittedly little) he didn’t seem the type to just give people things because they asked. It made him wonder slightly about the relation between the two for a moment, but quickly discarded that train of thought. He was likely over thinking on the matter, and even if he wasn’t, the Nightwalker knew it unwise to try and dig into Darius’ personal matters. Stay low and do what you’re told. He reminded himself Nothing more. . . nothing less.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Masha. I hope I meet your expectations of me.” Damian gave a quick bow, eyes scanning the club’s interior once more as he rose back up. “Tho I must say I envy your position. This establishment has seen better days.”

She grinned at that, her smile almost predatory. “It still hasn't seen the best yet. Now come among and don't dawdle.”

---

Olivia was the first one up. Her backhand rubbed her face as she dragged herself into the living room. Purple coloring collected underneath her eyes showing she had trouble sleeping last night. It wasn’t a surprise. Yesterday’s news had left the siblings mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Yawning, Olivia pulled herself into the nearest seat. Her arms folded to create a pillow while she laid her head down.

Several times during the night, she had been awoken by Emmett’s endless tossing and turning. They both wanted to be together to comfort each other, but honestly, there was none to be found.

Already sitting in one of the comfy chairs, Mairyell watched Olivia emerge and situate herself. “Morning. I see you couldn’t sleep well," he said, drinking something faintly red from a glass from time to time. It wasn’t blood. It was more like...vis wine. Not that she would know.

“Anything I can get you? A blanket, a pillow? Uh...huge stuffed animal?" His eyes were glowing a faint blue for once. The Brisn in the room, which he’d been exerting for awhile for practice, would slowly sooth her nerves some. It was subtle though. Nothing mind numbing, as it were. The pain would remain, but she might feel slightly less burdened by the sorrow deep in her gut.

Little comforts, he thought. That was the key. Well, that, support, and plenty of time.

As Mai prodded the girl, faint amounts of steam could be seen drifting from the top of the stairs. “Mai, have you seen my-” Aeris, in nothing but one of Mai’s overly large shirts and a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth, walked down to the bottom of the stairs, then stopped. Though the children wouldn’t know that it was Mai’s, she still felt uncomfortable. “Nevermind.” The word was blurted out of her mouth as she zipped back up the stairs, more quickly than was likely necessary.

Olivia was too tired to notice Aeris’ discomfort. Her head lifted enough to acknowledge the woman’s retreat and then flop back down. The whole time trying not to fall completely asleep again. It took longer than usual to finally registered that Mairyell had spoken to her.

“Yeah… make Emmett stop tossing and turning. He was up all night.”

Her arm reached for a small pillow decorating the couch and stuffed it under her head. Eyelids closed for a moment’s rest while she kept speaking.

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried not to worry, but…” Her words trailed off indicating an unknown future scared her.

“I understand," he replied, and meant it. Rising from his seat he finished his drink and then set the glass down. As he walked past her he ruffled her hair lightly and then headed for the stairs, cracking a small grin at the thought of Aeris in his shirt.

After a moment he arrived at the room that they’d arranged for Emmett and Olivia. He passed it, sniffing out his sister and heading in her direction. She was better with making people feel better, plus her control of Brisn was superior to his own. Entering the bathroom, he didn’t even bother to knock. He shut the door behind him

As he entered, he would see Aeris’ back as she stepped into the shower, “Did you need something? Or were you coming to ask what I was looking for?” Aeris questioned him, running her hair under the water.

“Yes," he replied, admiring her before she disappeared behind the curtain, entirely unashamed. “Provided Emmett is still asleep when you’re done, would you mind soothing him with some of that motherly magic of yours. Whether literal magic or not doesn’t really matter to me."

“Sure.” She responded, her voice remaining at normal volume. It wasn’t as though either of them would struggle to hear over the water. “But, what am I supposed to do about… well, me. I don’t want to scare them, but I also probably shouldn’t keep hiding it from them.”

“I honestly think you’re a bit too worried about it," he said, sounding quite relaxed. “They know what I am. I’ve shown them, I’ve explained. They might give you weird looks here and there, but it’s not a big deal."
“Maybe...” The woman trailed off for a moment as she shampooed her hair, and then rinsed it. “By the way, have you seen my hand mirror that I got from Torqueo? I haven’t seen it since last night.”

“Nope, haven’t seen it," he replied.

“Mm. Alright.” She responded, her attention returning to what she was doing. On any other occasion she might have invited him to join her, but with two young children in the house, she felt it best not to push her luck. After all, her bedroom was the only room in the house that was completely soundproof.

“Yup. Enjoy the shower," he said, and then left her to it, though he didn’t really want to. Almost lazily, he made his way back downstairs and then into the kitchen, where he decided to put on some waffles. He’d always loved waffles.

Olivia stirred at the scent wafting from the waffles. Her stomach growled and rumbled at being empty, preventing her from resting more. Deciding she couldn’t ignore it any longer, the girl struggled to sit upright.

“Mai, what are you making? And can I have some?”

She stretched her arms over her head. The burn of the muscles helped her to feel more awake, but she could still use more sleep.

As the scent of waffles wafted through the air, Aeris stepped out of the bathroom, to a veritable wave of steam pouring out behind her. It only took her a few moments to get dressed, but even before she’d started that, Brisn was filling the entirety of the house, slowly seeping into every crevice it could find, including the room Emmett was currently sleeping in.

Enjoying the sensation of his sister wrapp--his sister’s vis wrapped around him, Mairyell glanced back at Olivia as he opened the fridge. “Of course Olivia," she wouldn’t be able to tell, but there was a slight strain in his tone, as if he hated the idea of parting with the waffles he was making.

After a few minutes the waffles were finished and he laid them on one plate, then put two on another. There were various condiments and such on the counter, within reach, “Enjoy."

He sat down and started in on his own. When he took the first bite a small smile lit up his face. He sighed once he’d chewed up and swallowed the buttery, syrup laden goodness. He closed his eyes a moment, remembering times from his youth. When their mother had still been alive. She hadn’t really enjoyed waffles herself, but when she could move properly, she’d made them for him. He remembered it very clearly.

It was perhaps why he loved them so much. In fact, it had taken him years to figure out how his mom had made them. Hers hadn’t been normal. When he’d finally figured it out it had been like...like a slice of heaven.

As the two ate their waffles, Aeris made her way down the stairs. Inhaling deeply, she smiled and sat down next to Mai. “Did you save me any?” He nodded to the plate, food in his mouth again.

With a small chuckle, she grabbed them. After a healthy spray of whipped cream, chocolate chips, and syrup, she dug in. A groan of pleasure left her lips as she ate. Damn, she loved the waffles Mai made. She knew that the recipe was originally their mother’s, but she had been too young to eat them before the woman died.

“Thanks, Mai. Dad often made the waffles. He would put a bit of fresh cinnamon into them. He said it added a bit of extra flavor.” Her voice tried to keep steady as she spoke.

The pain was still there. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, thoughts and memories surrounded her. Inflaming the hurt. Would it ever stop and was this how Emmett felt too? She wondered. Her brother hadn’t bothered to talk to her since their conversation.

Olivia reached for the syrup, butter, and strawberries. She plopped on the butter, letting it melt before she added strawberries and syrup. Her fork dug in without further delay.

As she chewed and swallowed, she looked to Aeris who had just arrived for breakfast.

“What are we doing today?”

She considered bringing Emmett something later.

Aeris, having absentmindedly laid her head on Mai’s shoulder whilst thinking about their mother, looked up. “Well, what would you like to do?” She asked, clearly lost in thought.

“I haven’t really thought about it. Not since we found out about mom and dad. I’ve never actually seen Emmett act that way until now.”

Olivia stabbed her food some, and forced herself to eat more. She couldn’t ignore her stomach even if she wasn’t in the mood to eat. It wouldn’t make things better.

“I guess I would feel better if I knew what was going to happen. I don’t know where we’re going to end up.”

Her waffles were half eaten as she glanced back to the direction she came from this morning. She hoped to see Emmett trailing in, but it was just empty space.

After a moment of thought, Aeris got up and picked up her cell. She spent an hour on the phone, trying to locate any family members they might have had, to no avail. She had spoken quietly enough that Olivia wouldn’t have heard any of the conversation, thankfully. With a defeated sigh, she looked to her brother, and then over to the girl. “Could you go check on Emmett, Olivia? I’d really appreciate it.” Aeris’ voice was gentle, as though it were a simple suggestion.

Olivia nodded, then slid off the seat onto the floor. She had eaten as much as she could, but there was still at least one waffle left. The girl slowly vanished from the room. Part of her was relieved. Now she could distract herself and possibly help Emmett at the same time.

Finishing his food, Mairyell wiped his mouth with some paper towel and then glanced at his sister, raising his eyebrows as if in question, “Mmm?"

“They don’t have anywhere they can go once they leave here. Except for foster care.” Aeris responded, with a sigh. She didn’t know what foster care was like, but she’d never heard particularly good things about it.

The corner of Mairyell’s mouth turned down faintly. “Well...that’s not ideal," he said with a sigh. Running his fingers back through his hair he nodded, apparently not particularly surprised by the news. He met Aeris’ eyes, “What are you thinking?"

Aeris frowned, and walked over to him. She pressed her forehead against his as she gathered her thoughts. “I honestly don’t know.”

He wrapped an arm around her in response, closing his eyes, thinking. There was an option, but...he didn’t really know how viable it was. They both worked a fair deal, his job was dangerous, hers tiring. They certainly had enough money, but….

He opened his eyes, gazing into hers. “We could take custody…?" He sounded, well, unsure.

As Mairyell voiced his thought, Aeris’ mind raced. Could they? Would the children even want that? Would they be happier somewhere else? Outside of Ominar? What about their father? Had he prepared something for them? After a moment of silence, Aeris spoke. “...You know… knew, Raiden. What would he want?”

Mairyell didn’t even hesitate as he replied, “He would want his children safe and cared for. Loved. Understood, and he’d want them to be able to defend themselves one day. I think. Raiden was hard to read sometimes."

Aeris nodded. “They’d be no safer than being with us. Maybe we should ask them, though...” Aeris trailed off awkwardly.

“Maybe. Though, give it a few days, tell them we’ll make sure they’re taken care of wherever they end up. Might be better to...let them adjust to here, see if they are, well, as comfortable as they can given what they’re going through. If things look good...proceed?" He frowned a bit and gently separated from her to get out of his chair.

Aeris nodded at his words. When he stood up, she immediately hugged him, her face firmly buried in his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he squeezed, holding her there for the few moments that they had alone.

Damn, he didn’t want to give this up, but those kids deserved so much better than a foster home.

Damn.

Olivia frowned, noting Emmett was still asleep. He barely reacted to her touch beyond just rolling over and curling into a ball. She was worried something was seriously wrong with him. He rarely acted like this unless he wasn’t feeling well.

She thought back to yesterday, noting the queasiness and sluggish movements. Biting her thumb in thought, Olivia’s eyes noted the embrace Mai and Aeris were in.

“Aeris… Mai?”

She wasn’t sure how to ask because she had never hugged her brother quite that close. In fact, she never hugged him. The only people she ever really seen hug like that were her parents and that was because they loved each other.

Looking up at Olivia, Mairyell intoned a questioning “Hmm?"

Aeris glanced at the girl from the corner of her eye, her arms still wrapped around Mai. She was able to see the worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I think Emmett’s sick. He just rolled over and curled into a ball. He’s only done that when he’s not feeling well.” Olivia answered, shaking her thoughts away.

“I don’t know what to do. Mom usually handles-,” she paused to correct herself, “...handled this stuff.”

Aeris nodded, and withdrew from Mai’s embrace reluctantly. With purpose, she walked silently up the stairs to the room she knew Emmett was in. Calmly, she opened the door, and moved over to the bed. She sat down on its edge, and placed her hand on his forehead. The brisn that had been filling the room exploded into view, setting the room in a bright blue light. Aeris’ eyes widened in surprise before calling out, “Mai! Get up here!”

Emmett flinched from the light and bunched into a tighter ball. His back was turned to Aeris, facing the wall where Olivia left him. A dampness was on his skin causing the sheets to stick to it.

Upon feeling Aeris’ hand touch his forehead, he turned his head to see who it was. His skin was white. He didn’t say anything but lowered his head back to the pillow and tried to stay awake.

Hearing Aeris Mairyell crouched and then pushed off the floor of the house, becoming a blur as he dashed from the kitchen, then up the stairs in a single leap, leaving him sliding in front of the door. He clearly had no qualms with showing his nature around the kids, besides who knows what was going on. Of course, the moment that he neared the room he knew.

“Shit," he said, swearing under his breath and rushing to Emmett’s bed. He kept his eyes on the boy, but spoke to Aeris.

“It’s a damned shard isn’t it,” he growled, putting a hand on Emmett’s back, making it so he couldn’t turn towards them more. “Don’t move, it’ll make this harder," he said, before closing his eyes.

“S’what it feels like. It’s already rooted. I can’t dislodge it with Brisn.” Aeris spoke quickly, her hand still resting on Emmett’s forehead. “I should have checked them over when I brought them here. God dammit.” Aeris cursed at her lack of foresight. Of course it had marked him.

Olivia, naturally, had followed Mai up the stairs when she heard Aeris shout. Being human sucked because she was much slower than the blur that vanished up the stairs. Not deterred by this fact, she quickly ran to the room.

She reached the door to overhear some of Mairyell and Aeris’ conversation. Their looks told her all she needed to know. Something was wrong with Emmett and it wasn’t just being sick.

Olivia’s heart sank as she lingered by the door, watching the scene. She didn’t know what to do exactly or how she could help.

“Aeris, what’s wrong with my brother?”

“Ugh, sloppy work on my part too," he said, swearing in some foreign language under his breath. A moment after he took a deep breath, lowering the acidity of his blood till it was essentially zero. A blue aura of Brisn began pulsing from him as he focused it through his bloodstream, causing his veins to glow faintly. With a fingernail briefly sharpened, he lightly poked Emmett. It would feel like feel like a pinprick, but it drew blood.

Pressing his palm to the minuscule opening, the Hunter attempted to press a needle thin tendril of his own Blue Blood into Emmett’s body. He was rewarded for his efforts by a sudden flash of everyone in the room, bleeding black from their eyes, bodies torn into pieces.

“Agh," he exclaimed, pulling back. “Clever bitch warded it with illusions. It’s already conscious enough to use them. No wonder we didn’t sense it." He began pacing, trying to think of something he might be able to do to extract the shard.

He was drawing a blank.

Aeris’ eyes were bright, almost white, blue as she stared down at Emmett. The Brisn that filled the room pulsed with her fury, including the brisn inside the boy’s body. In a tongue that even Mai didn’t know, she cursed several times over, before feeling another presence in the room with them. Her head turned to look at Olivia, her eyes still glowing brightly. “We’ll explain it to you soon. I promise, but I need you to wait downstairs.” The girl wouldn’t have noticed, but her body also had brisn inside it, and with it, Aeris was searching her for shards as well. Thankfully, she found none.

“I’ll go with her. Call me if you need me. There’s nothing I can do here," he did not sound pleased to say it, but did as he’d said he would.
Walking to the doorway he put a hand on Olivia’s back and gently pressed her away from the door and towards the stairs. Letting her lead once she’d started moving.

He felt like shit. Angry, frustrated. He wouldn’t die, he knew Aeris wouldn’t let him, she wouldn’t allow his being to be devoured by that fledgling shade and turned into mere feed till it matured. She’d said she couldn’t pry it away, too entangled with his anima already, presumably, but she could likely stop it from maturing. She might be able to kill its mind where she couldn’t destroy its corruptive influence.

He took in a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, before he addressed Olivia while they headed back downstairs. “Your brother will be alright. Aeris will make sure of that, just...he might be a little different when she’s done. Not in a bad way though..." it was hard to explain really. There was a chance that his body would kill and cycle out the licenti vis once Aeris dealt with it, but it was a long shot. Much more likely was that Emmett would become a hybrid...just like them.

Pain drowned Emmett, his body weak and unable to move. Even when he wished it would. Instead, he felt like lead settled in his veins and weighed him into place. When Mai pricked him, Emmett felt a strangled cry escape from the back of his throat. He became ridged from the sensation as it seemed to increase slightly with the probing.

He bit into the pillow to distract him from the pain.

The scene felt surreal and dream-like, his mind darted between focus and sleep. Though he wanted to move, Emmett just laid there.

“I don’t… feel so... good.” His voice was very weak, and quiet.

Olivia didn’t like the sound of it. She froze in place as she watched the scene unravel. Until Mai’s hand touched her back and gently guided her away from the nightmare. She started to move automatically until they reached the bottom. The whole time her hands gripped each other, wringing each other for comfort.

When Mai spoke, a breath of relief escaped her lips. Her shoulders slacked at the news before her eyes tightened.

“Different? I don’t understand. Isn’t he just sick?”

Aeris inhaled deeply, focusing. “Emmett. Bite your pillow. This is going to hurt a lot.” Her voice was stern, determined. Once he did as she’d asked, a searing pain would ripple through his body as her brisn worked its way around the shard that was now embedded in his Anima. Carefully, and likely excruciatingly slowly for the boy, she worked her brisn into the shard. An onslaught of illusions assaulted her mind, but she forced herself to press on through them. Once again cursing in that unknown dialect. There was nothing this shade could’ve shown her that would be worse than the darkest part of her life, and it would not take this boy’s. As she forced her brisn to permeate the conscious shard the illusions lessened, though Emmett’s pain likely increased.

Minutes ticked by like hours. The whole process probably took around two hours, but by the time she was done, the consciousness of the shard was dead. Now, it was up to Emmett’s body to do what it willed with what remained.
Emmett did as he was told. Though it wasn’t easy. Weakness spread inside him and drained his energy, making even the smallest actions a chore. When the pain poured into his small body, Emmett jerked. He screamed into the surface of his pillow even while Aeris worked.

Eventually, he lost track of time. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before. Difficult to describe and impossible to forget. To his credit, he never pleaded for her to stop.

Deep inside he knew she was trying to save him. From what, he didn’t understand or know.

When the two hours ended. Emmett slipped into unconsciousness. His body stilled, but his breathing was steady and strong.

Once the boy fell into unconsciousness, Aeris pulled back from him, and drew her brisn back into herself. Before she left, she covered him with a blanket. Shutting the door behind her, she made her way downstairs, and collapsed onto the couch Mai was sitting on, her head resting on his lap. She was clearly tired, but responsive.

Watching her enter and seeing no disappointment or worry in her body language or on her face, he felt a relief pass through him like a gentle breeze. He’d heard the boy screaming, and while he’d expected it--having heard similar before--it was a bit more disturbing coming from a child. He was glad that he could only hear it due to his enhanced senses. Olivia was spared from it that way.

As Aeris laid her head on his lap he stroked her hair gently, channeling brisn through her from his touch, revitalizing and soothing her body. It’d surely help her relax physically as well as energetically, as it allowed her ostium to properly shift back into its normal state: mostly closed. He glanced over at the sleeping Olivia, then asked the all important question, “He’ll be alright, yeah?"

“Yes. Though, based on how strong that shard was already, I don’t think he’ll come out of it Human.” Aeris spoke, her eyes closed, and voice raspy. She let his brisn fill her, and relaxed into its familiar warmth. It was all she could do to not fall asleep.

He let out a breath of relief and laid back, fingers in her hair, stroking it gently. “Well, there are worse things," he said in reply. He laughed a bit and shook his head, eyes closed, “Of course, this kind of means we need to take them in, doesn’t it?" He sounded both faintly amused and resigned to the idea.

Aeris’ only response was a nod.

Olivia stirred. She lifted from the couch where she had passed out, her palm rubbing the grit from her eyes. It took her a moment to notice Aeris. Her eyes widened in realization as she jerked upright.

“Is Emmett alright?”

It was a fight not to immediately rush back up the stairs and check for herself.

“Yes, he’s..." Mairyell paused, tilting his head slightly, angling his ear towards the stairway, “...sleeping. I can hear him from here. Can she go check on him or do you think we should leave him be for now?"

“Let him sleep.” Aeris responded, without opening her eyes. There was a dull pulsing in her body that alerted her to something that made her nudge Mai’s leg. “Could you get me something to drink.” She asked, moving off of him very, very slowly.

“Sure," he said, rising. A minute latter he came back with something akin to what he’d been drinking several hours earlier, except in a much larger mug. He sat down and handed it to her.

Olivia, though upset by the response, obeyed. She dragged her legs over the edge of the couch as she eyed Aeris carefully. Now that things had calmed down, she thought back to the scene in the room. Several bizarre things happened which gnawed at her for answers.

It served to stir her curiosity.

She bit her lip, thoughtfully putting together her next question. After Aeris had begun to drink what Olivia thought might’ve been blood or wine, the girl began.

“Aeris, what happened to your eyes? Back in the room, they became completely blue white and weird.”

Taking the mug Mai brought her, the vampire drank deep, tilting her head back as she did. When Olivia questioned her, she held one finger up, keeping the mug to her lips. Once she had drained it of its contents, she held it in her lap and looked at the girl. Briefly, Olivia might notice Aeris’ eyes as they flashed red, then purple, and then finally faded back to their unnaturally blue color. “The magic I was using is part of me, so when I use a lot of it, it changes my eye color.” Though it was a bit more complicated than that, Aeris hoped the explanation would suffice for now.

“Ooookay. Dad’s…he never done that. Then again… his skin crackled and popped when he was frustrated or angry.”

Olivia found it hard to talk about their now deceased parent. The memories poured into her awareness at the slightest mention. Though they were pleasant most of the time, she found they weighed her down and seemed to suffocate her. Thankfully, the pain hadn’t been as bad as yesterday.

“So… what exactly happened to Emmett? Now that he’s alright. You said you would explain to me.”

Gaze settling on the girl as he settled back down next to Aeris, he wrapped an arm around her, its twin resting on the armrest beside him. Studying Olivia a moment, the Hunter sized her up, and then making a decision, spoke.

“There are two possibilities, really. The first is that he’ll be unaffected by the process aside from the unpleasant memory of it. However, the far more likely reality is that the introduction of such a significant amount of licenti vis into his system will permanently alter his nature. In short, he’ll become a hybrid like us. Part licentia and part human." He paused a moment, then glanced at Aeris, running a hand through her hair briefly, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips. He looked at Olivia from the corner of his eye, “Regardless, he will still be your brother. His mind will be more or less unchanged. He’ll still be the Emmett you grew up with...are growing up with." At that, he fell silent.

Olivia hushed her questions for a moment. She leaned forward and tried to recall what she learned about Licentia. It was very little sadly. Their father had watered down to a basic and simple phrase.

Licentia could use humans to create more of themselves.

Before his death, he had promised to give more details when she was older. Now that wasn’t going to happen. Upon remembering this, Olivia frowned and reflected on how Emmett became infected.

“Emmett’s not been around any Licenti until…”

Yesterday… Her mind finished her sentence as her face twisted in pure dismay. She looked at Mairyell then Aeris for confirmation about her assumption.

Aeris inhaled deeply, and then sighed. “Well, you know that Mai is a Licentia hybrid. To simplify it, that’s also what I am, and why my magic messes with my eyes.” After a few moments in thought, Aeris rested her head on Mai’s shoulder.

“Emmett will become like us, to a certain extent, anyway.” Aeris went on to explain that due to how rare hybrids were, there was no telling exactly how he would turn out, they could only make guesses based on the licentia that corrupted him.

When Aeris finished up explaining, Olivia looked toward the stairs. Her thoughts were clearly with her brother and his situation. Just like Raiden, Emmett was difficult to fully read sometimes. At least when she considered his reactions to new things.

Biting her lip, she considered her next words.

“So he’s pretty much going to be weirder than normal? Great. I thought he was bad enough before.” She teased a bit, her tone relaxed some.

“I’m glad he’s going to be alright. I don't think he'll like what he's become, but… Thank you.”

Aeris nodded, and suggested the girl get some sleep. Following her suggestion, the woman rose from her seat on the couch, and offered to show Olivia to a room she could use for the night, if she didn’t want to disturb Emmett. If the girl chose to go with her, Aeris would gently tuck her in and head back out to the living room where she would curl up with Mai on the couch.

Day 6

Emmett stirred when his stomach made a loud gurgle. His face scrunched up and wrinkled from the mild pain his middle. Yesterday’s events and lack of food had taken its toll on his system. Now it demanded energy, refusing to leave him to slumber.

The boy groaned in defeat. His hand shoved the thick blanket off his legs where they entangled and onto the floor. They landed with a soft plop. Sluggishly he rose upright in bed and absorbed the room’s surroundings.

Aeris’ house.

The realization of his whereabouts came slow. Memories of the sickness were hazy and faint in his groggy mind causing him to ignore them for now.

First, he needed something to eat.

Driven by the primal need to ease his hunger pains, Emmett slid his feet to touch the carpet. With a big effort, he managed to stand and drag himself to the hallway. He still felt sweaty and gross, noting he needed a shower later.

Cautiously he made his way downstairs and toward the kitchen. Unaware of his changes, his vis flexed and spread throughout the immediate area. He rubbed the back of his head while his other hand popped open the refrigerator.

The light was more painful than he expected it to be. His eyes squinted as he reached for sausages, his leftover omelet and whatever caught his eyes. He placed them on the counter while he shut the door. Trying to determine the drawer that Aeris picked the silverware out of, he rummaged around the different drawers for a fork. Finding one finally, he plopped on his seat and began to eat.

“Hungry I see," Mairyell said from his position leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed.

Emmett jerked in his seat. His eyes shifted to Mairyell, noticing him there for the first time. He relaxed when he realized who it was.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to go back to sleep, but it wasn't going to happen.” Emmett said in a quiet tone.
As the two chatted for a bit, Aeris’ head peered over the couch, into the kitchen.

Mairyell shrugged, “That’s fine, carry on." He kept an eye on Emmett as he ate, noting the slight shifts in the boy’s vis. He could tell already that Emmett was likely going to be in for quite the rude awakening.

After a moment, Aeris slid silently off of the couch, and made her way into the kitchen. “Mornin’.” She spoke softly, followed by a large yawn. The small bags under her eyes showed that she likely needed either sleep, or energy.

Emmett looked at Mairyell. He kept trying to understand why it felt like he had done something wrong, the sensation too strong to shake off. Cautiously he returned to his breakfast until Aeris walked in. Once more his head looked up from his meal and noticed her appearance, frowning a bit.

[color=cadetblye] “Morning. Are you okay? You look awful.”[/color] Emmett commented, unaware of his nearly empty plate.

He didn't really want to remember yesterday, but he had the unsettling suspicion he was responsible for her condition.

Before Aeris answered Emmett, she walked around the counter, and opened the fridge. After rummaging a bit, she pulled out a rather large bottle of red liquid. “I’ll be fine after I drink something.” With that said, the woman opened the bottle, shutting the fridge as she put it to her lips. Head tilted back, she practically downed the entire bottle in under a minute, seemingly uncaring of what Emmett might’ve thought about what the liquid was.

Mairyell chuckled slightly as he watched Aeris down the fluid. He glanced at Emmett, wondering how the boy would react, a small grin on his lips.

“People usually drink coffee to wake up…” Emmett’s words trailed off as he watched her chug it down quickly.

Aeris was reminding him heavily of Olivia the more he was around her. Especially when she woke up after a crappy night. Feeling Mai’s eyes on him, Emmett turned to him and gave him a look. One that asked if Aeris always drank that fast and much. After a moment, he decided to return to his breakfast.

“I’m going to check on Olivia when I’m done. Where did she sleep last night? I don’t remember much after… the pain.”

He shook off the thoughts. It wasn’t a good time to think about it and he didn’t want to know what exactly happened.. yet.

“She slept in a different room," the Hunter replied casually. “This floor, down the hall," he clarified with a shrug.

Emmett nodded and returned to eating in silence. In a few minutes, the sausage was gone. Then came the omelet, fried potatoes, hard boiled eggs, and other leftovers from the fridge. A bit focused on getting the pain in his middle to cease, he wasn’t tracking the amount he ate.

Upon emptying the last container, his stomach still rumbled in greed. It was likely loud enough that even Aeris heard it and confusion crossed his facial features.

Why was he still hungry?

Emmett pushed the container to the side, where the others were piled, and folded his arms over the counter. He had already eaten as much as his father in one setting and it didn’t fill him. It didn't even make a dent in his appetite.

Memories flickered into the surface drawing his attention to the events of yesterday. Weakness, pain and brief snatches of Aeris and Mai’s conversation were all recalled.

“Did you get it out?” Emmett forced himself to ask.

When Emmett asked the question that had surely been hanging in the air since he came down the stairs, Aeris glanced at Mai. After a moment, she sighed, placing the empty wine-esque bottle on the counter. Emmett might notice just how much better Aeris looked since drinking whatever was in the bottle as her eyes settled on him. “It was already rooted when we found it. If we removed it, it would have killed you.” Aeris’ tone was somber, her eyes never leaving the boy’s face.

Emmett’s once hungry stomach curled. A tightened knot condensed into the center and seemed to swell, turning into a sick sensation. His head lowered to his folded arms as he inhaled. The desire to rant and scream tried to overwhelm his control, but he knew it wouldn't help him. Not now.

“I was hoping if I ignored it, it might go away. I don’t want to be like… like that thing.”

He rose his face up once more and looked at Aeris.

“I didn’t know what else to do… it threatened my sister.”

Aeris nodded as she leaned on the counter, her face level with Emmett’s. “You’re not at fault, Emmett. Just be thankful we got to it before it started growing.” Aeris spoke calmly. The boy likely misunderstood what would have happened to him if they hadn’t found it, but that was normal for a child his age. After a few more moments of silence, the vampire spoke again, “How’s your body feeling this morning? Lighter? Heavier?”

“I’m still really hungry like everything I ate didn’t matter. I’m also kinda sore from yesterday. I don’t feel any heavier.”

The stomach’s knot was still fighting with the need for additional food.

“What’s going on with me?”

Emmett looked at Aeris, his young face held apprehension. He tried not to squirm when he learned that thing was still inside him. His fear gripped his heart, nevertheless, tightening with the passing moment.

Listening to the boy’s words as he explained how he was feeling, Aeris nodded. She couldn’t help but sigh when he asked what was happening to him. Her thoughts drifted back to when she had been turned, and how painful it was. She hated the thought of having to break that news to him. To tell him that he would likely outlive his sister. She and Mai were lucky. They were both hybrids, they would live for the same amount of time. Emmett and Olivia, however… Eyes closed, and brow furrowed, Aeris’ mind trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought.

After several minutes of silence, she finally met his eyes again. “What that thing put into your body was originally intended to be an egg of sorts. It was going to use you to grow a child. I killed it. However,” The woman paused, and ran her fingers through her long brown hair, clearly trying to think of the right words to say. “However, its corpse is still rooted inside you. Your body seems to have started to utilize its vis which means you’re changing.” She let the last word hang in the air, trying to anticipate what Emmett would ask next.

The boy was quiet as he listened. His eyes considered her words carefully and trying to compare it to what little he knew. Licentia wasn't exactly a well-covered topic back in school. Mostly a glossed over lesson to help with ignorance. Part of him wished he had covered this topic with his parents before their passing.

His head shifted to Mai. He seemed to be trying to connect the dots Aeris were showing him, slowly figuring it out.

“Does this mean I’m not… human anymore? Am I like Mai… or will I become like the licenti that attacked us?”

Fear crept into his voice at the last part, concerned he would turn into a monster.

“From what Mai and I can tell, you're becoming a hybrid. What that means for you we won't know until your abilities, if any, manifest.” Aeris’ voice was gentle as she detected the fear in Emmett’s. She wasn't entirely sure how to explain that he and Mai weren't the only hybrids in the room, and so, remained silent.

“Okay… How do we find that out?”

Emmett took comfort in that Aeris and Mai at least knew what he was becoming. Being a hybrid was better than becoming a full Licenti, which seemed to be the shade’s intentions. It didn’t make him feel any more human though.

His head had long ago lifted from the counter as his arms fell to his middle. Clenching it tightly to silence it. It was demanding, but he refused to give it any attention. In the back of his mind, he wasn’t even sure how to make it stop because food didn’t seem to do the trick.

In response to Emmett’s stomach, Aeris turned around and pulled a second bottle of the red liquid she’d been drinking a few minutes ago from the fridge, and sat it down in front of him. “Drink this, it should help some.”

Emmett’s eyebrow raised.

It looked like the same thing Aeris had been drinking earlier. He assumed that it was wine or something like it. Though he found it hard to believe that Aeris was a lush, he knew appearances were deceiving.

Deciding not to question things immediately, he reached for the bottle in front of him. He popped open the top then raised the bottle’s edge to his lips.

He expected it to taste sour and yeasty like he heard alcohol smelled like. Bracing himself, the taste exploded on his tongue. A light, tangy flavor like strawberries. The whole thing then chased down by a nuttiness he enjoyed.

Quickly, his hunger seemed to pass when he drank nearly half the bottle. Gently he set it down close to him as he looked at Aeris.

“What is this?”

“It's a vis infused strawberry drink. I drink it whenever I don't have time to feed.” Aeris responded nonchalantly, as though she'd already told him she was a hybrid. She hadn't, which she realized a moment later, deciding not to elaborate.

Emmett’s expression melted into mild annoyance. Was everyone in this house a hybrid? He questioned, then sighed. To be fair, though he bitterly didn’t like to admit it, he could’ve asked or suspected it. He kept the drink nearby.

Deciding not to dwell on the fact Aeris was a hybrid, he returned to an earlier point.

“You still didn’t answer my first question. How do we find out if I have any abilities? I rather not… be surprised.”

“Surprise is all you've got, unfortunately.” Aeris responded apologetically.

Listening intently, Mairyell nodded in response, “Though, perhaps not a complete surprise. It’s likely you’ll have some form of shadow manipulation at the very least. Any abilities you do have will surely be derivative forms of shade abilities. That is to say, they’ll be similar in nature." He shrugged slightly, then fell silent once more.

Emmett inhaled, his fingers twisted the bottle in place. His eyes stared at it in thought. He felt like broken glass. All the emotions spiderweb through his very being and threatened to break him.

“That’s something, I guess. I was hoping this would stay a bad memory, but I should’ve known better.”

Emmett spoke more to himself than Aeris or Mai. Was anything ever going to be normal again? He highly doubted it.

“I don’t want to hurt Olivia by mistake. Is she going to be safe around me? Or should I avoid her?” The words were painful to say, but he knew they had to be said.

Aeris looked at the boy thoughtfully, “If you don’t want to hurt her, then you won’t. For right now it should just be a matter of keeping your anger in check. Mai’s right, though, you will probably develop some form of shadow manipulation, and if you do, I can help you control it.” As if to accentuate the point, the shadow of the bottle in front of him lifted up from the counter, and then laid back down.

“Easier said than done.” Emmett grumbled softly.

He knew he couldn’t always control his temper, especially since he lashed out at Mai yesterday. His fingers continued to mess with the bottle until the shadow moved. It was fast and unexpected.

His figure jerked back as he lost his balance. His stool leaned too far from its stable perch, bringing him toward the floor. His shadow below him twitched. A small tendril snaked up from the boy’s own shadow and shot halfway up his leg, seemingly coming to block the other shadow. It died the moment Aeris’ shadow laid back down, crumbling back to normal.

As he fell, Mairyell moved, seamlessly shifting into place near Emmett. He caught the boy with one hand, the other on the chair. Lightly he pushed the two back into a stable position and then let go.

“Whoa! A little warning would've been nice.” Emmett snapped.

“You may also want to work on not getting startled so easily," he said, patting the boy’s shoulder before walking to the fridge. He got out some leftovers, heated them up, and then started eating.

Heart still pounding, Emmett leaned into the counter. It felt better to be on firm ground once more as he looked at Mairyell, noting the speed the hybrid moved. He gently pushed the bottle a little farther from him. He was still paranoid about the ‘living’ shadow rearing back up again.

[color=cadeblue] “It seems I have a lot to work on.”[/color]

Emmett’s head lowered to the counter and his fingers interlocked behind his skull. This whole ordeal, and how complicated it seemed, gradually ground at his nerves. Mostly worry that he couldn’t completely learn it all.

As Mairyell heated his breakfast, Emmett lifted his head and noticed his sister. She edged toward the kitchen from her room. His hunger had subsided enough he was comfortable. For how long, he wasn’t sure.

Olivia smiled upon seeing him, bring one to his own. She headed for a seat next to Emmett.

“What’s for break-”

Olivia’s words abruptly ceased, pausing in the middle of her action. Her eyes widened as she yanked back out of the chair. She stepped away from Emmett causing her brother to crinkle his face in confusion. She was trembling. Her fingers dug into the counter and her skin completely went stark white in fear.

“Olivia… everything alright?”

Why did she look so frightened? Emmett thought as he slid onto the ground and stood upright. He continued to study his sister. He moved to her. She flinched and retreated some more.

“Olivia, it’s me. Emmett. Stop goofing off, this isn’t funny.” His tone edged with irritation.

Aeris watched the display, mildly confused at first. However, it didn’t take long for her to realize what was going on. Slowly, she walked around the counter, and put her arm around Olivia’s shoulders. Though the girl wouldn’t see it, Brisn would flow over her body, insulating her from Emmett’s unrecognized ability. “See? It’s alright, ‘Liv. Everything’s fine.” Aeris’ voice was calm as she squeezed the girl gently, and then let her go. She could feel her Brisn as it did its work, calming Olivia so that she would be able to act normal around Emmett.

Olivia visibly relaxed. The combination of the touch and Brisn worked to chase away the dread produced by her brother. She began to inhale normally as she looked at Aeris.

“W-what was that?”

Emmett frowned, his right eyebrow raised in question. “Uh? What happened? Why were you frightened?”

He didn’t approach immediately. Now that Aeris had his sister, he noticed a calm swept over her. It hurt more than he wanted to admit to watching the change, but he didn't say anything.

Swallowing his bite of food, he glanced over at the two, noting that Aeris had handled the issue. He set down his plate and walked over to Emmett, “Well, that’d be what we call Dread Permeation. Otherwise known as a Fear Aura. A shade ability and now one of yours, though you won’t become a shade, just to be clear. It’s not a huge deal, we’ll just have to teach you a bit of control, and work on Olivia’s resistance to it some. Till then we’ll just use a bit of magic to make her largely immune." He shrugged a bit, then flicked Emmett’s temple lightly.

“Try not to get too worked up about it, it’s not a big deal. I imagine it’d be great for dealing with bullies though," he grinned to himself faintly.

“I’m feeling more like a monster than I really want to…” Emmett grumbled under his breath.

His hand rubbed where Mairyell flicked him, more annoyed than in pain. How could he not get worked over the fact he just terrified his sister? Even worse, she wasn’t going to likely look at him the same way. These thoughts didn’t help the anxiety building in his gut. He stepped away from Aeris and Olivia, sitting down once more.

Olivia bit her lip at what Mairyell explained. It still bewildered her over what had happened and even worse because it came from Emmett.

“Is this what you meant? About him being different?”

She carefully resuming her seat beside him and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. He flinched but thankfully didn’t pull away from her.

“Yes.” Aeris’ response was simple as she walked back around the counter, her hand delicately brushing against Mai’s as she passed him, though that would be largely unnoticed by the kids. “So, what do you want for breakfast?” Aeris questioned, her eyes resting on Olivia.

Taking a cue from Aeris, Olivia latched onto the change in topic. She removed her hand from Emmett’s shoulder as she forced herself to smile. She knew it looked fake, but it wasn’t easy to make it genuine. Though the sensation faded, the thoughts of it lingered.

Folding her arms underneath her, she pushed forward and adjusted her rear in her seat.

“Ummm… any of those waffles left? They were really good.”

“I think Mai ate them all, but I can make some more.” As Aeris finished speaking, she set to work, grabbing the ingredients she needed. After several minutes, she began piling waffle after waffle on a serving plate. Once she’d used all the batter, she turned around and rummaged through a cabinet, grabbing a couple plates for Olivia and herself. It had taken Mai a long time to learn the recipe, but Aeris was a bit better in the kitchen than he was, allowing her to learn the recipe much more quickly.

“Sounds like something Emmett would’ve done.”

Olivia giggled. She once remembered Emmett devouring their mom’s baked goods, leaving only a few crumbles. He claimed innocence at the crime causing her dad to investigate and ground Emmett over it. Her giggle died a little at the end of recalling the fact they would never see them again.

Shaking the pain away, she then focused on the present. “Can I help this time? I want to learn.”

She also wanted to make Emmett feel better even when she wasn’t sure how to do it. He wouldn’t be in the depression for long, but she hated seeing him like this. The sooner he was out of it, the better it was for both of them. Without dad or mom around to make things better, she felt the responsibility fell to her.

Despite having already eaten, Mai sat down--notably near Emmett--before waiting for Olivia, Emmett, and Aeris to get their fill. Once they had he would proceed to work on the remainder of the waffles.

Olivia noticed that Emmett hadn’t talked since he learned about the Aura. He picked at the last waffle and managed to finish it off before he slid his plate to one side. Though she suspected it was to appear normal more than actual hunger. Her feet swung back and forth under her chair as she thought about a topic.

“I guess with Emmett’s… changes, we’re staying here?”

She tried to carefully word her statement, but Emmett just shook his head and pushed off his seat. He made his way around the counter toward the stairs, his steps stomping to the room he slept in. Olivia jerked when she heard the door slam shut behind him.

Olivia stared at his wake, her mask dropped. “I didn’t mean to upset him.”

“Very likely, yes," the hunter responded in lieu of Olivia’s question. He glanced at Emmett as he began stalking away, then looked back to his food.

Aeris gave her brother a very pointed look, and then glanced at Olivia, “I doubt it’s your fault, ‘Liv. Give him some time, he’s adjusting to this just as much as you are. It’s probably really bothering him that he scared you.” Aeris surmised through bites of waffle.

Mai swallowed, sighed, pushed his plate away and rose to his feet. “Not sure what you expect," he said, looking at his sister, before he walked off, heading upstairs, thumbs hooked into his pockets. When he got to Emmett’s door he knocked on it.

“I really wish Dad was around. He knew what to do when Emmett got upset or angry. Even when Mom didn't like he came back with sore hands.” Olivia sighed then lowered her head. She moved from her seat to lean against Aeris, needing the comfort.

Meanwhile, Emmett felt hot tears of anger and fear pour down from eyes. They made his vision blurry but he didn’t care. His hands pressed against the door for several moments. He struggled not to just tear the room apart, even when it made him feel better.

The worse part, he scared Olivia.

The very one he was supposed to protect and he nearly broke his own promise. Emmett pressed his back against the nearest wall, sliding down, and sat there. His right leg bent at the knee while his arm rested on it. He had no idea what to do. He couldn’t protect her when he couldn’t sense when he was doing something to hurt her.

He jumped when he heard Mairyell knock.

"Go away!" Emmett shouted, trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

As Olivia leaned into her, Aeris wrapped her arms around the girl hugging her close. “It’ll be alright, ‘Liv. We’ll get everything sorted out.” She spoke softly, trying to act like she hadn’t heard Emmett just yell at Mai.

“I hope so…” Was all Olivia could say when Emmett hollered.

“No. Open the door," he replied, looking at the door with a blank expression.

“Just...just leave me alone!”

Emmett knew the door wouldn't keep Mairyell out. It wasn't even locked and all the hunter had to do was walk in. As Emmett lowered his head into his knee, he fought the urge to just lash out. That didn't apply to his words obviously since they held a hint of anger in them.

“Or, now listen closely, you could open the door.” He said once more, moving not an inch. After a moment he gave up on the whole being entirely calm thing, and turned the handle, throwing the door open. He caught it before it struck the wall. Entering the room he glanced to the side at the crying Emmett. His glowing purple gaze did not falter in the least.

“I can understand how you’re feeling Emmett," he said, “...and I know that it’s hard. However, there is a silver lining that you’re not seeing here. You have people to help you through it. You don’t need to try to be a grown up. You don’t need to protect your sister and take the whole burden onto yourself. I know that feeling, I was there, and don’t try to tell me that I wasn’t. You have lost a lot, but I can assure you that where you are now is better than where Aeris and I were so long ago." He looked away, gazing out the window across the room, silent for but a brief moment.

“You can make it through this and you will come out on the other end stronger," he said it with a certainty that might even inspire a shred of hope and confidence in Emmett. That done, he leaned against the wall, and stayed with the boy while he cried. He kept his gaze on the window, allowing the boy to work through the roiling emotions in his small world.

He had much to learn.

Arc 2, day 1
Time: 6:10 am to about 9:00 pm
Steam clung to the ceiling, clouding the bright light above. Sarah thought about Icarus as she turned off the shower, and grabbed the towel to dry herself off. "It's a bit of a stretch," She mused in her head, "to compare steam to Icarus." It was cold outside the shower, which prompted Sarah to hurry. The towel did it's job wonderfully, though her hair was still wet after the rest of her body was dry. She was tempted to generate hot air to dry it, just to hurry the process along, but she opted for the hairdryer instead. Besides, what would her guest think? She opened a nearby drawer, and removed it, plugging it into the outlet next to the sink. Sarah looked around idly as she dried her hair, taking in a now familiar scene. The room wasn't excessive, much like her entire apartment, but completely unlike where she had been raised. The sink wasn't marble, but a simple metal design. The floor was a cheap tile, that if treated too poorly could sustain serious water damage. These things didn't draw Sarah's eye as much as the smaller things. The small amount of dust on top of the toilet's basin, the dirt accumulating at the edges of the floor. Little annoyances that didn't occur when you had hired help.

Belatedly, Sarah realized her hair was dry. She unplugged the hairdryer and stored it away, before removing her brush from the medicine cabinet behind the mirror; she started straightening out the knots. She watched herself in the mirror, studying her Prae features. It was something her parents would want her to do, know who she was. What she was. The next step would be unthinkable to most Prae. She set down the brush, and centered herself. Draped over the empty spot on the towel rack was her jacket. She touched the sleeve gingerly, and drew a bit of energy for the catalyst. It always felt strange no matter the regularity of the action. Pushing energy through the jacket, she found the gate she was looking for. The levy broke with the smallest interference from her vis. A ward formed quickly, pushing out around her body, centered on her belly button. The next spell was cast immediately after the first, her cheekbones growing dull, her gem disappearing, and the markings on her legs fading into her fair skin. She walked back over to the mirror, studying her own body. Same as always, a beautiful mask. Being 'alone' in public as a Prae was so very hard, but with this she was just another human. The ward didn't block out all vis, but instead painted the picture of a normal human.

Her hand fumbled a bit as she reached without looking for the clothes folded on the counter beside the sink. She glanced down, and picked up the pieces one by one. Layer by layer, various underwear, skirt, tank top, and then her precious precious jacket. Admittedly Sarah felt the tiniest bit more drained than usual at the minute. She had to make use of a full body illusion spell last night because of him. Sarah opened the door slowly, pulling it into the bathroom, and entering her bedroom from the side. He was laying on the bed on the side farthest from the shower. He rolled over as she took her first step from tile to carpet, looking her up and down. Brown hair, brown eyes, and skin that spoke of foreign lands. It was the eyes that had convinced her both times, though she had played it coyly. He was shy, or had been at first. He was almost naive enough to miss the looks she had been giving and the flirting she had done.

"Damn. Twice I don't get to wake up with you beside me." He said, his voice just loud enough to be heard, “worse yet, you’re already dressed.” Sarah had the slight suspicion he had been practicing that sentence, though her face colored despite herself.

”It’s so much easier to talk when my lips have been loosened by those silly drinks.” She thought, moving gracefully around the bed towards the door on the other side of the room. She kept her eyes on his. Attempting to seem cool as she ignored her own red cheeks. She sat down next to him on the bed, and moved her lips to the side of his head. ”You better be ready to leave by 8:00.” She said, the tone of her voice making it clear she was only half teasing. The carpet caressed her feet as she walked out of the open bedroom door, straight to the kitchen.

The creaking of the bed springs alerted Sarah to his presence. As she opened the fridge he leaned his head over the door, looking down at her. ”Your room is rather sparsely decorated. Judging by that, and the fact that I’ve only seen you at the club twice, I’m guessing you’re new in town. That, or a recovering chronic shut-in.” His voice hadn’t changed, still quiet. Just quiet enough that you had to strain to hear it, but not low enough that you would actually misunderstand. It wasn’t how he talked at the club, he had to shout to be heard there. It was a nice contrast, and piqued her interest more than a little.

”Not new in-town, kind of a shut-in, and kind of offended” She said, smiling momentarily, before poorly hiding it. She removed the butter and eggs, and used her foot to close the fridge door. He stood straight up before his perch was removed from under him. He leaned against the counter next to the stove, expecting this part of the routine. Sarah obliged, setting the eggs and butter next to the stove, and removing a skillet from a nearby cupboard.

He glanced down at the stove, as she turned it on and placed some butter on it. ”Do I get to learn your name this time? Or is the third time the charm?” He moved away from the counter, circling around her and giving her an inquisitive look. ”He’s definitely thinking of these in advance.” Sarah thought, refraining from answering his question. She cracked an egg carefully, dropping it in the skillet to cook, while acting very focused. He responded by throwing his hands into the air, and sighing melodramatically; he walked back to the bedroom. Out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw him walk around the bed, before entering the restroom.

”How did I not notice he was naked?” She wondered idly.

---

The food on Sarah’s plate was half gone before he had finished showering and drying off. He walked out, and she could hear him putting his clothes on from the various quiet rustling noises. He walked out while buttoning up his pants, the wrinkles telling a story of being left on the floor all night.

His unbuttoned white dress shirt helped to reaffirm that narrative. She spoke up as their eyes met, a smile trying to make an appearance and showing at the edges of her lips. ”Sorry about not getting you breakfast this time. Stuff to be done, and in the rush I forgot to get more eggs.” She gestured at the empty carton peeking out of the almost full trashcan.

He glanced over at it, before shrugging, and sitting down at the opposite side of the small wooden dining table. ”I’m not accustomed to eating this early anyways, so don’t worry about it. Besides I ate plenty last-” He started grinning, cutting himself off from saying it; Sarah looked away, trying and failing to hide her face. ”No but seriously, I understand. I’m going to head out now. Have a nice day, no name.” Sarah recovered while he spoke, nodding in agreement. Sarah was soon alone with her thoughts, as he made his way out of the apartment.

She meditated on the night as she ate. Every so often she glanced up at the clock, slightly worried she’d be late. At around 7:30 she got up, and walked over to a locked door. She set her hand on the handle, pushing vis into it. The rune within responded, unlocking itself and Sarah entered the room quickly. There was a workbench centered on the wall opposite the door, with various drawings scattered around its surface. The workbench had a bulletin board on top of it, leaning on the wall behind it. There, detailed very extensively was a drawing of her coat. It had taken six months to diagram the thing out, and more than two years to actually start the enchanting process. She had tested it out on a couple electric circuit simulators online, making sure it returned true values and false values when needed. Even a single mistake could’ve set her back months, more if found late enough.

Sarah’s attention detail and commitment to the project made sure it was perfect the first time. The left side of the room had various pedestals, meant purely to separate the runes lying there visually. The system, when given a supply of vis, would generate runes in designated places, according to template runes she made personally. It wasn’t that complicated in execution, but more a mental puzzle. Trying to figure out how to get the expected result without making the entire act of undertaking the process useless.

The efforts had paid off, however, and now she was barely indistinguishable from human even when it came to casting magic. She could throw a fireball or ice spear like the best of them, real physical things that hurt-or so she was told. She was still working at better understanding how humans appeared when casting magic, as the process seemed so alien. Her best disguise was still a human with no magical tendencies, though that was also one of the safest disguises in her experience.

Her halberd lay in the corner, its position making it out to be an unused relic. Honestly the act of keeping it on hand was a pain, but safety was important. She could fight well without it, but even better with it. She lay her hand on the large handle, lifting it casually before spinning it so the blade was facing upward. Again she focused, the vis targeting specific runes throughout her coat. The weapon disappeared into a pocket dimension, and her stores of vis suffered for it. :No clubbing tonight, I need to keep myself topped off on vis,” She noted idly, moving out of her workshop, and letting the door close behind her. Its lock clicked into place as Sarah picked up her small black bag, and opened the front door.

---

It was overcast, and the oppressive sameness of it was something that still bothered Sarah. ”It couldn’t be a bright cheerful day, no, it has to look like a funeral is about to start every damn day” She thought, annoyed. The walk to class was consistently uneventful, which was nice. No one kept their eyes on her for long enough to make her feel uncomfortable, it felt like there was a bigger bubble outside the literal bubble that was the ward. She was just another human schoolgirl, she wasn’t special or better than anyone.

It was 8:56 when she arrived on campus, and three minutes later she arrived at her first class of the day. It was her only early class in the week, though she did have a night class later in the day. The advertisement for said class was very vague, but she went out on a limb. With her luck it’d turn out be about philosophy of magic, or worse religions and magic. God she hated that class; the textbook was very poorly written. It wasn’t just dry, though it’d make better kindling than reading, it was also poorly sourced. Bias shone through really heavily, and it felt more like a sermon than an educational text.

The seat she took was one of the empty ones near the front. The class she was currently attending was a History of the races III which she tested into. Truthfully Sarah didn’t have too high a hopes for it, but the textbook was actually pretty interesting. She settled in, listening attentively to the professor and taking extensive notes the entire time. She could already tell that she wouldn’t have to study for the test. The act of note taking guaranteed that, as she knew she’d remember the material better after writing it down.

The last few months had been something of a trip. Things had started off violent and heavy and she was a little afraid, honestly, that things were only going to get worse. But Cortes had backed off for some reason. Oh he still subtly tried to sabotage the whole thing and was about as counterproductive as he could be without it outright hurting his bottom line. Which meant they still made money, and they still got new people coming in. But he made it hard for that to work efficiently.

But while word got out that there was new management, more people, and surprising to her, more high profile people showed up to their shitty little club. Even while there was construction dust everywhere. Even while the walls didn’t have the same matching paint job. She’d even attracted the attention of some people who she honestly didn’t know what they were up to. But they’d offered her a load of money if they could use the place as their hub of sorts and a meeting place. And since she’d spoken with Darius to double check that he was alright with it, she had said yes. She was still waiting for the money of it all to come in, but it had definitely already been of help. She had no idea what they were up to, and only vaguely who they were against. She’d been focused on much smaller politics to worry about the whole larger scale of things. Trying to take down a gang being run by your own ‘co-owner’ took a lot more time than she had thought it was going to in the first place.

But today, at last, was the day that she had been working towards for three months. Today was the day of the grand reopening of One Night in Hell. The place was shining, and would be extra so by the time the doors officially opened. Everyone was on call to be there to get things set up. Make sure the dishes were washed, get prep work in the kitchen done, clean the bar tops, the tables, the floors. Make sure stock was done and that there would be no ‘sorry, we’re out of that’ this evening. That would not do at all.

There was so much going on in her head just then though, that she had to stop, literally in the middle of the club, to look around and see what exactly it was that she needed to be doing just then. She stood, grumbling in her native tongue about how stupid she felt just then. Thankfully, it seemed that no one seemed to really speak Russian. Or at least had come forward admitting that they did. So she was sure she just looked crazy. And just then she didn't care.

A single page of notes, front and back, was filled by the time the two hour class had ended. It was a rushed, personal shorthand that was very difficult to decipher without also knowing what the subject matter was. The letters were neat, each repeated symbol indistinguishble from the next time it was used. Certain sections seemed to be printed with a typeset as opposed to written freehand. Sarah folded the paper carefully and slipped into her bag. She stood up gracefully, slipping out of her seat and walking out of the class without meeting anyone's eyes.

Though she would never know it, her movements could easily be marked as not quite human. She was lithe, graceful, and she flowed through crowds seamlessly; not stopping, or having to look up. All muscle memory and instincts, she could do it all with her eyes closed.

A crinkle of paper brought Sarah back to reality, her mind reorganizing what she had learned. Posted to a bulletin board in the hallway was an advertisement for Victorious Secret an alchemy shop, and, Sarah assumed, a boutique of sorts. She glanced at the address, committing it to memory, before beginning to move again. Reasserted amongst the crowd, Sarah exited the building, the crowd thinning as she headed further and further from the campus.

Keeping to main streets, Sarah wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed before she arrived. 'Autopilot,' so to speak, had been engaged, making the time disappear. She pushed on the door carefully, letting herself in. "I can spend some time here, and get something to eat before that night class." Sarah justified to herself, as she looked around. Her feet took her quietly to the next set of shelves, which she looked up and down. With the nature of this being a business, she didn't check the air around her for anything strange. She found herself easily absorbed in the small lettering identifying each potion. Of course she didn't dare touch any of them, thinking it might be rude. Her hands were neatly folded behind her back, her eyes wide and inquisitive.

Most of Nabriales' morning had been taken up by frantic calls to and from suppliers, contractors, and various members of the committees that oversaw the creation and moderation of public and private limited companies. He and Sophia had discussed their options with 'Accountant - 8' and were due to sign the remainder of the papers to formalise the creation of a private limited company to pursue any of their relevant business interests. Nabriales had, truthfully, had plans to expand his operations with Victorious Secret for quite a while - this was simply his first step in ensuring that his expansion was legitimate. He'd had his fair share of work in the less... by the book elements of society, but with his newfound involvement in the Resistance those channels were no longer suitable. He'd have to move enormous sums of money for his and Sophia's plans to work, and his existing arrangements were unsuitable for the task. He'd asked several of his associates to begin the creation of a network of shell corporations - and they had acquiesced quite quickly. All that remained for him now was to sign the final set of papers marking them as the owners of an official company before his team would begin the movement of funds and the expansion of his brand.

As a result, he was looking notably more haggard than usual - several empty cups of coffee sitting discarded on his workbench as a fragrant blend of materials emitted a slight purple smoke in his favourite cauldron. A simple draught to be inhaled in order to sharpen the mind and lessen fatigue - one of his best sellers among the soccer moms - and also a favourite among students. He skimmed over several sheets of documentation, signing as appropriate, and after his third check over he had determined that they were all up to speed. With a wave of his hand they were neatly bundled and would appear on Sophia's bedside table for her to read over and sign - and he'd included a draught of his concentration blend just in case. The final page of the bundle was nothing to do with the aforementioned acquisition of a company - but was instead an invoice to the same orphanage that Sophia had recently invested in giving them £1,000,000 in trust funds split between the current 100-ish orphans currently sheltered there. At the bottom of the page was a sticky note that simply said: 'Your move, sis.'

With the news of Ashariel vei Inaris' death, several of his suppliers had panicked far more than was necessary. Much of the rest of his day would involve assuring them that Ominar's economy would not be affected in the slightest - or it would involve him asking one of his friends to do so for him. After being awake for several hours, he'd quickly seen the wisdom in letting the professionals handle those concerns, and let himself slump down onto his counter in relief. He made a mental note to book an appointment for a massage later (and invite Sophia, of course) before he heard the familiar tinkle of the doorbell ring. He gave his eyes a quick rub, scrunching them shut as he did so, before beaming at the customer who came through his door. He let her browse for a few moments, before getting up and teleporting next to her with a faint 'poof' sound.

"Feel free to touch, hon. It's only if you break them that concern needs to be had." He smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a comforting rub. He let his eyes trace over her, vis glinting within them, as a small smirk rose on the corner of his lips. He'd pegged her for a student the second he'd seen her - they all had either that vaguely absent look as if on autopilot or the frenzied look of someone who needed a get out of jail free card when they entered the store, and by her conformity with the former he assumed she was at least a capable student. Perhaps she was here for the concentration blend he'd offered quite cheaply at ZUMA.

"Anything I can help you with, love? The shelves have an excellent stock, but I can craft anything you need if you only ask." He asked, letting go of her shoulder and taking a step or two back.

For someone so adverse to attention, it was surprising that Sarah didn't find Nabriales' presence overwhelming. His sudden appearance startled her a bit, but she found herself nodding along with his words. At the question of help she shook her head a bit too quickly, smiling sheepishly. "No, no, nothing in particular. It's more than a little beautiful, your shop, and I-I couldn't help myself but to look around. I'm not looking for anything in particular-Oh sorry I already said that." The more she talked the more flustered she got. Sarah broke eye contact, finding the potions suddenly more interesting.

Though not overbearing, it was still a lot. Sarah's face darkened a shade, as she investigated a potion marked to be a love potion. It was the first thing the could find to occupy her hands, the red liquid within sloshing inside not very viscous at all. Light filtered through it, casting dancing red shades onto her hand behind it.

In the back of her mind she wondered if he could tell she had a ward up and was practicing discretion, of if she was that much better than she thought. "I should seem to be a just barely magical human if anything, but I was also told to watch out for those who could see through the ward. Is he dangerous?" She had that thought a lot. It was best to predict dangers than to react to them. and she couldn't get a read on him. At the same time, Sarah would never imagine him actually hurting her. "I'm just a bit panicky, I guess," She thought, a breath she didn't know she was holding getting released as she relaxed.

As Nabri busied himself with his patron, he would receive a text from his sister.

Nabri, could you teleport me over there, to sign these? I really can't be bothered to walk.

As Sarah spoke, Nabriales nodded along with her words. After she'd finished speaking, her gave her a gleaming smile and a hearty, musical laugh. He was very proud of how Victorious Secret had turned out, and it gladdened him to have someone appreciate its beauty. There was an etherealness and a brightness about the store that he'd worked very hard to cultivate, and as he took a few seconds to look around her appreciated it alongside her. The store would always be special to him, and though he wanted to expand he knew he could never leave it behind. There was too much history, too many memories - in a way, the store was his home - not one of the edifices of opulent wealth he owned for the sake of owning them. Nothing made him happier than his work, and it truly did warm his heart to have someone new to the store see even a fraction of what he saw.

"Alright! I'll be behind the counter - feel free to browse for as long as you like! If there's anything that piques your interest," he began, nodding towards the love potion she'd found herself holding, "feel free to inquire! I'll give you a free sample for your excellent taste in shops." he finished, adding in a wink for flair, before poofing himself back over to the counter and resuming going over his paperwork. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and fished it out of the loose robe that he wore. He'd gone for a lilac today, though as he looked at himself he felt like the colour just didn't fit. He waved his hand again and with the trademark 'poof' he replaced his outfit with a scintillating rainbow dressing gown, tied at the waist with a thick, fluffy belt. It hung from him loosely, and he had to resist the urge to twirl just to see the colours refract through the light.

He took another breath of the mixture in his cauldron before checking his phone and noting Sophia's request. He made it happen in an instant, though he transported her to the back room with all of the paperwork so she would actually focus instead of talking to him about it. As much as he loved her, and as much as he loved to do nothing, the work was vital this time. Humming a contented tune under his breath, Nabriales switched his cauldron with one in the back with yet another obnoxious poofing sound, before picking up several ingredients from the workbench and going over them, adding samples here and there to the cauldron. He kept an eye on Sarah, discreetly, waiting for her curiosity to bubble over. It didn't take the inquisitive types long, normally.

Sarah felt drawn to mimicking him as he looked around the shop, taking it in as well. Before she had even looked at him, she could tell what his face would look like. Just at the edge of being present, not quite there. Memories and mementos certainly cluttered the shop, even if some of them were also the product provided. She could never imagine doing something similar in selling riunes, they were an extension of her own will. Separate, with a connection all the same.

She was caught in the act of nodding confirmation after he teleported away. Was he teleporting? Was he turning invisible? Gently, Sarah lifted the vial, trying to study the liquid closer, when she noticed a marking engraved into it. Her fingers gently traced the design, magic leaking through her fingertips and exploring the design. A teleportation beacon? Something of that sort, definitely used for transposing. What (or who) remained a mystery. A soft scuffing sound played quietly out as she set the vial down. Gently she turned the vial, replaced how it had been picked up.

With hesitant steps, Sarah moved herself deeper into the building, leaning out to look into the backroom, trying to be subtle about it. It was hard to look for anything with the light casting such magnificent shades all across the floor and walls. She gracefully turned the lean into quite steps, the curiosity outweighing the danger of a social faux pas as she headed further into the building.

"Mostly reagents in the back, hon... Though I assume you're more drawn to the runic teleportation matrix drawn there?" Nabriales asked without looking up from the flower whose petals he was carefully removing and infusing with his vis. He shot a sidelong glance towards Sarah's location, his eyes glowing softly with the scintillating rainbow energy that surrounded him whenever he manipulated vis, before returning to the delicate task he had at hand. After a second or two he placed the petals into the cauldron next to him and used his fire magic to heat it up gently, rubbing his right horn to stoke the flame just a little more.

He could almost feel the pull of curiosity from Sarah now, though some of that was likely just the nature of the runic marks and her inherent inquisitiveness. He'd sensed a spark of curiosity not unlike his own when Sarah had looked over the rune at the bottom of the vial, and it had reminded him greatly of the same sensation that had fluttered around his breast when he'd first discovered alchemy. Perhaps not quite so intense, he thought, as Sarah was surely not born with that innate potential as he had been. Being imprinted with the knowledge of alchemy at birth had driven him to where he was, and though he knew only his fellow Precursors felt the same permutation of that tugging on one's psyche that he'd felt, he was sure there was something similar about the human that had entered his store.

Though not much of a believer in fate or its ilk, Nabriales knew quite intimately that there were forces beyond sight and feeling at work in the universe. He simply figured that Sarah had been caught up in their vicissitudes, drawn inexplicably to him for a reason not yet clear to him. That, or he'd inhaled too much of the concentration aid and was suffering a mild case of cosmic apotheosis. It happened from time to time, tolerant though he was, and he figured he'd just let her poke around until he had decided exactly what he was feeling.

"Feel free to go and examine it! I dare say you could learn something from it, hon. I can see the runes sparkling in your jacket like little iridescent gems... Solid work, though you've a way to go!" He laughed, sounding supportive rather than condescending. There was a warmth, a sense of being genuine, in how he spoke - and it would hopefully register that way to Sarah. He didn't press the issue, but the invitation lingered in the air like a gentle fragrance mixing along those in the store. As the cauldron bubbled away, the scent of lavender would gently waft throughout the currents of air in the store as the liquid within began to take on the slightest purple tinge, and just as it did Nabriales was already preparing another ingredient.

Nabriales' words elicited a stunned response from Sarah. He had a way of watching her throughout the shop, that was interesting. She nodded suddenly at the mention of the teleportation matrix, reaching out to sense the vis around her. She took a couple steps in the proper direction, but hesitated. At his further urging she began to take another step before he finished the sentence. At the mention of the runes on her jacket she awkwardly glanced at him, catching herself heavy on the leading foot. It was encouraging, sure, but she barely had time to process I know about your jacket before being hit by solid work. Sarah felt like she'd been given a one two punch, and she was anticipating the knockout blow.

With more careful footing, Sarah headed towards the back, trying to act nonplussed about the statement. "Thank you. Judging by what I've seen so far, that is something I should take to heart." She said, her voice a bit higher than the last time she had spoken, but not excessively so. Sarah approached the room where the vis she was sensing seemed strongest, though occasionally she turned her head as if to better 'hear' the vis. The door opened easily as she pulled, well oiled hinges making it silent. Sarah crouched down just inside the doorway, making sure to smooth her skirt out as she did so. It was muscle memory, but Sarah herself was surprised she had remembered to do it considering the work of art in front of her. A large network of runes covered a large portion of the room, intricate designs wound together expertly. She touched the closest runes, one of the outer ones, letting magic flow out of her and onto the design. Exploratory, hand and magic alike studied the design. So he had been teleporting throughout the shop using this, and something to do with the vials? There was plenty she could learn from this, very, very interesting.

Sarah leaned back, propelling herself up with her hands, and gracefully turned it into a stand. "That's an amazing piece of work you have there." She said, sounding sincere. "Learning stuff like that always seems just out of reach. . ." A wistful tone filling her voice. She reached vis out to her jacket, and triggered a couple of gates across it. Though it showed no outward sign, various precautionary defences had been activated. The jacket would keep the area around her exactly the same temperature, and more readily resist physical force if applied.

Nabriales largely busied himself with the potion he was brewing, continuing to mix reagents, adjust the temperature, and control the flow of vis within the brewing potion as he observed Sarah's observations. The matrix was a quality piece of work - he was glad someone else could adequately appreciate it. Runic magic wasn't necessarily a specialty of his, but his natural predilection towards magic had rendered it a fairly easy art for him to excel in. He'd only really bothered learning things pertinent to his own interests - which began and ended at teleportation, insofar as runes were concerned - but the skillset was largely transferrable to any form of runic magic provided the basics were learned.

"Don't be silly, hon. Your mind can't make the leaps and bounds it needs to just yet, but as time goes on you'll certainly get there! You've got several hundred years to master it." He winked, letting his lips curl upwards into a sly grin.

"Feel free to copy it and study it! Or you can come back here whenever we're open - just ask my assistants Damian or Vi if I'm not around! You can also find me at One Night in Hell behind the bar if you're looking for a more recreational time!" He smiled, waving it off as if it was no big deal to him. Truth be told, while the matrix would be considered an accolade within the more academic circles, it had very little meaning to Nabriales beyond the practical - and he was more than happy to let someone else learn from it. He looked up from his potion, a somewhat pensive expression across his face, before he teleported himself into the back room a couple of feet away from Sarah, browsing the nearby shelves for a specific ingredient. He picked up a dried root before teleporting himself back behind the counter, and shaving off a couple of thin strips of the root into the awaiting cauldron.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can make for you, hon? Maybe you'd like a tour of the lingerie section instead...?" He proffered, summoning a vial of a dark, inky liquid to his hand and adding a single drop to the cauldron. With that ingredient, and a surge of his vis, the potion settled into an almost silky violet liquid that smelled faintly of freshly mown grass and sweet summer days. Nabriales took a big whiff of the liquid and smiled contentedly, then opened his eyes as if in epiphany and grabbed a small black stone from a small saucer of them on a shelf above his workbench and popped it into the potion, adding a faint smell of licorice to the brew. With a satisfied nod, he summoned a tray of bottles and begun the process of bottling the potion.

"This here is a potion that will alter your appearance and vis signals to match a sample of vis that you drop into it. I'm sure an enterprising thing like you could find a way to harvest some excess vis, hmm? Try it out and tell me what you think - it's a recipe I've been trying to get just right for a week or two now and I think I've cracked it!" he smiled, sliding a bottle of the potion across the counter to Sarah.

As the two went about their conversation, light footsteps could be heard trotting down the stairs. Since being teleported, Sophia had been diligently working through the various contracts the siblings had to sign to found their company. On one of the various pages that she had gone through there had been a field for the name of the company. Nabri hadn't filled it out. Because of that, Sophia had decided the company would be called Victorious Inc.. "Nabri! I finished that paperwork you sent over-" As Sophia rounded the corner, stepping into the shop, her sentence cut off. "Oh! You have a customer. Oops." The little prodigy responded, scratching the back of her head with an embarrassed laugh.

Though it seemed a bit silly considering the now clear power difference between them, readying her rune defences was comforting. He comforted her with his words, and she started walking towards his left side to watch from there. At the mention of the time she had, she tripped slightly, barely catching herself. Looking up at him, his sly grin turning her beet red. She nodded dumbly, rising back up to full height. Her eyes travelled over him curiously, taking note of everything she liked and everything she didn't The former outweighed the latter. Again her hackles lowered, the gentle fair color of her skin returning. At the same time she read body language, noting how at ease he seemed. Teasing her as a newfound friend, or playing with his food? A fine line.

Full of surprises, as always, Nabriales offered a tour of the lingerie section. She paused, considering, and he disappeared again. She headed to the front counter, watching as he finished the potion. He summoned forth bottles, and began the process of filling them. The bottle that he slid across the table to her she picked up, and carefully examined. She heard footsteps just as a small woman rounded the corner. Sarah gave her a quick once over, looking confused as the woman interrupted herself partway through talking to the alchemist. The woman noted Sarah's presence, who had turned to the shopkeeper in confusion. They had definitely been the only ones here before, hadn't they?

"Have you been here the entire time?" Sarah asked, focusing her eyes on the new girl for a beat. She took a step back, moving so that she could see both of them at the same time.

"No, Nabri teleported me here, we had something important to work on. I've been upstairs for the last several minutes." As Sophia spoke, she took in Sarah's appearance. Her sapphire blue eyes glinted slightly with a hint of magic as Sophia's sight took in the various magics that surrounded the girl who was obviously not Human. She figured the girl had a reason for wanting to hide her nature, and internally shrugged.

When her brother didn't interject himself into the conversation, she glanced at him, only to find he was absorbed in his work. "Was there something you needed? Seems like my brother is distracted... Again." Sophia cracked a warm smile as she offered to help what should have been her brother's patron.

The shift in color of Sophia's eyes was very subtle, and if she hadn't been focusing to much on maintaining eye contact she wouldn't have noticed. Sarah followed Sophia's eyes as she glanced at Nabriales, processing the explanation a bit late. "That's-The runic teleportation matrix didn't have a range anywhere near that high. . . Did it?" She wondered internally, Being lost in thought meant she had to latch back onto Sophia's words part way through. -something you needed? Seems my brother is distracted... Again." The smile she offered was genuine, and Sarah tried to match it with one of her own.

"I was just browsing, actually," She said, moving closer to Sophia with a faux conspiratorial look on her face. With slow movements she raised her hand to block her mouth and whispered, "I think he's trying to poison me" Sarah said, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "He has just about convinced me, too" A giggle bubbled over, the smile more genuine now. Normally she could she was bad at building a rapport with people, but she felt confident here. She should be scared out of her wits but she wasn't.

Following Sarah's words, and giggle with a laugh her of her own, Sophia covered her mouth in an attempt to silence her laughter. Admittedly, for the older woman it was strange for someone new to the shop not to comment on her 4ft 9in stature. Her head just barely rose over the counter, but the way she held herself spoke volumes.

She was a strong, and confident individual, just very... very small.

Though, if she was honest, she was grateful that the girl had yet to mention it. Recently it had become somewhat of a sore spot. When she'd gone to see Mairyell, the woman he was with had asked why he was speaking to a child, just after it had been explained to her that that woman who had previously been playing with two children was his girlfriend.

As her laugh subsided, Sophia's face visibly dropped following her train of thought. It'd been a month, but it still hurt. Like he'd forgotten her, and what they'd had.

Nabriales had been focusing intently with bottling the remainder of the potion, and once he'd filled the twenty four vials in the tray it poofed out of existence into some unseen corner of the shop, save the bottle he'd slid across to Sarah. He rubbed his hands together and dusted them off, then looked up with a smile and returned to the conversation at hand. He'd been thinking on the recipe while he'd been bottling the potions, and quickly turned to a little blackboard next to the various trays of reagents and made a slight alteration to the recipe, rubbing out a '2' and replacing it with a '1' in chalk. After he was finished, he returned once again to the conversation and blurted in immediately:

"Oh, hey Soph! Now that all the paperwork is finished and all of the signatures have been gathered I guess I should send it off to the companies house..." Nabriales started, before waving his hand and poofing it into nonexistence. The paperwork would be processed by the end of the day, and then they could begin the real work. He gave Sarah a knowing look as he did so - mostly to point out that his teleportation abilities were not limited to the matrix within the store, and that it was a largely self-moderated system he'd created so he didn't have to put the effort in himself.

"Oh, right, the potion!" He began, before turning on his heel towards Sarah. He plucked a sheet of paper from thin air with a simple pattern emblazoned on it, and offered it to her.

"This should suffice to extract the extraneous vis from spellcasting in the air, or from a person if applied to them directly! Just make sure you don't try to use it on someone that... Surpasses you." He laughed, before turning to Sophia again.

"You coming to the grand opening, hon? I can find something for you to wear!"

Lost in her own thoughts, Sophia only caught what was said to her by her brother. Dazed, she glanced up at him, "Huh? Oh... yeah, sure. I need to get out of the house anyway." The tone of her voice was distinctly more dull than it had been when she was speaking to Sarah.

The sudden change in attitude surprised Sarah, and she wanted to help, but it just stopped her in her tracks. Her mind went a million miles a minute in a circle. Nabriales joined back in, and Sarah was happy for the distraction, though it didn't much affect Sophia. The paper in the shopkeeper’s hand disappeared, and the look he gave her confirmed her suspicions. They were sharing that small thought together, the moment of "He/I shouldn’t be able to do that, so how does/do he/I?"

With a flourish the beautiful chemist summoned a rune, which Sarah took quickly with her free hand. It took naught but a second for her to understand its use. She smiled gratefully, nodding at the advice he provided. At the mention of the grand opening to Sophia, Sarah leaned a bit closer, her interest piqued. She had heard mention of this, before she had brought him home last night. He was the bartender at "One Night? Oh Well?" Or something like that. Glancing at the potion, she suddenly interjected "Oh! How much is the potion?" She asked, leaning forward a bit.

Nabriales was a little concerned at Sophia's sudden shift in attitude, her normally happy features having sunken into what he would describe as "dour". He had an inkling that he knew precisely why, even though he had not paid any attention to what she had said earlier, and figured it would be best for her to work things out on her own. If she came to him for help he'd offer her everything he could - but he'd learned a long time ago not to try to interfere in her emotional tiffs. He vaguely recalled the last time he'd tried to help unbidden and absentmindedly rubbed one of his horns with a free hand subconsciously.

When Sarah asked about the potion, Nabriales scoffed and waved it off.

"It's still technically experimental, hon. The only price you have to pay is a report of its effects and maybe let me study your vis afterwards for an hour or so! There's a library upstairs to busy yourself with while I take the measurements!" He smiled, before a look of sudden epiphany registered on his face - something she had no doubt by now realised was not an uncommon occurrence with Nabri - and grabbed a nearby pen before summoning a sheet of paper infused with vis. He began to draw a reasonably complex rune on it, taking brief pauses to think, before after a minute or so he had finished and he handed it to Sarah. The rune was very similar to the teleportation matrix he'd let her view, though with her experience in the field she'd be able to determine that it was only superficially linked, sharing the same fundamental teleportation pattern and tapping in to the same network.

"Draw that rune with vis if you're ever nearby and want to visit my little library! It's a damn sight better than the shambles they have over at the university, and you can stay as long as you like whenever you like. Just make sure not to take any books with you, yeah?" He added as an afterthought, as if it were not a particularly big deal. Then, with a shrug, he busied himself with deciding what to pick out for Sophia to wear.

Sarah started a bit at Nabriales' response. It was free, as long as she followed up on it. If it worked as intended, which Sarah didn't doubt, she got a free sample of something very sustainable. She smiled gratefully at the alchemist, seeming very intrigued by the prospect of a library. As he considered a new idea Sarah looked down at the rune he had handed her again. It was simple enough, and she decided to make it more convenient to use. She stared past Nabriales as she pushed her vis towards her hand. Light carved out the rune, slightly modified so as to be activated by different means.

As she finished Nabriales gave her another rune. this one more complex. It immediately reminded her of the teleportation matrix she had seen earlier. She looked up and nodded in response to his explanation, speeding up when he mentioned not taking the books with her when she left. Sarah moved a bit, but paused hesitantly, her eyes on Sophia. She still wanted to help undo that shift in attitude, but she didn't know how she could.

A breath escaped Sarah's lips, and she looked about. "Actually, I think I might head home. I need to meet up with a tutor of mine, and get ready for tonight" She said, smiling at the two of them, her hands tucked behind her back again. Speaking to Sophia particularly, she said "I can't wait to see what you wear," Pausing she turned to Nabriales, "Same goes for you." Speaking to both she finished with, "Both of you better impress me!" with a over-the-top motherly tone.

Arc 2, day 1
Time: 12:00 pm
The words “Exeo” and “Dead” in the same sentence were like a punch to the gut. The young woman froze, her every feature rigid. The eyes that were so expressive before communicated cold understanding. This wasn't something that happened, it wasn't unlikely, it was hard to believe period. Now that Sarah was looking (or maybe because she was) everything screamed the death at her.

Amana.

Understanding, not in an abstract way but in a deeply personal way. It wasn't just that it was that way for everyone, it was a literal direct understanding. She knew, the god-queen truly knew her. The science behind it was insufficient to mask the great understanding contained within her. Reverence wasn't the word. The ability to go against Amana's will made absolutely zero sense.

The door latched behind Sarah before she realized she was home. It was like the ten minute walk had disappeared, the surroundings a blur. As if trying to detach the thoughts from her head, Sarah shook her head. It helped a little, and she moved to sit down at the kitchen table. An Exeo was dead. It was like a broken record, skipping, repeating the phrase over, and over, and over until the words meant nothing. A roar of white noise, a roar of the impossible, and the roar of nothing.

A knock at the door roused Sarah, and with no light in her eyes she walked to it. It swung open to reveal a human man, graying edges creeping in faster than he'd like. His prime was more than ten years ago, and his eyes spoke of a gentle life. He was wearing a full suit, appearance pristine in an artificial way. He spoke, his voice sounding equally artificial; it was fitting. ”It's time to train, come on, go get ready. Can't mope around all day. Lose the mask too, it's creepy.” Sarah nodded slowly, hardly processing the words all the while. A sarcastic clearing of the throat roused her, and she moved back into the apartment, heading for her room.

The door shut behind her quietly, trapping Sarah with her thoughts again. There isn't time anymore for focusing on the dead. She thought, but not quite believing it. She unbuttoned the skirt recklessly, throwing it onto the bed. She pulled open a drawer, collecting flexible shorts from within, and sat down to pull them on. With a hop in her step, Sarah stood and moved to the next room. The man looked up at her, and the name Alex echoed in her head.

The room shifted, but not truly. He had moved the two of them to a white walled training area. Red lines cut the room into neat squares. The sides of every square were 10 feet long, the ceiling not even visible. Lighting came from nowhere in particular and yet lit everything equally well. Her teacher stood thirty feet from her, his position not that of a fighter. The weight of the jacket was comforting for Sarah, and her confidence rose when she met her tutor's eyes. His eyes spoke of a respect earned, not through power, or through wealth. Respect earned through deeds. Respect earned through understanding.

A slow movement brought Sarah's right hand off to her side, the halberd appearing as her hand closed around it. Vis flowed with purpose through her body, tripping gates on its path. The mask was removed, the change happening from bottom to top. Hard black edges climbed her legs, the markings thinly reaching out to her fingertips from where they were visible underneath her sleeves. The contrast between her fair skin, and the black lines was striking. Every hard line on Sarah's face was accentuated by a darker design. Two of them framed her beautiful blue gem, meeting its middle at a 45 degree angle, and forming a faux tiara in the process. It broke off from that angle right above her eyebrows, framing her cheeks.

The challenge was simple, she just had to land more than a glancing blow. As soon as she did, the sparring session would be over. The first time, almost a year ago now, had to be ended because of her own exhaustion. She had slowly whittled him down over the months of training, and was now at the point where she could hit him within the hour. In her head she repeated the rules that he had instated: No Vis sense: Go at it blind, as a good enough magic user will be trying to mask their vis anyways. If they're not, it's just another advantage for you. No lethal attacks: There were a couple safeguards in place just in case someone went too hard, but it would hinder future training if either of them were dead. No using vis to increase your own stamina. The fight could last a very long time if they had access to that, and it would be a shame if either weren't fit to protect themselves in the time it took to recharge their stores. The final rule was simple: Give up when too tired to fight.

With a defensive stance Sarah approached Alex. The range that his bare fists provided was not even half of the range Sarah's halberd provided. Her right hand clasped the halberd lower than her right hand, the left meant more for guiding than providing force (though it did). For Sarah it was a truly unwieldy weapon, only manageable because of the Vis imbued into it. When she couldn't apply enough force, she could simply make it go a bit faster. When it was knocked aside by shield or parry, she could stop its momentum that much easier. When it wasn't long enough, she could give it the extra inch or so that was needed. She twisted the halberd, haft over blade in a small spin, while cautiously watching her teacher. Back to the normal position Sarah waited another step before swinging the blade forward. The haft settled on the right side of her leg, her feet bracing as soon as they landed.

Another step was enough, and Sarah thrust her halberd forward-Alex instantly struck it off to the left with his right hand, leaning forward while favoring his left side; his legs were positioned to better take the hits she was dishing out. Quickly recovering from the unexpected force, Sarah took another step forward, and swung the halberd like a pole axe. This time he took a step back, rotating so his left shoulder was farther from her than his right. Hesitantly he raised his hands, crouching down a bit. The axe barely missed, and Sarah made the effort to stop it. He moved forward now, trying to rush in to land a blow. With a burst of speed Sarah swung the halberd back, the weapon's blade coming within inches of his chest before he thrust out a palm to deflect it upward. Thinking quickly, she guided the weapon over her body with the force, before letting it go. It sailed over her shoulder, and Sarah ducked out of the way of his punch. Except he hadn't thrown a punch, he had kicked out at her chest, which was now where her head was.

The force of pulling herself down didn't do much to reduce the dizzying hit to her temple. She rolled hip-over-hip, before scrambling to stand. Holding her head with her left hand, she used vis to steady herself. Small things to correct her position, as Alex kept approaching. She raised her head in time to see a punch coming towards her, and she barely had time to duck underneath the blow, reducing the distance. The blow still scraped the top of her head, pushing her a bit off balance. Her hand became engulfed with fire as she pushed vis into her jacket, the oppressive heat filling the air. She pushed it at his stomach, as he grabbed her hair with his left hand. It was a game of chicken, and Sarah had to perform one motion while he had to do two. The fire pressed against his stomach would've burned her too if it hadn't been for her jacket protecting her.

They were back in Sarah's apartment instantly, and while Alex kept his balance, Sarah fared worse. She fell to the floor, barely catching herself with one hand which wasn't quite enough. Rolling onto her side, Sarah stared up at the ceiling, her hand still pressed against her face. With loud footfalls, Alex reached down to Sarah. He didn't offer a hand up, but instead touched her forehead. The Vis didn't reach his eyes as he healed her body. She let it happen, feeling things rebalance themselves. It was like the slow disorientating recovery of stepping off a rollercoaster.

As the world was rebalanced, Alex removed his hand and moved a step away. A large burned area on his exposed stomach was being healed quickly, fabric restitching over it. "Nice work, though you're still a bit predictable with that halberd-" the weapon appeared in his hands as he spoke, and he handed it to her with two hands, "-just keep practicing. You'll make a great fighter, given enough time. Luckily you have plenty of that, dontcha?"

Sarah nodded in agreement, her face flushed from the effort of the fight. She stood up, moving to get a glass of water, as Alex moved towards the door. ”I'm heading out then. I'll see you again, same time Wednesday.” He said, letting himself out.

”See you Wednesday.” Sarah said without looking, the tap filling a glass of water noisily. She drained it quickly, before filling it again, her breathing labored in the interim. The door closed softly, and after another beat it latched. Sarah set the glass down on the counter, before reconsidering, and beginning the process of washing it.

Finishing, she moved to her room, removing the rune jacket. She stared at the patch near the left pocket, focusing the vis in her body on the task. Slowly she crafted runes into her lower back, the act made more difficult by the thoughts of the dead Exeo at the back of her mind. It took a couple minutes, but soon flawless black lines sketched out a will on her back. In Sarah's mind it was the purest expression of the laws of physics. The will of a universal energy made legible. In this intricate, beautiful writing she had written a ward and some illusionary magic. It changed less, removing the markings across her body, and the gem from her face, but not changing the shape of her features. If one knew the particular racial differences between Prae and human, then they could make an educated guess, but even then there were humans born with Prae like facial structure, not the norm, but still within the standard deviation. The ward was the same as always, replicating a non-magical human's vis.

The rough texture of the material grazed her hand, and she drew in some of the reserves of vis within. It energized her, and gave her a bit of a rush like a child with candy. With a bit more of a pep in her step, she moved to her closet, looking at the dresses hanging there. The first couple starting from the left were more formal, with the collection growing less formal the further you traveled down the row. Her hand brushed the shoulders of each, drifting across the material, stopping every so often to take in a particular dress and frame it in her mind. After a minute she decided, removing a dress carefully from where it hung, and holding it against herself.

It draped across the bed as she set it down, before moving on to take of her clothes. She changed quickly, taking care of the mess of her clothes immediately by putting into a hamper. The undergarments were switched from white to black, and the dress came next. Without bothering to check how it looked in the mirror, Sarah moved on to her hair, brushing the tangled mess it had become into something more manageable. Makeup was next, not too much, but enough to highlight her eyes and lips. The cold tile didn't affect her too much through her socks, which she slowly switched out for leggings ending just above her knees. They wrapped up on the outside a bit more, secured with silver thigh chains.

The next thing to be draped was a shawl over her shoulders, the bottom hem an eye catching white. It mixed with purple as it went higher, the gradient evening out to a black around her neck where it was secured with a choker. Now she looked in the mirror, quietly studying her reflection. The actual dress was a mix of purple white and blue, with black tears running across it at an angle. It reminded her of space. Satisfied with the dress and shawl, she moved on to putting on her heels. Sarah wasn't particularly tall, and heels helped a lot in that regard.

Looking back on the experience in Victorius Secret, it was strange that Sarah had stayed as long as she did considering how timid she could be. Though the shopkeep was a comforting presence, he had (basically) called her Prae. In retrospect, she could have brought it up to Alex, but at the same time he had never been one for idle conversation. She stood smoothly, looking again in the mirror. She was lost in thought as she headed out of her apartment, planning on getting something to eat before the grand (re)opening.

---

Day 1 (Arc 2): 11am to 12pm

^@May

Things surely weren't as boring as they were a while back. Corinna had found two new toys, and both were very... very special and interesting ones. Sure, she had a few... unpleasant encounters, but all in all, things were much better for her. As long as she didn't pushed things too far, she would surely slip under the radar, so she could continue her fun without having to worry herself about others. And her mansion was a perfect place for that. Upon looking at it, it most certainly wasn't discreet. Big windows and a gothic architecture made it pretty eye catching. But the relatively calm and isolated location made it so no one would find it unless they were really looking for it.

But it didn't matter how luxurious her mansion was, being there all by herself was still incredibly... boring. And as such, Corinna spent most of her day either slumping on her mansion, doing nothing or walking around the city, trying to find something to do. That day was no different, despite the fact that Corinna slept almost the entire morning...

---

It was already 11am when Corinna woke up. A soothing red hue flooded her room due to the light of the sun reflecting off the big silk curtains on the windows and walls. While laying there, sleeping peacefully on a big king sized bed, enveloped by red silk curtains while wearing only a simple, but delicate white nightdress, Corinna looked almost like a princess or a saint. Pure, delicate, kind...

"Hnng..." Corinna protested as the cold morning breeze entered through the window, letting the sun inside, hitting her straight in her face.

"Forgot to close the.... Hnng.... Ah! Windows last night." Corinna said as she stretched herself and her spider legs.

With only a thin layer of fabric covering her body, Corinna went to the bathroom to change herself and wash her face. Other than her spider claws, Corinna really looked very serene and tranquil while she was alone in her home. Nothing different from a 'normal' woman. But that side of her was a side that nobody had seen... at least until that day. Maybe nobody would ever be capable of fully understanding her, of making her open her heart... Or maybe someone would come and change her in ways she had never even considered before... But until that moment, the woman named 'Corinna' was a complete mystery.

After spending a good amount of time getting herself ready, Corinna finally got out of her closet. That day she choose to wear something different from her usual dark tones. A beautiful and stunning red slit dress with long sleeves coupled with small ruby earrings. The earrings, while discreet, they provided a special touch to her face, especially since she wasn't using lipstick or any facial makeup. This time though, she wore no gloves. Why, you ask? Maybe she was feeling a bit adventurous that day... Maybe things were going way too... peaceful for her taste... Whatever her reason was, it was definitely intended, as the dress' long red sleeves and the dress itself were vibrant enough so her hands were just a small detail. Corinna most certainly wanted to be seen and noted that day.

As soon as she got to the center of the city though, she listened to an interesting conversation that two women were having. They spoke about a new nightclub, called 'One Night in Hell'. Apparently, it previously was just a small club, but with the recent change in management, it became quite a hot subject on the streets.
After a quick walk, she finally found the club in question. It looked quite interesting. Definitely it was a place worth taking a look at.

"I wonder when will they open..." Corinna said to herself stopping right in front of the nightclub, inspecting the entrance.

Outside the Club
@13org

Marcus Grimshaw was headed in, a little late to work. He was sure he was going to get it from his boss, but he hadn’t been late before in his three months working here and he was going to be damned if he was going to get fired for his first slip up. He knew she’d probably be extra pissed at him since today was such an important day, but he also figured that she’d probably be distracted with everything that was going on, so hopefully she wouldn’t notice either. She scared him a little bit after all, and he didn’t know if he wanted to see her wrath pointed at him.

It was pretty dead, on the outside at least, at the club when he got there a little before four pm when they were set to open open at five. They were actually open now, but things really got started at five, but it was hard to tell that they were open just then. There were a few people milling about, waiting for friends, and some starting to line up that weren’t on the VIP list to wait their turn to get in.

He was walking by a particularly good looking woman when he heard her speak outloud to herself. He stopped, shouldering his bag a little bit better and smiled at her. “Well we’re open now. And if you’re interested, I can help you skip the line for sure.” He smiled at her charmingly, gesturing at the front doors and not at all worried about the fact that she was dressed to kill and he was in nothing more than a pair of tight jeans, a t-shirt and boots.

Inside the Club

Masha had disappeared back into her office again. There were calls to be made and she didn’t need the distraction of the club while she paced and smoked heavily to make sure that while she threatened people for not delivering things on time, that she did so softly, and without swearing too much, so she sounded genuinely like she’d do what she said she would do.

That didn’t mean her voice couldn’t still be heard sometimes from inside the room. Rebeca leaned up against the counter, waiting on drink orders from her younger cousin Rich. He was going on about something or another, she was just nodding her head and twisting strands of her red curls around her fingers. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, just that she was too tired to be paying full attention just that moment. “Huh?” she said when Rich said her name and snapped in front of her face.

“I said your drinks are ready,” he sighed, sliding the two beers in front of her. “The kido keep you up last night?”

Rebeca nodded and sighed, picking up the mugs. “Yeah, because you know, Friday is the best day of the week after all. And he needs to experience every single moment of it.”

Rich chuckled and smiled. “Yes well, he is his mother’s child. You brought it on yourself. It will get better though. Eventually he won’t wake you up anymore and he’ll just sneak around doing things.”

She sighed and turned away while rolling her eyes. “I’m not really certain that’s better,” she replied as she walked away to deliver her drinks to her table.

---

As night swallowed the dim lamplight, lengthy shadows flickered across the alley’s walls. Their distorted shapes fleshed out the bleak atmosphere, empowering it. The rain heavy clouds collected overhead to release their burden. A low, rumbling resonated through the air before icy drops tumbled down. They drenched the streets in blinding sheets.

When lightning streaked across the skies, it illuminating a lone figure. Then it died in a sudden earsplitting crack.

Charles Aeon.

His outline was blurred, rain tracing it in its path to the ground. Numbness sliced past his thin coat into his skin. The sensation replaced the chill. His frame was pinned into place like a silently screaming moth trapped within a display case.

Two years… It had taken him two years to find them. Now the hidden fury broke his deadpan expression, contorting it into an ominous one. His eyes bore into the apartment constructing the alley’s end.

Yellow light spilled across the gloom, alongside the sounds of laughter and music. Obvious signs of life despite its deteriorating state caused Charles' gaze to tighten in disgust. Her murderers were inside without a care in the world. Their crimes stained their hands, but they still walked free. Even while her body rotted in the ground, defiled and her memory left to haunt him.

Guilt shredded his heart into a festering wound, an infectious need for retribution. Reaching his patience’s limit, Charles took a step forward. Water sloshed from his path as his vision’s edges became red. The anger started low and built, it began to devour the settled chill.

Charles’ hand rose from his side. Vis glowed then shot along his ostium, his fingers grasped the solidified sword’s handle.

She shouldn’t have died...

Regret hammered the words into his head like a fact punctured into his skull. Each time they claimed fact but failed to change reality. His grip tightened until his knuckles became white.

Tunnel vision began to take hold causing the edges to blacken. Yet Charles refused to yield to the fever consuming him as his free hand reached for the door.

---

The memory faded as expected.

Charles filed it away in the recesses of his exhausted mind, swallowed by his sorrow and shame. Cautiously, his youthful eyes opened to the present. A defeated ambiance bled through the weathered irises, burdened by his failure. It hadn’t occurred to him how much the years had dulled the pain. At least, until now. The bile in his throat soured his tongue and threatened to push past his pressed lips.

Casually his eyes turned to his hand. A metallic bead reformed within his palm, hardening once more. It looked innocent and harmless. Silently, he knew it was far from the truth.

The professor’s free hand reached for the ivory jewelry box. Lifting the lid, he gently set the small bead down among its fellows. He closed it with a soft thud. Unseen gears whirred and clicked, causing it to lock. Gripping both sides, he relocated the box onto a pile of newspaper clippings. Each was yellowed by several years and the edges worn by constant handling. Memoirs of his actions, but Charles was never officially connected to them.

As he stood, his chair slid out from under him. He had wasted enough time and energy dwelling on this. From the corner of his eye, a mirror’s reflection caught his attention. Casually, his head turned to absorb the image.

It took a few moments to recognize the haggard individual in it. Himself. He blinked at the uncharacteristic change in his appearance. His usual stoic mask replaced by a dispirited demeanor, embellished by symptoms of fatigue. Positive proof the man’s desperation had cost him several restful nights. He was forced to admit he was no closer to understanding the problem now than he was then.

The very memory he had relieved always cut off at the same critical point. Like someone had snip an important scene from an old film reel.

If not for the fact it made his stomach churn, he would’ve let it rest. Charles wasn’t immune to sentiment, either from a loss or gain. To expect himself not to fall to the follies of pain was unrealistic. This truth about himself caused him avoid it whenever he could. A flaw in his own nature.

A kettle’s whistle sounded off drawing his attention to it. He accepted the distraction, noticing his water was finished boiling. It was better than wallowing in his own thoughts at this point. Charles forced himself to approach the stovetop. In a well-practiced movement, more automatic than planned, his hand twisted the knob. The flame died instantly. He then placed the kettle on a nearby trivet. As the steam wafted off the spout, he turned to the cupboard.

Withdrawing a cup and tea bag, Grey Earl, he prepared it to his liking. When finished, Charles then rested his hips against the counter’s edge. His hand held the cup to linger underneath his nose, the heavy aromatic scent savored. It provided a departure to his situation as his face marginally softened.

Hopefully, today would be uneventful.

---

A familiar, feminine chuckle found amusement in Marcus’ offer. The sound erupted near enough his ear that the man could’ve sworn it came from right beside him, but the moment he looked he would find no one. Unfazed by the fact it disrupted nature’s law, the voice went on to playfully chide the man’s ambition.

“Aren’t you going to be in hot water with the owner for already being late? Then again, you don’t strike me as the type to mind it. Especially for a pretty woman.”

The line behind Corinna parted, revealing the voice’s owner. Someone she had already met upon her visit to Victorious Secret.

Lily Quarin sauntered closer as she materialized from the crowd. Her obvious confidence and curiosity powered every step. She subtly rolled her hips causing a few eyes to turn and stare in her wake. Noticing it, the woman’s smirk deepened. Her right hand idly twisted a stray strand of hair about her finger. She was careful not to ruin the braided ‘crown’ that started from the front edges and swung to the back. The loose leftover curls cascading down underneath, bouncing slightly along her shoulders.

Her outfit’s main design sported a wine red colored body suit literally tracing her curves. A false coat tail fell to about ankle length and skirted behind, playfully chasing her. A wide plunging v-neck laced up across her bust, exposing a comfortable amount of cleavage. The flesh on her legs goosebumped in the chilly night air thanks to the open, short-like front.

Just heading back from her break, her heterochromia eyes flipped from one to the other. She mentally sized them both up. Mischief glinted in her irises before Lily’s arms crossed under her bosom, slacking into a comfortable posture.

“A very pretty dress, Ms. the vibe is so different from what I first type saw you in.”