Layla leaned against her bike, arms folded over herself despite the thick leather jacket she wore over her summer dress. It was a cool day, a reminder that autumn was a short season, and winter would hit the city soon. Void seemed a bit agitated, a bit determined, and a bit fed up, his jagged teeth clenched resolutely, a fire in his eyes.

Another meeting had been called by that imposter leader. Void felt the darkness inside him swirl at just the thought. Today he'd try to drive her out, or at least make the Coven question her leadership. But to increase his success, he needed a second voice of reason with him. A friendly ally. A friend of Alizee.

Jack.

That's why they waited in the parking lot of the Tranquil Haven Park. Void had his eye on the entrance, waiting for Jack to roll up so he could push his next plan forward.

Jack Hawthorne was many things, but predictable was not one of them. Void wouldn't be able to see his arrival, as he appeared far from the entrance, underneath a tree in the most isolated part of the park. The only sound signaling his arrival was the feint trudge of his boots as he walked up to the Void Heart and his new host.

"Void Heart."

Void gave the man a sideways glace before completly turning to face him. "Jack."

Layla stood up straight, a bit nervous. From what she remembered of Jack, he was a bit of a recluse. Disappeared after the Coven dissolved. But he wasn't a bad person. Being associated with entities didn't make a person bad.

She offered a small smile, put at ease upon seeing a familiar face. "Hi Jack."

As the group moved towards the gazebo, albeit at a slow pace, Void spoke with Jack.

"You remember what I told you over the phone, about Alizee?" Void said, an edge in his voice. If one was adept enough, they'd be able to tell Void was trying to hold back his pain.

"I... hell. You're a friend of Alizee. You were always supportive. So I'm asking you-"

He moved to hover in front of Jack, dead seriousness in his eyes.

"-I need you to be on my side when I knock Auri down. Got it?"

Jack's face was a barren wasteland. Neither the Void Heart nor Layla would be able to find the feintest trace of any expression whatsoever. Was he already at peace with his friend's death, or was he simply good at carrying the weight?

"It is good to see you again, Layla. As you for," he said, to the apparition, "It would be unwise to do such a thing. They want you gone. Auri, and the coven itself blames you for our friend's death, and that puts you in an especially precarious situation. You will not win by fighting fire with fire. Auri is not a leader. Though not for a lack of trying, she simply isn't equipped to see reason in the wake of all this. You're important in our attempt to save our lives, but they don't see that. They will try to seal you. That means you, Layla, are in danger as well."

Layla's eyes flew open, a hand pressed to her mouth in alarm. "Me too?"

"You are the Void Heart's host. You're adjoined, and that means you two are inseparable. For this reason, we must assume you are in just as much danger.

Jack clasped both of his hands in front of him, showing off a shadowing set of fingers in broad daylight. "They know your tricks. And I know theirs. I have a better idea, and it involves both of you trusting me with your lives," he said, dryly.

Void's eyes narrowed a bit. Layla noted his change in demeanor, and shrunk a bit behind him.

"Is... something wrong?" She thought.

Void was silent for a lot while longer, sizing up Jack thoroughly. Before he finally sighed, and held his jaw in a firm line. "Those bastards."

He sighed. "What did you have in mind, Jack?"

"It's simple. You and I take a trip to a place we're all too familiar with, the Void. Not just any place in it, no, we'll go to the region which I call home. A relatively benign area I named the Shadowzone, it will be safe for you, Layla. As long as we keep the doors and windows locked shut, your mind will not be harmed."

He paused, to let the idea of changing realities sink in.

"If we leave now, they will grow suspicious. So after the meeting, I will meet with you and Layla. I'll lead them to believe I'm looking for you, and that I have your trust-Which I hope I do. While they're busy, you two make any arrangements you need to be safe. We'll isolate Auri when she's most vulnerable. But until then, you are outnumbered. If you strike out at her, you'll have every last one of them unleashing the fullest extent of their magical abilities on you, in broad daylight."

Void narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Alizee was ganged up once before last night before... everything went to hell. I'd rather that didn't happen again, but... No promises. I can't hold my tongue when it comes to Auri."

His cragged jaws relaxed in a small sigh. "I just want justice for Alizee."

A pause as they neared the gazebo. Void glanced at Jack. "Alizee would appreciate this, you know."

”I’m sure she would. I hope she would. Alizee was a dear friend to me. And I will see to it that she can rest easily, wherever she is now.”

If only the Void Heart knew how true that would ring in time.

"Do not look for me. I'll find both of you when it's time." With that said, Jack turned and walked away. The plan was now in motion, and there was no going back.

---

---

Always the mysterious one with a knack for dramatic entrances, no one could have seen Jack walking from the entrance of the park. He rarely walked the streets of any town he had made his way through, when he wasn't traversing the Void. Often, he would simply appear where he wanted to be, throwing off anyone who might be looking for him. Magic really was a wonderful alternative to most conventional forms of transportation, which required time and resources. Why fly overseas when you could simply open doors across the planet? Although, it certainly didn't turn out to be so convenient when people could notice him simply appearing out of thin air. Walking up to the meeting spot, Jack took a seat next to Sloane, who seemed to be doing somewhat better than last night. Today, he wore a dark blue greatcoat for the late October weather. It might've been an odd fashion choice, but it hid his channeler well. And it had hidden benefits for Jack's particular form of magic that he wanted to take advantage of, in the event that someone followed up on the chaos from yesterday.

Chaos which he chose not to dwell much on.

Jack was, unsurprisingly, more than a little jarred when Auri announced that Eksa, Simone and Finn were dead. There were many things about this that sat wrong with him. The least of which were the deaths themselves. It was heavy to know that they were dead after only recently reuniting, but Auri seemed... Lighthearted up until the moment she broke the news. Either Auri didn't really care about the loss of their lives, or she wasn't particularly good at expressing that she did. It was a small detail, but it stood out to him because Auri was showing the same demeanor she did when they met yesterday. Granted, they had all been slowly dying off, but something about this didn't sit right with him.

But Jack was the one who advocated for them minimizing paranoia yesterday, so he mentally filed that thought away.

"...Someone will answer for these deaths, one day." Simone was a good friend, once. She and Jack were two of the more scholarly coven members as kids, he remembered spending hours pouring over books with her and Britney. His response to the news was cold, as he clasped his hands together in vengeful contemplation.

"Do we have any valid, legitimate leads to find our murderer? Or do we know anyone who could point us in a meaningful direction? The three of them left, and went off on their own, didn't they? There has to be some common link between all of these, beyond only being confined to our old coven. When does Father Wolf strike, at night? When someone is alone and can't call for help? Both? If we can't determine their motive, we should at least look for a pattern, so we can avoid it."

---

---

Soft light spilled through Linqian's windows, waking her up. With a slight mumble she rolled out of her single bed, traipsing over to her wardrobe. As she got dressed, the soft sounds of talking and the smell of home cooking filled her small room. Smiling slightly, she looked in her bedroom mirror to make sure she looked presentable. A teenage her smiled back, face soft and coily hair falling past her shoulders.

Strange.

Slightly miffed, Linqian left her room and walked down the narrow stairways to the ground floor of their home. The talking got louder as she neared the kitchen dining room, and she poked her head in curiously. Her dad's strong back faced her where he stood at the stove, cooking for them just like he always did in her memories. Huanyi, her younger brother, sat at the table while chatting excitedly - his large eyes and round, chubby cheeks far cuter than the annoying words coming out of his mouth. He was only ten, though, so Linqian could just about forgive him.

"Ah, Qian-er, you're up." Her dad spotted her lurking in the doorway, turning to face her with a slight smile that he'd only showed her this early in the day - before she did something wrong and got in trouble. Her eyes widened at the bloodstain on his brown wool jumper, shock jolting through her. Had he been hurt, why-

Ah, she remembered. He'd fought with her mum, but it had been alright in the end.

"Do you want breakfast?"

Linqian shook her head. She wasn't hungry. "Where's Jinhai?"

"He went outside for a morning walk."

"I'm going to go find him, then."

Linqian knew a morning walk was just an excuse - after all, it was one they both used often. She didn't bother grabbing a coat on the way out, shivering slightly in the brisque October air. It didn't take long for her to find Jinhai, relaxing in an alleyway a few streets along from their house, leaning against the wall with a cheap cigarette hanging from his lips. The place was familiar yet strange, small details there she hadn't noticed before - graffiti of wolves that made her shudder, and a distinct unnatural feeling to the air. The walls around her seemed to move as she walked up to her brother.

"I thought you were trying to break the habit," Linqian rolled her eyes as she approached, reaching out to snatch the cigarette right out of Jinhai's mouth. She took a long drag of it, before exhaling the warm smoke with a sigh.

"Morning, Qian-er," Jinhai chuckled, not trying to take the cigarette back. "I'm weaning myself off. Unlike you, I have enough self control to do that myself."

Linqian scowled, stepping on his foot and shoving him away. "Shut up, before I rat you out to dad."

"You won't be safe either if you do that," Jinhai retorted, lips curving into an indulgent smile that had Linqian kicking at his leg again. She paused as she noticed the light bloodstain there, eyes moving up to the others dotted all over his body... As if he'd been stabbed all over. But he was alive and well, so she must be seeing wrong. "What are you looking at? I know I got all the looks of the two of us, but no need to-"

"Shut up!" Linqian cut him off with a glare and another kick, which he easily stepped out of the way of. "Ugh, you're so annoying. I came out here for some peace and quiet, not this."

"You came out here for that," Jinhai pointed to the cigarette between Linqian's fingers, laughing. "Be a little nicer to your cigarette provider, yeah?"

Linqian rolled her eyes, not even bothering to respond. She smoked in silence for a while, Jinhai not saying anything either. It was a comfortable silence that she'd missed, unlike the uncomfortable one when she woke up without hearing voices in her house. But why was that? With five people in the house, it was rarely quiet. She couldn't quite put her finger on why the thought bothered her so much.

"Remember we're going out later."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not an idiot," Linqian snorted, dropping the butt of the cigarette onto the ground and crushing it beneath her feet. "Not that I want to. Why do I need to go to your stupid study group again?"

"So you can improve your grades," Jinhai replied, in a more serious tone that irritated Linqian - but also saddened her. Like she knew that was pointless. She was going to drop out anyway... But why? There was no need. "Unless you want to be stuck here without me, knowing I'm having a much better time at college parties."

"As if. I'd follow you anyway, you really think-"

BEEP

Linqian frowned, head tilting. "Huh, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Jinhai smiled gently. It didn't reach his eyes, which were dull and lifeless. "There's nothing else here."

"Huh, but we're-"

BEEP

Everything around her was growing fuzzy. Even Jinhai was beginning to fade, his features smoothing out until he was barely recognisable. Linqian desperately tried to fight against whatever was dragging her away - away from familiarity, away from her brother, annoying as he was. He was still there, just out of reach. If she just closed her eyes and-

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

---

---

Linqian woke with a start, breath caught in her throat.

She reached out a hand, fumbling for her phone and turning off the blaring alarm. She dropped it beside her pillow and threw an arm over her reddening eyes.

Fuck.

Of course she'd dreamed about Jinhai again. Being back in the place they'd grown up, around the people they'd fought with, just made his absence more obvious. She'd been dreaming of him since he'd died, but most of them were nightmares - violent, graphic and filled with her watching him die in front of her again and again. This one was different. So normal that she was struggling to tell what was reality and what wasn't.

It was almost worse because it had been so mundane. It felt real, and waking up to the knowledge that it wasn't hurt more than the nightmares where she watched him die over and over again. Linqian gritted her teeth, pushing down the tears welling in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry. She suppressed the heavy sorrow roiling in her chest, quickening her breathing. She wasn't going to get sad. He's not actually gone. It's not real. There was a strange feeling hovering over her, an inability to differentiate what was reality and what wasn't. She knew what was real, but the dream had been too realistic and it hung over her like a heavy cloud, tinging her emotions. Let's go back to sleep. Then Jinhai will be alive. No. She had too much to do.

It had been so long since she dreamed about either of her parents, too.

Loud buzzing interrupted her turbulent thoughts. With a groan she rolled over, grabbing her phone.

弟弟 (younger brother)

"What do you want?" she snapped in Chinese, pressing the phone to her ear. While she spoke English more often now, Chinese was still more comfortable for her and what she'd always used with her family. It was her first language, and the one she could most easily express herself in.

"Jie (older sister), you finally picked up!" Her younger brother, sounding far too energetic for this early in the morning, replied in English. Unlike her and Jinhai, English was his preferred language - he barely remember where they'd lived before America. He understood Chinese and spoke it well, but normally didn't bother. "I've been calling for ages!"

"I was out late last night." And got shot. "What is it, get to the point."

"Ah, you're being so cold. Uhm, well, you see, Jiejie..."

Linqian frowned as her younger brother paused. He rarely called her Jiejie rather than Jie (or her name when he was feeling particularly disrespectful), not unless he wanted something - normally money or alcohol. Neither were things she had spare.

"I want to drop out of college."

What?

"I just can't do it. After Ge (older brother) died I've been struggling... I just can't handle it. I know it's hard for you to support me, Jie. If I drop out I can get a job and-"

"Absolutely not."

"But Jie, I-"

"No buts. I'm not letting you throw your life away. Don't even think about it, Han Huanyi, or so help me, you'll regret it."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments.

"You sound just like dad." She could hear the slight tremor in his voice, could practically see the crestfallen look on his face.

Shit, Huanyi was right, she was acting like their dad had. She could still remember, still feel, his disappointed gaze burning into her when she said she didn't want to go to college. All the times she'd been grounded for getting bad grades, all the times she was compared to her brother. They'd tried to force her to be something she didn't want to be, without care for the stress it put her under, and now she was doing the same for Huanyi. She loved her dad, but she didn't want to be like him.

"Ok, fine, I understand. But don't drop out, Yi-er. Take a semester or a year off, then decide after that. You shouldn't make rash decisions right now." As if she hadn't herself. But that was different. Her life didn't matter as much. "I'll keep paying for your accommodation, or you can move back in with me."

Though she hoped he'd stay there, at least for a while. Last night had proved that the magical scene in St Portwell was incredibly chaotic and she didn't want him caught in the crossfire. Her younger brother was still blind, by some miracle, and blissfully unaware of the paranormal. She'd like to keep it that way.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"Good," Linqian cut in before he could say anything else. "I have to go now, I have a work meeting. Text me if you need anything and I'll call again when I have time."

"Okay. Bye, Jie."

"Bye." Linqian hung up and dropped her phone on her back with a frustrated groan. She raked a hand through her curls, pulling it back into a loose bun and getting out of bed.

Just what she needed to deal with on top of everything else. Her younger brother considering throwing away his entire future, something she and Jinhai had worked so hard to provide. What was the point in everything she'd done if Huanyi just ended up like her? Fuck.

She didn't have time to dwell on this. She was meeting with Greyson this morning and had to get dressed nicely enough to look like everything was alright, while also getting a bus on time. Her brother's call had completely thrown off her planned schedule.

It was fine.

It had to be.

---

---

The Anchor Diner was a small place in downtown St Portwell that had somehow survived the past ten years of paranormal attacks and chain restaurants like Dairy Queen trying to take over. It was aided by its great student discounts, for highschoolers and college students alike, and its slightly nicer atmosphere. It was brightly lit and nautical themed like so many places in the city were, with bright blue seated booths with higher backs than normal that offered some privacy. Most of the food was mediocre but cheap, and the fish was just a bit better than mediocre.

Linqian sat in one of the booths, slowly drinking a far too bitter coffee. She wasn't particularly dressed for the colder weather outside - wearing a white, off the shoulder top and maroon a-line skirt that reached mid thigh, showing off her long legs. It wasn’t as much of an issue when you could adjust your own body temperature.

After a lot of deliberation, Linqian had organised to meet Greyson here. It was one of the few places still around that she knew and felt comfortable in. She'd frequented it during highschool, using the booths privacy to make out with her girlfriend at the time. It was far from fancy, but the only other place she really knew was her own workplace - which she didn't want Greyson knowing the location of. She was sure he could find out the information if he really wanted it, but she wasn't just going to hand that over. Plus the owner she'd gotten the job through in the first place had known her parents and she wasn't prepared to deal with that.

Linqian sighed, mindlessly scrolling down a used car website. She was a bit less worried about it with Britney's offer to help fix her car (that was likely unfixable), but the sooner she got a replacement the easier it would be. Her lips twisted down into a frown as a message from her younger brother popped up, saying that he’d thought more about it and he wanted to move back in with her for a while. She ignored the message and locked her phone, leaning back with a groan.

Hopefully if she got a bit more money out of this meeting, she’d be able to pay for his plane tickets.

With Edict, the mornings were always the mellow times. The longer and longer the day rolled out, the more energy he had to give to things, ever expanding until sleep finally took him. But he knew how to stay on the bounce with cat naps: The life of a Boss means that one needs to be mobile and available anytime anywhere. It meant that despite having a whole fourteen hours between the events of the meeting and now, he had still yet to make it back to his apartment in the bay district.

He had, at the very least, shaved and showered before swapping out his priest’s attire for something a bit more form-fitting to the environment. Dark grey jeans clung loosely to his hips, a thick black belt keeping them on his waist while the white tank top first layer slipped in between neatly. He had a cherry red flannel covering that, which he further bundled up under a black sweater.
Linqian’s call last night was a bit strange, mostly because she sounded somewhat shaken up. Definitely not like someone who had been drinking and dancing all night. He was ready to expect anything then, including disappointment. So, he came alone and prepared for something. His boot holster was rubbing against his ankle as his foot lifted off and pressed against the clutch pedal. He was slowing down on approach to the Anchor’s parking lot, the Merc’s engine rumbling beneath him until it finally came to a stop in a space not far from the door. He looked like half a punk walking out of his Dad’s car, but with his level of confidence, one rarely worried about those kinds of perceptions.

Edict stepped through the door and already his essence was prodding around the restaurant. It wasn’t the knocking, rather the most subtle form of his ability: Just a Peek. It spread like a gentle mist to tingle only the outer reaches of Linqian’s Field. He didn’t need to see her to feel where he had to turn, and as he got closer he shifted it slowly until he was standing in front of her.
When he looked at her, he smiled and nodded gently. Any scratching that was being done ended there, and for the first time maybe ever, Greyson Devola was dark.

“Linqian, Linqian… How’re you feeling, huh?”
His goatee was well maintained, and his hair was gently slicked back like usual. All he was missing was the beanie hat to be a stereotypical hipster douche in image… But the rosary tattoo in his palm running up his arm gave a slightly different impression. He slipped into the booth across from her.
“I wasn’t sure you were here yet, I didn’t see your car last night so I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.”

”Not feeling as hungover as I hoped to,” Linqian laughed lightly, though there wasn’t much happiness behind it. She looked over at Edict, dark eyebrow raising at his rather extreme change of dress - from priest to hipster… she wasn’t sure which she liked less. At least this was a little more normal, she supposed. The most pleasant surprise, though, was the lack of prodding at her mind. Fuck, maybe his sob story about seeing a shrink really was true… Not that she cared either way. ”You’d have been outside all day if you’d been waiting for my car, anyway. I took a bus, my car got damaged last night.”

She took another sip of her coffee, frowning. Just thinking about it and what had followed made her angry - especially that fucking cult. ”Smart decision not coming last night, it was a real shit show. Didn’t even make it to the fucking bar! I got shot, twice, Britney got shot, Alizee got shot dead… It was a fucking disaster.”

Edict nodded his head in response taking in what she was saying. Thinking about it, one of his Uncle’s guys mentioned there was a shootout somewhere around there, but never mentioned specifics. Not like he told anyone to look out for the club, so of course the details wouldn’t make it back to him until now. Typical lapse in foresight, Edict thought. Everyone makes little mistakes all the time, balancing the world out and preventing the steamrolling effect from being too widespread.
”Yo, yo… Brit? I mean, she’s alright, right!?”

An impulse burst knocked at Linqian’s E-Field, but Edict realised it immediately and held up his hands.
“Woah, hey, sorry. That’s not… I wasn’t… Just, Brit getting hurt like that, in… In a fuckin’ shootout?”
Edict shook his head, a scowl crossing his face.
“Who was it?” his voice got dead serious, quieting down and leaning in slightly toward Linqian.

"She's fine. It is as more of a magical shootout anyway." Linqian didn't even bother getting annoyed about his knock on her mind, cause it was gone as soon as it started. Huh. He seemed to be really trying to not get into her head. "Pretty sure whoever it was is dead. There were three shooting, and two died, but I wasn't really paying attention cause, yknow, I was getting fucking shot at. Alizée's creepy apparition killed one, and the other…"

Linqian frowned. She didn't know how he'd died, actually, she'd just seen his body… which had been horrible. The whole thing had been a shitshow. "The ones shooting were Wolfpack… but seriously, she's fine. We all got healed by someone from another cult- Coven. She even gave me a lift out of there." And out of Leon's creepy cult too, but that information could be saved for a bit later. It wasn't quite as important. Linqian tapped the rim of her mug"It was a serious cluster fuck, three different groups- wait, four. There was also a magical police man. Maybe Kali wasn't lying about being with the feds afterall."

Edict shook his head at Linqian gently, laughing a bit.
“Jesus Christ… Alright so;-”
He paused for a moment as the waiter arrived to check on them. Edict ordered a coke on a different bill with the swiftness of a practised people dodger, practically deflecting the man with his words like a buckler turns a dagger.
“-Wolfpack. Right. And you said you didn’t even get into the bar? Probably some remnants scattered around town. Our friends from the old days and new blood circulating through St. Portwell. I’ll be honest, my Uncle’s guys ain’t exactly equipped to be huntin’ info on people like us. They’re just not, y’know? S’why I need people like you around; some people won’t be keen at all on hearing from me.”

"What, people who need money and know bout para-"

“Anything to eat!?”
The waiter reappeared like magic itself. Near scared the shit out of Edict who jumped in his seat.
“Jesus fuck, man! Put a bell on or somethin’, God damn! Basket of fries!”
He’d already been through this similar routine with Linqian, and resolved that neither were here for the food or the drink. He quietly wrote the order on the check and slipped away.
“Fuckin’ good help… The one time you wanna be ignored, you get good fucking service.” he intoned, shaking his head and taking a deep breath.
“So we’ll chalk last night up as bad luck. Full Moon or some bullshit. Now, as far as a Magical Cop, what? Like a beat detective? Or was he a Fed like Kali too?”
Edict hated the name, spat on it in his head, and regretted having to feel that way every single second it occupied his brain.

Linqian's eyes narrowed at how Edict talked to the waiter, and she barely managed to hold her tongue about the fact that she was technically "help" too in her primary job. It was fine, he probably didn't know that. And he was paying her… it was thanks to years working in service that she was able to not snap about it. Her lips twitched up into a slight, forced smile that she'd perfected in ten years of working service.

"Guess you could blame a full moon, there was a werewolf… the cop had an SPPD uniform on, but I really doubt SPPD has a fucking phoenix unless I missed something while I was away. An armoured vehicle also went past us while we were driving away, so it's hard to tell." Linqian shrugged, drinking more coffee - and realising she was almost done. She hardly felt more awake too, how annoying. "My guess would be fed, but that's just a guess. Maybe SPPD got a magical upgrade in the past few years."

”Werewolf? Ain’t no Dens left in the area, so it’s gotta be Leon… You said that freaky Altiere girl died? They were close enough, but I didn’t see him at the meeting so why was he over at that strip club?”
Edict shook his head thinking about Leon Richoux. They knew each other well enough; Leon had softened to Edict over time and distance; or maybe it was Edict padding the victory pools of Leon’s fights. Who could blame someone for doing a little gambling when the victory was guaranteed? A few nights in Vegas, a few bottles of booze and some decent prodding, and the suggestion had been successfully planted: Only fight the best.
The odds fell, the money climbed, and all of a sudden Leon had a vehicle to profit even further from his own fights. Since then, they've been quiet business partners who recognize that the work goes far beyond any sort of mundane Mafia.

”I’ll get in touch with him to get his take. Now, I guess we’re safe to assume you didn’t meet the uh… The strippers I told you about.”
He sighed slightly, thinking about how the fuck he was going to pay this out. He didn’t want her thinking it was okay to basically come away with nothing. Well, not nothing. She said there was a fucking armored vehicle rolling through St. Portwell, which… Well, nothing was normal these days, but he knew for a fact that local task forces needed to call up to Salem or Portland to get that kind of support. So, either there was someone who could summon that thing, or the Feds had moved into some place quiet and out of the way.

No matter what, she was gonna need transportation to keep working effectively. He took a deep breath and shook his head. The french fries hit the table, and before the waiter could leave, he was stopped. Edict popped out a roll of cash and pulled off a few twenties.
”Thank you, my man. That’s for the tab and whatever’s left is yours.”
As he walked away, Edict kept the wad of cash open.
“Would you… Would you rather a downpayment and a car bill later, or are you cool with a potentially not-so-legitimate replacement car for no money at all?” Edict grinned, laughing at the thought that he just made that offer.

”I wish I’d met the strippers… It wasn’t for lack of trying,” Linqian rolled her eyes, thinking about the wonderful night she’d missed out on plus the money she would’ve gotten with any information gathered. ”By the time I got there it was already an all out paranormal fight…”
She trailed off, realising this was just excuses - and she didn’t like making excuses. Fuck, maybe her shame had been shot last night too, to have her acting like this.

Putting aside the failed information gathering for now, she leaned forward and stole a fry, eyeing the cash with a hint of suspicion. As she nibbled the single fry bit by bit, as if that would somehow make it more filling, she considered the offer. A car down payment would be a big help, but there would still be monthly payments to worry about. A not-so-legitimate car came with the obvious downsides of being… not actually legitimate, and possibly other strings attached. But she couldn’t really afford to be fussy (literally). ”I’ll take the not-so-legitimate car. Anything’s better than the piece of crap I was driving, anyway.”

Then she frowned, talk of the replacement car reminding her of why she needed one in the first place. ”Wait, you knew Leon was a werewolf now? Does that mean you know about his incredibly creepy cult too?”

Edict laughed when Linqian called the Temple creepy.
“Ey, listen… I spend the occasional winter down in the Caribbean. You’d be surprised how not creepy some cults can be, y’know? Like, when my Mumma introduced me to her family, I thought I was gonna wake up and they’d be roasting me like a pig on a spit. Turns out most of them just wanted to know if I knew John Gotti… So, if anything, to me the Temple is pretty normal. They’re basically a Mafia without the crime.”
He nodded again, smiling.
“But, yeah. Occasionally I go to his fights. Sometimes I make a lot of money for the both of us. We’ve got a good working relationship since he’s gotten that stick taken out of his ass.”

But then he paused as he thought about what she asked.
“Wait… You were there last night? Like, you were with him after?”

”Yeah, I was,” Linqian tilted her head, trying not to appear too confused. Was that important, somehow? It wasn’t like much had happened. ”Sure didn’t seem like he got that stick out his ass with how he acted… Didn’t have much of a choice, since he directed Britney to his cult, and she was my ride outta that shitshow. Met his mom and everything… Who was also fucking creepy.” And hot, but she wasn’t going to mention that.

”I really don’t think meeting the Caribbean side of your family is the same- you know what, sure, it's not creepy if you’re in the mafia. But it is when your family’s normal.” Linqian paused, forcing herself to take a deep breath. And stealing another fry. No need to get so worked up over the claim that a totally creepy cult wasn’t. ”Maybe I saw it wrong, after the getting shot and finding out Leon’s a werewolf now after he destroyed my car. Which…” Linqian paused again, considering her words. Not that carefully, though. ”I was pretty pissed off about. So yeah, I was there, but I would’ve rather not been.”

“Yeah, the werewolf thing was a surprise. One day I noticed when I gave a good knock and nearly got my face caved in. He ended up telling me everything, shit’s kinda sad. I guess his Mom actually put him up to it or something. We got drunk, he said he regretted it, we made up. Life goes on.”
He nodded, finally putting the cash away and pulling out a small notebook with an equally small pen. Edict’s fingers began to scribble away.

“You said you saw his Mom though? Is she still a fucking smokeshow?” he asked very casually, like he was checking if there was still going to be rain later in the day.
As he finished writing, he ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to her.
2118 Calta St., Port District.
GDV-0040
Then he slid it over to her, but kept his fingers on it.
“I’m gonna give you a call later on. When that happens, you’re gonna be all set. You go to this address, give this note to the man there, and he’ll sign the title and everything over to you. I’m fairly certain this one’s been cleaned well enough that if you get pulled over you shouldn’t have any trouble. Just don’t get into another accident with it; and if you do, you’ve gotta come back to me. Do not insure this fucking car, you understand?“

Linqian almost choked on the second fry she’d been eating at the nonchalant tone that Edict used to ask if Leon’s mom was still hot, quickly swallowing it down before she died in the most embarrassing way. ”Yeah, his mom was hot enough it almost convinced me to sign up. Damn, if she wasn’t a cult leader…” Yeah, better not to let her thoughts go that way.

She reached out for the slip of paper, fingers resting on it so that they were nearly touching Edict’s. She didn’t try to tug it away or anything - it wasn’t like it was useful without Edict sorting everything out anyway. ”I’m not fucking stupid. I’d rather avoid getting arrested- and it saves me the money. I only got into an accident because Leon almost stepped on my car as a fucking werewolf. Next time I’ll just run him over.”

“Just checkin’ Sis…”
He let his hand lift up off the note and pulled it back to snag a fry and eat it. He smiled as he chewed, shaking his head and going back into his pocket. He rummaged around for a moment before he pulled a few hundred bucks and slid it across too.
“That’s for the info you got despite everything being a shitshow. The car, consider it because I need you mobile.”

He took another few fries and crammed them into his mouth, gnashing down and swallowing them half chewed. Then a few more, and a few more still. The silence became impenetrable as he looked like there was something on his mind. Whatever it was, it gripped him.
Truthfully he was imagining how the fuck he would get an in on the Feds who were there.
“Do you know anyone in law enforcement that you could get info out of? I don’t like the sound of magic policemen and armoured vehicles running around the streets of Portie. I’m happy to negotiate some extra payola if that’s what it takes.”

Linqian took the note, shoving it in the pocket of her coat lying beside her. Then she took the cash too, more carefully pocketing it. It looked like enough to tide her over if she had to call out of work that night… Or more often, with the coven meetings. Not enough to help with her brother flying home… But she would deal with that when he actually committed. Though it was difficult not to dwell on the thought through the heavy silence, till Edict finally broke it again.

”I don’t-” Wait. Linqian scowled, a look of disgust crossing her face as if she’d just smelt something really bad. She did, technically, know someone in law enforcement. Loathe as she was to admit it, she still kept up with her ex-girlfriend’s socials. Bianca was some kind of law enforcement now… But that would mean contacting her ex. Bianca had reached out a few times over the years, and Linqian had always ignored it. Fuck. ”I do. But I won’t do it without that extra cash, cause its my fucking ex, and its going to be a pain in the ass seeing her again. If I manage to get anything outta her, you pay more.”

Edict nodded and grinned. Hook, line, tug. Gentle.
“Right. I understand Linqian. And, honestly, you’re right. Here, even just knowing-”
He dipped in again, pulling the seemingly never ending wad back back out. He flipped it in his hands, revealing that the entire thing wasn’t some hollow entity of ones coated in a few twenties. The flip revealed that the other side was hundreds. Hundreds that he began to slip through until two thousand dollars sat in a pile in Linqian’s hand. “-knowing that you’re gonna have to do something like dig your past up for me, I’m devastated.”
And with the wad being significantly lighter than it had started, he slipped it back into his pocket for the last time.

“And, honestly I know it’s probably not something you wanna go playing around with, but the way I see it is if I have to use my powers, it should be for the job. So, if you get antsy or something, I can help. I can smooth that brain out whenever there’s a pesky wrinkle. You’d be surprised what I’ve learned to do. Like, hey, you’ve got your whole day ahead of you, right? Why not feel better about it, and tell me how natural it feels?”
His hand trailed up to tap on the rim of his sunglasses, the channeler he’d had since they were all teens. He was, of course, referencing his abstraction and its ability to manipulate people to feel better around him.

But, what he was offering definitely didn’t sound like the old stuff. Back in the day, hanging out with Edict and letting him prod your mind was like letting someone jab you with a heroin needle. Now it sounded like he was confident he could do better.

”I’m sure you are devastated,” Linqian said drily, trying not to look visibly shocked by the amount of cash that had ended up in her hands. Shit, maybe she should’ve turned to this earlier- no, Jinhai would’ve never allowed it. Honestly, Linqian had actually wanted to keep in contact with Edict after they both left the coven, but Jinhai had absolutely hated the idea to the point they’d had a written agreement she wouldn’t (and that he wouldn’t contact Anya, who she hated just as much). Fuck, just thinking about Jinhai hurt. She put the money away, hands clasping together and agitatedly fiddling with the wedding rings on her fingers.

Normally, Linqian really didn’t like the idea of anyone getting in her head. She still didn’t. Just yesterday she’d told Edict to fuck right off with it… But she also really, really hated how fucking heavy everything felt right now. It was like she could snap at any moment but in a way she didn’t want to - breaking down, rather than getting angry. She knew it was a stupid idea, and could practically hear her brother’s voice telling her not to - but that was just it. She didn’t want to hear that, just for a moment.

”Fine. Smooth my brain out a little, or whatever, but don’t fucking try reading into my emotions too much.”

Edict too had to hide his expression of victory. There was permission to poke around! And of course, what the fuck would she know about the amount of poking and prodding he had to do? Now it was his business, and all she had done was let him in. But, he didn’t need a Junkie. He needed someone who trusted him poking around in their brain to have other people believe he could be trusted. It was necessary now to have restraint where long ago he may not have had it.

“Alright, so here’s the business. I’m gonna have to poke a little just to see what your stressors are. Can’t smooth out what I don’t know is rough, y’know? But, you’ve got a couple options. I can do a target buff, which will essentially only target your stress points; but I’ll need to actively know what’s going on for it. Or, I can do a wash and scrub, which will last longer and hit harder, but I don’t suggest going to work after it.”

Linqian could already feel Edict’s powers beginning to surround her Emotional Field fully, warm spots forming where he was preparing to dig in like diodes from an EKG machine.
“It's your call; The former is about three hours of no thoughts and an empty head, the other is twelve hours of blissful stoned and satisfied life.”

Linqian had to curb down her automatic reaction to feeling Edict beginning to prod at her emotional field, biting her lip to stop herself from telling him to fuck off. She really didn’t like the idea of him knowing her specific issues, but she also needed to work. Being completely high wasn’t something she had time for, nor something she was prepared to do. Surely, her current issues were obvious even without her brain being explored? Her brother had just died, obviously she was fucking struggling.

”Do the targeted one.” She waved her hand as if this wasn’t a big deal, and she wasn’t already regretting saying yes to it. For once her pride was winning out against her fickleness - she couldn’t back out now. ”Pretty easy to figure out what’s going on. Jinhai died, my brother’s trying to drop out of college, and I have to see a whole shit ton of people I dislike again.” Plus the struggling to make ends meet and having no one to rely on, something she hated to admit to doing in the first place. But she couldn’t vocalise that.

Before she backed out, Linqian lowered her mental walls - just enough to let Edict in.

The first sensation was entirely familiar from back in the day. It was just as familiar as feeling the knocking sensation that marked his arrival, Edict’s abstraction beginning to coat the brain’s surface like water poured over a cold stone. He felt each and every ripple, even her vague discomfort and reluctance on the tail end.
Slowly, surely, the world faded away until it was only Linqian and Edict left at that table. Darkness surrounded them, and Edict’s flesh began to light up, following the line of his tattoos as they turned from ink black to hot pink.

The sensation of him crawling around was unmistakable; but even with it being so much the same, there were many subtle differences that Linqian would be able to notice. For one, it didn’t feel like she was being robbed. Rather, it felt like she’d invited someone into her home for a tour, and the guest respectfully walked about with both hands behind its back. He wasn’t rummaging through drawers and cabinets, he wasn’t leaving the path set for him…
The truth was he didn’t need to. Being invasive was obvious, and it left people feeling alienated and, to his understanding, somewhat violated. It had been a point of pride to change the way that the ability affected the mind.

His thoughts began to override hers then. He got loud, friendly, distracting; like a phlebotomist would do to a child before the needle entered the skin. The blackness around them changed slowly, a different place bleeding into the world until the diner was gone. The place would be instantly recognizable to Linqian, the scent of ginger filled the air and the sound of scallions being sliced on a board echoed out beneath the din of children playing in a distant room. The fridge, the stove, the table, it all looked just like it did back then.

“Comfortable?”

Edict’s voice was just a hair louder than everything else. He was projected, rather than existing inside the memory with her. His view of the scene was much different. Scanning over the surface of her mind, he went from one thing to the next. Buffing the surface of the mind was actually a lot easier than he made it seem; only needed to cover his own ass in case he found anything interesting to poke through…
Which he did. Or, at least he found some confirmation he was on the right path. She still had her younger brother, and there was basically no money after Jinhai’s death. She seemed like she wanted to just curl up into a ball and rest, but life just wasn’t going to let that happen.

But at least he had a decent blanket solution. He very quickly scrubbed out the points where she produced stress over the thought of money, as they were loud distractions that were front and centre. Past that, he began to smooth out things surrounding her brother.
Edict thought for a final moment about what a shame it was that she was going to be left with the feeling of it all rushing back once everything was over… But at least he could give her a few hours of clean thought. No coven, no brother, no money. She was just Linqian, who was going to work because that’s how life works. No concerns, no outer influences. Just her duty.

And in another instant, everything came rushing back. They were there at the diner again, and Edict was slipping his sunglasses back on and eating a few more fries before sliding up from the table.
“Alright, that should be it.”

”Fuck.” Linqian felt… Strange. Content. She could still see her home, filled with the sounds and smells of her family, in the back of her mind. Just like she’d seen in her dreams last night, but so much more… comforting. Real. She reached up and wiped away the tear that had embarrassingly slid down her face, not feeling quite as annoyed about the show of weakness as she normally would. ”Yeah, that’s it.”

Even with the whole brain smoothed out, she was still Linqian, and wasn’t about to thank him for it. But it felt nice to not have all that weight on her shoulders, dragging her down until she could barely carry on. Maybe she’d been wrong all this time, constantly getting aggressive at Edict for just tapping on her mind… No, dangerous thoughts. She’d put those away for later.

”Sure does feel a lot quieter up here. Maybe I should’ve let you do this before- ah, wait, Jinhai would’ve decked you for that.” Linqian shrugged, lips curving into a light smile, for once not particularly sad thinking about her brother. ”Things change, I suppose.”

Edict shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, don’t thank me yet. It’s gonna feel like crap once it all comes flooding back; I said you won’t have any hangover effects but you’re sure as fuck gonna feel the emotions swing back around like a hammer.”
He took a deep breath, nodding to himself before he slid the rest of the fries to her.
“You take it easy. And if you see anyone interesting at work, keep it in mind, huh?”

And with that, Edict waltzed back out the door, leaving Linqian where she had been when they started, pockets laden with cash.

---

---

Linqian was slightly late in getting to the park where the coven was meeting, thanks to having to get there from the diner where she’d met Edict without a car. She wore a dark grey fleece jacket now that she was outside, but it didn’t help much for her practically bare legs. Who decided to meet outside at this time of year?

Though, she supposed it was reasonable after the damage to Auri’s store the last time.

She slipped into the gazebo in time to hear Auri announce the deaths of three more members. Once there, a faint glow emanated from one of the wedding rings on her fingers and the air temperature ticked up. It covered the whole gazebo, making it feel like a pleasant spring day rather than the chilly autumn one it really was.

Linqian rolled her eyes when Anya started talking - fucking bitch. Her hatred for her hadn’t cooled over the years, instead it had just festered. But it was slightly easier to ignore her completely without all her normal stress. She could just think of her as annoying background noise, something she could pretend wasn’t there. She wasn’t particularly bothered by the three deaths, either - not so much thanks to Edict’s playing with her mind but rather her lack of care for any of them. Still, that meant they were all at risk, even here.

”Father Wolf doesn’t only strike at night,” Linqian said, looking over at Jack. Her words came out with surprising calmness, considering her brother was one of the previous victims and she was actively revisiting it then. But she didn’t feel particularly emotional about it, right now. It didn’t seem so bothersome. ”I found Jinhai dead at around 10pm, but the police said he’d been dead for at least an hour when they came. It was the evening, but not particularly late. He was alone, but…” she paused, furrowing her brows as she tried to remember back to something she’d been actively burying. ”Our apartment didn’t have the best soundproofing. We could hear the couple next door having sex all the time. So if he called for help, someone would have heard it.”

She let out a soft sigh. If she’d been in a better, calmer, emotional state like she was now she would have noticed more… And it would be easier to get revenge. ”The only definite was that he was alone.”

Location: The Temple
_{In collaboration with @AtomicEmperor}

---

Veni Vedi went as well as one would expect. Void snatched the purse and blazed out of there with Layla faster than prey dodging eagles. Soon enough, the chaos was left far, far behind, and Void set his sights on another familiar sight - the Temple.

Layla rolled up to the front, parking her motorbike to the side and setting her helmet on the seat. "Remind me what this place is, again?"

Void hovered around her shoulders as she made her way to the entrance. "It's one of the last safe bastions Alizée used. Everyone here is... well..."

Void cocked his eyebrow. "How's your thirst?"

"My... what?"

"Hm, you're still fairly new. It won't set in for a bit. But when it does, you may be seeing a lot more of this place."

Layla squirmed a bit uncomfortably at that response before she knocked on the door.

"You can just walk in." Void said, smirking with a slightly amused expression.

"You can walk in. I wouldn't feel right doing that."

Void just gave a short chuckle, summoned a phantom hand, and pushed the door aside, ushering Layla inside the Temple.

As the heavy church doors swung open, the rows of pews rolled ahead of Layla in clusters of three for ten or eleven rows. Orange and white banners depicting a sun rising over the crest of a forest-covered hill hung from the support beams crossing the ceiling, their ends dangling just above the pews. Scattered individuals sat in pews and on little shrines that had their contents shifted to support the intrusion.

As Layla entered, the few began to shift in discomfort before one of them finally spoke up.

"Who are you!?"

Layla visibly flinched, "Uh-"

Another cleared their throat, pointing up at the Void's massive hand as it contracted back into the backpack format it was in.

"M-master Void!"

Void turned his orb-like self in the direction of the voice, his eyes showing a hint of softness. Yes. In a world of kill or be killed, this was the last safe bastion.

Another skittered off behind the pulpit and down the small flight of stairs. Without much delay, the tall dark figure of Lady Richoux ascended like a phantom gliding across the floor.

"Void!? Oh, I have been worried sick that you'd be lost to the Ink!" Lynette called, stepping down to meet him and his new host.

"I have some... unfinished business in the Shimmer, Lady Richoux. You know I couldn't stay away." Void said, looking upon her face before politely averting his eyes. Lady Richoux was a sweet toy, not one he played with, but one he took advantage of. The Temple had helped Alizée, and thereby him, countless times these past ten years. And in those times, he had learned that getting his way meant never causing a scene within the Temple grounds.

Lynette's face was red, clearly she'd been exerting herself with grief or something else, but despite that she held a regal gaze down at the new girl. Her hand extended with lady-like poise, and she curtsied with her other hand.

"Honored Host... Whom do I have the deepest pleasure of laying my eyes on this evening?"

Layla blinked, at first not registering that the regal woman was addressing her. Void gave her a nudge, phantom hand only making contact for the briefest moment, just to urge Layla forward. Regardless, Layla shivered a moment before clasping the woman's hand.

"I'm... Layla. Layla Hyacinthus." She stammered, feeling a flush in her cheeks. "I- I'm sorry, I'm a bit, uhm, new."

"You are forgiven, dear Sister. This is the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals, where the previous Honored Host spent a great deal of time. You may consider this place as your home, and come here in confidence to allow your new companion the chance to feed and grow strong without fear of the dangers that come with Night Stalking."

Lynette held the girl's hand gently, rubbing it as she had Alizée's a million times before. The pale coldness of the Void contracted across her flesh. It reminded Lynette of the girl, and brought her back to silent tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

Void waited for the two to make their introductions with each other before addressing the Lady of the Temple. In one of his fisted hands he raised up to Lady Richoux was a gift. He had noticed the redness of her eyes, reminding him of his own tears in the Void.

It meant she likely knew about Alizée.

"Are you aware of the news?" He asked, eyes level with the woman. If she held her hand out, Void would drop the gift in them - an antique silver locket that the woman would recognize instantly. It was the same she had gifted Alizée many years ago when her and the Void Heart were officially welcomed into the folds of the Temple. Within was a portrait of Lady Richoux and Alizée, faded with time.

The only artefact recovered from Alizée's purse.

She started sobbing almost as soon as Void mentioned "the news". It only got worse when the locket was returned to her, and it was in this moment that one could come to understand just how much Lynette cared. The wound was fresh, and she had been putting on a strong face for whoever decided to come around. But in the end, she couldn't hold it together.

"I need to speak with Leon, if he's here." Void said, a pained edge in his voice.

As if spurned on by the sobbing, Leon came from one of the back rooms and turned the corner immediately to see Void and the new host. His face became shocked, and all six foot eight of him barreled toward them.

"Void!? What the fuck happened, where've you been!?"

Void regarded Leon as he approached with a solemn look, before he shifted to the side, gesturing to Layla.

"Zu'u ris hin yun briinah ko hin ulaak." He said, his voice rolling over the enunciation of an ancient language. Anyone versed in the Void and its war-torn culture would recognize it as one of the oldest intact languages, not often used even by modern voidly standards. It would loosely translate to 'I put your new sister in your care.' It was customary to introduce family to each other like this, especially in the case of a death.

Void paused, before addressing Leon again. "She is your new sister. She still has lots to learn, but treat her as you did Alizée."

Leon bowed his torso before Layla in a respectful manner. It was painful to already have a replacement like this, but Void didn't have the luxury of taking his time and mourning. Without thinking about it, Leon reached out and placed a massive hand on Layla's head. He ruffled her hair gently, like an older brother would, and smiled down at her.

"Terrible to meet you like this. You must have a million questions and no answers with this guy."

Layla stared to a long moment, eyes wide in awe at the man before her. Before her face scrunched up, revealing the hurt she'd been trying desperately to hide.

"Th-thank you." She murmured softly. At least someone understood. Little did she know how much she would come to regard this man as her elder brother, and navigator for the Thirst yet to come.

Another pause. Then, Void spoke. He had to know.

"Where is Alizée?"

---

---

---

---

Lynette, who had very quickly been flanked by some of her adjutants, and they supported her physically in her grieved state. Leon clicked his tongue.

"Ma, maybe go back downstairs? I can handle things for now."

Lynette waved her hand, blowing her nose into a handkerchief.

"I-I'm... So sorry, Void..." she responded. "Leon will show you... I can't-" she started up again like a siren, and the two people with her began to turn her around and they headed back toward where she came from. Leon gave a loud sigh.

"Pardon... Come."

Void and Layla watched with pained gazes as Lady Richoux was led away, her tears etching their mark. It was plain as day on the followers' expressions. It was a dark day for the Temple.

Void's eyes slid over to where he knew the morgue was. He never had the strength, and never would have the strength to move forward. But.... Alizée was his charge. He had to see her. He had to witness her state with his own eyes.

Leon gently took Layla's hand, leading her off to the left and down a hall and toward a set of stairs. Another man guarded them, and stepped aside in Leon's wake. The three of them were able to descend a few flights of stairs to a dark stone room. Electric light crossed the ceilings, and the hum of electricity filled the room. There was a small wall of metal tombs. Cold storage for bodies processed by the cult's coroner.

Leon made way for the wall, a somber look on his face. He formed the sign of the Temple with his hands before popping the door open and sliding the tray out into the open. Alizée laid upon the slab with a white sheet over her body, a serene look on her face. Leon's hand gently rubbed her hair, just like he'd done to Layla. His head turned to Void, gesturing with his eyes as if to say "Here.".

Void stared for a long time at her. Before he had the will to move, his insides threatening to rend themselves apart. He could feel the pressure building. The pain of a fractured heart - hidden deep in the darkness within him. Torn heart strings, and a limpness in his spirit that caused fiery tears to pool in his cold eyes.

"Alizée...?" He called softly, reaching out to cup her cheek with a dark, ghostly hand. She didn't move, as still as death, painfully unresponsive.

"....Alizée...?"

He called again, his eyes tightening, willing her to open those perfect eyes of hers. To smile and tell her that everything was okay. That she was fine. That he didn't have to travel this cold Shimmer alone.

From the prolonged touch, not a single speck of white energy circled up from her form. Not even a hint of life. His face crumpled, and bent over her, fiery tears dropping.

"I can... finally hold you, my dear..."

Layla watched on, witnessing Leon and Void hovering over this quiet form. Her throat felt tight.

This was the one she was replacing.

How could she ever live up to such a legacy?

---

Once the worst of it passed over, Leon took the duo from the crypt and back out into the chilly air of the night. They walked down the road a short way, the cul-de-sac ringed with different buildings that looked like a college campus.

It was one of these dormitory buildings that Leon led the two of them up into. Void would know for a fact that it wasn't the same place they brought Alizée, becoming even clearer when the room they opened up to was barren of any personal decorum. A brand new person, a brand new room in the Temple.

It was befitting of an Honored Host, and sported a small kitchenette and fridge for personal use, a queen sized bed, and a personal bathroom with shower.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit bland, but it's yours Layla. Feel free to do with it as you wish. Tomorrow, when you have some free time, come back to the temple and ask for Furio. He'll get you more acquainted with the amenities available to you. For now, Void, if you need to eat? You know where to bring her. Bonne nuit..."

And then Leon too was gone, leaving the two alone to contemplate their new lots.

Void regarded Leon silently, his eyes a bit hollow, while Layla furiously nodded her head, eyes wide at the room. All of this was for her?

After Leon left, Void moved to close and lock the door, then turned to face Layla. His expression was a mix of pain and resoluteness as he addressed her.

"We'll be staying here for the night. Before you sleep, though. There's something I must teach you."

---

---

---

---

Void moved Layla over to the bed and had her sit. "Hold out your hands, palms up."

She did as instructed, staring up at the orb and its aura swirling in front of her. Void gave a nod, summoning phantom hands to hover above hers, palms facing down.

"Now, close your eyes. I want you to reach out with your awareness. It's usually in your head thinking thoughts, but I want you to take that and move it to the space underneath my palms."

Layla swallowed nervously and squeezed her eyes shut, her face scrunching up reflexively.

Void's voice was slow, a calculated growl. "Breathe. This will help you find your new power."

Layla took a huge, shaky breath, trying to relax.

"Good," Void continued. "Now, try to visualize darkness. Small, dark hands, hidden under my own. Squeeze them into a fist."

Layla grimaced, trying to visualize. But she felt she was missing something.

"Hmm... Open your eyes. Let's try something else." Void said.

The moment Layla's eyes flickered open, she saw a massive, dark fist flying in her direction. Reflexively, she threw her hands up, trying to block the incoming blow, squeezing her eyes shut to brace for impact.

Until she felt a pressure, and a weight. Foreign and cold, yet very much connected to her.

Void's voice growled in approval. "Good. You've made the connection. You've found them."

Layla blinked her eyes open. There was still very much a massive fist in her face, but what intrigued her more was the curtain of darkness blocking it. A separate hand mimicking her own pale fist, holding Void back. Her mouth dropped in awe, shifting forward in her seat. She reflexively opened and closed the hand, watching it listen to signals from her brain for a whole new set of hands.

They felt... light yet heavy. They felt strong. Powerful and solid.

She stood, and with one hand she gripped the frame of her bed. In one deft sweep, the bed was held high in the air, without any effort or strain on her system.

Layla blinked in awe, before setting the bed down again, and staring at her newly christened phantom hands.

"This is the power I've given you, Layla," Void said, drawing Layla's attention back to him. "This is what I offer you. Power. Hands that can grip, and shred away your obstacles. You'll never have to feel weak again."

Layla listened, standing with a stunned look on her face. It almost sounded too good to be true. Did she finally have a way to defend herself from the entities?

"Of course," Void continued, "It comes with a price. My own desire. My thirst. You will begin to hunger for energy, for the life force of another. But I will explain this all with time."

He glanced at her bed. "You should rest. It's another busy day tomorrow."

Layla followed his gaze, and nodded. She felt... she wasn't quite sure how she felt about all of this. But she knew one thing. If she finally had strength, maybe she didn't have to be so afraid. Maybe... she could flip the tables on those entities enticed by her sweet blood, and put an end to all her years of sleepless nights.

Would she stop hunting people? She wasn't quite sure. But now she had the power to make appeasing the entities easier, if push came to shove. The thirst the Void Heart mentioned was just one more curse to add to her pile.

All in all, she couldn't complain. This was the first time an entity from the other side had actually been nice to her.

Stripping off her outer layers, she hopped into bed and slept more peacefully than she had in a long, long time, Void keeping watching the whole night through.

---

Location: Tranquil Haven Park, Gazebo
@Punished GN

---

After their short, albeit interesting conversation with Jack, Void and Layla slipped into the crowd forming at the gazebo. Familiar faces. Some better or worse since the last meeting.

Void took stock of the run of events as everyone explained them. Seemed the Coven really wasn't off to a great start. I fucking knew it. There was a fight at the Dairy Queen on top of the showdown between the Coven and Wolfpack. On top of.... losing Alizée.

The cops had been called. Void wasn't sure who put the call through, but he wasn't entirely sure if he was absolved of his actions yesterday. Well. Layla seemed to be enjoying her newfound powers, so he was sure it would only take a small push to get her to wield it in case things turned south.

His eyes glanced over Auri's form, barely able to hide his disgust. He wanted her outed. Today, preferably. Jack seemed to be on his side. Seemed. So, he would just have to play his cards right, and see where he could cut with a surgeon's scalpel.

"... Yesterday, Eksa Thresh, Simone Le Lay, and Finn Reid were found murdered. All of them stabbed to death..."

Of course, all his scheming came to a halt when he heard the news. Three more dead?

Layla's hands flew up to her face. "What?"

"If we can't determine their motive, we should at least look for a pattern, so we can avoid it."

But what on earth would a serial killer have for a pattern?

Layla thought about it for a moment, her face turned to the side, trying to hide her eyes. When she took people away for sacrifices, it was typically at night, in a secluded spot, and the bodies, or what remained, wouldn't be found for at least a day or so.

Father Wolf was blatantly making it easy for them to note the deaths. Of that, Layla had full confidence.
Did Father Wolf want them to be painfully aware that they were being hunted?

”Father Wolf doesn’t only strike at night.”

"It's like... he wants to scare us." Layla said, her voice soft. Speaking didn't come easy, keeping what Jack said in mind. But she had to say something!

"Mention the stabbing." Void whispered in her mind.

Layla tilted her head. "There's also the murder weapon used. The Stygian Snake, if it was somehow involved, couldn't wield a knife, right? And it was three in one go. This was..." she shivers. "Well orchestrated... More than one person at play. Human in nature."

She swallowed hard. "I might, uh- suggest the buddy system?"

---

Steam rolled against the high ceilings of a spacious, marble bathroom as the shower hissed, the wall-length mirror above the his and hers vanity obscured by fog, an old tarot card resting on the center of a neatly folded black towel. The silhouette of a slender woman could be seen through the frosted glass door of the shower, forearm and head pressed against the wall, wet hair hanging over her face like a funeral shroud. News of Alizée’s death had arrived in the form of a group text left on read. It was difficult for Sloane not to think how if she had gone with the others instead of seeking an escape from the group that things would’ve gone differently. She stared at the water spiraling and disappearing into a dark void down the drain, wrestling with the belief that she had once again failed in her responsibility.

Steam rolled off of a dark gray mug of tea as Sloane sat alone at the head of her dining room table, a newscaster rambling about gang violence at a local strip club from a television in the other room. Antiques decorated the walls of her loft, including a number of ancient weapons, each one marked by one of her hexes should anyone unwanted decide to pay a house visit. Sloane stared out the floor-to-ceiling window and watched from the vantage point of the Harrisburg Towers, the high-rise luxury apartment complex that had been opened during the reconstruction of St. Portwell, as St. Portwell woke, little ants and toy cars clogging the streets while fishing boats returned to the harbor.

A part of her felt envious of the normal everyday people, their daily lives so routine they never had to question what they should be doing or where they should go. Her inheritance and her successful business had shouldered her with the burden of freetime, and while she burnt most of it serving as the city’s watcher there was still the lingering question of so what next? Sloane had taken to looking for the answer to her question in the cards, finding some comfort in giving up a bit of control to the largest scapegoat in the world, which was also known as fate. Taking a sip of Earl Grey, Sloane asked the tarot deck a broad question first: what’s in store for me today?

She pulled the first card up and flipped it away from her, revealing it to the rest of the empty room first and savoring the moment of anticipation as it completed its revolution and looked up at her from the table. Sloane’s eyes narrowed as she set down her mug, a small huff of annoyed acceptance escaping from her lips. The card showed two figures jumping from a large tower as a bolt of lightning crashed into it and started a fire. Chaos. Destruction. Naturally, it only meant one thing. Sloane flipped her silenced phone over and unlocked it. The text from Auri sitting was there at the top of her notifications. She shook her head and turned her phone back over, reaching for another card.

---

---

Steam rolled in Sloane’s head as she walked through the park, her long black coat and dark pants a stark contrast against the greens, oranges, and reds of the trees. Her hair was slicked back to prevent any rogue strands from attempting to hide the damage Drake had done to her face, a clean white bandage covering her broken nose and highlighting the unconcealed bruising of a black right eye. She refused to downplay his brutality. If he was going to be a coward enough to suckerpunch her, he’d have to deal with the discomfort of seeing his handiwork. Sloane gave Auri a curt hello and posted up on the rail of the gazebo so that she could observe the entrances of the park. She wanted to watch Drake squirm when he arrived.

But as the gazebo started to fill and Drake was still a no show, Sloane would have to settle for taking pleasure in a different kind of victory. So why was there a nagging feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach?

"You look awful," said Anya. "When you said Drake hit you I didn't expect it to be this bad. I suppose I should have... Ah, but don't worry, his dreams weren't particularly pleasant last night.”

Sloane’s stare softened as Anya joined her. She was happy to hear that Drake had bad dreams for more than one reason.

“It's a shame I couldn't be there yesterday. Between us we could have sorted out this rabble much more efficiently than Auri," said Anya.

“She does set a rather low bar. I’ve known airheaded socialites that commanded more respect than her,” said Sloane under her breath, arms crossed. She noticed Jack enter the gazebo and gave him a nod. She spoke louder to Anya as Jack sat on the rail beside her in an attempt to seem like she wasn’t conspiring. “I’m sure you had a valid reason for skipping yesterday. All that matters is that you’re here now.”

"Hello, everybody! You are all looking wonderful today!"

Sloane met Auri’s eyes and didn’t break her glare even after Auri looked away. Sloane impatiently tapped her foot as Auri stupid, saccharinely sweet voice kept talking. If Auri wanted to chastise them about ruining her already tacky flower shop and then change the meeting place to their old lair—god, saying the word lair nonironically as a twenty-something felt vastly uncool—she could’ve just had them meet there. There was nothing worse in the world than a meeting that could’ve just been an email.

"... Yesterday, Eksa Thresh, Simone Le Lay, and Finn Reid were found murdered. All of them stabbed to death..."

Okay, so maybe there were worse things in the world. Sloane lowered her head, her impatient foot coming to a rest. Anya, as sharp and brilliant as ever, took the moment to strike, using the tragedy to discreetly undermine Auri’s standing while Sloane was still processing. Luca asked the obvious question—of course it was Father Wolf—as Jack began questioning his methodology. Linqian cleared up his queries with her first hand knowledge.

”The only definite was that he was alone,” she said.

“A shame you weren’t there…” said Sloane, tossing an unsympathetic look towards Linqian as if she were a beggar taking up too much space on the sidewalk. The others would likely hear Sloane’s words as she had spoken them: as a low effort condolence, a My Sympathies card with nothing written on the inside of it but a signature. However, Linqian would be able to feel the hidden blade pulled from the sheath of the unspoken words: ...instead of him. In revenge for yesterday’s spit and split that Linqian had pulled on Sloane, Sloane turned towards Layla, telling Linqian that she had no interest in hearing whatever bullshit retort she would likely start throwing Sloane’s way.

“The buddy system? Is that your idea or one from your new friend?” said Sloane, gesturing to Void. Somebody had to address the elephant in the gazebo, it might as well be her. It wasn’t like her nose could become more broken. She glared at the Apparition, her voice sounding as drained of energy as one of his victims. “Alizée hasn’t even been dead for twenty four hours and you’re already onto the next girl. Layla, you’re young and dumb so I can forgive you for being tricked by this parasite, but he’s not your buddy.”

“And considering how we’re all living on borrowed time we need to stop wasting it,” said Sloane, snapping her fingers twice at Auri. “Come on, leader, keep this meeting on track. I take it we’re done chasing around strippers and bikers, yes? What are your leads?”

---

---

---

It wasn't long until after the announcement that Auri was barraged with different questions. Auri was still forcing her chipper demeanor only because if she didn't, she would be downing that bottle of wine she had stashed at the bottom of her counter. She leaned against the railing of a gazebo with the Butterfly Staff right next to her. So, she addressed things to the best of her ability...

”As our new leader, how are you proposing we stay alive? Do you have any plans or only leads?”

Auri was silent for a few moments before she calmly answered,

"Like what Layla suggested, a buddy system-" Not like any of you will follow it anyway. "-seems to be the best action. Nobody goes anywhere alone, as it seems only those alone are targeted."

”When did they die? ”Was… was it Father Wolf, like the others?”

"The Police say they died within hours of going to our meeting... and I am not sure if it was Father Wolf, but it's likely."

"Do we have any valid, legitimate leads to find our murderer? Or do we know anyone who could point us in a meaningful direction?”

“Come on, leader, keep this meeting on track. I take it we’re done chasing around strippers and bikers, yes? What are your leads?”

Auri was silent momentarily, resisting the urge to glance at Layla and Void Heart... who was not even being subtle about moving on to the next poor innocent girl to manipulate. You'll be rid of that monster soon enough. Auri mused to herself as she remained silent.

"... The leads involve our deceased members, Kari Wilson, and Lionel Hunter - but there are some matters I need to settle before we go there as a group. Mainly, getting us to our home base to establish where we will meet from here on that I don't mind you all destroying!"

There was that urge to add on: Because some people ran off on their own, caused problems, and got themselves killed. But the goal was not to upset the Void Heart at the very least... unlike Sloane, she refused even to address Layla or the Void Heart. She knew that the Void Heart wasn't all that smart, but smart enough to pick up on her words and quietly plot against her.

She just needed to be the one who outmaneuvers him.

However, another guest had appeared... walking up with a hoodie over her head; it was none other than Adora. Auri recognized her height, body shape, everything!

"Why hello there, Adora, welcome to our..."

Then Adora beelined for Sloane.

---

---

---

"Okay... game day."

Adora muttered to herself as she faced the gazebo... she could recognize some faces from here, but she wondered if anyone would recognize her. She stood there... and if anyone noticed someone standing there with their hands in their hoodie and hood up, they would probably find the sight to be very strange. However, Adora was, internally, working up the courage to come here. In her head, she always just told herself she would find the strength to do it, but now that she's here, it's another discussion. Looking at them from a distance just reminded her of bad times.

Adora forced herself forward, one awkward ass step at a time, until she managed to walk up the stairs to the gazebo. She stood there, looked to the left and the right... and then her eyes landed on a special somebody.

Sloane.

That anxiety was quietly replaced with rage upon seeing Sloane's very punchable face. She turned her nose upwards and twisted her lips up... before she walked over to Sloane and put a firm hand on her shoulder, ignoring everyone as they did not simply exist to Adora. There was only one thing on Adora's mind at this very moment.

"Now that you can't hide behind your phone anymore..."

Adora trailed off before she put her hand out.

"My grandfather's rings, cough 'im up. I don't care if we gotta ride to your place; my car's right here."

She narrowed her eyes at Sloane.

---

---

”Of course he wants to scare us,” Linqian looked at Layla like she was stupid. ”Hardly matters when he’s also killing us.”

”Stabbing doesn’t necessarily point towards it being human, Layla,” Anya said, looking at the girl calmly and completely ignoring her apparition. ”There are plenty of apparitions that could wield a knife, or imitate one.”

“A shame you weren’t there…”

Linqian rolled her eyes, scowling. She just couldn’t keep her mouth shut. The look of disdain Sloane gave her almost riled her up more than the words. Her hands balled into fists, nails digging painfully into the palm of her hands, but she was able to keep a handle on her temper more easily than normal. Any other day and she would have punched Sloane just like someone else seemingly had the day before.

"Even if Jinhai was still alive, he wouldn't be interested in you," Linqian flipped off Sloane’s back, knowing her response was going to fall on deaf ears. She was pissed, but less visibly the normal.

But Sloane's hidden blade cut her deep, slicing through her until it reached the mess of feelings Linqian had hidden deep inside herself. It scratched the surface of the carefully locked box, pricking a hole that was almost unnoticeable. But those feelings, those horrible thoughts, slowly started to leak out. Drops of them crossed Linqian's mind, difficult to process and difficult to understand.

It should have been you.

What Sloane had been implying hung there in Linqian's clear mind, bleeding out like a clean cut that she'd barely felt. It hurt her and it angered her, but right now it didn't bother her. It was just there, and the dripping thoughts from that locked up box began to gather around it.

Linqian really didn't care what Sloane thought. Sloane was just wrong, of course. (Wasn't she?)

She unclenched her fists, and then clenched them again. After a moment she pushed these thoughts away, returning to the clear mind Edict had helped her attain. The feelings were entirely unprocessed, but gone for now.

"Like what Layla suggested, a buddy system seems to be the best action. Nobody goes anywhere alone, as it seems only those alone are targeted."

"A buddy system, really?" Anya raised an eyebrow. "Logistically that's rather difficult. We'd have to start moving in with each other for that to work, in the case of those of us that live alone." It wouldn't work, because it just wasn't feasible. Nobody here would want to spend every hour of the day with someone else. Still, it was best to remain open minded - or at least have the appearance of it. She was smart enough to know when push, and when to pretend to consider someone else's idea. If she pushed too hard against Auri right now then it would have the opposite effect, undermining Anya rather than Auri. "It's worth a try, I suppose. I'll pair with Sloane. I'm sure no one has a problem with this."

Of the others there the only one she could possibly stand would be Jack, and she hadn't seen him for a long time. The "buddy system" was a flawed idea that she didn't hold much confidence in, but if it was going to be attempted she would at least use it in a way that was beneficial for her..

"But as Sloane said, we don't have the time to waste. Take us to this new 'home base' so we can discuss leads and plans."

Before Auri had a chance to respond, another familiar face appeared - familiar to Anya, at least, who'd made sure not to forget any of the former coven members where possible. It had made it easier for her and Sloane's... Joint business ventures, and Adora's dreams had been ones she'd frequented in the hopes of influencing her to hand over her ring. Unfortunately it hadn't worked out quite as well as with her two friends.

Adora's dreams were messy, and frequently dangerous.

Adora made a beeline for Sloane without a glance at anyone else, and instantly demanded those very rings that had been meticulously collected by Sloane.

It was clear that this wasn't going to go well... Because Anya knew that Sloane didn't have those rings. As far as she was aware, she was the only other person here who knew about the theft. Sloane had done a good job of keeping it under wraps so far, but this situation posed a bit more of a problem. Adora wasn't the kind to just accept no for an answer, either. She should do some damage control now, try to insert herself before Sloane opened her mouth and ended up with another broken bone... And the whole coven turned against her, again.

"Adora," Anya intoned, lips curving into a polite smile that didn't reach her chilly eyes. "How nice to see you again. I hope you're doing well? Ah, I imagine not... If you ever need help with those nightmares of yours, you can always come to me."

It seemed like a generous offer, but there was a clear warning there - just as she could make them better, she could also make them worse. Adora may feel that sleep could be an escape but with Anya around, it wasn't. She should be careful of what she did.

Anya reached out to grasp Adora's wrist, though she didn't make a move to pry her hand off of Sloane's shoulder just yet.

"Why don't you ask civilly, without the threat of physical violence, hm? Sloane's not trying to hide from you, she's just a busy person." Unlike some, was the unspoken but clear insinuation behind her words. This excuse would only hold up for why Sloane was ignoring Adora previously, not why she couldn't hand over the rings now. ”Do you really believe you should get the rings back? You’re clearly unstable, and will only be a danger to yourself and others with them. It's best that Sloane keeps hold of them, where they’re safe from those that would abuse them.”

---

Sloane had spotted Adora approaching the gazebo and pretended not to notice her, unsurprised when the imposing woman immediately invaded her space. The hand on Sloane’s shoulder was a quiet threat of violence, the kind that Sloane simply refused to acknowledge. She looked up at the taller woman with an expression of sheer boredom teetering on mild annoyance, like if Adora was playing a bit role in a junior high drama club’s rendition of Our Town and Sloane was her older sister being forced to watch it by their parents. Anya was quick to come to Sloane’s defense and Sloane immediately knew why. First of all, Anya was simply a good person. Secondly, Anya was the one of the only people here smart enough to understand what Sloane had been trying to accomplish instead of writing it off as selfish or power-hungry.

Most importantly, Anya was the only other living person who knew. Sloane could tell that she was trying to protect her. Anya’s argument was sound and logical—Adora shouldn’t have the rings because Adora didn’t deserve the rings. She had given them away and those people had given them to Sloane. They weren’t Adora’s to take back. It would be like an old farmer kicking the door open to a fine Michelin star restaurant, stomping mud and shit all across the dining room, grabbing a filet mignon off of someone’s plate, and eating it with their soiled hands while eyefucking your date because they were the one who’d sold the cow to the restaurant. It was simply not how things worked.

However, Sloane felt dirty letting Anya take the heat for her. While she agreed that Adora would be better off getting professional help than traipsing about with magical rings, she didn’t like making Anya lie for her. It felt wrong and dirty, like if Sloane were taking advantage of her friendship with Anya by burdening her with knowledge of the truth because she knew Anya would cover for her in situations like this. Plus, there was a problem with what Anya had said: what if Adora agreed and gave Sloane her ring? And then what if Auri or someone else pointed out that, hey, a group of our peers were wiped out the other day, Sloane, why not use the rings or loan them to someone trustworthy? What does Anya say then? No, no, Sloane much rather wait until the right time, like when the people who matter start dying.

Sloane’s face softened as she looked up at Adora, feeling the anger burn down on her, and then she gave Anya an apologetic glance as she slumped forward. What looked like the world’s weakest attempt to headbutt Adora in the chest was actually Sloane’s second awful hug of the week, her arms hanging limply at her side like noodles. A flush of embarrassment was crushed by a tidal wave of shame. Sloane always thought of herself as someone who’d face death with dignity, but only an absolute monster would hold onto their pride when the lives of others were on the line. She said something, an apology muffled by a heavy exhale of disappointment and Adora’s hoodie, and stepped back.

“I don’t have them anymore. I don’t have any of my artifacts anymore,” said Sloane, crossing her arms again. My? None of them were hers in the first place, all either stolen or entrusted to her by people who shouldn’t have. “They were stolen from me alongside my counterfeits and a number of sealed Apparitions. Snatched from my business or my home, security measures somehow bypassed, hexes and countermeasures either dispelled or avoided. I had figured that the thief had ties to Sycamore considering how easily they answered every precaution I had taken.” Sloane laughed sharply, a rarely heard noise that sounded more like a dog getting its tail stepped on than amusement, and looked out across the park remembering the literal days she had wasted establishing webs of spells. “And I took a lot of precautions.”

“It’s not like I was trying to hide it at the time,” she said, looking back at Adora. She’d absolutely been trying to hide it, just like she was currently hiding her frustration. “If I couldn’t track down the artifacts then I had planned to inform the relevant parties about what had happened and go from there. It just happened that a few days later my old pals started showing up dead.”

“And I know a bunch of you are just absolutely nutting yourself right now thinking about how you’re going to use this information to cut me down as you ingrates just adore to do,” said Sloane, eyeing Linqian. “But save your breath because your opinion is as unimportant as you are irrelevant to this conversation. It feels weird to blame the victim here, but I’ll still take full responsibility for the theft. So yeah, I’m sorry Adora. I messed up. I'll handle it. Let’s move on." Sloane rolled her eyes. "After all, we have to end this meeting so we can go to the actual meeting."

Location: Tranquil Haven Park, Gazebo
@Punished GN

---

“Alizée hasn’t even been dead for twenty four hours and you’re already onto the next girl. Layla, you’re young and dumb so I can forgive you for being tricked by this parasite, but he’s not your buddy.”

Layla's breath caught in her throat, and she almost choked on air. She could feel a heat in her cheeks, and a desire to disappear.

Maybe she could just disappear. It would be the best solution. Just leave.

“Just… leave?”

Void gave Layla a narrowed sideways look, ignoring Sloane's gaze.

”I haven't given you power to allow you the luxury of feeling small.”

“What am I suppose to do? She's right, isn't she?”

Void scoffed. “She's wrong. Leagues wrong.”

A pause.

”Sweetheart, why do you hide yourself from these people?”

“I want them to like me.”

“They think you're weak.”

“Maybe I am.”

”Maybe you're not.”

Layla grit her teeth.“What am I suppose to do?”

”Start walking with a straighter spine. It doesn't matter if these people like you or not. Most can be knocked off as food. And we don't care about food.”

“Food?”

”Yes. The world is more simple when you think by your Thirst.”

Void's eyes slid over to Sloane.

”Now, whatever she's dishing out, return it.”

“But that's mean.”

”You literally visualize pricking these people with knives. Pull out your other side a bit more.”

“I can't.”

”Then you'll be forever weak.”

Layla's teeth ground near audibly. She hated this feeling. Plagued her her whole life.

Except for last night. Last night… she saw her power for herself.

A sharp silence ticked by, before Layla met Sloane's eyes. The smile on her face was cold.

“We can take this outside, Sloane. Sure my buddy and I could shed some light on things.”

“Stabbing doesn’t necessarily point towards it being human, Layla,”

Layla tilted her head, and Void noticed right away how Anya was speaking.

”Tell her I'd love to wield a knife over her throat. For science.”

“I'd rather not?”

Void only cruelly grinned as Layla addressed Anya. “Wouldn't apparitions prefer to use their claws as opposed to uh, knives? Man-made tools?”

"... The leads involve our deceased members, Kari Wilson, and Lionel Hunter - but there are some matters I need to settle before we go there as a group. Mainly, getting us to our home base to establish where we will meet from here on that I don't mind you all destroying!"

Auri thought she might have been clever - yes, she was quite clever for someone in the ‘leadership’ position. But Void noticed how she sluffed off Layla, refusing to address her directly.

My poor little dear deserves the best… not this, though. This… is wrong.

It confirmed his worst fears. Auri was plotting something. There was something she was hiding. Something that set her off from the phone conversation.

Was Jack right? Was Auri seriously considering sealing him?

…What were the matters that she wanted to sort first?

…Had he prepared Layla enough?

"My grandfather's rings, cough 'im up.”

Of course, Void lost his train of thought when another familiar face started harassing Sloane. Made him smile. Briefly.

Layla gave a knee-jerk reaction. “Should I do something?”

Void smirked. “Nah. I got a better idea. Push plan A.”

“So soon?”

”Yes.”

Layla swallowed the lump in her throat, before looking at Auri.

“Who invited Adora, Auri? How can we put faith in you when you can't even control your own Coven? What about our safety in the public eye?!”

"After all, we have to end this meeting so we can go to the actual meeting.”

Layla and Void blinked in near comical unison. Sloane… didn't have the rings? Then, also in unison, they both glared at Adora.

Adora was making a scene for no reason. Hunting down a cold lead and causing trouble.

Another strike against Auri.

Layla paused, before she was spurred on by Void.

”You can let go of Sloane now, Adora.”

Even if Sloane is mean.

Tayla's day had started off normal. She didn't wake up with a message from Auri when she got up way before dawn to fish with her father. She didn't hear anything, until she was getting ready for the work. The stupid meeting cut into her work day. That's PTO she's wasting just to show up. "Fuck me."

She got ready for her shift, texting her boss that she needed to leave early today. She packed a change of clothes and joined her father at the boat for a ride to work. Nothing was odd about her day. Same old, same old. She left halfway through the day, changed into a navy and beige track suit three sizes too big with a long sleeved t-shirt just as big underneath and white gym shoes, then caught a bus to Tranquil Haven Park. She'll be in luck if the meeting ended before she had to pick Siwan up from daycare. She missed out on spending time with him last night. It better not happen again today.

She arrived at the park, one of the first ones there. She made herself at home sitting on the railing. She crossed her legs, one over the other along the length of it, ensuring no one sat next to her. She generally had a 'Don't come near me, I bite' air about her, and she intended to use it make it clear that she's not to be disturbed.

In a little while, the meeting got rolling with news of three more deaths last night from members that showed up at the meeting. She barely talked to anyone last night, so she didn't know faces to names. Either way they're dead. No skin off her nose. She lit a cigarette and double checked her bag for her lipstick. She was particular about it smudging. There was a lot of talk going on. One bitch in particular she didn't remember, loved to hear herself talk. The sound of her voice grated on her nerves. It didn't help that Auri's meeting was about a meeting place for the real meeting. She could've texted her the new location and she could've stayed at work a little longer if this was all this was about.

She dropped her feet from the railing and pointed her cigarette hand at Auri. "So you fucking called us here to take us somewhere else? Are you fucking dumb? Bitch, you could've texted the address and had us meet there. I'm using up my PTO to be here. Some of us don't have the privilege of working for ourselves and I need my PTO in case of emergencies. This isn't an emergency. Let's just go to this lead now to make it worth our time, and we can meet at the new location the next time. Cause if we leave to go to the new location right now, I'm leaving to go back to work," she said to Auri, not caring about the little fight that was about to start between the bitches in the corner or whatever hell some girl she's certain she's never seen before said.

"I'm only here because my life, and by extension by family's lives, are in danger, but the way things are going it seems like you and no one else gives a fuck. So actually do something to give a fuck. Cause I could be dying at home and not with you assholes." She didn't hide the anger in her voice. She's fucking livid. If she had her abstraction, she'd be beating Auri's ass right now.

“She’s coming,” Lila whispered as she lowered her screen.

“Indeed,”The Maiden responded with what felt like a chuckle, “she is coming to save you.”

“Is that funny,” Lila asked aloud, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“It is not,” The Maiden whispered back.

Lila moved to the door and went outside. She had the rest of the bag from before and shook it to the crows above. The collective *caw* echoed through the quiet streets. Lila looked around at them and none seemed to realize that she would, for all intents and purposes, seal away their master. Lila shifted in her footing. “Do you want this,” she asked The Maiden.

“I can not say,” The Maiden whispered, “when the time comes you will learn my stance.”

“Can’t you just tell me something, anything, so I can prepare,” Lila asked as she looked around, “hello, Maiden? Don’t you,” she paused as she exhaled, rubbed her temple, and sighed in defeat. Of course, The Maiden would not make things easy. Lila wondered if there would be a fight to be had in the sealing, or if this would be easy enough for once. She looked up and saw the Crows with their gazes fixed on the bag of offering. “Alright, alright, Britney Williams will be coming over soon. You will not peck out her eyes or bring any harm to her. Watch as she approaches, assist her if needed, but give her free passage.” As she finished she dumped the bag on the ground as she turned back into her house.

“Britney is coming,” Lila spoke. Evelynn was dressed in a fuzzy pink pajama set that Lila had given her. As suspected, it fit her perfectly. Lila noticed that she had already poured a third glass of wine, and had an unopened beer right next to it. Lynn had found a comfy spot on the large blue L-shaped sectional that took up the far corner of the room.

“I know,” Lynn flashed a smile. She engaged her power for a brief second before she came back. “You may have forgotten, but I do have a knack for knowing the future.”

“Fuck you,” Lila scoffed. Lynn blew a kiss in response. “Any idea when she’ll be here Ms. I can see the future?”

“Within fifteen minutes? She might hit some traffic and be late, she might speed as she is too excited to show off her special tea and be early. I would guess within fifteen minutes.”

Someone knocked on the door a few times.

Lila froze in place at he sound of the door behind her. She turned around and face the door, her breathing more sharp and her face frozen on the door handle. Lila may have remained there for a long time if not for a single memory flooding her mind. She turned away from the door, walked to the table and grabbed the glass of wine and bottle of beer in her one hand, and pointed towards Lynn with the other. “You said fifteen minutes,” Lila pointed again as if she was making a point.

“I said within fifteen,” Lynn winked as she took a sip of wine.

Lila groaned as she turned towards the door. “Coming, one minute,” she shouted. She grabbed the door handle, turned it, opened the door itself in one swing, and took a deep breath for what was to come.

“Hi.”

"Heyyyyyyyyy, how are you all doing?! I'm not sure how long you all want to stay up, but I'm fine with staying up allllllll night long! We can do each other's hair, paint our nails, talk about boys ^{or girls if that floats your boat}... I can teach you all to seal and then go fuck off for the night! Whatever you all want to do!"

Lila held out the glass of wine and bottle of beer, contemplating the different options for the night. “I don’t know, at least yet,” Lila paused as she she leaned on the door frame. On one hand, she would want to at least seal The Maiden, and whatever that entailed. Yet she knew she would also want to see if Britney has changed, or at least showed remorse, for her actions in the past. Lila has not decided on whether she would return to the coven, earlier in the day she was more set on not, and the conversation with Britney may help determine her fate going forward. “After the night we’ve had at the Dairy Queen, I think I’d be down for a few drinks at the very least, catch up and stuff.”

Britney raised the tote bag full of wine.

“Well, I’m prepared for drinking, at the very least!” She then playfully stuck her tongue out.

“Hiiii Britney,” Lynn shouted from inside the house, “you’re early!”

“You know, the early bird catches the worm!” Britney chuckled as she entered and then asked, “Where do you want me to sit down my contributions to this wild night we gonna have… Hopefully,”

“Yeah, come in, come in,” Lila said as she pointed toward a large coffee table inside the living room. The inside of the Victorian house was very much decorated by her grandma. Ornate glass elephants dotted the living room and every shelf in the entertainment center and every side table had at least a few of them present. Old oil paintings littered the wall, positioned purposely and Lila loved the story behind every one of them. “Mind the clutter, while Gran is down south for the season she sadly cannot take all her beloved possessions. The table shall start the night, if we get adventurous we can always start a fire out back and move there.” Lila eyed the wine bag. “We have a few bottles of wine, a few six packs of good beer and gran left her liquor cabinet for us to enjoy as well.”

“Oh I will enjoy,” Lynn said with a smirk. “Britney, you look good. Come, pop a squat on the couch with me” She patted the cushion next to her as she spoke. “We put on some crappy monster movie from fifty years ago.”

“... I look good,” Britney awkwardly laughed hoping that they didn't notice the blood on her clothes. “Thank you,”

She then placed her items as instructed.

“It’s not crappy, it’s a classic and it’s only forty years old,” Lila responded. She had a love of these silly monster movies, they were her go-to for relaxation after a rough day. Her grandmother had passed along her love of these kinds of movies. Whenever there is a modern remake the duo is always spotted opening night. As such, she had selected the classic King Kong vs Godzilla movie for some background noise. “We can change it at any point.”

“... I hope this isn’t an elaborate setup for a Netflix and chill,” Britney laughed as she sat down. “... Because you could have just opened with that.”

“No,” Lila said quickly, raising a hand up as she did, her face an every-so-slighter shade of pink than it was before, “nothing like that, no no,” Lila sat down on the short arm of the couch. “I wanted things to be relaxed first, you know, I don’t remember what sealing entailed and I wanted to..” she paused as she looked around the room for support, finding none, before she returned them towards Britney, “relax before we talked business, you know? Have a few drinks, catch up, and then move on to The Maiden in time.”

“You can say how you feel now,” The Maiden whispered into her ear once more, “if you hold onto that resentment you w-”

“Shut up,” Lila shouted as she looked over to her left ear. The Maiden always had a knack for appearing to her when she least expected, and at the start of the discussion on sealing her away should not have been a surprise.

Britney raised an eyebrow… Then couldn't help but grin. “... You don’t seem relaxed.”

Shit.

“I am not,” Lila responded, “from the fight at Dairy Queen, to the 8th street showing up, and now here we are,” she paused as she took in a deep breathe, “I’m thinking of joining back up with the coven after all that’s happened today, I am going to seal away The Maiden, and I’m getting help with that from you,” she paused as she exhaled. “I thought I was able to leave that rough past behind me and just vibe with a massive murder at my side, but I guess that’s not on the cards for me is it?” Lila paused for a brief moment. “Should I be drunk for the sealing? Like will it be painful or scary or anything?”

“... Okay, girl,” Britney’s smile completely erased from her face as she faced Lila. “You can’t say all that and not give me the details… especially about Emily’s 8th Street.” She tilted her head… before she sunk back into the sofa and said.

“Though, it’s not like I ain’t have a crazy ass night myself.”

“Well,” Lila sunk backwards just an inch, “they tried to recruit us. They also wanted us to give you up.”

“They said we wouldn’t have to do anything, just tell them ever you were. Don’t worry, we told them to fuck off. But,” Lynn paused, “they were very clear that.. they want to kill you.”

Britney was silent for a moment.

“Was it Emily and Vashti?”

“No.” Lila quickly responded, “Greta, Carol, and George.”

Britney awkwardly laughed and pulled at her collar, “... Not surprised,”

Lila thought for a second and she reached into her pocket, pulling out the bullet casing her crows had ugiven her earlier. “I don’t suppose your crazy night had something to do with my crows bringing me this?”

Britney stared at it…

“... It might,” She said. “My night had a lot of bullets.”

“Thought so,” Lila said as she put the casings back into her pocket, “my crows show me a lot, but they leave out a lot of the details.”

“Brit,” Lynn spoke as she leaned forward, “what happened? Is everyone okay?”

Britney awkwardly laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Well…” Britney started, “Alizee is dead, and we miiiiight have a gang of crazy bikers after us.”

“Shit,” Lila whisred. They could probably handle a gang, but losing Alizee?

“Not Alizee, no,” Lynn spoke as her hand began to shake. She quickly downed the rest of her drink and stood up to grab some more.

“Yeah…But, she was too far gone,” Britney sighed. “It was for the best.”

Lila thought for a moment before she shifted her eyes towards the ground. “Void,” Lila asked as she felt a knot in her throat form, “was it Void?”

“It might as well have been,” Britney answered.

“Fuck,” was the only response Lila could muster. “Day one of the new coven and we already are picking fights and dying,” Lila paused, “just like old times I guess.” She also downed the drink in her hand.

“I don't know what happened… Apparently she went to the meeting, some shit happened, she went to the strip club, got into a fight with some girls, and got the Wolfpack to come,” Britney explained. “A kid got shot, and we got into a fight with them… The Void got pinned down, she went to help him, and then…”

Britney winced.

“... They shot her dead on the spot.”

Lila let a silence fall over the group. She pulled her eyes up off the ground and placed them on Britney. For some reason, Lila wanted to think that it was her fault. That she said something at that meeting that pushed Alizee to do whatever she did to provoke the fight. Her face began showing signs of this brewing anger. Yet, Lila did not allow it to fester. She knew Alizee was always.. Troubled, and her night-stalking was something that Lila truly believed stood against everything that the coven stood for. It was not hard to believe that the Alizee she knew from back then was the same Alizee who provoked this fight, and killed herself in the process.

“Well,” Lynn spoke up,“I did not know her well in the original coven, and I did not know her well in the years that have passed, but I wish she was not dead. From what I remember Void was as much at fault for her mistakes as she was, sometimes doubly so, and I wonder if her death could have been avoided if he was put under a tree as well.”

“It was my fault this happened,” Britney started, ”We should have taken care of the Void a loooong time ago.”

“It was your fault that a lot of bad things happened, Brit,” Lila spoke quickly. She exhaled as she knew what The Maiden would say, she knew what Lynn would say, and she knew what she would have to say. “But that was the past, and what matters now is what you do going forward.” Lila did not want to forgive Britney. She did not think she deserved it nor did she think it was her place to forgive before those who were wronged. Still, there was room for Britney to make amends and Lila had decided to allow her the space to do so.

“I know,” Britney replied. “I am trying to do better, make amends for all the wrongs I did.”

“Yes, the Void should have been taken care of long ago, but here you are today. You rushed over at the first mention of The Maiden, ready to ensure she did not become a problem for me.” Lila said.

““I am not a problem for you,” The Maiden whispered, “I would never be a problem.”

“You say that,” Lila whispered, “but why did it take you so long to reveal yourself?”

Britney nodded.

“Because I don't want to lose anyone else if I can help it,”

“Let’s have a few drinks then,” Lynn spoke as she took a sip from her new drink, “relax a little, and then we can get to business. I have always wanted to learn how to seal so I am very excited to be involved. Afterward, we can see what the vibes are. If a night of drinking is the vibe, I am always down.”

Britney got up, went over to the bag she had placed down earlier, and pulled out a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and then turned towards the two, asking,

“... Ya’ll got a cup or am I going have to drink this straight from the bottle like I got no sense?” She stuck her tongue out.

“I got you,” Lynn said as she grabbed a drink and handed it to Britney. “So, tell me Brit, what have you been up to since the days of the Coven.”

Britney just sipped her drink, sat down, and crossed her legs.

“You know, modeling… Gardening, trying to make amends…”

Lila poured herself another drink, more of the same cabernet sauvignon she had been drinking at. She shifted her eyes over to the beer, putting her wine glass down as she did before she reached over opened one of the bottles, and took a big drink from it. It was bitter. Very bitter. It was so bitter that Lila nearly coughed it back up. Despite the bitterness, the flavor was not as bad as she had imagined. She took another drink from the beer before she leaned back into her seat.



“Alright, alright,” Lila paused as she raised up a hand, “alright. I think it’s time we discuss the sealing.” She paused as she sipped at the glass of water she grabbed.

“Awww come on Lila,” Lynn responded with a frown, “we were having fun…”

At this point, there were three empty bottles of wine next to Britney. And was getting finished with her fourth. She smiled as she said,

“We got allll night, let’s turn up like ayyy.”

She began shaking her behind.

“What’s one more drink,” The Maiden whispered.

“Yeah, yeah yeah, what’s one more drink Maide- hey,” Lila paused, “don’t you try and delay this,” she paused as a look of disgust fell over her face, “Maiden. Britney… Britney the Maiden says I should have one more drink, I think she wants me to get more drunk.. More drunk to make me not go forward with the sealing.”

“What a bitch,” Lynn stumbled over even those few words.

“I know right,” Lila responded as she took a big gulp of her water.

“It would do you well to remember that I am very pow-” The Maiden started.

“Shut up, shut up shut up,” Lila plugged her ears with her fingers, “Britney, if we get this over with fast I promise I will keep drinking with you.”

Britney’s booty came to a stop and then she turned her head to Lila, “Fine… fine… Let’s get this over with.”

That was when Britney stumbled over towards her bag and pulled out a bag of chalk, and said,

“Give me something to seal it in, then you have to draw her out somehow.”

Lila looked around the room, searching for the perfect vessel for the Maiden. She wanted something bird like. Something that she would always remember that it is the Maiden and never forget about. She spotted the perfect item. She ran over to the mantle and grabbed the object before she stumbled her way back towards Britney.

“This,” Lila smiled as she held out an ornate glass elephant, “let’s seal her in this. Gran loves these and she’s never broken one”. She paused as she thought for a second. “ I think I know how to draw her out. She’s always asked for me to let her in. So why don’t I do that?”

While Lila was looking around, Britney had drawn her personal sealing sigi on the wall and then grabbed the elephant and placed it the middle of the sigil. Then she took a step back and turned…

“... Well,” Britney said, “Coax her out so we can get this over with.” she slapped a hand on her hip.

“Alright,” Lila exhaled as she took in a deep breath.

“You got this,” Lynn winked as she downed her drink. She leaned in towards the scene before her, leaning precariously over the back of a chair.

“Maiden,” Lila said as she exhaled, “I let you in-“

In an instant her head shot upwards, cracking back with a sharp intensity. A black as dark as the night sky devoid of stars began to fill in her eyes, before soon enough they were completely engulfed. A groan escaped her lips as her arms began to twist and convulse. Lila’s head shot back down, facing Britney but staring through her without a thought behind the gaze. She was gone, somewhere else entirely and no longer in their presence.

“Holy shit,” Lynn spoke as she dropped her wine glass, causing it to shatter on the ground below. “Britney…”

Britney screamed as she ran over to Lila and grabbed onto her shoulders shaking her… “Fuck it!” Britney ran over to the sigil and slapped it hard as she could, causing it to illuminate with a wheat color. The glass elephant started floating in the air…

… Then it harmlessly dropped to the ground.

As the elephant dropped, the black in Lila’s eye began to spread outward ever so slowly. At first it flowed under her eyes themselves, then over the sides, and finally overtop them completely. Lila’s hand shot upward and grabbed ahold of some unseen object and gripped it tightly.

“Britney, it’s not working,” Lynn shouted as she sunk behind the back of the chair.

Lila gasped as her hand fell downwards with force. She breathed in deeply, exhaled, and breathed deeply once more. With each passing second the darkness began to retreat from her face and back to her eyes once more, before it retreated again from her eyes all together. As soon as the light returned to her own eyes Lila screamed as she jumped backwards into a table, causing an empty bottle to fall downwards and shatter on the ground below. “What the fuck,” she shouted. Her eyes were frantic, darting across the room, across the face of Britney, down to the elephant on the floor, and then over to the liquor cabinet on the far side of the room itself. She quickly ran over, throwing open the door as she arrived, and grabbed a nearly full bottle of vodka and began chugging it straight.

“Lila,” Lynn shouted as she ran over to Lila’s side and placed an arm on her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” Lila shouted as she fell to the floor to get away from Lynn’s hand. “What the fuck,” she whispered to herself as she took another big swig from the bottle. Her head turned back towards Britney, her eyes lingering for an uncomfortable second. Tears were welling, and some had already started to stream down her face. “Please tell me you did it, please tell me she’s gone.”

Britney stared her dead on.

“... Only you can tell me that,” She started. “Can you hear her voice at all?”

“Maiden,” Lila whispered. Her voice carried with it a new found fear, as if the word was now forbidden for Lila to say. Her eyes darted around for a moment. Lila turned her head as if she was searching for any sign of the Maidens voice. “I do not, she goes quiet on me often but…but I don’t think she’d be quiet after what I just sa-,” she paused as she choked on her words, ” after what we just did.” Lila exhaled deeper than any before it. “I think she’s gone.” Lila placed her palms over her eyes as she began to make a noise that was somewhere in between a sob and a laugh. “Fuck me, that vodka was a mistake.”

“Can I place my hands on you now,” Lynn asked with a smile.

“Yes, yes yes,” Lila responded as she accepted Lynn’s hand and was pulled to her feet and into a warm embrace. “I need another drink.”

… And it was only seconds before Britney had offered her another glass.

“... Now let’s get back to it!”



Lila stumbled into the kitchen. Her heavy steps and bloodshot eyes betrayed just how hungover she was. She would have stayed in bed all morning if it were not for the smell coming from the kitchen. It was a scent that blended both sweet and savory, and the longer she tried to fight the urge to get up the more her stomach rumbled in protest.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Lynn said as she turned her head around and flashed a smile, “I got us some Gatorade in the fridge, not a cure but we need to get hydrated.”

“Why are you cooking,” Lila asked as she sat down at the kitchen table, “when did I get this food?”

“I ran out an hour ago to the store and grabbed it,” Lynn paused as she placed a hand on her hip, “you don’t remember much from last night do you? I said I’d cook us breakfast this morning, asked what you’d want,” she pulled the pan from the fire and showed the scrambled eggs with a slice of cheeses on top, “egg and cheese on toast is what you said.” Lynn turned back around and placed the pan back on the cooking fire.

“That’s… I do like that for breakfast,” Lila paused as she rubbed her eyes. She thought back to the night after the sealing, and tried to remember as much as she could, “I remember we played spin the bottle, and truth or dare and,” she paused as a thought entered her move causing her head to bolt backwards, “did I kiss you last night? Did I kiss Britney?”

Lynn turned back around, placing a hand on her hip while looking towards the ceiling for answers. “I don’t remember, but I know I kissed someone.. It was right after we summoned that demon together and.. speaking of,” she looked towards the front door, "that did get away... I hope that won't be a problem for anyone later on." Her gaze lingered on a specific corner of the kitchen ceiling as she tried to recall who she had kissed the night before. The memory seemed elusive but pleasant. “We all got real drunk after the maiden situation, that was tense,” she shifted her gaze down to Lila, “speaking of, how are you feeling? Any voices?”

“None,” Lila said with a smile. “I think she’s gone for good.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened when you let the maiden in,” Lynn paused, “did you-“

“No. I don’t want to really about whe--“ Lila started but she got caught on the words. Her breathing increased and her eyes frantically darted across the room. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair, fair enough,” Lynn responded with a smile. The toaster shot fresh toast upwards of to the side, the noise pulling Lynn’s focus back to the task of her cooking. “Perfect timing, eggs are ready as well.” She grabbed a plate and put both pieces of toast down, before she layered the eggs on top of one slice and rested the final piece of toast on top. She cut it from corner to corner before she grabbed the plate and placed it on the table in front of Lila.

“Thank you,” Lila flashed a weak smile.

“Of course, now to prepare Britney’s,” Lynn finished with a wink, “let me see when she'll be ready", she paused as she engaged her power. She stayed in the possible futures, bouncing between eventualities before she came back to the present. “Actually, I think when she gets up she'll want to head home and get ready for the meeting later." She shrugged her shoulder as she began to prepare her own breakfast instead.



“You mind if I squeeze in next to you two,” a masculine voice whispered in between Lila and Lynn. The duo turned and their eyes collectively rested on the face behind them before a clear and excited realization sunk in. The two hugged the man at once, squealing as they did.

“Hi Lila, Lynn,” Jasper choked out.

“Jasper,” Lila spoke with a chuckle, “I thought you were too cool for the new coven.”

“I heard you lost touch with yourself when you became a big name artist,” Lynn joked as she punched his shoulder before she pulled him back in close with another hug, “I’ve missed you.”

“Likewise,” Lila said as she did the same.

“I missed you two too,” he smiled as he paused, “I wasn’t going to come,” Jasper spoke as he gave the two a another big strong hug, “but word on the street is things have not gone well for us since the meeting yesterday,” he paused as he watched Adora walk towards Sloane, “Stripclub shootouts are new, I’ll give us that. I figured you’d all need my stabilizing presence once more if things are going to get rough again.” He turned his focus down towards Lynn. “Rude, you think I’d be anyone other than me?” He paused as he pointed to a rectangular painting resting against the outside of the gazebo. It was rather large, and from here Lynn and Lila could tell it was a painting of everyone from the original coven. “I at least wanted to deliver this, and go from there. Though seeing you two back in I may have to stay”

Lila and Lynn released their hug and turned towards the confrontation with Sloane.

“I see those two are insufferable as always,” Jasper spoke as he eyed up Anya and Sloane. He listed to Anya talk down to Adora, his face betraying the brewing anger inside of him. This was not new for Jasper. He had always held a particular dislike of Sloane and anyone that finds themselves close to her. She was rude, abrasive, condescending, and even above all that she is basic.

“Yeah, haven’t run into Anya yet but Sloane is still a cunt,” Lynn joked, “Drake hit her last night, real hard. Abstraction and all.”

“What she say to get that reaction out of him?” Jasper knew Drake was a hot headed person but someone punching Sloane was too far for Jasper.

“Don’t know, don’t really care,” Lynn said as she crossed her arms.

The trio listened to Sloane explain what happened with the rings, with the magical artifacts, and the sealed apparitions . They collectively had blood boiling in their faces as she talked. How could she have withheld this information until now? What if these artifacts were being used on their coven as they speak? The trio knew that they’d want to look much more carefully into what she had collected, and who she had sealed.

“I think I should congratulate Sloane,” Jasper said, “after years of playing one she’s actually the victim for once.” As he stopped talking he turned his head and spotted Britney in the crowd. A wide smile crossed his face and it, like his gaze, lingered for a few seconds before he returned his gaze back to his friends.

“Yeah, last night at the Dairy Queen and now the thefts. Knowing her, she is probably eating this up.” Lila said as she watched Layla threaten Sloane, “though it looks like she might be able to pull off the hat trick if this keeps up.”

Jasper listened as Tayla complained and he understood where she was coming from. Not everyone had his luxury, and as they were adults now it was much more difficult to drop your life to fight the supernatural. Yet he thought it was very selfish of her to even suggest such a thing. He was now annoyed with the petty squabbles that seemed to erupt around him. This was what kept him away yesterday, this is what nearly kept him away again today, and this was more than likely what their murderers wanted. “Hey, I am going to speak up. Everyone is as I remember and I want to say I am shocked,” Jasper paused as she sighed, “but I am not.”

“I don’t think that would be wise, Tayla. I don’t think all this fighting is all that wise either,” he paused as he looked over the group. He had a certain annoyed look on his face, one that said he wasn’t quite mad at everyone in front of him but he was disappointed. “I get it, we did not end on the best terms last time. But your first reaction after learning that we lost three more members was to say that you wished Linqian was murdered as well,” he said as he pointed to Sloane, “threatened our friends,” he said as he pointed towards Anya and then Layla, “made this whole thing about you,” he said as he pointed towards Sloane once again, letting the finger linger in the silence for an uncomfortable second, “and you made a very fair point, and I am sorry that we're wasting your precious time off. Auri, can we please get better at this?” Jasper paused as he let his finger linger on Tayla. “For fucks sake, this is not high school anymore. Grow the fuck up, let’s get this meeting finished, get to the hideout, and then take care of business again, and then we can all fuck off to our own lives.”

---

---

---

It wasn't long before this other jackass whom Adora vaguely remembered stuck her nose where it didn't belong, calling her unstable. You're about to find out how unstable I am if you don't get your Goddamn hand off me. Adora thought to herself and kept these thoughts internalized. The rings were given to Adora by her Grandfather, and as far as she was concerned, they were rightfully her property. That was mistakenly given to Sloane. However, not so much as flinching at the fact that Anya was still touching her, Adora turned to Anya and gave her a quick and concise,

"Mind your business."

Then, she turned back to Sloane, allowing Anya to keep her hands on her. It was not that she looked like she could do anything to stop Adora if she wanted to put her hands on Sloane. Then, Sloane, after possibly shitting herself, just came out and admitted the truth. She gave a long and honest spiel about how she lost the rings - she could care less about the other rings. After all that posturing, it turned out it was all just bullshit to cover up the fact that she didn't have the rings in the first place. Adora cracked a smile. At the very least, Sloane did own up to it once called out, so Adora could respect that.

Well, Sloane didn't have the rings, and flying off the handle at her was not going to make them magically come back (or maybe it would, but it was not an avenue that Adora was willing to explore). There were plenty of people here, and she didn't want to make things worse... Some people were saying things to Adora, other people were bitching she could hear, but they mostly ended up getting treated like background noise. Adora's body pivoted slightly, and she pulled her keys out of her car and said,

"You don't got my rings?" Adora started as she pointed her keys at her car and pressed the unlock button to accentuate her next point, "Cool. Get in my car; we are going to find them."

”You’re not going anywhere with Sloane, Adora,” Anya said in a calm tone, smiling at her - completely unbothered by essentially being told to fuck off. However, this situation could have been avoided if Sloane hadn’t let slip that she didn’t have the rings… Though, at least, Adora didn’t seem violent in response to it. She then lowered her voice so only the three of them could hear. ”I don’t think Lisa would have approved of you being like this, would she?”

At the mere mention of Lisa, Adora’s entire demeanor changed. Adora let go of Sloane, turned towards Anya jammed a finger into her chest, and very curtly said,

”... Keep Lisa’s name out of your mouth, bitch,” Adora started, hands shaking, ”I bet you never so much as had a single conversation with her…” She narrowed her eyes at Anya.

”I had a few,” Anya shrugged, letting Adora jab her chest. She felt safe in the knowledge that she knew more than enough to get Adora to back down if needed. ”At least I didn’t form a friendship with her out of my own selfish desires, like you did, right? No wonder you feel so guilty.”

Adora narrowed her eyes and quickly defended herself.

”... You don’t know what you’re talking about, I became her friend because she needed one. You didn’t see what people like Emily were doing to her.”

”Really?” Anya raised an eyebrow. ”Did she need one, or did you need to be needed? You wanted to be her savior. I’ve seen the thoughts you try to deny..”

Anya reached up and gently pushed Adora’s finger away from her, before delivering the final blow. ”But Adora, would you have really cared about Lisa if she wasn’t going to kill herself?”

In less than a second, Adora's previously tough demeanor completely evaporated... her jaw dropped, and she froze. A complete loss for words as she stood there, staring at Anya, unsure if she should clock her or scream at her. Then... it wasn't long before Adora took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tapped her fingers together as she quietly counted a bunch of random numbers...

... Before, she simply walked away, crossed her arms, and hung her head. Nothing else left her mouth as she waited for Auri to get on with things.

---

---

---

Britney was stirred awake by a need to take a piss.

Groggily, her eyes slowly opened as the rays of sunshine hit her skin and reminded her that she had not set her alarm for today. She looked around and realized that she was asleep on Lila's sofa... and realized that she was only in her white bra and panties. Then it hit her; last night, she decided to take a shower, and then her clothes were dirty, and she didn't want to get back into dirty clothes, so she had her little festive... half naked. It was not embarrassing; there was nothing Britney had that those two probably hadn't seen before. However, she was trying to remember what she had done last night... She was nauseous as all got out, and her head was pounding, so that made focusing on remembering just a little bit hard.

Something about spinning the bottle and summoning a demon?

Uh... maybe she should have stopped at three bottles of wine instead of escalating to ten; she knows Stormy would get on her case if he found out she got drunk when they had issues to handle. There was also that incredible urge to go home and take a shower... she looked around and saw her clothes neatly folded on the table. Then she quickly went over, grabbed them, threw on her jeans and shirt (not bothering to button it up), and just hauled ass out of there before she had a very awkward morning.

She got in her car, and she was off...

---

After handling business at the mural, Britney was quick to make it over to the Gazebo where Auri said to meet... at this point, her hangover had died down a bit due to making some quick remedies (and a hot shower solves all problems). She had on sunglasses, a wheat-colored sun dress, a similarly colored sunhat, a brown purse hanging off her shoulder, and the most out-of-place item of clothing was her black combat boots. They weren't regular combat boots, but like those old-school army boots, and she was hoping that nobody questioned her sense of fashion too much. Britney made sure to slink off to the side, sitting away from Luca (because she was not ready to cross that bridge) and the others, and just watched. This time, Britney wanted to see the meeting for herself and hoped for Auri's brand-new Coven...

... Only for most of it to get dashed in an instant.

Britney heard from Auri first that literally three people were dead, and their first reaction? Start bickering and throwing shade at each other. Britney rolled her eyes as she just watched the whole thing, as it seemed to make her headache worse. She massaged her temples as she remained quiet... and then sighed.

Looked like Britney was going to have to play the adult.

Just like the good ol' days.

“Alizée hasn’t even been dead for twenty four hours and you’re already onto the next girl. Layla, you’re young and dumb so I can forgive you for being tricked by this parasite, but he’s not your buddy.”

Britney cracked a smile and, for now, glossed over the fact that Sloane just told someone to die. Britney spoke...

"Yeah, he just couldn't wait to lead another lamb to slaughter," Britney chuckled, "So tell me, Voidy, how many little girls have to die a senseless death before you're finally satisfied?"

Then Britney spoke to Layla,

"Whatever he's telling you, don't fall for it. You're just one in a line of many to him. Alizée literally died less than a day ago, and tell me: what is the first thing he does?" Britney started, raising an eyebrow, sassily putting a hand on her hip, hoping that Layla would get the hint. "It couldn't be a redder flag."

"Cause I could be dying at home and not with you assholes."

"... And I thought we were friends."

Britney felt like she should address Tayla, who seemed to be furious that Auri was wasting her time... and Britney was starting to feel the same way; this Coven was a huge waste of time, as it seemed. But Tayla's bitching was making Britney's headache unbearable, and she ended up massaging her temples even harder before Britney sighed and said,

"Look, Tayla, I get where you're coming from - but there's nothing we can do about that now," Britney monotonously started, gazing at Tayla with a completely neutral expression on her face. "Getting angry isn't going to change anything because, at the end of the day, you decided to come here. We all did. So, let's just move on."

That was the nicer way of saying that because Britney wanted to grab Tayla by her shoulders, violently shake her back and forth, and say...

SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! GROW THE HELL UP!

Britney didn't care if Tayla left; she didn't seem to care at all about the news that three people died. So why should anyone give a damn about her? She could get fired for all Britney cared. However, she was not defending Auri, as Britney turned her head towards Auri and said, "That said, Auri, please keep in mind we aren't teenagers on summer break anymore; be more considerate of everyone's time. Please and thanks."

Then she sighed.

Hopefully, that would be the end of it.

It wasn't.

“Who invited Adora, Auri? How can we put faith in you when you can't even control your own Coven? What about our safety in the public eye?!”

Britney raised a finger,

"Layla, it is not your place to talk about control when you literally just threatened someone a minute ago."

Britney raised another finger.

"Nor can you talk about control until you show you have a leash on that Ethereal Testicle you have floating next to you."

Then she raised a final finger.

"... And The Void Heart is a flying threat to our safety in the public eye. Do you remember what he was making Alizée do? What he's trying to groom you to do? See-through his bullshit. You're a tool for him. Trust me."

It wasn't Britney's place to speak, but she would not let all of this slide - it was dead straightforward that Layla was letting the Void Heart pollute her brain. If Britney had her way, she would seal the Void Heart in Alizee's coffin so he could be close to his precious for the end of time. However, the one thing that Britney agreed on was that maaaaaaaybe Adora shouldn't be here if she were going to act like this.

But she had to play her cards right.

Then, the grand revelation came to light: Sloane had lost her artifacts. Britney raised her sunglasses to look at Sloane... only to roll her eyes and put them back down. Sloane lost her artifacts before this went down and didn't tell anyone until she was pushed to. If Britney didn't know any better, she would have thought that this was the good old days. People fucking up and not telling anyone until it had become a problem. It was a high possibility that these artifacts were being used against them at this very moment, and she was making excuses.

But Adora wasn't helping.

Finally, Jasper spoke up; it had been years since she had seen him, and the years had caused him to mature. As he spoke to the group, what was all on Britney's mind... even though she didn't agree with everything he said (Adora deserved some heat for her stunt). She would have told the group not to dogpile on Sloane if it wasn't for the fact that Sloane didn't just tell someone they should have been murdered.

However, it was at this moment that Auri finally lost it.

---

---

---

Auri ground her teeth.

That bottle of wine at the bottom of the cooler was starting to speak to her as everyone bitched and moaned, threw insults at Auri, and actively attempted to undermine her leadership. Auri did not move; she just sat there against the railing as it got more and more and more and more and more grating. Until she reached her boiling point, she grabbed the butterfly staff, and then screamed,

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH!"

Auri slammed her butterfly staff on the ground, and the entire gazebo was overtaken by thousands of her butterfly Apparitions. They danced, taking up everyone's vision for just a moment before they all faded away. She panted, her throat on fire because she screamed so loudly and savagely.

"I am not going to let this meeting get derailed again because you all cannot act like adults," She pointed off into the distance, presumably where their lair was. "We are going to our lair before someone does something stupid and starts a fight. You either come or don't; I don't care." That was mostly directed at Tayla, who only got a roll of Auri's eyes as a response.

Then Auri walked off the gazebo's stairs, saying, "Now, let's go."

Auri commanded the butterflies to grab the cooler, which floated as Auri led the group some distance from the park. They approached a long road flanked by trees on both sides; a chain gate blocked that... she simply walked around it, making her butterflies bring the cooler underneath the gate. She walked down the pathway, and not a word escaped her mouth, but she heard some chattering from what was behind her. As long as they weren't bickering, she couldn't care less!

Their lair could be seen in the distance... She was tempted to talk about how this place was recently abandoned, and they should be careful because they wouldn't be here for long, but Auri knew that these people wouldn't care. However, her eyes caught sight of a... glowing blue bird. It was only a glimpse before it disappeared. Maybe she was just seeing things.

That was before Auri opened the door, which had no locks, and revealed the main hall of the church. She walked down the aisle... commanding her butterflies to leave the cooler by the door, and then slung her staff over her shoulder. She looked back at the group as she said,

"I touched up a little bit on the place as you can see..."

However, before she could say anything, Stormy approached her and said, "We need to talk. I shouldn’t have exploded when I first entered the flower shop. I was not fully prepared for this reunion, and I simply reacted. I do not want to continue that. Can we talk in private real? Just you, me, and Britney?"

Auri looked back at her impatient group, before she said, "Gladly."

Britney chuckled, "... I thought you'd never ask!"

That was when the three of them walked into one of the rooms on the side...

---

---

---

Adora quietly trailed along the group's rear... she kept her head down and mouth shut. She didn't care about Auri's blow and only wanted to know how to get to the bottom of this. These people were, so far, insufferable... and she had only been here under ten minutes. She wondered if her aversion to coming here was a subtle sign that she should have just stayed home and painted... but Adora would hear Auri out. Auri opened the door, let everyone in... aaaaaaaaand then just got pulled off before she got to the point. Adora clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and sighed, frustrated. She spoke to the group without looking at them as she put her hood down.

"... All that just to fuck off and leave us twiddling our thumbs?"

She (rhetorically) asked.

---

---

Adora backed off from both Anya and Sloane after Anya delivered some harsh truths, thankfully. The others commenting on the situation’s opinions were irrelevant, and thus easily discarded.

Her calm expression wavered when Auri yelled and unnecessarily swarmed the gazebo with butterflies. Of course, she understood her frustration. Everyone was acting like children, a few of them aside. With three more members dead as of today, they didn’t have the luxury to bicker. Of course making this group see that was near impossible.

At least Auri moved on, and led them to their new “lair” (as if they were still a group of teens pretending the abandoned building they’d taken over was the coolest thing ever). Anya was pleasantly surprised by the state of it. A church was an interesting choice, but it was close enough to the city to be accessible while being out of the way enough to not cause issues for them. There was a lack of visible damage, too. Auri had done well with something, at least.

Anya’s positive view of Auri lasted about as long as could be expected - a few seconds, before Auri went into a different room with Britney and Stormy… leaving them all with no leads and no leader.

With a soft sigh, Anya made her way towards the church altar, going up the steps before turning back around to face the group. She observed them all first from her slightly higher vantage, taking note of the groupings and expressions of each person. It gave off the impression that she was looking down on them all, as much as someone of her stature could. Perhaps she was. To Anya, whether they thought so or not didn’t matter.

”Since our illustrious leader has left us before divulging any useful information, why don’t we share what we know and see if anyone here has some leads?” Anya very naturally took charge, addressing the whole group. ”I unfortunately couldn’t make it yesterday, but it seems we didn’t make much progress. Let’s try to make this meeting worth our while, considering some of us,” a glance, and a smile, at Tayla, ”had to take time off work to be here.”

Another sweep of the room with her dark eyes. ”Anyone?”

---

---

Just like the day before, everything devolved into bickering very quickly. Luca didn’t participate in it - he hung to the side, half observing and half wincing as a headache began to throb at his temples. The second most unfortunate thing about this meeting, after the new deaths, was that Sully didn’t seem to be there. Luca had hoped to get a swig of his healing potion to help with his broken wrist… If he could drink from the chalice, that was. Maybe he’d damage it, he didn’t know. He’d always used Greta’s potions in the past… But that wasn’t possible now.

Luca winced as Auri’s scream drummed against his already aching head, squinting at her. The butterfly apparitions kept a wide berth around him, avoiding his aura while they swarmed everyone else. It had the effect she’d wanted, though, calming everyone else down - for now.

He traipsed at the back of the group on the way to their new lair, both avoiding catching anyone in his decaying aura while not having to worry about walking too quickly. After falling yesterday his entire body ached more than normal. Every step felt like he was walking on needles, stabbing in his soles and sending shooting pain up his legs. He was tired. Maybe he just should have stayed home today.

No. He was here to help! Stay positive! Things would go better today! Look, so many people had turned up who didn’t yesterday! And they even had a new place! For him to destroy. No, not that, shut up.

”Hey Lila, Lynn, you came today!” Once in the church Luca beelined for the friendly faces. He gave them a grin, expression cheerful as if he didn’t feel like he was falling apart. He then turned to Jasper, grin widening. ”Jasper! Nice to see you! It’s been a while.”

Luca laughed lightly, before seeing Auri leave with Stormy and Britney out of the corner of his eye. He let out a slight sigh of relief, headache easing slightly now that Britney wasn’t in the same room as him. For all that he’d ‘moved on’ from his hatred for her, being around her was still difficult. And he was, perhaps, a little annoyed she hadn’t even tried to talk to him.

But would you really want to talk to the person whose life you ruined? Probably not.

He turned back to Lila. ”Did you, uh, talk to Britney about the… you know?” He glanced at Jasper, not sure if he knew and not wanting to out Lila’s problem for her. ”Was she able to help if you did?”

He really hoped she had… And not only because it gave him hope for his own.

Luca then looked over at Anya, and her suggestion they figure out their own leads. ”Maybe we could talk to some of the other groups in the city? They’ve been active more recently than us… Greenwood are pretty nice, assuming you don’t destroy any nature, and 8th street are…” he trailed off, laughing awkwardly. ”Well aside from Emily and Vashti they’re not bad. It’d be a good start.”

Though he doubted anyone from 8th would help them without someone joining them… Greta had made that pretty clear yesterday.

---

---

A shudder ran down Linqian’s spine at the sight of the new “lair.”

A church. It was just a normal church. Definitely not an incredibly creepy cult filled church like the one she’d been dragged to against her will last night. But seriously, Auri couldn’t have found literally anywhere else? She couldn’t help being hesitant, half expecting Leon, his mother and a whole bunch of braindead followers to be waiting.

Thankfully they weren’t… Yes, Leon was there with the group, but just him. She could manage that (by avoiding looking at him so she didn’t get pissed off again). Linqian found an empty pew (which most of them were) and slumped onto it.

"... All that just to fuck off and leave us twiddling our thumbs?"

”You get used to her uselessness after a day,” Linqian said to Adora - probably surprising her. The two hadn’t gotten along back in the day… Not that Linqian had gotten along with many on most days. But Linqian was feeling much less combative right now, and more willing to talk to people she’d normally rather avoid.

Though she wasn’t sure how much longer this blissfully quiet mind would last. It had almost been three hours since she met Edict in the morning. Hopefully the meeting would wrap up before that. Or, better, it would last longer than he’d said it would.

Linqian rolled her eyes when Anya basically took charge. Typical. Next thing her and Sloane would take over, enforce some anal rules and things would somehow get worse. At least Auri wasn’t a bitch.

”Who put you in charge- whatever. I only have what I already said. Jinhai died when he was alone, and whoever did it got into our apartment and out without leaving a trace. Normal police didn’t find anything.” She shrugged. ”At this rate it’ll probably kill us all before we get anywhere. Especially with some of us,” she glared at Sloane, finally finding a moment to bring up the blunder she’d told them all, ”can’t even fucking keep a hold of a shit ton of stuff that could be used to kill us very easily.”

---

---

---

---

Location: Tranquil Haven Park, Gazebo -> New Lair
@Punished GN, everyone present, @Fernstone

---

"So actually do something to give a fuck. Cause I could be dying at home and not with you assholes."

Void had to smirk. Another morsel to add to the pile of hate towards Auri. Good.

“For fucks sake, this is not high school anymore. Grow the fuck up, let’s get this meeting finished, get to the hideout, and then take care of business again, and then we can all fuck off to our own lives.”

Void had to roll his eyes. Especially at the finger pointed briefly at Layla.

“Ignore this morsel. Playing mediator is just a ploy to feel like they're contributing in this meeting.”

Layla made a face. “That's mean, Void. Jasper is an artist. Not a battle general.”

[color=A299FD][i]“You're forgetting someone wants to kill you. You don't have the luxury for the arts.”[i][/color]

Layla’s gaze dropped at that, and she turned silently away from Jasper.

Void only scoffed, watching the scene continue to unfold. He smiled gleefully as Anya shut down Adora, who lost her edge in a near instant, slinking off like a mouse to the edges of the gazebo.

Good.

"So tell me, Voidy, how many little girls have to die a senseless death before you're finally satisfied?"

Void's eyes constricted into little pinpoints of light, staring in shock at Britney. Near instantly, he was plunged into the painful memory of holding Alizée in the morgue, her eyes refusing to open.

It wasn't fair.

"Whatever he's telling you, don't fall for it. You're just one in a line of many to him. Alizée literally died less than a day ago, and tell me: what is the first thing he does? It couldn't be a redder flag."

It was Layla's turn to look on in shock. Was that really all she was? Leon certainly didn't make her feel that way.

She was in the right spot, wasn't she? She was doing the right thing, wasn't she?

Her entire life, she lived with the guilt of serving the entities from the other side, trying to avoid yet another bite to add to her many scars. But now, for the first time, an entity gave her power, was kind with her. Made her feel like she was more than her curse of sweet blood.

Was everything she was feeling, a lie?

Would she be abandoned and left alone, after all this?

She stood there, frozen in her stance, eyes staring at Britney frantically, searching for meaning in her twisted and tormented life.

That was, until cold, dark hands slid over her eyes, hiding Britney from view as cold numbness seeped into her bones.

“Erei oblaan. That's what I said when we first became adjoined.”

Void spoke softly in Layla's mind, pain in his eyes as he slowly turned Layla to face him, hands cupping her cheek.

“It means ‘until the end’. Nothing can separate us, and everything I do will only make you stronger, sweetheart. Don't listen to these seeds of doubt, they will never understand you like I do.”

Void gently let go of Layla, white specks of light fading away as warmth slowly came back into her bones. She stared in awe at Void, and realized something.

No one understood the entity in front of her. No one saw his heartbreak at the sight of Alizée. No one could hope to understand.

“I push you because I have a goal. I miss them. And I know you miss your family.”

Void paused, carefully choosing his next words. Layla only needed a soft nudge. She had already bent to most of his power in the first few hours of fighting between them.

“If you stick with me, you'll see them again. Until then, you only have to obey my every word.”

Layla swallowed, her mind flashing back to the night her home went up in flames. She thought of what she missed. She thought of how the Temple treated Void. She thought of Leon. She thought of how Void was tender towards Alizée, her predecessor.

“You're wrong, Britney.” Layla said, turning towards the woman. “Besides, what does it matter if I die too? We're all on the chopping block, aren't we?”

She took a breath, ”I appreciate your concern. But I've been useless most of my life. Void is my chance to actually be able to do something.”

“Yes, use me like I use you.”

Layla shivered, her head bowing a bit. “Yes.”

The conversation continued to devolve. Raised tempers, harsh words, including her own. Until it circled around again, and Britney was breathing down Layla's neck.

"... And The Void Heart is a flying threat to our safety in the public eye. Do you remember what he was making Alizée do? What he's trying to groom you to do? See-through his bullshit. You're a tool for him. Trust me."

Now Layla felt targeted. Pushed. She could feel her temper rising, and that terrible tug-of-war in her heart to keep her cool, or cut where it would hurt.

“She deserves it for trying to drive a stake in between us. Say what's on your mind.”

”I can't. It's mean.”

”If you don't say something now, Britney will never let up.”

Layla swallowed hard, and leveled her eyes at Britney. “For all intents and purposes, you're just as much of a threat as him or anyone else here. I may have never said anything at the time, but that doesn't mean I approved of you forcing curses on innocents just to push your own warped a-”

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH!"

Layla flinched at the butterflies scattering in her vision, and fell silent.

And just like that, they were off to the new lair. Layla followed along near the front of the group, curiously getting the better of her. She saw it in the distance, angular features distinct and unique. The blue bird may have just been her imagination, but the worn gloss of the pews was very much real under her hand.

And, suspicious in Void’s eyes, Britney, Stormy and Auri slunk off to a room to the side.

"... All that just to fuck off and leave us twiddling our thumbs?"

Layla stared in silence, a little lost as to what to do with herself. A huge, angry and irritated group, and no leader in the room.

Wait.

No leader in the room.

Void smiled evilly. “Time to push plan A again. You know what to do.”

Layla made her way to the front of the church, hand leaning on the pulpit front the side. She cleared her throat, gathering her thoughts before addressing the crowd.

”...Guys. I think something needs to be said. I can see how fed up you all are. Anger at being hunted. At being in this sorry predicament. And you're right! But I think what could really help us right now is a change in leadership. Tayla and Sloane would attest to this, I'm sure. You're furious, I can tell.”

“What we need is a new leader that can actually protect us, instead of giving impossible assignments and getting us killed. Like with what happened with Alizée.”

She paused, eyes meeting everyone's in the crowd, gauging their reactions, before raising her hand.

”All in favor of electing a new leader, say ‘aye’.”

”Since our illustrious leader has left us before divulging any useful information, why don’t we share what we know and see if anyone here has some leads?”

Now it was Void's turn to speak up. There was a pained edge in his deep, metallic voice as he addressed Anya. Layla wouldn't know this, so he spoke instead.

"There was a boy at Veni Vedi. Said he knew something. If we can find him, there's our next lead. He might be alive, despite getting shot."

---

---

”Well, Layla, what a surprise. You're saying something sensible, unlike most here,” Anya smiled. She went up another step to raise her level again, hand sweeping out towards where Auri had gone. ”Our incompetent, unelected leader has only led some of us to our deaths while giving no direction to help solve our problem. Layla is right. A change in leadership is needed. While Auri deserves credit for bringing us all together, that's all. We can vote for a new leader, then," a glance at void, "look for this boy."

Anya's gaze swept across everyone, smile unwavering. ”I'd like to volunteer myself as a candidate.”

”Oh fuck off!” Linqian snorted from where she lounged in a pew - as much as was possible on something so fucking uncomfortable. ”Yeah you'd be a great leader, Anya, just like Ashley was! For fucks sake, Auri's incompetent but no one here would be better. At least she's not a bitch.”

Linqian rolled her eyes. Did they even need a leader? They couldn't work together with one, how different would it be without? She then glared at Layla. ”Do you think you should be the leader, Layla? Or void? Fucking hell, you hardly count as a member. Nobody wants either of you here so keep your unwanted fucking opinions to yourself."

She could feel the stresses that had been removed starting to press at her mind, temper rising. Fuck.

”And I don't need fucking protected by a leader. I'm here for revenge, and if Father Wolf gets me first, that's life. Unlike almost everyone here, I've actually lost someone. So you can all shut the fuck up with your stupid leadership swap, acting like you're not just here to protect yourself. As if any other leader could do that. They already killed our strongest,” Linqian sneered, glaring at Anya, ”and smartest. People will die no matter what... And Alizée got herself killed. So fuck off with your self pity party.”

”I don't want a new leader," Luca said, feeling slightly panicked about the whole situation.

@Estylwen@Punished GN@Fernstone
Old Church

---

"There was a boy at Veni Vedi. Said he knew something. If we can find him, there's our next lead. He might be alive, despite getting shot."

A slow clapping filled the air, echoed off the steepled ceiling and inner walls of the church so it felt like it was a dozen hands making the noise, rather than a single pair.

"That boy has a name, and he could hear you all from a mile away."

One leg thrown over each side, perched between one of the roof beams and the ceiling, was a pubescent boy - the same boy that had shown up at the club, been shot, then disappeared without a trace. In one swoop, he clambered down from the beam, shoes scuffing against the religious decor as he dropped down to the lectern at the far side of the hall. He was dressed differently, this time.

"Gotta say, if you people really were her friends, you're doing a terrible job of looking out for her memory. Why wait to get picked off when you can do half the work and kill each other?"

The boy wore a green hoodie bearing the likeness of a sports mascot he couldn't personally recognise, an oversized cartoon bird with a sailor's hat that could best be described as a poor man's Donald Duck. Along with that were a pair of denim pants that were a shade too large, with sleeves that had been too obviously torn at the edges in an amateur attempt to adjust them to the wearer's shorter height. Slung over his back was a navy gym bag, about half his size, the length running from head to hips. Something long and heavy was sat inside, judging by the outline bulging through the fabric.

"By the way," he remarked jabbing a finger at Layla, "They're not wrong about what you're in for." He shifted his gaze towards the entropic Void, eyes crinkling. He shook his head, shrugged it off. "Guess one dead host isn't enough? She might not know what you are, but be honest - you're just another predator."

---

Rooftops

---

As he sat watching the world snap to reality, a memory of a hospital room and the thrum of a heart monitor sat in his memory.

"I'm sorry." That's what he'd told her, and the only shred of honesty he'd given that night. "I'll go tell Mom I'm home, Judes."

It had been a lie. There was no home, not anymore, not for him, that ship had sailed.

"Just get some sleep." That was their final goodbye, the last thing he'd said to her. She died a few weeks later.

Judy and Ashley were gone, there was no bringing either of them back. But for Ashley's sake, he could try and unpick what happened and deal with whoever was responsible. His one lead, the biker, was dead, the stranger gone, which left only one other word in his mind.

Overhead, the dull buzz of an aircraft filled his ears. Emergency lights and distant voices chattering as the inertia of tearing up a neighbourhood finally hit the brick wall. The area had been swarmed with a scattering of emergency workers and locals whom had been roused at the dead of night by the chaos. No doubt they'd officially blame that on a faultline, an occupational hazard of living in the Pacific Northwest.

His thoughts drifted to the people who'd shown up and tried to spirit him away after taking a twelve gauge to the face, they weren't kids, they were organised. Cops? More than that, he knew there were government agencies that took an interest in things that sat beyond the mundane world, things like him. Had they seen enough of him that questions would come up? It was a point of frustration, but one he would deal with later.

Bag, shoes and new clothes. Those were his priorities right now.

The bag had a couple of his belongings in it, stuff that would've been more of an inconvenience to replace in a short amount of time. The shoes, he didn't want to go through the trouble of finding a replacement pair that would fit him without slipping off. Clothes, well-

Now he was pacing along a side-street, half-naked and speckled with blood that belonged to at least three other human beings and one decidedly inhuman creature, the clothes he'd been wearing now a tattered ruin for the most part. The only article close to remaining somewhat intact were his pants, and they too had seen better days. That he could thank the bikers and their pet for ruining. Good clothes were frustratedly difficult to come by.

He touched at his own face and glanced at the distorted reflection in the side mirror of an adjacent car. For the most part, everything had shifted back into place, where it was supposed to be, although he couldn't say he ever truly felt like himself - there was no real normal, not for him, just the state of being. At least he'd taken his pound of flesh in turn, and had managed to find the contents of the heavy bundle that was now wrapped under his arm in the tattered remains of his hoodie.

Across the street was the Veni Vedi Veni, definitely closed for business after the night's events, although he found irony in the fact that despite a few buildings being damaged beyond repair, the strip club where the night's events all started had probably escaped unscathed, save for one private room that would need new carpets and a deep clean. The police had taped off the parking lot, and as he crossed the street and slipped under the tape and behind the nearest car, he caught a glimpse of a mixed group of SPPD and SPFD officers talking near the front of the club.

Sand, trash and other detritus had been scattered everywhere. Near a wrecked car, a white sheet had been draped over the ground, a humanoid shape laid out beneath it. There, he spotted his bag and shoes, dumped a few feet away with a marker taped over them. When the nearby cop stepped away to drag on his cigarette, he made his play, scrabbling on hands and knees until he was able to swipe both. He didn't waste time slipping them on, instead making an exit just in time to hear an older cop cursing out the other on their smoke break.

"... prints all over the floor, tell those pricks to stop walking over and moving shit..."

Just one more thing.

---

Church

---

"It's Clancy, by the way. Ashley was my cousin, we used to speak sometimes, before..." Some things didn't need explaining, so he let the silence hang there for a moment while he gathered his thoughts.

The truth was that he'd been following them for a while, and learned enough along the way. A retelling of last night's events, how more of them were dead this morning. Each going for the other's jugular, until a cloud of butterflies had put an end to that. They had all been Ashley's 'friends', although given how divided they were, he wondered how far that was stretching the term.

"You were Ashley's friends, right?" His thoughts found their form in speech.

They were, altogether, a wretched group. His gaze particularly crinkled whenever it passed over 'Void' and its new host, the girl who went by Layla. Its very presence was a point of consternation, a reflection that he had no desire to see. Truth was, he felt sorry for the girl and the world she was in for, and had doubts as to whether he was as much responsible for her plight as he was for getting the last host, Alizee killed.

Given one of the others - Anya - had spoken of sharing information while the contenders for 'senior it-girl' had disappeared, he felt it opportune to share what he knew.

"Since you were busy with the crazies, I spoke with their boss... who maybe just convinced me he had nothing to do with Ashley or your friends dying." Clancy tugged at the strap around his shoulder, then unzipped the gym bag he was hauling with him. Reaching inside with one hand, he pulled out a familiar axe with ornate decor furnishing both the handle and head. "Said that 'Dollhouse' gave the bikers their stuff, abstracthangs- whatever you wanna call them."

Clancy shrugged, balancing the axe with a one-handed grip just below the the head, "Means nothing to me, except they sound like a bunch of creeps. But you know this town, and I know Ashley knew stuff too. And we want the same thing, which is to find whoever killed her."

“Let’s get going,” Lila spoke to Jasper and Lynn, pointing towards Auri as she stormed off, “let’s catch up on the way to the lair.”

“For sure,” Jasper said as he tossed another look toward Britney, “I have a feeling that I might like rolling with the cult again.”

“I figured you would,” Lila joked as she nudged his elbow.

Jasper's eyes darted around the area as they walked. In the distance, he could see a literal sea of beady black eyes staring at Lila. The Crow Pact. Jasper remembered it well. It was something Lila used to great effect during their battle with the stygian snake, and one that she had told him had grown in size in the decade since. But Jasper found it almost overwhelming looking at the sheer number that they were now. As they moved, he noticed that the furthest away crows would fly forward, maintaining the wide ring all around Lila. Jasper shrugged his shoulders and returned to the conversation.

“So I got a few texts from you both last night,” Jasper said with a smirk.

“Oh shit,” Lila said as she reached for her phone.

“What did we send,” Lynn groaned as she placed a hand on her head.

“Invitations, you guys said you were having a party. Britney was there. You said she looked good, Lynn. You said something about summoning a demon before you sent a ‘oops we let it get away’ five minutes later, and a comical amount of ‘we miss you bro, please come tomorrow’. Nothing bad.”

Lila breathed out a deep sigh of relief. “Oh thank god.”

The trio continued along the road, talking, catching up, and sharing details of their lives outside the coven. To those around it was like not a day had passed since the days of the coven between him. While Lila and Lynn used to hang out for five years after the end of the Coven, it was the first time either had seen Jasper in person. And it was the first time that the three of them had been back together in full in ages. Eventually, the conversation had to end as they found themselves inside the new lair, and a friendly face ran up to them.

”Hey Lila, Lynn, you came today!”

The trio turned and saw Luca walking up to them. Lila and Lynn each smiled wide at him. Lynn looked him over and saw that he appeared to be as healthy as could be after the Dairy Queen fiasco, and Lila smiled extra wide as she had a lot to thank him for.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Lila responded, “I found it a lot harder to stay away after I was brought around the people who made the coven special.”

”Jasper! Nice to see you! It’s been a while.”

“Luca, my man,” Jasper said with a wide grin, “it has been far too long. It is so good to see you again.”

”Did you, uh, talk to Britney about the… you know? Was she able to help if you did?”

Jasper looked over to Lila with a slightly confused look on his face. “Everything okay Lila,” he paused as she took a step closer to her. While the two had not seen each other in person since the Coven, they did keep in touch with texts. Lila had not mentioned any changes the last time they chatted.

“Things are okay now,” Lila said as she turned towards Jasper. “Turns out my powers were from an aberration that was tied to me, all this time. She started to… talk to me and make certain demands of me. We’re good now though,” she smiled weakly, “Britney was able to help me Luca, she managed to seal it away last night. She dropped whatever she was doing and rushed over,” Lila paused as she looked away from the group, ”The sealing itself was… rough. Like really, really, rough. I think I need to book an appointment with the doc to talk it through some,” Lila paused again as she returned her gaze towards Luca, “but it worked. I promise you it worked. I haven’t heard from The Maiden, seen a crow, or anything.”

“It was traumatic to watch as well,” Lynn said with a sigh, “but you got through it in the end.”

“So you shouldn’t be seeing any crows anymore Lila,” Jasper asked, “like they should not be following you around or anything?”

“I don’t think so,” Lila started, “we sealed her up and left her back at home.”

Jasper took a step backward, thinking back to the walk over from the park. He knew what he saw. At least a thousand crows with eyes on Lila. He was about to speak again when Layla began to talk, pulling the group's attention towards the front. Jasper listened to her words and scoffed at the thought of voting for a new leader. The Coven has been put back together for only one full day and they are already ready to break it apart and bury it again. While Auri has not done herself the most favors in keeping her leadership spot, she has done nothing to lose it yet. From the word on the street, the only one at fault for the fight at the strip club was in front of him attached to a new girl.

“What a load of shit,” Jasper whispered to those around him as he sat down at the aisle end of a pew, “Void is just trying to deflec-”

Jasper’s words were stolen from him as Anya started to speak. He at least wanted to listen to what she had to say, not that he would actually listen to anything she had to say. But he wanted to be sure he heard every word so that there could be no confusion if he had to say anything in response. He hoped that she would not be so self-absorbed that she would put forth her candidacy. Jasper looked over towards Lila, Lynn, and then to Luca.

“No, not a chance she will get my vote,” Lila said as she crossed her arms.

“I’d rather not vote. I think this is pointless,” Lynn shouted towards Layla as she sat down next to Jasper. “Let me see how this plays out,” she said as she raised a finger up before she slipped into the possible future, and went silent.

Jasper heard Luca say that he also did not want a new leader. He looked back towards the front and listened to everyone else talk. Eventually, he had enough. There was a zero percent chance he would let Anya become the new leader of the coven. Anya was diet Sloane, and Sloane was who Jasper held responsible for the failings of the of the first coven. If they had any chance of figuring out who was behind the killings, if they had any chance to keep any semblance of control Anya and the vote for a new leader needed to fail.

“No,” Jasper said under his breath. He was ready to stand up but he felt a hand push him back into the pew. It was Lynn. She had returned to the present, and she had a slight smile on her face.

“I got this one,” Lynn said as she slapped his shoulder with a smirk on her face.

“Yeah,” Jasper asked with a raised eyebrow, “go get 'em.”

Lynn stood up from the pew and shuffled her way into the aisle. “Hi, hello Anya,” Lynn paused as she flashed a wide grin, “It has been far too long, you look good, real good.” Lynn took a step forward, towards the front of the Coven. “I do love how you still show that same initiative that you were known for. I mean volunteering within seconds of The Void deflecting from all the attention that was on him. Bravo. I hope you don’t mind but I took a quick peek ahead to see what your platform might be. Do you mind if I tell everyon- I know you won’t mind if I tell everyone,” Lynn waved off the thought, “rules on top of rules, strict enforcement, and,” she paused as she shifted her vision over to Sloane, “Sloane as your number two. Now I don’t know if everyone here feels the same way but why would we vote for the same situation that broke the Coven apart last time? Hmmm?”

Lynn turned away and walked back to the pew and sat down next to Jasper once more. “Also, you won’t have the votes. So, as you say," she paused as she locked eyes with Anya, anything you say from here on out is irrelevant.”

---

I didn’t even do anything wrong. That was the lie Sloane kept telling herself to give herself the mental fortitude to deal with yet another Coven meeting breaking down. Layla trying to pick a fight with her for the crime of caring about her wellbeing, Adora pushing Sloane around because Adora had picked friends that didn’t appreciate gifts, Britney quietly judging her for falling victim to a burglary when Britney’s irresponsibilities with magic was the reason why Sloane had to hoard things in the first place. Yet none of them battered her fortress as hard as Jasper. Sloane’s rigid mask of indifference cracked as Jasper moved his accusatory finger away only to jerk it back to her, her eyes darting away as his green ones fell on her, claiming falsely that she’d made everything about herself.

Sloane wanted to scream at him. She wanted to tell that stupid idiot that Adora was the one who’d brought everything up in the first place. It wasn’t self-centered to defend yourself, let alone to own up to a mistake. And what gave him the right to tell them all to grow the fuck up? He was the one who hadn’t changed since high school. He was always being a jerk to her for absolutely no good reason, like he was obsessed with her or something, probably thought it made him look cool and everybody else was so stupid that it worked. Any time she wanted to bring up how unnecessarily cruel he was to her everyone would just act like she was the one being an unreasonable bitch, like she was the bad guy. Unbelievable. Again, she didn’t even do anything wrong.

Auri blew the lid of the pressure cooker that was the gazebo clean off with a scream and a swarm, marching everyone like ducklings over to their lair. Sloane fell in line besides Anya without a complaint, her arms crossed, her eyes plunging knives into Jasper’s back. Of course Lynn would latch on to Jasper, the social parasite that she was, but Sloane had hoped that Lila would’ve changed her ways, yet she still seemed as content as ever to follow the loudest person next to her. Sloane crafted their conversations with Jasper in her mind as she fumed in silence, growing more and more annoyed at the shit talk about herself that she was making up in her mind. How dare they say those things about her in her own imagination. So petty.

Sloane followed the group into the church, too annoyed to admire the actually decent work Auri had put in to restore the building. It wasn’t something that butterflies alone could’ve done, which meant that Auri must’ve been pulling in some actual considerable revenue with her flower shop. However, all Sloane noticed was how Stormy pulled Auri alongside Britney into a side room almost immediately for a private meeting, leaving Sloane outside with the rest of the plebeians. It was just like the old days when Daisy, Ashley, and Auri would go off on their own. Sloane didn’t enjoy being out of the loop. The old, familiar feeling of jealousy crept in and mixed with her annoyance, brewing up a vitriolic cocktail inside of her that was so acidic it would’ve melted through Sully’s Chalice. She stared at the closed door, the world around her little more than a sharp, constant hum.

”At this rate it’ll probably kill us all before we get anywhere. Especially with some of us can’t even fucking keep a hold of a shit ton of stuff that could be used to kill us very easily,” said Linqian, bringing Sloane back.

Sloane turned her head towards Linqian and fixed her with a long, unblinking stare, dark and dead like a child’s doll. She knew what Linqian wanted, and she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Like a Sicilian monk who had made a vow while also moonlighting for the Cosa Nostra, Sloane chose to stick to silence. Words could be weaponized and showing opinions opened up weaknesses. She rolled her eyes at Linqian and crossed herself with her middle finger, leaving it up to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to tell Linqian to go fuck herself. Sloane settled into a pew, crossed one knee over the other, folded her hands in her lap as if she were praying, lowered her head, and quietly allowed the Coven to continue to dissolve around her as the caustic brew inside of her continued to bubble.

Anya attempted to get everyone on track, cleverly pointing out that their leader had once again abandoned them. Void attempted to convince the group to find a child, likely a case of buyer’s remorse in regards to his latest model. Eve attempted to rally everyone in supporting the troops, but most of the troops had left, leaving her alone in a crowd of ice cream connoisseurs and latecomers. The boy, who had a name, attempted to get things back on track but not before he shamed them after clamoring down from the support beams like they were a piece of playground equipment. Clancy, Ashley’s alleged cousin, gave off an uneasy energy, but then again all children were unnerving. However, what he said about the Dollhouse was even more worrisome. Sloane was under the impression they never meddled this far out West.

Yet, moments before Layla had attempted to start a vote and popularity contests had always been more important than survival in the eyes of the Coven. Sloane attempted to hold back a reaction as Anya acted too quickly and volunteered herself, her head slightly shaking as Anya made a rare mistake. Anya should’ve first seen if anybody even wants a new leader, then put herself in or, better yet, have someone else nominate her instead. She had gotten too eager and the votes of no, no, no, and fuck off rained down on Anya like a volley of arrows. Sloane looked up and gave her friend a slight tilt of the head, the strongest sympathetic gesture she could summon.

Her eyes followed Lynn to the center of the aisle, rapidly blinking as their resident false prophet expanded her repertoire to include revisionist history. Sloane and Anya never held any true authority in the Coven. They had given their all and dedicated themselves to the group, but had been betrayed and voted out by the people they had tried their best to help —Anya for speaking her mind and sticking up for Britney while Sloane due to being wrongfully accused of theft of what was technically her own property. If anything, the Coven didn’t fall apart because of them; it fell apart because they weren’t there to hold it together. Sloane rolled her eyes. There was no point in trying to defend herself or Anya, just as there was no point in showing how unimpressive Lynn’s prophecy of Anya losing the impromptu election was after a majority had already voted no.

Wordlessly, Sloane stood up from her pew, adjusted her watch, and walked up the main aisle to the front of the church, the heels of her boots echoing throughout the hall. She didn’t step up onto the stage, pausing instead in front of Clancy. She looked him up and down, arms folded, her unemotive face like that of a bored father trying to power through the Sunday service so he could drink with his buddies, watch the game, and go back to ignoring his family. Perhaps she was searching for a resemblance to Ashley, perhaps she was trying to come up with a reasonable way to ask for him to hand over the ax, her eyes reflecting the blade as they lingered. She sighed and the intensity of her stare faded.

“I am sorry for your loss, as I am sorry for our behavior. This situation has left us at our worst. My name is Sloane Faris. I was one of Ashley’s…well, I don't want to lie. Friend might not be the right word for it. Teammate, perhaps?” suggested Sloane, borrowing from Sully’s vernacular. She cleared her throat. “I’ll introduce you to Auri when she returns. She was close with Ashley. But it’s like you said: we want the same thing. I’ve been heavily monitoring the paranormal organizations filtering into this city, but the Dollhouse must’ve slipped by. I’d like to hear some more about what you heard, but first…” Sloane raised her voice ever so slightly, letting the acoustics of the room do the heavy lifting as she turned her head to the Coven and stepped to the side. “Perhaps the rest of the congregation would like to offer this young man their condolences?”

---

From the moment Auri shouted at them, Jack’s optimism for this entire thing going good started to crack at the seams. Everyone followed her to this lair, and the entire time, Jack couldn’t help but wonder just how in the name of god they were going to survive this. They all had lived they had to maintain, and they hated each other to the point that it seemed like surviving as individuals was ideal. Adora almost beat the shit out of Sloane. He would’ve stepped in if that happened, and Sloane likely believed he would. Anya, and everyone else there found it stupid. Sloane losing her “collection” might have been connected to Father Wolf, in the sense that neither the thief nor their killer left a trace.

It wasn’t easy. Jack consigned himself, mentally, to being the one who kept them together as much as possible. If they couldn’t bend, then he could.

Once they got to the church, Jack pondered it quietly. He never liked religious places like this, and he never met a higher power, but Jack always imagined they wouldn’t find him to be the most pleasant individual. And by the looks of things, the rest of the group didn’t seem all too amused. Especially not when Auri, Stormy, and Britney immediately left them without a leader. Of course, Jack knew what they were waiting for, but really? The Void Heart didn’t trust her, and it would’ve been better if she stuck around a bit longer. But this worked out. Jack was playing Double Agent right now. He had to ensure that both the remnants of the coven and his two targets were equally oblivious to the plan.

But now he could give them something to talk about. That child had some attention to him. But the rest of them were bickering again. Again.

Jack walked up to Layla and her apparition and whispered, ”Wait a moment after I address everyone, and then walk outside. Wait for me, and we’ll leave.”

And so that was what he did. Jack walked towards everyone else who spoke their minds and inserted himself into the conversation. They were talking about how Auri was a shitty leader, and how they should elect a new one. It was understandable in Jack’s opinion, he knew that Auri was planning something and needed absolute secrecy. This meant that it simply looked like she was absent. Jack was hopeful, deep down, that they’d understand once the secret was out, that they understand that still waters ran deep.

”Our “leader” has been making it difficult to trust her, lately. If we wish to vote on someone else, perhaps we should do so once we all have the time to. As Tayla said before, some of us don’t have the time to meet constantly. We’re all adults, mostly-“ He added, nodding to the kid at the front with Sloane. ”-And we have lives. Family, children, that we can’t neglect, even now. So, I’m going to suggest something else for us all to think on that does not require Auri’s input.” Hopefully, this would bring them just a bit closer together.

”With my purple Lux, I can get across St. Portwell in seconds. I can transport people to and from anywhere I need to, during that. I’m volunteering to use that to keep all of us connected. Instead of having to drive somewhere, you can contact me, and I’ll bring you here, or to somewhere else. We can also use this to our advantage to avoid being tracked down by the PRA, or the Wolfpack.”

”And lastly, I am willing to arrange a schedule to teleport directly to anyone’s location on a regular basis. Your homes, your workplaces, wherever you feel the least safe, to be there in case something dangerous happens. That way, we lower the chances of being killed off individually. And if someone is actively in an emergency, they won’t have to send a message, since I’ll already be on my way.”

He was offering to set up regular check-ins with whoever felt more comfortable knowing someone was about to show up at exactly the same time every evening with the ability to whisk them away from danger. The idea was simple on paper, and opened up opportunities for them to communicate more. If someone lost access to the internet or their phone, they could just go with Jack to talk in person with someone. Or, if someone was looking for them, they could get to a designated spot and Jack could discreetly get them out. This gave everyone an extra resource to pull from in spite of adult obligations.

[color=6644ff]”That offer is open to everyone present, and everyone, regardless of where we stand with one another. I want to help all of you, and prevent as many of us being buried as humanly possible. I have more time to myself than most of you combined, it will not be difficult.

”Think on that. Auri may have something for us to investigate once she is done wasting precious time… He was trying to work the crowd a little, but Jack was admittedly a little disappointed. Auri needed to lead these people.

Jack walked up towards the front of the church, where Sloane was taking to the boy. Something about him resonated with Jack. ”When we were all children, Ashley Stone was the reason I had a home. I remember very little from before I met her, but she created the Sycamore Tree coven, along with two others. It was my home, and the coven itself… It was family to me,” Jack spoke fondly of the old days, fonder than he did of most things. It was a side of him he didn’t often show.

He reached into his coat, and pulled out a pocket notebook. He sat it down on the bench behind Clancy, as a piece of his magic hand flaked off.

”Were it not for Ashley, I would have never found a place to call home, a place to feel welcome. That was not why the coven formed, but despite all the mistakes she made, she left this world warmer than it was when she arrived. I owed her my life, and her murderer will pay.”

He pocketed the notebook again, leaving behind a single sheet of paper that he subtly folded up, and kept in his hand. ”My name is Jack Hawthorne. Sometime soon, in the future, I’d be glad to speak with you more. But for now, I need to go and ask our competent leader why she is taking so long.”

Jack walked past Sloane, almost close enough to bump into her. But instead, he slipped the folded note into her hand. When she opened it, it would be written in a wispy, black substance that was from neither a pencil nor pen.

We are sealing the Void Heart. Pretend you do not know this. Auri, Britney and I have a plan, but we could not risk the Heart knowing; I am pretending to deceive all of you on his behalf, as we speak. I am telling you this because everyone is growing impatient of this reunion, and trust is scarce.

Auri is difficult, but clever in her own ways.

Jack opened the door, and loudly said, ”Are you finished playing with magical butterflies?” The doors shut behind him, and the writing on the paper seemed to fade away like smoke from a candle.

Moments later, Jack teleported outside the church doors, where Layla and the Void Heart were waiting. He quickly tore open the fabric of reality, opening a black fissure wide enough for people to walk through.

”This is our chance. Let’s go.”

---

Magic was the gateway to a boundless, infinite myriad of possibilities. One person could exist in every reality, the dead could return to the land of the living, and worlds could be created from the will of human beings. In all his years, Jack had learned this lesson time and time again, and to always take advantage of it.

Jack, Layla, and the Void Heart arrived in a land beyond Shimmer. And yet they stood in a house that had Jack’s personality all over it. Bookshelves containing esoteric paranormal knowledge stood from ceiling to floor, curious objects could be seen on shelves, and the living room they were dropped into felt chilly. There was no question that someone lived here, and yet there was total silence. Not even the sound of electricity humming through wires, or the sound of bugs buzzing outside. It was like they were in a place that humans had no place being in. It was unnaturally peaceful.

”Welcome to the Shadowzone. My home, away from Shimmer. I apologize if the atmosphere is unsettling. We’re in a place that wasn’t meant to be occupied by mortals. You’ll get used to it with time. Make yourselves comfortable, we are alone. You are my guests here, for as long as you need.”

Jack did not take his boots off. Rather, he walked over to a couch and sat down. ”Entropy does not exist in this reality, so you won’t grow cold or hungry- either of you- but I always make it a point to offer food to people who sleep under my roof. Shortly, we’ll eat and discuss what we do in the future.”

This was the moment where the Void Heart’s guard needed to be at his lowest. ”And a word of advice- Do not look outside the windows, or open the doors. Most mortal minds aren’t capable of comprehending what is out there, and the damage cannot be undone. You are safe behind these walls. Do you understand, Layla?” They both had to be fooled. He’d apologize to Layla for the deception once it was safe too.

So now, all he had to do was stall.

Edict's foot feathered the clutch as he slowed down for the cul-de-sac loop. The usual suspects were out and about it seemed, and this quaint little campus tucked away in the middle of bumfuck nowhere St. Portwell looked more like a goth college than any sort of place for the study of magic. Edict remembered coming here once or twice as a teen, the allure of the mystique and the possibility of easy fleece made it a tantilizing place to a young guy looking to make his bones and impress his family. He learned real quick that it wasn't a place to steal from, and it sure as shit wasn't a place he wanted to be around any longer than he had to. The strangest part was that it looked the exact same; Edict thought he even recognized some leaves and branches from back then. The exact same patterns, like something held the place still as time passed. It was kind of freaky.

He pulled up to the front door, pulling the emergency break and putting the thing in park. He left it idling in the assumption that things here wouldn't be long, but as he got out and was approached by one of the rogue youths, he was pleasently surprised.
"I'll park it for you, Sir."
Sir? Edict instantly grinned, his emotion seeking tendrils instantly blossoming the pink lotus as he hoped to catch a bite of mundane prey. Instantly he remembered why he didn't come here: The young man's shimmering Emotional Field was tight and smooth, like a fresh wrap on a car fender. Nary a flaw nor weak entryway could be found, but the smile and the stare hung a little too long, and Edict cleared his throat before nodding.
"Well, that's just great isn't it? Church with a valet?"
Edict waved his hand forward, ushering the teen into his car before shaking his head out of sight and heading up toward the chapel steps. A middle aged man, dressed in all black like everyone around seemed to be, was waiting in the path by the time he looked up.

"Devola, I presume?" his voice struck Edict with a sense of de ja vu that he had to think about for an instant. He... He sounded like his Father. The accent.
"Yeah, here for Leon Richoux. Problem?" Edict replied, trying his best to mimic the accent subtly, without it sounding unnatural. Like he had grown up there his whole life even though he'd only rarely visited New York.
"Yeah, maybe. You gonna keep your hands to yourself? We know you around here; your name is in our Book... And you're rippling. Capiche?"
Rippling? The fuck does that mean? Edict half cocked a smile and nodded his head.
"Hey, listen... I'm just here to talk with Leon, we're supposed to be doing this thing y'know, maybe you ain't hear about people dyin' and shit?"
The man's face went from disinterested to confrontational in an instant.
"Oh, we know the Death around here Bambi. I ain't on about that, balls-in-hand. I just told you I felt you using your powers here on Temple ground. You're like a fucking loudspeaker, you and that pink saccharin shit. Stow it."

Edict bit up on his bottom lip slightly, letting air pass through in a small squeak as he made it a point to give the man a staredown. He was in their house, and if he'd learned anything in his years of business, it was that you acquiesce while in the territory of foreign powers. He was the stranger here, even if he was a "family friend".
"Alright, you have my word, and my apologies."
The man guarding the Temple steps took a deep breath, nodded, and finally stepped aside to let Edict into the building. It' have to be more subtle in the future; he just hadn't expected some detector to be sniffing the front of the building. Fucking rat. But Edict continued on into the chapel with a smile regardless. He was hopefully going to see that faint memory of a woman while he was here, and even if he didn't it was nice to catch up with Leon. He genuinely liked the guy despite how ecclectic he was: They had matching tastes for life. The desire to be, and to fulfill expectations of one's surrounding characters, connected their motivations in a way that a lot of other things couldn't. Or maybe Edict was just starstruck... He'd idolized boxers as a kid, and he loved seeing Leon's father Gravity at his own gym. He wasn't allowed in at that age, so he would just sit and watch from the windows outside. A real nostalgic thought for Edict to chew on as he looked around the room.

There was a lady there with blonde hair and black robes. She was presiding over some younger teens; it looked like a sunday school lecture that broke off into the middle of the week, but he assumed it was quite literally a school session. Amazing what you're allowed to homeschool these days. He heard her bubbly voice and listened in for a moment, immediately being transported to easier days. Before the awakening and the snake, the Coven that pushed him away, before he knew what a gangster was or that his father was a complicated man.
A massive man broke his concentration, and Edict's head spun toward Leon's towering stature.
"Woah, tall dark and beefy! There he is, the man of orange and gold himself... How's shit Leon?"

Leon, who had been sleeping here at the Temple since the whole Father Wolf business started, was fresh from the shower with a full meal to go in his hand. Breakfast was a cholesterol bomb, heavy in animal fat and carbohydrates to ensure that he had plenty of energy to burn. A pound of rice, six porterhouse steaks sliced into strips, four avocados, a bag of plums and a massive water bottle full of Lord knows what rested in Leon's massive hands.
"It's bulking season, so... Just eating my days away."
"Don't give me that. You need it to fight now, what's the problem?"
Leon laughed and shook his head, thinking about the current situation and what would have to be done next to insure that people stayed honest and fair. They were in a delicate world now, and he'd given up surefire strength in the interest of the greater good. Now he was an unreliable bombshell who had to compensate like this, and it was clear to others who observed him. No doubt about it, he couldn't even eat around the others. Everything they'd had was dead, and he was ready for them to go back to wherever the fuck they came from before things in St. Portwell got worse.
"Y'know a few people died last night, right?"

Edict feigned surprise, his head tilting and mouth opening in sad shock.
"What!? What happened, Leon?"
Leon couldn't prove it, but he knew that this guy never didn't know what was up. Even in cities that he had nothing to do with, he always seemed to have some sort of gossip or advice that a local would have: Three years prior, Leon had been in Romania to fight some Baltic boxers in a charity thing, and who was there but Edict Devola, world traveler and supposed clean businessman.
"Don't bullshit me and I won't bullshit you, Devola, we're not kids."
Edict waved a hand, finally standing and patting Leon on the bicep.
"I have no clue what you mean, Leon. Whose dead, what happened?"
Leon gritted his teeth behind closed lips, a deep breath of air pulling through his enormous lungs. Finally he shook his head and looked across the chapel toward the blonde woman teaching her heart out.

"Clarissa?"
She stopped instantly, looking up.
"Yes Leon?"
"It's time to go."
Leon's hands were tied, but he very clearly indicated the door with his eyes and head. The woman responded quickly, wrapping things up to the chagrin of her pupils before she made her way past them and out the door. Edict looked confused.
"I'm in a two seater, so..."
"You thought you were driving? I can barely fit in sports cars, you think I'm gonna bring my breakfast into a cab I can barely sit in? We gotta bring Linqian a new vehicle anyway, so we'll just go over in that."
"Oh you, me and your wet nurse?"
Leon laughed in Edict's face.
"That wet nurse would invert you in an instant."
"I'd let her invert something of mine, that's for sure."

Edict smiled, satisfied with his crude joke until he looked up at Leon with that same grin and saw a mountain ogre staring back at him with intent. His face said it was a joke, but he didn't verbalize for fear of pushing Leon over the hill. The same expression ushered Edict out of the building and back down the steps. The same middle aged guy from before was waiting, and handed Edict his keys once they were close enough. A new Toyota sedan pulled up front, allowing the four people to pile into it before they started to drive off back into St. Portwell.

While Leon and Edict were being driven toward the meetup location, the fill-in conversation took place. Edict was actually shocked at the amount of nothing Leon managed to experience in his time trying to save that chick, but it was at least interesting to hear the tale now from two different perspectives. Leon had a bit more information about the state of things at least: That St. Portwell had once again become something of a nexus of Adepts and magical beings from beyond the Third Eye. Leon himself, between massive bites of rice and steak, admitted that his Mother had been keeping a very close eye on the burgeoning covens of St. Portwell as they developed, and had been working on resource managing for some plants to be inserted among them. He always said things without thinking around Edict, despite knowing full well that it was dangerous to do so... But the way Leon saw it was that Edict would know sooner or later, and if they could symbiotically assist one another he wanted that arrangement available as long as possible.

Leon managed to eat the entire tower of tupperware bowls. He and the man in the front seat, who Edict came to know as a man called Furio, joked around a bit about something that Edict had no clue about. Some sort of Apparition, he gathered, but they kept referring to it in the same way he'd heard "friends" be referred to before they were whacked. For a moment he was beyond uncomfortable, feeling the end of a Mobster's life playing out before him. They pulled into the park's lot and saw the myriad of cars from different Coven members up and down the block, and Leon recognized Britney's car from the night before. As they exited the vehicle, another car pulled up alongside them with one more Temple member in it, whom Edict assumed was the ride home for the other two and, possibly, them when everything was over. Edict was still dressed like a hipster, and had managed the beanie hat at some point between meeting Linqian and arriving at the Temple. Leon was wearing generic clothing, assuming that the niceties were over and that war could be around any corner in the city.

"You uh... Strapped?" Leon looked down at Edict, the thought of defending themselves crossing his mind.
Edict heard the question, but wasn't sure about where it was coming from.
"Huh? Strapped?"
Edict's sunglasses flipped down onto the bridge of his nose, blocking out the pale Autumn sunlight. He flashed a sly grin at Leon. "Why you gotta know if I have a gun or not?"
"We should be ready to protect ourselves, Edict."
Oh, it was business... Edict knew the difference in tone and intent in the usage of a different name. He recognized and reciprocated.

"Yes, Timberwolf. I am strapped as you say. Why, are we expecting things to go south again?"
"I don't know, Man, it could! I have no fucking clue after last night's shitshow, but I don't want us getting caught off guard like that ever again."
Edict put his hands in the air just enough to ward him off. The two men crossed the street, Edict checking his phone for any updates as Leon turned his head and spoke into his sleeve.
"Test, test, test."
"Clear."
Edict heard, and didn't react. It was a backup team... Leon wasn't playing around. He stowed his phone, and the two of them made for the path through the park toward the pagoda they were supposed to meet at. When they got there, only signs of what had been remained. Leon ground his teeth; he'd made them late. Without hesitation, he began the slow process of opening his seals before Edict patted his chest and interrupted him.
"Hey, here. Shoeprints in the grass heading off toward Aleo. A group that big can't move without some kind of trace."

Leon nodded, smiling slightly at the man's aptitude. He sauntered behind the bloodhound like man as Edict stared at the ground. So many footprints, and the hum of auras compiling into a big warm beacon for a moth to clamber toward. Those paying attention could probably feel Edict's tendrils trying to search them out before they could even come close to seeing him, the slithering pink oozing its way between alleys and fences. He took a deep breath, smiling as his feet locked him into a path headed for the fun. It was another few minutes before they got to the metal gate, but by then Leon knew where they were going as well.
"What in the Hell..."
"What?" Edict was genuinely curious about a reaction like that.
"Not sure what we're doing over here. It's supposed to be like, an abandoned Church. Recently abandoned too... Fuck, Auri! We're adults, we don't need to be hanging out on bank owned property without permission!"
Edict kept his mouth shut, shaking his head. That girl was all hot air and no lift. The two of them continued together down the road until the Church's front doors were visible. From the distance, Leon could see familiar white hair shuffling about at the door. His jaw dropped when he saw the violet portal opening up and she stepped into it.

"Furio, VL on the move. Probable Purple influence."
Leon didn't even bother covering for the radio call. Nor did he care if Edict knew he was bugged at this point.
"Shit, Leon are you a fucking Fed?"
Edict stopped in his tracks, his hand lashing out and grabbing Leon's forearm. His free hand instinctively reached for his gun, but Leon pulled away.
"Fed? Federal Agent? No, you fucking Goombah, it's for the Temple! You think they're not going to help us get out of this mess?"
Edict was incredulous, but let go of the man's arm at the fear that a few rounds of 10mm may not actually put the giant down before he could rearrange Edict's face.
"So, what?"
"Come on, lets just go. We need to see what's going on, I need to-"
Leon pushed ahead, breaking off into a jog that Edict had to run to keep up with. Fucking giraffe legs.

Of course the wolfman hit the door first, swinging it open to find the gathering spread out among the pews of the church. Oddly familiar setting compared to where he had come from. Edict was hot on his heels, following in behind in a huff as Leon pushed into the room.
"Who the Hell is teleporting around here!?" he barked, pretty much interrupting everything he could.